Cinerant

Best PSA Ever?

2007-07-05T15:16:00.000-07:00

WAHOO!

2007-06-06T23:46:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Friday Night Lights for its five Television Critics Association nominations it received this week. It was nominated for:
--Outstanding Program of the Year
--Outstanding Drama
--Outstanding New Program
--Oustanding Individual Achievement in Drama (Connie Britton)
--Outstanding Individual Achievement in Drama (Kyle Chandler)

The five nominations the show received were the most nominations of any program this year. So, congrats to everybody there.

Can't wait for season 2!

Next New Show

2007-06-01T22:50:00.001-07:00

The next new show for the fall that I'm eager to see is New Amsterdam. This show on FOX is about a homicide detective who is 400 years old because he was given long lasting life when he saved an Indian princess. When he meets his soul mate, then he will be returned to mortal and live like a regular person. The character is just absolutely fascinating. It's really exciting and while the show does on the surface look like a procedural (he is a cop, natch), the pilot reads like it will be something much more interesting. I have some friends who have talked to the Executive Producer about this and it sounds just absolutely exciting. This trailer isn't the reason I'm excited, but it's still something...

Pushing Brilliance

2007-05-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while, but I'm finally back blogging. I think it was that I finally saw something that made me want to share.

If Friday Night Lights was the new show to watch this year, Pushing Daisies is going to be the new show to watch starting this fall. I've read the pilot and it's brilliant. I can't wait to see it--especially after seeing this promo.

Clearly, this is going to be a challenge to a lot of people because it's so stylized, but it just seems like it should be great! Let's hope it will be.

Wheelchair Night

2007-03-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

Last night must have been the night when all the network execs on television thought they'd put people in wheelchairs.

And you know what? It was great?

Ok, it really wasn't putting everybody in wheelchairs. In fact, "Friday Night Lights" and "Lost" have had characters in chairs almost since their respective beginnings. But for some reason, both characters--Locke and Street--found new purpose in their lives, and both instances had as much to do with being in a wheelchair as not.

First, on Friday Night Lights, Jason Street got cut from the national quad rugby team. As Herc, his wheelchair bound, rabble rousing friend explained, "You're still not comfortable in the chair." It didn't matter that Street was the best athlete there. He still wants to feel sorry for himself and out of place because of his injury. He sees what he has to offer as second rate. He tells Herc that he needed the chance to to move forward. Of course, what the characters think they need on this show and what they actually need are usually two entirely different things. After the frighteningly delicate tattoo chick puts the moves on him--despite the chair--he realizes that the chair doesn't define him. He's Jason Street. Not some guy in a wheelchair. So he gets into a classic moment pity party with Smash, Saracen, and Tim on the fifty yard line of the football field. They get drunk and Jason finds his purpose--to be a quarterback coach. Those who can't do--teach. While I hate that dismissive mantra, in this case, it's obvious. And it should've been all season, but none of my friends who watch the show had even suggested that as an option. Maybe that just means more of you need to be watching it.

Yet, over on Lost, John Locke refused to accept his destiny, because he still felt defined by the wheelchair. In fact, he was so opposed to the idea of being in a wheelchair that he wanted to destroy any way of ever getting off the island. He knows that the moment he leaves the island, he's forced to resume his inferior, mortal, wheelchair-bound coil. And moreover, at the end of the episode, we discover that it was Locke's father (or pretend daddy--I'm still not clear which it is) that put Locke in the wheelchair. And guses who's conveniently tied up in Ben's basement?

I didn't think that this was as riveting as the Juliet episode this season (partially because I thought it was just such a fascinating backstory she has), but it's still really good and I'm very excited to see where next week goes!

It's Wednesday--and you know what that means

2007-03-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

It's time for a Friday Night Lights plug!

Here's a phenomenal series of interviews, along with a primary article from today's Chicago Tribune about Friday Night Lights. It almost makes me want to blow off seeing Greg Laswell in concert tonight and run straight home and watch the show instead of watching it after the concert. I won't, but boy am I tempted.

Tonight starts the final four episodes of the series. Don't wait till later to start watching it. This is the most intimate drama to come on television since Once & Again. Don't miss it.

Signatures

2007-03-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here trying to sign 150 letters. (Can I get carpal tunnels syndrome from this?)

I'd ask if this is what my life has come to, but clearly it has and I don't even know what that means. I am officially declaring my quarter-life crisis over. I'm now moving into an existential funk.

What's the difference? Semantics.

What does that mean? It means if/when I ever go into therapy there's just more for me to discuss.

Does anybody read this thing anymore? Probably not. I don't and I write it.

Battlestar Brilliance

2007-03-18T23:04:00.000-07:00

Great Googalimoogaily!

Who knew that Rosslyn had cancer again? I gotta say I never saw that coming. The first part of two episodes that will end out the third season of Battlestar Galactica was close to brilliant. While I don’t buy for a second that anybody would let Apollo serve as the defendant’s co-counsel when he was a member of the military and his dad is one of the judges, having him resign from the army is a great twist that I didn’t see coming. It sets up a really interesting conundrum for the fourth season as the rift between Apollo and his dad becomes incredibly pronounced, in addition to the fact that he’ll have to deal with the fact that he will be as a private citizen. It was a great move. And seeing Tigh come apart on the stand was a scene that was long overdue. Who would’ve thunk he’d confess to killing his wife!

“The weather’s changing. There’s a storm coming” Those were Helo’s words. Why not just ask the Cylons to blow them to smithereens? I mean, seriously. It’s going to be ugly all over the place.

And I have to wait a frakkin’ week to see how it turns out? GRRRR!

Friday and Saturday Night Lights

2007-03-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

In case you have been lax about getting into the best show on television this season, Broadcasting & Cable reports: "As part of a continuing effort to keep two of its highly acclaimed but low-rated rookies alive, NBC Universal will air episodes of NBC's Friday Night Lights every Friday and Saturday on cable outlet Bravo through April 13. Beginning this weekend, Bravo will air one episode of Lights at 7pmET each Friday, and then air three episodes on Saturdays beginning at 2pmET. The show's season finale on NBC is Wednesday, April 11, at 8pm."

WATCH IT!

I'm not sure

2007-03-09T10:46:00.000-08:00

...but I think I got hit on last night by the creator of one of the biggest shows on cable last night. At least one of the stars of the show reprimanded him (the creator) for flirting with me.

First of all, why can't I get hit on by a girl?

Second, if a guy is gonna hit on me, then why can't it be an attractive one?

Sigh.

Now This Gets Me Excited

2007-02-27T16:23:00.000-08:00

Of course, one of the movies I'm the most excited about this year is seeing Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, and Sasha Baron Cohen sing in Sweeney Todd. I'm even more excited about that than I am seeing Michelle Pfeiffer sing in Hairspray or Julie Taymor's totally trippy Beatles musical, Across the Universe. I mean, come on this has to be a good year for movies, right/ Because there's TWO Soderbergh pictures coming out. (Ocean's Thirteen and Che.

Nevertheless, Dave Poland is already predicting that Depp will win the Oscar next year for his swinging, ravenous barber! Here's his blurb:
I really don't want to get into next year's awards yet. (This has not stopped me from talking to some reporters about it.) At some point, one has to stop complaining and just hold back.

Also, next year is no clear read. Movies like Che' (Episode One) could arrive... or not. Movies like Sweeney Todd could deliver... or not. Strong foreign directors like Suzanne Bier could become strong US-studio film directors... or not. And veterans like Mike Nichols could be unstoppable... or not.

So...

Just this.

I believe now that Johnny Depp is a 95% bet to be nominated for Best Actor as the title character in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in a very, very crowded field of 2007 male movie performances… and an 80% chance to win.

Word from the set about his performance - from multiple sources - is excellent. He was nominated in the last two years before missing this year with the Pirates sequel. But the Pirates threequel is actually more a help than a hindrance. Huge box office power followed by an unexpected (though people have come to expect the unexpected from Depp) performance as the lead of a Grand Guignol opera… manna from heaven to Academy voters who are more than ready to deliver this guy an Oscar.

Leo will get one eventually for the right role. Mark Wahlberg is probably the next guy to become an “actor’s favorite” regular in races, even for less than Oscar-y roles. Ryan Gosling can probably have whatever he wants to have in this regard.

But Depp is like an aesthetic zit that actors are drooling to pop. To paraphrase what someone said, actors want to be him and actresses want to be with him, on screen and off. We’re a long, long way from The Ninth Gate and The Astronaut’s Wife.

The film can miss and Depp will still be nominated if he is any good at all. And it seems unlikely that he will be anything less than fantastic… which makes him the one clear frontrunner for 2007/8’s award season.

14% of the 20% of not winning is that there will be a film that comes along – none is clearly in sight right now – that will be overwhelming, have an overwhelming lead male performance, and will become unstoppable, turning Depp’s work into a “stunt” that can be overlooked in the finals. 1% is that Depp just isn’t that good. And 5% is just plain “other.”

Edie Murphy as James “Thunder” Early did stink of Oscar. And so does Depp as Sweeney Todd. The biggest question is whether he could sing the role. But everyone from Sondheim, who auditioned him, to everyone who I know of who has heard him sing this role, is “thumbs up.”

The reasons Depp is far more of a probable to win than Murphy are, a) it will be his third nomination, b) he is seen as an artist by almost everyone, c) he doesn’t carry any of Murphy’s baggage of being black, a comedian, 99.9% unavailable (Depp is at about 85%, though he is good at hiding in Europe and not making the press hate him for being unavailable), or a wearer of fat suits, and d) he is the lead, not a supporting actor, where quirky performances are more common.

And so, that is my one deeply believed projection into next year’s race. The rest, I would truly be guessing… even more than in year’s past. Even from this distance, you can see that the studios are not even making the big, obvious Oscar films for this fall. Perhaps the surprise appearance of one will be, like The Departed, a feature of next year’s race. Maybe not.

But for now, time to shut down my Oscar brain for a while. Time to consider what to do next season and not just how quickly it can be done.

Weekend Highlights

2007-02-26T12:15:00.000-08:00

--Discovering Jon McLaughlin at a show at the Troubadour.
--Pulling my first all-nighter to get a script done.
--Trying Red Bull for the first time and not totally freaking out. (I went with the sugar free kind, so maybe that's why I wasn't bouncing off the walls.)
--The Dreamgirls number at the Oscars.
--Allen Arkin winning Best Supporting Actor. (It really should've been Jackie Earl Haley or Mark Whalberg, but it was nice to see a little bit of something exciting. Otherwise, the Oscars, were--eh, but wow, didn't Emily Blunt look lovely?)
--Watching this really cool BBC mini-series called The Line of Beauty.
--Reading a friend's script. Hopefully, it'll get made, because I really enjoyed it.

New Talent

2007-02-24T17:18:00.000-08:00

I love discovering new talent. It's not like I'm a talent manager finding people to sign or cast, but one of the things I really enjoy is finding out about people before they "make it big." I'll always be enormous fans of Michael C. Hall, Patrick Wilson, and John Mayer for that reason. Last night, I went to see Matt Wertz in concert at the Troubadour and found a new artist to add to my recently discovered talent list:

Jon McLaughlin.

He was the opening act last night, performing a four song set. And I was blown away by every second of his performance. His talent, his songwriting ability, and his coolness level were off the chart. I was completely impressed.

His first album, "Indiana", is set to drop May 15th. It's a definite piece to pick up. Or at least I am going to.

A Great Idea

2007-02-22T14:08:00.000-08:00

In celebration of the upcoming Oscars®, AMC Theatres will host an “AMC Best Picture Showcase” event Saturday, Feb. 24, at 78 select AMC theatres nationwide* (check local listings for availability and show times). The day-long event will showcase the five films nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for “Best Picture.” Guests are invited to attend the event through an exclusive offer of an AMC Best Picture Showcase All-Day Pass, which allows moviegoers to see all five films for one ticket, priced at $30. AMC Best Picture Showcase All-Day Pass holders will also receive a large popcorn and a large drink, with unlimited free refills on both concession items for the entire day. The five films, “Babel,” “The Departed,” “Letters from Iwo Jima,” “Little Miss Sunshine” and “The Queen,” will play back-to-back throughout the day in one dedicated auditorium. Guests who purchase an All-Day Pass will also receive a keepsake lanyard with a hanging collectible pass, which features the five nominated films and allows guests to come and go as they please. The AMC Best Picture Showcase is valued at more than $55. Guests can find a theatre in their area hosting the AMC Best Picture Showcase by visiting www.amctheatres.com. AMC Best Picture Showcase advance ticket sales began earlier this month, on a first-come, first-served basis online at amctheatres.com or by visiting the box office or Guest Services area at any theatre hosting the event. AMC Best Picture Showcase schedule (all times local; schedule is the same nationwide): “Babel” 11:00 a.m. “The Queen” 1:45 p.m. “The Departed” 3:45 p.m. “Letters From Iwo Jima” 7:00 p.m. “Little Miss Sunshine” 9:45 p.m.

Oy Vey

2007-02-20T15:07:00.000-08:00

At the rate this week is going, it's gonna be a long week--even though it's already Tuesday.
A really long week.

Who Wants Veronica? I Do! I Do!

2007-02-20T12:22:00.000-08:00

If tonight's Veronica Mars is as funny as last week's, then this will be the funniest hour on television this week. Last week's first part of a two part story, was possibly the most hilarious episode the show has ever done. I don't think I'll ever be able to listen to Nick Lachey and "What's Left of Me" ever again without falling into the floor in hysterics.

And if that weren't good enough, then we got an amazing episode of Friday Night LightsWednesday night. I tried twice to blog about how brilliant it was, but Blogger kept shutting down on me. So I'll just have to say it was brilliant and the show deserves an Emmy and Humanitas Prize just for that episode alone.

Saturday night, my roommate and I were supposed to host a scavenger hunt, but NOBODY CAME, so we watched Fight Club instead. I forgot just how ridiculously amazing that movie is. I think it's now more brilliant than when I wrote about it in grad school. And can you believe that thing is almost ten years old?!! WOW!

And it's good that I got to watch Fight Club because none of the other moves I rented this weekend were worth spit. Sigh.

Here Comes the FCC Again!

2007-02-16T14:40:00.000-08:00

Apparently the FCC is considering trying to take further control of the airwaves by regulating violent content on television.

And honestly, it's about time.

Not that I'm in favor of censorship or anything like that, but I'm aggravated and tired of a culture where it is socially unacceptable to talk about sex, but it's okay to blow 20 people's brain out. Why we are so afraid of sex and simultaneously embrace violence is beyond me. Yes, I understand it is at the core of our culture. The nation was settled by Puritans who believed in pious living, but who had to struggle to survive. That survival included hunting, gathering, killing, etc.

But come on! It's been 300-400 years. Don't you think we could move on and progress a little bit? Violence does as much damage to an individual as overexposure to sexualized images. In fact, it might do more to young children because they aren't as hypersexualized as they might be hyperactive. Violence comes out of activity. (Sure, so can sex, but at least a five year old is biologically incapable of engaging in the activity, though he can kill a pet or something if he/she so desires.)

