Earlier this week we welcomed Emily Deschanel into the offices of The Hollywood Times to chat about her recent works.

TIMES: Emily Deschanel, it’s so nice to have you here. The last year must have been quite a blast for you. Not only did you star in four Scream movies, but also in Bad Money, The Film Protectors 3 and The X-Files: Take No Prisoners. How do you adjust to all the media attention you are getting now?

EMILY DESCHANEL: It was really an incredible year. I had done Bad Money and the first Scream film around the same time and was already very happy to have been in two big movies that year. But to be in seven? It was sure busy, but I loved it. In the last few weeks I had a lot of interviews going on, especially because of Eastwick, but now that I have exited the Scream franchise, it’s a lot less hectic.

TIMES: How did you get the job on Eastwick?

DESCHANEL: Oh, it’s actually a really nice story. I have worked with the producer Kaitlynn Halliwell earlier this year on her debut Lurking Shadow and she called me some weeks later and asked if I wanted that role. I was her first choice and the first to be cast into the project. I’m a little proud of that.

TIMES: So you are not concerned that your TV career might backfire on you film career?

DESCHANEL: Not really. Eastwick won last weeks ratings for its timeslot, which was a surprise, but it did well before. So it certainly is a milestone in my career. If there are any interesting film projects I want to pursue, I can still do that, but for now I am very happy to announce officially that Eastwick has been renewed for a complete second season.

TIMES: That is nice to hear. Congratulations on that. Can you tell us a little about Season 2? Will all regulars be on it? What changes will there be?

DESCHANEL: So far only the three main actresses, meaning me, Charisma Carpenter and Carla Gallo have signed contracts for the new season as well as a bunch of guest stars, whom I cannot reveal at this point. As far as the story goes I only know that a lot of loose ends will be tied.

TIMES: Thanks for this interview, Miss. Deschanel!

DESCHANEL: Thanks for having me.

May is a huge month for movie fans as there are a lot of releases. With such a good mix of genres, there surely will be something for just everyone out there. Mr.G has been doing his job to dig out whatever information there is about all the movies of May. I am sorry to say that not every movie is covered due to the lack of information (Yeah, Mr.G ain’t that good of a spy) but still, it’s time to share the fruit:

1st Week of May
In Memoriam tells a story about a family dealing with the loss of a child, and more specifically about a teenager dealing with the guilt of killing her sister. Well, the family sure sounds f***ed up and I am guessing this will either be a drama or a thriller but that’s merely my guess. Please don’t throw eggs at my house if I am wrong and misguided you.

Why Must I Go to Hell? Because heaven is full I guess. Anyway, this is a dark animated comedy about a sweet little seven year old girl who dies and ends up having to go to hell because her father is the devil. How sad for the girl to die at a young age of seven… and to go to hell at that. It definitely sounds like a fun film to watch, as long as you are not the girl.

2nd Week of May
Fawlty Towers is back, not in the form of another sitcom series but as a film. Since the original Fawlty Towers is almost 40 years ago, the roles are recast. A good news for the long-time fans is that John Cleese is in, not in his original role though. To describe the movie in the form of one question, what would you do if the British prime-minister wanted to hold a conference in your hotel?

Not much of information can be collected for Silent Hill: The Touch of Fear. It’s “Silent” Hill for a reason. The studio promises that it’s a start of a new horror franchise that’ll take the mythos of the Silent Hill universe to brand new and unexplored depth. Can the movie back up the hype?

3rd Week of May
The Simpsons returns in the form of a movie as unbb24 brings us The Simpsons Presidential Movie, an animated comedy that revolves around Homer’s run as The President of America. What’s the reason behind his motivation to become the  President of the USA? Can he handle such a stressful job? Answers are all within the film.

Reunion has a ton of character trailers on the internet so there’s no secret that this film features a huge base of characters. The story is about 10 good friends and witnesses of an accidental murder 10 years ago having their 10th Anniversary Class Reunion. Reunions Are fun, except this time a Masked Stranger is there to spoil the fun. A mystery-blended horror, who is the Masked Stranger and who will survive?

The Butcher Means War is the long-waited sequel of 2008′s The Butcher. Since there has been an Olympics between the two films, MadShangi Entertainment makes sure that this is a standalone film, which one will enjoy without needing to know The Butcher beforehand. The Butcher (Dwayne Johnson) will face off against two villains this time, Killface and The Iraq’nid, played by John Travolta and Javier Bardem. Four years after the original, The Butcher sets off a chain of events that leads to the creation of a mutant villain that resembles spider in a way. Aside from that, The Butcher’s past will get more detail too in this one. A superhero film that is not bright and on-the-surface as others, one that appreciate a darker approach on the genre should definitely mark this one on their calendar.

