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Season
5 Makes A Strong "Arrival" In The Ratings The
good news? In the first week of the Thursday night ratings race,
Smallville performed very well against its Thursday-night
competition. Ratings actually increased in the second half hour.
The show also did very well in its target demographics.
It
will be curious to see how things will go in the coming weeks,
if Smallville will maintain its audience. The next few
weeks will be challenging for shows like Alias also,
now that the big "who lives or dies in the premiere?"
mystery for that show is gone.
Interestingly,
The OC didn't pose much of a threat; though Everybody
Hates Chris on UPN is a surprise hit. Unfortunately for
UPN, most viewers tuned out as soon as Chris was over.
(And
as a note: Confusing and weird as this may sound, we are aware
that the actual figures are different in various different places.
For example, a look at Mediaweek
would provide some even different numbers. We hope this is an
accurate representation, or at least close to it.)
Here's
the overnight-ratings breakdown:
Timeslot
Rank
Show
Network
Overnight
Rating (Last week's ranking in parentheses)
#1
Survivor:
Guatemala
CBS
10.4/16
(10.9/16)
#2
Will
& Grace (SP) (8:30-9)
NBC
8.3/12
(N/A)
#3
Alias
(SP)
ABC
6.3/10
(11.7/18)
#4
Joey
(8-8:30)
NBC
6.2/10
(6.0/9 (SP))
#5
Everybody
Hates Chris
(8-8:30)
UPN
5.0/8
(6.6/10 (SP))
#6
Smallville
(SP)
WB
4.4/7
(2.6/4 (R))
#7
The
OC
FOX
4.0/6
(4.4/7)
#8
Love,
Inc.
(8:30-9)
UPN
2.9/4
(3.7/5 (SP))
(R)
denotes repeat airing; (SP) = Season Premiere
The
Fortress Footage Is New There
has been some speculation that some of the spectacular footage
of the Fortress of Solitude in the September 29 season premiere
is reused footage from the classic Superman movies. We have
been told this is most definitely not the case.
The special
visual effects used for the Fortress in Smallville were
all created by Mat Beck and his team at Entity FX.
Mistake
In New Opening Credits
So, do you think the new
opening credits for Season Five look cool? We do. Except
for one thing...
The
name of Smallville's leading lady is spelled wrong. It's
Kristin with an I, not an E. We are told that this was "a
mix up at the post house" and that the misspelling will
be rectified in time for next week's show. Additionally, the
show extends their apologies to Kristin for the mistake.
UPDATE:
As of episode #5-2, "Mortal," the credits are fixed.
News
Posted September 29, 2005
Some
More
Early "Arrival" Reviews! Now
Playing Magazine has posted their advance review of "Arrival,"
the Smallville fifth season premiere airing at 8PM (ET)
on the WB tonight, September 29. Here's a brief sample:
"Despite
the disappointingly circuitous route it took to get there, the
fourth season ended on a high note, and it appears as though
the fifth season will carry on that momentum. The premiere offers
a lot of satisfying answers, but also presents some new questions
that hopefully set the tone for the year. The network has already
announced several promising storylines and guest stars for the
coming season, [spoiler removed from excerpt - don't want to
ruin it for you - just click the link if you want to see what
it says]. Even if it were as poorly executed as last years
season premiere (which, thankfully, its not), this one
would be worth watching just for the last five minutes."
The
grade they give the premiere episode is an A, so, it
sounds like it's worth seeing!
Over
at Eclipse Magazine, they gave the season premiere a B-.
Here's an excerpt from that one:
"This
is it, we are promised: the season of Smallville
[The WB, 8 p.m.] where Lex Luthor makes the decision to go down
the wrong path, while Clark Kent [Tom Welling] begins to learn
that he has a responsibility to the whole planet! Despite the
continued presence of Lois Lane [Erica Durance], the season
premiere, Arrival, fairly crackles with the energy
of a series that has regained its focus."