I was just thinking last night that it's remarkable to think that 10-15 years ago, after NYPD Blue, partial nudity and language were all the rage on prime-time television. Now, I can't think of a naked butt I've seen all year during prime time. In fact, I haven't really even seen a lot of sex. Sure, part of that is because all the nudity and sex has migrated to FX with Dirt and Nip/Tuck. Nevertheless, things have been dialed back on primetime in terms of sex. However, violence is still out of control. I don't know what I think of the way the FCC has cracked down on television content, but I at least applaud them for finally desiring to exercise their authority with some consistency.

A lot of catch up

2007-02-14T13:29:00.000-08:00

Somebody recently got onto me for not having posted thoughts on several movies recently, so I thought I'd do one massive blogfest on things worth missing or watching--particularly when it comes to the Oscar race.

Half Nelson--Watched this one last night and Ryan Gosling definitely deserved his nomination. Maybe even the award. Shareeka Epps should've also been nominated for supporting actress in this fascinating little movie about a middle school history teacher with a drug problem who's life becomes linked to a student who discovers his secret. This is the kind of Indie film that doesn't get made much anymore in lieu of trite movies like Little Miss Sunshine. It's fresh out on video. Be sure and check it out.

The Departed--This is also fresh out on video. And it just works. Scorsese works it. DiCaprio works it (and should have been nominated for this instead of the piece of drek Blood Diamond). Damon is great. Wahlberg is a revelation--and definitely worth of his nod. It's violent, but it's enthralling, fascinating, and a must-see.

Children of Men--It's worth seeing for the cinematography alone. (Though, there's a great gag dealing with footwear that's a hoot too.) This is a complex, fascinating movie that seems a lot like Lost. It throws out some fascinating things and doesn't really feel the need to answer all the questions it raises. I know there are people who won't like that, but so be it. This film tries to go some place that sci-fi doesn't frequently go. And the material's so rich--finding great ways to deal with the idea of having a society without children from the decrepit schools to people who don't know what pregnancy looks like. By the time the ending comes around, it feels like one massive journey in redemption.

The Queen--Just a solid little movie with a great performance by Mirren and an eye-opening turn from Michael Sheen as Tony Blair. (He should've been nominated too.) It's a slice of life movie that takes a look at something that I had no interest in going into the movie and by the time I came out, I was enthralled. That's some good storytelling.

Babel--Eh, it's not nearly as good as Amores Perros, but way better than 21 Grams. And I don't think I'll ever be able to look at Cate Blanchett the same after watching her urinate like that again.

Notes on a Scandal--Speaking of Blanchett, this film is a hoot! In the best way. The novel it's based on is written by the daughter of the screenwriter of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane and it shows. This is the best bitchy-over-the-top thriller I've seen in years. I loved every second of this thing. It doesn't pretend to be anything it's not. Just a short, emotionally and sexually charged dame fest that turns into a throw down like you've never seen. Judi Dench is at her best here, matched by Blanchett and in small roles, Bill Nigh and newcomer Andrew Simpson. I can't wait for this one to come on video to add it to my collection.

Pan's Labyrinth--A beautifully dark fairy tale that mixes genres better than you can possibly imagine. I know several unimaginative writers who think that you can't mix genres. Well, this movie proves that you can mix a war film with a fairy tale and throw some horror in because at the end of the day, all that matters is solid structure and compelling characters. I was hooked within the first ten minutes and I didn't want this to end. Beautiful film that should've been nominated for Best Picture.

Dreamgirls--better than Chicago, but still nowhere near as brilliant as Moulin Rouge. Part of it was Jamie Foxx's fault. Maybe there should be a moratorium on musical unless Baz Luhrman do them. (Though the trailer for Across the Universe makes me think that Julie Taymor gets it). Hudson's great. Murphy's overpraised, Beyonce's underpraised. It's fun. Not revolutionary. Still, one of the better things to come out last year.

Letters From Iwo Jima--eh, I've seen it. Without the subtitles in Japanese. It's a good movie, but seriously, it didn't feel that different from every other World War II movie to come since Saving Private Ryan.

Download

2007-02-09T13:48:00.000-08:00

If you don't know, Friday Night Lights is now available for download on ITunes. You can--now should--no, must--download the pilot and watch it for free.

This has been a community service announcement by those people who know good TV when they see it.

SHEESH!

2007-02-06T17:37:00.000-08:00

So I officially changed my blog over to do something with a Gmail account. I really don't know what any of it means, other than the fact that my blog was inaccessible for a couple of days. And the really crappy part was that yetserday, I was dying to blog about something, though I have no idea what it was. (I'd guess it was probably something about Giuliani moving closer to a candidacy and the absolute fear that strikes in my heart. YIKES!)

The other weird thing is there's a couple of things going on in my life now that I'm interested in sharing, but I can't blog about because somebody's patrolling the blogosphere looking for blogs on that particular subject to stay aware. Sheesh!

So on a different note, I had a good lunch with someone from Act One today. He's another aspiring TV writer and learned many things that I would NEVER have expected, but it was fun and I'm definitely glad that I got to.

And no, I don't want to talk about the mess that 24 devolved into last night. For a while, I thought I might have been watching What About Brian? it became such a mess. (But let's give Brian a "yea!" for having the good sense of casting Tom Parker as the "Manny." He was great on Everwood and he's on my short list of "actors I'd like to watch on a weekly basis" list. Maybe I'll just have to write something for him.)

Little Guy

2007-02-01T13:37:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting article about one of the more below-the-radar characters to pop up in a hit this season. The article talks about Justin, Betty's twelve year old nephew, on Ugly Betty. There's no doubt that the kid's flamboyant and an aspiring fashionista, but does that mean he's gay? According to the creators and showrunners, he's too young to even think about that.
That--is really exciting to hear. In an era where EVERYTHING has become hypersexualized, it's encouraging to realize that there are people who recognize that it's impossible to know ANYTHING about sexuality at that age.

I do know that there are several people who are worried about this being "television's first gay kid." Actually, if you'll go back and look at Oliver Beene, you'll discover that nomiker's already been taken. Second, if you look at the way that Betty introduces stereotypical characters and begins undercutting what you think about them, you may discover that Justin will turn out completely different from what you expect. I'm not arguing that he'll hang out with Saracen and Riggins over on Friday Night Lights, but a few years into the show, he may look completely different from how he does now.

Suite Date Night

2007-01-30T00:13:00.000-08:00

Three times yesterday I ended up dwelling on “Date Night.”

Date Night was something that my suitemates and I did my Sophomore year in college.  All seven of us found dates (or at least those of us who weren’t dating anyone at the time).  All fourteen of us went out to dinner together at this little place in Harrisonburg that we actually ended up really enjoying.  If I remember, even Sads approved of it.  (That was probably before he became the restaurant Nazi.)

The plan for after dinner was a scavenger hunt.  Prior to that day, we had divided into three separate teams.  We were each responsible for coming up with the clues for one of the other teams.  And of course, I wasn’t about to be outdone.  The first clue we came up with for our designated team involved them going into the dressing room at Victoria’s Secret.  I don’t remember exactly what they had to do to get the clue, but I do remember that they had to leave dinner early because the mall was about to close, so they had to get to the lingerie store before it closed, or they were screwed for the night.  I remember that one of the clues lead them to the church building where I was attending at the time.  I think one of them led to the statue in the middle of downtown.  However, the best one required them to go to the campus police station and sing, “I Fought the Law.”  The problem is that sometime during the night, the males and females of that team had a rift and when it came time to that clue, only the guys got out of the car, went into the building and sang the song, expecting to be given the clue.  After they sang a verse, the police woman on duty stopped them, and asked where their dates were.  So they had to trudge back to the car, get their dates, and all four had to then go back in and sing before they were given the clue.

After the scavenger hunt, we all ended up back in our suite and had a little dessert to cap off the evening.

Oh, and somewhere in through this evening, apparently, I played “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” by Deep Blue Something over and over and over.

How I miss college.

Tres Cool

2007-01-26T10:40:00.000-08:00

And here's the reason to watch the Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday night on TNT/TBS:

"The cast of the landmark TV-newsroom comedy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, including Mary Tyler Moore, Edward Asner, Georgia Engel, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, Gavin MacLeod and Betty White, will reunite to present the [award] for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series at the 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards."

How cool is that?

Excellent FNL news

2007-01-24T10:09:00.000-08:00

This is from today's column from Michael Ausellio at TV Guide:

"Well, after I personally relayed all of your testimonials to him, Reilly told me that there's a "good" chance the show will see a second season provided it holds steady in the ratings. "I just want it to maintain [its numbers], and then we'll figure out where to put it," he said. Reilly is such a huge FNL fan that he later joked promised to keep it going "until there are two people left watching this thing." And you better believe I plan on holding him to that."

You can be sure that more than two people are always going to be watching this show because I think--I hope--that there is at least one other person in the world who loves me enough to keep watching this show so that I don't commit suicide if it goes off the air. Heck, I've even almost convinced my dad to get a DVR so he won't have to miss this because of Bible study.

I Still Don't Care

2007-01-23T07:55:00.000-08:00

Looking at the Oscar nominations this morning and really, all I can kinda do is shrug. There's just nothing there to get me really excited. I'm happy to see Ryan Gosling and Jackie Earle Haley nominated. I'm very delighted to see all the nominations for Pan's Labryinth, and pleased to see Paul Greengrass get nominated but at the end of the day, there isn't anything that makes me go--WOW! So, so cool.

Though the lack of a Best Picture nod for Dreamgirls is rather interesting. I'm curious to see what will be made of that.

The Oscar Nominations

2007-01-23T07:52:00.000-08:00

BEST PICTURE
Babel
The Departed
Letters From Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen

BEST DIRECTOR
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - Babel
Martin Scorsese - The Departed
Clint Eastwood - Letters From Iwo Jima
Stephen Frears - The Queen
Paul Greengrass - United 93

BEST ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio - Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson
Peter O'Toole - Venus
Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness
Forrest Whitaker - Last King Of Scotland

BEST ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz - Volver
Judi Dench - Notes On A Scandal
Helen Mirren - The Queen
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet - Little Children

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine
Jackie Earle Haley - Little Children
Djimon Hounsou - Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
Mark Wahlberg - The Departed

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Adriana Barraza - Babel
Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine
Cate Blanchett - Notes of a Scandal
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi - Babel

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Babel
Letters From Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
Pan's Labyrinth
The Queen

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Borat
Children Of Men
The Departed
Little Children
Notes On A Scandal

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
After The Wedding
Days Of Glory (Indigènes)
The Lives Of Others
Pan's Labyrinth
Water

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Deliver Us From Evil
An Inconvenient Truth
Iraq In Fragments
Jesus Camp
My Country, My Country

ANIMATED FILM
Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House

ART DIRECTION
Dreamgirls
The Good Shepherd
Pan's Labyrinth
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
The Prestige

CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Black Dahlia
Children Of Men
The Illusionist
Pan's Labyrinth
The Prestige

COSTUME DESIGN
Curse Of The Golden Flower
The Devil Wears Prada
Dreamgirls
Marie Antoinette
The Queen

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
The Blood Of Yingzhou District
Recycled Life
Rehearsing A Dream
Two Hands

FILM EDITING
Babel
Blood Diamond
Children Of Men
The Departed
United 93

MAKEUP
Apocalypto
Click
Pan's Labyrinth

MUSIC (SCORE)
Babel
The Good German
Notes On A Scandal
Pan's Labyrinth
The Queen

MUSIC (SONG)
"I Need To Wake Up" - An Inconvenient Truth
"Listen" - Dreamgirls
"Love You I Do" - Dreamgirls
"Our Town" - Cars
"Patience" - Dreamgirls

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
The Danish Poet
Lifted
The Little Matchgirl
Maestro
No Time For Nuts

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Binta And The Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)
Éramos Pocos (One Too Many)
Helmer & Son
The Saviour
West Bank Story

SOUND EDITING
Apocalypto
Blood Diamond
Flags Of Our Fathers
Letters From Iwo Jima
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

SOUND MIXING
Apocalypto
Blood Diamond
Dreamgirls
Flags Of Our Fathers
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

VISUAL EFFECTS
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Poseidon
Superman Returns

I Just Don't Care

2007-01-19T12:29:00.000-08:00

I used to get incredibly jazzed about Oscar nominations.  When I was on the East Coast, I’d make a big deal about getting up to watch the nominations live.  I’d do predictions about who and what was going to get nominated, I’d immediately do analysis about what all of it meant, etc.

This year, I just don’t care.

I think I had this problem last year, but it’s even more exacerbated this year.   I don’t even feel a need to see all the films that will be nominated for the major performances.  Granted, I will probably have seen all the films that will be nominated for Best Picture (with the possible exception of Letters from Iwo Jima), and I’ll have seen most of the acting nominees, but for those ones that I haven’t—Volver, The Last King of Scotland, Venus—the only potential major nominee I really want to see is Half-Nelson.  And of course, I have to wait for it to come out on DVD next month to rent it.  I just don’t care.

I think the major reason for that is because of the sorry crop of movies this year.  I was talking to somebody the other day and said that really, I couldn’t even put together a top 10 list for the year.  At most, I could only come up with 5 movies that really impressed me this year:  Little Children, United 93, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Departed, and The Queen.  Sure, there were some that were good—Dreamgirls, Children of Men, Thank You For Smoking, The Devil Wears Prada, Notes on a Scandal.  There were some that were ok—Babel, Borat.  There were some that were way less than ok—yes Little Miss Sunshine, I’m talking about you.  But even the ones that were good weren’t great.  They had problems.  They didn’t completely work—which at the end of the day makes me say, I really don’t care.

Even as performances go, there wasn’t a performance I saw this year that I was so blown away by that I wanted to root for it all the way to Oscar night.  The closest two were Phyllis Somerville and Jackie Earl Haley in Little Children, and she probably won’t get nominated for Best Supporting Actress and he’ll be a stretch to get nominated for Best Supporting Actor.  Loved Kate Winslet in the movie, but she’s not going to get nominated.  I’d love to root for Ryan Gosling because he’s so frickin’ talented at such a young age, but I’m not sure he’ll be nominated.

Again, I just don’t care.  Maybe I should just sit at home and watch Friday Night Lights instead.

24 Pt. 2

2007-01-15T22:00:00.000-08:00

Holy crap!  I just got stuck in the middle of radiation poisoning fallout.  I’m probably going to die in less than 24 hours.

Oh wait.  24’s not real.  Keep telling myself that.  24’s not real.    (But is it too early to think 9:00-10:00 AM should be the hour Keifer Sutherland submits for his Emmy this year?)

This has not been a good day for paranoid people.  24 convinced me I can’t stay in LA, but then I watched Snakes on a Plane, and do I really want to risk getting on a plane if the airline isn’t prepared for snakes jonesing from phermones?

Sheesh!  What a day!

24!

2007-01-14T21:59:00.000-08:00

JACK BIT SOMEBODY TO DEATH!

Wow!  Wham bam!  (And that’s just about Chloe’s new svelte look!)

And why do these people not just say “In Jack We Trust!”  Let him do whatever he wants and give him the resources to do it.  I mean, I know that would sort of ruin the whole point of the show, though wouldn’t it?

