Alex O'Loughlin's Hawaii Five-O reboot officially picked up by CBS

Not surprisingly, CBS has given the green light to Alex O'Loughin's new tv show. As you know, it is the remake of Hawaii Five-O. Many have speculated about whether or not Alex will be trying to step into Jack Lord's shoes, or create a totally different character. That is mentioned in this great article by Mari-Ela David.

Alex's program will air on Monday nights at 9:00 PM Central Time / 10:00 PM Eastern Time.

CBS picks up new Hawaii Five-O series
By Mari-Ela David
Hawaii News Now

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - 'Hawaii Five-O', take two! In showbiz slang, the Five-O pilot has been picked up.

That means the episode filmed here in March will be on CBS in prime time this fall.

That could also mean big bucks for Hawaii's production industry and tourism.

At Big City Diner at Ward on some of their TV screens, there were re-runs of the original 'Hawaii Five-O' playing. Folks there said they're excited about the remake although some say they're a little skeptical.

"It won't be the same, but maybe it'll be better, we'll see. I'll check it out," said Sandra Blazel, a fan who says she used to watch the show whenever she felt homesick while off to college on the mainland.

"I was in the Marines and it was a hot show and it's just great to have it back. I hope it's as good as it was," said Gary Mynatt, a fan.

Alex O'Loughlin will take over Jack Lord's shoes, and 'Lost' celebrity Daniel Dae Kim will star as Chin Ho Kelly. Jean Smart, famous for playing Charlene in the sitcom "Designing Women" has been cast as Hawaii's governor.

This past March, the new 'Hawaii Five-O' shot pilot episodes all over Oahu, including Chinatown, Downtown Honolulu, and inside the post office on Richards Street.

"My knee jerk reaction is fantastic! Fantastic for Hawaii! Because this gives us an opportunity to be in the mainstream of television," said Al Harrington, who played Detective Ben Kokua in the original Five-O, which aired on CBS from 1968 to 1980, making it one of the longest running crime shows on American TV.

Harrington says the drama exposed Hawaii to the world.

"People used to think that Pearl Harbor was some place in the Caribbean. There was a lot of misconceptions," he said.

Harrington hopes the remake will continue to portray Hawaii as it really is.

"I just wish them the very best. And I hope that if they need an old actor, come see Al Harrington," he said chuckling.

The challenge is how to cater the show to this generation without compromising the integrity of the classic Five-O.

Rumor has it that O'Loughlin will actually play Steve McGarrett's son.

"Perhaps you've heard it's not really a new Jack Lord character but part of that family and you might be right about that but I think we have to wait and see when the up fronts come out on Wednesday," said Georja Skinner from the Hawaii Film Office.

Skinner says pre-production starts in mid-June, and shooting starts mid-July.

Exact numbers aren't in yet but the state says the new version of 'Hawaii Five-O' could bring in more than a million dollars per year to Hawaii's economy. That's based on how much revenue the series 'Lost' raked in.

Honolulu mayor Mufi Hannemann applauded the decision to green light the series.

"The City and County of Honolulu pulled out all the stops to assist with the making of the new pilot episode because a network television series translates into significant economic development for Hawaii. We look forward to supporting the production as it goes forward into series" said Hannemann in a statement.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/global/story.asp?s=12497198

Photographs ~ Alex O'Loughlin and Daniel Dae Kim

TV.com article about our DirecTV campaign to Save Moonlight

Enterprising Moonlight fans are getting the word out to various media outlets about our efforts to save our show! Tim Surette ( from TV.com ) has written an article regarding the DirecTV campaign.

Rumor: DirecTV looking at adopting Moonlight
By Tim Surette

Could the vampire drama be saved by the same people who saved Friday Night Lights?

There are hardcore fans, and there are hardcore fans. The guy with the Dwight Schrute bobblehead doll on his desk? He's kind of hardcore. Moonlight fans? They're really hardcore.

Moonlight fans are attempting to pull a Jericho with the recently canceled vampire drama, making it undead. They've put the line out there in attempts to hook a new network or television provider for Moonlight, and it looks like they may have at least a nibble.

According to Moonlight fan site Moonlight Line, which is attempting to resurrect the show, DirecTV has inquired about possibly picking up the program. Though DirecTV may seem like an odd choice--basic-cablers such as Sci Fi Channel seemed possible destinations--the satellite service has already acted as life preserver for another well-loved drama treading water.

In April, it was officially announced that DirecTV had reached a deal with NBC to keep Friday Night Lights on the air. The unique arrangement would see DirecTV have first-airing rights, with NBC rebroadcasting the show four months later.

It's unclear what DirecTV has plotted for Moonlight, but the company is apparently interested in at least considering something. According to one of the board's higher-ups, DirecTV asked the site to post a poll asking what members thought of DirecTV sponsoring the show. The poll is up with the following three answers: "No problem, I already have DirecTV," "I'll switch to DirecTV in a hot second," and "Not switching."

