For the past few months, fans have been voting for their favorite villains at TotalScifiOnline.com, and now the results are in for Smallville.

Lex Luthor (played by Michael Rosenbaum) has been voted Smallville’s all time top villain. The destructive Kryptonian creature Doomsday and his human alter ego Davis Bloome (played by Sam Witwer) came in second place while Brainiac (played by James Marsters), received the third highest amount of votes.

Lex, the young bald businessman turned power-hungry rogue, is played by Michael Rosenbaum, and was first introduced in the original pilot in 2001. The character then appeared in the show up until the end of season 7 when he disappeared in mysterious circumstances.

Check-out the commenmorative Lex Luthor wallpaper from Titan Magazines:

Click to download at Titan Magazines

The official Smallville Magazine Issue 33 – The Villains Issue, will hit comic book stores tomorrow (Tuesday, September 29th).

Features:

• Villains Themed Issue
• Tender Mercy: Cassidy Freeman
  Cassidy Freeman talks to Smallville Magazine about her journey on the show since joining the cast.
• The Beast Within: Sam Witwer
  Sam Witwer talks about playing Davis Bloome. Plus, a behind-the-scenes with makeup FX wizard Bill Terezakis to find out how he created Doomsday’s terrifying look.
• Toy Story: Chris Gauthier
  Toyman, Winslow Schott
• The Daily Planet News
  The latest news about all things Smallville
• Strip To Screen
  Learn all about the future history of the Legion of Super-Heroes
• Daily Planet Extra – Flying High
  Smallville executive producer Brian Peterson looks back at season eight and ahead to season nine!
• Meet Team Smallville
  The show’s award-winning supervising sound editor tells us about his work

For more information, go to Titan Magazines here.

More news from KryptonSite, which I’m totally bummed about since I look forward to all the new issues.  The official Smallville Magazine will be ending it’s run, confirming the rumors that issue #34 will be it’s final issue. 

Take a read below:

Hi Smallville fans,

We here at Smallville Magazine know that there have been many rumors and posts about the future of the title. So, to let everyone know where things stand, we sadly can confirm that Smallville Magazine will shortly be coming to its end after a long and successful run.

The good news, however, is that there are still two issues left to go! Smallville Magazine #33 (UK #29) will hit stores on September 29th in the US and Canada, and 8th October in the UK, rather than the previously advertised dates. We thought it better to coincide with the start of Smallville season nine rather than during the summer hiatus. Then, Smallville Magazine #34 (#30 in the UK) will be out in the US and Canada on November 24th, and in the UK on 3rd December.

We hope you’ll join us for our final two issues, as we have some great features and interviews coming up as always. First up is our ‘Villains’ special for #33, when we’ll be talking to Sam Witwer (Davis Bloome) and Cassidy Freeman (Tess Mercer), getting an inside look at how the Doomsday suit was made, and meeting the Injustice Gang, among other treats. Then, we’ll be wrapping things up with a special souvenir issue for #34 that we know you won’t want to miss!

Thanks for all your support, and we hope you enjoy our upcoming issues.

Best wishes,

Neil Edwards
Editor

SOURCE: KryptonSite

Loved this interview!  Bryan Cairns with Smallville Magazine caught up with Smallville executive producer Brian Peterson, and [soon to be] former Smallville executive producers Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer at the Smallville L.A. offices.  

I quickly typed up the entire interview below - Check it out:

Smallville Magazine: Going into season eight, it seems Smallville went quite a bit darker.
Brian Peterson: We didn’t go into this season wanting to make it darker. Moving the show from sunny Smallville with all the cornfields to a more gloomy urban environment like Metropolis probably played a role in it. 

Todd Slavkin: In the premiere, we knew Clark was lost in the Arctic and would end up in a gloomy place up north. We knew Lex was presumed dead, which is a dark concept. When you have the search for a missing Clark, there’s already a sense of doom and gloom. We all loved the premiere and thought it was a great engine to start the season, but hopefully we lightened up! Instinct and Plastique were [certainly] fun. We knew we had this great dynamic of Lois, Clark, and the Daily Planet. There’s this light Moonlighting dynamic [with Clark and Lois], and to balance that out, there’s that depth and darkness of some of the villains. 

Smallville featured some new blood this season, so what have the characters of Tess Mercer and Davis Bloome added?
BP: With Davis, people are responding to us taking a chapter like Clark who finds out that he has powers, but is going down the opposite path. It’s been really rewarding to write, and the fans are enjoying watching it [play out].

TS: Lex was a fantastic villain for this series, [and was] played by a terrific actor. In comes Tess to fill this man’s shoes and create a mystery at first. Then, there’s an attraction to Clark that we’ll play in later. We always played that Lex/Clark brotherhood, and now we have a woman in those shoes saying, “I know your secret, but I’m attracted to you at the same time.” Cassidy Freeman has exceeded all our expectations, and Sam Witwer is fantastic as well. You can’t wait to see what Davis is going to do or say next. It’s almost like he’s a bomb waiting to go off.

Darren Swimmer: The other thing I would add about Tess is that Lex took several seasons to go from a person who had good intentions, but had a dark soul and an evil father, to eventually become a fully evil [character]. With Tess, it’s a different dynamic, because she comes in already with a dark soul.

Now he’s a series regular, Justin Hartley continues to infuse plenty of charisma into Oliver Queen.
BP:  Oliver has a very different take on justice and on being a hero than Clark does. Using the parallel to show how Clark grows into the hero he eventually will be has been helpful, because Oliver is the one person on our show who can voice the other side of what Clark is actually doing.

TS: It’s fun to write the cad. With Oliver, we’ve yet to really go there, and this year, the four of us made the conscious decision of, “He’s a playboy. Let’s see it, feel it, hear it, and enjoy him as the womanizing party guy on the streets of Metropolis.” Justin is so charming when he’s in that mode, so it’s been great.

DS: The other thing about Oliver this year is, because we’ve had him more episodes, we’re able to see more of his personality, and every episode [he’s in] doesn’t have to be Oliver-centric.

Doomsday is a very visual villain, so was it challenging bringing that image to the screen?
TS:  We were all extremely concerned when the four of us got together and came up with the idea of this mild-mannered paramedic who turns into this beast that would look like [he does in] the comic books.  We worried and talked about it, and our entire production crew in Canada did an extraordinary job.  Bill Terezakis, who created the suit for Doomsday, received so many notes from us.  The four of us were very pleased.

BP:  Bill does a lot of work in the movies. [Monster-making is] an area we don’t usually go into, so we spent all this money and time on Doomsday.  It’s really paid off.

DS:  One of our big concerns with Doomsday was fans expressing that you couldn’t really capture him on film.  We were wondering if we could, and I think we achieved that with this amazing work.  The last sequence in Bride where Doomsday takes Chloe to the Fortress is bone-chilling, if you’ll pardon the pun!

Another highly anticipated episode was Legion.  Was that super-hero group even on your radar, and how did that come about?
DS:  We knew writer Geoff Johns through [former Smallville supervising producer] Jeph Loeb.  We got word he was interested in doing [an episode with the Legion].  Geoff pitched us the concept and we immediately thought it was great.  Those three characters [Rokk, Imra and Garth] have an amazing dynamic with each other, and they’re really fun coming back in time [as they do].

TS:  Geoff was great to work with.  We felt extremely honored to have a writer of that stature wanting to come to Smallville.  That episode is unusual for us, because we wouldn’t normally have three comic book characters from the future come back.  It fits like a glove, and was incredible that it lined up to where we are with Chloe’s infection as Brainiac, how she’s going to get cured, and the fact that the Legion come back to help with that story as well as take Brainiac to the future.  It’s like we thought about it years ahead of time.

“Lana comes back a different woman, and leaves even more different [than she arrived] –Brian Peterson

Has it been tricky weaving Lana back into the storyline?
BP: We actually had a plan right from the start, and it laid out exactly as we intended. It’s exactly what this season needs right now, where she comes in and inspires the love triangles, as well as Clark and Oliver’s journeys. Lana comes back a different woman, and leaves even more different [than she arrived].

TS: We wanted her time [back] on the show to have [a lot of] gravity and magnitude.

