And you convinced yet that Dominic Monaghan is one terrific actor?

The Englishman, of course, became internationally famous as the lovable hobbit Merry Brandybuck in the Lord of the Rings movies.

A year after the last of those movies, he topped that with a break-out performance as the heroin-addicted musician Charlie Pace on Lost.

Then last year, he shook things up yet again with a turn as the mysterious and menacing Dr. Simon Campos on Flash Forward.

If you’re not convinced yet what a terrific, versatile actor he is, what in the world is it going to take?

Since Dominic is so often featured in genre-themed projects, we were eager to talk to him one-on-one. At a recent press event, along with several other reporters, we finally got a chance:

Question: Do you have theories about your character on Flash Forward? How much do you yourself know?

DM: I know some things. I know his motivation, I know where he’s going, where he’s headed. Then there’s other things that I don’t know.

I feel like if Simon doesn’t know, then I — Dom — doesn’t want to know. If Simon knows, then I want to know. So those are the questions that I’m asking [producers] David [Goyer] and Jessika [Goyer] in the writers’ room.

Q: Do you pay attention to what the fans say about you?

DM: Some stuff. I’ve been [to some sites] a couple of times and read a couple of things, what people think about the character and the show. I don’t tend to dive into too much, I don’t want to get too dangerous.

But I’m online, and I search around, and I go to forums.

Q: Do you ever see conspiracies on the online boards and think, “Oh, wow, you’re so wrong.”

DM: Or you’re so right! I saw a lot of stuff with Lost, and I saw a lot with Flash Forward where I think, “Wow, these guys are on it. These guys know what’s going on! These guys sound like they’re in the writers’ room, because they’re predicting things that are actually happening.”

Q: Between Lord of the Rings, Lost, and now Flash Forward, you seem to be doing a lot of fantasy and science fiction. Is that something you personally enjoy, or is that just a coincidence?

DM: I don’t necessarily know if it’s purely coincidental. I became an actor because of Star Wars. I watched Han Solo when I was seven or eight, and I thought, “That’s what I want to do.”

I have a large collection of fantasy in my film library, from Dark Star to Dark Crystal to Star Wars to Star Trek to 2001. Lots of sci-fi.

But I probably have more comedy, [more] America gangster movies than anything else.

It’s just good projects more than anything else. If you look at those three things, I don’t necessarily see the link being fan-based, ComicCon wet dreams. It’s more that they’re good projects. Lord of the Rings was a great script, Lost was a great project, Flash Forward was a great project.

I go where there’s good writing and a great chance to do something new.

Q: You mentioned Star Wars, which reminds me of Mark Hamill and the problems he had breaking away from the role that made him so famous. You made such an indelible impression in Lord of the Rings. Were you ever worried about being typecast?

DM: Yeah, and I had a year or so where I wasn’t working and felt as if I in danger of being locked into those movies and never get out of them again. I got very lucky with Lost. That was a very adorable character to play, and I think the audience very quickly leapfrogged with me from the character I played in Lord of the Rings to Charlie.

You’ve got work out your challenges in your job and set your mind on that goal. I know I can act, I know that I’m capable of acting, so really that as a challenge isn’t as complicated for me as navigating my way through the pigeonholes that people want to put me in.

I stopped worrying [too much] about learning my lines or being present on the set or giving a good performance, and I started concentrating my thoughts on how do I navigate my way through this business when I don’t look necessarily look like Paul Newman and I’m not built like Hugh Jackman. How do I do that?

Q: Was there anything you turned down?

A: Sure! I turned down a lot of pixie-like, elf-like [characters], guys who live under toadstools and bridges. And I turned down a lot of adorable best-friends-to-the-lead-guy, who’s just kind of a nice guy. I was like, “I don’t wanna do that.”

I still hold back. When I was younger, roles I played were much more comedic-based. I love comedy, and that’s something I ultimately I want to do. But I said to my agent going into my career in America, “I don’t want to do comedy until I’ve proven that I can do drama to a large audience.” Because then when I do comedy, they’ll say, “Oh, yeah, but he is a dramatic actor.” If you just do comedy, then you’re going to have a very hard time breaking into drama.

