Bionic Woman

This is the next part of our list of ten actors who we think would have been a better choice to play Will Anthros, Jaime Sommers’ scientist boyfriend.  

Earlier candidates have included Michael Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor on Smallville, and Sean Maher of Firefly fame.  Today we suggest yet another scifi alum: Ian Somerhalder.

How You Know Him:  Ian played doomed plane passenger Boone on ABC’s scifi juggernaut Lost.

Why He Would Have Been a Good Choice:  If they were intent on having Will Anthros be smirky and stubbled, Ian would have been a good choice … and much better eye candy.

Could He Have Played a Convincing Scientist?  Perhaps.  Ian has certainly had his share of serious moments on Lost and in his other roles, but whether he could talk confidently and passionate about bionics is still a mystery. 

Could He Have Played a Convincing Boyfriend?  Probably, because anyone who could create chemistry with a cross-dressing Katherine Moennig on Young Americans and still make it feel wholesome has a gift.  Although Ian can also play creepy very well, as he showed on Lost and in Smallville’s third season.  Now that we think about it, Ian has a strong run playing characters who come back from the dead so perhaps he would make a good bionic partner for Jaime Sommers someday.

Would He Have Taken the Part?  Ian is currently playing Nick on HBO’s nudity-filled romp Tell Me You Love Me, which has a ton of sex and is probably a lot more fun to shoot than Bionic Woman.  We’ll go with "probably not," but you never know.

Clip of Evidence:  This mega creepy clip from Lost’s third season.  The boy looks hot and scary, a good combination for a scifi show.

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Today we have part two of our list of ten actors who we think would have been a better choice to play Will Anthros, Jaime Sommers’ scientist boyfriend. 

We have been vocal about our thesis that casting Chris Bowers as Jaime’s boyfriend, Will Anthros, is a big part of what went wrong with Bionic Woman’s first season.  He was not a convincing scientist, he was not a convincing boyfriend, and he was not a good package overall. 

So for ten days we plan to present, in no particular order, ten actors we think would have been a better choice for Jaime’s boyfriend.  Yesterday we suggested Michael Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor on Smallville.  Today we suggest another scifi alum: Sean Maher.

How You Know Him:  Sean played another brilliant scifi doctor, the gifted Dr. Simon Tam on Joss Whedon’s Firefly.

Why He Would Have Been a Good Choice:  We know from Firefly that Sean can handle the science part of playing Will, and we also know he is willing to tackle some of the crazy stuff that scifi actors have to do.  He has already walked the ethical line of science and strange implants with Summer Glau, who played his sister River Tam, and … he’s just so darn cute.

Could He Have Played a Convincing Scientist?  Definitely.  Sean rattled off medical terms with ease on Firefly, no reason he could not convey the type of serious ambition that was needed with Will Anthros.  We are a bit worried about his ability to play a potential devious manipulator, but Simon lied plenty of times to protect River so we feel he could probably pull it off.

Could He Have Played a Convincing Boyfriend?  Yep.  He already locked lips with hottie Jewel Staite in Serenity, and if we could have had a third of that chemistry between Will and Jaime in the premiere we would have had a better Bionic Woman.

Would He Have Taken the Part?  Maybe … Sean has unfortunately been without a big part since Firefly ended, and it would have been nice to see him on our screens again in another potential hit show.

Clip of Evidence:  This chilly scene from Firefly, where Simon Tam confronts his frenemy Jayne Cobb about his previous betrayals and lets him know who is the better man.

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How You Know Him:  He played billionaire patron of the sciences Lex Luthor on the WB’s Smallville.

Why He Would Have Been a Good Choice:  Michael has a proven ability to play complicated characters with shady motives.  He made it possible for the audience to actually care about Lex, a character who was often Clark Kent’s greatest ally and his greatest enemy - at the same time.  The ability to be both charming and manipulative would have been a huge asset to any actor playing Will Anthros.  And as a bonus, he also has experience playing someone with severe daddy issues.