And a Jack that is much more attune to torture is a really interesting character.  Pairing him up with someone who doesn’t it also really interesting.  I just hope he and Assad are with one another for a while.   Or at least find one another now that they’ve been separated.

What’s Kal Penn supposed to be?  A college student?  Isn’t he a little old?  Maybe he’s in school with Berooz from however many seasons ago.  I’d love to just to know whatever happened to him.

Do that many people seriously ride the subway in LA?  That little detail feels particularly fishy to me.  And they check tickets on the subway?  I don’t know anyone who’s ever been on the subway in Los Angeles, so I don’t know how to verify that information.  Maybe I can just take a ride one day and find out.  But I don’t even know where to find a subway stop.  But what kind of dopey terrorist would sit at the back of the subway instead of in the middle?  I mean, I don’t know a lot about bombs, but I would think being in the middle would allow for maximum blowing uppidiness.

How cool is it to see William Miller move from writing about Stillwater for Rolling Stone to taking geometry lessons from a terrorist on 24! (Michael Angarano will always be the young kid in Almost Famous to me.)  It’s great to see some of these new cast members too.  Alexander Siddig made a big impression on me in Syriana, so it’s great to see him working on US TV.  Hopefully, he’ll last the whole season, though I wouldn’t count on it. And yeah!  Regina King!  Marisol Nichols is a really talented actress and Peter MacNicol’s great!  (Of course, I kept expecting him to start playing Barry White at any moment through the two hours.)  The only one I’m not convinced about is Eric Balfour.  (Though what is up with Harry Lennix’s accent?)  I don’t really get why so many Executive Producers continue to cast him in roles.  Maybe they just see something I don’t, but hey, the casting team of 24 has done wonders with their casting before, so maybe I’ll figure out where I’m wrong in the next 20 weeks.

I just want Chloe tasering people!  (Maybe she could do a guest spot on Veronica Mars and they could go to a class together.)

So when does Jean Smart come back?

Bring it on.

What a mom

2007-01-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

I have a friend that just breezed into Los Angeles for one day yesterday because she got a last minute call to be on a talk show. She hurriedly was flown out here and I was lucky enough to be able to spend the day with her. I met her at her hotel and got to ride with her in the limo to the studio where the show taped. She was excited and clearly having a great time. We got to the studio, a member of the production team escorted us to our green room where she would be able to wait. However, because they were taping two shows back to back, the guests from the first show were still hanging around and they had to kick them out of the green room. They quickly disposed of the trash that was still lying around and went to go refresh the food. As we got settled, my friend looked around and decided that the green room wasn’t clean enough. She then asked me if I thought they’d have a vacuum cleaner available. I tried to explain to her that if she asked for a vacuum cleaner, she’d probably come off as some overly demanding diva—or—she’d get some little Production Assistant in trouble for not keeping the room clean. So instead, she grabs a napkin, drops to her knees and starts digging the little potato chip crumbs out of the carpet. A couple hours later, after she’s gone through hair, makeup, and wardrobe, she opens up the bureau and sees that there’s more crumbs in that. Did the fact she was about to go on television in less than 30 minutes stop here? Nope! She got on her hands and knees and cleaned that out too. All I could do was watch, laugh, and ask her if she had time to come to my apartment before she flew back east!

I don't even know what to make of this

2007-01-10T23:55:00.000-08:00

Here’s from today’s Variety:

Less than 24 hours after Variety announced that theatre director Phyllida Lloyd would be directing a movie based on the hit Broadway musical Mamma Mia!, they have broken the story that Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep is set to star in it. Lloyd, who directed the original "Mamma" in London as well as its Broadway incarnation, will make her feature directing debut on the pic, which will be shot in London and Greece.Streep will play the rebellious single mother of a bride-to-be who never met her father. The daughter invites three likely paternal candidates to her wedding, and the ensuing conflict triggers the performance of 22 Abba hits including "Dancing Queen," "Take a Chance on Me" and "The Winner Takes It All."

ARGH!

2007-01-09T21:16:00.000-08:00

My lobster just bounced me back into the fish tank.
When it rains, it pours.

Isn't that the point?

2007-01-09T20:47:00.000-08:00

That’s the I have a friend who seems to take exception with being referenced on this blog. He/she thinks that…actually I have no idea what he/she thinks. Yet, it never fails that whenever some remnant of a conversation, adventure, or anecdote we’ve shared pops up on here, he/she will inevitably call me and comment upon it. (Wanna take bets on how fast I get the call regarding this post?)

I’m also working on a script right now that includes a lot of observations I made watching people in some of my previous jobs. Okay, one of my previous jobs. One of the people who’s read it commented that the referenced parties will obviously recognize themselves in it, even though all their actions have been filtered through the prism of my imagination.

But isn’t that what a writer’s supposed to do? Observe, compose, and transfer? Part of what makes Friday Night Lights so brilliant (and yes, everything comes back to that show) is that is so keenly observed. The little moments that will sometimes be taken for granted are at the heart of this program. The writing staff has counted up all the little things that really make relationships significant (like Riggins’ surprise visit to hear Landry’s concert last week), no matter how small or large.

And honestly, I don’t know a writer is supposed to honestly transmit those moments if it is not by his/her observation of those people around him. So, if for some reason, you’re observed and object, sorry.

I've Been Delinquent

2007-01-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

A conversation (or the jist of one) I had yesterday.

FRIEND:  I haven’t really seen any movies in the last couple of months.

ME:  Don’t worry.  It’s not like there’s been anything that amazing.  I mean, Little Children is still the best thing I’ve seen all year.

FRIEND:  Little Children?  I don’t think I’ve even heard of that.

ME:  You have.  It’s the one with Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson by guy that directed In the Bedroom.

FRIEND: Uh….  No.

ME:  Really?  (Interior monologue:  What in the world have I not been doing if this guy that I talk to on a regular basis hasn’t even heard of this movie?  No wonder it’s not doing anything box-office-wise when people like me are so moved by its complexity, humor, delicate balance and deft acting that we keep the movie’s genius to ourselves.  Shame, Shame, Shame.)

FRIEND:  Nope.

ME:  Well, consider yourself notified.

And you too.  If you can still find this playing in your area, it’s definitely worth checking out.  It’s not an easy film to summarize because it has so much going on.  You could argue that the main plot is about an affair between a house husband and house wife with little children, but despite the spot on performances by Winslet and Wilson (Angels in America, The Phantom of the Opera), that doesn’t even touch on half of the movie and other brilliant performances by Phyllis Somerville, who’s going to be unfairly overlooked for an Oscar nomination, and Jackie Earl Haley, who also received a Screen Actor’s Guild nomination for his work in the film.

The film’s not perfect, but it’s what impressed me the most in 2006.

TV Report Card Pt. 2

2007-01-04T22:21:00.000-08:00

Sorry. I was delayed by a trip home for Christmas.

Nevertheless, if I were to put together my own TV All Star Team, here are the shows and actors I'd want on it based on their performances so far this season. Now let's see what happens during the rest of the year.

SHOWS
Friday Night Lights
Battlestar Galactica
Veronica Mars
Lost
Brothers and Sisters
Ugly Betty
Rescue Me

ACTORS
Rosanna Arquette What About Brian
Jamie Bamber Battlestar Galactica
Elizabeth Banks Scrubs
Kristen Bell Veronica Mars
Connie Britton Friday Night Lights
Kyle Chandler Friday Night Lights
Marcia Cross Desperate Housewives
Jason Dohring Veronica Mars
Michael Emerson Lost
America Ferrera Ugly Betty
Sally Field Brothers and Sisters
Calista Flockhart Brothers and Sisters
Matthew Fox Lost
Zach Gilford Friday Night Lights
Rachel Griffiths Brothers and Sisters
Anne Heche Men in Trees
Minka Kelly Friday Night Lights
Jonny Lee Miller Smith
Elizabeth Mitchell Lost
Becki Newton Ugly Betty
Katee Sackhoff Battlestar Galactica
Daniel Sunjata Rescue Me
Chandra Wilson Grey's Anatomy

How Shallow?

2006-12-27T17:48:00.000-08:00

What does it say about me that I’m in the middle of a mini-Friday Night Lights marathon on NBC, celebrating its new Wednesday timeslot, and thusfar, this is the best night of my mini-vacation home? Raise your hand if you think the word shallow applies. Or if the show were a real game of Permian football, the phrase, “Mojo” would apply.

TV REPORT CARD PT. 1

2006-12-22T11:34:00.000-08:00

We’re halfway through the traditional television season and there have been some surprises and disappointments in terms of quality and ratings. Some shows that shouldn’t have died are gone (The Nine, Smith) and others that should be gone (Shark, Criminal Minds) are still here, even in older seasons. Some shows have increased in popularity and decreased in quality (yes—Grey’s Anatomy, that means you) while others toil away in obscurity because people DON’T KNOW GOOD TELEVISION WHEN IT’S ON! (You bet I’m talking about Friday Night Lights). And then there are the train wrecks that seem to fascinate us all (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.)

Nevertheless, here are the things worth noting from this television season, so far:

BREAKOUT STAR—America Ferrera, Ugly Betty She makes the show and if she doesn’t win the Golden Globe next month, I’ll be shocked.

BEST NEW CHARACTERS—Matt Saracen. Lyla Garrity, and Jason Street—Friday Night Lights; Betty—Ugly Betty; Juliet—Lost; Justin—Brothers and Sisters; Jack—30 Rock; Oliver Queen—Smallville; D’Anna Biers—Battlestar Galactica

BIGGEST, “I DON’T BUY THIS FOR A SECOND” CHARACTER—Harriet, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

BIGGEST, “I DON’T BUY THIS FOR A SECOND” STORYLINE—Izzie returning to work, Grey’s Anatomy

BIGGEST POTENTIAL SCENE STEALER—Ashley Jensen, Ugly Betty; Rosemarie DeWitt, Standoff (if her show didn’t just suck)

BIGGEST “WOULD’VE BEEN A SCENE STEALER IF THE SERIES HAD LASTED”—Simon Baker, Smith

BIGGEST UNSUNG REASON TO WATCH A TV SHOW—Jason Dohring, Veronica Mars

BEST STAR IN A BAD SERIES—Taye Diggs, Daybreak

BEST GUEST STARS—Catherine Denueve—Nip/Tuck; Thad Luckinbill—Nip/Tuck; Laurie Metcalf—Desperate Housewives; Jane Seymour—How I Met Your Mother; Everybody from Everwood who has found work on TV this season

ACTOR IN NEED OF A BETTER SHOW: Victor Garber, Justice. Apparently this experience was so bad, he’s starting to line up stage projects for the next year.

MOST IMPROVED RETURNING SERIES: The OC. Sure, nobody’s watching it, but this show has shrugged off Marissa and really gotten back into fine form. It’s close to the joy it was first season. Having Chris Pratt (Bright from Everwood) on board doesn’t hurt.

WE’VE HIT OUR STRIDE—How I Met Your Mother—This show went from promising last season to hilarious this season.

MOST IMPROVED NEW SERIES: Brothers and Sisters—every week this show keeps getting better and better

BEST PILOTS THAT DIDN’T WORK IN LATER EPISODES: Smith (cancelled after two more episodes, but now available on Itunes) and The Nine (and who knows if we’ll see the rest of its 13 episodes)

MOST “WHY IS THIS SHOW STILL ON?” AWARD—Nip/Tuck; The King of Queens

MOST SELF-IMPORTANT—Heroes; Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Justice

BEST “OH NO, YOU DID NOT JUST DO SPIT ON YOUR MAMA LIKE THAT” MOMENT—Friday Night Lights: Smash lying about needing money for steroids and then letting his church give him a freewill love offering, thinking they were helping the boy take an SAT prep course so he could get into a good college.

BEST LINES I FIND MYSELF STILL REPEATING—“Boom goes the dynamite!” Veronica Mars; “Frak”—Battlestar Galactica

THE “WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL AWARD?”—Heroes

BIGGEST SQUANDERING OF TALENT—Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock

BEST BREAKDOWN--Rachel Griffiths, Brothers and Sisters. Who know buying a lei could be so difficult?

BEST COLD OPEN/TEASER—Gilmore Girls –the answering machine message. Nothing has been funnier this season then Emily playing Lorelai’s message announcing her elopement over and over at Friday dinner. I watched it four times and couldn’t stop laughing.

WORST REVAMPING OF TITLE CREDITS—Veronica Mars; Grey’s Anatomy

BEST EPISODE—“Bang” Desperate Housewives; “Mistakes Were Made Pt. 1 & 2” Brothers and Sisters; “Torn” Battlestar Galactica

Now bring on the musical episode of Scrubs, the return of Lost, and 24

Holiday Traditions

2006-12-21T08:43:00.000-08:00

Tonight is the annual airing of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", and though "Ugly Betty" is reairing one of its strongest episodes, you never encourage someone not to watch this Christmas classic. I had a roommate in college who loved this more than he did the "1812 Overture" or sleeping in. (Sometimes his love for the "1812 Overture" prevented my sleeping in, but--BYGONES.) It was his big Christmas tradition to watch "Rudolph" and it gave him an excuse to act like a child at Christmas all over again. It was a die-hard tradition for him.

That got me thinking about my live free or die hard traditions at Christmas. I don't mean the--we're going to this family's for Christmas lunch and then we're going to go see your aunt, etc. I meant the fun, random ones. After my paternal grandparents died and we quit trying to get that side of the family together on Christmas Eve, my parents, brother and I did get in the habit of going to the mall on Christmas Eve, laughing at last minute shoppers scurrying around. We'd then go see a movie, though not always together. (I specifically remember hanging out in the theater lobby for over an hour with my mom and brother while my dad's movie--"Bugsy"--just kept going on and on. Even the theater employees felt sorry for us, because it was obvious we were bored. I think they gave us free popcorn since our little movie was short and to the point. Dad's had to lay the groundwork for the Beatty-Bening marriage and family. Of course, his was going to be longer.) But at some point, that tradition got dropped. (It might be because of the bad taste in movies my parents have--and their lack of understanding in my good taste. Apparently, a couple of years ago we hit a real low point when they took me to see "Cheaper by the Dozen" while I was home and I laughed so loud at Ashton Kutcher's bad acting that people in the theater turned around and looked.) The last couple of years, I've taken videos home that I really think they'd like that they never would've rented. (They really liked "In America" and were moderately amused by "Napoleon Dynamite".) Unfortunately, I just can't think of anything this year that I think they need to see.

So I need a new Christmas tradition. The more superficial, the better. (I mean, this is me we're talking about here, right?)

Any ideas?

"Pursue" This

2006-12-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, there are movies that are not perfect, but effect you in such a deep and profound way that you are blind to the narrative's shortcomings. The remake of "Father of the Bride" was probably the first movie like that for me. I loved it, was moved by it, and really didn't care about its shortcomings. I thought Steve Martin was hilarious, Diane Keaton demonstrated incredible wisdom, and Kimberly Williams--now Kimberly Williams-Paisley--was charming and fetching.

"The Pursuit of Happyness", while a better film than "Bride", is very similar. It's got a couple of tonal problems, a rash of coincidences that don't make sense at all, plus two chase sequences that seem from a different film. Nevertheless, I challenge anyone to see this movie and not feel inspired.

