GAME OF THRONES and SHERLOCK Score Emmy Nominations

Although the miniseries Mildred Pierce and AMC's Mad Men lead the 2011 Emmy Awards nominations announced this morning with 21 and 19 nominations respectively, HBO's Game of Thrones racked up a decent amount for its first season with 13, including Outstanding Drama Series and a Outstanding Supporting Actor nomination for Peter Dinklage.

Other recognized geek-favorite shows include HBO's True Blood, AMC's The Walking Dead and the BBC series Sherlock, which aired in the United States as part of PBS' Masterpiece series.  FOX's Fringe, however, was criminally overlooked and received just one token nomination for Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media. 

You can read the full list of nominations here, but this is the breakdown for the shows listed above...

GAME OF THRONES (13 Nominations)

Outstanding Drama Series
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series -- Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
Outstanding Directing For a Drama Series -- Tim Van Patten, "Winter is Coming" (Pilot)
Outstanding Writing For a Drama Series -- David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, "Baelor"
Outstanding Casting For a Drama Series
Outstanding Costuming For a Drama Series -- "The Pointy End"
Outstanding Hairstyle For a Single-Camera Series -- "A Golden Crown"
Outstanding Main Title Design
Outstanding Makeup For a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) -- "Winter is Coming" (Pilot)
Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For a Series, Miniseries or a Special -- "A Golden Crown"
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series -- "A Golden Crown"
Outstanding Visual Effects for a Series -- "Fire and Blood"
Outstanding Stunt Coordination -- "The Wolf and the Lion"

SHERLOCK (4 Nominations)

Outstanding Writing For a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special -- Steven Moffat, "A Study in Pink"
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For a Miniseries or a Movie -- "A Study in Pink"
Outstanding Music Composition For a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score) -- "A Study in Pink"
Outstanding Visual Effects For a Miniseries, Movie or a Special -- "A Study in Pink"

TRUE BLOOD (4 Nominations)

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series -- Alfre Woodard as Ruby Jean Reynolds
Outstanding Art Direction For a Single-Camera Series -- "Beautifully Broken," "It Hurts Me Too," "Trouble"
Outstanding Makeup For a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) -- "9 Crimes"
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series

THE WALKING DEAD (3 Nominations)

Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For a Series, Miniseries or a Special -- "Days Gone Bye"
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series -- "Days Gone Bye"
Outstanding Visual Effects for a Series -- "Days Gone Bye"

The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards is scheduled to air on September 18th at 8 p.m. EST on FOX.  Hopefully, winter is coming early this year...

SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS Trailer Debuts

The first trailer for Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, the sequel to 2009's Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law, was released today on Apple's iTunes Movie Trailers.  If you were a fan of the first film, as I was, this one looks just as promising...



And look, here's an official plot synopsis...

Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and Jude Law returns as his formidable colleague, Dr. Watson, in "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows." Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room...until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris)—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan), points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder—a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by one Professor Moriarty.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is scheduled to arrive in theaters on December 16, 2011.  I know it's not the clever updating of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle characters by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, in the BBC series Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, but director Guy Ritchie managed to pull off a fresh take on period Holmes and Watson and I'm looking forward to seeing more of this version.

TRUE BLOOD Season 4 Spoilers for August

Official plot synopses for episodes 7 through 10 of True Blood Season 4 were posted earlier today on Comics Continuum.  As you might expect, there are some spoilers of upcoming events, so if you don't want to learn what's coming up on the HBO series in the next few weeks, you'd better bail out now...

"COLD GREY LIGHT OF DAWN," premieres on August 7: With Marnie empowered by spirits of the dead, Bill issues an unpopular order to save vampires from the light. Eric embraces his amnesia; Luna discovers Sam's not the man she thought he was; Lafayette expands his consciousness; Pam gets a body peel; Andy's date with Holly doesn't go as planned; Jessica has doubts about her future with Hoyt; Alcide and Debbie join a new pack.

"SPELLBOUND," premieres on August 14: As Bill and Marnie brace for a dangerous midnight face-off, Sookie and Eric pledge their allegiance to the King. Jason is torn between friendship and passion, and Jessica is spurned from two homes. Lafayette becomes the pawn of a tormented spirit; Tommy takes a walk in someone else's shoes; Sam contends with yet another adversary in Marcus, Luna's ex and the leader of Alcide's new pack.

"RUN," premieres on August 21: Convalescing after her latest near-death trauma, Sookie envisions a world where there's room for both Bill and Eric. Jesus tries to purge the restless spirit out of Lafayette; Marcus enlists Alcide to help him deal with the Sam situation; Bill and Nan Flanagan clash over their respective agendas; Hoyt asks Jason to make a delivery to Jessica. Despite Tara and Holly's misgivings, Marnie plots her next move against the vampires, during a "Festival of Tolerance" event at Shreveport.

"BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE," premieres on August 28: As all hell breaks loose in Shreveport, Sookie summons her most potent powers yet to save Bill, in the process breaking a spell and leading Marnie/Antonia to re-evaluate her mission. Jason urges Jessica to glamour him for Hoyt's sake; Terry drags Andy to "Fort Bellefleur" for an intervention; Alcide reconsiders his allegiances after Marcus' fight with Tommy. Jesus, accompanied by Sookie, Lafayette and Jason, tries to breach the Moongoddess Emporium's defenses to liberate Tara and Holly, while Bill leads a brigade of vampires committed to blowing the place to kingdom come.

Hmmm...With Pam, the words "body peel" could have a completely other meaning entirely.  And is it wrong of me that I really want to see that intervention for Andy Bellefleur, especially if Terry's running it? 