Could He Have Played a Convincing Scientist?  Probably.  Michael has played smart before, and he managed many a scientific sentence while playing Lex.  He certainly would have been more convincing with his interest in bionics than Bowers’ bored playboy of a surgeon.

Could He Have Played a Convincing Boyfriend?  Definitely.  On Smallville Michael had convincing chemistry with everyone from Chloe to Mrs. Kent.  And, he’s hot.  He beat out Battlestar Galactica’s Tricia Helfer for the TV Guide title of "Sexiest Villian" and was one of People’s Sexiest Men Alive in 2006.

Would He Have Taken the Part?  Sadly, probably not.  Michael was still shooting Smallville when they filmed the Bionic Woman pilot, and has been clear that the next chapter of his Hollywood life will be focused more on directing than acting.  Ah well, dare to dream.

Clip of Evidence:  Check out this clip from Smallville, where Michael’s ability to be cruelly condescending is on vivid display.

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We have been vocal about our thesis that casting Chris Bowers as Jaime’s boyfriend, Will Anthros, is a big part of what went wrong with Bionic Woman’s first season.  Will Anthros was the reason Jaime was made bionic in the first place, when the supposedly brilliant scientist was forced by an unfortunate accident to perform surgery on the woman he supposedly loved.  But in the Bionic Woman premiere Chris Bowers had little enthusiasm for science, and even less enthusiasm for Michelle Ryan.  As a result the premise of the series seemed flat and forced, and the bad casting combined with some other questionable choices to mean the series got off to a shaky start.

If Jaime would have had a better boyfriend, then the writers could have kept the whole story arc involving Will Anthros, his mad scientist dad played by Mark Sheppard, and mystery surrounding Will’s real motivations for implanting Jaime with her bionics.  The series would have had more purpose for its characters, the Berkut Group, Sarah Corvus, and the bionics that draw them all together.  And most importantly, Jaime would have had more to do then beat people up and worry about her sister.

Alas, none of that happened.  Chris Bowers was cast and then mercifully killed off, but when the character of Will Anthros died almost everything else that was intended as a Season One story arc died with him.

Thus the Will Anthros Wish List, a wistful look at ten actors who would have been better choices to play Will Anthros than Chris Bowers.  We will be listing one actor every day for the next ten days, in no particular order, for your comments and contemplation.  If it goes well we may even extend the project, so if you think of an actor who would have made a Winning Will let us know.

So without further ado, let’s get started.

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Lucy Hale will be on the big screen this summer, when The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 premieres in August 2008. 

The Sisterhood movies are based on the popular novels by Ann Brashares, which follows the adventures of four teenage girls and their magical pants.  The original movie starred Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia) as Tibby, Alexis Bleidel (Gilmore Girls) as Lena, America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) as Carmen, and  Blake Lively (Gossip Girl) as Bridget.  All of the stars will be back for Part 2, which focuses on the events of the fourth Sisterhood book.

The sequel also adds Lucy, whose character Effie is Lena’s younger sister in the books.  The novel version of the character is more talkative and outgoing than Lena, who is typically described as a quiet and contemplative beauty who feels apart from the rest of the world.  Effie helps Lena be bolder and connect with others, and the choice not to include her character in the first Sisterhood movie was unpopular with many fans.  Effie’s character in the books is also clearly less beautiful than Lena, which may inspire some Lucy Hale v. Alexis Bleidel debates when the movie comes out. 

While the girls were in high school during the first movie, Part 2 expects to find them muddling through the summer between their freshman and sophomore years at college.  Effie plays a huge role in the events of the book, both in the romance department and in relation to the mystical pants.  The Sisterhood movies have been fairly liberal with the events of the books, however, so we are not sure how things will actually play out when Part 2 debuts in August.

No matter what happens, this is a great opportunity for Lucy.  All of the ladies in the original Sisterhood have had strong careers since the first movie debuted, so hopefully the Traveling Pants will be magic for Lucy as well.