The movie's a simple story of Chris Gardner, who gets into a competitive (non-salaried) internship at Dean Whitter. Gardner wants to be a stockbroker so that he can make enough money to support his son. Despite suggestions to turn his son over to child services, or let him live with his mother, Gardner refuses to abandon his young son. So, they are forced to live in homeless shelters, spend nights on subway trains, and live a miserable existence, all the while, trying to pursue excellence and get to the top of his internship class. There's never any doubt how the movie's going to end. I mean, it's a big Hollywood movie with Will Smith. They don't make these movies to be downers.

Despite the ending you can see coming a mile away, the movie feels fresh and--dare I say it--necessary. Part of what separates "Happyness" from other "follow your dream" inspiration tales like "The Rookie", "Shine", or "A Beautiful Mind" is that unlike those other movies, Gardner's dream is 100% unselfish. The film argues that he's not trying to become successful for himself. Instead, he's trying to become successful to provide for his son--all so he can be an outstanding father.

One of the mantras I've heard over the last year is "think about what the audience needs". What stories are out there that an audience needs to see and hear? The only other story this year that I think an audience could have possibly needed more was "United 93." And even that is up for debate. Here is a film about an African-American male who refuses to abandon his son. No matter how overwhelming the odds stack up against him, he refuses to consider any alternative that divorces him from his child--even if only for one night. This depiction of African-American fathers runs so contrary to the stories and images we are being presented with in relation to the state of the African-American nuclear family, that you cannot help but be moved by them.

It might not be the best movie of the year, but it's guaranteed to leave you feeling happy.

Ch-ch-changes

2006-11-30T14:16:00.000-08:00

NBC has just announced their new mind-season lineup. The big changes are the introduction of some new shows. "Raines" will be taking the place of "Las Vegas" in March and "The Black Donnellys" will be taking the place of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" in March too. The most important news however is that "Friday Night Lights" will moving to Wednesdays at 8 PM, to be followed by "Deal or No Deal."

So prepared for the TIVOs to move.

Things I Learned From TV This Week

2006-11-09T08:25:00.000-08:00

Kate's married? Seriously?

We find this out and we're supposed to be ok with the fact she and Sawyer had cage sex? I mean, I know that part of the beauty of "Lost" is that these are REALLY flawed characters, but for some reason, this just gets me a little more than normal.

Maybe it's because I'm still smarting over the fact that Keith "coolest dad on TV" Mars had the force of will to stop himself from sleeping with a married woman on Tuesday night, only to have one of those "change of life moments" that only happen in fiction. He turned around, went back to the hotel room, and then broke up an unhappy marriage by embarking on an affair. So not cool Keith.

"Nip/Tuck" is still ridiculously out of control and I just scratch my head as to why I even watch the thing anymore. Maybe it's to see the promos for "Dirt."

Who knew that semen could cause a urinary tract infection? There's much more to learn from "Friday Night Lights" than about football. And it was finally nice to see Sarocen not be the most put upon character on TV since Sipowicz. Furthermore, part of the beauty of this show is that you believe all the naive posturing--like Jason, Lila, and Tim getting caught up in the fantasy of living on a ranch together--even though this is a crazy love triangle! Ah, youth. Only being young lets you get away with saying things that innocent.

And I finally figured out why "The Nine" isn't completely working. It's because of the flashbacks to the bank. Not only are they hyper-directed within an inch of their lives, but the bigger problem is that they don't work with the story at large. Information is given to us in such a piecemeal fashion that it's difficult to put it all into context (like I already thought that Felicia had been discovered. Moreover, unlike the flashbacks in "Lost", there's not enough thematic resonance to the flashbacks in relation to the main story, so it just feels like it's dragging the pace down and the show then veers to the ponderous. So, here's to hoping that soon we get to nearly all bank episodes and they tell us what went on, so we can get on with it.

Watch Alert

2006-10-30T13:36:00.000-08:00

Remember, "Friday Night Lights" is on tonight at 10 in "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"'s place.

WATCH IT! You should probably watch "Heroes" tonight too so that it has a big lead in that goes into "Lights."

And watch it again tomorrow too! This show needs lots and lots and lots of viewers.

I don't know what to make of this

2006-10-30T13:34:00.000-08:00

Sure, I have a tendency to let my imagination run wild, but....

Today, I was looking at election polling numbers and there's a reasonable possibility that someone I went on a date with a few years ago could be a Member of Congress-elect next Wednesday.

You can imagine how overactively my imagination is going on that one.

About Time!

2006-10-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

NBC announced today that it's bringing back the one sitcom worth watching. "Scrubs" will return to the airwaves on Nov. 30. Additionally, "30 Rock" will move with it, so that NBC will be putting all its comedies on one night, in one block. "Earl" and "The Office" will stay where they are, to be followed by "Scrubs" and "30 Rock." The Thursday edition of "Deal or No Deal" is done.

This is actually a pretty smart move on NBC's part. Particularly since "Grey's" has started sucking more than a vacuum cleaner, it's not a bad idea to have a really good alternative around for people to tune into. Now, let's see if they can build the audience for "Friday Nights Lights" some more. (Remember, they're airing it at 10 this Monday to see if it's a better companion for "Heroes" than the why-isn't-this-cancelled-already "Studio 60?") SO WATCH IT!

Welcome

2006-10-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

A special "welcome to the world" shout out to Charles Hayden Sadler, born Oct. 23.

Let's just hope he's not as picky about his food options as his dad!

Let the Word Go Forth

2006-10-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

"Friday Night Lights" and "Brothers and Sisters" are my two new favorite shows for the season.

"Friday Night Lights" is especially impressive because it is really unlike anything on television right now. It's a sincere drama about high school, about a small, rural town. It's about a "red state" way of life. It's about bonds, it's about family, it's about race, it's about commitment, it's about faith, and everything that separates America from everywhere else in the world. And oh, it's also about football.

Kyle Chandler definitely deserves an Emmy nomination for his role as the coach at the center of all this mess. But what might be even more impressive is the depth of the supporting cast, including Scott Porter as the injured QB, Jason and Zach Gillford as the put-upon QB, Matt Saracen. Additionally, the show has a surprising amount of time given to its female cast and the standout among them (so far) is Minka Kelly as , Lyla, Jason's girlfriend who believes that denial and optimism are inextricably linked. My roommate and I spent 15 minutes last night discussing whether we think Lyla is one of the most fascinating characters on TV right now, or if she's just completely one-dimensional. We ultimately decided that the fact we were going on and on about this, meant she had to be the former, which makes this show even better.

I jokingly called this "My So-Called Football Career" last night, and while I think there are comparisons to be made between this show and "My So-Called Life", if for no other reason than they're just incredibly well written, they're honest, and they're set in high school. But what I think sets this show apart is the depth of talent. "Life" was about Angela and very little else. Everything revolved around her. "Lights" is much more a portrait of a town and a love letter to a community--despite its obvious flaws.

As much as it kind of pains me to say this, I will. Skip "Gilmore Girls" and watch "Friday Night Lights" instead.

And while you're setting the DVR, be sure and catch "Brothers and Sisters." This show is the reason to watch ABC on Sunday nights considering the uneven season "Desperate Housewives" is having. It's emotional, engaging, without being too preachy. Sure, it all hasn't completely gelled yet--and it might not ever (though I think it will.) Nevertheless, there's a lot of fascinating and interesting stuff going on in this show. The female portion of the cast is doing most of the heavy lifting, and is more than capable of doing so. Right now, the men haven't been fleshed out that much--except for Justin, played by Dave Annabele, whose performance becomes emboldened every week. His strung out Vet character has the potential to go places, if they producers are willing to push him into new directions they've hinted at already.

I don't think it's also a coincidence that both these shows have references to the post 9/11 fallout. "Brothers and Sisters" has put it at the forefront, including an argument between the mom (Sally Field) and Kitty (Calista Flockhart) about Kitty's role in encouraging Justin to enlist in the military as a result of the Towers' collapse. Yet, "Lights" is taking a more organic approach, which is simply to have Matt's dad stationed in Iraq. That allows characters to mention where he is, eliciting a slightly overwhelmed look from the boy, and then it moves on without dwelling upon it. It's just great writing.

Bottom line. Check out "Brothers and Sisters" and give it a chance.

Put "Friday Night Lights" on your Must-See list. For those of you who I converted to the cult of "Veronica", I didn't fail you then, I won't fail you now. For those of you who aren't watching "Veronica Mars", SHAME ON YOU! Start watching it and "Friday Night Lights". It's an awesome pairing "Lights" on NBC at 8 and "Veronica" on the CW at 9. By 10:00, you'll be high on good TV. And what's better than that?

Boom goes the dynamite!

2006-10-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

Hot Dog!

"Veronica Mars" was back in shape last night, just like she'd never left or had that horrible little run in with Beaver. The show was fun, witty, pity, and full of the banter the show revels in.

What was my favorite part? Veronica's discovery of "Battlestar Galactica"? Piz and Wallace trying to "hackeysack?" Wallace's comment that hackeysack is a white man's sport? The fact that Piz was wearing some of Duncan's old clothes? The fact that Logan was snarky about Piz's clothes, just like he was snarky about them when Duncan wore them? Logan answering the phone when Keith called? I don't know, but "boom goes the dynamite" just might be it.

RIP Kendall.

The only problem--What the frack was going on with the opening credits? Whoever at the CW approved that stripped down version of "We Used to Be Friends" should have their head examined. Who tries to de-rockify the Dandy Warhols?

At least the show didn't try and take on any "Lost"-iosity. The show is bold, daring, and one that should not be missed.

Now--let's figure out who this serial rapist is!

Random Tidbits

2006-10-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

Set your TIVO/VCR and be sure and catch the series premiere of "Friday Night Lights." "Variety" and "The Hollywood Reporter" both gave it strong reviews. I've seen the first episode and I liked it. Despite the football.

If any Republican in leadership knew about this creepy stuff Mark Foley was doing, then the entire party deserves to be hung out to dry and should lose their majority in Congress by a landslide. Beyond gross.

The Foley stuff is even more unsettling than the central romance at the core of "Down in the Valley." And when I watched it Saturday, I was really creeped out. Now. Not so much.

If you want higher and faster, rent "The Proposition." It's bloody and violent, but in some ways, it's a man's answer to "Sophie's Choice."

I officially love "Brothers and Sisters." It might not be the best written show on TV right now, but I'm hooked. Calista Flockhart and Sally Field are great, but Rachel Griffiths is the real standout in my mind.

Out With a Bang

2006-09-21T18:23:00.000-07:00

Last night, the CW started airing and the first show up on the lineup was "America's Next Top Model" and the network launched huge! (Well, for what it might ever do.)

"Top Model" won the night the hardest to reach, 18-34 year olds, being the most watched program of the night for that group. That's enormous for a network to start and win the night in the key demographic. I'm sure that folks in Burbank have to be overjoyed today. I'm sure they're hoping to continue that roll next week when "One Tree Hill" settles back into its old time slot.

For those who are asking what that demographic is key, the answer is simple. 18-34 year olds are the group advertisers want to reach more. For some reason, advertisers think that this age group has more money to burn, are more interested in spending it, and are a more lucrative audience than say 50-65 year olds. Most of the real reason they're so popular is that they're probably the ones that are setting the culture, establishing the trends and determining the products and items consumed in masses for the next few months.

Well, That's Not Good

2006-09-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

In the write-up for last night's overnight ratings: "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" averaged a decent 8.6/14 for NBC but lost a significant number of viewers in its second half-hour.

Ouch. That's not good.

The numbers are fine. Nothing the size of a "Lost" or a "Desperate Housewives"-sized phenomenon, but reasonable ratings. However, losing a signficant number of viewers in the second half-hour is a bad thing. A really bad thing.

Why? Because the point of a television program is to keep viewers watching. One of the things that has kept a number of programs on the air is the fact that they build viewers. They may start out with a small number people watching, but more and more come to it during the course of an hour. If you're gaining an audience, then it means that people like what they're seeing. If they turn away however, it means they aren't interested and they probably won't be coming back for a second helping, which means more viewers for the advertisements and product-placement next go-around.

So what does this tell us?

It could mean any number of things, but here's probably the top 3:

1. Despite what Hollywood thinks, most of America isn't enamored with Aaron Sorkin or his writing.

2. The audience came for Matthew Perry and when he wasn't in the show until approximately the 20 minute mark, they left.

3. The show is too "Hollywood." It feels like you have to be in the know to get it, and people didn't, and they weren't interested. (I'm still formulating a thesis on this one and I'll wait to unveil it till next week after the second episode.)

NBC's long road to the top is exactly just that--a loooooooong, difficult road, which isn't going to be any easier probably with the premiere of the too dour for words "Heroes" next week.

Now if only they had a show about mirrors....

Farewell promo

2006-09-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

Here's the Farewell promo the WB ran Sunday night:

The Network That Defined a Generation?

2006-09-18T15:38:00.000-07:00

Last night, the WB signed off the air by showing the series premieres of some of its landmark shows--"Felicity", "Angel", "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer", and "Dawson's Creek," During the night of nostalgia, the network aired some very classy promos, reminiscent of promos the network ran during various seasons, as a tribute to the talent that had a home at the network. And the list was impressive: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Keri Russell, Scott Foley, Scott Speedman, Katie Holmes, James Van Der Beek, David Boreanaz, Seth Green, Allyson Hannigan, the Wayans Brothers, Barry Watson, Lauren Graham, Michelle Williams, Jessica Biel, and Jamie Foxx. Some of the ads big aideu to the network, claiming that it was the "network that defined a generation."

And the thing, it's right.

Well, almost.

It's a little inaccurate to say that it defined a generation. Sure, there are texts that define generations. ("The Graduate" comes to mind). However, saying that a generation was shaped by the WB is pretty off.

Saying that it represented a generation is more accurate. There's no denying that the moment "Dawson's Creek" hit the air, Gen Y had their seminal film--in a television series. (Just like "Fight Club" and "Reality Bites" are the seminal Gen X films.) It highlighted the generation as what it yearns to be--precocious, intelligent, sex-talking adolescents that skip being a teenager and move straight into adulthood. It was a formula that had its limitations, but was surprisingly successful. Sure, "Dawson's" never transcended much beyond guilty pleasure, but the show was groundbreaking for its view of teenage sexuality, as well as gay teens.

But in quality, the show never held a candle to the real cream of the WB's shows--"Buffy, the Vampire Slayer". Sure, there have been some great shows on the WB, but none of them broke down the walls and toyed with the idea of genre and gender roles the way that "Buffy" did. The serio-comic show took that idea that high school is hell--literally and milked every metaphor out of it. Yet, it went beyond that bag of tricks, transcended the form and became about so many things and ideas--rare for any television show, and even rarer for a "teen show." Some of the episodes of "Buffy"--"The Body", "Once More, with Feeling", "Hush", and "Becoming Part I & II" and "The Gift" are among some of the best hours of television ever produced. And they all came from one show.

