Articles by Jeff Pfeiffer

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TCA

TCA Summer Press Tour: CBS/Showtime/CW party is a moment of Zen

August 4, 2011 Jeff Pfeiffer

By Jeff Pfeiffer Follow @ChannelGuideJP Yesterday I made my way out to Beverly Hills to round out the relay team of Channel Guide TCA Press Tour coverage (see earlier posts from Barb Oates and Ryan Berenz for more TCA adventures and info). I’ve been doing this tour for over a decade now, and I always feel somewhat out of sorts on the first day I get here. Obviously, jet lag and a long travel day factor into this, but there is something more, I think. Something like the culture shock one may get when traveling to a foreign country, and […]

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TV News & Program Updates

Today in Network Swag: IFC’s “Whisker Wars”

August 2, 2011 Jeff Pfeiffer

By Jeff Pfeiffer Follow @ChannelGuideJP This Friday at 11pm ET, IFC premieres its new docu-comedy series Whisker Wars. The show spotlights the world of competitive facial hair growing, following a group of competitors as they travel the country competing for top bearding honors in preparation for the World Championship Competition in Norway. In promotion of this series, IFC sent me a very cool package of old-school, all-natural men’s shaving products from Portland General Store in Portland, Maine. Shipped in a sweet cigar box, the kit includes Wood Super Thick Body Cream; Racer Shave Cream; Whiskey Sea Mineral After Shave Splash; […]

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Drama

VOD Spotlight: “Soul Surfer”

August 2, 2011 Jeff Pfeiffer

Soul Surfer stars AnnaSophia Robb (Bridge to Terabithia) in the role of Bethany Hamilton, an irrepressible spirit who lost her right arm to a shark while surfing but who managed to turn something so devastating into a positive: Within months, she was circling the globe to help tsunami victims in Thailand, and within a year, she stunned the competitive surfing world, returning to the sport with championship-caliber skill. “Surfing with one arm is challenging, but I just have to use my brain a lot more and position myself in the best possible spot for catching the wave,” Hamilton explains. “It […]

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Drama

VOD Spotlight: “Jane Eyre”

August 2, 2011 Jeff Pfeiffer

Like Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel Jane Eyre has a timeless quality and an equally timeless appeal that makes it a natural to adapt to film. The story has been filmed nearly two dozen times, including the famous 1944 film starring Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine. The 2011 version of Jane Eyre stars Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) as Jane and Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class) as Rochester and — in much the same way that the hotel in The Shining became a character in the film — Haddon Hall in Derbyshire as Rochester’s home, Thornfield […]

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Based On The Comic

AMC’s statement on Frank Darabont and “The Walking Dead”

July 28, 2011 Jeff Pfeiffer

This morning, AMC released this statement on Frank Darabont stepping down as showrunner for the hit series The Walking Dead, and answered some other questions about possible changes and replacements: “The Walking Dead’s Glen Mazzara, writer and executive producer, is expanding his responsibilities to assume the role of showrunner. AMC is grateful to executive producer, writer and pilot director Frank Darabont whose contributions to the success of The Walking Dead are innumerable.  We continue to discuss his ongoing role with the series. Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead graphic novels, executive producer and writer on the series, will remain […]

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Documentary

Shark Week 2011 ready to surface

July 26, 2011 Jeff Pfeiffer

By  Jeff Pfeiffer Follow @ChannelGuideJP In preparation for our feature on Discovery Channel’s annual summer event favorite Shark Week — airing July 31-Aug. 6 and now in its 24th year — we tried to connect with “Chief Shark Officer” (CSO) Andy Samberg (Saturday Night Live), who will be hosting the programming stunt as well as starring in a special of his own. Most “CSOs” would jump at the opportunity to promote their “products” (in this case, Discovery Channel and sharks), but Samberg simply wasn’t available for an interview (don’t worry, Andy, we weren’t going to ask hard-hitting questions about the […]

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Action

“Terra Nova” interactive experience kicks off at Comic-Con, travels country

July 20, 2011 Jeff Pfeiffer

By Jeff Pfeiffer Follow @ChannelGuideJP After more than a year’s worth of anticipation, FOX’s new drama Terra Nova — an adventure about people time-traveling back to prehistoric Earth to change humanity’s future — will finally hit the airwaves on Sept. 26 with a two-hour premiere. Leading up to that, FOX will be kicking off an interactive fan experience called Journey to Terra Nova this Thursday, July 21, at Comic-Con in San Diego. From there, it will travel to 20 additional markets around the U.S. this summer and early fall.

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Lifestyle

“The Wendy Williams Show” launches 17-city summer tour

July 18, 2011 Jeff Pfeiffer

By Jeff Pfeiffer Follow @ChannelGuideJP Revving up for the third season of her hit syndicated series The Wendy Williams Show, which returns Sept. 12, Wendy Williams is embarking on the Say It Like You Mean It Summer Tour. The nationwide tour — which takes its name from a line in the show’s theme song — starts Aug. 4 and will visit 17 cities across the country, where Wendy will meet fans and participate in local events. For example, in the Tampa stop, she will try her hand as a “drummer” in one of the long boats at the 10th Annual […]

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Action

Previous Channels: 1979’s “Captain America” — The Worst Avenger?

July 18, 2011 Jeff Pfeiffer

In the semi-regular (mainly whenever the mood strikes me) column “Previous Channels,” I will be looking back at blasts from my television past. Maybe you’ll remember some of the shows that I’ll cover, maybe you’re hearing about them or seeing them for the first time, but hopefully you’ll have fun either way. Many fans, myself included, are eagerly anticipating this Friday’s theatrical release of Captain America: The First Avenger. To a Captain America fan like me, this looks to finally be the movie realization of the long-running comic-book hero I’ve  been waiting for. I’ve been teased before with previous adaptations, […]