Optimus Prime Has A Hot New Attitude In Transformers 2

Salutations and spoilers! Transformers 2 has been filming some big vehicle stunts again, and some cool photos of Optimus Prime have turned up online. Also, the writers of Star Trek dropped more maddeningly vague hints about how the movie relates to the original TV show's continuity. And that Battlestar Galactica TV movie now has a name, which may tell you something. We find out the truth about a recent shocking development on Eureka. There are some script pages for the Sarah Connor Chronicles, and new tidbits about Fringe, Heroes, Kyle XY, Smallville and Knight Rider. Spoilers and felicitations to you!

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen:

Transformers 2 has been filming in Long Beach, which is standing in for China (just like Pennsylvania did a while back.) Cars on set included Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Ironhide, the silver Corvette and two small blue cars. In one stunt, a bunch of vehicles are driving down the street and two flatbed trucks are supposed to explode. (Although, due to an error, only one actually blew up.) And here are a bunch of pics, including Ironhide under wraps, Optimus under wraps and driving at night, Chinese police cars, a trashed taxi, a car with tons of luggage on top, a moving truck, and street signs. Tons more photos at the links, check them out. [Set report from Transformers Movie Chronicles. Pics from MyLordSinuhe and fq9 and djlakihu, via RopeofSilicon]

Star Trek:

More vague hints that the new Trek movie may create a divergent timeline due to Spock and the Romulans time traveling. Says co-writer Alex Kurtzman: "Our version of Star Trek is not exactly a prequel. It is in some ways, and you'll have to see it to label it exactly." He also says he was amazed that nobody ever thought to tell the story of how the Enterprise crew first came together. And the thing that drove the movie, for him and Roberto Orci, was thinking about that bridge crew and their relationships. [Newsarama]

Battlestar Galactica:

Another tidbit of information about the new BSG TV movie, filming in September. Apparently the title is: "The Plan." Presumably, as in, "The Cylons have a." [13th Colony]

Fringe:

Even if you've already seen the leaked Fringe pilot, maybe you'll learn something from this new Associated Press featurette about the show:

And in case you haven't seen the pilot, because you're a good viewer who waits for things to air officially, then here's a short clip. [Fringe Bloggers]

Sarah Connor Chronicles:

Here's an interview with Richard T. Jones, who plays former FBI agent Ellison. Turns out he loses his job because he can't explain what happened to his men. And eventually Ellison will get some "screen time" with Sarah, but not any time soon.

Also , a couple of script pages have turned up for auditions for a character named Baldwin, who appears in episode 9, "The Beast In Me." The pages don't look like actual script pages, but you never know. Baldwin is a guy who's supposed to be doing seismic retrofitting at a secure building. He's being interrogated because he supposedly entered the building at 4:16 in the morning two nights ago, and installed a "roving backdoor" in the computer system, which allows someone to access all military/industrial complex computer systems. Baldwin swears it wasn't him but can't explain how someone got in using his access codes. And then the interrogator notices Baldwin looks pretty banged up. [Spoiler TV]

Smallville:

Here are some new pics from the season premiere of Smallville, showing how messed up Clark gets in that gulag he winds up in. [Kryptonsite]

There's also a new press release that mostly regurgitates old info, but does include a few paragraphs of new stuff:

Season eight begins a few weeks after the Fortress' icy collapse, as a LuthorCorp arctic excavation team investigates Lex's whereabouts. Members of the Justice League reunite in the search for Clark, who has been rendered powerless by the fall of the Fortress. As the season unfolds, Clark's new position at the Daily Planet will mean working across the desk from Lois. The two will be forced to team up to cover Metropolis' most pressing goings on. Sometimes it's Lois herself who becomes Clark's biggest obstacle, especially when he's on a deadline. But with Clark and Lois thrust into such close proximity, sparks are bound to fly, and feelings will start to surface that come as a surprise to both of them. At the same time, Clark begins to discover the balancing act he must perform as he explores his dual identities as both reporter and superhero.
Even with Lex gone, the Luthor mansion isn't vacant for long. Its newest resident is the beguiling Tess Mercer (Freeman), who, according to Lex's written instructions, has been placed in charge of LuthorCorp and all of its projects, including oversight of the Daily Planet. Tess proves to be as inscrutable as she is cunning, and is an enigmatic new presence in everyone's lives. It won't be long before Tess' attention turns to Clark. But Clark is wary of her intentions, and as the layers of her past are peeled away, new mysteries surface. Through it all, Tess' resolve remains unshakable – to find Lex Luthor, as she is convinced he is still alive.

Clark isn't the only one who will face formidable challenges. Oliver Queen (Hartley) returns to make Metropolis his home. He finds himself at a crossroads, forced to travel through some dark terrain – especially when demons from his past are reawakened. Oliver ultimately begins to question his role as a superhero, just as Clark is embracing his own.

With a new fiancé and puzzling new abilities that intrigue her as much as they frighten her, Chloe decides to turn her attention toward helping others. She takes over where Lana left off and reopens the Isis Foundation to provide counseling for those with meteor-powered abilities. She soon finds just how tricky the meteor-powered can be. Chloe's life is further complicated when she meets Metropolis paramedic Davis Bloome (Witwer). A tireless public servant, Bloome strikes up a fast friendship with Chloe. Soulful and mysterious, Bloome has demons of his own. He's troubled by large gaps of time that he can't remember, and as he comes closer to the answers, he must confront his own worst fear – that at his core he is pure evil.

I'm glad somebody is going to be helping the people who got their powers from meteor-laced chewing gum. [Smallville Spoilers]

Kyle XY:

Am I the only person dying to see more of the adventures of the dorky superpowered teenager? Anyway, apparently the new season picks up right where the last one left off, with Amanda going missing at the prom. And Kyle starts to realize Amanda may not be safe in his life. This creates an opening for someone or other, because Kyle has a new flame by the end of the season. (Which better not be Jessi, because eww. Too much like dating your cousin.) [TV Guide]

Eureka:

Is Stark really dead on Eureka? Yes. It's not a trick. But anything is possible in Eureka. And even though Stark's death resolves the Carter-Allison-Stark triangle, new characters will come along to upset the show's dynamics in new ways. And apparently the plural of "dynamics" is important. [TV Guide again]

Also, here's a synopsis for episode 6, "Phased and Confused":

The emergence of a superhero makes Carter's job more difficult; Thorne's subterranean search for a secret beneath Eureka imperils Zoe and her friends.

[Spoiler TV]

Heroes:

And here's another new Heroes trailer, nearly two minutes of footage including some plot twists we haven't seen before. Nothing too shocking if you've already seen the first episode, but otherwise pretty intriguing:

And here's a new promo image of Nathan. Looks like his hair has improved drastically since the end of season two's weird ducktail. [Heroes Spoilers]

Knight Rider:

Maybe you'd be more excited about Knight Rider if you knew for sure there would be hard science? Well then here ya go. Buddy TV has an interview with the guy who plays the show's main science geek, Paul Campbell. [BuddyTV]