tv echo

In the current issue of TV Guide Magazine, in the "Cheers & Jeers" section, Damian Holbrook gave Jeers to Arrow for killing off Laurel. (Really? No Jeers to Sleepy Hollow for killing off Abbie, but Jeers to Arrow for killing off Laurel?!) Also, the listing for Arrow's April 27 episode (when 419 airs) is not tagged "NEW" by TV Guide, which might lead readers to believe it's a rerun. (It's time slot competition that night - The Middle, Survivor, Rosewood, Heartbeat - are all tagged "NEW".) Hmm... conspiracy theorists, anyone?

Another take on the big debate... Marvel vs. DC: Which universe wins? by Caitlin Petrakovitz and Iyaz Akhtar April 18, 2016 http://www.cnet.com/special-reports/marvel-cinematic-universe-dc-extended-universe-showdown/

Courtesy of Olicity Queen...

https://twitter.com/charlotteross/status/722180392942313472 https://twitter.com/david_ramsey/status/721748924860669953 https://twitter.com/Team_Barrowman/status/722284396112384000

I was just speculating because Madison tweeted yesterday that her dog got to see "some Arrow 419" and she's standing in front of a building that says "ADR". Why else would she be back... unless maybe she secretly recorded something for 423?

Season finale spoilers from TV Guide and Eonline... Must-Watch Finales: Scoop on Your Favorite Shows http://www.tvguide.com/special/finale-preview/spoilers/ 2016 TV Finale Spoiler-Rama! http://www.eonline.com/photos/18668/2016-tv-finale-spoiler-rama/693649

Olicity survived to Round 3 of Eonline's TV's Top Couple 2016 contest - voting closes Wednesday, April 20 at 5 p.m. PT... TV's Top Couple 2016: Vote in Round 3 Now! by LAUREN PIESTER Mon, Apr 18, 2016 3:00 PM http://www.eonline.com/news/757537/tv-s-top-couple-2016-vote-in-round-3-now

WGFestival interview with MG from April 16 (talked mostly about how he got into the scriptwriting business, advice for aspiring writers, and having your own voice)... WGFestival 2016 - Marc Guggenheim Published on Apr 18, 2016, by Scripts & Scribes

Don't know if these tweets mean anything other than 419 (so I'm not putting them in the Spoilers thread)... https://twitter.com/MadisonMcLaugh/status/721772944850964480 1:31 PM - 17 Apr 2016 https://twitter.com/MadisonMcLaugh/status/721798289037787136

It's funny that I came across that Nick Spake article (posted above) that talks about how Felicity injected humor and heart into Arrow. Recently, I was thinking about the differences between DC superhero movies and Marvel superhero movies. Much has been written/said about how the DC movies are 'darker' while the Marvel movies are 'lighter'. As far as I can tell, that distinction only applies literally - in a darker color palette and darker lighting - but not figuratively or metaphorically. Both universes deal with dark themes and dark story lines. Both have involved losses. Indeed, a superhero movie necessarily must have some darkness in order to set up the conflict - something bad that spurs or inspires the hero to act, and then the ultimate battle of good versus evil. However, the Marvel movies are currently doing a better job of counterbalancing the darkness with lighter elements. I call them the 3H's - Humor, Heart and Hope. From the promos, Captain America: Civil War will turn friend against friend. The clear analogy is to the American Civil War, a really dark time in history when family members and friends literally fought and killed each other - brother vs. brother. This is not exactly a light, fluff theme. But again from the promos, the movie looks like it will balance serious discussions and fights with humorous and human moments. In contrast, BvS had little humor to break up its unrelenting grimness. Hence, the first H is Humor. Also, the characters must engage the audience. I want to see the hero as someone real and three-dimensional, with real feelings and real motivations. When he or she feels pain, it must resonate. And the hero must have a relationship that resonates, whether it's a romance or a bromance. In Captain America: The First Avenger, there are two heartbreaking scenes: when Bucky falls to this death, and at the end when Steve talks about his date with Peggy while his plane is going down. We now know that Bucky survives to become the Winter Soldier and that Steve survives to become an Avenger, but Steve and Peggy didn't know at the time. (And, not being a comics fan, I didn't know that Bucky survived.) Those two scenes, for me, were more heartbreaking than any scene between Clark & Lois in BvS or any scene between Clark and his father in Man of Steel. Hence, the second H is Heart. Finally, when I'm watching a superhero movie that's dark and grim, I want to know that there's light at the end of the tunnel. There has to be a victory or something that makes me want to come back to this fictional universe. I want a hero that battles through the darkness and emerges into the light. That is what is appealing to me. Hence, the third H is Hope. P.S. I could also add a fourth H - Humility. In my opinion, BvS sometimes seemed a bit too pretentious (with its God v. man theme, and religious allegorical visuals) and Bruce Wayne came across a bit too arrogant for me. Zack Snyder and Ben Affleck just take themselves and their movies way too seriously. In contrast, while Tony Stark is arrogant, he knows that he's arrogant - and RDJ plays off that arrogance with such charm and charisma that you don't mind. Then there's the appealing Steve Rogers (as played by Chris Evans), who always remains humble and "a good man."

