
Adam Baldwin and Superman: Doomsday
This is definitely not Super Friends. The animated DVD movie Superman: Doomsday, which goes on sale today, tells the famous 1992 comic-book story that saw the Man of Steel die in battle against an intergalactic killing machine.
Unlike previous Superman cartoons, Doomsday features extreme violence (but very little blood) and presents a darker take on the world's most iconic superhero. Also a more adult one: In this movie he's carrying on a romantic relationship with Lois Lane, which the couple is hiding from the press. When he won't reveal his secret identity to her, Lois accuses him of having commitment issues. That argument gets tabled when Doomsday — a monster who "lives to extinguish any and all life forms" — goes on a rampage through Metropolis and engages Superman in a battle to the death. (Spoiler aler
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Smallville
It's taken all season, but Clark Kent is just about done rounding up all the prisoners he accidentally let escape from the Phantom Zone last fall. In tonight's Smallville season finale (8 pm/ET on the CW) he goes after the final fugitive. "The last Zoner is definitely trickier than the others, and will lead us into Season 7," previews executive producer Al Gough. "This won't be the last we hear from the Phantom Zone."
It's not all bleak for Clarkie, though, as Lana (Kristin Kreuk) will be back on the market soon. Mrs. Luthor is going after Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) now that she knows he faked her pregnancy to manipulate her into marrying him. "She and Lex are way beyond marriage counseling," Gough says. "Now Lex is gonna find out what Lana's been up to
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Allison Mack and Lynda Carter, Smallville
Superhero worlds collide tonight when Lynda Carter pays a visit to Smallville (8 pm/ET on the CW). The actress became a worldwide star in 1976 when she was cast as TV's Wonder Woman, and since that show's end she has kept busy with movies-of-the-week, TV guest roles, films and theater work, including a recent run in the London production of Chicago. On Smallville she plays Moira Sullivan, the mysterious mother of Allison Mack's Chloe. Though viewers learned two seasons ago that Moira was in a mental institution, "Obviously it was a much bigger secret than that," says executive producer Al Gough. "Moira is meteor-infected" and has the power to mentally control other so-called "meteor freak
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Alan Ritchson and Justin Hartley, Smallville
On a mild November morning on the set of Smallville in Burnaby, British Columbia, Justin Hartley and Alan Ritchson are waiting for their breakfast from the meal truck. In a few hours, the two actors will join Kyle Gallner, Lee Thompson Young and series star Tom Welling to film a pivotal scene in tonight's Justice League-themed episode (airing at 8 pm/ET, on the CW). Hartley's Oliver Queen — aka the Green Arrow — is rounding up the newbie heroes to stop Lex Luthor's mysterious Project 33.1, which is experimenting on the superp
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Brandon Routh, Superman Returns
Superman may be faster than a speeding bullet, but Superman Returns took an arduous 117 days to hit the $200 million mark at the box office. While this was a bit of a disappointment (considering the movie’s price tag which, including development, totaled around $250 million), the film was generally well reviewed, as was its strikingly handsome star, Brandon Routh. Warner Bros. has greenlit another movie, signing on Routh and director Bryan Singer for another stab at the Man of Steel’s quest for truth, justice and all that stuff. The film is tentatively set to open in 2009, but in the meantime, Superman Returns arrives on DVD today. Among the bonus f
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Tom Welling, Smallville
Clark Kent may be more powerful than a locomotive, but even a Superman can’t handle every crisis by himself. Enter Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow, the latest DC Comics character to visit Smallville. Famous for his peerless skill with bow and arrow, Oliver will appear in at least seven episodes this season, which premieres Sept. 28 on the new CW network. “He will start to form the nascent Justice League,” says executive producer Al Gough. “He’s trying to find like-minded people with special powers and put a more formal structure in place.”
As with previous superhero guest stars, like the Flash, Clark (Tom Welling) will be initially wary of Green Arrow. “Ultimately, Clark will see the value of what he is trying to do,” Gough says. “But as he’s gotten older, Clark has become more cautious. He will always be there to help out, but he doesn’t want to be part of a formalized o
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Tom Welling, Smallville
Is the Young Man of Steel poised to break Chloe's heart? Is Lex really dead? Even a week later, are you, like us, still processing what happened to, and with whom, and why, during Smallville's Season 5 finale? TV Guide went to cocreator Al Gough the day after the season-ender with our burning questions — and to seek clues about next season.
TV Guide: Smallville's season finales always leave all the characters in very bad situations.
Al Gough: It's become a tradition on the show and it harkens back to what was always fun about comic books. You can tell these stories that are spread out over a number of issues, but you always have a couple of points with great cliff-hangers where you didn't know what was going to happen next. We loved the idea of keeping people hanging, both the audience and the charact
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Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling, Smallville
Fans of WB's Smallville (Thursdays at 8 pm/ET) have long wondered when the friendship between Clark Kent and Lex Luthor would eventually crumble. The sizzling March 30 episode — "Hypnotic," the first new installment in six weeks — shows how the farm boy and the rich kid are evolving into the sworn enemies we recall from comic-book and screen lore.
Lex's clandestine attempts to discover Clark's secrets — and uncover the lies Clark has told to protect them — have been mounting over five seasons. Now, "there's just complete mistrust between the two of them," says Tom Welling, who plays Clark.
The animosity intensifies this week when a sultry young woman named Simone hits town and puts Clark under her supernatural spell. "You find out that it's a scheme of Lex's to not only try to find out about Clark, but also to break up Lana and Clark," says executive producer Al Gough. In an ironic twist, because Lex (Mic
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John Schneider, Smallville
"Reckoning," the 100th episode of WB's Smallville (Thursdays at 8 pm/ET) lived up to the hype with the heroic, if not altogether unexpected, death of Jonathan Kent, who perished doing what he's done for much of the show's run: protecting adopted son Clark's secret. But what did original cast member John Schneider think of the patriarch's passing? TV Guide spoke to the actor about his reaction, what he is most thankful for, and more.
TV Guide: How do you feel about the way your character bowed out?
John Schneider: I thought it was really, really good. For me it was reminiscent of The Red Badge of Courage. There was a character in The Red Badge of Courage who refused to die laying down. I th
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James Marsters as Brainiac
Smallville has shown its superstrength this fall, stacking up well against the Thursdays-at-8 heavyweights and breathing down Sydney Bristow's neck. It's no surprise, since the storytelling has picked up faster than a speeding bullet. The biggest twist came in the Oct. 13 episode when Kryptonian dad Jor-El brought Clark back from his deathbed and then told him that "the life force that has been returned to you will soon be taken from someone you love." Uh-oh, that can't be good. TV Guide turned to executive producer Al Gough for answers to our burning questions.
Was Jor-El bluffing? Is someone really gonna die?
Yup. "He does really mean it," Gough says. "If you look at Jor-El's history in the show, everything he has said has come to pass." The big event will happen in the 100th episode, airing this winter.
OK, who's it gonna be?
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