Originally posted at PrimeTimeGeek.com.

PTG Episode 118 is brought to you by A Comic Shop, though they may not realize it. We have now confirmed (by looking at a calendar) that this upcoming Wednesday, May 24th, A Comic Shop will be hosting Tony Bedard, the new writer on Green Lantern Corps, starting at noon. I’ve never known a signing at that store to NOT be fun, so do stop in with lots of copies of R.E.B.E.L.S. for Tony to sign if you’re in the area and have a chance to do so, and tell them you heard about it on PTG. They’ll probably give you a weird look and ask, “Why do you listen to that crappy show when you could be listening to OUR show?”, at which point you should respond, “Because I dig permanent guy-liner.”

During this episode we revisit our written review of Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” to expand further on why it works as period drama, rather than swashbuckling adventure, then dive into all the week’s news covering the Network TV Upfronts that took place in New York last week. The number of new sci-fi/superhero-type shows is down this year–CBS doesn’t have one, while ABC, NBC, FOX, and CW each have one–but it’s an interesting mix that we’ll be keeping close tabs on come September. Which ones we’ll actively follow as part of our Flash TV Reviews segment we’re not sure yet, but we’ve got to find something to replace 24 (ends tonight!), Heroes, and FlashForward (ends 5/27). This hour wraps with a focus on three new DC Comics books from last week: Legion of Superheroes #1 (promising!), Brightest Day #2 (misleading cover, but intrigue definitely building), and War of the Supermen #3 (great penultimate chapter!). Enjoy!

Originally posted at PrimeTimeGeek.com.

PTG Episode 109 is brought to you by Legendary. During this hour we were honored to have on the show Maggie Bridger of the Legendary project to talk about the Chloe Sullivan/Allison Mack tribute commercial that that group is working to get on the air in the Los Angeles TV market in just a few short weeks, during May sweeps. For a quick, behind-the-scenes peek at the commercial, check out the video below:

Legendary: A Chloe Sullivan Appreciation Project from Legendary on Vimeo.

In addition to discussing the work of her group during the interview, Ms. Bridger took time to talk about the charity efforts of other Smallville-related fan groups and projects, such as Sweet and Operation Truth and Justice, to benefit the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the official charity of Smallville. It’s a great interview with valuable information for other fan-groups who might wish to pay tribute to their favorite shows, characters, or actors, or who might wish to get involved in charity work, and we thank Ms. Bridger once again for taking the time to talk to us. Please do head over to the Legendary website to read all about their group and their efforts to honor Ms. Mack and her unforgettable work on Smallville these past nine seasons.

Also in this very-TV-centric episode we cover yet another untimely demise on 24, the season finale of Human Target, in which we finally get to see the oft-hinted at mission that set “Christopher Chance” upon his current path, and of course Smallville, which features the return of Brian Austin Green as John Corben/Metallo. Enjoy!

Hour 1 of Prime Time Geek Episode 21 is brought to you by the opening scene of Weird Science. Why Weird Science, you ask? Well, admittedly, it doesn’t work nearly as well for Hour 1 as it does for Hour 2, which features an ‘Eat More Geek’ segment and is led off by the infamous ‘greasy pork sandwich’ line. For Hour 1, well, okay, I admit it: I couldn’t think of a better clip to use, so in it went.

First and foremost, allow me to apologize to those who came to the live show and didn’t get to see a whole lot due to technical difficulties. I certainly appreciate everyone’s patience for those who stuck around in the chat in the hopes that we’d get back on the air, which we did sporadically throughout the evening. There were some folks who stopped by who were baffled and highly amused by the fact that I kept on going with what I was talking about despite not being able to be seen or heard, as though I was unaware of what was happening. To those folks I say, “Well, if I had stopped, then you wouldn’t have this podcast to listen to, now would you?” Rule number one of performance: no matter what happens, keep going.