4th Week of May
Drugged is part of quadrilogy… or at least a quadrilogy and maybe more to come from what I have gathered. The story revolves around a drug in development and a group of poor patients that are suffering from depression. Taking a “still in development” drug is pretty much a risk-taking choice and the films will talk about their ruined life. The first story will be one of Sarah Anderson (Lauren Ambrose), a mother that lost her baby from the drug. How so? Why so? Watch and find out.

Tom Graveyard is a story set in the 19th century. A woman, played by Christina Ricci, has tuberculosis and she knows her end is near. In the hope to cheat her death, she strikes a deal with a supernatural force, not sure what kind of creature/deity/devil would that be but it’s played by Andy Serkis, to prolong her life. As always, a deal like this bears consequence or heavy price.

Yuk: A Canadian Tale is the first straight-to-ray movie. It tells the story of a man and his beaver in the frozen wasteland of Canada. Living in a frozen wasteland can be tough and one might know how to handle the hardships if they grab the ray of this movie.

This is the Jackal here at the preview party for Reunion.  In this party, members of the cast and crew get to see the finished product before it goes out to general release on May 18th.  For those who haven’t seen the teaser trailer or the ads for Reunion yet, it’s about 10 friends who on the night before college graduation witness one of their own accidentally kill another guy in a drunken brawl.  On their tenth year reunion, a person known only as The Masked Stranger shows up and starts killing off the friends.

I got some exclusive interviews with the co-stars in Reunion and the producer/writer Brianc2008 who makes this debut in this horror/mystery.  First up is Gianna Jun who plays a mystery writer named Julie.  This is her HTG debut.

“I’m very excited to make my HTG debut with Reunion,” said Jun.  “I loved playing a mystery writer who has a prominent role in this movie.  Go and see it.  I’m proud to have worked with the other cast members and director John Carpenter, in particular.”

I next caught up with Brendan Sexton who is also making his HTG debut.  He plays Caleb, an accountant who also is caught up with the mystery of The Masked Stranger.

“I had to be careful with making my debut as special as possible,” said Sexton.  “But ultimately, I couldn’t wait any longer and I was pleased when I saw the script to Reunion.  There are deeper emotions than in your average horror movie.  I think the audience will be pleasantly surprised by the depth of the film.”

A little bit later, I ran into Kristen Bell, Yoda winner for Never Dump a Vengeful Alcoholic. She plays Amber, a late night radio DJ who gets involved as well. Bell said, “I grew more attached to the cast and crew as the film went on.  I cried a little at the wrap party and I’m so glad to see them again.” I asked her what drove her to film Reunion.  She said, “I like taking chances and my fans will be pleased that Amber shows vulnerability while at the same time is able to kick some ass.  I can say that word.  Right?”

Not wanting to argue with a Yoda winner, I stepped over to where Cory Monteith, star of remakes of I Know What You Did Last Summer and Nightmare on Elm Street as well as originals like Shriek and Lemon Tree, was.  He plays Seth, the sheriff of Madison, the small town in North Carolina where Reunion takes place. I asked Monteith about his opinion of the film.  He replied, “It’s a very good movie.  There are some good twists and turns and I’ll admit the ending will throw some people.” I then asked him about if he knew who The Masked Stranger was.  “Nice try, but I’m not spoiling the ending,”  replied Monteith.

I tried to get a hold of Dartcher, who owns the studio Wonder, Inc., but he had a cell phone attached to his ear the whole time.  Can’t blame him, though.  He’s got a full slate this month with Silent Hill: The Touch of Fear as well as Yuk: A Canadian Tale also coming in May.

The producer, Brianc2008, proved to be easier to contact.  He’s the one who is at the center of the party, enjoying it all.  I asked him on his opinion of the movie. Brianc2008 responded, “It turned out to be well done.  Dartcher gave me some help with editing the script and I think the overall result is very good.  I poke fun at the conventions of your standard horror movie while at the same time crafting a good story which should grab the audience.”

I asked him what was next.  “I got a contract with the Flip Brothers for South Dakota, then I got a project lined up with Quantum.  After that, I got several different directions calling me.  Part of me wants to do a drama like Boy Wonder or Aftermath.  Part of me is looking at the world of TV.  We’ll just have to wait and see,”  said the first time producer.

I think that about does it.  Reunion is coming out May 18th from Bluegrass Productions and Wonder Inc.  This is the Jackal signing off.