The results of the simple market research would then be looked over by DirecTV who would determine if any of this makes financial sense. As of press time, 21 percent said they already have DirecTV, 71 percent said they would switch, and seven percent said they wouldn't switch.

This is great news for Moonlight fans, but probably best to hold off on hosting a bloodsucking party until something official comes out.

http://www.tv.com/story/11415.html?tag=gumballs;ing;1

MSNBC Article ~ Moonlight on list of "canceled shows we loved"

MSNBC published an article about canceled tv programs that they will miss. Of course, Moonlight is on the list! They heap more praise on the fans for the amazing Moonlight Blood Drive. And, they single out Alex O'Loughlin as a highlight from our show :)

So, add MSNBC to the list of media entertainment outlets & tv gurus who have come out in support of Moonlight. YEA! Surely, other networks must see all these positive comments from very reputable sources. We can include quotes in our letters & emails.

Rest in peace, canceled shows we loved
‘Moonlight,’ ‘Men in Trees,’ ‘Jericho’ will be missed
By Jeff Hidek

“Moonlight”

Why it should have been renewed: It might have been the lowest-rated of CBS’s Friday night dramas, but "Moonlight" still consistently won its time slot against ABC and NBC offerings. That’s impressive, considering all of the tinkering that went on at this series about a blood-sucking private investigator. After multiple show-runner changes and a few shaky scripts, “Moonlight” seemed to just be settling into a charming routine in its post-strike episodes.

Series highlight: As brooding vampire Mick St. John, Alex O’Loughlin injected equal parts hot and cool into his leading-man role. A flash of his smile could make even an undead pulse quicken.

Silver lining: Fans should congratulate themselves on the most charitable “save our show” campaign ever. A well-orchestrated blood drive organized through YouChoose.net might not have been able to save the series, but it did help save lives. Mick would be proud.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24780304/

Alex O'Loughlin article and interview in CBS Watch! Magazine

Guess what the CBS Watch! Magazine's website is featuring? On the main page, there is a photo of Alex O'Loughlin. It directs people to the article and interview with him that was in the April 2008 issue. Also, they showcase photos taken of Alex & Jason Dohring at the New York Comic Con.

Why still feature Alex after you canceled his show?!?! Obviously, they want to continue to benefit from his rising celebrity status even tho they let him & Moonlight go! *sigh*

Another funny thing, even a CBS article gets some of the little details wrong ~ like Alex's age.

http://www.cbswatchmagazine.com/

Interview with the new Vampire

by Lynn Morgan

Put away your garlic and wooden stakes. Thanks to a new twist on the vampire legend, Moonlight's Alex O'Loughlin is emerging from the shadows as a TV heartthrob

"I've always been interested in storytelling," Alex O'Loughlin says. "Even as a kid, I've always been the guy spinning a yarn around the campfire."

The campfire is now TV, and the 32 year old Australian born star of Moonlight is mesmerizing an audience of millions with his portrayal of Mick St John, a private detective with a unique affinity for the dark side : He is a 90 year old vampire. And playing the broodingly sexy St John has anointed O'Loughlin TV's newest dark heartthrob.

"I've always loved the genre," says O'Loughlin. "I'm a big fan of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. The travels of Lestat are my favorites. I've always wanted to play a vampire. It's like playing a character with several different personalities."

As a fan of scary movies and dark literature, O'Loughlin feels right at home in this haunted and shadowy role. "It's an opportunity to play with bigger ideas," he says. "Infinity, immortality, the dichotomy within the character."

Taking a Stake to Convention

O'Loughlin is surprised and mildly taken aback by the fervor with which fans have embraced the show, a modern Gothic tale that combines elements of action, film noir and romance, and their passionate dedication to all things vampiric. Moonlight updates the legends of the undead, toying with the established and cherished mythology. Moonlight offers a 21st century version of the ancient dark archetype : no capes, no coffins, no wild-eyed, obsessive Van Helsings brandishing crucifixes. Most shocking of all to many dedicated vamp fans is Mick's ability to survive sunlight.

Some of their chat room comments have filtered down to O'Loughlin, and he greets their theories with good humor. "Daylight weakens Mick," he explains patiently. "He can go out into the sunlight, briefly, if he keeps to the shadows. The sun weakens him, and lengthy exposure to the light will kill him. We explored those things in the fourth episode when Beth [Sophia Myles] finds out the truth about Mick."

Reinterpreting this evocative symbol keeps vampires relevant and eternally fascinating. Novelists Laurell K. Hamilton, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and, most recently Elizabeth Kostova have all put their unique spins on the conventions established by Bram Stoker and set in stone by Bela Lugosi. Moonlight creators Ron Koslow and Trevor Munson and executive producer Joel Silver are just taking their turn reimagining a world of the undead, and O'Loughlin is excited to be a part of it.