The other show that is frequently overlooked and less heralded in the pantheon of WB shows is "Felicity." This is the only show to win the network a major award. Keri Russell picked up a Golden Globe in the show's first season--and with good reason. The program perfectly captured the angst of a teenager burgeoning into adulthood, trapped by a sense of duty to parents and their wishes and a desire to become her own person. Sure, most people can still debate over whether she should've ended up with Noel or Ben, but the fact that after four seasons, this was still a question worthy of discussion proved how real those characters were and how well the writers had created them. They were as real to us as any college buddy. Sure the show was angsty and that angst got on some people's nerves, but guess what? College is angst. That's what made it so brilliant was its honesty. Plus, introducing us to JJ Abrams and Jennifer Garner would never be considered a bad thing.

So, so long to the WB. Hopefully the new shows of the CW (if and when there are any) will be as memorable as these. Just hopefully it won't take two or three years for them to be discovered.

Let it Snow!

2006-09-17T22:42:00.000-07:00

I've been on a huge Snow Patrol kick for the last couple of days. Their new album, Eyes Open really had to grow on me. When I first got it off ITunes a few months ago, it did nothing for me, but the more and more I've listened to it, the more I think it's almost as good as their last album, "Final Straw." Lyrically it's not advanced, but it's got some amazing hooks. And "Chasing Cars" is a beautiful song. Maybe it's the simplicity that makes it work, but whatever it is, I just adore this piece.

In Full Swing?

2006-09-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

We're getting closer and closer to the fall season. Sure, FOX has started, but it's not like any of the shows they've premiered is worth putting in the TIVO season pass, or watching more than twice. This season, the networks are trying several things to get viewers into their shows--particularly the new ones. As mentioned earlier, you can rent the Pilots for "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" and "Kidnapped" on Netflix. If you get a special card from a local movie theater, you can download the Pilot for "Heroes" from ITunes. Additionally, now AOL is streaming "Studio 60" and "20 Good Years".

MSN has also announced that it is going to stream the new CW show, "Runaway", along with the season premieres of "Veronica Mars" and "Everybody Hates Chris" a week before their airdates. "Runaway" hits MSN on Sept. 18, prior to airing on the new network, Sept. 25. The world's favorite "Mars" girl hits the Internet on Sept. 26, before coming to the air, Oct. 5. Finally, the Internet audience can "hate Chris" on September 24, while the television audience will have to wait till October 1.

And I'm hearing disturbing things that a central character is gonna die on "Veronica" in the season premiere. It better not be Logan. Cause then half the snark goes and so might I.

TV is on Earth, Brilliance comes from Mars

2006-09-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

A Conversation From Last Night

Friend: You were so right about "Veronica Mars".

Me: Well, duh.

Friend: I'm more excited about this than I am the upcoming season of "Lost."

Me: Well...

Friend: Maybe not that excited, but at least as much.

Me: Very good, but why did you think I was gonna lie to you?

This is the same friend who watched "Arrested Development" on my encouragement and then spawned his own cult of devoted fans. So why it took him so long to get on the bandwagon, I don't know.

Believe me, I've seen a lot of good TV and a lot of bad TV. I know awesome TV when I see it. "Veronica", at its best, is awesome TV. If you doubt it, the first and second seasons are DVD. Pick them up. This friend has managed to get through the entire two seasons (save four episodes) in less than two weeks, so it can be done.

And if you give yourself over to watching a couple of episodes of "Veronica" and fall in love with her, like any sane, normal person would do, you should also feel free to open your heart to a very beautiful "Ugly Betty" this fall. It has all the makings of another great series, like "Veronica."

Years Ago

2006-09-07T09:31:00.000-07:00

This sounds funny. And oddly familiar.
Wait. Wait. OH! I had this idea years ago when I wrote it up as a mock PSA for one of my writing classes. If only I'd known I could take an idea that had 45 seconds worth of material and turn it into a full-length feature, I would've gladly done so.

"Seann William Scott is in talks to headline edgy comedy "Big Brother" for 20th Century Fox reports Production Weekly.

The story concerns a selfish businessman who's forced to participate in the Big Brother program and is paired with a tough teen.

The two loathe each other, but they develop a twisted father/son relationship once the businessman begins teaching the youth all of the immoral things he used to get ahead in business.

"The Bourne Identity" screenwriter W. Blake Herron penned the script and Luke Greenfield ("The Girl Next Door") will direct."

Oh well... Que sera sera...

Low Expectations and Frustrations

2006-09-06T08:45:00.000-07:00

Last night saw the premiere of the final one-hour drama from Fox for the fall, "Standoff." The show, about two hostage negotiators who are also sleeping together, suffers from probably the worst buzz of any one-hour on this fall. Expectations were low.

Maybe that's why I was so surprised when I saw it. It didn't suck.

I mean, don't get me wrong, it wasn't great television, but compared to Fox's other pilots, it actually felt like somebody tried to do some interesting writing and wanted to keep surprise us, while never forgetting that sometimes, television needs to be fun.

While I'm still not convinced that I buy Ron Livingston as a hostage negotiator, but his partner, Rosemarie DeWitt was slick and capable. She (along with Gina Torres, playing their boss) was able to hold the piece together and somewhat juggle some very clumsy tonal transitions.

Sure, there were problems with the story. I felt like the show almost careened off a cliff in the first ten minutes when Livingston's character announced to the world that he and his partner were sleeping together. Why someone would feel the need to self-disclose in the middle of a hostage negotiation is beyond me. And in some ways, the show never managed to recover from that, but then it just kind of got dropped. What should have been a big deal wasn't, but served merely as fodder to pad the story until the real hostage negotiation started. And there, at least the writer tried to keep it interesting, by at least having a surprise up his sleeve, unlike "Justice" and "Vanished" which is supposed to be all about surprises up your sleeve.

It might not be something I TIVO (especially since Tuesday night is looking to be a crowded TV night with "Gilmore Girls", "Veronica Mars", "Friday Night Lights", "Smith", and "Nip/Tuck" on, but I might catch it in repeats. Assuming it stays on that long.

And then there's the show that consistently fails to live up to its potential, because it insists on reveling in its own audacity. "Nip/Tuck" really should be the best show on television. It goes where no other show goes, not only in terms of the stories that it tells, but the places that it takes its characters. However, as last night's bloated premiere demonstrates, sometimes the show finds itself too clever by far.

The premiere found Sean and Julia back together, while Christian is in therapy, trying to determine why he is incapable of having an adult relationship. He's offended by his therapist's logical suggestion as to why and instead, tries to take power and "butch" up his life. This is only further enhanced by the surgery of an aging medical corporate raider who "wants a bigger pair of balls." (seriously). It's a great metaphor as on the nose analogies go (and that's what this show does so well), but the episode somehow got muddled and lost. It felt like this was supposed to be a 90 minute episode that could've been 45. The vocal chord lift of a phone sex operator (played by Kathleen Turner) was a good idea that had no thematic relevance to the script and should've just been left out. Likewise, the opening sex montage, while shocking as intended, was overly long, and could've been reduced as well. And then there were things that were shrunk that ended up making no sense--like the reversal in Christian's therapist.

Still, there was a lot to admire about the show. First and foremost, is the continually complex and complicated relationship between Christian and Sean. The fact that the show is now asking Christian to examine the sexual nature of their friendship also speaks volumes about where we are in terms of relationships in 2006. (We can't believe that people can be intimate and not be sexual.) And the impending birth defect of Julia and Sean's son promises to be fascinating, while providing the show with even more dramatic ground to plunder.

So in the meantime, figure out what you don't like about yourself. It might just show up on this show.

Random Things

2006-08-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

First, ABC has bought the rights to "Footballers Wives" and are looking at the potential of making it into a television series for next fall. If you've never seen "Footballers Wives", it's classic campy soap. Like it almost makes "Melrose Place" look tame kinda campy. The thing is, that no matter how out of control it is, ABC will just have to tame it down for American censors and I'll be curious to see if it would play that way.

Second, and more importantly, we're coming into fall, which means that Oscar season is quickly approaching. Buzz is already starting to build. (Don't be surprised to see a repeat of Sunday night's showdown between Annette Bening and Helen Mirren happen at every awards show this year. Bening will quite possibly get another Oscar nomination for her lead turn in "Running With Scissors", while Mirren is building for buzz for playing Queen Elizabeth (the current one) in Stephen Frear's "The Queen." Frears' film is about the royal family's reaction to the death of Princess Diana.

Finally, while we're on fall movies, check out the trailer for "Little Children." This is Todd Field's first film since the brilliant masterpiece, "In the Bedroom" and this trailer is easily the best one I've seen all year. I'm in the process of reading through the novel this film is based on and I'm already putting this at the "I might have to go to the Arclight for the midnight screening of this" list.

BBC HA HA!

2006-08-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

This is the funniest thing I've heard in a way:

Reports circulated Monday that an extra working on the 13-part BBC series Robin Hood broke into the studios where the tapes were being stored and "kidnaped" them. According to some of the reports, the man was demanding $1.8 million for the tapes. The London Daily Mirror quoted a BBC source as saying: "This is an absolute disaster. There's no back-up recording." Another source told the newspaper: "With the master tapes gone, there's no way the series can start as planned."

Emmy Round-Up

2006-08-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

This is the first year I can remember in a while that the Emmys were actually worth watching.

And not because of the awards (though it was nice to see the group from "24" finally rewarded for an excellent season). Maybe it was because there was so much self-spun controversy about the nomination process, but giving the awards was like taking the wind out of sails. Maybe it was also because there weren't any egregiously overlooked awardees. Sure, I completely expected Shonda Rimes to win for writing the post-Super Bowl episodes of "Grey's Anatomy", but "The Sopranos" always does well in the writing categories. And "Grey's" had two competing episodes in that category, so they probably cancelled themselves out.

The Spelling tribute could and should've been better. Unfortunately, the show didn't provide any context to help the audience understand Spelling's monumental achievements. (Or if they did, I didn't hear it. The people I was watching it with were too busy making snarky comments about how old some of the presenters looked.) Maybe it's hard to summarize in 5 minutes how singular Aaron Spelling was in changing the face of television. As dated as they now look, "Dynasty", "The Mod Squad", and even "Melrose Place" were landmarks of popular culture that changed the way that people perceived television and its relationship to the real world. The "Charlie's Angels" reunion was a great moment too that unfortunately, had no context, but it was great to see those three together again, no matter how uncomfortable or out of place they appeared.

But really, the highlight of the night was Conan. His "Music Man" riff was great and NBC should be patted on the back for allowing him to do it. His stint through "Lost", "24", "The Office", and "House" were great. Personally, I think it would've been funnier if Jin had met him and was trying to speak to him in Korean, but minor squibbles. The Bob Newhart gag was also absolutely hilarious. It made me wish Newhart was back on television in a regular role, but he's over 35, so I guess we'll really only see him in guest spots, so Marc Cherry, bring him back to "Desperate Housewives!"

Best presenters would be a toss-up between three pairings: Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan (actually made me a TINY bit interested in their sitcom); Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart; and my personal favorites, Hugh Laurie and Helen Mirren. Their riff was hilarious. (And by the way, if current buzz is correct, expect to see a lot more of Helen Mirren at awards shows over the next six months. She's starting to emerge as a frontrunner for the Best Actress Oscar for the upcoming Stephen Frears movie, "The Queen.)

And while the best shows on television ("Battlestar Galactica", "Scrubs", "Arrested Development", "The Shield") went home empty-handed, the choices weren't appalling. But nevertheless, let's get this new TV season started!

Deadline

2006-08-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

So I sit here waiting on someone from work to send me a file so I can do my thing, I realize that the more and more people I work with, the more I come to realize that I believe in deadlines much more than most people. I was continually amazed at how many of the people I used to work with were very cavalier about deadlines. Managers chose to submit products after the client's deadline and employees would submit drafts and deliverables late to their managers. I thought it was a problem unique to our company, but the more I talk to my friends and other co-workers, the more I understand that it's not a problem unique to the mess I worked with.

So why is it a problem? I mean, in most cases, deadlines aren't arbitrarily decided deadlines are they? If somebody tells you they need something by August 27th at 7:30 p.m., there's probably a reason why, right? It just shows respect for the other party if you give it to them in time. Or if you are incapable, either give them what you have or notify them and let them know that it's going to be late. That's the least a respectful person can do, right?

Maybe I'm just overly-sensitive on this matter. In fact, I'm sure I am. I remember my English teacher in high school was really adamant about deadlines, but ended up being appalled when I sent dispatched someone from the emergency room to turn in an essay. She said that the papers better not be late, and I believed her. Maybe a bit too literally, but still...

And I'm still waiting....

MY VOTE

2006-08-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

You can never tell with the Emmys. They like some things (David E. Kelley) and they can sometimes beat to their own drummer. So while I would never predict who will win and who won't, here's a look at who I would vote for if I were filling out a ballot.

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Grey's Anatomy; House; The Sopranos; 24; The West Wing
MY VOTE: 24--Sure "Grey's" was the show of the year and the Super Bowl episodes were brilliant, but the finale was just as lacking in its brilliance. "The West Wing" had probably the best year of its run, but no show was as jaw-dropping in its gutsiness as "24." It's finally time the show was recognized.

OUSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Christopher Meloni, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; Denis Leary, Rescue Me; Peter Krause, Six Feet Under; Kiefer Sutherland, 24; Martin Sheen, The West Wing
MY VOTE: Denis Leary--"Rescue Me"--Andy Sipowicz has nothing on Tommy Gavin. Gavin could probably give Job a run for his money, and the episode that Leary submitted was brilliant, sympathetic, and emotional. Watching Tommy deal with the loss of his son is a coup-de-etat for an actor and Leary deserves props for it.

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer; Geena Davis, Commander in Chief; Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; Frances Conroy, Six Feet Under; Allison Janney, The West Wing
MY VOTE: Who cares? This is such an uninteresting group with no Jennifer Garner, Edie Falco, or Kristen Bell. Who knows--I might even put down Allison Janney on my ballot, but I'd probably be more tempted to go with Kyra Sedgwick.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
William Shatner, Boston Legal; Oliver Platt, Huff; Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos; Gregory Itzin, 24; Alan Alda, The West Wing
MY VOTE: Alan Alda--"The West Wing" Because he's Alan frickin' Alda! And I was never fully convinced by Itzin's performance, so Alda's was the most presidential.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Candice Bergen, Boston Legal; Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy; Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy; Blythe Danner, Huff; Jean Smart, 24
MY VOTE--Jean Smart-"24"--Covered that one already

OUSTANDING WRITING IN A DRAMA SERIES
"It's the End of the World as We Know It"--Grey's Anatomy; "Into You Like a Train"--Grey's Anatomy; "The 23rd Psalm"--Lost; "Everyone's Waiting"--Six Feet Under; "Members Only--The Sopranos
MY VOTE--The easiest one of the night--"It's the End of the World as We Know It"--Grey's Anatomy. Those two post-Super Bowl episodes were nothing short of absolute chutzpah and great writing. Go Shonda.

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING IN A DRAMA SERIES
Pilot-Big Love; "Live Together, Die Alone"-Lost; "Everyone's Waiting"-Six Feet Under; "Members Only"-The Sopranos; "Join the Club"-The Sopranos; "7:00 AM-8:00 AM"-24; "Election Day"-The West Wing
MY VOTE: "7:00 AM-8:00 AM"-24 The season premiere had me on my feet more than a church service. That takes some skillfull directing. Award it.

