Written by Aaron Bala

After a long summer break, the big 4 networks are eager to reveal their new shows vying for your hearts and viewership. The fall 2010 season features a wide range of shows that feel both familiar and new. Add a comment

Written By Adam A. Donaldson

Somewhere in between Twilight and True Blood is The Vampire Diaries. Not as uptight as the former, though too vanilla as compared to the latter, Diaries has managed to carve itself out a nice little niche despite the fact that it’s another vampire love story based on a popular series of books.

I know, I know, I rolled my eyes too… at first. I became a convert around Christmas time last year when I devoured the fall season within a couple of days. True, it has all the typical high notes of a teen melodrama, especially ones with vampires – the brooding good boy, the doe-eyed girl next door, a love triangle with the broody boy’s evil, sarcastic older brother… Wait, what?

Strangely enough, the most engaging part of The Vampire Diaries is Ian Somerhalder, an actor forever known for playing such a bland character on Lost that his Boone Carlyle was the first regular character to be killed. As Damon Salvatore though, Somerhalder gets to deliver every line with piss and vinegar while having the most expressive eyebrows on TV since Peter Gallagher played Dad on The O.C. Add a comment

Series finales tend to be unsatisfactory to a large segment of a show’s fan base. Why is not easy to fathom. They are usually overwrought, overblown and occasionally, overly-sentimental.

But in the case of Lost, for every person that was brought to tears by the poetic final journey of Jack Shephard and the fate of his fellow castaways, there was a person infuriated by the fact that several mysteries were left tangling without explanation. Could we have done with definitive answers about the cabin, Mrs Hawking, fertility, Smokey, “the rules” and Claire’s missing years on the island? I suppose, but then those same people probably would have complained about how the finale was an info dump with no sense of character. Add a comment

Polaris may not be as big or as well known as its big cousin the National Fan Expo, but those that come out to it every July are no less devoted to their various beloved movies, TV series, comics and anime programs. The celebration formally known as TorontoTrek has since expanded its universe to welcome a more diverse fan base. Authors, filmmakers, retailers, re-enactors, and costume makers are all part of the festivities, as is getting up close and personal with some of your favourite sci-fi celebrities. Add a comment