Shadow of Doubt

Moonlight is a breakthrough role for O'Loughlin, who arrived in Hollywood just three years ago from Australia. He worked in television playing guest roles - including an acclaimed performance on The Shield - and was narrowly beaten out for another iconic role by Daniel Craig, who was cast instead of O'Loughlin as the new James Bond.

Moonlight has brought him a new level of visibility for which he was not entirely prepared, but which he confronts squarely with a level head and a sense of humor.

"Fame is kind of frightening. I don't yearn for it," O'Loughlin says. "All of a sudden, you are driving home one night, and there's your head, 30 feet tall, on a billboard on Sunset Boulevard. I was an actor in theater in Sydney, and I've done little indie films that paid nothing. I am not an actor for that kind of recognition. I like playing parts that I can disappearin. I enjoy hiding behind my characters."

O'Loughlin is refreshingly irreverent about his new status as a heartthrob as well. Despite those ubiquitous billboards, he is convinced he is safely hidden behind Mick St John. "It doesn't look like me!" he laughs. "It doesn't even look like Mick! Between the wind machine blowing my hair around and the retouching, it looks nothing like me."

Fans of Moonlight obviously disagree. O'Loughlin's gravel-over-velvet voice and dark, rock-star charisma have them swooning. To them, he is the hottest bloodsucker since Brad Pitt hung up the fake fangs back in 1994.

Blood, Sweat and Tears

"I don't see myself that way at all!" the self-effacing actor scoffs, explaining that he's much more interested in exploring the depths of his character than in polishing the cosmetic surface. Moonlight's Mick St John is a tangle of contradictions, ambivalent about his vampiric state and ill at ease with his possible immortality, in high contrast with his amoral sidekick, Josef Kostan (Jason Dohring), a billionaire vampire who is a blithe bloodsucker, comically unconflicted about his predator status - the insouciant Lestat to Mick's tormented Louis.

"Mick is the loneliest man in the world," O'Loughlin says. "Even though he's surrounded by people, he's isolated and cut off from his own humanity. Mentally, he's one of the most damaged characters I have ever played. He's not in a lot of physical jeopardy, but emotionally, he's a wreck. I try to reach inside of him and find the humanity at his heart."

O'Loughlin leaves the grim and angsty stuff on screen, though. Personally, he's cheeky and charming with a raucous laugh and a sexy, Down Under accent. He would rather ride motorcycles than brood, and his hobbies are more rugged than moody : running, rock climbing, and sailing "badly." He does as many of his own stunts on the show "as the insurance company will let me," he says. And to stay in shape for the grueling work, he spends his downtime on set in his trailer doing a punishing Navy SEAL workout to keep up with the physical demands of the role. After all, nobody would be scared of a flabby vampire.

Sound Bites

Recently, movie audiences got to see a different side of the actor as he played the brother of Jonathan Rhys Meyers' character in the movie August Rush, a holiday fable about the healing power of music. O'Loughlin got to showcase a few of his other talents in the film - singing and playing the guitar (in real life, O'Loughlin plays both acoustic and electric guitar).

When asked about his favorite musician, it takes the actor a moment or two to sort through the many possibilities before settling on one : "Hendrix. Definitely Jimi Hendrix. I don't play anything like him, but he's my favorite. He was the best."

Moonlight has a subtle musical subtext that will move to the forefront in upcoming episodes, when audiences will get to hear O'Loughlin play on the show as part of Mick's character development.

The actor remains intrigued by the character's possibilities and the potential for telling more stories about Mick St John. It's his purpose in being a performer. "I want to do work that's meaningful to me and touches people," he insists. "I don't care about being a heartthrob or any of that crap. I care about having somebody come up to me on the street and say, 'That meant a lot to me.'"

He has had that moment in his own life. "When I met Robert De Niro in New York, I got to sit and talk with him for a few minutes," O'Loughlin recalls. "It was amazing. He taught me a lot as a young man, through his work, and the characters he played. He helped me get through adolescence and along the road growing up."

One of the things he has come to understand along that road is the signifigance of stories, and of telling them. "I've always appreciated art and music, different forms of expression," O'Loughlin says. "As an adult, I appreciate the opportunity to tell important stories."

Photos by Cliff Lipson

Photo captions ~

Alex O'Loughlin and Sophia Myles bring new heat to the vampire tradition in Moonlight.

Mick St John (O'Loughlin) taking a bite out of crime.

A Star is Born

Birth name : Alex O'Lachlan

Birth date : Aug. 24, 1975

Birthplace : Sydney, Australia

Breakout role : Detective Kevin Hiatt on The Shield