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Arrested Development; Curb Your Enthusiasm; The Office; Scrubs; Two and a Half Men
MY VOTE--As much as I love "Arrested Development", "Scrubs" was the only consistenly brilliant comedy this year. It deserves recognition for "The Wizard of Oz" episode alone.

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Kevin James, The King of Queens; Tony Shalhoub, Monk; Steve Carell, The Office; Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men
MY VOTE--Umm... Umm... I guess Larry David because Shalhoub has too many and there's no way I'd vote for the other three?

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback; Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine; Stockard Channing, Out of Practice; Debra Messing, Will & Grace
MY VOTE: Jane Kaczmarek--Because she's brilliant, hilarious, and soooo much funnier than some of the women in this category, but mostly because she submitted a great episode.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Will Arnett, Arrested Development; Jeremy Piven, Entourage; Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle; Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men; Sean Hayes, Will & Grace
MY VOTE: Will Arnett--"Arrested Development" Because I wouldn't want the Alliance of Magicians to come after me.

OUTSTANDING WRITING IN A COMEDY
"Development Arrested"--Arrested Development; "Exodus"-Entourage; "Kate Winslet"-Extras; Pilot-"My Name is Earl"; "The Christmas Party"-The Office
Brilliant as the Christmas episode of "The Office" was, nothing topped the series finale of "Arrested Development." It's just a shame that "My Home" from "Scrubs" wasn't included in this list in lieu of the overhyped "Earl" pilot.

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm; Alfre Woodard, Desperate Housewives; Jaime Pressly, My Name Is Earl; Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds; Megan Mullally, Will & Grace
MY VOTE--I want to make an Alfre Woodard joke here, but I respect her waaay too much as an actress to put it down, so I'll abstain. There are so many worthy candidates for this award and most of them aren't on here, so I'll go with the most worthy, and I can't believe I'm about to type this--Jaime Pressly. EGADS. Cue the Apocalypse.

Waiting for What?

2006-08-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

I'm a big John Mayer fan. To the point that I saw him in concert something like five times in the course of seven days. I like the guy. I think he's a really talented musician, a clever lyricist, and I truly do think he'll probably be around as a musician in twenty years.

So it pains me to say, I'm annoyed by his new song, "Waiting on the World to Change." I like the melody, and the main idea of the song. I have no problem with the concept of an anti-war song. Fine and dandy. Go for it.

The problem is that "Waiting for the World to Change" talks about Generation X's powerlessness and lamenting the fact that we have to suffer through a war. He laments the fact that the media spin all the information and that we have no control over what is shared with the public.

But the whole thing is a "woe is me song." What kind of protest song is that? If you're going to protest, protest something! Don't just celebrate your apathy and then lament the fact that you don't like the way the world is going. If you don't like it, then encourage people to do something.

One of the biggest problems of Generations X and Y is that we've been raised to be apathetic. Voter turn-out is low amongst our generation and the entrepreneurial spirit doesn't seem to be ingrained into our collective unconsciousness. We are a passive generation of whiners and this song is the perfect example of it. Instead of proposing action, Mayer simply whines and complains about how unfair things are, when he simply could encourage people to make their own world better.

I'd say that is the type of song I'm waiting for, but then I'd be just as obnoxious as the song is. So, I guess I'm thinking about how to change my world instead.

Pilot Watch

2006-08-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

I've been fortunate enough to see most of the Pilots for this fall. The good news is that there's more good television than bad. In fact, there's some bloody brilliant television in the midst of all this stuff. There's one Pilot that's better than any movie I've seen all year, though I'm not sure what it will look like as a series. There are a couple of Pilots that were really good and I expect them to be brilliant series, but we'll have to see what happens. A Pilot doesn't really ever tell you everything you need to know about the show--the second through fourth episodes will tell you what you are most likely to expect from the showrunner and writing staff. The Pilot just tells you the ambitions for the program, what it's hoping to do and be.

So without further ado, here's my thoughts via network:

CBS--
"Smith" (Tuesdays at 10)--Easily the best Pilot out there. Period. Amazing. It's with Ray Liotta, Virginia Madsen, Simon Baker, Jonny Lee Miller, Amy Smart, and Shoreh Agdashloo. Think The Sopranos meets Ocean's Eleven. It's about a group of unrepentant criminals. In the Pilot, they rob a museum in Pittsburgh. The version I saw was about 65 minutes without commercials, so I don't know how they're going to get it under an hour, because it's tight. This is by far better than any movie I've seen this year.

"Shark"--(Thursdays at 10) uh; feels really old-fashioned--a drama with James Woods about a high profile defense attorney who becomes a prosecutor. (My vote for first show to get cancelled.) Apparently, Spike Lee directed this, but I never would've guessed it watching it. It just moves like something from CBS of 10 years ago when its entire viewership was over 55.

"Jericho"--(Wednesdays at 8) About a small town in Kansas that apparently is the only place in the US to survive a calculated series of nuclear explosions with Skeet Ulrich. The pilot's moving, and very preachy, but it's not a series I feel compelled to watch.

"The Class"--(Mondays at 8) Comedy about a bunch of people who were in third grade together who reunite as adults. Not funny. Most of the jokes come about this guy who wants to commit suicide. I wanted to join him halfway through.

ABC

"Brothers and Sisters" (Sundays at 10) I saw this version, but since then, two of the actors have been recast and replaced with Sally Field and Matthew Rhys. What I saw had potential, but who knows what will make it to the air. It's been having some behind the scenes turmoil, so it's impossible to tell yet, but the cast is so good and I like the general setup, so I have hope.

"Notes from the Underbelly" This comedy's about a bunch of pregnant couples. Almost enough to make you consider aborting yourself.

"The Nine" (Wednesdays at 10) This gets the post-"Lost" timeslot--and with good reason. It's really good, but it may be too good for network TV. It's definitely complicated, but accessible. I think. It's about nine people who are taken hostage during a bank robbery. The standoff goes 52 hours. There were several things that happened during those 52 hours, but we don't know what. All we know is that some things went wrong. The show is about the hostages sorting out the aftermath, while we as an audience get to piece together what happened in the bank.

"Men in Trees" (Fridays at 9) Anne Heche is a relationship counselor who sees her relationship go south, so she heads north--to Alaska, where there are lots of men. (Think "Northern Exposure" meets "Sex and the City".) It's mildly diverting and Heche is likeable, but I don't see the need to ever watch it again.

"Help Me Help You" (Tuesdays at 9:30) Ted Danson plays a therapist who has some really screwed up patients, but are any of them as in need of therapy as he is. Jane Kaczmarek plays his soon to be ex-wife. This is probably the funniest sitcom pilot I've seen for the fall, but is that really saying a lot? I don't know. It could have potential, but maybe not.

"Ugly Betty"- (Thursdays at 9)-Think "The Devil Wears Prada" but with an "over-sized" Latina instead of Anne Hathaway. It's based on the most popular telenovela ever. America Ferrera stars as Betty, an overweight girl who gets a job as the assistant to the new "man whore" editor of a fashion magazine. His dad runs the corporation that owns the magazine and wants an assistant that nobody will want to sleep with. Nobody counts on her being brilliant, and keeping him from falling into the traps laid by Vanessa L. Williams. This is a dramadey, like "Gilmore" or "Desperate Housewives." My TIVO is just chomping at the bit to get this one in the Season Pass queue.

"Six Degrees"- (Thursdays at 10) This one gets the post-"Grey"'s slot and doesn't deserve it. By far the most disappointing pilot because it comes from producer JJ Abrams. But by the end of it, I could only remember one character's name (Carlos) and the only thing I know about any of the characters is what jobs they have. The supposed premise of the show is following the idea of six degrees of separation, locating everything in New York City, but it's so pointless and inconsequential that even it's outstanding cast (Hope Davis, Campbell Scott, Jay Hernandez, Bridget Monyihan) can't make up for it. I had the highest hopes for this one, but if Abrams weren't attached I'd never watch again. As it stands, I'll give it one or two more tries.

NBC
"Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"--(Mondays at 10) from Aaron Sorkin with Matthew Perry and Amanda Peet. It's about two fired writers who are hired to take over a SNL-esque show. Perry's great in the pilot and if it works, it will be because of him, not because of Sorkin. The show feels like therapy. (It is. The show is super insider, and feels like therapy, particularly when you realize this is Sorkin's f-you to John Wells regarding his departure surrounding The West Wing). My roommate saw about 10 minutes and walked out, complaining, "This is too Hollywood" and that's from somebody who lives out here, so who knows. NBC will promote the crap out of it, but I'm not confident about its survival. There's a lot of potential there, but the first act of the Pilot feels laborious and I didn't want to feel like I was going to want to get to the second act, which is where it picks up, but it never really stops feeling like a rip-off of "Network."

"Kidnapped"--(Wednesdays at 10 PM) It's about a rich kid that's kidnapped. The whole season follows that. I have no desire to watch beyond the pilot. It was like, "Eh--been there. Done that."

"Heroes"--(Mondays at 9) normal people get superpowers. Haven't seen it, but I've read most of the scripts for the third and fourth episodes. The word tedious comes to mind.

"Friday Night Lights"--(Tuesdays at 8) based on the movie, based on the book. This is the best Pilot the peacock network has, so why they're not promoting the crap out of it is beyond me. This, like "Smith", is a Pilot that didn't let me get a feel of the series. This one is more blatant than "Smith" in feeling just like a feature. The story for this was so narrow in focus that I'm not sure if it will work as a television series, particularly since over one whole act of the show was a football game. Who is going to want to watch a scripted series where all they do is play football? This one's going to be a hard sale, and up against "Gilmore Girls" it's not going to get the number of teenage girls it will need to be a massive success.

FOX

"Vanished"--(Mondays at 9) think "Kidnapped" meets "National Treasure." If I had to choose between this and "Kidnapped", I'd probably go with this one, but neither of them makes me think I'll ever see a second episode of them. This one starts tonight, which is definitely going to put "Kidnapped" at a distinct disadvantage, so who knows.

"Justice"--(Wednesday at 9) It's another procedural, so if you like "CSI" and you wanna see it all play out in a law firm, then this might be up your alley. Victor Garber's really good though. Otherwise, if you're tired of flashy graphics and stories about female victims, then watch "Lost" on ABC.

Sure, there are some other shows debuting in the next couple of months, but these are the big ones.
Hope this helps the DVR deciding what it wants to include and what it doesn't.

Tidbits

2006-08-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

I know somebody in Rayburn who needs to start dusting off some dancing shoes. NBC finally is doing a reality show I might watch. They're doing a reality show to find the two leads for a Broadway revival of "Grease". No air date has been announced, but it has to be soon because the announcement of the show means it's coming to the Great White Way sometime before the end of the year.

In another move to make people remember the network still exisits, NBC has made the Pilots of "Kidnapped" and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" available for rent. They are also planning on making the Pilot for "Heroes" available on ITunes if you get a special code at a nearby theater sometime in the month of August. (Everybody's trying to cash in on "Snakes on a Plane" mania, I guess.)

And get those video IPods going. Now NBC is making "Passions" available for download on ITunes. WAHOO! Fill that puppy up!

More and more networks are moving to try and capture the broadband audience. This week, CBS announced it will do something simliar to ABC and make episodes available online, for free. Most of it will include the "CSI" franchise, as well as "Jericho", a new show for the fall.

Barbara Hall ("Joan of Arcadia") has already lined up a new Pilot for CBS for the upcoming Pilot season. It's going to be about exorcisms and other supernatural phenomena.

The Emmys are just a little over a week away!

And My Vote Would Go To...

2006-08-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

After looking at what I wrote, as to why each of the supporting actresses should win, I sincerely feel like I could be happy with any of them winning. And even though I think Chandra Wilson broke through in a major way and overshadowed everybody else in the cast, I still think I was more surprised and shocked by Smart's performance on 24. Maybe because it was so different for the actress, as well as the show, but she played every moment beautifully--and I believed it. If I were voting, as tempted as I would be to mark of Wilson's name, I think I'd have to go with Smart.

And the Winner Is...Pt. 4

2006-08-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

Chandra Wilson for Grey's Anatomy

Wilson managed to advance her character further than any other actress on television this season. Last year, Dr. Bailey was simply, "the Nazi." There wasn't a whole lot more we knew or cared to know about the character. She simply barked orders and gave people a hard time. This season however, we've learned more about Bailey and much of that has to do with Wilson's brilliant pitch-perfect performance. She showed us Bailey's vulnerability, humor, pain, agression, and disdain for stupidity. In other words, she showed us all--but just when we thought we'd seen everything for the character, Wilson managed to highlight a new and surprising aspect of "the Nazi." The depth of character she demonstrated is the kind of performance that Emmy voters like to reward.

Though Wilson is the freshest face in this group of nominated actresses, the fact that she's on such a buzz-friendly show, as well as having graced the cover of TV Guide means she shouldn't have to worry too much about being an unknown. She can match most of her competition toe to toe in terms of familiarity with the role.

Additionally, Emmy voters love to reward pregnant characters. Though it tends to work better for actresses in comedies (Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Candice Bergen), actresses who submit episodes in which they give birth have a history of success in terms of winning awards. And what a doozy of an episode "As We Know It" was. The Super Bowl and post SuperBowl episode were probably the two most hyped episodes of the season, and emotions ran incredibly high in both of them. The fact that Wilson chose to submit the second half of one was a brilliant move on her part. The other episode she submitted was "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer." While that episode wasn't the tour-de-force for Wilson that "As We Know It" was, she still manages to bring her story of coping with morning sickness to the forefront of the episode, despite the fact that she gets significantly less screen time than the rest of her co-stars. Sounds like the definition of a Emmy Winning Supporting Actress to me.

And the Winner Is...Pt. 3

2006-08-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

Jean Smart for 24

Anybody who's been reading this blog knows I've been pushing for this nomination since the very first episode of the season. Smart was brilliant as a First Lady who is as far from Hillary Clinton or Laura Bush as possible. She's caring, compassionate, trusting, and potentially mentally unbalanced. She loves her husband, but when it comes down to doing what's right, she, like Jack Bauer, loves her country more than personal loyalties. She embodies the ideals, dreams, and aspirations that stand for the American Dream--just on antidepressants.

Smart (along with her co-star Gregory Itzin) are the first two co-stars from 24 to ever be nominated for an acting Emmy. Prior to this year, only Sutherland had managed to stand out in the Academy's mind. The fact that 24 received the most number of nods of a dramatic series this year also shows a remarkable sign of strength for this actress.

This Designing Woman also has two Emmys for her guest work on Frasier and the Emmys do love to continue rewarding the same people over and over.

But perhaps the biggest reason Smart could win is her choice of episodes. Unlike Itzin, Smart submitted two consecutive episodes---"5-6 AM" and "6-7 AM". These two episodes were the finale to a jaw-dropping season. In them, Smart pushed her character to new heights that we hadn't seen before. As such, she soared, and floated, making Martha Logan one of the most memorable characters of the television season. Such a rich and exciting performance is bound to be recognized by the Academy.

And the Winner Is...Pt. 3

2006-08-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

Sandra Oh for Grey's Anatomy

There is no show hotter than Grey's Anatomy and there is no question that Oh is at the center of the heat.