Hour 1 features the usual segments: DC Comics Spotlight focused on Secret Six #9 (pictured above) and Green Lantern Corps. #36; Summer Movie Review focused on Angels and Demons, and the Smallville Smackdown featuring thoughts on the Eighth Season finale, “Doomsday”. But what might get the MOST attention in the Hour were the digs I took at some of other shows currently on the SomaCow Media Network, so I feel the need to preface your listening to the episode with a few small caveats:

1) Though PTG remains “the new kid on the block” as far as programs on the SomaCow Media Network, we’ve been around long enough to know that stirring the pot a bit sometimes is good for generating a little bit of dramatic interest. This is by no means done out of disrespect for the great entertainment both JPP and SomaCow put out on a weekly basis–it’s all in good fun, and I hope it is taken as such; and

2) I fully expect reprisal in the form of some sort of “proportional response.” You don’t swat at the wasp’s nest without expecting to get stung, and by no means is PTG safe from ridicule–in fact, sometimes it seems to me there’s more to make fun of on PTG than anything else.

So Geoff, Mickey, J, Gary, Nova, CR, Tits, or whoever chooses first to step into the batter’s box and take a good cut, do me one favor: Tell EVERYONE on Twitter or Facebook or whatever that you’re doing it, and tell others to download this hour, follow suit, and THEN go to justpushplay.org or somacow.com and comment that you hath avenged the honor of your beloved show by slapping back at the upstarts over at PTG, or better yet, go to their live shows (Monday night 8-10PM EST for JPP, Friday night from 7-10PM for SomaCow) and TELL them you did it.

They’ll love for it, and believe it or not, so will I.

Hour 1 of Prime Time Geek Episode 18 is brought to you by a classic moment from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Got a chance to see this again on the big screen last weekend, thanks to the wonderful folks at the Universal Cineplex at Universal Orlando’s Citywalk, and it was just all sorts of awesome. So many favorite Trek moments in that film, but this one is near the top of the list, and I just happened to have it recorded in a sound drop, so there it seemed to me the perfect way to kick off the night.

Now, for those wondering about the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT I mentioned on Twitter a few hours ago, here it is:

Be sure to catch this week’s LIVE broadcast of Prime Time Geek, as twice during each hour I will be giving away a pair of AMC Theaters Gold Experience movie tickets, courtesy of AMC Theaters and Bad Apple Comics! In the first hour I’ll be asking trivia questions on the subject of Wolverine and the X-Men, to tie into the new X-Men Origins: Wolverine film opening on Friday, May 1st, and in the second hour I’ll be asking Star Trek-related questions. The first caller into the show to answer the question correctly gets a pair of AMC Gold Experience tickets, which can be used for ANY movie showing at AMC Theaters, even new releases! Of course, we hope you’ll use them at Citywalk for either Wolverine or Star Trek, but it’s up to you, and you’ve got to win them first.

The highlight of Hour 1 was our chat with the owner of Cool Stuff Games in Winter Park, Florida, Jerry Sumkin. I talked to Jerry about his store, about how the recent economic woes have affected his business, and about new board games coming over from Europe that have been popular among his customer base, but mostly we talked Magic: The Gathering and its latest expansion, Alara Reborn. Being a long-retired Magic player myself, I found my curiosity piqued by what the new expansion has to offer, I admit. And of course, that’s just what I need–something else to consume my paychecks besides comics, video game and movie rentals, and … well, eating. Nevertheless, I hope to have Jerry on again next month to keep PTG listeners up to date with what’s going on in the gaming world, so keep listening in the coming weeks for that and spread the word–Card Gaming Geeks: PTG is coming for you.

Also in Hour 1, reviews of Batman: Detective #853, Part 2 of Neil Gaiman’s soon-to-be classic “last” Batman story, “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?” (which is getting rave reviews from multiple review sites besides PTG) and Smallville’s latest never-to-be-considered-classic episode, “Stiletto.” About the only thing “classic” about that was how great Erica Durance looked in skin-tight vinyl. Thank goodness this season is ending in two mercifully short weeks.

Hour 1 of Episode 14 begins with a drop from a movie we never get tired of here at PTG, John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China, featuring Kurt Russell in perhaps his most memorable role, at least among cult classic fans, Jack Burton:

Jack: Not so fast there, gentlemen.
Lo Pan: Is it too much to ask, Thunder, kill him for me!
Jack: What’s that gonna solve, Dave? Too many people around here droppin’ like flies and where’s that gettin’ you? Nowhere, FAST. Ah, you know what ol’ Jack Burton always says at a time like this?
Thunder: Who?!
Jack: Jack Burton! ME!