Earlier this month, Catalyst Studios released their first movie since opening their gates close to a year ago, the horror adaptation Fatal Frame: Moonchild. The movie brought together studio head RandomFX’s award winning creative, with the pen of Kaitlynn- a surefire Best New Producer nominee at the next Yodas, and a predominantly Japanese cast to craft a movie experience that is rarely seen in HTG Hollywood.

We talked to both Random and Kaitlynn about the release, Catalyst Studios and the future of horror in HTG.

“I’m a fan of the horror genre and Kaitlynn was really enthusiastic about [Fatal Frame]” Random told us with a sly smile, “I saw it as a great opportunity to do something a little different.” A Japanese director and cast is the first thing that sets the movie apart, but the flick is not the first movie with most of the roles going to a Japanese cast (see 2007’s Johnny Firecracker), but this was the first movie to use a Japanese cast and use the land’s distinctive horror style. “The selling point of the game is that the character negotiates the mansion using a Polaroid to trap the spirits that chase them. This adds a lot of tension.”

RandomFX is no stranger to horror, having penned the Short Film Contest winning script Terminal Fear and the vampire comic adaptation Fray. This was his first experience taking a step back into the role of a studio head and having to work with a new producer. “Kaitlynn has a lot of ideas and really loves the franchise, which make’s the whole process smoother,” he told us.

On the flip side, we took the time to call Kaitlynn, who was excited to talk about the film and working with a first time studio, “[Random] is a nice person and a wonderful creative to work with. So we got along.” We discussed horror movies and as it turns out, Kaitlynn was a big horror fan in her teens, but “all that remains now is my love for Fatal Frame, because all the games are equally good and even scary.” She approached Random about getting the arthouse movie off the ground, “It was my ambition to get him to make [Fatal Frame: Moonchild], so I wrote it and pressed him to release it.”

At the end of our call, I asked Kaitlynn about the future of Fatal Frame and if she is planning to write a sequel, “No, not at the moment, but I heard Dartcher is doing a big version of Fatal frame soon.” Dartcher? The HTG Master of Horror? This rumor was new to us, so we went back to Random and asked him about the future of the series; “There is a lot material to work with, so it’d be a pleasure to return to the franchise. A lot will depend on the success of this movie.” When asked about producers and possible stories, the studio head was tight lipped.

This gave me a good opening to ask Random about Catalyst Studios’ future, “I’ll definitely be looking to expand the range of films that Catalyst can produce. In the immediate future I’ll be looking to focus in the horror genre.” And true to his word, shortly after our call, RandomFX started construction on a horror backlot on the studio lot. This will allow the arthouse studio to release full horror movies.

“Catalyst is still looking for projects to add to the calendar” Random told me in closing, “I’m keen to get Unity, a pre-WW2 drama off the ground as well as a horror movie called Itch. As a producer I’m currently plotting an adaptation of Logan’s Run.”

Keep your eyes open because Catalyst Studios is up and running.

“I’m really proud of this show, and when you get the nod from actors like them, you just can’t help yourself but to smile nonstop like an idiot,” writer/producer Sparck Valentine told us about the last two episodes of his Rogue Net show Fastest Sport On Earth, which will feature superstar guests Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Fastest Sport On Earth shows us the adventures of two young goaltenders, as they give their first steps towards their memorable NHL careers. However, many are the distractions along the way, which both Alan (Josh Hutcherson) and Henrique (Sparck Valentine) have to fight in order to fulfill their dreams. The show enters it’s last two episodes, which will feature a rollercoaster of emotions for the heroes, as they get ever closer to their junior hockey dreams, and as the pressure of the incoming Draft begins to set in.

“It’s a really enticing story, and you can really connect to it’s characters, so I was obviously happy to have been invited to guest star on this show. It’s a universe I had a secret wish of a being a part of,” said Kate Beckinsale, one of HTG’s top three actresses.

The regular cast feels that the presence of these actors will only benefit the show, but they praise the dedication of producer Sparck Valentine to the show, and can’t wait to see for themselves what the second season will bring. The plotline of the second season has been kept secret by producer Sparck Valentine.

“Yes, there will be a second season, but I won’t be giving out details on it just yet, you’ll have to wait and see” said producer Sparck Valentine.

We suggest you don’t miss these last two episodes, as you’ll miss unforgettable events and hints on what the next season will bring in terms of cast changes, story developments and more. So hop on and join this crazy ride and be entertained.

Rogue Net was kind enough to pass along this preview image for the next two episodes: