Haunt ‘O Ween LA Organizers Announce More Details For Upcoming Drive-Thru Trick-Or-Treating Event

Courtesy: Waldmania PR

Organizers of the first-ever Hauntoween LA are providing more details about the drive-thru event.

According to information provided about the event, is scheduled to take place daily from Oct. 9-31 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Pacific Time at 6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills, CA.  Experiential Supply is hosting the nearly month-long celebration.

Experiential Supply Founder and Chief Experience Officer Jasen Smith said of the company’s involvement in Hauntoween LA, “We can’t wait to show off our creation with all of Los Angeles. The excitement and support have been overwhelming.  There are also a few surprises we haven’t announced yet!”

Families will enter the expansive experience through a large tunnel that is lit by more than 1,000 brightly-lit pumpkins.  From there, guests will make their way through a blacklight tunnel that is powered by the creative forces behind FX network’s hit show What We Do In The Shadows.  The series’ first two seasons are streaming on Hulu.

Also featured in the presentation are mini-maze routes, a pumpkin patch that will let guests pick a pumpkin to take home,  and costumed actors who will provide in-vehicle trick-or-treating on a two-street, built-out neighborhood with lots of candy and decorations for children.

Additionally, family music act The Beatbuds will provide musical entertainment during the event at select, surprise times.  Select photo and video opportunities will also allow families to make their own memories.

Much of Hauntoween LA’s decorations are provided through national retailer Party City. Julie Roehm, the company’s Chief Marketing and Experience Officer, spoke on behalf of the organization about taking part in the festivities.

“We are so thrilled to support the inaugural Hauntoween LA as Party City shares the same mission to help families continue to safely celebrate Halloween,” said Roehm. “Despite an already scary year, there are still reasons to celebrate and plenty of new ways to make the season spook-tacular.”

As added measures, families will have to fill out waiver forms this year before entering.  Off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officers will also patrol the region nightly.  Anytime a vehicle’s windows are open, the vehicle’s occupants are required to wear masks.

Staff working in the pumpkin patch and trick-or-treat areas will have to wear gloves and masks.  All candy will be sanitized prior to being given to families.

Space is limited for the event as a result of precautions taken due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Tickets are $70 per vehicle.  Advance purchase is recommended due to the limited space.  A limited number of drive-up tickets will also be available.

More information on Hauntoween L.A. is available at:

 

Website: http://www.hauntoweenla.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ExperientialSupplyCo

Twitter: http://twitter.com/hauntoweenla

 

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Shout! Factory Announces Release Date For Hill Street Blues’ Fifth Season Set

Courtesy: Shout! Factory/NBC

Crime dramas today seem to be a dime a dozen. Turn on the television, run through the standard rundown of channels (both on cable and satellite), and it becomes painfully obvious just how many crime dramas are out there. The problem with them is that they are all so run-of-the-mill. Turn back the clock and one will see that the crime dramas of yesteryear offer so much more for audiences. One great example of what once made crime dramas great lies in the classic series Hill Street Blues. And next month audiences will see once again what made Hill Street Blues one of the genre’s groundbreaking series when it releases the series’ fifth season in its entirety.

Hill Street Blues: Season Five will be released on DVD on Tuesday, May 26th. All twenty-three episodes from the series’ fifth season are spread across five discs in this box set. Season Five continues exhibiting writing that remains unparalleled by any crime drama on television today. Though, its influence remains fully visible in shows that came after such as NYPD Blue, The Shield, and many others. Veteran cast members Daniel J. Travanti, Veronica Hamel, Bruce Weitz, Barbara Bosson, Joe Spano, and Betty Thomas all return for Season Five’s run along with newcomers Robert Prosky and Mimi Kuzyk. Hill Street Blues: Season Five will be available on DVD Tuesday, May 26th and will retail for MSRP of $34.93. It can be pre-ordered online now at a discounted price of $29.93 via Shout! Factory’s online store at https://www.shoutfactory.com/tv/crime/hill-street-blues-season-five. More information on this and other titles from Shout! Factory is available online at:

Website: http://www.shoutfactoryofficial.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/shoutfactoryofficial

