The Joe Lando Web Page

Articles 8
2002 & 2003
Click on Article for the Whole Story.

TV Guide (USA) Sept 20-26, 2003

Shows You Can Watch Together
By Michael Davis

HG the second time around Stories about drugs and other teen turmoil make Higher Ground a series to look up to.

Here's a recommendation for a worthy show in reruns that can offer parents and teens a springboard for conversation. If you missed Higher Ground when it ran on Fox Family in 2000, you can catch all 22 episodes on WAM!, Starz Encore's digital cable channel for younger viewers. The series airs Saturday at 8 pm/ET with an episode about how dyslexia, a common learning disability, can lead some to anguish, shame, and rage.

Hunky Canadian actor Hayden Christensen, 23, costarred in this series before he went on to portray Anakin Skywalker in the second "Star Wars" trilogy, where he perfected poutiness in a galaxy far, far, away.

On Higher Ground, Christensen plays a sullen teen with a substance abuse problem who is sent to Mt. Horizon, a tough-love school in the Northwest wilderness. Joe Lando (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) is the school's lead-by-example headmaster.

Though soapy and at times overly simplistic, this remains one of the few action-adventure shows to explore why good kids do bad things. It's an ensemble drama about kids who are expelled from home and sent away to gain a greater sense of responsibility and self-esteem. Higher Ground presents characters and situations that can lead to what educators call the "teachable moment." That's when a shared viewing experience - in the right setting and under the right circumstances - can open doors to discussion, debate, and the probing of feelings about teen anger, alienation, and abandonment.

Telepiù (Italy) July 2003

Two new TV movies starring Joe Lando

Translation by Rossella

He started working as an actor in the soap opera "One Life to Live", but the audience remembers him as Sully in the TV series " La Signora del West " ( Italian title of Dr.Quinn Medicine Woman) with Jane Seymour.

Now Joe Lando has starred in two new TV movies.

"Counterstrike", is a gripping action -thriller movie where Joe plays a secret agent named Vince Kellogg. He and his brother Thomas -- starring Bob Estes-- fight against some terrorists who threaten to trigger off a nuclear war.

In "Killer Flood: The Day The Dam Broke", Joe plays an architect trapped with his young son inside a dam.

TBS News Release, March 4, 2003

TBS Superstation Sweeps Adult Demos in Prime and Total Day

Sister Network TNT Ranks Second among Most Adult Demos;
Superstation Original Movie COUNTERSTRIKE is Cable's Most-Watched Movie for the Week

March is roaring in like a lion at TBS Superstation, with the network sweeping the first week of the month as basic cable's #1 network in prime time and total day among all key adult demographics. Sister network TNT finished a close second in most of the key adult demos, including all of the prime time demos.
Leading the way for the Superstation's success were the premiere of the original movie COUNTERSTRIKE, cable's most-watched movie for the week, and a lead-in telecast of The Mummy.
The following are claims for TBS Superstation and sister network TNT the week of Feb. 24-March 2:
TBS Superstation, #1 among adults 18-34 prime time (506,000)
        TNT, #2 among adults 18-34 prime time (432,000)
TBS Superstation, #1 among adults 18-49 prime time (1,106,000)
        TNT, #2 among adults 18-49 prime time (1,023,000)
TBS Superstation, #1 among adults 25-54 prime time (1,171,000)
        TNT, #2 among adults 25-54 prime time (1,062,000)
TBS Superstation, #1 among persons 2+ prime time (2,177,000)
TBS Superstation, #1 among adults 18-34 total day (332,000)
TBS Superstation, #1 among adults 18-49 total day (692,000)
        TNT, #2 among adults 18-49 total day (596,000)
TBS Superstation, #1 among adults 25-54 total day (682,000)
        TNT, #2 among adults 25-54 total day (622,000)
This week marked the sixth consecutive week that TBS Superstation and TNT have ranked #1 and #2 in total day among adults 18-49 and 25-54. The weeks of Jan. 20, Jan. 27 and Feb. 24, TBS Superstation ranked #1 and TNT #2, while the weeks of Feb. 3, Feb. 10 and Feb. 17, TNT ranked #1 and the Superstation #2.
TBS Superstation's original movie COUNTERSTRIKE (Sunday, March 2, 8 p.m.) and its lead-in, The Mummy (Sunday, March 2, 5:30 p.m.), each claimed the following titles for the week:
COUNTERSTRIKE: Most watched movie among all cable networks (3,842,000 persons 2+)
The Mummy: Basic cable's #1 movie among adults 18-49 (1,653,000)
COUNTERSTRIKE: Basic cable's #1 movie among adults 25-54 (2,068,000)