Ain't
It Cool News (What's up WB? Did every major website get a screener
but not us?!?) had this to say about the episode, which Hercules
gave three stars:
"The
good news for me and those like me? You dont have to have
seen any part of season four to enjoy the season-five opener.
It does a swell job of catching you up on who now knows Clark
is Superboy, [spoiler deleted], where the Lex-Clark relationship
stands, and any other questions that might niggle at you."
So
Where Is Erica Durance In The New Opening Credits?
A new design for the Smallville opening credits debuts
with tonight's episode, and one question that has lingered in
the minds of many is where Erica Durance will fall in the opening
credits order.
Apparently
Erica appears fourth - following the show's three leads (Tom,
Kristin, and Michael). Then there's the "young actors group"
before the adults, and yes, this is in alphabetical order.
That
being said, Erica replaces Jensen Ackles as #4 on the
Smallville opening line-up. Right after Michael Rosenbaum,
and before Allison Mack.
And
if you're looking for spoilers from the episode's story, then
of course, check out the KryptonSite
Spoilers Page.
News
Posted September 28, 2005
Tom
Welling Reference On Veronica Mars
Special thanks to: Brian
The
September 28 episode of UPN's Veronica Mars featured
the character of Logan Echolls (played by Jason Dohring) making
a comment that he'd like to see himself being played by Tom
Welling in a movie version of Season 1's events.
Tom
as Logan Echolls? Just as long as Allison Mack can play Veronica...
Tom
Welling Talks Season 5 In Wizard Magazine Issue
#169 of Wizard Magazine, now available at comic book stores
and newsstands, features an all-new interview with Tom Welling
where he talks about Season 5, Brainiac, how long he'd like
the show to last, Superman Returns, and more!
SciFi.com
Reviews The Smallville Season 5 Premiere! The
lucky folks at SciFi.com have obtained an early copy of the
fifth season premiere of Smallville. Here's a sample, non-spoilery
bit from the review:
"With
some major revelations, an increase in the tension between Clark
and Lex and a new villain on the horizon, Smallville's
season-five premiere was well worth the wait. The WB promises
'everything you've waited four seasons to see ... will happen.'And
it just might, based on where this first episode of the season
is taking us."
(And
hey - if anyone with the show or the network is reading this
and would like any more advance reviews, you
know where to find me... I promise I won't post spoilers!
- KryptonSite Craig)
News
Posted September 26, 2005
Original
"Jimmy Olsen" Dies Tommy
Bond, who portrayed the character of Jimmy Olsen in the 1948
Superman
movie serial and its 1950 sequel, Atom
Man vs. Superman, has died at age 79 from complciations
of heart disease. Bond was the first actor to play the character
in live action. He is also remembered for playing the role of
"Butch" in early Little Rascals films.
Legend
has it that Bond was approached to reprise Jimmy for the 1950's
Adventures of Superman TV series with George Reeves;
Bond turned down the role, which instead went to Jack Larson,
who may have been the most famous Jimmy Olsen in history.
First
Look: Aquaman on Smallville! Special thanks to: TV Guide
The
Oct. 1-7 issue of TV Guide, which should begin arriving
in subscriber mailboxes today and will be hitting newsstands
on Thursday 9/29, features the first in character photo of
Alan Ritchson as Aquaman from the episode "Aqua."
The
article also reveals some additional details about Smallville's
take on the character.
Hi-Res
Screen Captures From The Season 5 Preview! Special thanks to: Mr. Video
A
preview of Season Five aired after the September 22 repeat of
"Commencement." The trailer contained clips from several
episodes of Season Five; not just the premiere! Also in the
trailer is the first in-character appearance of James Marsters
on Smallville!
Also
to include some new spoilers from this new trailer, we've updated
some premiere spoilers on the KryptonSite
Spoilers Page for your reading pleasure!
Two
Of This Week's DC Comics Feature Smallville Tie-Ins Two
comic book releases that came out this past Wednesday featured
ties to Smallville.