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

NYPD Blue’s Fifth Season Proves Why Series Still Stands As One Of TV’s Best Dramas

Courtesy: ABC/Shout! Factory

NYPD Blue was one of the biggest and most talked about crime dramas on television over the course of its twelve years on ABC.  The reason for that is that in comparison to the likes of Dick Wolf’s Law & Order franchises and CBS’ CSI series, it was far grittier than any of those programs.  One could easily argue that the success of NYPD Blue is to thank for FX’s The Shield rising to fame.  Of course, that series was itself based on a British series from the 1970s known as The Sweeney.  So it goes without saying that NYPD Blue was a groundbreaking series for its time.  And now thanks to Shout! Factory, the fifth season of the hit crime drama is now available in its entirety on DVD box set.  NYPD Blue Season Five is one of the favorites of fans everywhere.  That’s because it really exhibited the talent of the show’s writers at their peak.  The writing is just the starting point for the success of Season 5.  While it’s somewhat minor, audiences will agree that Season Five maintains the show’s image totally separate from the other crime dramas on television.  That will be explained later.  Just as much worth noting is the show’s music.  The music goes right along with the show’s image.  It wasn’t that perfect spit-shined sound that all of the other crime dramas used (and still use today).  These factors and so many more make NYPD Blue Season Five a fantastic trip down memory lane for any true fan of what was and still is one of ABC’s most revered series.

The fifth season of NYPD Blue stands out as one of the series’ best to date.  It is such an exceptional season first and foremost because of its writers.  The writers proved yet again with Season Five their ability to tell multiple stories without letting them get bogged down in each other.  This is something that still remains problematic for so many crime dramas today.  It was especially the case for the CSI franchise for many years.  The show’s writers relied more on sex appeal to try and cover up the fact that their stories were relatively shallow and had a tendency to get caught in themselves.  Just as much to the credit of NYPD Blue’s writers, their stories had substance.  Sure, there was some sex appeal.  But it largely took a back seat to the storylines that leave audiences on the edge of their seats right up to the end without audiences even realizing it.  A prime example of this was the season opener, “This Bud’s For You.”  This episode finishes off the cliffhanger that was started in Season Four’s finale.  The Joey Salvo homicide is finally figured out. And in the process, audiences see some personal character development among the cast. There’s more than enough drama to go around.  But none of it overpowers any other part of the episode.  That is a true sign of a well-written show.  And audiences will see that, again, throughout Season Five.  It’s just the starting point of this season’s success, too.

The writing behind NYPD Blue in its fifth season is the primary reason for the show’s success thus far into its run.  Another reason for the show’s success five seasons in is the show’s image. When put alongside its competition, NYPD Blue didn’t have the spit shined and streamlined look of perhaps a CSI or even any of the Law & Order series across the NBC family of networks at the time.  Those that are familiar with Dick Wolf’s varied series will agree with that argument.  The series in question attempted for years to have a certain grit and realism about them.  But they could never escape the more standard look established by Wolf’s company. Even today, Law & Order: SVU still suffers from that issue.  For lack of better wording, it’s almost as if Wolf’s series always held back.  NYPD Blue on the other hand took the road less travelled even five seasons in.  It wasn’t afraid to show a meaner, tougher side of police work.  Both then and now, few if any shows try their hand at such realism.  It continues to stand today as a tribute to the show’s ability to stand out in the crowd, even today.  Audiences will agree when they check out Season Five for themselves.