Despite the ensemble nature of the show, Oh really is the star. Oh wait--she isn't? You could have fooled me and everybody else who's ever seen Grey's. She overshadows Pombeo and Dempsey in a way that screams for recognition, but you never once get the idea that she's trying to hog the screen. She just radiates that much presence. Unlike many supporting players, she doesn't steal scenes she's in--she owns them even before she walks into the frame.

Furthermore, Yang is an incredibly realized character--full of contradiction and depth that has experienced a significant amount of growth this season, becoming more of a human being and less of a clinician. This season saw her lose and regain a boyfriend, lose a baby, almost see her best friend blown up, and come to the realization that she is fallible and human.

The two episodes Oh has submitted, "Deny, Deny, Deny" and "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" are great examples of what she does best on the show. "Deny" to the third is a nice showcase for her when her mom comes to town after losing her child and discovering she won't be able to have children. "Reindeer" has her dealing with the fact that Burke wants to have Christmas, only to be surprised that he believes in spirituality in comparison to her stark belief in medicine and science. Both episodes allow Oh to show her range, they find her in a sympathetic light, and help us care about her character. So much so that she could be holding the Emmy on awards night.

And the Winner Is... Pt. 2

2006-08-07T17:28:00.000-07:00

Blythe Danner for Huff

Danner is really one of our unsung acting treasures. She has the fortune/misfortune to have a ridiculously beautiful and talented daughter and for a long stretch of the late 90s, it looked like she would be overshadowed by her daughter, Gwyneth, but then she hit a stretch of roles that allowed her to come into her own and standout as an actress, even though anyone familiar with her career wasn't surprised by what many people seemed to be discovering. Huff is a monumental role for her that allows her to hit every note possible. That's why she won this award last year. Her storylines in her submitted episodes also sound quite possibly the juiciest and most interesting--on par with a premium cable drama.

The other thing working for Danner here is that she's the only actress in this category that's on a show on Showtime or HBO. A cable network bias has developed within some branches of the Academy, with its members arguing that cable is automatically edgier, and therefore worth voting for. If there are enough people in this category rooting for Danner, she could easily repeat holding her trophy on Emmy night.

And the winner is...

2006-08-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

The Emmys are at the end of August, and over the next few weeks, I thought I would take a couple of categories and make a case for each of the nominees in that category. One category per week, one nominee per day. Of course, this implies that I think a case could be made for all five nominees, which is why I'm only doing a few categories.

First up--Best Supporting Actress in a Drama

Candice Bergen--Boston Legal

She's Emmy royalty. The Academy loves her.
She's won five Emmys for Murphy Brown, but this is her first nomination for a one hour series.

Additionally, the Academy loves David E. Kelley. Think of all the actors that have won Emmys for his shows--James Spader, William Shatner, Tom Skerritt, Kathy Baker, Ray Walston, Camryn Manheim, Afre Woodard, Holland Taylor...the list goes on and on.

And probably most importantly, Kelley clearly loves her. Bergen's character of Shirley Schmidt is what grounds the show. (Or at least attempts to ground the self-reflexivity that is Boston Legal). She has the most fleshed out, least crazy character on the show and she helps bring it to a new level. And she does a great job of not overshadowing the Spader's lead, but leaving such an impression that it's easy to forget that there are other females on the show.

Additionally, the episodes she submitted, "The Ass Fat Jungle" and "Live Big" are standout episodes for her. (She's a veteran. She knows what to submit and what not to.) "Jungle" allows us to learn more about Schmidt when she reveals information while dealing with a case involving an Alzheimer's patient--an episode sure to let her behave senimentally, while not getting too weepy. "Live Big" has her trying to come to terms with the fact that her ex-husband wants her to be his Best Man at his wedding. Bergen shines in her scenes and very well could be shining onstage on Emmy night.

Random Nuggets

2006-08-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

I'm really over listening to people talk about Mel Gibson's drunk-driving incident and everything that came from it. It seems like that's all the LA media are running with this week.
Dirt, the FX series that Courtney Cox Arquette is producing sounds really interesting. It's all about a tabloid and the paparazzi staff. I'm intrigued every time I read something.
I just got to chat with one of the former stars of Once and Again. While it was about absolutely nothing other than being stuck in traffic, highlight of my day. Oh, how I miss that show. Why Zwick and Herskovitz haven't done anything else is beside me. I wish they would so that I could camp outside their door till they hired me.
Obviously, I don't have a lot going on now. I've reverted to thinking about past decisions I've made in the last year. I've realized I've made two huge decisions very badly. Both were about jobs. Not sure what that means. I guess maybe I've got the important things taken care of. It's the logistical things that I'm not so good at.

Get "Arrested" Online

2006-07-26T22:46:00.000-07:00

From the AP:

Microsoft to show 'Arrested Development' for free
Updated 7/26/2006 6:27 PM ET

SEATTLE (AP) — Microsoft Corp. will run free episodes of the quirky TV comedy Arrested Development through its MSN Video service later this year, making the show available online for the first time.
MSN, the software maker's Internet unit, said Wednesday it will run display and video ads instead of charging viewers to watch the critically lauded show that was a hit with a relatively small but fiercely loyal audience.
"On TV, Arrested Development created an incredibly passionate and dedicated fan base, and we're thrilled to bring this series to the global MSN audience," Rob Bennett, MSN's general manager of entertainment and video services, said in a statement announcing the deal.
MSN will have exclusive portal rights to syndicate the show's 53 episodes for three years.
Making recent TV shows available online for free is rare.
Shows have generally gone on sale through Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes and other services for $1.99 an episode, though those are for full downloads. MSN will stream Arrested Development, meaning users will have to stay online while watching and possibly encounter pauses resulting from network congestion.
ABC experimented recently with making Lost and other programs free through its website. Time Warner Inc.'s AOL has a deal with sister company Warner Bros. to show older programs such as Welcome Back Kotter and Growing Pains.
Arrested Development was canceled this year after three seasons.
Beside the MSN showing, HDNet will begin airing Arrested Development episodes in September on its high-definition network, which is offered on some cable and satellite systems. It will have exclusive HD television access to the series for three years.
Meanwhile, G4, a network that targets the coveted 18- to 34-year-old male demographic, has acquired basic cable rights for the series for three years and will begin airing it in October.

What's in a Name?

2006-07-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how many times I've heard this sermon preached at church. I think I got tired of this topic by the time I'd heard the umpteenth variation when I was in the third grade, but I do see that there's a lot to the signficance of a name.

One of the blogs I read daily is JaneEspenson.com. Jane's a super-talented writer who wrote for Buffy and has committed her blog to talking about the craft of writing a television spec. Within the last couple of days, she's gotten into some good discussions about the nature of a title and what it means for the show.

One of the things she says that is that part of the reason that The West Wing always seemed to be "better than TV" is because it never used simple, slang titles. Episodes called "Shibboleth", "What Kind of Day Has It Been", "Holy Night", "Gaza", and "Noel" sound like they're about something substantive and important. And while that would be my largest complaint about the show--way too self-important, it is an interesting note that something as simple as a title says volumes about the desired effect of what image you hope to present. There's probably a reason that all of Grey's Anatomy's episodes are named after pop songs, just like most Desperate Housewives episodes are named after Sondheim tunes. It says volumes about what the show really is at the core.

NBC's Fall

2006-07-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

Here’s the announcement of NBC’s fall premiere dates.

9/18: Deal or No Deal (2 hours) at 8p, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip at 10p
9/19: Law & Order: Criminal Intent at 9p, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit at 10p
9/20: The Biggest Loser (2 hours) at 8p, Kidnapped at 10p
9/21: My Name Is Earl at 8p, The Office at 830p, Deal or No Deal at 9p, ER at 10p
9/22: Law & Order at 10p
9/25: Heroes at 9p
10/3: Friday Night Lights at 8p
10/4: Twenty Good Years at 8p and 830p
10/11: 30 Rock at 830p
10/20: Crossing Jordan at 8p, Las Vegas at 9p

The more I look at this lineup, the less and less excited I am about it. Friday Night Lights could be interesting. I’ve read the Pilot script for Studio 60 and the fact that I can’t even get the show’s name right probably means it’s not going to replace What About Brian? on my TIVO season pass. (Speaking of which, with this new job thing, I’m beginning to worry about how much time I’m going to have to devote to the stuff on my season pass. Furthermore, the news that Andre Braugher is going to join ER for a six episode stint makes six more episodes of a show that I’ll have to add. ARGH!)

The Right People are Watching

2006-07-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

Per Zap 2 It:

NBC is hoping several hundred thousand YouTube fans can't be wrong, rescuing the discarded pilot "Nobody's Watching" from oblivion with an eye toward eventually putting it on the air.The show, originally developed for The WB by "Scrubs" creator Bill Lawrence, died a somewhat surprising death at the 2005 upfronts after having a lot positive buzz during its development. That would have been the end of things in most cases.

However, the pilot was posted on viral-video site YouTube in June, and since then the first part of the pilot (it's posted in three roughly nine-minute segments) has been streamed nearly 400,000 times, with mostly positive feedback from viewers. Given the response -- and the fact that NBC's sister studio, NBC Universal TV, produced it -- the network has put it back into development.

"I love the spirit of the experimentation," NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly says. "And I think if we can actually have something find an audience on the web, gravitate over to the network, continue with a web presence and have them feed each other, that could end up being a really cool thing.

"The resurrection of "Nobody's Watching" will continue online before it ever hits the air (if, in fact, it does). Lawrence and his co-writers, Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan, will produce a set of webisodes featuring the show's two leads, Taran Killam and Paul Campbell, that Reilly hopes will be online within the next month.

At the same time, Lawrence and Co. will begin working on scripts for the TV series. As with other pilots, there's no guarantee it will make it to NBC's airwaves.

TV Bits

2006-07-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

Here's some odd-bits of exciting news, courtsey of TV Guide.

"Tina Majorino is officially a series regular as Veronica Mars' Mac, effective this coming season. For more Mars scoop, check out Ausiello's TCA Press Tour diary.... Speaking of Mike, as scooped by the Ausiello Report last week, Dougray Scott (of NBC's all-too-short-lived Heist, as well as Mission: Impossible II) is in talks to play Susan's new love interest/pratfall witness on Desperate Housewives.... Jennifer Love Hewitt revealed at TCA that in addition to Camryn Manheim, Jay Mohr is joining Ghost Whisperer as a professor with an expertise in demonology.... Paula Malcomson (aka Deadwood's Trixie) joins ER this fall as a widow and love interest for John Stamos' character.... Lindsay Sloane (Grosse Pointe) has been cast as Ted Danson's daughter in ABC's Help Me Help You."

Also, while promoting The Break Up in Britain, apparently Jennifer Aniston has made more than one comment about missing Rachel Greene, and that she'd really like to have a Friends reunion. Specifically, she'd like to see them do a Thanksgiving episode, because everybody knows that the Thanksgiving episodes of Friends were always the best. I find it hard to believe that this could happen in time for this Thanksgiving, but maybe next year. Let's hope...

CW Premiere Dates

2006-07-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

Sept. 20, 8 pm/ET: America's Next Top Model
Sept. 22, 8 pm: WWE Friday Night SmackDown!
Sept. 25, 8 pm: 7th Heaven, 9 pm: Runaway
Sept. 26, 8 pm: Gilmore Girls
Sept. 27, 9 pm: One Tree Hill
Sept. 28, 8 pm: Smallville, 9 pm: Supernatural
Oct. 1, 7 pm: Everybody Hates Chris (look for Whoopi Goldberg to guest on two episodes as a neighbor whose granddaughter Chris crushes on), 7:30: All of Us, 8 pm: Girlfriends, 8:30 The Game
Oct. 3, 9 pm: Veronica Mars

Casting News

2006-07-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Per today's Variety:
"Regina King (Ray) is joining the cast of Fox's 24, while D.B. Woodside is being bumped up to series regular, reports Variety.In a Kennedyesque twist, Woodside -- who plays Wayne Palmer, brother of assassinated President David Palmer -- will begin season six as the newly elected president of the United States.King, meanwhile, joins as heretofore unseen Palmer sister Angela, a powerful lawyer with an advocacy group.24 begins its sixth season in January."

Also,

"New Line has found its Hairspray villain, setting Michelle Pfeiffer to play Velma von Tussel, the former Miss Baltimore Crabs beauty queen-turned-bitter Baltimore TV station owner.Variety says Pfeiffer joins John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Amanda Bynes, Zac Efron and newcomer Nikki Blonsky, who'll play lead Tracy Turnblad. Adam Shankman is directing and Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are producing. Leslie Dixon wrote the script."

Good to know that Principal Wood--I mean, Wayne Palmer will be back next season, though the idea that America is ready to elect two African-American Presidents is a little hard for me to completely buy. Still, Regina King's an incredibly talented actress, and I'm excited to see her join 24.

Pfeiffer joining the cast of Hairspray is the best news however. From the first moment I saw the musical, I thought she would make a perfect Velma von Tussel. She can sing and play catty like nobody else. Sure, this role isn't going to be cinematic viagra like her last singing turn in The Fabulous Baker Boys, but this is sure to get attention. It finally gets me excited about it, that's for sure--finally. Unfortunately, the fact that Adam Shankman is directing it REALLY worries me, and the fact that none of the movie is going to be shot in Baltimore is troubling too. (How do you do a movie that's a love story to a city and it not be shot in that city? I mean, can you imagine Manhattan being shot on a sound stage in LA? NO! It had to be shot in New York, but, it's not my money...)

Trailer of the Day

2006-07-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

Here's the trailer for the new film from Christopher Nolan (Memento, Batman Begins). It stars Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale. Though I'm no fan of the handlebar mustache Bale has going on in part of this, I was thrilled enough by Memento and Batman Begins to get excited about this one coming out in the fall. The trailer does a nice job of selling it on a couple of different levels--period piece/thriller. Who knows what it will actually be though?

Pilot Watch

2006-07-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

Michael Ausiello at TV Guide is a funny guy with really great taste. He posted this today regarding shows for the fall:

"For the first time in recent memory, the good fall shows easily outnumber the bad ones — at least based on the pilots I saw. As Desperate Housewives taught us, the second and third episodes tell us much more about a show's creative bones than a season premiere. With that said, here are the fall offerings that have the most FauxVo potential.
* Vanished (Fox) and Kidnapped (NBC): Among the things these two thrillers share in common: They both had me hooked before the first act break. Please don't make me choose a favorite.
* Friday Night Lights (NBC): Three words: Sign. Me. Up.
* Smith (CBS): Ocean's Eleven for the small screen, in which every member of the ensemble could easily headline their own show — and many of them have. This season's best-produced pilot is also the darkest.
* Jericho (CBS): Surprisingly engrossing, considering it's Everwood: The Day After. Let's hope this whole North Korea crisis simmers down by fall.
* 30 Rock (NBC): If you like Tina Fey's shtick, you're going to love 30 Rock. And I defy you not to chortle at every syllable that comes out of Alec Baldwin's mouth. The dude is a comic genius.
* The Nine (ABC): I'm not crazy about the whole bank-robbery conceit, but the cast sells it like a stack of three-dollar bills.
* Six Degrees (ABC): It's Crash minus all the proselytizing. I think my pal J.J.'s got another winner.
* Betty the Ugly (ABC): My pick for most satisfying pilot. Allow me to be the first to say, "God bless America Ferrera!"
* Daylight (ABC/midseason): If you can get past the preposterous 24 meets Groundhog Day premise — and I did — you're going to have a blast.
* Heroes (NBC): Although the pilot didn't entirely live up to my lofty expectations (more humor, please!), I'm still convinced that this small-screen X-Men has the potential to be the next Lost."

