Top Moments: Oprah and Walking Dead's Fight Clubs and Happy Endings' Sweet Dreams

Katrina Law It's about time the women got to be part of the action on Spartacus: Vengeance, and we're not just talking about between the sheets. This season's female ex-slaves have become an integral part of the resistance movement. Mira in particular helped orchestrate the demolition of Capua's gladiator arena and has also proven to be fierce in the field. In one skirmish, she even took a flying leap and landed on a Roman guard, stabbing him repeatedly. From Game of Thrones to Spartacus: TV's unsexiest sex scenes "I think that jump is being called the Flying Squirrel Monkey," Katrina Law, who plays former slave girl Mira, tells TVGuide.com. "I did all of my own stunts. There were no springboards or wires. It only took two takes to do it, so I'm pretty proud of myself." Mira's shift from servile to scrappy was partly organic to the story line and partly a result of Law's conversations with the writers at the end of Season 1. "I really emphasized that I would love to get in on the action," Law explains. "It was always the men that were the violence and always women doing the whole sexuality thing. So when I started seeing the new scripts and I realized that Mira was getting more and more active, I was like, 'Oh, yes. I get to pick up something and be dangerous and fight and be active.' It's a whole hell of a lot more fun than holding a vase in the background." Check out what else Law has to say about Mira's evolution, the sex scenes with Liam McIntyre and an intimate moment with a new warrior lady: Mira seems pretty vicious, but how tough is she really? She hasn't trained like the gladiators have.Katrina Law: Yeah, she's been pretty reckless for a good deal. She sees somebody in danger and she knows that if she could just stop them for a second or distract them, then maybe they'll have a chance to live. I think she knows very well that she's not ready to take on any Romans or gladiators yet, which is why most of the time you see her cringing behind a tree. But every now and then, she'll gather the strength, and get out there, and have a little play. How will we see Mira's fighting skills evolve?Law: She's not suddenly this ninja badass. Everything that she's done so far has been out of panic and self-preservation. She's been taking hits to the face and getting knocked down and getting the crap beat out of her, but she keeps getting up. Eventually, she will learn how to use the bow, and I think that's when her confidence really starts to kick in, once she has a weapon that she knows how to use. That she can actually say, "I trained in this, and this is what I'm good at." How did you take to the weapons? Are you as good as Mira with the bow and arrow?Law: I'm going to credit my dad. He taught me how to shoot a bow and arrow when I was younger, so it came back very easily, and I'm a pretty good shot... I'm also really good with a knife in my hand, but I was a little uncomfortable with the sword just because it's so heavy and I felt like I didn't have the strength. I also felt like it was a useless weapon, especially for a woman going against a man because as soon as I would hit a man with my sword, it would either bounce off and hit me in the face, or he would just throw it away and kill me. So I kind of felt like as a woman I had more of a chance of getting in there with a knife because I could be quicker, faster. I could get a score. And then, with the bow and arrow, just by distance and accuracy I could take out my opponent. Since you had to be more active this season, did you take part in that infamous gladiator boot camp? What was training like?Law: We would do relay races where there was an obstacle, like, say, a 300-pound tire. And as a team, you had to flip it all the way down, run back, do push-ups, run back, flip it all of the way back, run down, do sit-ups, run all of the way back, push it all of the way down again. We also have a circuit training where we go around and we do different things like throwing sledgehammers, lifting weights. It was really good for building the team spirit and the camaraderie. I just felt like I was one of the boys. Check out this preview of Friday's episode (10/9c, Starz) to catch a glimpse of Mira wielding a bow and arrow: The training sounds pretty brutal. What sort of injuries did you have?Law: Well I did develop plantar fasciitis and Fat Pad Syndrome, which I had never heard of before... It was amazing every day trying to walk, and getting out of bed was terrible. And then I also hurt my rotator cuff, so that's kind of an ongoing injury. But it's such a physical show that you just kind of expect it. Have you healed yet? At least this is an excuse not to wear high heels, right?Law: It will take a couple of months to heal. And unfortunately in this industry, you've just got to suck it up and wear the heels, but it's not that bad. It's more the running that's a problem. It's terrible. You run just to get back to the same place. I don't get it. What else concerns Mira this season beyond the fighting?Law: I think Mira is a big question mark, even to herself right now. One of the other things that she and all of the other house slaves have run into is that they are completely beholden to the gladiators. If the gladiators choose to leave them for whatever reason, they are sh-- out of luck, to say. They don't know how to feed themselves, defend themselves, clothe themselves or find shelter. So each person is now going through their individual journey to figure out what it is that they bring to this world and where they stand. Law: As of right now, she's head over heels in love with Spartacus [McIntyre], but I think she's starting to see the light and she's not necessarily liking what she's seeing. So she needs to figure out if Spartacus loves her, if she actually loves him, or was he the first thing that she clung to. I want to, like, hold her and be like, "Girl, he's just not that into you." Naevia (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) is another former slave from the House of Batiatus, but it seems like she's had a rougher road than Mira. What's her journey this season?Law: When we first find Naevia, obviously, she's been in the mine for months now. She's been raped. She's been beaten. She's been stuck in, essentially, a clay dungeon underneath the earth. So she's not doing that well. She's traumatized, a little bit PTSD at this point... but as the season goes, you're just going to see her getting stronger and more confident. She realizes that she must very quickly learn how to defend herself, and figure out what her place is in this newfound freedom. And she's angry. You're not the only intimidating lady this season, though. Can you tell us about this German warrior woman, Saxa (Ellen Hollman)?Law: The first time Mira actually sees Saxa, I'm pretty sure Mira's first thoughts were, "What is this mangy, feral, rabid cat doing in our campground?" All of the Germans in the series just look like mangy, mangy cats, so it's pretty funny. She also doesn't speak English so there's this big communication gap going on, and a lot of distrust between the two women. But eventually they find their place of how to work together with each other. I think you're going to love her character. She's a fighter from the start, and she was training before she even reached the rebel camp. So for all of those women looking for more fighters, you're going to get one. We've heard that there's a kiss between Mira and Saxa. How does that come about?Law: Because there are so few women in the rebel camp, whenever [Hollman] and I would rehearse our fights, we would instantly somehow have a huge audience of men. During the one fight scene, she basically said, "I'm going to plant one on you at the end." So we do this huge massive fight scene, a good couple of beats, there are four people involved, and at the end, she and I win. And she leans over and plants this huge kiss on me, but I kind of forgot that she was going to do it. So it was just this big, wet, sloppy kiss in front of everybody, and it was just hysterical because they actually use the tape where you see my face reacting [in surprise]. That, actually, was my favorite day ever in my entire career on the set... She made out with me. It was good. My fiancé dug it. As Spartacus intimate scenes go, however, a kiss is pretty tame. How is it shooting the love scenes with Liam McIntyre? Is there any awkwardness, or do you laugh?Law: There's a lovely comfort zone with him having met and knowing my fiancé, and then vice versa I met his girlfriend. So we both kind of knew that we were in safe territory, and this was strictly about business. When we approach the sex scenes, we always know, "My hands are going to be here for five seconds, and then I'm going to do this. And then you're going to turn this way, and then I'm going to do this. And then we're going to flip, and we're going to do this for 10 seconds. And then, we're done." The first time we were talking about it, I remember we got into this conversation about thrusting. There was this huge panic. I was like, "Are you thrusting? Because I'm not thrusting." He's like, "I'm not thrusting. Are you thrusting?" The director's like, "Nobody is thrusting. There's no thrusting. No thrusting talk." So, yeah, there's a lot of humor involved. Spartacus: Vengeance airs on Fridays at 10/9c on Starz. Do you like this season's woman warriors? Do you have a favorite? Would you like to see more?