8 Intriguing Superhero TV Shows That Were Never Made By Christian Bone 18 hours ago http://wegotthiscovered.com/tv/8-proposed-superhero-tv-shows-that-were-never-made/

Last week, Nick Spake published an article titled "What the DC Extended Universe Can Learn from the Arrowverse". Apparently, readers were divided on one reason given, namely, that "The Arrowverse Has Felicity Smoak." So now he's responding with this follow-up article... NICK PICKS | WHAT THE DC EXTENDED UNIVERSE CAN LEARN FROM FELICITY SMOAK By Nick Spake, Features Editor 10 hours ago http://www.flickreel.com/nick-picks-what-the-dc-extended-universe-can-learn-from-felicity-smoak/

This is speculative and based on Felicity's former IT job... The Real-Life Salaries Of Your Favorite TV Characters APR 14, 2016 2:40 PM ANNE T. DONAHUE http://www.refinery29.com/tv-characters-salaries#slide http://www.refinery29.com/tv-characters-salaries#slide-3

Arrow Season 4 wrap party snapchat compliation Published on Apr 17, 2016, by Sillylilth1ngs

This list was ranked by Marvel.com's editorial & social media teams... Marvel Top 10 Non-Superpowered Heroes Published on Apr 15, 2016, by Marvel Entertainment 10. Elektra 9. Punisher 8. Howard the Duck 7. Winter Soldier 6. NIck Fury 5. Black Widow 4. Hawkeye 3. Shang-Chi 2. War Machine 1. Iron Man

Missed posting this earlier... The 5 Best and Worst Laurel Moments From Arrow By Jenny Raftery April 7, 2016 12:20 p.m. http://www.vulture.com/2016/04/arrow-laurel-best-worst-moments.html

Regarding AoS, I used to find Skye/Daisy annoying because the show focused so much on her special snowflake status. Now I like her in small doses. I also like Lincoln (putting me in the minority, I know), maybe because I still have a soft spot for the actor since he had to suffer through The Tomorrow People playing second banana to RA. I still find Coulson annoying and the actor who plays him not very compelling either as a leader or as a character. So I would cut Coulson but keep Daisy and Lincoln. I'm okay with bringing Bobbi back but I don't like Hunter so I would still cut him. I would also cut Brett Dalton's character. My fave characters right now are Jemma and Fitz (not necessarily together). Ever since Jemma's solo episode and Fitz' story arc of getting her back, I've found these two characters to be the most layered and also played by good actors.

I've seen a few media reviewers post their (spoilery) Arrow reviews online only a few hours after the episode airs. I agree that after an episode airs publicly, it's no longer considered a spoiler. However, out of consideration for likely readers, and depending on the circumstances, I'd assess each case on an individual basis. For example, after BvS was released in theaters, I and others commenting on the movie here still used spoiler tags for major spoilers.

Keep an eye out for this upcoming media interview with ER... https://twitter.com/StarryMag/status/721128735877910528

Guess who else was at the Arrow wrap party... https://twitter.com/elysiarotaru/status/721605697297715200

Amazon Style Code Live // Katie Cassidy | Weekly Rewind at April 15, 2016 Published on Apr 16, 2016, by Beat Things

https://twitter.com/VladaGelman/status/721480116723798017 https://twitter.com/VladaGelman/status/721540960237162496 https://twitter.com/VladaGelman/status/721497096231067648 https://twitter.com/VladaGelman/status/721500386448637952 ETA: In answer to bijoux's question, I don't know which season WM is referring to. I'm hoping that someone will post video of this panel.

Some of Vlada Gelman's tweets from the DC Universe writers' panel at WGFestival 2016 yesterday (fyi, Arrow episode 1x18 was "Salvation")... https://twitter.com/VladaGelman/status/721485198152478720 https://twitter.com/VladaGelman/status/721485553347104768 https://twitter.com/VladaGelman/status/721486764771135489 https://twitter.com/VladaGelman/status/721525072888901634 https://twitter.com/VladaGelman/status/721524911949242368

WGF's tweets from the DC Universe writers' panel at WGFestival 2016 yesterday... https://twitter.com/WritersGuildF/status/721483739792998400 https://twitter.com/WritersGuildF/status/721486154009186304 https://twitter.com/WritersGuildF/status/721489901011623936 https://twitter.com/WritersGuildF/status/721491577793720320

I've only quoted the Arrow part... The Rules of How and How Not to Kill Off TV Characters By Tim Surette April 16, 2016 http://www.tv.com/shows/sleepy-hollow/community/post/tv-character-deaths-arrow-the-americans-empire-the-100-sleepy-hollow-the-walking-dead-146059209547/