My Kik Came First

I'm proud of the success of my City of Kik blog. You might be hearing of another "kik" out there, a smartphone instant messenger that I confess is pretty cool. I just wish they'd picked a different name.  Their motto is "50 million users love Kik." If any of them accidentally stumble upon my little pop culture blog, I hope they stick around. I've done my best to establish City of Kik as a brand to encompass my passion for the world of entertainment and media. Here's a summary of how I came up with the name. Many have asked, so here's the story.

In the 1980s I started using Nile Kikstad as a pseudonym for some of my juvenile writing.  Nile was a play on both "juvenile" and my own name Nick Leshi.  I also used to be an avid bike rider, so I took the word "kickstand" and just dropped a couple of letters in order to create a new word.  In the 1990s, Kikstad became my screenname online, my doppelganger in cyberspace. If you search old Usenet forums, old message boards, old entertainment related Web sites, you'll still find shadows of my presence there in tens of thousands of interesting discussions about movies, television, science fiction, show business, and media.

One day, a girl I knew from South Africa said, "Kikstad. City of Kik. Cool." I thought it sounded pretty cool too. Apparently there's a town in South Africa called Kokstad, and even though I hadn't heard of it back then, I decided to embrace the pun and used "City of Kik" as the defacto brand for my creative endeavors.

In 1999, I named my entertainment newsgroup City of Kik.  I bought the domain name and started a short-lived Web site with a friend of mine.  When I started creating content for film and theater, I used the working name City of Kik Entertainment for my ambitious enterprises. Finally, when I started my blog in earnest in 2009, I felt as if "City of Kik" was the obvious name.

I never professed to be the only Kik in the world. There's a KIK FM dance music radio station in Australia. There's a KiK textile discounter in Germany. There's even a village in Croatia called Kik.

I hope the Kik Messenger achieves great success and that more accolades shine upon the name of Kik! Long may it live.

The Return of Doc Savage

Superman fans around the world are eagerly awaiting the debut of his new movie this summer, but there's another film in the works about a hero who was created first. Before the Man of Steel, there existed the Man of Bronze!  Director Shane Black, coming off the heels of Iron Man 3, will direct the new Doc Savage motion picture. 

Savage first appeared in 1933, while the Last Son of Krypton debuted in 1938. Doc Savage had super-strength and super-intellect, talents he used in his pulp fiction adventures to combat evil-doers. Like Mr. Kent from Smallville, Mr. Savage's first name was "Clark."

A movie version was already made in 1975 starring Ron Ely, and there was hope that it would launch a franchise, but a sequel was never made.  Although the character has had success in print and on radio, turning his action adventures into screen adaptations has been a crapshoot as failed attempts became the norm. Chuck Connors was supposed to star in a late 1960s film version, but that never happened. A television series was also in the works, but it never materialized.  Arnold Schwarzenegger was attached to be in a new version for a while before he decided to run for governor of California and the project died. 

Now it looks as if we might finally see another big-screen adaptation. Allegedly, it will be set in the 1930s, so will the character resemble the torn-shirted look of Doc Savage from his pulpy roots or will he have the severe-helmet-like widow's peak hairstyle from the cover illustrations of the Bantam reprints? 

Whatever the case, I hope the story stands up to the legacy and enables Savage to inspire a whole new legion of fans.

The CW: Fall TV Preview 2013

This week, we've looked at new shows that will debut on NBC, FOX, ABC, and CBS next season. Now it's time to examine what "the little network that could," the CW, has in store.  Here's what's coming up:

New shows on the CW in Fall 2013

The Originals - The popular show The Vampire Diaries earns a spin-off, which was teased in an episode on April 25. Fans will be able to follow the saga of Klaus and his family in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

Reign - Only the CW could deliver an historic costume drama aimed at teens about Mary, Queen of Scots!

The Tomorrow People - Based on the 1970s British sci-fi series (which had a previous short-lived remake in the 1990s), once again we see a group of elite, evolved, super-powered humans fighting evil forces.

