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2 TV ENCORE By Shona Dustan TV Media T elevision is the trendy place to be these days. Many major film stars have been diving into cable television shows for years now — Steve Buscemi in HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," Claire Danes in Showtime's "Homeland" and Elijah Wood in FX's "Wilfred," to name just a few — and recently, the trend has begun to spill over onto network televi- sion in a big way. From Robin Williams ("The Crazy Ones") and Kevin Bacon ("The Following") to Kate Hudson ("Glee") and Gillian Anderson ("Crisis"), so many stars are tackling television that it seems the trend won't be slowing down any time soon. John Malkovich is set to be the next huge film star to launch a new television show, and he's taking on a role unlike any he's ever attempted before. The movie star plays the leg- endary pirate Blackbeard in the new period action/drama, "Crossbones," premiering Friday, May 30, on NBC. Pirates have never had much of a place on television — net- work prime time is usually reserved for doctors, crime- fighters and lawyers — but NBC is confident that this new Graybeals Carpet 2 x 3" Young's Culligan 3 x 3" Harrison- Merzger 2 x 2" On the Cover program will find a dedicated viewership, and it definitely has the star power to pull it off. Malkovich has one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood. His first major film was 1984's "Places in the Heart," alongside Sally Field ("Norma Rae," 1979), a role that earned him an Oscar nomi- nation. He quickly followed up this success with a turn in the Oscar-winning, heart-wrenching drama "The Killing Fields" (1984), and his career has snowballed from there. He starred in even more Oscar win- ners — "Empire of the Sun" (1987), "Dangerous Liaisons" (1988) and "In the Line of Fire" (1993), for example — as well as many blockbusters such as "Con Air" (1997), "Rounders" (1998) and "Burn After Reading" (2008). Not one to let convention stand in the way of his art, Malkovich also starred as an exaggerated version of himself in Charlie Kaufman's existential comedy, "Being John Malkovich" (1999), which was also nominated for Academy Awards. He's no stranger to television, either. Malkovich starred in two French miniseries in 2002, "Napoléon" and "Les mis- érables," for which he was lauded for both his grasp of the French language and his acting abilities. "Crossbones" will mark Malkovich's first foray into American television, though, a challenge he relishes. It should come as no surprise that Malkovich is willing to jump into the world of network television — it's a world he has yet to conquer, and Malkovich is always up for a challenge. In "Crossbones," he'll be portray- ing Edward Teach, better known as the legendary pirate Blackbeard, and audiences can expect the general strangeness that Malkovich is known for to shine through in his portrayal. Though the network has been tight-lipped about the series thus far, a few key details about the program have been released. There will be only 10 epi- sodes of the program, and so far it's unclear whether the show could come back for another season or if this is all we'll get. Speculation was simi- larly rampant when fellow film star Kevin Bacon launched his own TV program on Fox a few years back. Only 15 episodes of "The Following" were ordered for season 1, but after the immense success of the show, it's now officially been renewed for a third. It's hard to say whether the fate of Anchor's aweigh: Big stars grace the small screen in NBC's 'Crossbones' "Crossbones" will depend on ratings, but audiences can expect a thrilling ride with lots of action and intrigue packed into these (first?) 10 episodes. Next, the show will be set on the Bahamian island of New Providence, a shantytown of sorts and a haven to marauders and the like. This was the stomping grounds of the real- life Blackbeard as well, so it looks like showrunners are set on making the series align with real events. Also, the show will not revolve around Blackbeard exclusively. This is good news for viewers since Malkovich's eccentric style and depth of character is best displayed when he's sharing the screen with other talented actors. NBC has brought some fan- tastic talent to the table for its newest adventure, and "Crossbones" promises to deliver action, drama and stellar writing and performances. Catch the premiere episode air- ing Friday, May 30, on NBC. A scene from "Crossbones" D&J Liquors 3 x 2" MAROCCO-RANS FUNERAL CHAPEL 119 E. Market St. | Logansport, IN • 574.753.6282 www.ransfuneralhomes.com HARRISON-METZGER & RANS FUNERAL HOMES 304 S. Chicago St. | Royal Center, IN • 574.643.2265 123 E. 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