Red-Band 'Brüno' Trailer Now Available

While the question remains of which rating "Brüno" will be released with -- NC-17 or R -- the red-band trailer has made its way onto the Internet (it's not safe for work):

I can confidently say that if you liked "Borat" this should be right up your alley and if you hated "Borat" this isn't for you.

When I watched "Da Ali G" show, I generally found the "Brüno" segments to be the weakest of the lot, but I still have somewhat high hopes for the movie.

I don't expect it to be as as popular as "Borat" was in 2006, but certainly it should be better than "Ali G Indahouse," which was an ill-conceived attempt to bring that character to the screen.

"Brüno" will arrive in theaters July 10.

Boston Affiliate Doesn't Want To Air Leno's Show

As observers continue to debate the merits of NBC's decision to anchor a Jay Leno talk show in its Monday through Friday at 10 p.m. spot, an affiliate has weighed in against the plan.

WHDH-TV announced today it will not air Leno's show, instead filling the 10 to 11 p.m. slot with local news.

Adding insult to injury for Leno is the fact that WHDH is the NBC affiliate in Boston, Leno's hometown.

In a statement made available to the press, NBC TV Network President John Eck said, "WHDH's move is a flagrant violation of the terms of their contract with NBC. If they persist, we will strip WHDH of its NBC affiliation. We have a number of other strong options in the Boston market, including using our existing broadcast license to launch an NBC-owned and operated station."

According to Variety, insiders say NBC is looking at contingency plans in Boston should WHDH make the move. One of those options would be to turn WNEU (Channel 60) into an NBC affiliate. Currently, WNEU is a Telemundo station in Boston, the nation's No. 7 market.

WHDH owner Ed Ansin said he believes a local newscast will draw better ratings than Leno at 10 p.m.

"We feel we have a real opportunity with running the news at 10 p.m. We don't think the Leno show is going to be effective in primetime," Ansin told the Boston Globe. "It will be detrimental to our 11 o'clock. It will be very adverse to our finances."

WHDH's 10 p.m. news broadcast would be anchored by Frances Rivera and Kim Khazei. That duo currently hosts the 11 p.m. news show on the station. WHDH would continue to air its 11 p.m. newscast, and plans call for that broadcast also to be hosted by Rivera and Khazei.

Leno is scheduled to take over the 10 p.m. spot in September.

Writers Hired For 'Star Trek' Sequel

With more than a month to go until "Star Trek" beams into theaters, Paramount must be feeling pretty confident about the movie's chances.

Variety is reporting three writers have been hired to write a sequel to the re-imagining of the sci-fi classic: Damon Lindelof, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman.

J.J. Abrams is directing the first movie, but so far, he is on board for the sequel only as a producer. There has been speculation he will not direct the second "Star Trek" movie.

Variety reports the "story is still in the embryonic stage," saying Orci, Kurtzman and Lindelof -- who also will receive producing credits for the sequel -- are aiming to deliver their script by the end of this year for what would likely be a summer 2011 release.

"There's obviously a lot of hubris involved in signing on to write a sequel of a movie that hasn't even come out yet," said Lindelof, co-creator with Abrams of ABC's "Lost" who produced the upcoming "Trek" but did not contribute to Orci and Kurtzman's screenplay. "But we're so excited about the first one that we wanted to proceed."

For a quick refresher, here is the trailer for "Star Trek," due out May, 8, 2009:

One 'Light' Stays On While Another Is Going Off

Variety is reporting that NBC and DirecTV have come to an agreement that will keep "Friday Night Lights" on for at least two more seasons.

The deal calls for a pair of 13-episode seasons.

The show avoided cancellation prior to this past season when DirecTv jumped in and added the show. And, as was the case this past season, "Friday Night Lights" will air commercial-free on DirecTv before re-airing on NBC.

The new seasons will be the fourth and fifth for the football drama, which airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET and also is available at Hulu.com.

Maintaining a "Light" theme, CBS is likely flipping the off switch for “Guiding Light,” the longest-running daytime drama in television history.

According to TV Week: "The network’s deal for the Procter & Gamble-produced drama — the least watched of the eight daytime serials currently on the air — ends in September. But if CBS does drop 'Guiding Light,' it likely would lock in a decision within the next month, people familiar with the matter said. That would give writers a chance to tie up storylines."

TV Week said CBS is talking to outside studios to find a replacement show.

"Guiding Light" began as a radio show in 1937 and transitioned to television in 1952. A recent revamping of the show has failed to boost ratings, as "Guiding Light" currently attracts only 2.17 million viewers daily, down 18 percent from last year.

'Year One' Trailer Looks Promising

I had little-to-no hope of "Year One" being worth more than a laugh here or there, but the new trailer for the movie actually has me looking forward to the movie.

Jack Black and Michael Cera look well cast and I actually laughed out loud a few times (which I rarely do during trailers). Here's hoping the best parts aren't in the trailer.

"Year One" -- which also features Olivia Wilde, David Cross, Oliver Platt, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Hank Azaria, Vinnie Jones, Paul Rudd and Harold Ramis -- arrives in theaters starting June 19.

'Life On Mars' Ends Wednesday, But DVD Details Released

On Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET, the ABC crime show "Life on Mars" will finish its first, and only, season.

The show, a remake of a British show of the same name, will end at 17 episodes. The good news is that the show's creators knew of the impending cancellation in advance, so the show is scheduled to wrap up its storylines.