New Shows on the CW in Midseason 2013/2014

The 100 - Inspired by the upcoming book series by Kass Morgan, set a hundred years after a nuclear holocaust, a hundred juvenile delinquent young people from the space stations that house the last survivors of humanity are sent down to Earth to see if it's habitable again. Henry Ian Cusick and Isaiah Washington play adults overseeing the project aboard the stations.

Star-Crossed - Formerly titled Oxygen, Romeo and Juliet receives a science fiction twist as a human girl and an alien guy fall in love.

Show That Might Still Appear on the CW's Schedule

Famous in 12 - In this reality show with Harvey Levin of TMZ, a family moves to Los Angeles and has twelve weeks to become famous.

The 2013 upfront advertising market is now over for the major nroadcast networks, and it's time to speculate on which of these new shows announced this week will become household names and which will fail. Hopefully, there are a few solid hits in the bunch.

CBS: Fall TV Preview 2013

CBS hopes to continue its streak of high-rated hit television shows with this new batch announced at the annual upfront advertising market.  Here's what's coming to the Eye Network in the Fall and Midseason.

New Shows on CBS in Fall 2013

The Crazy Ones - Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar return to primetime TV as a father/daughter odd couple team -- he's the brilliant but crazy head of an ad agency and she's his more practical new creative director. The show is produced by David E. Kelley who tries to redeem himself after his failed Wonder Woman pilot fiasco.

Hostages - Based on an Israeli series that was never produced, this serialized drama, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, stars Toni Collette as a Washington, D.C., surgeon selected to operate on the President of the United States. Action, angst, and mysteries ensue when her husband and kids are kidnapped. Actor Dylan McDermott also stars. As is the trend, this show will have a limited 15-episode season.

The Millers - Will Arnett leads the cast in this sitcom about a divorced news reporter whose parents also separate and move in with their grown-up children. Some notable stars have left the series since the pilot, including Michael Rapaport.

Mom - Producer Chuck Lorre brings us another comedy, but will it be as successful as his other hit sitcoms? In this one, Anna Faris plays a newly sober single mom who tries to rebuild her life as a waitress in Napa Valley, where she moves in with her mother. The cast also includes French Stewart.

We Are Men - A young man, played by Christopher Nicholas Smith of Paranormal Activity 3, moves into a short-term rental complex and receives advice from older neighbors -- Tony Shalhoub, Kal Penn, and Jerry O'Connell.

New Shows on CBS in Midseason 2013/2014

Friends with Better Lives - James Van Der Beek and Kevin Connolly lead a sitcom about six friends who crave each other's lifestyles.

Intelligence - This looks promising (or maybe it will end up being a cheesy flop). Josh Holloway is an agent for a new government agency called U.S. Cyber Command and has a microchip implanted in his brain that allows him to view the entire electromagnetic spectrum and connect to the Internet without any other interface. The show is adapted from an unpublished book, Dissident, by John Dixon. (How are these unpublished and unproduced storylines making it onto the network's programming radars and receiving greenlights for full series?)

Reckless - Here's a soapy legal drama set in South Carolina. It's produced by Catherine Hardwicke, who also directed the pilot.

Seems a bit safe to me, but CBS has a pretty good track record. Now we've seen NBC, FOX, and ABC, and we'll wrap it all up with a look at the CW tomorrow.

ABC: Fall TV Preview 2013

The Disney-owned broadcast network ABC announced its new lineup of shows that will debut in a few months, hoping to build on the hits it already has by capitalizing on some franchise brands it owns. Here's a look at what's coming up.

New Shows on ABC in Fall 2013

Back in the Game - The title is better than what it was previously called (She's Got Balls). This sitcom follows a recently divorced single mom who moves back her ex-baseball player dad and coaches her son's Little League team.

Betrayal - Another soap opera mystery attempts to hook viewers. In this one, a woman has an affair with an attorney, then she learns that he'll be opposing her lawyer husband in a high-profile murder trial.

The Goldbergs - Adam Sandler produces this sitcom, which was previously titled How the Hell Am I Normal? It's a semi-autobiographical look at a family in the 1980s.

Lucky 7 - Seven gas station employees from Queens win a multi-million dollar lottery.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Disney taps into its Marvel Universe to bring the adventures of a team of covert government agents battling superpowered beings and cosmic forces. Clark Gregg reprises his role as Agent Phil Coulson, even though he was seemingly killed off in Marvel's The Avengers.