There’s also been some foreshadowing concerning Lex’s return. Are you still hoping to get Michael Rosenbaum back?
DS: We’d like to. We’re trying our best.

 TS: Michael’s busy. He’s doing a lot of projects, but we’re in constant contact with him.

BP: He knows how much we want him back.

After Bride and Legion, where’s Smallville heading in the second half of the season?
DS:  We’ve been talking about how, for so long, Clark was not willing to accept the mantle of being a hero, and now that he has, the second half of this season is going to be him slightly overshooting that target and neglecting the life of Clark Kent.  That identity will become an impediment to the hero he’s trying to be.  It’s a flip of what we’re used to seeing him [deal with].

TS:  In the end, Clark will face the biggest decision of his life.  That’s what we’re gearing toward.  Whether this is the series’ end – which we hope not since the four of us are intent on a season nine – this will really propel us in a great way.

DS:  The series has always been Clark grappling with being a super hero and resisting his alien nature.  Now, it’s [about] him grappling with being a human.

Will there be a big pay-off between Clark, Doomsday, and the League?
TS: We have plans for the Justice League, Doomsday, and Clark Kent.  They’ll all tie up in a huge grand finale.  At this point, the specifics aren’t ironed out, but those three entities will definitely be in play.

After all Chloe’s been through, is she going to catch a break?
BP: We’re right in the middle of her arc right now and trying to figure it out. It’s going to involve Davis, though. Since the beginning of the show, she’s been on a trajectory of where she wanted her life to go, and she’s been on a bit of a detour from that. Chloe’s going to get back on track to what she [always] wanted.

TS: With Davis, she sees a victim, someone she can help. The fact that he’s [created by] Kryptonians makes it that much more special. She knows so much, yet refuses to give up on Davis. She sees him plagued by these demons and this beast, so Chloe is intent on quelling that beast. She and Clark will be at odds in a certain way, but she’s doing the right thing. Chloe has been through a lot this year and has had the most difficult time of all the characters.

If Chloe is bent on helping Davis, where does that leave Jimmy?
TS:  In episode 16 [Turbulence], they split up, and this is where Jimmy begins his dark spiral.  He knows the truth about Davis, and I’m not  going to say he turns into a stalker, but Jimmy desperately wants to convince Chloe of the truth..  What we don’t want to do is more of Chloe and Jimmy pining for eachother.  We want them to move on.

BP:  Turbulence is Jimmy-centric.

TS:  Turbulence is not him in a different guise, but it’s all about Jimmy, and we’re playing it a little serialized.  We’ll find Jimmy transferred [to Metropolis] for his recovery [from his injuries when Doomsday attacked], and that’s [where and] when he discovers the truth about Davis.

Are we going to see Lois becoming more of that iconic reporter she is in the comic books?
TS: Starting with Legion, she’s not in the next four episodes. That was due to contractual issues, as well as the fact we only have Lana for these four [episodes]. We really wanted to put our energy into that. I think the Lois fans will be really happy by the end of the season, because now that the “Red/Blue Blur” is [in the news], all her feelings for Clark are moved toward that [mysterious stranger]. Clark becomes much more of the mythos where it’s about Lois getting that interview – who is that guy? – and Clark trying to balance those two [different identities].

As we break the stories, every time we use the Justice League, we look at each other and say, “What a great television show Justice would make.”  –Todd Slavkin

Do you get a kick out of writing the Justice League?
BP:  What I like about them is, just like Oliver, they all help Clark become a hero.  What’s great is when they’re all placed in a story that puts them at odds with Clark.  We don’t want to do that all the time, but there’s still lessons he needs to learn.

TS: As we break the stories, every time we use the Justice League, we look at each other and say, “What a great television show Justice would make.”  You have all these great characters, but [we're making] Smallville, and it’s all about Clark.  It’s hard to explore them in that time, so to imagine a TV show where you have [characters like] Cyborg and Dinah Lance is amazing.  But a little goes a long way on Smallville.  We have an awesome Justice League episode planned [for the near future].

