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Tuesday, October 28, 2003

JOSH LUCAS TALKS THE HULK

With The Hulk being released on DVD on Tuesday, The Continuum presents a question-and-answer interview with Josh Lucas, who plays Major Glen Talbot.

In the interview, Lucas talks about his approach to the character, working with director Ang Lee and interacting with a CGI Hulk.

The Hulk set an opening weekend record for June with $62.1 million and finished with $132.2 million.

To read the interview with Lucas, CLICK HERE.

And to see more than 100 promotional stills from the film, CLICK HERE.

PUNISHER MOVIE UPDATE

Gale Anne Hurd, producer of The Punisher movie, told The Continuum that John Travolta was the first and only actor offered the role of Howard Saint, the film's antagonist.

"What really impresses me about him is the research that he does," Hurd told The Continuum during a recent visit to The Punisher set in Tampa, Fla. "Because Jonathan (Hensleigh) is a first-time director, he wanted to get a sense of Jonathan. He read the script, and he loved it. So he made calls to various people that Jonathan has worked with.

"I was truly impressed that a star of his stature made the phone calls himself. And he checked out Jonathan to see what Jonathan is like. And all the reports came back that this guy has been preparing to direct since his first day in Hollywood. So, thumbs up.

"And we all talked with him on the phone. And then we made a set visit when he was shooting Ladder 49 in Baltimore. We were on the same page from the very beginning."

Hurd said that Travolta's Howard Saint is not an over-the-top villain.

"He's very much cold and calculating," Hurd said. "Very smart. But very charming. And the one thing you'll also find out about John Travolta is that he doesn't like to play the same character. It was very important for him to know Jonathan wouldn't say, 'We want him just like (the character) you played in Swordfish or the character you played in Pulp Fiction' or the character you played in, you know, name the film.

"He's very magnetic in the film. And very contained and controlled. And very intense."

Hurd said that Travolta brings "tremendous star power" to The Punisher.

"Even when we were shooting at 2 in the morning, we had a couple hundred people across the street watching," Hurd said.

In other Punisher news:

* Above is a photo of Hurd, Punisher star Thomas Jane and co-producer Ari Arad with members of the media after a lunch interview session.

* Expect the first trailer for The Punisher to appear in November.

* To read an interview with Jane, CLICK HERE.

* Look for more on The Punisher very soon here in The Continuum.

SMALLVILLE UPDATE

Smallville executive producer Al Gough told The Continuum that he was very pleased with how "Perry," the episode airing Wednesday on The WB, turned out.

In the episode, Michael McKean plays Perry White, the future editor of The Daily Planet who currently is a down-and-out reporter with a drinking problem.

"The writing, acting and direction are all top notch," Gough told The Continuum. "Michael McKean gives a wonderful performance as Perry and brings a dimension to the character that you haven't seen in any other incarnation of Superman.

"And we finally answer the age-old question: Why the hell did Perry White ever hire Clark Kent in the first place?"

McKean is married to Annette O'Toole, who plays Martha Kent in Smallville. The "Perry" episode marks the first time the husband and wife will be seen acting together in a television series. McKean and OšToole are currently working on an original movie musical and recorded a song together for Disney Records coming out early next year.

In other Smallville news:

* The WB has released 10 images from the "Relic" episode, scheduled to air on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

Here's how the network describes the episode:

"Lana's (Kristin Kreuk) great uncle (guest star Tom Heaton), who was convicted of murdering his wife forty years ago, shows her a picture of the man he believes really killed her aunt, and she is shocked to discover the drifter looks just like Clark (Tom Welling). Sure that the man is Jor-El, Clark's investigation leads him to a kryptonian medallion that allows him to see bits of the past and the life that Jor-El started for him long before he arrived on Earth."

Click on the thumbnails for larger and fuller views.

* The WB has released a logline for "Magnetic," the episode set to air on Nov. 12. Here's how the network describes the episode:

* "Clark (Tom Welling) is suspicious when Lana (Kristin Kreuk) suddenly becomes attracted to a fellow student (guest star Kevin Zegers) and begins to act rebelliously, which eventually lands her in jail. Clark's suspicions are confirmed when he discovers Lanašs new boyfriend has magnetic powers that can move objects and alter human emotions, but when he tries to free Lana from the paranormal hold that is controlling her, she tries to kill him. Meanwhile, Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) discovers Chloe (Allison Mack) has been delving into Lionel's (John Glover) past and tries to get her to join forces against his dad."

The episode was written by Holly Harold and directed by David Jackson.

* Look for more on Smallville very soon here in The Continuum.

NEW MUTANT X EPISODE

"The Taking of Crows," a new episode of Mutant X, will air in syndication this week. The episode is written by Bob Carney and directed by Andrew Potter.

For a thorough plot synposis, with spoilers, CLICK HERE.

NEW SIMPSONS EPISODES

Fox has released promotional images from two upcoming episodes of The Simpsons.

In the image on the left, Glenn Close guest voices as Homer's long lost fugitve mother in "My Mother The Carjacker." The episode airs on Sunday, Nov. 9.

In the image on the right, Lisa is greeted by cheering masses when she is elected student body president in "The President Wore Pearls." The episode airs on Sunday, Nov. 16.

Click on the thumbnails for larger views.

HALLE BERRY TALKS CATWOMAN

Halle Berry, star of the upcoming Catwoman movie, said she is getting into the physical aspects of the role.

"I'm getting to do a lot of my own fighting," Berry told Extra during the press junket for Gothika last weekend. "I'm able to do some of this Catwoman stuff that I really didn't think I would be able to do."

Berry appeared on the syndicated entertainment shows on Monday, and said she is bonding with Catwoman co-star Sharon Stone. Both women have recently parted from their husbands.

"It was our first sense of commonality," Berry told Entertainment Tonight. "So she understands where I'm at and I her. So we have a really good vibe happening right now. Very respectful of each other. Kind of giving a little therapy back and forth, which is always good."

FIRST LOOK: NEGATION #23

Negation #23 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from CrossGen Entertainment. The issue is written by Tony Bedard, penciled by Paul Pelletier, inked by Dave Meikis and colored by Laura Martin.

Here's how CrossGen describes the issue:

"Continuing her search for a way home, the scheming femme fatale known as Evinlea seeks to seal a deal with the mighty Charon...but the god-emperor's newest weapons have a nasty surprise that may ensure that she never escapes their dark universe."

Negation #23 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.95.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

BRIEFLY

David Hayter, who is currently out of the country but is developing a Watchmen movie, on if there are any new developments: "Not yet. But soon."

NBC has released another promotional image for Tutenstein, the new animated series based on Jay Stephens' comic that airs Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. (ET).

Kids' WB! episodes on Saturday, Nov. 8 include "Divide and Conquer" for Teen Titans and "Dark Horizon, Pt. 2" for X-Men: Evolution. For a look at the complete Kids' WB schedule for the week, CLICK HERE.

UPN will commemorate Halloween on Friday by broadcasting the first Blade movie.

Coming Wednesday: DC news -- and much more!!!