Broadcasting & Cable, March 3, 2003

TBS hits with Counterstrike

By Allison Romano
Broadcasting & Cable
3/4/2003 8:00:00 AM

TBS Superstation unleashed its latest original action movie, Counterstrike, Sunday night to strong ratings.

Counterstrike scored a 3.1 overnight rating for its debut March 2, according to Nielsen Media Research, which came against stiff competition from the season premiere of Home Box Office drama Six Feet Under.

Naples Daily News (USA) March 1, 2003

'Counterstrike' filled with
quick, concise storytelling

By DAVE MASON, Scripps Howard News Service

"Counterstrike" serves as a strong thriller and a solid tribute to the Secret Service, Navy SEALS and other agencies.

The movie is about Taiwanese terrorists hijacking the Queen Elizabeth 2, a luxury liner carrying the presidents of the United States and China in a historic summit.

"Counterstrike" premieres Sunday on TBS.

The film is based on the novel "Attack on the Queen," written by "Crimson Tide" author Richard Henrick.

(There are plot spoilers in the next two paragraphs.)

The hope for a rescue from the terrorists lies with risk-taking ATF agent Thomas Kellogg (Rob Estes of "Providence"); his by-the-book brother, Vince, a Secret Service agent (Joe Lando of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman"); and Brittany Cooper (Rachel Blakely), the QE2's head of security.

It's up to them to stop the ship so Navy SEALs from the USS James Polk, a nearby submarine, can board the QE2.

It's not just a ship and two world leaders who are at stake. The terrorists get a briefcase with the device to download the codes for China's nuclear weapons.

The acting in "Counterstrike" is realistic and serves the story, but there's too much going on to allow for Emmy-winning moments. That's OK, though, because the focus here is where it should be: on quick, concise storytelling.

Other action movies have erred in trying to present complicated relationships and painful flashbacks, but "Counterstrike" simply deals with the family conflict between the Kellogg brothers. And I have to respect "Counterstrike" for not pretending to be anything more than it is. It's simply a thriller.

In preparing to play a Secret Service agent, Lando called his uncle — a professional in the field — for some tips.

"I also watched 'In the Line of Fire' with Clint Eastwood," Lando said. "And I read the original novel by Richard Hendricks, who gives a lot of detail in the book.

"You have to be willing to take a bullet for your country, so it's quite an honor to be part of the Secret Service," Lando said.

Director Jerry London keeps the film moving at a good pace and makes it easy to follow. Unfortunately, "Counterstrike" gets off to a slow start with small talk among the characters, and I almost lost interest right there. But hang on for a few minutes.

The film really begins with the obvious tension between the brothers and their debate on whether the United States and China can succeed in curbing the nuclear arms race by removing the warheads off the missiles in their silos. The theory is that the time needed to install the warheads would head off mistakes.

From that point, the story becomes compelling.

The film also stars the talented Marie Matiko ("The Art of War") as Monica Chang, who leads the Taiwanese terrorists and has good fight scenes with Cooper. Matiko makes Chang someone you truly can't stand.

The cast also includes Carmen Duncan as President Shaw, Christopher Lawford as Vice President Chet Ridgeway and Ron Lee as President Wu Youngjing.

Copyright © 2003 Naples Daily News. All rights reserved.
Published in Naples, Florida. A Scripps newspaper.

TV Guide (USA) Mar 1-7, 2003

Susan Stewart's Hits and Misses

NY Daily News, March 1, 2003

Action afloat at TBS
Terrorists grab QE2 in thriller

Rob Estes in 'Counterstrike'

Lots of action, coupled with a politically driven plot and an attractive cast, catapults TBS' "Counterstrike" into the winner's circle.

Airing tomorrow at 8 p.m., "Counterstrike" involves the takeover of the QE2 by Taiwanese dissidents during a Chinese/American summit on nuclear disarmament.

Besides opposing the fact that the U.S. and China are meeting together, the terrorists are after the codes for China's nuclear arsenal, hidden in the briefcase of a Chinese dignitary.

Based on Richard P. Henrick's novel "Attack on a Queen," "Counterstrike" co-stars Rob Estes ("Melrose Place") as ATF agent Thomas Kellogg and Joe Lando ("Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman") as his estranged brother, Vince.

Stunning Rachel Blakely gives an effective performance as Britanny Cooper, the QE2's head of security and Kellogg's love interest. She and Marie Matiko as Monica Chang, a Taiwanese who teaches martial arts aboard the ship, have the best action sequences.

The tension between the Kellogg brothers stems from the death of their brother Jack, who was killed years ago in a rock-climbing accident. Vince blames Thomas for Jack's death. However, they're forced to set aside their differences when the QE2 is in jeopardy.

In a gender-bending twist, actress Carmen Duncan plays the President of the United States.

Fast-paced, "Counterstrike" has no wasted scenes or dialogue, and lots of drama. For example, a bomb threat aboard the luxury liner keeps Vince and Brittany busy, while Thomas rushes to the rescue by making a daring jump onto the QE2.

Other standouts in the cast include Joshua Biagi as Joshua, the young nephew of the Kellogg brothers - who keeps in touch with his Uncle Vince by their secret radio - and Christopher Lawford as Vice President Chet Ridgeway, whom young Joshua invites to share his radio hookup.

Overall, "Counterstrike" serves up a night of nail-biting excitement.

Originally published on March 1, 2003

All contents © 2003 Daily News, L.P.

Hollywood Reporter, February 28, 2003

"Counterstrike"

Feb. 28, 2003

By Ray Richmond

Sunday March 2, 7-9 p.m.
TBS Superstation

TBS Superstation's "Counterstrike" is one of those typically dopey made-for-cable Armageddon flicks where the fate of mankind hangs in the balance -- and only some profoundly ill-equipped lugs stand between the world and certain doom.

Here, it's just China's luck that extremists are poised to intercept the codes for their nuclear arsenal and hand them to the Republic of Taiwan. And their only chance to stave off this doomsday scenario is a couple of squabbling brothers who are too dense to stop sniping even when everything's on the line. It's like, OK, OK, Mom loved him more -- now can you forget about it and save the universe, please?

The thriller is based on the Richard P. Henrick novel "Attack on the Queen." It's not to be confused with the 1966 heist movie "Assault on a Queen" that stars Frank Sinatra. Come to think of it, maybe we are supposed to confuse the two. "Assault" was about a stick-up of the Queen Mary in the middle of the Atlantic. "Counterstrike" deals with the terrorist hijack of the Queen Elizabeth 2 during an oceangoing world summit attended by the leader of China (Ron Lee) and the female president of the United States (Carmen Duncan).

It happens that extremists sympathetic to Taiwan have commandeered the QE2 and will settle for nothing less than cracking China's codes and removing that nation from the nuke-equipped list. The leaders are now hostages. And if things don't go as the "freedom fighters" wish, a bomb will be detonated, and it's bye-bye everybody. It looks like nothing can stop these hard-core warriors except two brothers. One is a devil-may-care ATF agent (Rob Estes). The other is a by-the-book Secret Service agent (Joe Lando). Then there is the comely ship security chief (Rachel Blakely) who is clearly on hand merely to supply eye candy with her shapely thighs and ample cleavage.

So anyway, our macho heroes just can't seem to stop tossing barbs at each other, as if they now need to settle petty childhood rivalries on the world stage. Like government operatives need added baggage, you know?

J.B. White's teleplay adaptation is packed with all of the properly stock suspense-builders and cliffhangers, while the music by Garry McDonald and Lawrence Stone thunders with all of the consequence the action dictates. Jerry London's perfunctory direction is about what we'd expect in a film where predictability is elevated to an art form.