Q: Did you have to convince the producers of Flash Forward you could do “dark”?

DM: No, I don’t think so. They’re big fans of Lost. I think they saw something in Charlie that was dark enough. He had some dark moments. He can be a bad-ass when he feels like that.

I think David and Jessica wanted that. They were like, “We watch the show and we watched Charlie, and we liked it was he’s f***ing bad and not nice. And we want you to play that character all the time. So if you’ll let us, that’s what we want to write.”

I was like, yeah, that’s what I need now.

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Four Torches (Out of Five)

What would you do if you had a glimpse of your future, and it was bad? Or what if everyone else had a glimpse of their future, and you didn’t seem to have one?

It’s a good bet you’d do everything you could to try to change that future, to make sure what you saw, or didn’t see, never happened.

But can the future be changed? We all know what the producers of Star Trek think, but is that the truth?

These are the questions that drive the new show Flash Forward, the premiere of which airs this Thursday (ABC, 8 PM/7 C).

The series is based on a (pretty good) book by sci-fi author Robert J. Sawyer, about how the whole world “blacks out” at the same time for just over two minutes. In the TV series, during these black-outs, everyone has a vision of their futures six months ahead.

(Incidentally, those scenes of disaster on that Los Angeles freeway after everyone blacks out? That’s not all CGI — they actually shut down that freeway in order to film it. There were apparently lots of angry commuters!)

Anyway, will the solution to the central mystery of how these visions came to be end up being the same as in the book? It’s hard to imagine how they could come with any other explanation.

But honestly, this series isn’t really about the solution to that mystery — not any more than Lost is about how they got on the island.

No, it’s more about the individual characters and how they deal with the fact that their futures are not necessarily what they expected. Some of the characters are looking forward to their futures. Some are confused and frightened by what they’ve seen. And some — those who see nothing but blackness during their black-out — are downright terrified.

The pilot, screened for critics by the network, is gripping and fast-paced. But because the show has a large Lost-like ensemble, it’s hard to get a sense of any of the characters, so it’s difficult to know just how engaging this show will be over the long-term.

(Truthfully, I’d just finished watching the pilot for the remake of V and, as single episodes go, I’d found that a lot more intriguing.)

Still, the show is obviously well-done, and there is a plot-twist toward the end of the first hour that’s not part of the book, and it will definitely get everyone to sit up and take notice. It did me.

Better still, the producers promise that, unlike with Lost, almost all of the mysteries introduced in the pilot, including the intriguing plot-twist I just mentioned, will be wrapped up by the end of the first season.

Does that mean that if the show has a second season, the whole world will have another “flash forward”? I think it’s more likely that individual characters will have such visions.

Now I’m getting way ahead of myself.

Flash Forward didn’t strike me as the zeitgeist-y, must-see show that the network is clearly hoping it will be. But it’s worth watching.

Looking to buy Flash Forward, the book (or any other media)? Support TheTorchOnline.com by purchasing it through this link.

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Have a question about something fantasy-related? Ask the Oracle! (Be sure to include your first name and the city, state, and/or country you are writing from.)

Q: I’m a big fan of the Robert Sawyer novel Flash Forward (about how the whole world has a vision of their futures at the same time). You say it’s becoming a TV series this fall on ABC, and I’m curious if the explanation for the “flash forward” phenomenon will be the same as in the book, and also how they’re going to keep the show going if they answer the central mystery at the end of the first season, as you said they promised. — Yogi, Albuquerque, NM

A: The Oracle cautions you that I was told by the producers that they’ll answer most of the questions raised in the pilot by the end of the first season — but not all of them, and not the central mystery behind the flash-forwards.

“The over-arcing sort of cause of why the blackout happened, that’s kind of like our background radiation mystery of the whole series,” says co-creator David S. Goyer.

Will the explanation be the same as in the book? Truthfully, I can’t imagine what other explanation there could be for it.