When you weren’t sure whether there’d be a ninth season, were you building toward a season finale or something open-ended?
TS: We had plans for both [eventualities]. We had two endings. We think there are many more stories to tell in the Smallville universe. We’re still pumped. To this day, we all still get excited about what we’re doing.

SOURCE:  Smallville Magazine #32

I read a fun interview in the latest issue of Smallville Magazine with Ryan Kennedy (Cosmic Boy), Alexz Johnson (Saturn Girl) and Calum Worthy (Lightning Lad) and again quickly typed out the partial interview to share – check it out:

Alexz Johnson (Saturn Girl) and Ryan Kennedy (Cosmic Boy)

Making their Smallville debut in season eights Legion were super heroes Rokk Krinn, Imra Ardeen, and Garth Ranzz, aka Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and Lightning Lad. Actors Ryan Kennedy, Alexz Johnson, and Calum Worthy talked to Bryan Cairns with Smallville Magazine about bringing this iconic trio to life…

Smallville Magazine: How well versed were you with Smallville and the Superman legacy before you took on the role of the Legion of Super-Heroes?
Calum Worthy: I’ve been a huge Smallville fan ever since it started. The year it began filming was the year I started acting. One of my first auditions ever was for a young Lex Luthor. I actually almost got it, but I didn’t want to shave my head because I was about to work on something else. I’m also a huge Justice League fan and had seen all the Superman movies.

Ryan Kennedy: I was very familiar with Smallville. Most people I know are fans of the show. Although I haven’t been able to follow every season, I’m sure I watched the entire first year and many episodes since then. As far as the mythology, I was always a fan of Superman, so that wasn’t a new interest to me.

Alexz Johnson: I was a little familiar. I wasn’t personally [interested in] comic books, but I have six brothers and a dad who collect them. They were all over the house growing up, and I’d hear about the Legion, which is what sparked my interest in playing this character. Music’s my passion, and I just finished doing an album with Sony. I didn’t think I was going to act, at least not until the CD came out, and after I was on tour. I wanted to wait a bit, but I thought it was so wicked to be a part of the Legion, because they’re pretty awesome. This is a group that supports Superman on his journey, which is cool.

Putting on the Legion ring was a really significant experience for all of us…” –Calum Worthy

Alexz, with so many brothers around, did that mean you dressed up as a super hero when you were young?
AJ: It’s funny, but no. When I was young, I always dressed up as Alice in Wonderland. My brothers always carried the super hero torch. You can always tell a guy who had the cape on until he was 14-years old or who had the Spider-Man pajamas and never took them off.

Ironically, your former Instant Star co-star, Laura Vandervoort, spent a season on Smallville as Kara.
AJ: I know – it’s a small world! Vancouver’s my hometown, so I love filming there. I’ve had some of my best times filming there. It’s close to home and felt like it was in my backyard. Laura did an amazing job; she was Supergirl in every way.

Calum Worthy (Lightning Lad)

Viewers have commented on how closely you resemble Saturn Girl in appearance.
AJ: Oh, really? That’s awesome! From the images I’ve seen, some of them are different, where her hair is very short and she looks almost elfin. I know they were going for that, and considering her name was Imra, she can be [somewhat] woodland and fairy-esque. That’s quite a compliment, though. She’s pretty cute in the comics, so I’ll take it!

How would you describe your respective characters?
CW: Geoff gave me a really good analogy, which is that Garth is the personification of his power, which is lightning. In his head, he moves from one thing to another quickly. He’s almost got ADD, and this aspect of his character can be harmful to the rest of the Legion, because he [usually] doesn’t think before he acts. However, when Rokk and Imra really need him, Garth’s always up for the task. There are some great scenes where we see Garth change from his usually crazy ways to becoming a totally focused guy.

RK: I would describe Rokk as very military. He takes his job, responsibility, and powers very seriously. He’s very [certain] in his duty and what he needs to do in order to bring justice and making sure good overcomes evil. Rokk’s very passionate about it and honorable.

AJ: Imra has the ability to read people’s minds, which is crazy. She can see below the surface and [know] people’s intentions. That’s pretty awesome, especially in this day and age. It’s right up there with the ability to fly.

Thank God there were no tights, because I don’t think I can do tights!”  –Ryan Kennedy

What brings the Legion to the past?
CW: We come to Smallville to save Clark from a villain, but when we get there, we discover there are a few other things we have to accomplish.

AJ: They’re there to guide Clark, help him on his journey, and to [help him] make the right decisions, because we know all about his future, especially Imra. We’ve studied him, and for us, it’s like going back in history. We’re here to help clean up a little mess and keep things on track for the future of the world.

In what way does the Legion approach the Brainiac threat differently than Clark?
CW: The Legion approaches Brainiac with [a lot of] aggression and are prepared to use violence. Clark teaches them there’s always a way to defeat the villain without resorting to killing.

Tom Welling (Clark Kent)

RK: We came in with a very big picture mentality. If a million people are in jeopardy and one person has to be sacrificed, we have to do that. When you’re focused on the big picture, you’re somewhat blinded. Clark refuses to give up a sacrificial lamb. The Legionnaires definitely learn that even one life for many isn’t an acceptable loss. Clark really inspires them.

AJ: Brainiac is a bad buy, and Clark is [eventually going to be] Superman. We’re more professional in our approach. When the crap hits the fan, it’s like, “We’re the Legion and are super heroes.” We’re not greater super heroes than Clark Kent, but we’ve been doing this for a long time. We can deal with the issue.

What’s the Legion’s first impression of Clark?
CW: They’re in a complete awe. Glen told us to act like we’d seen Jesus or Elvis. It’s an incredible experience for them, almost spiritual.

RK: For Rokk, Superman was his absolute idol. Basically, what he stands for influenced Rokk and his career. After a while, we start to become disillusioned because Clark hasn’t put on the suit yet and discovered everything he’s going to be. The other Legionnaires start to question whether he’s more legend than truth. It’s a little confusing and frustrating for us. Where Rokk is very stubborn and stuck in his ways, he really tries to believe in this guy who hasn’t shown [them] what they know he becomes.

AJ: It is like meeting Elvis. It’s like going back and meeting someone who’s a huge influence on popular culture. They’re almost speechless when they meet him, and try to keep their cool. There’s a couple of funny scenes involving that.

How was the atmosphere on the Smallville set?
CW: It was great. I had actually worked with Allison Mack before, on a film called When Jesse Was Born. She was involved in that, so I’ve known her for a couple of years now. Tom Welling told me he’d directed a few episodes [of Smallville], and when we approached a scene, you could see that. He was a cool guy. It was fun, and he connected with everyone quickly.

AJ: Allison is a sweetheart, and they were both professional. I had been on my own show [Instant Star] for four years, so I know how you develop this real connection with a crew. With your long hours, you have to be incredibly professional and driven. It’s a huge job. Tom and Allison are doing a fantastic job. They’ve been doing this for eight years, and it doesn’t even phase them. They’re incredibly humble and were very welcoming to us on set.

You can read the full interview, which is about 8-pages, in the latest Smallville Magazine available on newstands now.

SOURCE:  Smallville Magazine #32

Just picked up my copy of Smallville Magazine this morning and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.  I quickly typed up one of the interviews from the magazine (partial – you can read the full interview in Smallville Magazine) where they caught up with Aaron Ashmore to talk about his character, Jimmy Olsen, on Smallville. Check it out:

Aaron Ashmore

Jimmy Olsen is a character who’s been a part of the Superman story since 1938, so when he was introduced to Smallville in season six’s Zod, Aaron Ashmore became the latest in a long line of actors to play the role.

We caught up with Ashmore as filming got underway for the second half of season eight to find out more about where Jimmy’s relationship with Chloe is going, how much rivalry he feels with Sam Witwer’s Davis Bloome, and whether he’d like Jimmy to have superpowers of his own…

Smallville Magazine: How cool was it getting four generations of Jimmy Olsen together for the Smallville DVD last season, and what did you learn from sharing notes with them?
Aaron Ashmore:  It was really cool to get all those guys together. I had met them previously at a Superman Returns party. We were all on the red carpet, though, so it was nice to sit down and have a conversation with them [for the DVD]. I haven’t seen the featurette on the DVD yet, but it really sank in how long the character has been around and how many generations have been influenced. I’m obviously a fan of Superman and his world, which includes Jimmy Olsen. It really sunk in sitting there with Jack Larson [the first TV Jimmy Olsen], who’s been around a really long time.

Last season, there was a Jimmy/Chloe/Kara triangle. In what ways was being stuck in an elevator with a bomb a turning point for Jimmy and Chloe?
Ashmore:  There was a lot of secrets Chloe was keeping from Jimmy. Even though some people will disagree and say it was because she was super-hot, the only reason he went after Kara was because Jimmy felt he was being withheld from Chloe’s life [in regard to] the Clark situation. That was difficult for Jimmy to understand, and to some degree, is still a problem for him, but I think he’s gotten over it. At that point, he couldn’t understand why Chloe was lying to him, so this was an opportunity for them to be face to face in a situation where they might not make it, and for Chloe to be totally honest with him. Obviously, she didn’t tell Jimmy about Clark, but Chloe did reveal she had meteor powers. This was really the opportunity to come clean with him with no consequences, since they thought they were going to die. In that situation, Jimmy was fine with it.

What kind of reporting team did Jimmy and Lois make, and are you excited they are starting to establish that iconic friendship?
Ashmore:  Absolutely! I think they made a pretty good team. They got themselves in trouble, which is part of what they do. They got some good info and tracked down [lots of] stories. It’s cool that they’re at least having them interact, because for a long time, it was only Jimmy and Chloe. Jimmy and Lois together is a step toward what we know is going to be the future character. I don’t think they’re suddenly going to become best friends and the tag team that go after stories, but touching on it is a nice tease.

Beginning with capturing a photo of Lionel’s killer, did it feel to you like Jimmy was coming into his own journalistically?
Ashmore:  I think it’s a start. On the show, Jimmy has always had a good nose for the truth, whether it be journalistically or in [his personal life]. He may fumble around and not go after the story correctly, but he has great instincts when it comes to those around him. He picks up on the little things. There’s an episode when he says, “I know there’s something going on between Lois and Clark. They’re going to make a great couple.” Those pictures of Lionel were somewhat by accident, but nonetheless, he got the story.

After all, how many people have figured out that Clark is the Red/Blue/Blur?
Ashmore:  That really gave Jimmy a lot of credibility. All the characters that have been around Clark for so long haven’t put it together, except for those he’s told or who have caught him in the act. Again, he lucked out with the snapshot, but he put the rest of the pieces together.

With all Chloe’s pining over Clark, there were concerns that perhaps Jimmy wasn’t her true love. Did you have the similar doubts?
Ashmore:  In Jimmy’s mind, there have absolutely been doubts. It’s one of those situations where fans want it to be cut and dry; either Chloe is in love with him or not. That’s not really life, even if it’s what people want to see. To some degree, Chloe will always have a strong connection to Clark, whether or not she’s in love with him. People move on, but they can still have feelings. That’s how I see the situation. I think how they tackled it in Committed didn’t leave any doubts.

Kyle Schmid

Besides Smallville, you have the horror movies The Thaw and Deep Cove awaiting release.  Do you enjoy that genre?
Ashmore:  Yeah, I do.  I’d never done that type of film before, so it was a new experience for me.  A lot of people rip on that genre for being stupid, but it’s really hard to play those films where the energy is constantly up, having to keep it intriguing, and then keep the plot moving.  It’s actually a really difficult genre to make.  I had no idea!

Ironically, your co-star in both films is Kyle Schmid, who recently visited Smallville in the episode Identity.  What was he like to work with?
Ashmore:  Working with Kyle was awesome.  He’s a good actor and a super nice guy.  It was pretty sweet to do back-to-back movies with him.  He called me about a month-and-a-half after we wrapped the second movie to tell me he was coming to do an episode of Smallville.  We started joking that we were going to be a package deal, and every time we book a job the other guy had to come to be a part of it.  Unfortunately, I didn’t really get the chance to work with him on Smallville, but I thought he did an amazing job!

Read the full interview with Aaron Ashmore in the latest issue of Smallville Magazine, on newstands now.

SOURCE:  Smallville Magazine #32