Supergirl
#2, written by Jeph Loeb ("Red," "Insurgence"),
features some mentions of some elements that will surely make
you think of the show. As these bits include major spoilers
for the comic, you'll have to click
here for more information.
Also
this week... the Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files features
the very first comic book story written by Chris Castallo.
Castallo was until recently the Senior VP of Development at
Tollin-Robbins Productions, and was involved with Smallville
as it was being developed.
Both
comics have ties to DC's upcoming Infinite Crisis, so
you may not want to miss them.
News
Posted September 24, 2005
TV
Guide's Season Premiere Write-Up Special thanks to: David "Krypto"
Withrow
David
has sent us the TV Guide write-up for the season premiere,
which airs on Thursday. The write-up contains what may be some
new spoilers.
Another
Season Premiere Photo! The
WB has released another image from the Season Five premiere.
You may recognize it as it ran in TV Guide's
Returning Favorites" issue a few weeks ago.
First
Look At The New Opening Titles!
A new broadcast design production company called SOLID is responsible
for the new, high-definition main title sequence that we'll
be seeing when Season 5 begins on September 29.
"In
approaching a show that challenges our own understanding of
physical phenomenon, we developed contemporary motion graphics
to create a sense of space and dimension," Jennifer Holstein,
SOLID's Executive Producer, said in a press release. Matt Fife,
Creative Director /Co-Founder of Rarebyrd, said,
"This
year marks an important fifth season for this series, a milestone
for the shows creators, cast and crew in claiming their
place in mainstream culture. Along with this new season, came
a new HD main title sequence," said Matt Fife, Creative
Director and co-founder of Rarebyrd, a company that provided
SOLID with editorial material including new green screen talent
elements directed by Fife and co-produced with the Smallville
production in Vancouver.
The
press release tells that "care was given to select shots
that capture the shows iconic narrative and theatrical
storytelling. The talent shots were choreographed against the
shows footage to jointly bring the viewer through the
Smallville experience, connecting one shot to the next."
As
we've said, you can look forward to seeing the result of this
new title sequence as Smallville Season Five begins on
September 29.
Screen
Captures From An "All
Ages" Trailer Special thanks to: Mr. Video
So
was the "Everything You've Waited To See" trailer
a bit too steamy? The WB has made an "All Ages" trailer
for Season 5 that'll take care of that problem. Thanks to Mr.
Video, we now have screen captures.
Did
we mention that the caps include at least two shots that we
haven't seen before? Caps are in hi-res. Click below to take
a look!
Nam-Ek
Cast For "Arrival"
Playing "Nam-Ek" in the first episode of Season Five
is Leonard Roberts.(See
a picture) You may recognize him from the movie "Drumline;"
genre fans will remember him as Riley's right-hand man "Forrest
Gates" in the
fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
He
joins the already-revealed Alana De La Garza, who plays Aethyr.
For some spoilers about Season 5 visit the KryptonSite
Spoilers Page.
News
Posted September 20, 2005
New
Season Premiere Photos!
The WB has provided us with several images from the Smallville
fifth season premiere, "Arrival." These images provide
a first look at some new super-powered characters that are coming
our way!
It's
That Time Again: Screen Captures From Two New Teaser Trailers!
Special thanks to: Mr. Video
The
WB has aired two 10-second teaser trailers for Season Five.
Thanks to Mr. Video, we now have screen captures from both of
them. Caps are in hi-res. Click below to take a look!
More
Alfred Gough Interviews Online Smallville Executive Producer Alfred Gough has
done some more interviews in addition to the ones that surfaced
earlier this week.
At
TV Filter, Gough talks about many things, but most interesting
is his reasoning for why we'll probably see Perry White on the
show again at some point but Pete Ross is unlikely. UGO.com's
interview is a also interesting, as it talks about Smallville's
interpretation of Aquaman but also reveals that the Smallville
actors are contracted for seven seasons.