Fox News Funnel best with primaries

Fox News Funnel centered the policy from the Arizona and Michigan primaries Tuesday evening. Cabler came 2.3 total audiences in primetime, besting both CNN (1.a million) and MSNBC (1.a million). Which was even the order in news reports-friendly 25-54 demo. Rankings are anticipated to improve for that political cablers because the Republican primary process continues toward the presidential general election. March 6 marks Super Tuesday, when 10 states have been in play. Mitt Romney easily won the Arizona primary and narrowly edged Ron Santorum in Michigan. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Exclusive: Bachelorette Alums Give Newbie Emily Maynard Advice

Jeremy Lin For pretty much ten years, the National basketball association continues to be searching for the following Jordan. And even though it is way too early to check the game's ultimate competitor - six titles, 10 scoring game titles - towards the NY Knicks' new guard Jeremy Lin, there's one similarity: He will get individuals to watch. Many individuals. "Somewhat, he's just like a folk hero," states ESPN's senior director of National basketball association programming Doug Whitened of Lin, that has assisted the Knicks go 8-3, by press time, since he became a member of the beginning selection in Feb. "He's bringing in not just hard-core basketball fans but casual fans, in addition to individuals who might not have viewed the National basketball association before but who're now interested since it is become not only a sports story." Yes, this real-existence tale from the Harvard-educated benchwarmer that has excelled beyond anyone's anticipation - he earnings 22.4 points per game together with 8.8 assists - has led to a Linsation. The Feb 19 Knicks/Mavericks match-up came 5.9 million audiences, ABC's third greatest-ranked regular-season game (not performed Xmas day) because the network acquired the National basketball association in 2002 TNT's Knicks/Warmth contest on Feb 23, which NY lost, netted almost two times the crowd of previous Knicks games on TNT this year. (In addition, court-side seats were opting for almost $10,000 around the secondary market, based on the Miami Herald). On the local level, cable network Monosodium glutamate, the Knicks' home within the NY market, is taking pleasure in a virtually 140 percent bump in the average household rankings in comparison towards the season's previous 20 games. "It's theater each and every evening," states Whitened. "I wish to begin to see the story continue. It's fun to look at.Inch Sign up for TV Guide Magazine now!