“We had an amazing time figuring out how to adapt it from the book,” says executive producer Jessika Borsiczky Goyer. “The book — the flash-forwards are 21 years into the future. We’ve adapted it to, obviously, about six months. We took some other liberties, came up with new characters.”

But if the flash-forward is now only six months ahead, what happens when the series catches up to the would-be future? A second flash-forward?

This is pure speculation, but I’m thinking yes — if only because otherwise the title doesn’t make sense any more. But — and again, this is just speculation, based on comments from the producers and my reading of the book — I predict that any future flash-forwards will be experienced by individuals, not the entire world.

Anyway, as important as the phenomenon itself is to the story, I wouldn’t get too caught up in that. As in the book, I think most of the episode-by-episode action will be on the level of human drama.

Q: What’s Lucy Lawless really like? – Andrew, Hartford, CT

Q: Your question is, no doubt, prompted by the fact that the Oracle recently interviewed the Xena star (since it was mostly about her new show Spartacus: Blood and Sand, most of the interview with run closer to its January air-date).

Lucy is beautiful — and looks remarkably fit and youthful for 41 — but it is a very approachable beauty, not like some celebrities I’ve interviewed who are so flawless, almost godlike, that it seems a little creepy.

But what struck me the most is how she is nothing like Xena. Of course I knew that that’s just a character she played, but on some level, I guess I thought it couldn’t be too far from who she really is.

Unlike Xena, Lucy is the opposite of serious. She is smart and quick and light and very irreverent. The best word I can use is impish, almost seeming to take delight in saying provocative or quirky things.

Granted, I only spent 20 minutes with her one-on-one, but I can absolutely see how she would love doing the comedy Xena episodes — the more outrageous the better. I can also see how she could (reportedly) frustrate a method actor like Renee O’Connor a little bit, because I suspect she’s very loose and casual in her approach to most things in life.

Which isn’t to say she isn’t an absolute pro at what she does, both on-screen and off. The Oracle was a total fan before meeting, and is even more so one now.

Q: Okay, I know the Minotaur had the body of a man and the head of a bull. But was there one Minotaur — or was it a species of creatures, like centaurs? — Abby, Halifax, Nova Scotia

A: Thanks to the magical and capricious nature of the Greek gods, it’s somewhat difficult for the Oracle to say.

The Minotaur was the offspring of King Minos of Crete, who angered the god Poseidon by refusing to sacrifice a beautiful snow-white bull in the god’s honor. In response, Poseidon enchanted Minos’ wife to fall in love with a different white bull. She had sex with it  — if you must know, she was disguised as a cow at the time, hiding in an exquisitely constructed wood decoy — and the result was the Minotaur, who grew into a monster so horrible that, upon the advice of my own close personal friend, The Oracle at Delphi, was imprisoned in a vast labyrinth.

But was the Minotaur a separate species? Since the mating of a human and a bull cannot usually result in conception, magic was necessarily involved in the creature’s creation. Did the magic merely create a human with the head of a bull? Did it allow the creation of some kind of human/bull hybrid, like a mule? Or did it actually re-write the creature’s genetic code to create a separate species?

No Minotaur DNA remains to test — there aren’t even any ruins of the labyrinth itself (though there was an actual King Minos, and some say his Palace of Knossos was also the fabled labyrinth).

There aren’t even any clues from the myth itself. Had the Minotaur had a female paramour, we might have learned the answer. Had the two of them sired human off-spring, we would have known that, in fact, the Minotaur was essentially human. Had the couple been infertile, it would have meant the Minotaur was most likely a hybrid. And had the Minotaur’s tracked down a Minotaur wife — after all, Poseidon wasn’t the only capricious god! — and given birth to baby minotaurs (ouch!), it seems likely it would have been a separate species after all.

Alas, the Minotaur was killed by Theseus before he had a chance to reproduce.

Looking to buy Flash Forward (or any other media)? Support TheTorchOnline.com by purchasing it through this link.

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When it rains, it pours.

This doesn’t have anything to do with anything, since it’s definitely not raining fantasy programming on television this fall

Still, when you throw in sci-fi programming (which we figure our readers might also be interested in), there is a smattering of interesting shows.

And on Thursday nights, we do have something approaching a downpour, with four — Flash Forward, The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, and Fringe — fantasy/sci fi shows (often at the same time, running against each other, naturally).

Let’s take a look at each in turn — and also get the take of TheTorchOnline’s resident, all-knowing Oracle on each show:

The Vampire Diaries (The CW)

What It’s About: Teen vampires, from Kevin Williamson, the creator of Dawson’s Creek and the Scream movie franchise.

When It’s On: The show premieres Thursday, September 10th at 8 PM (The CW).

The Oracle Speaks: Yes, it’s a Twilight rip-off (although the network and the producers claim it isn’t, since the series is based on a series of YA novels from the 1990s). But the Oracle has seen the pilot, and it’s better than you think. “The premise is the same, you know, girl meets vampire,” Williamson says of the similarities to Twilight. “When I read the first book [in the series], I was like, ‘No way, this is Twilight.’ But with second book, you start to realize, ‘Boy, this is a fork in the road.’ It really does separate. So we’re getting to that fork in the road really quick.”

Supernatural (The CW)

What It’s About: Brothers who probe the supernatural.

When It’s On: The fifth season bows on Thursday, September 10th at 9 PM (The CW).

The Oracle Speaks: The show’s last season was its best ever, ending with a cliffhanger where Sam mistakenly releases Lucifer from hell. Incidentally, earlier this year, creator Eric Kripke was making noises about making this the last season, but all indications are that Kripke and company will return for a sixth season.

A recap of the last season:

Robin Hood (BBC America)

What It’s About: Duh.

When It’s On: The show returns for its third season on Saturday, September 12th at 9 PM (BBC America).

The Oracle Speaks: Is Marion really dead? Sadly, yes, and it’s up to Brother Tuck, making his first appearance on the show, to convince Robin that England is still worth fighting for.

Fringe (Fox)

What It’s About: J.J. Abrams’ series about two paranormal investigators picks up from last spring’s cliffhanger, where Olivia confronted the fact that there really are parallel universes — and guest star Leonard Nimoy lives in one of them.

When It’s On: The show returns for its second season on Thursday, September 17 at 9 PM (Fox).

The Oracle Speaks: The Oracle was a big fan of this show, especially the second half of last season and the terrific season finale. Leonard Nimoy already appears in at least one more episode, and the producers would love for him to come back for more. “We want him back as much as he wants to come back,” says executive producer Jeff Pinkner. Meanwhile, star Anna Torv tells TheTorchOnline.com, “I love that Olivia was a bit more masculine [than other shows]. This second season is shifting a bit, and the character of Peter is becoming a lot more proactive.”

Heroes (NBC)

What It’s About: Ordinary humans develop superhero-like abilities.

When It’s On: The show returns for its fourth season on September 21st at 8 PM (NBC).

The Oracle Speaks: After a disastrous second season, the producers furiously tried to get their groove back last year (with some success). Still, first season writer Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies), brought in to revitalize the series last year, has now left to pursue other projects. Additions to this year’s cast include Robert Knepper (Prison Break’s T-Bag) as an “earth-mover” and Ray Park (Star Wars‘ Darth Maul Toad, G.I. Joe’s Snake Eyes) as a super-fast henchman with a knack for knife-throwing.

Here’s the season preview:

Smallville (The CW)

What It’s About: Superman “before he was famous.” But does anyone still watch this show?

When It’s On: The show returns for its ninth season on Friday, September 25th at 8 PM (The CW).

The Oracle Speaks: No, seriously. Does anyone still watch this show?

Eastwick (ABC)

What It’s About: A TV adaptation of the 1987 movie (and the John Updike novel), The Witches of Eastwick.

When It’s On: The show premieres Wednesday, September 23rd at 10 PM.

