December 2010 Archives   31 December 2010 GotA Videos: The Women, The Slaves and Promos 3 and 4 Added the following videos to the AUSXIP Spartacus Video Channel Promo 4 Gods of the Arena Posted on: 31st December 2010 Spartacus: Gods of the Arena – Promo #4 “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena,” the highly anticipated prequel to Starz’ hit series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” tells the story of the original Champion of the House of Batiatus: Gannicus (Dustin Clare) in a more ruthless time before Spartacus’ arrival where honor was just finding it’s way [...] Promo 3 – Gods of the Arena Posted on: 31st December 2010 Spartacus: Gods of the Arena – Promo #3 Before Spartacus struck down his first opponent in the arena, there were many gladiators who passed though the gates onto the sand. “Spartacus: Gods of the Arena,” the highly anticipated prequel to Starz’ hit series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand,” tells the story of the original Champion of [...] The Women – Gods of the Arena Posted on: 31st December 2010 The women of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena are featured including Gaia, Lucretia, Naevia, Melitta, and Diona. Premieres Friday Jan 21st at 10 pm e/p on Starz. The Slaves – Gods of the Arena Posted on: 31st December 2010 Background on the life of slaves Melitta, Diona, and Naevia in the house of Batiatus. Premieres Friday Jan 21st at 10 pm e/p on Starz     31 December 2010 TV Guide 3-9 Jan 2011 Issue Interviews Lucy Lawless - SPOILERS! The US TV Guide 3-9 January 2011 issue has an interview with Lucy about Gods of the Arena. Over the last few days there has been quotes popping up from Lucy about her character Lucretia and Gaia (played by Jaime Murray). We were all scratching our heads wondering where the heck this was from since Wenn.com was attributed for the quote but now the mystery is solved. TV Guide has those quotes. So if you don't want to be spoilt and you are really trying not to read spoilers...don't click on the image. Scanned by AUSXIP Reporter: Lori Boyles     31 December 2010 Lucy and John in Vanity Fair Magazine - Scan Now Online As reported on 24 December 2010 In the latest issue of Vanity Fair Magazine - January 2011 issue (with Johnny Depp on the cover) there is a half page article called "Masters of the B.C. universe". Inside about the Spartacus sequel with a stunning photo of Lucy reclining on a couch while John Hannah stands behind her. Both wear "normal" elegant clothes, not the Sparty costumes. in the article there is an interesting quote from Lucy about Gods of the Arena: The unusual arrangement came about because Andy Whitfield, who played Spartacus in the first season, has fallen ill with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Working around this misfortune, the show has temporarily changed the focus of the MA-rated program (and it earns every inch of that rating) from the character of Spartacus to the treacherous couple gazing at you so innocently from this page. "I was really surprised at the quality of it, given that it came about under really ghastly circumstances," says Lawless. "I just thought it was a way to keep the machine rolling until Andy recovered." Read more of the article     31 December 2010 New and Re-Released Starz GotA Videos Updated the AUSXIP Spartacus Video Channel with the following videos which have been released by Starz. The Weapons video is new whilst the others were originally posted early December and then taken offline. Those videos are now back. NEW VIDEOS The Weapons – Gods of the Arena Posted on: 31st December 2010 Rob Bavin, Props Master on Spartacus: Gods of the Arena gives us a lesson on the weapons of the gladiators. Premieres January 21st 10 pm e/p on Starz.   RE-RELEASED VIDEOS In Production – Gods of the Arena Posted on: 30th December 2010 Spartacus: Gods of the Arena – In Production with the cast, crew and executive producers in New Zealand. Premieres Jan 21st at 10 pm e/p on Starz. The Gladiators – Spartacus Gods of the Arena Posted on: 30th December 2010 Introducing the gladiators of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. Oenomas, Crixus, Barca, Gnaeus, Ashur, Gannicus, Dagan. Premieres Friday Jan 21st at 10 pm e/p on Starz. For more news and multimedia on Spartacus: Gods of the Arena go to AUSXIP Spartacus Behind The Scenes on Gods of the Arena Posted on: 29th December 2010 Take a look at behind the scenes of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. The characters we love from B&S and we also get to see a few of the new characters as well. I LOVE this show! You can tell they had a great time making this! Roll on January!     30 December 2010 GotA SPOILERS - Lucretia and Gaia Quote From Lucy Lawless Wenn.com has released a Lucy quote which is a major spoiler for Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) and Gaia (Jaime Murray). The quote doesn't appear on their site but the hollywood.com site has it (it's very odd) If you REALLY don't want to be spoilt...DON'T READ: Highlight the grey area to see the spoiler "Jaime Murray shows up as Lucretia's old college pal, Gaia, and will goad my character into bed with opium. At first Lucretia's not into it but, once you're high, it's all on, I guess." LUCY LAWLESS on her racy lesbian scenes in upcoming Spartacus prequel Gods of the Arena. Source AUSXIP Reporter: Barbara Davies     30 December 2010 Gods of the Arena Episode 1 Review - SPOILERS! A little bit early for reviews / previews just yet...This is a review of the screener version of Episode 1: Past Transgressions. It's a little strange that they published this so far in advance. Please be aware if you follow this link you will be spoilt. Past Transgressions A younger Batiatus finds himself newly in control of his father’s gladiator school. He uses his most skilled fighter to win favor with a cunning nobleman behind the building of the new arena. Click here to read Review | Credits | Episode Stills AUSXIP Reporter: Barbara Davies     28 December 2010 Andy Whitfield's Role As A True Fighter - The Daily Telegraph 28 Dec 2010 The Sydney Daily Telegraph has an article on Andy with a photo of him and the family in the online version and another photo of him and his daughter in the printed version. Andy Whitfield's role as a true fighter 28 December 2010 HE was forced to step down from the title role in New Zealand-made TV drama Spartacus this year to prepare for the battle of his life. But as the year ends, it appears Australian actor Andy Whitfield has pulled ahead of his great adversary and is winning his fight against cancer. The actor, best known to Australian TV audiences for his work in All Saints and Packed To The Rafters, was photographed with his family at Watsons Bay looking as though a diet saturated in healthy food, positive thought and the ample love of two young children is hastening his recovery. Read More Contributed by: Loretta / Scan by MaryD     27 December 2010 Television Ups and Downs in 2010 - Spartacus Blood and Sand Television logged its share of ups and downs in 2010. But television also had ascendant moments dur ing the past year. Here, in alphabetical order, are cases of when the medium soared: Spartacus: Blood and Sand ( Starz): With all the bloody violence, you felt the urge to take a shower after watching this new series. With all the hard bodies and hankypanky, you wanted to take a cold shower. An orgiastic blend of hyperrealism and epic fantasy, with an outstanding cast, including Lucy Lawless ( Xena: Warrior Princess ), the show has been a wicked treat unlike anything else on television. Source: Associated Press     26 December 2010 Merry Christmas From Mira and Naevia Merry Christmas from Mira and Naevia - don't they look gorgeous. Lesley-Ann posted the following pic along with Katrina Law.   Wishing everyone a happy and safe Christmas!     24 December 2010 Spartacus Toons Now On AUSXIP I'm quite stoked about this; Ricardo has sent in his gorgeous little Sparty toon characters for the AUSXIP Spartacus Art Galleries. You will find toons for: - Lucretia - Spartacus - Batiatus - Crixus - Naevia - Doctore - Varro - Barca - Mira   Click here to view the gallery     24 December 2010 Lucy and John in Vanity Fair Magazine January 2011 Issue In the latest issue of Vanity Fair Magazine - January 2011 issue (with Johnny Depp on the cover) there is a half page article called "Masters of the B.C. universe". Inside about the Spartacus sequel with a stunning photo of Lucy reclining on a couch while John Hannah stands behind her. Both wear "normal" elegant clothes, not the Sparty costumes. The magazine scans will be up on AUSXIP as soon as the copy gets to me. Many thanks to Andrea for the news     22 December 2010 Gods of the Arena SPOILERS E Online with Kristin has some great big spoilers for Gods of the Arena and in particular for Lucretia and Gaia - if you REALLY don't want to know, do go looking. Highlight the grey area to reveal the spoiler goodies GB: All I want for Christmas is scoop on Spartacus: Gods of the Arena! The scoop on Spartacus: Gods of the Arena is that it's awesome. If you forced us to name the three most memorable elements so far, we'd have to say everything that comes out of John Hannah's mouth, the blindfolded fight scene and the love scene between Lucy Lawless and Lila from Dexter (Jamie Murray). Rowr. Gods of the Arena airs Jan. 21 at 10 p.m. on Starz. AUSXIP Reporter: Barbara Davies     21 December 2010 New AUSXIP Site is Born - AUSXIP Jaime Murray News & Multimedia Goodness me another baby is born! Dedicated to the wonderful Jaime Murray, AUSXIP Jaime Murray News & Multimedia is live. I'll let Mesh take over to describe the site since she did all the fantastic work on it and will be maintaining it. You have reached AUSXIP's fan site dedicated to the stunning and talented Jaime Murray. As you know, all of us at AUSXIP are really pscyhed about the upcoming Starz original series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. Some of us are also psyched about our Netflix subscriptions and how it allows us to stream or rent terrific television we have missed over the years (doh!). Like the one about everyone's favorite serial killer (Dexter FTW!) or the one about a team of cheeky con artists (Hustle, y'all!). Add a batch of episodes of a certain Syfy hit and you get a crew light on sleep, but hyper on all the drama, stunning images and nuanced performances. Why yes, all these things star a certain British actress named after everyone's favorite kickass bionic woman. But I digress. Two weeks after shooting off a "We need to build a site..." email, we have liftoff. Lori did a terrific job archiving photos, Krissie was kind enough to let us pick some of her W13 images, my dogs have graciously allowed me to tinker with colors and textures, and MaryD has been her calm and collected self throughout the madness. The point at last. We give you this Jaime Murray fan site loaded with images, some videos and art with the promise of more images, videos and art at least every other day. If you have missed some of Jaime's shows, look at our recommendations, video channel or check imdb. Go look around, go have fun! Cheers! Team AUSXIP     21 December 2010 NZ The Press Review of Spartacus Blood and Sand DVD + Lucy Quote The New Zealand newspaper The Press has a review of the Spartacus Blood and Sand DVD and Blu-Ray. The uncut episodes are being released in Australia and New Zealand (Australia got the edited version which, in my opinion, ripped the guts out of the show (excuse the visual) and lessened it's impact in a huge way. New Zealand got the unedited version). In part it says: Starring Welsh-born Andy Whitfield in the title role, with Brit John Hannah as Batiatus and our own Lucy Lawless as his social-climbing Lady Macbeth- type wife Lucretia, it's more fun than it sounds. Lawless's husband, Rob Tapert, and his film partner, Sam Raimi, are among the executive producers. Lawless described the appeal of the raunchier, bloodier Spartacus thus: "It's everything that we are not allowed in our society. It's like the flip side of our lives. It's lovely to be a voyeur when there's no real danger." Read Full Review     21 December 2010 This Week’s Draw Them All Spartacus Comic Strip - Gifts This week’s Draw Them Spartacus Comic strip by Olansamuelle is called “Gifts” – Varro received a very special gift which I have to say I laughed out loud. Click here to view     18 December 2010 Clare Sharpens His Blade - Herald Sun 17 December 2010 Clare sharpens his blade for US debut Herald Sun - 17 December 2010 (Australia) AFTER cutting his teeth on McLeod’s Daughters and Underbelly, actor Dustin Clare will hit the big time when Spartacus: Gods of the Arena hits US TV screens next month. Clare plays the lead role in the six-episode prequel to Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Original Spartacus actor Aussie Andy Whitfield also makes a short appearance in the series, which he was filming when struck down with cancer and was forced to withdraw.     17 December 2010 Spartacus Videos Removed From Starz YouTube Channel Starz had two new videos posted on their YouTube channel: Gladiators and Weapons. Both videos were removed overnight and this is the reason that was posted on twitter: spartacus_starz Spartacus Sorry, we had to take the "Gladiators" and "Weapons" videos down for reworking. Back up as ASAP.     16 December 2010 New Spartacus: Gods of the Arena Video - The Gladiators Posted on AUSXIP Video - Spartacus Channel. The Gladiators – Spartacus Gods of the Arena Posted on: 16th December 2010 The Gladiators – Spartacus Gods of the Arena Introducing the gladiators of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena. Oenomas, Crixus, Barca, Gnaeus, Ashur, Gannicus, Dagan. Premieres Friday Jan 21st at 10 pm e/p on Starz. Click here to view     16 December 2010 Upcoming Events - Starz Spartacus Panel at TCA 7 January 2011 As reported on 9 December, the winter TCA schedule has been released and at that time Starz was not listed but the Jan 5-7 slot listed "cable". We all naturally assumed that Starz would be there. It now has been confirmed that Starz will be there to promote Spartacus Gods of the Arena on 7 January 2011 based on the following tweets: Http://twitter.com/jdtvi/statuses/14007141396381696 @televisionary what day does Starz have its TCA panel? 5:22 PM Dec 12th via web jdtvi JD Nelson http://twitter.com/televisionary/statuses/14018423340138496 @jdtvi Friday, January 7th. 6:07 PM Dec 12th via TweetDeck in reply to jdtvi televisionary Jace Lacob According to Matt Fowler, IGN Editor (see his tweet here), Lucy will be attending. News submitted by Barbara Davies     16 December 2010 GotA Behind The Scenes On Starz 01 January 2011 On 01 January 2011 for those that have Starz, there will be a 15 minute (According to the schedule, it occupies a 15 minute slot) Behind The Scenes mini doco on Gods of the Arena. All Times ET/PT Saturday, January 1st Starz 3:00pm Sunday, January 2nd Starz Edge 2:27am Starz 11:30am Starz Studios: Gods Of The Arena Genre: Documentary Synopsis: Go behind the scenes of the latest original series by Starz, 'Spartacus: Gods Of The Arena." Premieres January 21 only on Starz! USA - 2010 - TVPG News submitted by Barbara Davies     15 December 2010 Spartacus Merchandise 15% Off Sale Gold Label, the officially licenced Spartacus online store, has announced a 15% off sale on all items in the Spartacus store! 15% Off* Spartacus Merchandise From December 13th through December 19th Use Promo Code: IAMFROSTY Click on any design below to view all Spartacus t-shirts and merchandise for that image. Shop now! Click here for the goodies     14 December 2010 How Spartacus Gets Away With The Sex and Violence - MINOR SPOILERS The New York Post has an article on how Spartacus can get away with the violence and the sex. Bloody hit - How 'Spartacus' gets away with the sex & violence New York Post 12 December 2010. Lucy has some very interesting things to say about the upcoming prequel: The new season begins next month and fans won't have to wait long for beheadings, throat slashings, copious amounts of blood, full-frontal nudity and countless sex scenes between masters and slaves, men and women, and several other combinations as well. And that's just the first episode. "That's nothing, mate," says Lucy Lawless, the New Zealander who shot to fame as Xena and also had a major role on the acclaimed "Battlestar Galactica" reboot. "I'm forbidding my parents to watch." "Well, I'd like to -- but unfortunately they're grownups, and I can't really tell them what to do," says Lawless, who plays Lucretia, the wife of the owner of the gladiator school. "But I cringe to think of them watching the prequel." Lawless wasn't feeling so bold now that her daughter, Daisy Lawless, is also working on the set. "I say, 'Turn your back for the next 20 minutes, Daisy,' " Lawless says. "It must be really weird to have your mother engage in some shocking behavior." Read the full article     13 December 2010 This Week's Draw Them All Spartacus Comic Strip - Ashur's Way This week's Draw Them All - the new Spartacus Comic Strip by Olansamuelle is focused on our favourite Syrian snake Ashur! Click here to view "Ashur's Way" You can also check out Olansamuelle's fantastic other Draw Them All comic strips here     13 December 2010 Spartacus: Blood and Sand Promo Pics Quite a few of these images have been posted already in the Episode Stills and Character Galleries but Barbara found the Official UK Sparty FB page that had some pics I haven't seen before as promo pics (and they were published in magazines etc)               and a few more. Check them all out here News submitted by Barbara Davies     13 December 2010 Starz Press Release: Gods of the Arena on 21 January 2011 STARZ TO PREMIERE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED "SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA" ON JANUARY 21 Six-Part Prequel to Critically Acclaimed "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" to Star Lucy Lawless, John Hannah and Dustin Clare as Gannicus, an Earlier Champion of the House of Batiatus For Immediate Release - "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena," the highly anticipated prequel to Starz' hit original series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," will debut on Friday, January 21 at 10pm et/pt. The six-part series centers around the story of Gannicus, the charismatic gladiator aspiring to become Champion of Capua, played by Australian actor Dustin Clare, and his master, Quintus Batiatus, played again by John Hannah, itching for the chance to rise in status in the Roman outpost town. On the heels of the success of "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," which was described by TV Guide as "visually dazzling" and by the Chicago Red Eye as, "bold, ambitious and completely different from anything else on TV," the prequel will feature returning cast members including: Lucy Lawless as Batiatus' equally ambitious wife Lucretia; Peter Mensah as Oenomaus before he becomes the gladiator trainer Doctore; and Manu Bennett as the gladiator Crixus, in addition to Hannah. Additional new cast members joining Clare include Jaime Murray ("Dexter," "Valentine") as Capua's sexy social climber Gaia and Marisa Ramirez ("General Hospital," "The Young and the Restless") as Melitta, a beautiful slave who must face the ultimate decision of the heart. Jeffrey Thomas ("Shark in the Park," "Mercy Peak") plays Batiatus's father Titus, the traditional and cautious Lanista, head of the Ludus. Clare is best known to Australian audiences, where he had major roles on a number of long-running TV series, including "Satisfaction," "Underbelly" and "McLeod's Daughter." Murray starred in the CW series "Valentine" and had an extended role on Showtime's "Dexter." Ramirez is best known for her long runs on "General Hospital" and "The Young and the Restless," and was recently seen on "Past Life" and "Miami Medical." Thomas rose to prominence in New Zealand in the late '80s with the lead role of Inspector Brian Finn in the TVNZ police drama series "Shark in the Park," and is also well-known for his roles in two long-running New Zealand soap operas, "Mercy Peak" and "Shortland Street." Continue reading Starz Press Release: Gods of the Arena on 21 January 2011.     12 December 2010 Documentary Warriors Spartacus for Aussie Fans While we count down the days to Gods of the Arena premiere in January (well for those in the US and Canada), there's a doco that might be worth checking out tonight for Aussie fans: Warriors — Spartacus SBS One, Sunday 9.30pm ONE OF the most famous people from ancient Rome was not a real Roman. He was Spartacus, a Thracian gladiator who challenged the military might of Rome. Hollywood depicted him as a chiselled freedom fighter and even gave him a love interest in his best-known manifestation the 1960 film Spartacus. But apart from being born in Thrace — a Roman province in what is today Bulgaria and Turkey — not much is known about him, his career in the Roman army, his family, nor his personal reasons for his two-year rebellion against Rome. Despite this, he has long been seen as a role model for the oppressed fighting against the might of the state, with all kinds of supposed modern motives for his struggle for freedom. This BBC documentary looks at some recent research on Spartacus’s slave revolt, with Andy Flanagan (pictured) in the title role. But rather than giving us a dry documentary, it has tried to re-create the historical drama as it unfolded, exploring Spartacus’s tactics and his possible motivations. While some of it is pure speculation and there are some minor inaccuracies relating to depictions of ancient Rome, most of it accords with what we know about Spartacus in accounts such as Barry Strauss’s excellent The Spartacus War.     10 December 2010 Spartacus Back To Back - Blood and Sand Replay on Starz Spartacus: Blood and Sand - Replay - Back to back episodes each Friday beginning Dec 10 10pm e/p on Starz and on Starz on Demand.     9 December 2010 New Artwork by Carpe Chakram - Gods of the Arena Added a new wall by Carpe Chakram called Gods of the Arena - Crixus, Gannicus, Oenomaus, Ashur and the new love interest for Barca (lucky man), Auctus. Front and center is the new old Doctore. Click here to view art     9 December 2010 Gods of the Arena Episode Stills - Episode 1 Past Transgressions Spartacus: Gods of the Arena Episode Stills are now available in the AUSXIP Spartacus Episode Still Gallery Episode 01 - Past Transgressions A younger Batiatus finds himself newly in control of his father’s gladiator school. He uses his most skilled fighter to win favor with a cunning nobleman behind the building of the new arena. Click here to view     9 December 2010 Gods of the Arena Character Images + New GotA Poster Added the new character promo images to the AUSXIP Spartacus Image Galleries for the following characters: - Ashur - Barca - Batiatus - Crixus - Doctore - Gaia - Gannicus - Lucretia - Melitta - Naevia - Oenomaus - Solonius - Titus - Tullius - Vettius Also added a new Gods of the Arena Poster with Gannicus and his two swords - click here to view     9 December 2010 Spartacus Promo Images + The New Old Doctore Today is promo pic day - just received from Starz the new promo pics plus the episode stills for the first episode "Past Transgressions". Will be posting them shortly. Here's a pic of a character we haven't heard much about which was made famous by Peter Mensah in the first season - the role of Doctore. In GotA he is played by the absolutely wonderful and supremely talented Temuera Morrison. He is described as "Old Doctore" so I guess he is the new old Doctore <g> I'm looking forward to seing Temeura in this role! Stay tuned for more pics. You can also hop on over to AfterElton and have a look at some of the pics including one of Josef Brown as Auctus (Barca's lover before Pietros and how different they are..) that is just incredible.     9 December 2010 Winter TCA Schedule - Spartacus PR Winter TCA schedule - doesn't list Sparty or Starz but it may be around 5-7 since it lists Cable. Here’s the tour schedule: Jan. 5-7: Cable Jan. 8-9: PBS Jan. 10: Disney/ABC Jan. 11: Fox Jan. 12: TCA Studio Day 9:00am – 10:00am Business meeting 10:30am – 12:30pm Fox Studios comedy panels Afternoon TBD Jan. 13: NBC/NBC Uni Jan. 14: CBS/Showtime/CW Jan. 15: FX, TBA According to Matt Fowler, IGN Editor (see his tweet here), Lucy will be attending. News submitted by Lori Boyles and Barbara Davies     9 December 2010 Stephen DeKnight Video on Gods of the Arena TVSquad has released an exclusive interview with Stephen DeKnight. Stephen talks about how Gods of the Arena is like nothing we've seen before on television. I'm quite sure that this is aimed squarely at those that didn't see Blood and Sand because we have been waiting patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) for the prequel to arrive. Click here to read the TVSquad article and below is the video (it has also been posted to the AUSXIP Spartacus Video Channel       9 December 2010 Update on Andy via Dan Feuerriegel Dan went to see Andy and sent through the following on his facebook page: Dan Feuerriegel Saw Andy today ..... He's doing well & staying strong :)     8 December 2010 Gods of the Arena in the UK in 2011 & Premiere Schedule Spartacus: GotA will be screen in the UK on Sky1 early in 2011 (the TVChoice tweet doesn't say what day) You can catch Spartacus: Gods Of The Arena on Sky1 early in the new year - sounds really exciting! about 3 hours ago via Tweetie for Mac Just met John Hannah for a very funny and frank chat about Spartacus: Gods Of The Arena. He's a real star, but does have a potty mouth! -:) about 3 hours ago via Tweetie for Mac The Current GotA Premiere Schedule: USA - 21 January 2011 Canada - 23 January 2011 UK - Early 2011 Australia - ??/2011 (GO! has announced it's picked up the show for 2011 - exact date not known yet) News submitted by Barbara Davies     7 December 2010 This Week's Draw Them All - The Day I Met Spartacus by Mira This week's Olansameulle's Draw Them All Spartacus Comic Strip has turned her attention to that wonderful slave Mira "The Day I Met Spartacus" by Mira Click here to view You can view all of Olansameulle's Draw Them All Comic Strips here     7 December 2010 Spartacus Production Crew - Sound Effects Meet the Spartacus Sound Effects Team. This gallery contains a couple of stills of the Foley (sound effects) guys behind Spartacus (Blood and Sand and Gods of the Arena, according to their projects page.) You can blame them for all those unpleasant squishing noises. <g> Check it out here News submitted by Barbara Davies     5 December 2010 A Moment of Prayer, Thoughts And Wishes for Andy Whitfield Luna from the Andy Whitfield Facebook Fan Page has sent me the following note: Moment of prayer/thoughts/wishes to support Andy Whitfield that we're organising worldwide on Monday 6 December at 9pm GMT. For more info please go to the fan page     5 December 2010 Herald on Sunday 05 Dec 2010 - Sex and Sandals Sequel Looks For New Lead The following article appeared in the Herald on Sunday (New Zealand) 05 December 2010 newspaper about the recasting of Spartacus. No new news and stuff we already know about but it does have pretty pictures. Herald on Sunday - 5 December 2010 Sex and Sandals Sequel looks for new lead click on the image for the larger scan     5 December 2010 GotA Character Page and About Show Updates Updated the following sections on the site: Gods of the Arena Character Page - Added / updated the following characters with bios to the page: - Naevia (photo) - Titus Batiatus (photo) - Oenomaus (photo) - Crixus (photo + description) - Ashur (photo) - Naevia (photo + updated description) - Solonious (photo + description) - Tullius (photo + description) - Barca (photo + description) - Vettius (photo + description) - Petronius (actor photo + character name) - Diona (actor photo + description) Gods of the Arena Main Page - Updated main GotA Page and merged the news section into the main Spartacus news sections About Show - Updated the "About Show" section to include Gods of the Arena     4 December 2010 NZ Herald - Lucy Lawless Top Ten Talents in 2010 Local Entertainment The New Zealand Herald (4 December 2010) has an article about the top ten talents of 2010 in New Zealand television and entertainment: On the countdown begins to the Herald's New Zealander of the Year with TimeOut witer's naming the top-ten talents in 2010's local entertainment: LUCY LAWLESS - as Lucretia, owner of Spartacus and Latin scholar. Click on the thumbnails for the larger scans     3 December 2010 Spartacus on DVD Competition from NZ Women's Weekly SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND, the monumental series that premiered on The Box during October and November and rated as their No.1 show in all multi channel homes, comes to DVD & Blu-Ray when Madman Entertainment release all 13 episodes of the violent, provocative and unedited version as a heroic four-disc set on 2 December 2010. With a renowned international cast including John Hannah (the Mummy films), Peter Mensah (300), Manu Bennett (30 Days of Night), Nick E. Tarabay (Crash) and Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess), and a star-making turn by Welsh-born, Australia-based Andy Whitfield in the title role, SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND will get the “thumbs up” from the casual Thracian to the die-hard Roman! We have five copies of Spartacus: Blood and Sand on dvd to give away. Enter your details below by the 23-12-10 to be in to win. Conditions of Entry Competitions are open to New Zealand residents, except for employees of NZ Magazines. The competition prizes are as specified. Further conditions apply, please see Promotion Terms and Conditions. Click here for more     1 December 2010 Subscribe To Starz For A Private Screening Gods of the Arena Episode 1! Subscribe to STARZ between November 1 – December 31, 2010 and automatically be entered to win a private screening of the premiere of the STARZ Original Series, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena on January 21, 2011. The Grand Prize winner will receive a private viewing party in a luxury hotel suite for 20 people (including winner). Winner and guests must be 21 years of age or older. For Official Rules visit www.starzoffers.com. Order STARZ today and let the games begin! Only $9 a month for 3 months. Official Rules | Order Starz News submitted by Barbara Davies     1 December 2010 World AIDS Day Special - Draw Them All D-Kalends Olansameuelle has created a special Draw Them All Spartacus comic strip for today (1 December 2010) for World AIDS Day..in the Spartacus way! Click here to view     1 December 2010 Spartacus Casting News - Maybe A New Spartacus or Maybe Not No news of the new Sparty is getting everyone antsy and here is another piece of news to add to the rumour mix. Back in November it was reported that three actors were being sent to New Zealand to see who would be selected for the Spartacus role: it was narrowed down to three actors: Stephen Amell, Aiden Turner and Liam McIntyre. This news was 9 November 2010 and on 13 November 2010 we had the news that two of the actors Stephen Amell and Aiden Turner were released. and now today 01 December 2010 we have the following news from Stephen on his blog: Stephen Amell has written the following on his blog: I just got offered the biggest job of my career. It came on offer because of three stellar auditions (for this show) earlier in the year. . Read more Did the rumours (by Deadline) of Liam being the frontrunner prove not to be true and now Stephen has been offered the role or is Stephen talking about another huge role? Congratulations to Stephen on his big role (whatever it is) and we wait for official news on who has won the role of a lifetime. UPDATE: Stephen later tweets:Further sign that my life might actually be perfect: The character name on my new job: Brady. #TheGreatTomBrady - So that rumour is just that a rumour. Many thanks to @TalkingLBS on twitter for the update!     1 December 2010 Spartacus Cast Updates Now that Gods of the Arena has ended and we await the news of who will be the new Spartacus (let's hope they find someone soon so all the cast and everyone associated with the show directly and indirectly get back to work) are doing other things: Lucy Lawless - It seems Lucy is in LA according to a tweet by Jaime Murray http://twitter.com/MsJaimeMurray/statuses/9361981798617088 Had the best time with the lovely Lucy Lawless this weekend. Wish she lived in LA :( Now have 2 wait until the January #Spartacus premier... about 10 hours ago via web MsJaimeMurray Jaime Murray Lesley-Ann Brandt - Has been busy in LA with a photoshoot for UFC Magazine and a guest role on Chuck! Katrina Law - Katrina can currently be seen in The Resistance (now on Itunes/Youtube). Upcoming movies are An American Hero and Mafiosa both of which are in post-production. Viva Bianca - Viva will be in two movies for 2011 - X and Panic at Rock Island. Viva's movie X which will be seen next year has been sold to Germany, UK and Canada. Sales agent Celluloid Nightmares pre-sold these territories at the American Film Market, and expects to make further announcements soon. Produced by Lizzette Atkins, X stars Viva Bianca and Hanna Mangan-Lawrence as a high class escort and a teenage runaway respectively, who are thrown together on a job that goes horribly wrong. They find themselves on an out-of-control roller-coaster ride through the seedy clubs, strip joints and back alleys of the red-light district. If they can get through the night, they might just have a chance at a fresh start. The November 2010 issue of Encore includes a set visit for this film, and interviews with Hewitt and Atkins. X was shot in Sydney, with finance from Screen Australia, Film Victoria and private investment, and will be released next year. Source Panic at Rock Island (TV Movie) An island on spectacular Sydney Harbour. Summer sun Top international artists. Tens of thousands of music fans from across the world Idyllic... Until unimaginable disaster strikes. John Hannah - John is in a new tv series and a movie for 2011 TV Series - "Kidnap and Ransom" Expert British hostage negotiator Dominic King (Trevor Eve) is called upon when a businesswoman (Emma Fielding) from the UK is kidnapped in South Africa by a sinister figure named Willard (John Hannah). When the release of the woman goes wrong and Willard strikes again in Britain, King realizes this was never a straightforward case of kidnapping for ransom, and that the man's motives run much deeper than ever imagined. King, along with his superior, Angela (Helen Baxendale), and assistant, Carrie (Amara Karan), must now work against the clock to bring Willard's latest victims home alive. Movie - Woodland Cross A bloodstained abandoned car belonging to Matthew Thomas has been found in an open field, his wife Jessica, the prime suspect of his murder and his mistress, however she has a perfect alibi. Two misfit police detectives, Carter and Hayes are assigned the investigation and soon reveal other likely suspects, although the evidence is pointing towards a murder, no bodies are found and each suspect has a motive, making the detectives job more difficult than they can deal with, as their own personal life is rope tided into the investigation and becomes too foggy to make conscience of the evidence, being blinded by the blood found in the car, allowing surrounding elements take control of the investigation and their lives. Manu Bennett - Manu has filmed Sinbad and the Minotaur and is rumoured to be in Shadows from the Sky (it's not confirmed according to IMDB) Craig Parker - Craig is filming Ice Captain (TV Movie) in the role of Frank Worsley and also in Radiradirah which is a sketch comedy show     Read More Archives