The writing and the look of NYPD Blue in its fifth season are both important elements in the show’s success.  There is still one more aspect of the series that while minor stands out among crime dramas of its time.  And it is related directly to the show’s image. That aspect is the show’s soundtrack.  Again, one has to note NYPD Blue’s competition at the time to understand why it is in fact so important.  The CSI’s, Without A Traces, and so many others had a specific soundtrack to go along with their relatively spit shined looks. NYPD Blue on the other hand, had a more generic soundtrack.  The show’s writers and creative forces used a soundtrack of music that one might hear on an inner city street, instead of paying royalty fees for a set of catchy tunes or just having a general marketable sound.  It helped even five seasons into its run, to prove how pretentious those other crime drams really were.  On the same branch, it showed once more how hard the show’s writers and creative heads tried to make NYPD Blue stand out.  It did just that.  And set alongside the show’s look and feel, and its writing, it is one more piece proving why even years after its initial run, NYPD Blue’s fifth season remains one of the show’s best. It is available now on DVD and can be ordered online direct from the Shout! Factory store at http://www.shoutfactory.com/product/nypd-blue-season-five. More information on this and other releases from Shout! Factory is available online at http://www.shoutfactory.com and http://www.facebook.com/shoutfactoryofficial.  To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Danny Phantom Complete Series Set Is Loads Of Ghostly Fun For All

Courtesy: Nickelodeon/Shout! Factory

Nickelodeon’s programming today is comprised largely of live action sitcoms aimed at teen viewers.  However, from the early 1990s up until the mid-2000s, the network was known more for its vast array of cartoons.  It’s “Nicktoons” were its heart and soul.  While Nickelodeon does have some cartoons today, the network’s sole remaining real Nicktoon is Butch Hartman’s hugely successful series Fairly Oddparents.  Fairly Oddparents is a standout series, too.  Interestingly enough, it isn’t his first series to have the honor of being added to Nickelodeon’s list of beloved Nicktoons.  His first notable “Nicktoon” was the short-lived supernatural series Danny Phantom.  Now thanks to Shout! Factory and Nickelodeon, fans of Danny Phantom will be able to own the complete series in one box later this month.  Danny Phantom only ran for three seasons.  In its defense, it could be argued that this was because it was ahead of its time.  That aside, series creator Butch Hartman and his writers crafted a number of enjoyable episodes throughout the show’s short run.  Just as worth noting about this new upcoming box set is that is alleviates some minor problems raised in the box sets containing the series’ second season.  Lastly, those that know their Nicktoons history will appreciate the voice talent that made up the series’ cast.  That who’s who of voice actors combined with the enjoyable stories, and the fact that they are all available together for the first time collectively make this upcoming set well worth picking up for any Danny Phantom fan.

Fans of Danny Phantom: The Complete Series  will appreciate this new complete series set first and foremost because it presents the series’ entire three-season run in one complete box set.  Nickelodeon and Shout! Factory have already released three complete series sets from Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Rocko’s Modern Life, and The Angry Beavers.  Those sets proved to actually take up far less space on DVD racks than the stand-alone season sets that had originally been released.  This set is no different.  All nine discs that make up all three seasons are included in this box.  Shout! Factory and Nickelodeon have sweetened the deal even more for fans in that they have maintained the established wise packaging that was used in the aforementioned complete series sets.  The discs are placed inside the box on either side of their own “insert” with the ninth and final disc being placed in its own spot inside the back of the case.  As with the previously noted box sets, this protects the discs and allows the episodes contained within each one to be enjoyed much longer.  It is the starting point of what audiences will appreciate about Danny Phantom: The Complete Series.

The packaging for Danny Phantom: The Complete Series is a good starting point in discussing everything that makes this box set well worth its price.  The episodes contained across the set’s nine total discs make the presentation as a whole even more enjoyable.  It would be easy to say that because its main characters were high school students, Danny Phantom was just another program aimed at audiences of the same age. To a point, it could be seen how teen audiences would take an interest in the series.  Case in point, one of the series’ story arcs involved a potential inter-racial romance between Danny and black classmate named Valerie Gray (voiced by Cree Summer—The Cosby Show, Clifford The Big Red Dog, Codename: Kids Next Door, etc.).  It really is a sign of the times that the show’s writers would include this without making a big fuss over it, either.  It is a subtle, but nice addition to the series.  There are also the constant struggles to balance trying to be a regular teen with being a superhero. But the jokes that are tossed in each episode aren’t above some younger viewers, either.  So while teens might have been the primary audience, younger viewers would have obviously enjoyed the show, too.  The same applies to today’s teens and pre-teens, too.