As "Life on Mars" is one of the few hour-long dramas on TV right now that I truly enjoy, I'm not happy about the cancellation. However, I am grateful that the show will finish what it started.

For those who don't watch the show -- and apparently that's a lot of you -- "Life on Mars" centers around detective Sam Tyler, who is transported from 2008 to 1973 via a mysterious car accident. Along the way, Tyler (played excellently by Jason O'Mara) receives clues as to why this has happened. The top-notch cast also includes Michael Imperioli, Gretchen Mol, Jonathan Murphy and Harvey Keitel.

Now, as much as I am disappointed by the fact that the show will not return for another season, I will admit that wrapping the show up after a single season could be a blessing in disguise. The plot of Det. Tyler being from 2008 and mysteriously ending up in 1973 could have become tedious and frustrating if stretched for too many seasons.

Conversely, though, "Life on Mars" is one of those shows that begins with a gimmick, but becomes so good on its own merits that the gimmick ultimately becomes a handicap. (See also: "How I Met Your Mother.") The cast and stories of "Life on Mars" would be just as compelling if the show was a crime drama set in 1973.

For those who missed the show this season, I have some good news. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will release the complete series on DVD Sept. 29.

The four-disc set will include all 17 episodes and four featurettes:

• A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Life on Mars Concept
• Learn About the Design and Styles of the 1970s Wardrobe
• The 1970 Perspective: Police Procedure and Precincts
• Behind-the-Scenes with a Special Guest

A Pair of Ricky Gervais Movie Updates

There are two new bits of information out about Ricky Gervais movie projects that I wanted to pass along.

First, the not-so-good news. Gervais' directorial debut, "This Side of the Truth," has been pushed back from a March opening until September. The March opening was never set in stone, but the move to Sept. 25 was made official by Gervais in a video blog.

The high-concept comedy film is set in a world where no one has ever lied, until a writer seizes the opportunity for personal gain. If the plot doesn't have you buying your tickets in advance, maybe the film's all-star cast will. How does Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, Christopher Guest, Jonah Hill, Rob Lowe, Jennifer Garner, Jeffrey Tambor and Patrick Stewart sound?

Rumors had the movie being pushed back to 2010 (which is partially the reason for Gervais saying the Sept. 25 date is "good news"). A September release puts the movie out roughly a year after Gervais' previous movie, "Ghost Town," hit theaters.

In other news, Gervais has lined up his next directorial outing -- "The Men at the Pru," described as "a coming-of-age tale about a group of men working at an insurance company in the 1970s."

In addition to directing and producing, Gervais will co-write the movie with Stephen Merchant. Gervais and Merchant co-created and co-starred in "The Office" and "Extras."

According to Variety, Gervais will have a supporting role in the flick, which is set to go into production later this summer.

"This Side of the Truth" will be released by Warner Bros., while Sony is handling "The Men at the Pru."

Oscars Move Away From Showdown With Olympics in 2010

AMPAS (The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) announced it has moved the annual Academy Awards ceremony back for next year.

The event will take place March 7 in 2010, instead of in late February as has been the case since 2004.

If the Oscars had not moved, the event would have faced the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, which will be held in Vancouver, Canada.

"Why have two gigantic, spectacular events happen on the same day, particularly these days? The Olympics have some 237 events and we are one big event, so it was easier for us to move and we were happy to do it," said AMPAS President Sid Gani to The Los Angeles Times.

The Grammy Awards also will move out of its typical February spot next year. The Grammy Awards will take place on Jan. 31, 2010.

'Where The Wild Things Are' Trailer Has Arrived

"I didn't want to wake you up, but I really want to show you something."

The teaser poster for "Where the Wild Things Are" was released last week and now the trailer has made its way online as well.

The movie has spent a long time in development, but it looks like director Spike Jonze has really nailed it. The trailer is light on dialogue, but the sounds of Arcade Fire almost make up for it.

"Where The Wild Things Are," an adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's story, is scheduled to be released Oct. 16.

Villain, Leading Lady Cast in 'Dead of Night'

With filming getting set to resume on "Dead of Night," ShockTillYouDrop.com has learned the names of two more actors who will be joining the film's cast.

As previously announced, the movie will star Brandon Routh as Dylan Dog, a detective drawn into the world of the supernatural.

Directed by Kevin Munroe, the film began shooting in New Orleans in late February before taking a planned hiatus.

During the break from shooting (which is scheduled to resume in April), it was announced that Dylan’s sidekick, Marcus, would be played by Sam Huntington.

Routh and Huntington previously worked together on "Superman Returns" (as Superman and Jimmy Olsen, respectively).

Few other cast members had been announced for "Dead of Night," but today, ShockTillYouDrop.com reported a couple of major roles have been filled.

Taye Diggs reportedly will play Dylan Dog's nemesis, the leader of the vampires. Diggs currently stars in the TV show "Private Practice," but has starred in many movies and TV shows.

A few hours later, ShockTillYouDrop.com wrote that actress Anita Briem will play Dylan Dog's love interest. Briem recently starred alongside Brendan Fraser in "Journey to the Center of the Earth."

"Dead of Night" is based on Tiziano Sclavi’s popular Italian comic book "Dylan Dog."

In an interview with About.com at the "Watchmen" premiere, Routh described the movie as follows: "There's a lot of humor, action, horror, thriller ... It's like no film you've ever seen before, I'll be that bold as to say. And we've got the effects guys who just won the Academy Award for "Benjamin Button," Drac Studios, working on the picture. Gilbert Adler, who produced Superman Returns. is producing the film, so we've got a good team."