DC Universe Animated Movie Dream Projects

As a fan of the various DC Universe animated movies, I'm looking forward to the upcoming release of Batman: Year One and the reported upcoming projects Justice League: Doom (supposedly based on the "Tower of Babel" storyline in the JLA series) and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (based on the mini-series by Frank Miller).  Yeah, the current rotation of Batman, Superman and Justice League projects can feel a bit limited at times, even if something like Green Lantern: Emerald Knights manages to sneak in if there's a big-budget movie to justify an animated tie-in.

So I started thinking about some of the DC animated movies I want to see happen, the ones that could broaden the potential for these releases or simply be the kind of dream projects fans hope for but never expect to actually see.  Here's a sample of my own wish list...

The Crisis on Infinite Earths Trilogy -- Yeah, this is the Big One.  Break the 12-issue maxi-series by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez up into three animated movies covering four issues each and treat it like the animated DC Universe version of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films.  One installment per year for three years, making it a huge event fans will look forward to for the holidays.

The Flash: Terminal Velocity -- I've been a bit annoyed that Green Lantern has now had two animated movies while The Flash remains conveniently ignored.  After looking through my various trade paperbacks, though, I have to think that Mark Waid, Salvador Larrocca and Carlos Pacheco's definitive Wally West epic would look great animated and give The Flash some of the mainstream exposure he hasn't had since the single season CBS TV series starring John Wesley Shipp back in 1990.

The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract -- As some of you already know, this one came this close to being made after Justice League: The New Frontier, but was put on hold and then quietly shelved in favor of Superman and Batman projects.  Regardless, the story of Terra's betrayal remains one of the finest to come out of 1980s comics and as a diehard Teen Titans fan, it's one that I really want to see someday.

Blackest Night -- Yeah, this was a big 8-issue event mini-series by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis with a lot of spinoff minis, but if you focus on the central event and treat it as more of a DCU story instead of a glorified Green Lantern story, I think it would work well enough.  Or...if that Green Lantern movie sequel actually does happen, you have your tie-in release to go along with it.

Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga -- I know, more '80s material...but how can you not include this one?  Even after the Legion's two-season animated series and their appearances on Smallville, I'm still waiting for the proper Legion of Super-Heroes to arrive on television.  One condition, though...You have to bring back Michael Ironside as the voice of Darkseid.  No one else will do.

STAR TREK: NEW FRONTIER Novel Gives DOCTOR WHO Shout-Outs

I just finished reading the electronic iBooks version of Peter David's latest (and potentially final) Star Trek: New Frontier novel, Blind Man's Bluff, and along the way, I happened to notice a few fun shout-outs to the Tenth Doctor era of Doctor Who that starred actor David Tennant.  Obviously, Spoiler Warnings are in full effect here, so if you don't want the novel spoiled for you, why the hell are you still reading this, hmmm?

On page 126 of 333 of the iBooks version, half-Vulcan/half-Romulan character Soleta is introduced to none other than the Doctor from the TV series Star Trek: Voyager but she abruptly compares him to some untold previous meeting with the Tenth Doctor:

Soleta looked momentarily confused.  "The Doctor?  I met a man called the Doctor once.  Wore a long brown coat and a blue suit.  Very odd person.  This isn't him." 

On page 289, the Doctor has just uploaded a virus designed to remove the out-of-control artificial intelligence calling itself Morgan Primus from the starship Excalibur's computer systems and resets one of the Tenth Doctor's repeated catch phrases:

"It has already wormed its way into your core programming, and requires a simple phrase, spoken by me, to activate it.  And that phrase is," said the Doctor, and there was great sadness in his eyes, "I'm sorry.  I'm so sorry."

And on page 292, there's what appears to be a possible nod to the Tenth Doctor episode "Blink" as the dying Morgan Primus has a final conversation with her daughter Robin Lefler:

And Morgan looked in the direction of her voice, and she reached up and caressed Robin's face.  "Don't look away...from Cwansi...don't blink....if you blink...he grows up..."

There may be other shout-outs in the novel somewhere, but these are what I caught my first time through.  Since Peter David is an admitted Doctor Who fan, here's hoping these aren't the last of his shout-outs to the series or the last of his wonderful Star Trek: New Frontier novels.  If nothing else, I would love to know what exactly happened when Soleta met the Tenth Doctor, wouldn't you?

Animated BATMAN: YEAR ONE Adds Bonus Catwoman Short

TV Guide reports that the upcoming direct-to-DVD animated adaptation of Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's classic Batman: Year One storyline from Batman (vol.1) #404-407 will include a bonus Catwoman animated short film starring Year One actress Eliza Dushku reprising her role of Selina Kyle.

In the 15-minute short, Catwoman will go up against a newly-created crime boss named Rough Cut, voiced by Futurama's John DiMaggio, while being chased through Gotham City as she tracks down a "mysterious cargo shipment."  The story will be written by Batman: The Animated Series veteran Paul Dini and will be directed by Lauren Montgomery, co-director of Batman: Year One along with Sam Liu.

Batman: Year One goes on sale October 18th for DVD, Blu-Ray, On Demand and digital download and also stars Ben McKenzie as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Bryan Cranston as Lieutenant James Gordon, Katee Sackhoff as Detective Sarah Essen, Alex Rocco as Carmine Falcone and Grey DeLisle as Gordon's wife Barbara.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER Score Preview

As someone who enjoys epic orchestral scores with superhero films, I'm often disappointed with many of the recent offerings that tend to feel unremarkable and phoned in.  Thankfully though, it seems that Alan Silvestri, composer for the Back to the Future trilogy, Predator and The Abyss, is at least attempting to give the upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger the bold, heroic score it deserves.

Last night on New York City radio station WQXR, their "Movies on the Radio" segment featured a 13-minute preview of Silvestri's upcoming score.  This adventurous score should complement director Joe Johnston's style nicely and harken back to Johnston's previous period superhero film, The Rocketeer.