The Oracle Speaks: Frankly, the Oracle is confused as to exactly what genre this project is. Some sort of supernatural chick lit? As in the movie, three beautiful women are brought together by the arrival in town of the mysterious Daryl Van Horne, who brings out in each of them witch-like powers. But there’s a catch. “You know, there are many different kinds of devils,” says Paul Gross, who plays Van Horne. X-Men nemesis Mystique, Rebecca Romijn, plays one of the witches.

Flash Forward (ABC)

What It’s About: The entire world loses consciousness at the same time for just over two minutes, during which they all have a vision of their lives six months in the future.

When It’s On: The series, which is based on a novel by Robert Sawyer, premieres on Thursday, September 24th at 8 PM (ABC).

The Oracle Speaks: With its ensemble cast and an over-arching central mystery, everyone is comparing the show to Lost — something the producers aren’t exactly shying away from either. But pilot is quite good, setting up the all-important question for the season — namely, can the future be changed? Best of all, the producers promise no convoluted Lost-like non-answers. “By the end of the first season, most of the questions raised in the pilot will be answered,” says creator David S. Goyer.

A video preview:

The Ghost Whisperer (CBS)

What It’s About: A woman who isn’t Haley Joel Osment, but who still sees dead people.

When It’s On: The returns for its fifth season on Friday, September 25th at 8 PM (CBS).

The Oracle Speaks: The Oracle has tried several times to watch this show, but unlike Jennifer Love Hewitt’s character on this show and dead people, it just doesn’t speak to him.

Medium (CBS)

What It’s About: A woman who has bad, but uncannily accurate dreams.

When It’s On: The show returns for a sixth season on Friday, September 25th at 9 PM (CBS).

The Oracle Speaks: This “comfort food” show has never been particularly cutting edge, but the Halloween episode definitely sounds intriguing: the producers are inserting star Patricia Arquette into footage of the original Night of the Living Dead movie, to create sort of a landscape of her dreams. “I love a good monster movie,” Arquette says. “Here I am in a monster show. I’m the monster, but it’s exciting.”

Dollhouse (Fox)

What It’s About: Joss Whedon’s latest, about programmable humans-for-order.

When It’s On: The show returns, improbably, for its second season on Friday, September 25th at 9 PM (Fox).

The Oracle Speaks: The Oracle was phenomenally disappointed with this show when it debuted last spring: the plots were shockingly simplistic, and Eliza Dushku simply didn’t have the acting chops to portray a different “character” every week. The show got marginally better in the second half of the season — but only marginally. Still, Joss Whedon honestly believes in the show, and has been hinting lately that some of its suckiness may have come from network interference. So perhaps its worth another look.

V (ABC)

What It’s About: Aliens comes to earth — but are they friendly, as they claim, or do they have more nefarious ends? A remake of the 80s mini-series and series.

When It’s On: The show premieres on Tuesday, November 3rd at 8 PM (ABC).

The Oracle Speaks: The pilot is flat-out terrific: both surprisingly faithful to the 1980s original, but also seeming very contemporary. “There was a huge awareness of the original,” says creator Scott Peters. “There are a lot of people who haven’t seen it, but by the time we get to air, we feel like [the alien's true intentions are] not the big surprise that everyone is going to gasp over. We really want to tell that story that is sort of already known out there so that we can leap forward in very quick manner. … Hopefully, we do it in an artful way and in a twist-filled way that will make folks who haven’t seen the show before jump a little bit.”

Alice (The SyFy Channel)

What It’s About: From the folks who brought you Tin Man, the 2007 retelling of the Oz stories, comes this like-minded mini-series retelling of the Alice in Wonderland story.

When It’s On: December (The SyFy Channel).

The Oracle Speaks: Naturally, the producers say this is nothing like any of the other adaptations of Wonderland you’ve seen — that it’s “racier, tougher, and sexier” — and it’s also nothing like the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp feature film, now in production. “I’ve always wanted to play the Queen of Hearts,” says co-star Kathy Bates. “I’ve always been a fan of the original books. [But] in the original version she’s screaming, ‘Off with her head’ all the time at everybody. And this queen has multi-layers — she has the same evil streak that the queen has in the original version, but for different reasons.”

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