The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/54584
The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, February 3, 2012 2 coverstory Welcome to the jungle Amazon provides setting for new ABC adventure series By Dee Wright TV Media J ungles and rainforests have always been a mys- tery to explorers and lay- men alike. Researchers and scientists have spent decades trying to map and navigate the wondrous thickets that cover much of the Earth. But when you're searching for someone you love, even the thickest brush in the world won't get in your way. TV host and world-famous explorer Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood) disappears dur- ing his mission to the Amazon, and the world mourns the loss of one its best scientists and television icons. But when his emergency beacon goes off six months after he is pro- nounced dead, his wife Tess (Leslie Hope) and son Lincoln (Joe Anderson) decide to go into the jungle to find him. Lincoln is reluctant to help find his father because he thinks his father was never there for him, focusing more on his TV show than his family. Unfortunately, they have to ask Cole's former producer, Clark, to fund the search mis- sion, and he only agrees to do so if he can send a camera crew along with them to film a documentary. Past grudges and untrusting crew members make the task even more gru- eling than it already was. "The River" premieres Amazon River to find his "monsters," including pira- nhas, a 12-foot-long catfish and the arapaima, which can lunge at its prey with more than 150 pounds of force. "The River" has "Paranor- Shaun Parkes stars in "The River" Tuesday, Feb. 7, on ABC. When Cole went into the jungle, his experience and knowledge of animals and nature were enough to help him navigate the thick brush and deadly animals that live among the trees and vines. However, Tess, Lincoln and the inexperienced camera crew are completely unpre- pared for what lies ahead. The jungle has provided a solid setting for several suc- cessful series, including ABC's hit show "Lost." Arguably the biggest series ABC had since "Alias" went off the air, "Lost" featured many of its plot lines revolving around the jungle and its mysteries. In the non-fiction realm, the Amazon River has given explorer Jeremy Wade plenty of fodder for his series, "River Monsters." Wade delves into the unexplored waters of the A/Auto Boutique B/The Green Giraffe 2 x 2 mal Activity" writer Oren Peli behind it, so viewers can be sure that there will be sus- pense, mystery and even a lit- tle horror around every cor- ner. There are also rumors that film legend Steven Spielberg will be dipping his hand in the production, as well. Canadian-born Greenwood is no stranger to working on suspenseful, sci-fi and super- natural series and films. In NBC's series "Sleepwalkers," he played a neurotic doctor who helped his patients try to find the cause of recurring nightmares -- he often dug too deep and made things worse. In "Double Jeopardy" (1999), he played a husband who faked his own death and framed his wife. Greenwood also starred as Commanding Officer Christopher Pike in the 2009 revival of "Star Trek." Greenwood's on-screen wife is played by Leslie Hope, who was also born in Canada. Hope's biggest role was in Season 1 of "24," starring as Jack Bauer's (Kiefer Suther- land) wife. Her work has spanned across the board, in- cluding comedy (1990's "Men at Work"), sci-fi ("SeaQuest 2032") and drama (2009's "Jesse Stone: Thin Ice"). Anderson stars as Lincoln, Cole's grown son who was just about to forgive his dad for abandoning them when Tess decided to go looking for him. Anderson starred in the 2007 hit "Across the Universe," which put several songs from "The Beatles" onto the back- drop of the Vietnam War. An- derson also starred in "Ame- lia" (2009), "The Crazies" (2010), and a role in the up- coming "Twilight: Breaking Dawn -- Part II," due for re- lease in November. The search and rescue team consists of director Lena (Eloise Mumford of 2010's "Lone Star"), mechanic Emil- io (Daniel Zacapa of "Resur- rection Blvd."), cameraman Andreus (Shaun Parkes of "Harley Street") and body- guard Kurt (Thomas Kretsh- mann of 2005's "King Kong"). There was quite a fight for the series, pitting two of the biggest networks against each other. ABC eventually won out against NBC, which ABC credits to the success of its similar series in the past. "I think that ABC, certainly with the success of 'Lost,' and working on their other series 'Off the Map,' has a very good sense of the depth of capabil- ity of our crew as well as the diversity of our location," said Georja Skinner, head of state's creative industries di- vision, which oversees the Hawaii Film Office. "The River" is filmed on lo- cation in Hawaii, much like "Lost," but the pilot was shot in the wild of Puerto Rico. Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: The music from "Hell on Wheels" is wonderful. Is there any talk of producing a CD of it? A:"Hell on Wheels," AMC's new hit series set in the Ameri- can frontier days just after the end of the Civil War, has an ap- propriately Americana-laced soundtrack. It strongly echoes the "O Brother, Where Art Thou" soundtrack (both feature tracks by gravel-throated bluegass great Ralph Stanley), the CD release of which was a massive seller in 2000. Unfortunately, so far there are no plans for "Hell on Wheels" to try to repeat that feat -- there's been no album release of the show's first-season soundtrack so far, and no word of one on the horizon. Many of the songs were produced specifically for the se- ries, too, so they can't be found anywhere else -- including the show's theme, penned by Oscar-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla. But if you take your time (and your wallet), you can collect a lot of the other songs featured on the show from other re- leases. For example, the Ralph Stanley track, "Twelve Gates to the City," appeared on his self-titled 2002 album. Other songs, like "So Far From Your Weapon" by the Dead Weather (notable side project of Jack White of White Stripes fame), and "Annabelle" by Gillian Welch, are also available else- where. A/Crazy Tom's B/Allstar Auto Wash 2 x 3 Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town.