Terra Nova: 10 Reasons Why Fox's Dino-Drama Should or Should Not Be Renewed

Jason O'Mara Terra Nova ended its freshman season by permanently cutting off the colony to the future and unloading a whole slew of new mysteries for what the producers likely hope means a second season. Lucas Taylor (Ashley Zuckerman) finally got the upper-hand on his father, bringing the Phoenix Army to the past, where they planned to mine and strip Terra Nova of all its resources. Commander Taylor (Stephen Lang) refused to go down without a fight, sending Jim (Jason O'Mara) to the future to destroy Hope Plaza, essentially plunging everyone left in the colony into the dark ages, with no further contact with the future possible. However, before the Phoenix Army high-tailed it away, they left a clue that could mean... there may be humans on prehistoric Earth? Or another portal? Check out the best TV shows of 2011 What will happen to the stranded colonists on Terra Nova? That can only be answered if Fox decides to renew the show. We've put together a list of 10 reasons why the network should or should not bring the series back for a second round. Should Not: The family. Sure the Shannon clan has come a long way since Jim was locked up in prison, but the show has yet to establish an emotional tie to the family that would keep audiences invested in wanting to see where they end up. Exhibit A: Josh Shannon (Landon Liboiron) swiftly became as expendable as fellow renegade Tyler Evans (Logan Huffman), and we all know how that ended on V. Should: Stephen Lang. He's a geek god (See: Avatar). Lang perfectly captured the stoic leader, often with a hint of humor. We could watch him in anything, though he can leave the shirtless scenes to Jason O'Mara, thank you very much. (Plus: We'd love to see a flashback to the 118 days where Taylor was alone on the planet.) Should Not: The dinosaurs. The producers assured fans at Comic-Con that there would be at least one dinosaur in every episode, and sure, they've lived up to that promise, but every dino appearance has been an afterthought, making us forget the colony is meant to be in constant danger from the next CGI mess that fails to live up to Jurassic-sized expectations. Even the carno-carnage in the finale was lackluster. Should: Sci-fi shows should survive! Otherworldly series are being overrun by procedurals and reality shows. Maybe if the series showed a little more dino-drama and a little less teenage angst (we're looking at you, Maddy and Mark), those sci-fi fans would come running back. Should Not: The mole. There's nothing worse than a spy who suddenly begins acting obvious (cough, Skye, we saw that coming...) once the show is finally ready to reveal her identity. Worse: Even after learning that Skye (Allison Miller) was turning against the colony to save her mother, the show had her flipping back and forth in the finale to the point where we gave up on caring whose side she was on. What were the worst TV moments of 2011? Should: The Badlands could be good? The mysterious Badlands, only now introduced in the season finale, where the prow of an old wooden ship was discovered, could hold a wealth of new mystery. Namely, how did the ship even get there? (Oh, we're having a Lost flashback.) And why did the Phoenix army head straight there after being cut off from 2149? Should Not: The lack of action. The entire first season had been building up to the arrival of the 11th pilgrimage, along with Lucas Taylor taking over the colony, yet the only scene they showed was the initial explosion, denying viewers of the first real action since the pilot's dino-carnage. Did they spend all the money on the pilot and not have anything left? Should: More than Terra Nova? There's a whole world out there just waiting to be discovered outside the colony. If Terra Nova gets renewed, that's the first place they should head. And for that matter, why not show more of the future, too? Should Not: Obvious plot devices. You know when a character that has rarely been in the spotlight is suddenly thrust front and center (Hello, Wash), it can only mean they're not long for this world. Taylor's second-in-command (Simone Kessell) sacrificed herself so the Shannon family could escape, which would actually have made an impact on the audience if we had ever cared about the character before. Should Not: A clearly insane villain: Taylor's insipid and insufferable son, not the dinosaurs, became the colony's ultimate villain, whose work to destroy Terra Nova was secondary to Zuckerman's overacting as his most grievous offence. Like Michael Myers of Halloween, he's also the character who refuses to die. Do you think Terra Nova should be renewed? What did you think of the Season 1 finale? Hit the comments with your thoughts.

Access Hollywood Live Exclusive: Nicole Scherzinger To Complete On X Factor

First Launched: December 14, 2011 2:28 PM EST Credit: Access Hollywood Caption Nicole Scherzinger stops by Access Hollywood Survive December 14, 2011LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Nicole Scherzinger will debut a totally new, never heard song on Thursdays The X Factor. The singer gave Access Hollywood Lives Billy Rose rose bush and Package Hoover the exclusive particulars about her performance. I am undertaking tomorrow on X Factor, Nicole mentioned. Im really excited. Its a totally new flipping song. No ones heard it. I merely managed to get happen. Its like, literally hot. The completely new song look on Nicoles approaching album, Killer Love. Its referred to as Pretty. I like the song. Im really pleased with it. Im undertaking it the first time ever, she ongoing. Its as being a mid-tempo, nonetheless its good. Youre prone to enjoy it. Billy also addressed the gossips that Nicole may be sent packing within the Atlantic for your UKs version in the reality singing competition. Are you currently back on X Factor next season? [You'll find silly gossips about yourself going to the Uk and Kelly Rowland coming here, Billy asked for. No, that stuff is just gossips, she mentioned. Thats all pretend stuff. The X Factor final four face off tonight at 8 PM on FOX. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

'The Dark Knight Rises' Viral Campaign Continues: IMAX Tickets for Advance Footage

On Thursday, a mysterious website called Operation Early Bird popped up online with a countdown. The info was posted courtesy of @TheFireRises, a Twitter account linked to 'The Dark Knight Rises.' It's all part of the viral marketing campaign of the next 'Batman' sequel and earlier Friday, at 1 p.m. EDT, the countdown on the Early Bird website ended. So, what did it reveal? A giant map that gives fans early screening information about the six-minute prologue that's scheduled to play in front of 'Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol.' However, there's a catch: In order to get the tickets, you will have to enter coordinates currently being played over on TheDarkKnightRises.com. After that, you will be able to book tickets to see the prologue on Dec. 13, three days before 'Mission: Impossible' hits IMAX theaters. Just a heads up, the Operation Early Bird site is currently down, likely due to the enormous amount of traffic heading there now. So if you want your prologue tickets, you may have to have to be patient. The full 'Dark Knight Rises' will hit theaters on July 20, 2012. [via CinemaBlend and ComingSoon] [Photo: Getty] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

'Mission' Accomplished In Dubai: Tom Cruise Edition

By Joel Hanek MTV News reporter Josh Horowitz and producer Joel Hanek are currently in Dubai covering the world premiere of "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol." These are their stories. If you've been following the adventures of MTV News' very own reporter Josh Horowitz and I this week on Movies Blog, you know that we've traveled all the way to Dubai for the world premiere of "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol." And let's just say, right now we are standing on an aircraft carrier with a banner behind us that reads: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. OK, that reference is neither timely, accurate, nor funny, so let's move on. What I learned during the trip: 1) Scrambled eggs in the Middle East are orange. Crazy, right? 2) Simon Pegg is even more hilarious than I thought. 3) Tom Cruise is probably the nicest man on the planet. After exploring the sights of Dubai aka the Middle East's Big and Tall Shop, since it has either the biggest or tallest everything we were ready for our interviews. Only feet away from the beach and with the imposing Burj Al Arab on the horizon, the stars of "MI:4" were whisked into our junket room one by one. Although they had all been traveling around Asia for the past few weeks, everyone was in great spirits. Director Brad Bird, the genius behind Pixar movies like "The Incredibles," described the mind-blowing climbing scenes on top of the Burj Khalifa; Anil Kapoor was strangely hypnotic and inspiring; Paula Patton was extremely charming and insanely beautiful; and Simon Pegg, one of my personal geek heroes, had a very nerdy and hilarious conversation with Josh. Finally, Tom Cruise entered the room. For someone who defines the word "celebrity," he certainly acts like a normal human. He arrived in the room all smiles, greeting every single person. Then you hear that iconic laugh, and you're reminded of the countless classics and blockbusters you've watched him in over the years. It was definitely strange seeing Cruise in Dubai without the aid of an IMAX theater. After getting the inside scoop on "Mission Impossible," unearthing some juicy "Top Gun 2" news, and shooting an upcoming After Hours, the interview ended. One costume change and 30 minutes later, we arrived at the red carpet for the 8th Annual Dubai International Film Festival. The show kicked off with (who else?) Tom Cruise hitting the carpet. The crowd went into a frenzy, and between chants of his name and camera flashes, Mr. Cruise paused at every person. This is not hyperbole: he took his time to meet every single person who arrived at the red carpet. As Josh tweeted, "I think I just watched Tom Cruise autograph something for every citizen of Dubai." And to think he does this in every single city they travel to. Thats why he is the nicest man on the planet. Him, and my grandma. And maybe Santa.

Meryl Streep Exercises Her Authority in Inspiring New Trailer For That Iron Lady

This summer time, Meryl Streep formally began Oscar season using the first trailer for that Iron Lady, the British biopic which stars the planet’s finest actress as Margaret Thatcher, the Uk’s glass ceiling-breaking Pm. Since award speculation months are under way, the Weinstein Company has launched another trailer for that Iron Lady that basically guarantees it'll earn Streep her lengthy-looked forward to third Oscar. Who even needs the official “Consider This” campaign if you have this trailer — 140 seconds price of giant Meryl Streep-ness between title cards that call her character “a digital rebel…who never backed lower” along with a peppering of keywords and phrases like “change the nation,” “lead” and “watch your character for this will end up a future” that highlight the impact of Thatcher’s tenure. Not too Streep needed another valentine following the Leader’s ode to her the 2009 week, but here you go. The drama, from Mamma Mia! director Phyllida Lloyd, comes to limited theaters December 30 before its wide release The month of january 6. VERDICT: Better luck the coming year, Glenn Close. [via Apple]

Kurt Sutter Hopes To Keep Sons Of Anarchy Going For At Least 7 Seasons

Kurt Sutter, the colorful and occasionally churlish creator of the FX biker smash Sons of Anarchy that wrapped its fourth and most successful campaign last night, isoptimistic that his show will see a seventh season. Or more. SOA already has been renewed for a fifth season of 13 episodes. He said during a conference call with reporters this morning, “We’re hoping to be able to tell the story we want to tell in a seven-season arc, to have the length of time to do that. At least we’re open to exploring that.” But he added that his experience as a writer-exec producer on The Shield tells him that “the above the line costs can become too much” when trying to go beyond season seven. The reason Sutter is even able to consider three seasons into the future is the fact SOA just enjoyed its highest-rated season, standing as the No.2 scripted drama on basic cable (trailing only AMC’s The Walking Dead) and the highest-rated series ever on FX. He credits the show’s increasing viewership in part to its availability over Netflix. “It helped people really plug into and get into the show the first few seasons,” Sutter believes. “It’s been really important to our rise.” Equally important, Sutter believes, has been his drama’s ability to skirt the difficult line between art and commerce. “I’m very aware that I’m writing a show for television,” he said, “so I do want to write storylines that are rich and complex and characters that are three-dimensional. We’re fortunate to have actors who weekly give tremendous performances. But there’s also an element of the show that’s incredibly pulpy and entertaining, and that’s as important as the rich, deep character stuff. I have no desire to run a show that only a couple of hundred people watch. If I wanted that kind of audience, I’d go do theater…I’m not writing the show in a vacuum. And I’m an egomaniac. I want to be loved, honored, worshiped and adored by everyone. So I want a big audience. I love the fact we’re beating the (broadcast) networks in key demos.” Sutter credited the show’s healthy ratings to “the fact I surround myself with people who are way more talented than I am. And great actors.” Sutter admitted that he’s considering altering the SOA pacefor season fiveso that there is perhaps a bit less tumult packed throughout each episode. “My sensefor next season is that it will be a slower boil,” he said. “This season, everyone was sort of out of breath by the end of every episode, and my sense is that next season that won’t be the case.” He added thathe was open to continuing to have guest stars appear on SOA who also worked with him on The Shield but was reluctant to have it extend to that show’s stars Michael Chiklis and Walton Goggins.”I think it would be impossible for them to be perceived as somebody else in this world. It would be too distracting to bring them onto the show, as much as I love and adore them as actors and people.” And he hasn’t yet decided how Sons will wrap, noting this morning, “Whether they’ll all wind up dead in a big puddle of blood at the end has yet to be determined.”

Its Official: Harry Potter Attraction Going to Universal Hollywood

Comcast Hints That Harry Potter Would Go To Additional Universal Parks It’s been rumored for some time in addition to today Time Warner boss Rob Bewkes mentioned what is the news wasn't remote. Now Comcast’s Universal Parks & Resorts has confirmed that it's going to create a Harry Potter attraction inside its Universal Art galleries Hollywood theme park, additionally to grow its uber-lucrative The Wizarding Arena of Harry Potter attraction at its Orlando resort. It’s there the entire year-plus-old Potter-designed attraction has aided boost revenue by 33% using the first nine several days of 2011, and attendance expires 50% since Wizarding’s June 2010 launch, making the go to other parks a no-brainer. (Yesterday, Comcast CFO Mike Angelakis referred to as attraction at Universal Orlandos Islands of risk an entirely totally reset mechanism for your park.) “It was a game title title changer for people and frankly for Orlando,” Universal Art galleries leader Ron Meyer told the Connected Press after today’s announcement. “The expansion in Orlando makes it that actually essential-see, which we’ll have the identical experience here.” The completely new installation is predicted to create greater than 1,000 jobs. La County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky told the AP he was told Universal’s concert venue Gibson Amphitheatre might be axed to produce way of the Potter attraction. No plan particulars or time frames were spoken about. Harry Potter can be a Warner Bros property.