The highlight of this hour is our interview with Luis Gutierrez, Marketing Director for Bad Apple Comics here in Orlando. Luis chats up Bad Apple’s subscription service, store locations, and upcoming events, including this weekend’s car meet in front of the South Orange Blossom Trail location to promote the new film “Fast and Furious.” We also get his thoughts on how Bad Apple works to stand apart in a market crowded with competition from other comic book stores, how he feels Bad Apple will adjust to the current economic downturn, and the vacation destination he looks forward to the most each year: DragonCon!

Also in this hour, thoughts on DC’s Justice League of America #31, featuring the fallout from the Final Crisis and New Krypton storylines as felt by the League itself, and a review of Smallville’s latest episode, “Hex”, which featured the debut in Smallville continuity of Zatanna Zatara, played by the gorgeous Serinda Swan, ALSO from Vancouver, BC. First, Kristin Kreuk (Vancouver), then Erica Durance (Calgary) and Laura Vandervoort (Toronto), and now Serinda Swan, all Canadians. Seriously, it may be time to move. In any case, enjoy, and stay tuned for Hour 2 being uploaded tomorrow night!

This is before things get weird

Images courtesy of www.game.watch.impress.co.jp

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I think Kristin Kreuk is great. Her depiction of Lana Lang on Smallville from the very beginning, both her look and her persona, as seen through Clark’s eyes and later as she evolved into more than just the object of Clark’s affections, was a combination of exotic beauty and girl-next-door charm and allure that had my heart racing. Having had plenty of unrequited crushes in high school for gals way out of my league, the Clark-Lana stories gave me one more reason to cheer for Clark and hope the character could have what I never did. Yes, yes, I always knew the romance was doomed, for we all know who Clark ends up with as an adult, but I hoped nonetheless, and I credit that entirely to Smallville’s writers and Kristin Kreuk. And to all the “Clana” haters out there, I give the proverbial “finger”, because the amount of venom they collectively spewed in Kreuk’s direction as years passed on the show is entirely undeserved. I love Chloe and Allison’s Mack’s depiction of her as much as anyone, but all you gals who suffered in high school from thinking you were overlooked for the prettier cheerleader girls, and thus cheer for brainy Chloe and hiss at too-pretty Lana, get over it. It’s in the past, and Kristin Kreuk the actress has never done anything to you.

Smallville Season 2 promotional image for Kreuk as Lana Lang

When the writer’s strike interrupted Smallville’s Seventh Season and its duration created a scheduling conflict with Kreuk’s plans to shoot Street Fighter: the Legend of Chun-Li, for me as a fan it was bittersweet. I could see Kreuk doing very well in the role, but I didn’t want to see her leave Lana behind so soon. Then the news that she wouldn’t be returning as a regular came down from the CW, and that along with the departure of Michael Rosenbaum had me saying that the sky was falling. I can certainly admit that I was wrong in my dire predictions – Smallville’s ratings are stronger than ever, and there’s talk of a ninth season, although Tom Welling reportedly has still not signed on for it. But as well as the show was doing without Kreuk, I welcomed her 5-episode guest stint and savored one last temporary moment of happiness for Clark and Lana. When that moment ended, I truly shed a few tears, as I have whenever circumstances have torn the two characters apart. And to those who expressed gratitude that Lana Lang seems to be gone for good, well I hope you’re satisfied. I’ll still maintain that she was a huge part of why I fell for Smallville, my Superman fandom notwithstanding. I fell for Smallville because Kreuk’s portrayal of Lana made Clark’s pining for her, always just beyond reach, truly believable to me. Had I been Clark, I would have fallen for her precisely the same way.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li theatrical poster

Anyway, it remains to be seen what Kreuk will do with her career post-Smallville. “Street Fighter”, despite her presence, has the potential to be mindnumbingly bad–all you have to do is look at the Jean-Claude Van Damme adaptation from the 1990’s (poor, poor Raul Julia-you deserved so much better than for that to be your last screen credit!). One thing is definitely certain in my mind, though–no matter what else Kreuk may do in her career, few experiences in publicity tours and junkets could possible ever top the craziness of this Japanese promotional appearance. Check out the MAN in the Chun-Li costume, and I shouldn’t have to say any more. [scroll down to see the smoking hot mess]

The look on her face ... "I'm SO going to kill my agent."

Oh, look, he's got a cord attached to him, wonder what that's for ...

If only she'd really hit him ...

Kristin Kreuk, you are awesome. Rampant absurdity as only the Japanese media can do could NEVER change that.

Thoughts? Comments?