With only five episodes left to the season, things on The CW drama series Beauty and the Beast are only going to get more dangerous and intense.  As things are heating up for Catherine Chandler (Kristin Kreuk) and Vincent Keller (Jay Ryan), and more people have discovered their secret, the stakes are raised to an all-time high, putting everyone’s life at risk.

While at WonderCon, actress Kristin Kreuk spoke at a roundtable about what she likes most about her character, how she contributes her thoughts on almost every episode, what they’re able to do with this incarnation of Beauty and the Beast that past versions haven’t, that everything will be escalating as things move toward the season finale, that she hasn’t even had a chance to think about a possible Season 2 yet, and how much fun they have behind the scenes on the show.  Check out what she had to say after the jump.

On the new CW drama series Beauty and the Beast, Catherine Chandler (Smallville’s Kristin Kreuk) is a smart, no-nonsense homicide detective haunted by the murder of her mother, which she witnessed as a teenager.  She would have been killed as well, if a mysterious beast hadn’t been there to save her.  Years later, a case leads her right to Vincent Keller (Jay Ryan) and possibly some of the answers that she has been waiting for.

During this recent exclusive interview with Collider, actor Jay Ryan talked about how he came to this role, his crazy chemistry read with co-star Kristin Kreuk, the process of finding the look for the beast, spending four hours to put on the make-up and an hour to take it all off, how he feels about using the same character names as the original Ron Perlman/Linda Hamilton series, whether more beasts might make an appearance, just how physical the role will get, and how he originally came to acting.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

On the new drama series Beauty and the Beast, premiering on The CW on October 11^th, Catherine Chandler (Smallville’s Kristin Kreuk) is a smart, no-nonsense homicide detective haunted by the murder of her mother, which she witnessed as a teenager.  She would have been killed as well, if a mysterious beast hadn’t been there to save her.  Years later, a case leads her right to Vincent Keller (Jay Ryan) and possibly some of the answers that she has been waiting for.

While at The CW portion of the TCA Press Tour, actress Kristin Kreuk talked about the concept of everyone having a dark side, the challenges of playing a cop, getting to do fight scenes, what she loved about the original Linda Hamilton/Ron Perlman series, how she would love for Linda Hamilton to do a guest appearance on the show, working with Jay Ryan and developing their chemistry, the possibility of other love interests, what she’s currently watching on TV, and what it’s like to be a part of this generation’s Superman, with her work on Smallville.  Check out what she had to say after the jump.

Today at Comic-Con, Kristin Kreuk and Jay Ryan, the stars of CBS Television Studios’ highly-anticipated fall series, Beauty and the Beast, sat down with us for roundtable interviews. The new CW fall series is a re-imagining of the classic fairy tale loosely based on the late 1980’s cult-classic CBS television show that was a romantic love story with a procedural twist. This modern-day take centers on Catherine Chandler (Kreuk), a tough-minded NYPD homicide detective haunted by a tragic past, and the mysterious beast, Vincent Keller (Ryan), she discovers played a role in it and now leads a secret life in hiding.

Kreuk and Ryan told us about the challenges of telling a story that’s romantic and mysterious set in a high-tech age of Google, Facebook and Twitter, how the backstory for this updated version of Beauty and the Beast is more focused on the Beast’s humanity and his internal struggle with noble versus savage behavior, and why it’s exciting to bring a new Beauty and the Beast to a younger audience. They also discussed the extensive make-up required for the role of the Beast and what’s in store for his transformation as the series continues. Check out our recap of the Beauty and the Beast panel and hit the jump for the interview.

Following up on a successful run as Lana Lang on Smallville, Kristin Kreuk returns to TV in a re-imagining of the 1980′s series Beauty and the Beast.  I was in Ballroom 20 and got an eyeful of the pilot episode and the skinny.  The show stars Kreuk, Jay Ryan, Max Brown, Nina Lisandrello, Nicole Anderson, Austin Basis, and Brian J. White.  Beauty and the Beast premieres on The CW on October 11th.  Hit the jump for my full recap of the panel.

With Smallville all wrapped up, the lovely Kristin Kreuk found herself without a show. But thankfully, her longtime home at The CW found something to keep her around on the small screen as Deadline reports she has been set to take the lead role in the network’s new adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, a modern-day, procedural twist on the classic tale. In this new version, the potential series will follow Catherine (Kreuk) as a tough-minded NYPD homicide detective haunted by witnessing her mother’s murder nine years ago and the killers’ quick demise at the hands of a Beast. After years of searching, Catherine finally finds the Beast, Vincent Koslow, the survivor of a military experiment that went disastrously wrong, and becomes the protector of his secret life as a superhero.

We already know Jennifer Levin and Sherri Cooper (Brothers and Sisters) are attached as the head writers, to produce alongside Paul Witt, C. Anthony Thomas, Ron Koslow, and Bill Haber. Now Gary Fleder (Runaway Jury, Don’t Say a Word) is slated to direct the pilot. The concept is intriguing, but using the Beauty and the Beast title seems like a bit of a gimmick since not much beyond the pilot will resemble the original series or the classic tale. The question remains as to who will play the Beast. Stay tuned.

One of the many films to premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was Japanese writer/director Shunji Iwai’s Vampire which stars Kevin Zegers , Amanda Plummer, Adelaide Clemens, Rachael Leigh Cook, Kristen Kreuk, Trevor Morgan and Keisha Castle-Hughes. Here’s what the Sundance website has on the film:

Simon seems like a fairly normal, average young man who’s devoted to his teaching job and ailing mother. Underneath the surface, however, things are not what they seem. Simon hunts through online chat rooms and message boards, searching for the perfect girl: beautiful, shy, and suicidal. Simon has a particular condition: he is compelled to drink blood.

Anyway, the other day I got to interview Kristen Kreuk and Trevor Morgan about working on Vampire here at Sundance.  We talked about what the film is about, why they got involved in the project, being at Sundance, why are vampire’s so popular right now, what other projects they’re working on, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch

We’ve been bringing you the first images from films that will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in a few weeks, and today we have images from the film Vampire. From Japanese director Shunji Iwai (New York, I Love You, All About Lilly Chou-Chou), the film stars Kevin Zegers (Dawn of the Dead), Rachael Leigh Cook (She’s All That), Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider), Adelaide Clemens (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), and Kristin Kreuk (ABC’s Snow White).

The film tells the story of a normal-seeming young man who spends his time searching internet message boards and chat rooms for the perfect girl…..in order to drink her blood. To read a full synopsis and check out the images from the film (as well as wax nostalgic over those 90’s teen comedy days when you catch a glimpse of Leigh-Cook), hit the jump. The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20 – 30th.

As we reported earlier today, the fourth Mission: Impossible will be a reboot of sorts for the series.  While the film won’t be team-based, that doesn’t mean there’s no room for a young female operative.  Deadline reports that actresses Lauren German (Happy Town), Paula Patton (Precious), and Kristin Kreuk (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li) have all tested for the part.  Tom Cruise will star alongside Jeremy Renner.  Ving Rhames is set to return and Simon Pegg is in talks to reprise his role as Benji Dunn.  Paramount also reportedly met with Swedish actress Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), but it’s unknown whether it was for the role of the female operative or a different part.  The new Mission: Impossible film comes out December 16, 2011.

Hit the jump for casting news regarding John Cusack in The Raven and Ari Graynor in The Sitter.

With Chuck returning with new episodes on January 10th, NBC has started promoting the show by releasing three clips from the season premiere.  If you’re like me and a huge fan of the show, you’ll enjoy the clips as they showcase Chuck’s new abilities.

*Spoiler Alert* If you missed last season’s finale, it ended with Chuck getting a new version of the intersect that’s fundamentally changed the show.  Now, instead of Chuck helpless against the agents of Fulcrum, he’s going to spend this season as a super spy.  Should be a lot of fun.  Hit the jump for the clips:

NBC has just announced Chuck will finally return to the airwaves on Sunday, January 10^th with back-to-back original episodes (9-11 p.m. ET) before the series moves to its regular day and time (Mondays 8-9 p.m. ET) beginning January 11.  For fans of the show, this is welcome news, as it’s getting back its original time slot and it’s being paired again with Heroes.

If you aren’t aware, NBC has loaded up this season with tons of guest stars like Angie Harmon (Law & Order), who will play Sydney, an enemy operative; Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), who is set to play CIA Agent Daniel Shaw; Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day) will play Colonel Keller, a soldier and spy from Casey’s past; Kristin Kreuk (Smallville), who will portray Hannah — a potential love interest for Chuck; Armand Assante as dictator Premier Goya, who is the target of an assassin; Steve Austin will portray Hugo Panzer, who becomes entangled in Chuck’s first solo mission; and Vinnie Jones (Snatch) will play Carl Stromberg, an arms dealer.

For more on Chuck, you can watch a preview of the new season after the jump!

Some movies get a free pass while others are unduly maligned. If a mediocre film has an A-list director attached, or the pedigree of a certain type of actor or screenwriter it can be given a pass as a failed attempt while a similar film from less respected talent might be beaten to within an inch of its life by the critical community and fanboys alike.

I try not to be beholden to hype; rather I try to enter each movie without expectations. I want to love everything I see, and I sincerely hope that every movie will turn out to be the best version possible. I’m the guy who liked Turistas better than Hostel. I’m the guy who defended Repo! The Genetic Opera,  Charlie Bartlett, and Alpha Dog. Now I find myself defending a movie that has a whopping 4% positive rating on Rottentomatoes. But lemme tell ya’, as embarrassing as it is to admit, I sorta liked Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. More after the jump: