Thanks to kj_svala and specially to aruna7, who translated the interview, we now have a translation of Jensens interview with the french "one" (No.52 Juin-Juillet 2008):

"INTERVIEW JENSEN ACKLES"

Jensen is just done finishing the shooting of Supernatural season 3, in which Dean Winchester gets in very serious trouble. Which future awaits his character? The actor has accepted to share with us, his impressions on the latest episodes. Beware of spoilers!

How much do you get involved in the scripts and in the evolution of your character?

My contributions to the scripts often happen in a very random way. I happen to say a little line that was not planned in the script. Or I happen to make a simple gesture that gives more effect to the scene, like in the episode "Born under a bad sign" in season 2, in which Sam gets possessed by a demon. After the exorcism, the shot was supposed to end on Sam's face that was getting back to his senses, the demon being no more in him. But I suggested that Dean punched Sam in the face when his brother asked about what has happened. It wasn't in the script, but Jared, the director and I thought it would be awesome to end the shot like this. So, Dean punched Sam, and the fans loved it. Apart from this, I don't put my nose in the scripts. The writers do an awesome job and don't need me.

Do you have anything to say about the clothes your character wears?

Yes. Dean often wears the same clothes and I can pick the ones that I find most fitting. It is the same thing when it comes to some of the weapons. I love one of Dean's riffles and the writers know it. Since they like the way I use it on screen, they don't hesitate to put this weapon in the scripts.

Some time ago, you got back on stage to play in "A Few Good Men". Would you feel like to get do an other play again?

Honestly, no. I don't regret having had this experience, but being on stage was mostly a challenge I had put on myself. I think that to become better in my job, challenges should be sought. Acting in front of an audience, without any second chance given, was a way to get over my natural shyness and my fears. After having done this, I told myself that I could do something else. I would rather work for cinema rather than for stage.

Do you happen to read what fans write about you on the Internet?

I would lie if I said I never did, but I really try not to do this. I really don't want to be influenced by the criticisms, that they're fans' or journalists'. I play my character as good the best I can, and I don't want to mess up my work with thoughts like "Ah, I can't play this scene this way because fans hated this approach last time I chose it." I prefer not knowing what people think of my acting. When it comes to criticisms, I get enough advice from my mother and my girlfriend. [Laughs].

What did you do during the WGA strike?

I rested, and I did the promotion of the show, including in Australia. I have to admit that at the beginning, I was thrilled by those forced holidays. Shooting the show is exhausting, and I was really enjoying sleeping 9 hours per night for a few days in a row! But the strike kept going on, and I was excited when I learnt that we were to go back to work. Toward the end, I was really afraid that the show would come to and end for good. I was really concerned about this, because I was also aware that we might lose some members of the crew that couldn't afford to remain without work for that long. I really love the whole crew and I didn't want them to find work elsewhere. Thankfully, the strike ended right on time, and nobody left the show.

In season 3, Dean only has one year left to live, after he sold his soul, how does he see his fate?

In the first part of the season, Dean seems not to care about going to hell for eternity. He just wants to enjoy his last few months. Generally speaking, he would just like to go to Las Vegas, drink, gamble, spend every night with a different girl! [Laughs]. But as his final day gets closer, Dean starts to be scared. He realizes what is awaiting him, and he starts to try to find a way to escape the curse. Of course, Sam is doing all he can to get him out of this, but, so far, he didn't find anything that could save Dean.

Can you tell us what is going to happen in the last episode of season 3 and if Dean is going to survive?

Unfortunately, I didn't read the script of the finale yet, and I don't know more than you. Eric Kripke, the creator of the show, didn't tell me anything. I only know that I have a contract for season 4, and so, logically, Dean will appear in the show, next year. But will he still be human? This is a mystery…"



http://community.livejournal.com/supernatural_tv/1555507.html

Attention: Arts/Entertainment Editor

TORONTO, ONTARIO, MEDIA ADVISORY--(Marketwire - July 15, 2008) - The winners of the 2008 Constellation Awards, honouring the actors and producers behind Canada's favourite Science Fiction TV series and movies, were announced this weekend at ceremonies in Toronto.