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Mae Whitman, who played Becca Sommers in the unaired pilot of Bionic Woman, was seen on another NBC show earlier this month. Mae was a central character on Law & Order: SVU on the January 1, 2009 episode “Streetwise.” You can see glimpses of Mae in the promo for the episode, shown above.

Mae’s character was Cassidy, a runaway who found shelter and security with a street family that was run by a man who manipulated the street kids he collected and eventually became a murderer. During the course of the show Mae morphs from a freaky looking street kid with two-tone hair and a pierced lip to a sleek potential society girl. She also gives a great performance.

Mae comes from a showbiz family and has been acting since she was three years old. Her first film role was playing the youngest daughter of Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia in When a Man Loves a Woman. Over the years she has played the daughter of many other Hollywood legends, including George Clooney (in One Fine Day) and Sandra Bullock (in Hope Floats). She played the daughter of Mary McDonnell and Bill Pullman in Independence Day, and in recent years has guest starred on everything from Grey’s Anatomy to Desperate Housewives to The Wild Thornberries. She also won rave reviews for her portrayal of Ann, the religious girlfriend of Michael Cera’s George Michael Bluth on Arrested Development.

Later this year Mae will star with Diane Lane, Christopher Meloni, Richard Gere, and James Franco in Nights in Rodanthe which is based on a novel by the author of weepers like A Walk to Remember and The Notebook. Mae will also play the title character in Tinker Bell, and will reunite with her Arrested Development costar Will Arnett in the teen comedy Spring Breakdown.

Well if Ryan can’t seem to get enough of Kevin Rankin these days, I seem to be all about Will Yun Lee.  Earlier I posted a clip of a sexy Will flirting with Mariah Carey in her video "Boy," and here is a clip of a somber Will in the video for Lil John’s "Roll Call."  The lyrics for this song are definitely not radio-friendly, so if there are kids or preachers in the area do not push play.

The video shows Will interrupting Lil John’s liaison with his lady in a motel, and having his minions pursue Lil John through the streets.  Lil John escapes, calls in reinforcements that include Ice Cube, and they head to the club where Will is ambushed by a swarm of Lil John’s friends and associates.  It is a menacing clip, and we do not get to see Will shirtless like we do when he is with Mariah, but it is worth a gander if you are a Will fan and interested in his past performances.

Wow, check out this forgotten bionic gem from from 2003.  Bionic Woman star Will Yun Lee, who plays Jae on the show, was featured in the video for Mariah Carey’s "Boy (I Need U)."  The song is not great, but Will looks wonderful … especially in the first thirty seconds, which feature several shots of his shirtless torso working out with a sword. 

Will was named one of People magazine’s "Sexiest Men Alive" this fall, and it is easy to see why from this video.  He gives Mariah a cute smile at about the minute mark, which is almost as sexy as his shirtless moments.

The video was shot in L.A. and Japan, and was directed by Joseph Kahn (who also directed Will in Torque).  Click here for more information on the shoot, which apparently ran into quite a bit of trouble in Japan due to crowds and eventually the crew had to lie and tell people it was a commercial for mayonnaise.

The Bionic Woman made a surprising move last week, when Jaime Sommers’ alter ego Michelle Ryan allowed herself to be filmed for a segment on Extra, a tabloid television show.  It’s an unpredictable move for Michelle, who has been vocal about her love/hate relationship with the rabid British tabloids and who suffered depression as a result of their obsession with her and her weight.  However she is single and potentially looking for a new job, so why not raise her profile a bit?

The Extra segment aired December 26 in most markets, and is part of the show’s regular feature about single stars called America’s Most Eligible.  Will Yun Lee, who plays her trainer Jae on the show, was featured as one of America’s Most Eligible bachelors earlier this fall.