Click
on the links below to read the full interviews! Spoiler Warning!
Gough
Talks About Actors Who Are "Written Off"
Executive Producer Alfred Gough is one of the television
industry professionals who is interviewed in an article about
actors or characters who are written off of a show after a short
time. In the interview he has very nice things to say about
John Glover (Lionel); he also talks about the character of Pete
Ross and why he just did not work out for the show, and offers
some insight into what happened when Jensen Ackles was hired
last year as Jason Teague (be warned for some very obvious spoilers,
considering Jensen has left for Supernatural):
"When
we first sat down with Jensen, he said, 'Gosh, I don't know
if I want to go on a series and be committed for however [many]
years you're going to be on the air,'" Gough told the
interviewer. "We said, 'Jensen, to be perfectly honest,
this is probably a one-season arc, maybe two. I'd like to
leave it open-ended. We see this season, but I don't quite
see where you [fit in beyond that].' But we never know. You
start breaking the story, and the character pops, and you
find things to do. It ultimately ended up being a one-season
arc because he played into the over-reaching plot of the season.
By the end of the season, [the arc] had played out, so he
got hit by a meteorite."
Al
Gough Speaks To TV Guide Online Smallville's Executive Producer Alfred Gough spoke
to TV Guide Online about some of what to expect from
the fifth season. He goes into detail about the Aquaman character
and some major guest appearances, and also reveals a bit about
the future of the Clark and Lana relationship.
The Song Remains The Same
We have learned that even though the look of the opening credits
will change in Smallville Season 5 (see article below,
in the Sept. 13 news), the song "Save Me" will
still be retained as the theme music.
News
Posted September 8, 2005
Spoilery "Lionel Luthor" Photos Surface John
Glover's official website has posted two interesting images
of John Glover (Lionel) on the set of Smallville Season
5.
New
Kristin Kreuk Interview At College Website Special thanks to: Umar
Collegebound.net
has posted a new interview with Kristin Kreuk (Lana)
where she talks about her own scholastic experience but also
offers some thoughts about Smallville. Here's what she
had to say about the Clark and Lana relationship:
"I
think their relationship is complex. They know they love each
other, but it's something they can't pursue until Clark can
be honest with Lana. [She doesn't know he's really Kal-El,
a.k.a. Superman.] The most important thing in a relationship
is honesty and trust -- it's an insecure relationship otherwise.
If Clark and Lana are to get together, they have to find a way
to be honest with each other."
"Aethyr" Cast For Season Premiere
Playing the role of "Aethyr" in Smallville's
September 29 season premiere is Alana De La Garza. Alana
was a regular on The WB's short-lived The Mountain and
was briefly a recurring cast member on All My Children.
Screen
Captures From A NEW Trailer! Special thanks to: Mr. Video
Mr.
Video has sent us screen captures from a NEW general Season
5 trailer promising "everything you've waited to see."
He's sent us caps of scenes we haven't seen before in the
other trailer.
Fans
of one particular ship will really like this one....
Hi-Res
"Arrival" Trailer Caps! Special thanks to: Mr. Video
Though
we posted screen
captures from the first "Arrival" trailer earlier
this week, they can't compare to the nicer, larger caps we get
from Mr. Video. So, if you like your trailer caps to be a little
bit larger, you're in luck!
And,
a bonus at the end of the gallery... during the Thursday night
repeat of "Lucy," a variation of the trailer was shown
including some clips that were not seen in the original trailer.
Screen captures from the new clips can be found here.
News
Posted September 1, 2005
Video:
Tom
Welling Reveals Season 5 Secrets Special thanks to: Jack1487
Some
newly-posted videos at a WB affiliate site reveal some of Tom
Welling's plans for the future, and also offer some hints as
to what's to come in Season 5. Most of the spoilery material
he talks about has already been known for several weeks.
In
the videos, Tom also reveals that he is tentatively planned
to direct episode #19 of this season.