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland - Disney once again goes into its "tried-and-true" well and spins of its hit Once Upon a Time fairytale series with the story of Alice. Is she insane or experiencing real adventures? John Lithgow provides the voice of White Rabbit.

Super Fun Night - Produced by Conan O'Brien, three women gather every Friday night for some social relaxation until one of them forces everyone to change their weekly routine.

Trophy Wife - A reformed party girl marries a twice-divorced man who has three manipulative kids.

New Shows on ABC in Midseason 2013/2014

The Quest - This reality show tries to be different by shrouding itself with fantasy themes.

Resurrection - Based on the upcoming novel The Returned, this supernatural thriller in a small town centers on long dead people who return as if nothing has happened.

New Shows That Might Still Appear on ABC's Schedule

Killer Women - Based on the Argentine series Mujeres Asesinas, Tricia Helfer plays a law enforcement Texas Ranger.

Mind Games - Formerly titled Influence, this new drama stars Steve Zahn and Christian Slater as brothers -- one a bipolar, behavioral scientist recovering from an academic scandal and the other is a charming ex-con. They start an agency to solve client's problems "using the science of human motivation and manipulation."

Mixology - Ten singles look for love in a Manhattan bar.

We've looked at NBC, FOX, and now ABC.  Coming up next: CBS and the CW.

FOX: Fall TV Preview 2013

FOX entertainment chief Kevin Reilly was honest when he confessed that this was not their best year. Now the broadcast network has a chance to redeem itself with some new shows, officially announced at the 2013 upfront advertising market.

Here are the shows that FOX is hoping will turn their fortune around.

New Shows on FOX in Fall 2013

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Andy Samberg stars alongside Andre Braugher in a comedy about a group of New York detective.

Dads - Seth MacFarlane takes a stab at his first live-action TV comedy with Seth Green and Giovanni Ribisi cast as founders of a videogame company who have to deal with their fathers moving in with them. Will it be as successful as his movie Ted or his cartoon hit Family Guy?

Junior MasterChef - In this spinoff of the popular cooking competition, young contestants compete. So if you like to watch kids cooking, this show is for you.

Sleepy Hollow - Created by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, this supernatural thriller is loosely based on the tale be Washington Irving. Ichabod Crane is a Revolutionary War soldier and somehow finds himself in modern times, where he is hunted by the Headless Horseman who happens to be one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. More creepy, paranormal wackiness takes place.

New Shows on FOX After the World Series

Almost Human - Producer J.J. Abrams has a lot of projects on his plate. This one is set in the year 2048 when Los Angeles police officers team up with robot partners. It starts Karl Urban, Minka Kelly, Lili Taylor, and others.

Enlisted - Here's a comedy about three very different brothers working together at a small Army base in Florida.

New Shows on FOX in Midseason 2013/2014

Gang Related - Produced by Brian Grazer, an elite police task force in L.A. fights gang activity. The cast includes Ramon Rodriguez, Terry O'Quinn, and Wu-Tang Clan's RZA.

Murder Police - Here's another cop show, but this one is animated.

Rake - This drama, based on an Australian series, features Greg Kinnear as a criminal defense attorney with self-destructive behavior. The pilot was directed by Sam Raimi.

Surviving Jack - Justin Halpern who gave us S#!+ My Dad Says now adapts his memoir I Suck at Girls, about a father and teenaged son in the 1990s, starring Christopher Meloni.

Us and Them - Adapted from the British comedy Gavin and Stacey, Jason Ritter and Alexis Bledel star in a story about a long distance romance with eccentric families thrown in for good measure.

We've looked at NBC earlier today and now FOX. Stay tuned for previews of ABC, CBS, and the CW.

NBC: Fall TV Preview 2013

This is the week when the broadcast television networks present their upcoming new line-ups in order to secure the all-important upfront advertising sales. Aside from the peek-behind-the curtain of how the TV industry works, it's a chance for entertainment buffs like me to have an early look at what the networks have in store as they present new images, videos, synopses, and other information to hype their fall season (and their midseason replacements).

Here's what NBC has coming our way as it desperately seeks new hits to revitalize its ratings.

New Shows on NBC in Fall 2013

The Blacklist - James Spader stars in this psychological thriller as a former Army intelligence officer who became a dangerous criminal. He surrenders to the F.B.I. and starts working with a rookie agent for his own cryptic reasons.

Dracula - Jonathan Rhys Meyers stars in this limited 10-episode season as Bram Stoker's famous vampire, set in Victorian-era London.

Ironside - The much-anticipated remake of the Raymond Burr TV classic is finally here. Blair Underwood stars as the paralyzed, wheelchair bound police detective. The original took place in San Francisco, this update will take place in New York City.

The Michael J. Fox Show - The beloved actor returns to television as a news anchor with Parkinson's disease.

Sean Saves the World - Sean Hayes plays the part of a divorced gay dad whose teenaged daughter comes to live with him.

Welcome to the Family - A couple heading to college learn that they are about to become parents.

New Shows on NBC in Midseason 2013/2014

About a Boy - This adaptation is based on the book by Nick Hornby and the movie with Hugh Grant, about an immature bachelor and his young son.

American Dream Builders - Originally titled Renovation Nation, designers compete to renovate homes.

Believe- Produced by J.J. Abrams and Alfonso Cuaron, an orphan with super powers tries to escape forces that are hunting her down.

Crisis - Gillian Anderson returns to TV alongside Dermot Mulroney in this conspiracy thriller.

Crossbones - John Malkovich is Blackbeard in a pirate drama set in the 1700s.

The Family Guide - Parker Posey dropped out as the lead in this sitcom about an immature single mom and her blind ex-husband (played by J.K. Simmons), told from the point-of-view of on the kids.

New Shows That Might Still Appear on NBC's Schedule

Chicago P.D. - Chicago Fire gets a police spin-off.

Food Fighters - Home cooks face off against professional chefs in this reality show.

The Million Second Quiz - Contestants live and breathe an event for multiple days and then face trivia questions during live episodes.

The Night Shift - Originally called After Hours, this medical procedural takes place during the graveyard shift at a San Antonio hospital.

Undateable - Here's a sitcome about a guy trying to give dating advice to his buds.

Next, we'll take a look at FOX, and then ABC, CBS, and finally the CW.

Entertaining Theater at City Island

There's a lot to see and do at City Island, from all the popular restaurants to the City Island Nautical Museum, and if you're looking for live entertainment, you can't go wrong with the City Island Theater Group. Established in 1998, it's been providing fun theatrical productions from classics (Arsenic and Old Lace, The Crucible, and The Glass Menagerie) to musicals (Godspell and Cabaret). They've staged dramas (To Kill a Mockingbird, Steel Magnolias, and The Laramie Project) and comedies (Moon Over Buffalo, The Man Who Came to Dinner). Their production of Boeing Boeing, which concluded this past weekend, was one of the most entertaining evenings of local theater that I've seen in a while.

The play itself, written by Marc Camoletti, is a definite crowd pleaser. Aside from a few clunky phrases in the translation by Beverly Cross and Francis Evans, it hits all the right marks, delivering universal laughs. 

Directed nicely by Nick Sala, the cast of very likable local actors playing intercontinental characters delivers a show that had the audience laughing and smiling from the opening scene right through to the curtain call.  Brad Cassini plays Bernard, the American living in Paris, juggling three relationships with airline hostesses from around the world. Christina Drake portrays Gabriella, the Italian; Susan Rauh is Gretchen, the German; and Liza Reid depicts Gloria, the New Yorker. Jay Langkamp acts as Robert, Bernard's friend from the Midwest, and Lindy Tabano is the hilarious Bertha.

The white set with bold red accents perfectly contrasts the primary-colored uniforms of the female leads. While the story tends to follow sexist stereotypes, it's all done with intelligence and good fun, and the actors all present it with knowing tongue-in-cheek enthusiasm. It's the kind of show that had me laughing out loud and then giggling in remembrance long after the final curtain.

Visit CITG's Web site at www.cityislandtheatergroup.org for more information on current and upcoming shows.