CBC's co-production "Doctor Who" swept the television categories, picking up three trophies including "Best Science Fiction Television Series of 2007". The show's lead actor David Tennant won "Best Male Performance in a Science Fiction Television Episode" for the second year in a row, beating out nominees from "Heroes", "Supernatural", and "Chuck". Meanwhile, British actress Carey Mulligan was a surprise winner in the "Best Actress" category for her guest appearance in "Doctor Who", beating out popular lead actresses from "Battlestar Galactica", "Heroes", "Stargate SG-1", and other series.

Other acting awards went to Will Smith for "I Am Legend" and Emma Watson for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". The CITY-TV series "Supernatural" was not denied, reeling in "Best Overall 2007 Science Fiction Film or Television Script" for its episode, "What Is and What Should Never Be".

The summer blockbuster "Transformers" also performed well, taking home two trophies. It won "Best Science Fiction Film, TV Movie or Mini-Series of 2007" as well as "Best Technical Accomplishment in a 2007 Science Fiction Film or Television Production" for the Special Effects produced by Industrial Light & Magic.

The most prestigious award of the evening, "Outstanding Canadian Contribution to Science Fiction Film or Television in 2007", went to Toronto-based author Tanya Huff for her contributions to the television series, "Blood Ties". Her books were the inspiration for the series and she is a creative consultant for the show. Tanya accepted her award at this weekend's live ceremonies, which were hosted by actor/comedian Rick Green ("The Red Green Show", "History Bites").

More details and the complete list of voting results can be found at http://constellation.tcon.ca

/For further information: Contact:
Andrew Gurudata
416-684-2433
constellations@tcon.ca

Website: http://constellations.tcon.ca (Includes media kit)/

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/The-Constellation-Awards-878788.html

Comic-Con Turning Away Some TV Cos.

When Comic-Con began 38 years ago in San Diego, it was just a small show for comic book collectors and science-fiction freaks.

By David Goetzl -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/14/2008 10:33:00 AM

When Comic-Con began 38 years ago in San Diego, it was just a small show for comic book collectors and science-fiction freaks. By last year, it attracted a crowd of 125,000, including enough TV networks and producers that now the show's organizers, fearful that Comic-Con will lose its original flavor, are deliberately limiting the number of TV-related companies they'll allow to attend. They've also refused to give several networks and studios bigger booths.

This year, when the show happens July 24-27, the exhibit floor will have approximately 14 TV-related booths, up from 12 one year ago. But space is at a premium.

"We've been trying to expand our footprint on the floor and there's a waiting list," said Neal Tiles, head of G4, which will again broadcast live from its location. "You have to basically wait until someone cancels their booth space to even have a chance to expand your presence there."

Also limited are the number of panels that conference executives will turn over to networks and studios to showcase their content, as organizers look to preserve diversity and some semblance of the event's roots.

"It would probably not be difficult to have every room filled with just television programming," said David Glanzer, head of publicity and marketing. Glanzer added, however, that Comic-Con works closely with programmers "to accommodate them as much as we can," based on their needs and the level of high-profile programming to display.

Following successful promotions of Lost and Heroes, Comic-Con became a popular launching pad for new series. Turner's Adult Swim and Cartoon Network will tease one of the most heavily anticipated new series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Said Brenda Freeman, head of marketing for the networks, "We kind of consider Comic-Con an upfront for consumers."

While the increasing number of series in the sci-fi/fantasy/mythology genres will have a steady presence, networks are increasingly looking to the event as a general way to reach young males, with panels for comedies such as NBC's The Office and FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season debuts, and Comedy Central's returning Sarah Silverman Program.

Some 3,000 members of the press attend, skewing heavily toward fan sites and bloggers, who can create a snowball of interest on the speed-of-light Internet.

"Word-of-mouth is not friend-to-friend now," said Lisa Gregorian, who heads television marketing at Warner Bros. "The world has changed so dramatically because of technology that it's one-to-many."

Networks and studios said the attendees are passionate fans and tastemakers, and if they come away appreciating a new series or further inspired by an established one, they will become evangelists for it.

"It's a live social network where these people share their love for entertainment, and when they get what they really like, they spread that information out virally," said Mark Pedowitz, president of ABC Studios.

The Comic-Con buildup as a promotional vehicle has been going on for the past five years or so. It may have reached an inflection point last July 25. At the annual Television Critics Association gathering in Hollywood, ABC Entertainment head Steve McPherson at first refused to release details of a much-hyped announcement about Lost -- he wanted to save the news.

McPherson finally told the critics that a key character would be returning. It wasn't blockbuster stuff, but the message was clear: Comic-Con, in some ways, had become the platform of choice to bypass the journalistic gatekeepers and go directly to the 18- to 34-year-old males who attend the booming event en masse. Considering that many TCA critics work for newspapers where the median age of readers is over 50, it's easy to understand McPherson's reluctance -- and Comic-Con's appeal.

"That was a delicate thing to manage," ABC marketing chief Mike Benson said. "But there are a lot of things that have just become more important to us from a marketing standpoint for exceedingly difficult-to-reach audiences."

Benson's belief in Comic-Con was even further validated during this season's May 29 Lost finale. ABC used precious on-air real estate -- reaching 12 million -- for a murky 15-second spot announcing that a fictional "Octagon Global Recruiting" firm would be in San Diego July 24-27 (Comic-Con time). The spot directed viewers to a Web site that still provided few details, except to say that the "firm" would be in San Diego looking for volunteers for a research project well-known to Lost viewers. The recruitment will form the basis for a sort of unbranded, interactive booth on the Comic-Con floor.

IT'S IN THE BAG

Comic-Con attendees crave "exclusive" items. In Warner Bros.' case, last year, it gave out 75,000 collectors' bags for The CW's Smallville that caused a frisson. This year, it will offer different ones each day for four separate series. During a BET panel, entertainment president Reginald Hudlin will unveil clips of the animated The Black Panther series coming in 2009.

G4 will offer a behind-the-scenes peek at how the daily Attack of the Show! comes together, "the writers' meeting, the source materials, where the inspiration comes from," according to Tiles. And executive producer Seth MacFarlane will lead a table-read for a yet-to-air American Dad episode, offer a sneak peek at an unseen Family Guy episode and discuss the new Fox spinoff, The Cleveland Show.

Premiere screenings draw large crowds, and this year will include the pilot of Fox drama Fringe and the season-three debut of Sci Fi Channel's Eureka. Exclusive clips also create a thrill, so much so that Sera Gamble, executive story editor for The CW's Supernatural, recently overheard executive producers Eric Kripke and Robert Singer debate what to show at their panel. Kripke argued hard for the first 10 minutes of this fall's season four to please the fans. "They deserve it," he said. But Singer nixed the idea partly because "10 minutes later, everyone on planet Earth will know about it" via the blogosphere.

The three MacFarlane series come from 20th Century Fox, which is an example of a studio that uses Comic-Con not so much to promote its shows on networks, but to reach the passionate fan base that buys its DVDs and helps to drive other ancillary revenues. "Our success is becoming more dictated by intensity of following than just volume of following," studio chairman Gary Newman said.

Much of the television business' recent fascination with Comic-Con comes from the success that first Lost and then NBC's Heroes have had. While many forces are in play, both pilots were shown publicly for the first time at Comic-Con and anticipation skyrocketed.

NBC marketing head John Miller said the network had done very little with the convention, but it took a flyer in the summer of 2006, booking a small panel room for Heroes. But people were turned away in droves, and those that made it in were captivated.

'EXPONENTIAL BUZZ'

"The buzz was exponential," Miller added. NBC's commitment to Comic-Con has it unveiling a new version of the KITT attack car from Knight Rider this year, not to mention holding the Office panel with the show's writers and moderated by star Rainn Wilson.

Just about all panels have question-and-answer sessions where fans often veer off into suggestions. (Most are loaded with stars and blue-chip producers such as 24's Kiefer Sutherland and former Buffy the Vampire Slayer showrunner Joss Whedon, now behind new Fox drama Dollhouse.) Autograph sessions are also a major draw, with the 2006 line for a signing from Ghost Whisperer star Jennifer Love Hewitt stretching outside the building, disrupting traffic and causing security to get involved.

Comic-Con "puts us in touch with the fan inside us and it does inform the decisions we make," said Rob Tapert, an executive producer on new fall syndicated series Wizard's First Rule. His partner on the show is Sam Raimi of Spider-Man fame, who last year donned a bearded disguise so that he could wander the exhibit floor anonymously.

In light of the younger, tech-savvy audience, networks are also promoting their Internet offerings. For the first time, The Independent Film Channel is using its booth to focus solely on its original Web series. The network's Lauren Burack said, "A lot of people get all of their information and entertainment from the Web -- and we're aware of that."

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6578185.html