AMC’s smash hit zombie thriller ‘The Walking Dead’ will conclude its second season this Sunday with a dramatic episode set to deal with the fallout from last week’s cliffhanger.

In the most recent episode, “Better Angels”, Shane (Jon Bernthal) was killed off before immediately reanimating as a zombie without coming into contact with one – which the series had previously intimated was the sole way of transforming into one. This has led fans to ponder if all of the surviving characters are already infected with the deadly condition that has being driving the series’ main storylines since its very first episode, and an answer is expected to be given in this Sunday’s episode.

As for the other cliffhanger from the March 11 episode, the last scene showed dozens of zombies making their way toward the farm where the characters have been staying for the majority of this season, setting up a probable confrontation and potential character deaths in the much-hyed season ender.

Jon Bernthal’s exit from the series last week, when his character Shane was killed during a confrontation with Rick (played by Andrew Lincoln) came as little surprise to fans of the comic book series on which the television is based, as Shane was originally killed off much earlier in the story.

For fans of the television series who were unaware of the narrative timeline in the comic books, Shane’s death also came as a relatively minor shock, following the announcement in January that Bernthal was set to join the cast of ‘L.A. Noir’, a new series from Frank Darabont, who was in fact ‘The Walking Dead”s original show-runner until disagreements with the network led to his departure from the series last summer.

As for the remaining actors on the series, there have been no announcements about any of them joining new television projects, leaving the fates of their characters in this week’s finale unknown. However, the death of Bernthal’s character came just one episode after the death of fellow original cast member Jeffrey DeMunn’s character Dale, leading fans to speculate that the season finale could mark the most severe loss of life yet.

‘The Walking Dead’ already centred its mid-season finale around the revelation that the series’ youngest survivor from the pilot – Sophia, played by Madison Lintz – had died and transformed into a zombie, forcing group leader Rick to execute her in front of her mother Carol.

The relatively high number of on-screen deaths in recent week has been welcomed by some fans, after the first half of the season was criticised for being too slow-paced and lacking any particularly gripping storylines.

In spite of these criticisms, ‘The Walking Dead’ has continued to perform well in the ratings, maintaining its status as AMC’s number one program. Season-to-date, ‘The Walking Dead’ has averaged 6.7 million viewers per week over its 12 airings, up more than 20% compared to the 5.2 million average it received for its 6-episode first season. AMC has has given the series a vote of confidence by renewing it for a 16-episode third season.

This increased episode order makes ‘The Walking Dead’ one of only two series on AMC, the other being ‘Breaking Bad’, to go beyond the network’s standard 13-episode order, a standard still in place for ‘The Killing’ and its Emmy-favourite veteran ‘Mad Men’, which will take over ‘The Walking Dead”s time-slot when it returns for its fifth season on March 25.

As for whether ‘The Walking Dead’ will end its season on a cliffhanger or hint at what the characters will face in the future, fans have only a few more days left to wait and see.

Image Courtesy of    https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkingDeadAMC

The article ‘The Walking Dead’ Races Toward Finale appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

John Lithgow has released a memoir titled “Drama: An Actor’s Education” that was well reviewed in Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe & Mail. According to Johanna Schneller’s review and interview, he is a natural raconteur in print and in person.

In a market where many celebrities are encouraged to write an autobiography, it is heartening to see that at least one has a story to tell, and has a talent for telling it. It is easy to list some of the memorable characters he has portrayed, and to mention the awards he has won, but talents should be recognized in their other forms.

There are many, many actors out there, even without considering the film industries beyond Hollywood. They must work hard at reminding people who they are, as it is their popularity that helps keep them employed. Some are fortunate enough to work consistently; for some, it is luck, for others, it is talent.

With all the names to remember, it is not easy to follow any one’s career consistently, nor should anyone need to; however, it is often pleasant to stumble upon a reference of an actor doing something distinct, out of his expected context. There is something intriguing in seeing such people as ‘one of us,’ as a normal person, as himself.

Even in interviews, we might doubt the authenticity of character that is presented. In such cases, when we meet an actor or similar celebrity, it seems important that he or she turn out to be the nice person we had hoped, or, in other cases, shock and disappointment because he or she is not the person we had projected. People are people, even if they are actors.

John Lithgow is firmly rooted among the nice people. Audiences are happy if actors can act; we are impressed when they can sing or dance; it is unusual if they can play an instrument as well. Mr. Lithgow can do these, and write –all very well. Moreover, he is as charming and personable as we had hoped.

He plays arrogance convincingly on stage or screen, but he does not wear it well in person. There are a few roles that help define an actor’s range, and these are what tend to stay with the various audiences. In particular, some will be familiar with his many children’s books, and with his children’s albums; another audience will know his work on stage, Broadway or Royal Shakespeare Company–he was a stupendous Malvolio in Twelfth Night–most will know him from his considerable work in TV and film.

This man can act, as many know: from a trans-gender role in “The World According to Garp,” through multiple-personalities in “Raising Cain,” to bad men, opposite Sylvester Stallone in “Cliffhanger,” and in “Dexter,” or comedy roles in such films as “Shrek,” or “3rd Rock from the Sun,” he can be gentle or completely manic.

It is all the more impressive that John Lithgow can not only act but sing, play the guitar and write. Often, many wince when celebrities try to branch out into ‘the other industry.’ Some actors cannot sing, though they try; some singers cannot act, though they must.

There was a day when “actors” were genuinely multi-talented: actors such as Dick Van Dyke, Julie Andrews, Danny Kaye and Mary Tyler Moore could sing and dance as well as act; some also played instruments. John Lithgow, is a truly compelling, versatile and pleasant man at the top of his game with no sign of slowing down.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/alan-light/

The article The Many Faces of John Lithgow appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.