Suffice it to say that the brothers don't kill each other, nor do they ever button their yaps.

COUNTERSTRIKE
TBS Superstation
Lions Gate Television in association with Coote-Hayes Prods.
Credits:
Executive producers: Ellen Burditt, Richard P. Henrick, Jeffrey Hayes, Greg Coote
Producer: Darryl Sheen
Co-producer: Marc Van Buuren
Director: Jerry London
Writer: J.B. White
Based on the book "Attack on the Queen" by: Richard P. Henrick
Director of photography: Ben Nott
Production designer: Eugene Intas
Costume designer: Wendy Cork
Art director: J.D. Wingrove
SFX supervisor: Brian Holmes
Editor: Michael Brown
Music: Garry McDonald, Lawrence Stone
Sound recordist: Paul Clark
Casting: Lisa London, Catherine Stroud, Shaunda Grace Jones, Maura Fay & Associates, Tom McSweeney
Cast:
Vince Kellogg: Joe Lando
Thomas Kellogg: Rob Estes
Brittany Cooper: Rachel Blakely
Maggie Chang: Marie Matiko
Vice President Ridgeway: Christopher Lawford
President Shaw: Carmen Duncan
President Wu Youngjing: Ron Lee
Capt. Kevin Blake: Jerome Ehlers
Capt. Kram: Steve Bastoni
Kelly: Natalie Bassingthwaite
Sanders: Kevin Fry
Hart: Sandy Winton
Capt. Young: Jack Heywood
Chef Connor: Marcus Eyre
Mike Galloway: Kenneth Ransom
Ping: Kee Chan
Admiral Lewis: Nick Tate
Barry Jinks: Stuart Campbell
Thad: Brad McMurray
Morrison: Kevin Copeland

USA Today, Friday, February 28, 2003

Critic's Corner

by Robert Bianco...

"Joe Lando and Rob Estes star in the amusingly cheesy Counterstrike (TBS,
Sunday, 8 p.m. ET/7 PT) as government agents trying to foil a hijacking attempt
on the QE2. Nothing about the movie is believable. (It never bothers to explain
why the president of the United States and China would elect to meet on a
British ocean liner.) But it goes by fairly quickly, and the outside shots of
the ship are lovely. Interiors were shot elsewhere, so don't blame the QE2 for
the overall tackiness."

Ottawa Citizen, Feb 27, 2003

A former Baywatch star and a soap opera actor are joining the cast of a big-budgeted sci-fi thriller that begins filming Tuesday in Ottawa.

Nicole Eggert, who played Summer Quinn for two years on Baywatch, and Joe Lando, a series regular on One Life to Live who more recently played on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, are appearing in Decoys, a $5-million feature film that will be shooting at various locations in the city.

It's the second movie in six months that is being filmed in Ottawa after last year's drama Outrage, which starred Alexandra Paul, also a former Baywatch regular.

Decoys is expected to hit theatres this fall.

Director Matt Hastings describes the film as "American Pie meets Species," although it will also have a "sci-fi bent" to it and some humour. It's the story of two beautiful female aliens who come to earth and begin a series of strange events at a college campus during a very cold winter.

Snow is an important element in the film -- the aliens are from an ice planet and need cold weather to survive -- and the recent big snowfall has been a boon for the production, he said.

"I'd say almost half the movie will be shot outside," said Mr. Hastings, who's been in Ottawa for a month scouting locations.

"Not a lot of the features have been shot here, and there's so many beautiful locations in the city that we will be tapping into."

The University of Ottawa, St. Paul University, the Father and Sons restaurant on Osgoode Street, other locations in Sandy Hill and the Lees Avenue campus of Algonquin College are slated for use.

Ottawa actress Krista Morin has one of the principal roles in the film, playing the part of Vikki Vickers, the head sorority sister at the college. She said the sudden arrival of these film productions is a good sign for Ottawa actors who have had to go elsewhere for film auditions.

"Ottawa is more of a theatre-based town, so this is pretty exciting. Before, we used to go to Montreal for auditions and shoot there. But the fact that they're coming here to us is great," said Ms. Morin, 23, who appeared in the movie Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.