A&E has announced an opening for its Psycho prequel, announcing at today's Television Critics Association press tour that Bates Motel will premiere on Monday, March 18 at 10/9c.

 

Bates Motel Trailer

From the creative minds of Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights), this Psycho prequel is receiving a great deal of buzz.

It centers on Vera Farmiga as Norma Bates and explores her unusual relationship with teenage son Norman (Freddie Highmore), as the mother/son move into the coastal town of White Pine Bay and open the titular place of business.

"Carlton and Kerry crafted a fascinating backstory for Norman and Norma Bates that has been brought to life by this incredible cast," says Bob DeBitetto, President and GM of A&E Network and Bio Channel. "It’s thought provoking television at its finest and we’re thrilled to bring it to the A&E family."

Source:
http://www.tvfanatic.com/2013/01/bates-motel-to-open-on-march-18/

An Italian vanitas bust from the late 17th century, from the exhibition “Marble Sculpture From 350 B.C. to Last Week” at Sperone Westwater as seen in a recent issue of The New York Times.

More about this exhibition, from the press release:

Marble Sculpture from 350 B.C. to last weekCurated by Gian Enzo Sperone22 December 2011New York, NY 

Sperone Westwater is pleased to present an exhibition of white marble sculptures dating from 350 B.C. to the present day. This survey includes Greek and Roman antiquities, Neoclassical sculptures, and works by modern and contemporary European and American artists. 

Marble is one of the oldest and most fundamental materials of sculpture with wide-ranging use in the fine arts, decorative arts, and architecture. Among the works from Greek and Roman antiquity in Marble Sculpture from 350 B.C. to Last Week is an Ionian Greek grave relief from the second half of the fourth century B.C. that depicts three figures presenting a narrative on a farewell to the deceased. A Vestal statue from the second century A.D. represents the virgin goddess of hearth, home, and family in Roman religion. Notable Roman sculptures from the first and second century A.D. are also presented including a vase and a bust of young man. Significant sculptures from the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries include Icarus, the mythological figure of a man with wings, by Tommaso Bonazza (Venice 1696 ? Padua 1775), as well as Hercules by Giacomo Cassetti Marinali (Venice 1682 ? Vicenza 1757), carved out of pietra di Vicenza, to name a couple.The modern and contemporary works in Marble Sculpture provide a different context for the ancient material. Pioneer of the Dada movement, Jean Arp created Mediterranean Sculpture I (Orphic Dream), 1941, a biomorphic sculpture that has rounded and angular edges, encompassing the artist?s desire to conflate nature?s different forms. Richard Long?s Heaven (Portrait of Carl Andre), 2011, consists of six rows of large marble blocks. Infinite, 2011, by Fabio Viale, depicts two interlocked tires carved out of marble. Not Vital?s 1/2 Man 1/2 Animal, 1996, is an eleven-foot tall anthropomorphic sculpture that resembles a mythical creature. An installation of five slabs, Ai Weiwei?s Marble Doors, 2007, depicts a barricade of white and grey doors. Bertozzi & Casoni?s Gorilbattista, 2011, is a vanitas sculpture of a gorilla head on a plate. Tom Sachs?s Brute, 2009/2010, transforms an ordinary lightweight object to the extraordinary through the medium of marble. In Purity, 2008-2011, Barry X Ball reinvigorates the age-old tradition of figurative marble sculpture through the use of unconventional stones and methods.

Click on image to see larger, finer version.Source:
http://morbidanatomy.blogspot.com/2013/01/wonderful-italian-vanitas-bust-from.html

We swear, The Vampire Diaries Season 4 will return at some point. January 17th, to be exact.

But with that date still nearly two weeks away, TV Fanatic wants to know: What are the main questions you hope will be answered in these early episodes? Among our more pressing inquiries...

What impact will Bonnie's father have on his daughter? Vampire Diaries spoilers alert: Rick Worthy debuts as the Bennett patriarch this month. Will his presence pull Bonnie away from Professor Shane? Push her toward the man who has truly been acting like a father figure of late?

How will Tyler react to his mother's death? A totally wild guess: with a lot of anger directed at Klaus. A related question: How will this development affect Caroline's flirtatious relationship with that Original? Safe to assume their fun and their games are over now, right?

Will Matt and Rebekah hit it? She's awake again. She's very attractive. She has feelings for the loyal bartender. What are missing here? Come on, Grill Employee of the Year!

Will Klaus say 'love' or 'mate' more times in 2013? Drinking game players around the nation are edges of their seats - and rims of their shot glasses - in anticipation!

Can Jeremy complete the map without harming someone close to him? My favorite storyline of Season 4 so far. We know Damon will be mentoring Jeremy upon the show's return, but we don't know how far Jeremy will need to go in order to finish his mark.

Will the cure be found? Or, perhaps a better one: Will it be used?

Will the sire bond storyline come to an end soon? Please? Pretty please?!?

Source:
http://www.tvfanatic.com/2013/01/the-vampire-diaries-return-questions-what-will-happen/

Happy New Year, TV Fanatics! I'm back to work full force now that the winter press tour of the Television Critics Association has begun. For the next two weeks, stay close to the site for all the breaking news, interviews and general coverage of all the new shows the networks are bringing in the coming weeks and months.

My Notebook is already filling up, so I’m emptying it out today with scoop on the return of Bunheads; how Dallas is going to handle the death of Larry Hagman; and the intriguing new Cinemax series Banshee. Let’s go!

BUNHEADS Sutton Foster will soon be joined on the show by her real-life brother, Hunter, who happens to also have made a name for himself on Broadway. What’s with the Foster family and these talented siblings?

“I have no idea,” the actress/singer/dancer said during a recent press call. “Both of my parents, neither one of them are in the business, no one in our family, and Hunter and I, we were never the singing Fosters. We just like to perform and do stuff for fun.”

While she may not have the answer to how she and her talented sibling ended up where they have, she isn’t confused on her feelings about it: “I have no idea why or how it happened but it’s been awesome and it’s been really, really, really special to have him on the show and to be able to work with him. This is our first time working together as actors and so it’s been really, really fun to have this opportunity.”

BANSHEE Cinemax has brought us acquired shows such as Strike Back and Hunted, but Banshee (premiering January 11) is one that they network has built from the ground up with creators Jonathan Tropper and David Schickler, as well as True Blood master Alan Ball. Showrunner Greg Yaitanes (House) shared with me on the first day of TCAs that the 10-episode series also did something unusual in the way it shot episodes.

“We actually shot the first episode about mid-way through the new season,” he revealed. “The fourth episode was actually the first one that we did. Because we had the scripts, I thought it would be a unique way of approaching it that I thought, ‘well, why don’t we work out the kinks in the fourth episode so if there are any growing pains that the audience is already invested and maybe they’ll smooth out and be over at that point.’” 

Having been in the television game for a long time, Yaitanes added about shooting the premiere episode fourth: “I think a pilot should feel like a great episode of a show and some of the great shows have arrived fully formed and I wanted to give us the best chance possible…I think you feel that in the first episode.”

Having seen the first two episodes, I can confirm: he’s right. The series starts off feeling strong with solid performances, great amounts of character and some kick-ass fight sequences that will leave your mouth hanging open.

TNT Turner President Michael Wright started off today’s TCA cable day by talking up last year’s success for both TBS and TNT: “TNT had one of its best summers ever,” he said with six programs on the air, including the top new three cable shows with Major Crimes, Perception and Dallas. Wright said TNT and TBS will be launching new and returning shows throughout the year, not just summer.

Because a lot of the questions will undoubtedly be about how Dallas will be handling the passing of Larry Hagman, Wright made sure to address the question right away. The show will definitely honor Larry’s passing, Wright said, “with an episode on JR’s funeral and a storyline that would make Larry very, very happy.”

TNT is also launching new unscripted series including The Hero with Dwayne Johnson and Ben Silverman, as well as Boston’s Finest and King of the Nerds, which will be hosted by Robert Carradine and Curtis Armstrong, who starred in the Revenge of the Nerds films.

And the Cougar Town panel started off in style with mimosas courtesy of creator Bill Lawrence. Bravo!

That’s a wrap! Anything else you’re dying to know about your favorite show? Leave a comment here or you email me directly at jim@jimhalterman.com. And remember: follow @TVFanatic for all your TV scoop!

Source:
http://www.tvfanatic.com/2013/01/jims-notebook-open-to-dallas-bunheads-and-more/

Before we move ahead to Downton Abbey Season 3 - debuting Sunday night on PBS! - let's go back to this summer, when Lisa Palmer of TV Fanatic chatted with star Michelle Dockery at the Television Critics Association press tour.

What nuggets did the actress spill about what fans can expect on new episodes?

“The third season is very much about change," Dockery sayd. "[Mary has] matured and she’s very much grown into a woman as a result of the war, as opposed to how petty and spoiled she was.”

Are there any similarities between the star and the character?

“Mary and I come from different backgrounds. But there are some similarities. I enjoy playing Mary because it’s different than any other character I’ve played. I liked Mary’s cold and pragmatic side, especially, and her vicious nature toward her sister because it was so different.”

And finally, of course, we had to ask about the main couple at the center of this beloved British smash? With a wedding on the horizon, can viewers look forward to nothing but wedding bliss for Matthew and Mary? Please, Dockery teases:

“There is never smooth sailing for Matthew and Mary.”

Among other Season 3 spoilers:

• Lord Grantham will face severe financial problems.
• Anna will remain committed to clearing Bates' name and freeing him from jail.
• Three new servants will start work.
• Thomas will get into major trouble with one of them, who happens to be O'Brien's nephew.
• Tragedy will strike the family.

Source:
http://www.tvfanatic.com/2013/01/michelle-dockery-teases-season-of-change-rocky-sailing-for-mary/

On Wednesday, NBC benefited from its decision to run new programming against a slate of repeats.

Last night, it was CBS' turn, as America's most-watched network lived up to that distinction by airing record-breaking episodes of The Big Bang Theory and Person of Interest.

Sheldon and company, for example, drew 19 million people to their playing of real-life Jenga, setting a series high for total viewers and tying it with a 6.0 in the young adult demographic.

Person of Interest, meanwhile, enjoyed similar success: a high in its total audience (16.1 mil) and the matching of its all-time best 18-49-year old rating (3.4).

Elsewhere on CBS:

• Elementary (11.4 million/2.5) enjoyed its best figures since the pilot.
• Two and a Half Men rose to season highs in the same categories: (15.4 million and 4.6, respectively).

Source:
http://www.tvfanatic.com/2013/01/tv-ratings-report-series-highs-for-cbs/