The packaging and writing that make up Danny Phantom’s episodes are collectively a big part of what makes the series so enjoyable even for today’s younger audiences.  There is at least one more aspect of the series’ new set that audiences will appreciate in examining the presentation as a whole.  That aspect is the series’ voice cast.  The series’ primary cast reads like a who’s who of voice acting.  It has already been noted that veteran voice actress Cree Summer is part of the primary cast (even though she doesn’t come into play until the second season).  Along with Ms. Summer, Grey DeLisle (The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Clifford The Big Red Dog, Clifford: The Puppy Years, Fosters Home For Imaginary Friends, etc.) Kath Soucie (Futurama, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Beauty and the Beast, etc.), Rob Paulsen (Animaniacs, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, etc.) and a whole slate of others each play roles in the series.  Fans will also recognize the voices of Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy, Pacific Rim, Hellboy & Hellboy II), Martin Mull (Roseanne), and the man who is perhaps the busiest male voice actor in the business, one Frank Welker (Curious George, The Real Ghostbusters, Scooby-Doo Where Are You, etc.)  Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men), Taylor Lautner (the Twilight saga), and the late David Carradine even make appearances throughout the series among so many other big names.  If the massive list of A-listers that play roles in Danny Phantom isn’t reason enough to check out the new Danny Phantom: The Complete Series box set, then one need only set that alongside the enjoyable writing and the equally wise packaging to see just how worthwhile this set is for kids and kids at heart.  It will be available in stores and online Tuesday, January 28^th.  It can be pre-ordered online now from the Shout! Factory store at http://www.shoutfactory.com/product/danny-phantom-complete-series.  More information on this and other releases from Shout! Factory is available online at http://www.shoutfactory.com and http://www.facebook.com/shoutfactoryofficial.  To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Pawn Holds Its Own Against Other Crime Thrillers

Courtesy: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Anchor Bay Entertainment’s new crime thriller, Pawn is an interesting work.  For a movie that was filmed in roughly fifteen days, and helmed by a first time director—David A. Armstrong—it turned out to be not the standard crime thriller.  Rather, it’s a story that requires audiences to completely invest their attention on the story.  If viewers can do this, then they will find that despite some scripting issues, it still turns out to be a movie that is worth at least one watch.

One of the main positives to Pawn is that it wastes no time jumping right into the story.  The story is simple enough.  On one side, audiences get a crime thriller that’s front loaded with lots of crosses and double crosses; so many in fact that some viewers may need a program to follow exactly what’s going on.  In direct relation is the story of a young man who simply wants to turn around his life after having gotten out of jail only hours before the standoff at crime boss Yuri’s café.  The young man is used as a red herring for one specific aspect of the story.  Though, it becomes increasingly obvious that he is used in such role as the story advances.  Because of this one can’t help but cheer for him and hope that he gets out of the café alive and in one piece.

The writing behind Pawn forces viewers to fully engage and immerse themselves in its world.  It’s just one of the movie’s positives.  What can also be noted of the movie is that the acting on the part of both Chiklis and Common was expert once again.  This should come as no surprise, especially considering that Chiklis has quite the extensive resume when it comes to crime thrillers.  He worked for seven seasons on FX’s The Shield, not to mention an equally extensive stage resume, too.  And Common played the role of a crooked cop himself in the 2010 movie, Date Night.  What’s most interesting is hearing Chiklis pull off a British accent.  Typically American actors don’t have much success trying to pull off foreign accents.  But somehow, he pulled it off.  Though he did sound somewhat like Bob Hoskins as Smee in Hook.  And considering that Hoskins is a U.K. born actor, this is actually quite the compliment to Chiklis.

Next to the outstanding of the movie’s all-star cast, one can say of Pawn is its cinematography.  The angles and the fast paced shots help keep the suspense throughout the story.  Even in less action packed moments, the camera work does an impressive job of keeping viewers entirely engaged.  One such example comes late in the story when the unnamed “Man in the suit” (played by Ray Liotta) attempts to feel Amanda’s (Nikki Reed) baby bump after having spent quite an amount of time threatening her life and that of her husband and her unborn child.  The tension in the room is thanks in large part to the camera work.  The angle of the shot leaves viewers wondering what he’s about to do.  It’s just one of so many impressive shots achieved throughout this crime thriller.  And it’s just one of so many moments that make this a crime thriller that is worth at least one watch.

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

The Sweeney One Of The Year’s Best Action Flicks

Courtesy: Entertaniment One

The Sweeney is one of the best action movies of 2013.  This direct to DVD and Blu-ray release was not received to the most shining reviews by a  critics in its original release.  Most of the critics that lambasted it did so perhaps not even realizing that it was based on a British crime drama from the 1970s.  Something else that most American critics and audiences perhaps never took into account with this movie is that it (and the TV series on which it is based) is also the basis for the former hit FX series, The Shield.  Taking all of this into account, anyone that is a fan of action flicks and crime dramas, and that is open minded enough will agree that The Sweeney, while not a major motion picture, is just as good as any major theatrical work released by any of Hollywood’s big guns (no pun intended).  Ironically enough, it is noted in the movie’s bonus features that this movie had in fact been eyed by 20th Century Fox and its independent offshoot, Fox Searchlight Pictures, but ended up instead with Entertainment One.  That’s one company’s loss and another’s gain.

What is it that makes The Sweeney so worth the watch?  Let’s start right from the top.  The story is simple.  This is the most obvious factor in the movie’s success.  The story centers on old school cop Jack Regan (Ray Winstone).  Jack hardly goes by the book (sound familiar yet?)  He and his department—The Sweeney—is anything but conventional in its methods.  The thing is that because of its unorthodox methods, it gets set up and put in danger of being disassembled in this story when one of its operations goes wrong, and it’s made to look like it arrested the wrong individuals in a big case.  When Jack is disgraced as a result of this, he sets out to clear not only his name, but that of his squad.  And thanks to the help of a younger member of the squad, he’s able to do just that.  Thus the action ensues, leading up to one of the biggest car chases and shootout scenes that the action genre has seen in a long time.  As a matter of fact, the amount of action in the final climactic shootout and car chase is more than enough to make any action movie buff squeal with glee like a little schoolgirl. 

Understanding the central portion of what makes this story work, one can move on to the movie’s cinematography.  The shooting style moves just as fast as the story.  This helps to really heighten the story’s tension even more.  It’s not one of those movies in which the cameras keep the audience at bay so to speak.  Rather, the cameras are right up there with the squad quite often in an almost guerilla style shooting manner much like that of The Shield.  It is that heightened sense of action that will keep any open minded action movie fan engaged from the movie’s opening fight scene to its final moments.  This is especially the case with the big Trafalgar Square shootout scene.  This scene gets its own bonus feature on the new Blu-ray release.  Anyone that has any interest in cinematography will appreciate the discussion on how this scene started out with actual storyboards and eventually after dealing with certain agencies came to life.  The cast and crew discuss in this feature how this scene alone had been planned and developed for two years.  Keeping this in mind, the final product came out in outstanding fashion.

Staying on the topic of the movie’s bonus features, the bonus features included in the new home release of The Sweeney are extremely in depth.  As already noted, there is an extensive discussion on the massive climactic gun battle at Trafalgar Square that any production nut will appreciate.  It’s just one of the many bonus features included that help enhance the overall viewing experience of this flick.  Also included is a discussion on everything that went into bringing the movie to life, as well as an equally in depth behind the scenes making of featurette.  Fans of the original crime drama will also enjoy the discussion on “The New Regan and Jack” as well as the crew heading to “The Shooting Range.”  Audiences are always crying foul over movies that are not realistic.  While this feature is short, it does add to the ability of a viewer to suspend his or his disbelief.  That’s because audiences see that the crew wanted to get a detail as small as proper weapons handling correct.  They show through this feature that they made the valid attempt to learn how high powered weapons were properly held because of the kick of said weapons.  Big things come in little packages.  And as small as this package was, that tiny, simple factor made a big difference, making the movie so much better and more believable.  It, along with everything else noted that went into bringing The Sweeney to life, makes this movie one of the best action movies of 2013 and one of the best independent movies of the year.  It all came together to make The Sweeney a movie that any action movie fan should see at least once before the year is out.

Action movie fans can order The Sweeney online now at http://www.amazon.com/Sweeney-Blu-ray-Ray-Winstone/dp/B00B999EZS/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1367960408&sr=1-2&keywords=The+Sweeney.  A trailer for the movie is available to watch online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBk8At1YfRI. 

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

TV Renewals and Cancellations Start For 2013

The television industry is in one of its key moments right now.  As the calendar turns from Winter and closer to Spring, network execs at the “Big 4” (and CW) are starting to do some early planning for each network’s Fall schedule.  Typically the Fall schedules are released in Spring; May to be exact.  And if the latest numbers are any sign, things could be very interesting for television this coming Fall as the Winter/Spring season nears its end and we move into the annual filler season.  While things are still uncertain for many shows, the picture for all of the “Big 4” (and CW) has become increasingly clear already.  While there are still a lot of uncertain, it looks like when the dust settles, NBC will have the most to lose, while CBS will end up the big winner with FOX and ABC battling it out for second place.  Of course, let’s not forget the massive slate of pilots set to air very soon across the networks.  Considering the way the schedules look for the “Big 4” (and CW), CBS may still end up the big winner, even with networks such as Syfy and A&E having two of the most anticipated shows of the year.  Let’s take a look at everything.

So far, it looks like NBC has the most to lose.  The network proves to be the biggest loser (yes, that pun is intended) with no fewer than ten of the shows in its schedule being on the chopping block.  This means that at the time of this posting, their fate is up in the air.  Those shows include the likes of Community, Parks & Rec, and 1600 Penn just to name a few.  The network has officially renewed five of its shows at the time of this posting and brought four to an end.  In NBC’s defense, two of those shows ending (The Office and 30 Rock) simply came to the end of their run whereas Animal Practice and Do No Harm were cancelled due to poor ratings.  CBS on the other hand looks to have come out the big winner in everything, and likely will even after the summer filler season ends.  As of this time, CBS’ schedule looks to be largely intact with at least fifteen shows from its schedule set to return, one cancelled, and six still on the hook. 

Perhaps the most interesting trend to note of all the announcements released so far is that audiences seem to be drawing more towards dramas than anything else.  This includes reality television.  Considering the glut of reality TV shows out there on the majors, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and The CW have combined so far for a total of ten total reality shows officially confirmed as being safe so far.  Dramas from the five networks on the other hand, combined for a total of twenty-one shows that have been confirmed as being back so far.  Comedies accounted for only fourteen total shows that will definitely be back as of yet.  On the other side of the coin, comedies topped the list of shows that have been cancelled during the Winter/Spring schedule.  ABC lost the most dramas, with five total.  None of the 5 majors reported cancellation of their reality TV programming.  It really makes for an interesting trend to note.

In terms of the most anticipated shows coming this year are A&E’s Bates Motel, ABC’s much talked about small screen take from the Marvel Comics universe in S.H.I.E.L.D. and Syfy’s long awaited return to actual science fiction programming in Defiance.    Syfy has had at least some science fiction based shows in the likes of the previous Battlestar Galactica re-incarnation as well as Eureka and the now short lived Alphas.  So there’s a lot of talk around this one, especially after the leap of faith that was Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome.  After the much maligned Caprica ended, there was a lot of speculation around the fate of this property.  And considering that Alphas has ended so abruptly and that Eureka only lasted four seasons, one can only wonder if Defiance will be able to revive science fiction programming on Syfy.  Should it survive, sci-fi fans could finally see the network finally return to its roots.  One can only hope.  Supernatural shows seem to have been all the rage on that network in recent memory.  Though it too, has added its own slate of reality shows just like so many of the cable networks.  One thing fans can cheer about is that USA has brought back Psych.  The show’s new episodes started airing this week.  This little show that could has really proven to be a surprise hit for the network and a great replacement for the equally entertaining Monk.  For fans of other cable shows, FX has renewed Archer and American Horror Story.  AMC is said to be bringing back its hit Western saga, Hell on Wheels.  Simply put, this year is going to be another interesting one for television as it competes for eyes over theaters.  That’s a whole other story in itself for another time.

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.