The Official Tom Welling Thread

[Pickle-El]

I can't help but giggle....

 

[AgentPat]

Some very nice images from last night's Ocean's Twelve preem are now up at Wireimage. K-Site has already posted two and "Tomadict" from DTS has been kind enough to upload to a linkable server...

I'll post a few more at lunchtime if I get the chance. I'm at work now and don't have access to my server here.

 

[RakuMon]

Ya know, I liked the fact that rather than airing back to back episodes last night, they instead aired it like a 2-hr movie. THAT was really cool! In fact, I feel I've already watched my Superman movie. If Singer's film is an instant classic. That's gravy. If it bombs, no worries. I've seen a Superman movie that was dramatic (Clark's discovery of Lex's secret room, Lois' confrontation w/ Lionel), emotional (Kara and Clark floating, Clark at the airport, Martha confronting "Kal," the Kent reunion in Jonathan's hospital room), suspenseful (the operatic climax of Covenant, Kal taking flight), humorous (Lois & Clark). Seriously, I didn't expect the repeats of a season finale and opener to play so well together. This is probably my favorite of the Smallville movies. "Tempest; Vortex," "Exodus; Exile; Phoenix," "Pilot; Metamorphisis" being the others. Though I don't think WB's ever aired "Exodus" though "Phoenix" seamlessly. Though THAT would be an awesome "movie" as well.

 

[Lara]

Ok someone more fasionable than me must explain if that shirt bow tie thing is as weird as it looks. Still looks gorgeous though.

 

[Serene]

Some very nice images from last night's Ocean's Twelve preem are now up at Wireimage. K-Site has already posted two and "Tomadict" from DTS has been kind enough to upload to a linkable server....

GettyImages has 2 images on this page:
gettyimages

I don't have an account so the enlarged pictures are watermarked. Still, nice to see. That one of Tom alone is very nice. Not so sure about the ensemble though.. I don't mind the tie, it's kind of an updated looking bow tie, but the shirt..not so much.

Maybe when Tom becomes a little better known in H'wood, they won't refer to his wife as "a friend" anymore.

 

[AgentPat]

"Exodus; Exile; Phoenix." ... I don't think WB's ever aired "Exodus" though "Phoenix" seamlessly. THAT would be an awesome "movie" as well.

You said it, Lokmon! Of all the episodes I might decide to watch at any given time, THOSE are the ones most likely to be played. There's something so very "classic" about Exile, especially. Clark's apt scenes in Metropolis alone set this episode apart from all others in the series. The elevator rides, the gloomy city backgrounds (looked more like Gotham City, not Metropolis LOL), the scenes with Chloe and Edge - they were so unique and different, it was like watching a different show.

 

[Serene]

There's something so very "classic" about Exile, especially. Clark's apt scenes in Metropolis alone set this episode apart from all others in the series. The elevator rides, the gloomy city backgrounds (looked more like Gotham City, not Metropolis LOL),

I agree.. Tom did an awesome (again, dialogue-free) acting job in those segments. The elevator ride was particularly well-done. I loved the lighting of those scenes as well.. just perfect.

Pat - any word on the ratings for last night's two-parter? I'm really curious how it did as not just a repeat, but as a double repeat with flight. I know I have friends who made the effort to tune in since they missed it the first time around.

 

[AgentPat]

GettyImages has 2 images on this page:
gettyimages

This one is really nice...

Darn watermark!

Nice to see Tom's keeping the long hair. Mrrrrow! LOL Not sure why people are harping on the bowtie. C'mon folks; it aint THAT bad. You'd think he'd know not to wear such a closely striped shirt though (raises hell with video cameras.) And he must re-heeeely loathe shaving. But I guess having to do it twice a day on SV might have something to do with that.

 

[newbrando]

GettyImages has 2 images on this page:
I don't have an account so the enlarged pictures are watermarked. Still, nice to see. That one of Tom alone is very nice. Not so sure about the ensemble though.. I don't mind the tie, it's kind of an updated looking bow tie, but the shirt..not so much.

Aw, he looks like such a dork! I wonder if he did that on purpose. Like he was thinking, "How can I steal some attention away from Clooney and Pitt, I know, wear the worst outfit ever!!" He looks so happy though. He always looks so happy when he's hanging out with his wife.
No sound bites from him yet, I assume. Too bad.

 

[AgentPat]

Pat - any word on the ratings for last night's two-parter? I'm really curious how it did as not just a repeat, but as a double repeat with flight. I know I have friends who made the effort to tune in since they missed it the first time around.

Zap2It posts overall prelims in a few hours. Variety will follow with prelim demos later in the day. Final figures won't be available till next week though. That said, I owe Lokmon the figures from Thanksgiving eve. I got those on Monday and forgot to post 'em, but The WB came in dead last - big surprise there.

 

[AgentPat]

While doing a quick check to see if the prelims were available yet, I came across this quote and just had to repost it. Off topic here, but VERY funny. Just wanted folks to get a good laugh...

"We don't call them 'AOL Comics' because of their AOL-Time Warner owners. We call them 'AOL Comics' because it bugs them."
- Bill Jemas (of Marvel Comics) about DC

LMFAO!!

 

[Serene]

This one is really nice...

Oh yeah..
Not even a watermark can mess that one up.

Nice to see Tom's keeping the long hair. Mrrrrow!

That "just rolled out of bed" hairstyle really works well on him. *ahem*

LOL Not sure why people are harping on the bowtie. C'mon folks; it aint THAT bad. You'd think he'd know not to wear such a closely striped shirt though (raises hell with video cameras.) And he must re-heeeely loathe shaving. But I guess having to do it twice a day on SV might have something to do with that.

Like I said, I'm cool with the bow tie, it's not a standard issue one, it's kind of funky in a cool way. The shirt though.. bleh. Imagine a solid midnight blue instead.. Yum. I like the little bit o'stubble look he's sporting. I have to wonder if there's some thought out intention there to not look like the teenager that he plays on TV.

 

[darkzombiemutt]

"We don't call them 'AOL Comics' because of their AOL-Time Warner owners. We call them 'AOL Comics' because it bugs them."
- Bill Jemas (of Marvel Comics) about DC

LMFAO!!

LMAO, thats great.

 

[newbrando]

Question, is Tom always that tan? He has a beautiful skin color if that's just his skin color, but I didn't think he was naturally that tan. Also, I thought he wasn't supposed to go out and get a tan. Are they on hiatis for Smallville or something?

 

[AgentPat]

That "just rolled out of bed" hairstyle really works well on him. *ahem*

No argument there.

I like the little bit o'stubble look he's sporting.

We're two for two.

I have to wonder if there's some thought out intention there to not look like the teenager that he plays on TV.

I've often wondered that myself, but the non-shaven "look" has been pretty popular among celebs for quite some time. That said, Welling doesn't strike me as somebody who dresses for a certain "look." I think he's just more comfy not shaving. They must make him shave constantly on the show for the character, so any opportunity to avoid the razor probably qualifies as a good day LOL.

 

[triplet]

Some very nice images from last night's Ocean's Twelve preem are now up at Wireimage. K-Site has already posted two and "Tomadict" from DTS has been kind enough to upload to a linkable server...

I'll post a few more at lunchtime if I get the chance. I'm at work now and don't have access to my server here.

He needs to seriously rethink that shirt....

 

[Bruce_Wayne29]

Beautiful! I'd add that it's more than just believing he can fly; it's believing he exists at all. There's a "human" element that all too often is left out, or made overly cliché in today's super hero films. In order to appreciate who Superman is, one must be able to convey what drives him to do what he does. It's easier for a character like Batman, but Superman isn't as easily understood. And while writing and direction are very important, getting an audience to believe in the character falls squarely on the actor's shoulders, IMHO. All the visual effects in the world are not going to facilitate his ability to do this. Believing he can do fantastic feats is one thing, believing he exists for two and half hours is quite another.

Superman is a pretty complex character. Witness all of the debates by fans on his multiple personalities - which one is dominant, which one is the disguise, etc. Even though he has yet to wear the suit, TW has had the advantage to slowly peal the onion in a way that no other actor has been given. We've developed an intimate pathos for Clark because we can relate to his problems. How he deals with these matters is important to understanding what makes him tick.

Clark wants to be like everybody else, but his biology dictates otherwise. He doesn't want to be alone, but it's in his destiny nonetheless. He wants to be himself, but he knows he can't most of the time. His upbringing has created a morality that drives him to do what he feels is right, even at his own expense. But hiding his abilities when he wants to use them openly has created such an inner conflict that he often feels like two different people. The solution is a simple one, but Clark hasn't figured it out yet. When he does, the breakthrough will be exhilarating because the audience will have gotten to see the whole process from problem to solution. And the length of time it's taken to illustrate this adds another sense of realism to the character.

With a six year absence and a "vague" history, Singer expects his audience to already know these character traits about Superman and accept them at face value. Folks filing into the theaters in 2006 will be asked to already believe that Superman exists, and oh yeah... that he looks like this other guy. Meh. I wish them all the luck. They're gonna need it.

It's funny that when I first heard about the synopsis I thought it made sense, the Christopher Reeve movies were basically sacred in ppl's minds and SV was on the air as an origin story so to them the only way to avoid comparisson was to move forward. But now that I think more and more about it I think they just themselves on the foot, and more so they shot their boy Brandon Routh because that will a bigger task on his shoulders.
They're expecting the public to believe that Superman exists (who they never see "born" on the silver screen or any place else) and not only that
that he is that Superman we all love and worship that we saw on 2.
No one is gonna believe that (well maybe the members of Singer's cult) and I sincerely think that not even TW could've pulled that one).
If they wanted Routh so much they should've taken the time to do an origin story so he could have a better chance. So the public could see him since the beginning like Reeve and Welling.
If I was the director and I was working with Welling it would only made since to begin the movie where the show stops (doesn't mean it's SV the movie !) or do a new origin story and I truly believe those were the options on the table when Welling was involved. We all heard for months how it was gonna be a new origin. This new synopsis only appeared when they got rid of Welling.
As you said I wished them luck and especially Routh because now that I think about ...he got a raw deal in this.

 

[Pickle-El]

It's funny that when I first heard about the synopsis I thought it made sense, the Christopher Reeve movies were basically sacred in ppl's minds and SV was on the air as an origin story so to them the only way to avoid comparisson was to move forward. But now that I think more and more about it I think they just themselves on the foot, and more so they shot their boy Brandon Routh because that will a bigger task on his shoulders.
They're expecting the public to believe that Superman exists (who they never see "born" on the silver screen or any place else) and not only that
that he is that Superman we all love and worship that we saw on 2.
No one is gonna believe that (well maybe the members of Singer's cult) and I sincerely think that not even TW could've pulled that one).
If they wanted Routh so much they should've taken the time to do an origin story so he could have a better chance. So the public could see him since the beginning like Reeve and Welling.
If I was the director and I was working with Welling it would only made since to begin the movie where the show stops (doesn't mean it's SV the movie !) or do a new origin story and I truly believe those were the options on the table when Welling was involved. We all heard for months how it was gonna be a new origin. This new synopsis only appeared when they got rid of Welling.
As you said I wished them luck and especially Routh because now that I think about ...he got a raw deal in this.

The whole point of NOT doing an Origin was to not tread on you! (Smallville fans) If they wanted an origin, they could just as easily left McG at the helm and gotten Tom Welling the precccccccious, to do this film.

It's funny, you guys get so pissed at Singer, yet you forget to mention there was a snowballs chance in hell of Tom even considering this until Bryan Singer signed on....I guess he was more interested in a NON-Origin movie based script with an actual director who knew his stuff. Funny how that flies over so many heads. If it's true that he read and liked the script, I wonder how you would all be talking if he DID sign on.

 

[AgentPat]

The whole point of NOT doing an Origin was to not tread on you! (Smallville fans)

Aren't *you* a SV fan too, Pickle? Why do these discussions always devolved into "us vs. them?"

If they wanted an origin, they could just as easily left McG at the helm

Was Abrams' script an origin story?

and gotten Tom Welling the precccccccious, to do this film.

There you go again. Why the attitude?

It's funny, you guys get so pissed at Singer,

We do? As a directory, Singer is probably the only *good* thing about this film in my mind.

yet you forget to mention there was a snowballs chance in hell of Tom even considering this until Bryan Singer signed on....

Nobody has ever really argued that point. In fact, that combined with his refusal to do both film and skein at the same time is probably one of the few non-official factoids everybody can agree on.

I guess he was more interested in a NON-Origin movie based script with an actual director who knew his stuff. Funny how that flies over so many heads.

Since Welling has never publicly stated what he wanted or didn't want in a script, there's nothing to fly over anybody's heads. All we really know is that he didn't want to be "owned" by Warners for ten years, and if he did the film, SV would have to end.

If it's true that he read and liked the script, I wonder how you would all be talking if he DID sign on.

All we really know about the script is the six year absence, and this "vague" history thing. You and everybody else knows how most SV fans feel about Welling being cast in the film. We all knew that Singer and Co didn't want a Smallville movie. Most people were and still are fine with that decision, regardless of stated preferences to the contrary. I have said since Day One that I preferred it not to be Smallville: The Movie, but I didn't really care either way. The point has always been wanting an actor who we've come to accept and believe IS Superman based on an emotional and intellectual attachment that's been embedded in many people's psyches over the last four years. And those who don't watch SV wouldn't care either way, so why not target as many people as possible?

Gah! How many times have we debated this?

 

[jas01724]

Oh. My. Lord. Tom, take that shirt off now! Okay, so i'd want him to do that even if it was a nice shirt, but yikes - that's just hideous.

The write-up on my site -- short as it is -- says it all about what I think.

 

[AgentPat]

Hey James, didn't you want to say in your review that "a bright tablecloth shirt WOULD look out of place on Neil Diamond?"

 

[jas01724]

Hey James, didn't you want to say in your review that "a bright tablecloth shirt WOULD look out of place on Neil Diamond?"

No. It wouldn't look out of place on Neil Diamond, because he always dresses horrendously and I expect it from him. I didn't expect this from Thomas. *pouts*

 

[AgentPat]

Oh, okay. I thought you were making a comparison of extremes. eg: If it looks out of place on ND, then it must be re-heeeeely baaaaaaad - which arguably, it is. I'm with you though; Tom should have gone shirtless. LOL

 

[jas01724]

Oh, okay. I thought you were making a comparison of extremes. eg: If it looks out of place on ND, then it must be re-heeeeely baaaaaaad - which arguably, it is. I'm with you though; Tom should have gone shirtless. LOL

Unfortunately no... as bad as it is, Neil Diamond is still far worse. Sad.

I often get the feeling that Tom does it deliberately, as if he's trying to make a point...

 

[rumpuso]

You know though, with the happiness that was radiating off his face, with his wife by his side, I wouldn't have cared if he word a burlap sack. I'm just thrilled he actually appeared in public somewhere for us. It's been far too long!