In her segment, Michelle reveals that she is just as complicated as Jaime when it comes to dating.  She will play very hard to get, but she prefers her love interest to be honest and direct.  She likes a man with confidence, but arrogance is her biggest turn off.  She is old fashioned in that she prefers to be treated like a lady and likes it when the man pays for the first few dates, but she is independent and does her own stunts on the show. 

One thing that is not so complicated is her taste in gifts, as Michelle is clear that the best way to woo her is with the classics ("flowers, chocolates, jewelry"). 

Her surprising choice for the sexiest man alive is a young Clint Eastwood, especially in his Dirty Harry persona, although that is a fictional character and technically not attainable so I am not sure if Dirty Harry qualifies for the title.  Perhaps there is someone out there who embodies his tough guy persona.  Clive Owen, maybe?  They would make a lovely couple, assuming he can master the art of balancing confidence and arrogance and will stick around long enough to win the attention of the fair lady.

It seems I can’t write enough about actor Kevin Rankin these days.  Rankin plays Nathan on BW and next to Katee Sackhoff as Sarah Corvus, Nathan is my other favorite.  Rankin adds a wit and style to the show and he is often the most entertaining to watch. 

I have compiled a Youtube clips play list of my favorite Nathan scenes from all eight Bionic Woman episodes.* Enjoy!

*Note - Rankin joined Bionic Woman in episode 1.02 and appears in only 7 of the eight episodes which have been produced and aired on NBC.

Bionic Woman Michelle Ryan returned to London for the holidays and made the most of the trip by plugging BW.  BW is scheduled to air in the U.K. in 2008 and the BBC has begun airing promos for the show and creating quite a buzz.  Ryan is best known in Britain as Zoe Slater from the long running soap opera EastEnders.

Although the fate of BW is not certain because of the poor ratings and WGA strike, Ryan treats the return of BW as a certainty and acknowledges the strike in passing but doesn’t even mention ratings struggle.

She also discusses her love life and the rumor that she and Owen Wilson are dating and blames that rumor on the internet and presumably bloggers.

Regular readers know that Kevin Rankin as Nathan is one of our favorite characters on Bionic Woman.  Rankin adds a sense of humor and levity to the show and is overall a funny character.  His weekly flirtations with Michelle Ryan’s Jaime Sommers are the funniest moments of the show and usually the most entertaining. 

Rankin is a busy man as he also stars in NBC’s prime time drama Friday Night Lights.  BW is filmed in Vancouver, FNL in Austin.

Rankin recently gave an interview to the LA Daily News and discussed his hectic schedule and the fate of Bionic Woman.

On landing the role on BW:

“At the beginning of the season, they did a lot of retooling. They fired some of the producers and writers. The guy they brought on to fix the show was Jason Katims. He was the show-runner for `Friday Night Lights.’ Within a week, he called me up and invited me and offered me the part. He said come up and try and instill some humor, and ground it in reality a little bit. I became Nathan, the bionics guy, I work with computers. I’m going out on missions and learning how to fight.”

On BW returning after the WGA strike is settled:

“The show was getting its feet under it before the strike happened, but I’m not sure if it’s coming back,” he admitted. “I just don’t think it got a fair shake. I’d love to see it come back.”

His first big break:

Kevin’s first regular television role came on NBC’s short-lived but well-remembered comedy “Undeclared,” in which he played the resident adviser in a college dorm. He knew he was a part of something special because the show was created by writer/director Judd Apatow, who is responsible for such movie hits as “Knocked Up” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.”

“That took me to a different level,” he said of “Undeclared.”

“Little did I know that a couple of years later, (Apatow) would be the biggest thing in town.”

Although Bionic Woman and FNL are on hiatus during the WGA strike, Rankin fans can catch him on the second episode of NBC’s Law & Order, which returns in January.

Let’s hope Rankin is wrong about BW not returning and we get more of Nathan.

Isaiah Washington is included on a list of the top twenty one money losers of 2007, in a list compiled by AOL’s Money & Finance Blogging Stocks. The actor’s well-documented dust up over his gay slurs cost him a lucrative job on Grey’s Anatomy, one of the most successful shows on television, and the high salary he enjoyed playing a doctor at Seattle Grace Hospital. The backlash also made it harder to gain new employment once he finished his guest stint on Bionic Woman, as the role of Antonio Pope is the only confirmed gig he has landed since he was fired from Grey’s.

As we discussed earlier in the week, hiring Isaiah got the network the headlines they wanted this summer but may have cost the show some coveted audiences. Particularly gay audiences, who have embraced Lindsay Wagner and Bionic Woman as something of a seventies icon and were naturally curious about the show. Gay viewers are known for their loyalty and their high household incomes, both of which are coveted by advertisers.

Other money losers on the list included NBA legend Michael Jordan, whose divorce cost him over $168 million this year, convicted dog fighter Michael Vick, and Britney Spears, who also suffered a plethora of legal troubles in 2007. There were several mortgage brokers whose plan to take advantage of low income borrowers cost them their jobs on the list as well, along with the “American Homeowners” who got pwned in the process and boy band producer (and alleged ponzi scheme creator) Lou Perlman.

Bionic Woman, Isaiah Washington, Grey’s Anatomy, Michael Jordan, Lou Perlman, mortgage, gay, money

Various Internet sites are reporting that Bionic Woman Michelle Ryan will be featured on the Extra! television show feature "America’s Most Eligible" on December 26, 2007.

Could it be true, could Michelle Ryan be resorting to tabloid television to enhance her love life?  Or is this just another bad Bionic rumor?

It would be an unlikely move for Michelle, who has spoken about her lack of love for the British tabloids, who covered her mercilessly when she was on prime time soap EastEnders.  In interviews last summer Michelle often spoke of the pressures of being in the press constantly, commenting that she could not enjoy herself at events and parties and also that the constant focus on her weight led her to be depressed, anxious, and exhausted.  Since Michelle has hardly courted the tabloids since she came to the U.S. it is unlikely she would willingly appear on a tabloid show and discuss her love life.

That said, Michelle may be looking for work very soon if Bionic Woman is canceled.  And she is supposedly single these days after breaking off her engagement with a "footballer" and denying the rumors that she was dating Luke Wilson earlier this year.

Some digging revealed that Michelle’s sexy cast mate Will Yun Lee was also featured on this Extra segment, so perhaps he talked her into an appearance?  While the show has featured over 80 Most Eligible Bachelors, the show’s web site only features three Most Eligible Bachelorette:  Jackie Warner from Work Out, Victoria’s Secret model Miranda Kerr, and Playboy model and reality television personality Kim Kardashian.

So will Michelle join their ranks?  Like most Bionic Woman rumors, only time will tell if the information is true.  While I have my doubts myself, I have set up my TiVo to record Extra on the 26th … just in case.

Hidden among the clips from Extra’s "America’s Most Eligible" series is an interview with Will Yun Lee, who plays Jaime Sommers’ fight trainer on Bionic Woman. 

Will appeared on the show in October as one of the segment’s featured single and successful profiles.  In his interview Will revealed he is a "butt man."  When pressed to be more specific, he admitted, "yeah, like, J-Lo Style."  Good to know!

Other qualities Will appreciates in a woman?  A laid back attitude and a good sense of humor.  Since he works out a lot he also appreciates someone who is in shape ("yeah, it’d be nice") but that is not necessarily a requirement for winning his affections.

Will was featured in People’s "Sexiest Man Alive" issue a few weeks ago, and appeared in the magazine’s "Fifty Most Beautiful People" issue in 2002.  He has had a good year so far, what with the magazine accolades and positive recognition he has received for his steady and sexy performance as Jae on Bionic Woman.  Best wishes to Will on his search for love, and here’s hoping we get to see more of Jae on our screens in 2008.