Naomie Harris talks Skyfall

Total Film lately spoken with new Bond recruit Naomie Harris about her role within the 23rd film within the superspy series, Skyfall.She'll play Eve within the new movie, which arrives half a century after 007's first screen outing in Dr No.While particulars on Skyfall are now being guarded more carefully than MI6 secrets, Harris did divulge some good info.Around the training she has been doing when preparing, she told us, "I began served by yoga and running, and I have been doing stunt training and gyrotonics three occasions per week.InchWhenever we requested if Eve was a friend or perhaps a baddie, she responded, "My character want to see herself like a female Bond however i don't believe anyone's a real match for Bond."And it has she done many stunts? "I kickbox and perform a lot with guns. I began off afraid through the seem of the gun, not to mention getting any concept of how you can hold one however I truly appreciate it.InchFor additional from Naomie Harris, and her Skyfall co-star Bérénice Marlohe, obtain the new problem of Total Film magazine, that is out now!And, it is a special interactive problem this month, meaning that exist great extra content with the free Blippar application. Browse the mag for full particulars!Click the link a subscription to Total Film magazine.Click the link to obtain Total Film magazine on iPad and apple iphone from Apple Newsstand.[brightcove]1258718008001[/brightcove]

'War' to sneak on Tuesday

With stronger-than-anticipated tracking for Sony's "The Vow," 20th Century Fox has repositioned romantic comedy "This Means War" to have a single-screening sneak at approximately 2,500 locations on Valentine's Day, with a wide release now planned for Feb. 17. Studio originally had planned to release "War" wide on Feb. 14, but decided to further distance the pic from "The Vow," which bows on Friday. Fox said "War" will still be able to take advantage of Valentine's Day buzz, aiming to build word-of-mouth over the following days. Moreover, the film's revised PG-13 rating will help attract teenage audiences. Last month, Fox trimmed a few dirty jokes out of "War" to get the MPAA to lower its original R rating. Tuesday's news is the second date change for "War," which was originally slated to open over Presidents' Day weekend. Contact Rachel Abrams at Rachel.Abrams@variety.com

Start Looking At Oliver Stone's Savages

Benicio Del Toro looks LivelyUniversal Studio's Argentine arm has tweeted a brand new still from Oliver Stone's Savages, an initial consider a film that we are plenty intrigued about. It is a crime drama which will hopefully mark coming back to create for any director who, even his finest fans would cede, is a little from the boil recently.Modified from Don Winslow's novel, Savages follows two low-scale marijuana farmers - uni grad Ben (Aaron Manley) and ex-Navy SEAL Chon (Taylor Kitsch) - as well as their tries to save their (shared) girlfriend O (Blake Lively) from the Mexican drug cartel boasting the henchman energy of Benicio Del Toro.Throw into that heady mix Uma Thurman as O's mother and Travolta Qantas Video like a DEA agent plus you've got all of the key points of the film Kitsch lately referred to to Empire as "Pulp Fiction meets GoodFellas". If that's the case, we are speculating this scene either finishes having a dance-off or Del Toro dangling inside a frozen meat wagon. Click the pic for a closer inspection.InchThis really is in Stone's wheelhouse," Kitsch told us whenever we swept up with him in the John Carter junket. So would the finished Savages be considered a Hard-R Stone experience? "It's gotta be," Kitsch stated, "Uma Thurman and Travolta Qantas Video wouldn't subscribe to anything wishy-washy."Return from more from Kitsch around the film in a few days. Savages has gone out on September 28.

Ana Ularu: Riding new Romanian Wave

Ana UlaruSince graduating with advanced degrees from Bucharest's National U. of Theater and Cinematography, 26-year-old Ana Ulara has amassed an enviable string of credits, including the lead in "Turkey Girl," Cristian Mungiu's segment of the "Lost and Found" omnibus, and Bogdan Apetri's "Outbound," for which she received a Boccalino d'Oro award in Locarno and the actress prize at Thessaloniki.Did she feel fortunate to be emerging alongside the so-called New Romanian Wave? "Not really. I've been acting since I was 9 years old," says the thesp who debuted in Claude-Michel Rome's 1995 thriller "Meurtres par procuration." "I've worked with both the older generation of directors and the new one."Anyway," she adds, "I'm always a little skeptical when I hear people talk about this 'New Romanian Wave.' I know these filmmakers, and every one of them has their own ideas, their own aesthetic, they think and operate in their own particular ways.Just because they became known internationally at the same time doesn't make it a movement, per se! The fact that Romanian cinema is gaining attention is good, and overdue. But artists, I think, would always rather be considered as individuals than be assimilated into a group."And she is her own artist as well, with a world perspective and ambitions helped by the fact that as well as her native Romanian, Ulara speaks the kind of flawless English that would put a BBC newsreader to shame -- plus French, Spanish and Italian. Europe, you sense, is beckoning her -- and America, too."Of course I have a loyalty toward my own country, and doing films in my own language, but at the same time, I love breaking these barriers, playing, say, a Spanish character, or a Frenchwoman. I never wanted to be typecast (as some) Eastern European woman being trafficked for sex," she says. "Which is always the danger, when you're from a smaller country: being trapped in a certain ethnic stereotype. That's not for me. I'd rather be all over the place, in every sense."Return to the Berlin Preview >> Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com