Too Many Crazy Nights

2006-07-12T14:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not a M. Night Shamamamaml-ego-yan fan. He's got just too much arrogance for the minute amount of talent he's demonstrated as a director and as a writer, it's clear that he knows about set ups and payoffs, but the execution of his ideas lack in relation to the loftiness of them. Sure, there are some people who will get excited about an upcoming film being released, but give me a Soderbergh film any day. (And there are possibly two coming this fall--The Good German and Che!)

Anyway, much of the buzz around The Lady in the Water has to do with the falling out between Night and Disney, the studio that was responsible for Signs, The Sixth Sense, and Unbreakable. Apparently, the head of the film division didn't really believe in the script and gave him notes. Night felt hurt and ran wimpering to Warner Brothers.

It's all been documented in a new book called The Man Who Heard Voices by Sports Illustrated writer Michael Bamberger. Bamberger spent some time following around Night and the book is flooding the Hollywood gossip pages. What's the scoop? Does Night come off as an insecure genius or just an insecure loon?

Well, according to Janet Maslin (you gotta love the brilliance of this woman), plan on him coming out more like a loon. When the book comes out next week, we'll have the opportunity to see.

Whoppers

2006-07-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

Well, as celebrity sightings go, today, I had a big one. While delivering materials to Warner Brothers, I passed Tyler Durden chatting on his cell phone.

And I didn't even feel the need to try and get his attention. I was very proud of myself.

If it had been Tyler's alter-ego however, all bets would be off.

Reactions

2006-07-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

I don’t get the Emmy nominations.

Sure, there were some things the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences got right. (Jean Smart, Denis Leary, Chandra Wilson, Will Arnett), but there are so many head-scratching omissions that I can’t make any sense of it.

Here’s what I’ve surmised. The new system worked, kind of. Of last year’s big six winners—Lost, Everybody Loves Raymond, Felicity Huffman, Patricia Arquette, James Spader, and Tony Shaloub—one (Shaloub) got a nomination this year. So clearly, there won’t be many repeat winners in the big prizes. The supporting nominations are familiar nominees—Shatner, Danner, Alda, Mullaly, Hayes—with only a few (Smart!, Itzin, Wilson, Pressly, Perkins, Arnett, Cryer, and among them) new faces. Others like Bergen and Woodard are new to their nominations, but very familiar faces to the Academy.

So if the goal was to get new nominees, the system worked. But if the idea was to give smaller shows a chance, it didn’t. Of all the major nominees, the only ones that are not on a major network or HBO or Showtime are Kyra Sedgwick’s nod for TNT’s The Closer and Denis Leary’s nod for Rescue Me on FX.

And still no Lauren Graham or Kristen Bell.

Yet somehow, Stockard Channing got nominated for a show that nobody watched. Man, this Academy loves this woman.

But the most confusing part of the whole nominations are the omissions and disconnections between the series and acting nominees. How in the world did The Sopranos get nominated, but neither Edie Falco or James Gandolfini get nominated? I’d already seen much speculation that she had the Best Actress award sewn up and that the Best Actor award would be a face-off between Gandolfini and Hugh Laurie. I guess that means that Laurie has it…WAIT! He wasn’t nominated either. I can’t even begin to figure that one out.

Overall, the nominations are what you would expect from the Emmys—somewhat confusing, somewhat expected, and not accurately representative of the best of what’s on television. Otherwise, there would nominations for Battlestar Galactica and The Shield. Alas…

Emmy nods

2006-07-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

Here are the nominations. I'll have my reactions later today, but egads!

58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Nominations
Outstanding Drama Series
Grey's Anatomy
House
The Sopranos
24
The West Wing

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama
Chrisotpher Meloni, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Denis Leary, Rescue Me
Peter Krause, Six Feet Under
Kiefer Sutherland, 24
Martin Sheen, The West Wing

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Geena Davis, Commander In Chief
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Frances Conroy, Six Feet Under
Allison Janney, The West Wing

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
William Shatner, Boston Legal
Oliver Platt, Huff
Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos
Gregory Itzin, 24
Alan Alda, The West Wing

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Candice Bergen, Boston Legal
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy
Blythe Danner, Huff
Jean Smart, 24

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Michael J. Fox, Boston Legal
Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal
James Woods, ER
Kyle Chandler, Grey's Anatomy
Henry Ian Cusick, Lost

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Kate Burton, Grey's Anatomy
Christina Ricci, Grey's Anatomy
Swoosie Kurtz, Huff
Patricia Clarkson, Six Feet Under
Joanna Cassidy, Six Feet Under

Outstanding Comedy Series
Arrested Development
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Office
Scrubs
Two and a Half Men

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Kevin James, The King of Queens
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Steve Carell, The Office
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Stockard Channing, Out of Practice
Debra Messing, Will & Grace

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Will Arnett, Arrested Development
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Sean Hayes, Will & Grace

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Alfre Woodard, Desperate Housewives
Jaime Pressly, My Name Is Earl
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
Megan Mullally, Will & Grace

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Patrick Stewart, Extras
Ben Stiller, Extras
Martin Sheen, Two and a Half Men
Alec Baldwin, Will & Grace
Leslie Jordan, Will & Grace

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Shirley Knight, Desperate Housewives
Kate Winslet, Extras
Cloris Leachman, Malcolm in the Middle
Laurie Metcalf, Monk
Blythe Danner, Will & Grace

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
Chuck Tatham, Jim Vallely, Richard Day, & Mitchell Hurwitz “Development Arrested” Arrested Development
Doug Ellin, “Exodus” Entourage
Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant, “Kate Winslet” Extras
Greg Garcia, Pilot, My Name is Earl
Michael Schur, “Christmas Party” The Office

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series
Shonda Rimes, “It’s the End of the World, As We Know It (Part 1 & 2), Grey’s Anatomy
Krista Vernoff, “Into You Like a Train”, Grey’s Anatomy
Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof “The 23rd Psalm” Lost
Alan Ball, “Everyone’s Waiting” Six Feet Under
Terence Winter, “Members Only”, The Sopranos

My Emmy nominees

2006-07-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

By the time most people read these, the Emmy nominees will already be announced, but if I were nominating, here's what I'd put in the slots:

BEST DRAMA
24
Battlestar Galactica
Everwood
Lost
The Shield

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Michael Chiklis The Shield
Matthew Fox Lost
Hugh Laurie House
Denis Leary Rescue Me
Kiefer Sutherland 24

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Kristen Bell Veronica Mars
Jennifer Garner Alias
Mary McDonnell Battlestar Galactica
Kyra Sedgwick The Closer
Susannah Thompson The Book of Daniel

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Jason Dohring Veronica Mars
Kenneth Johnson The Shield
Daniel Dae Kim Lost
T.R. Knight Grey’s Anatomy
Forest Whitaker The Shield

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Candice Bergen Boston Legal
Sarah Drew Everwood
CCH Pounder The Shield
Jean Smart 24
Kate Walsh Grey's Anatomy
Chandra Wilson Grey’s Anatomy

BEST COMEDY
Arrested Development
Everybody Hates Chris
The Loop
The Office
Scrubs

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Jason Bateman Arrested Development
Zach Braff Scrubs
Steve Carell The Office
Jason Lee My Name is Earl
Tyler James Williams Everybody Hates Chris

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Tichina Arnold Everybody Hates Chris
Marcia Cross Desperate Housewives
Lauren Graham Gilmore Girls
Jane Kazmarek Malcolm in the Middle
Eva Longoria Desperate Housewives

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Kelly Bishop Gilmore Girls
Jenna Fischer The Office
Judy Reyes Scrubs
Mimi Rogers The Loop
Jessica Walter The Office

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Will Arnett Arrested Development
Donald Faison Scrubs
Neil Patrick Harris How I Met Your Mother
Philip Baker Hall The Loop
John C. McGinley Scrubs

New Development

2006-07-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

July 3, 2006
Thanks to YouTube Fans, 'Nobody's Watching' May Return From the Dead
By BILL CARTER
For television writers and producers it has always been about getting your show on the air.
These days? Not so much.
At the moment the most talked-about situation comedy in the United States isn't on television at all. It's on your computer, though, and you can find it on www.youtube.com, where thousands of videos of all levels of quality are posted every day.
A comedy called — with intended irony, but not in the way that it has worked out — "Nobody's Watching" has been available on YouTube for about two weeks. As of yesterday it had been downloaded more than 300,000 times by a growing legion of fans.
Most remarkable of all, the talk that the show has generated has already caught the ears of executives at several networks, some of whom are wondering if maybe this is a virus they might enjoy getting infected with.
"Nobody's Watching" seems to be another example of a story that the Internet world loves: the power of the amateur over the professionals. It is also the story of "viral video," which is what YouTube is all about. People post a snippet of self-made video, and word spreads about how funny, shocking, stupid or embarrassing it is.
But the big story behind "Nobody's Watching" is that a sitcom left for dead 18 months ago may actually spring back to life — on actual television — because its creators were too passionate about it to let it die, and because it really might be funnier than most everything else that is passing for comedy on television these days.
The man at the center of the story is Bill Lawrence, creator of "Spin City" and "Scrubs." Mr. Lawrence knows how insane the television business can be. For example, for a few years after "Scrubs" made its debut on NBC in 2001, all Mr. Lawrence heard from network executives was that the show would never be a hit because it was a single-camera filmed comedy. Only multi-camera taped comedies worked, he was told.
In the last two years Mr. Lawrence said, he has gotten into arguments with network program chiefs who have told him, "The multi-camera comedy genre is dead."
Both stances struck Mr. Lawrence as ridiculous. "The challenge," he said in a telephone interview, "was to reinvent the genre."
That was the goal of "Nobody's Watching," which Mr. Lawrence conceived with two writing partners, Garrett Donovan and Neil Goldman, who had both worked on the Fox animated comedy "Family Guy."
Their thought was that most traditional sitcoms had begun failing not because of form but because of quality: they were all bad. And so they created a couple of characters, Derek and Will, from Ohio, who believed the same thing, and they decided to let them try to make a show of their own.
The gimmick is that the two characters come to California to make their own sitcom, but at the same time they are doing it in the form of a fake reality show conceived by some fictional network executives. The studio behind the (real) project was NBC Universal Television, so NBC had first crack at the show. But Mr. Lawrence said that it was clear from the start that NBC's programming boss, Kevin Reilly, though he liked the freshness of the idea, did not think it was appropriate for NBC.
So it wound up on the development slate of the WB network. That seemed a hospitable place because WB was youth oriented, and "Nobody's Watching" was a show definitely aimed at young viewers. Mr. Lawrence said all the younger executives at that network loved the show.
The show was cast with an eye toward keeping it fresh and innovative. The two leads, Taran Killam and Paul Campbell, had extensive improvisational backgrounds. Mr. Lawrence said he insisted they become inseparable for weeks leading up to shooting the pilot, and the actors indeed became fast friends.
The other important characters included a network boss named Jeff Tucker. (Mr. Lawrence credited Jeff Zucker, the chief executive of the NBC Universal Television Group, with being such a sport that he told them he didn't mind if they used his actual name.)
The pilot, which appears intact on YouTube, pulls no punches in disparaging sitcoms the creators clearly believe have damaged the genre. By name, "According to Jim," "Coach" and "Yes, Dear," among others, are mocked by the characters.
Mr. Lawrence acknowledged that that had caused a bit of a rift between him and Greg Garcia, creator of "Yes, Dear," though he said he loved and respected Mr. Garcia's newer comedy, "My Name Is Earl," which is shown on NBC.
All went well with "Nobody's Watching" until the testing phase. Then, Mr. Lawrence said, he and his partners journeyed to a "sweaty test-screening room" in the San Fernando Valley where issues were raised by the screeners about whether the premise was confusing. That seemed to Mr. Lawrence to be the unspoken concern of WB executives, although once it was spoken, the test audiences seemed to glom onto it.
Still, those young executives at WB encouraged him the show was a sure thing. Mr. Lawrence left for New York in May 2005, ready to hear "Nobody's Watching" announced on the WB schedule. "I was not in the business to fly to New York to feel like an idiot," he said. But that's what happened. WB passed on the show.
Now his precious baby was labeled a loser. "Who was going to pick up a show that the lowly WB had rejected?" Mr. Lawrence said. He and his partners pestered their agents to try to find it a home, only to have the agents begin to beg them not to make them mortify themselves that way.
In the eyes of everyone who counted, as Angela Bromstad, the head of the NBC Universal studio, put it, "It was essentially a dead project."
Mr. Lawrence resisted that fate, but he knew he could not hold onto his cast members very long. If they got other offers, they would be gone. Paul Adelstein, who played Jeff Tucker, was hired as a semi-regular on the Fox series "Prison Break."
The earth began to move just a few weeks ago. That's when Mr. Lawrence heard that the pilot had somehow made its way onto YouTube. He said he knows who posted the video but will not reveal the name because it looks as if it turned out to be a major favor.
In the first week that "Nobody's Watching" appeared on YouTube, it was not a featured video and attracted only about 4,000 viewings. But the reaction was powerfully positive from those who saw it, prompting the site to begin featuring it. Then the viewings exploded.
Even television executives have been downloading it. Ms. Bromstad said that the Comedy Central channel called last week and asked for a DVD of the pilot, and that ABC had also expressed interest.
But NBC retains a first shot at the show. Mr. Lawrence said that Mr. Reilly had called from his vacation in Mexico last week and said he wanted to take another look. The show's offbeat characters and rapid-fire dialogue might make it an ideal partner for another comedy on NBC, Ms. Bromstad said, a show the network has struggled to find a match for: Mr. Lawrence's "Scrubs."
Could it happen? Could a dead network show be revived because of the power of individuals supporting it on the Internet?
Ms. Bromstad was cautious in her prediction. "I think it will be interesting to find out," she said.
Mr. Lawrence said he believed this was exactly the kind of development that television needed to break all kinds of hidebound traditions, including presumptions about what people will and won't watch as comedy, and decisions that are made based on small organized focus groups.
"This is so much a better way to see if people are going to respond to a show," he said.
Of course even if a network does want to take a chance on "Nobody's Watching," there is still that issue of keeping the cast together. And Mr. Adelstein is already gone, right?
"We're hoping he gets killed off this season on 'Prison Break,' " Mr. Lawrence said. Mr. Adelstein plays a special agent on that series.
What Mr. Lawrence really wants right now is for so many people to start talking about his comedy pilot now featured on YouTube that some network executive will decide, "Now I can pick this up and I won't look dumb."

Can I go ahead and set my TIVO?

2006-06-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

The WB will sign off the air forever on Sunday, Sept. 17, by rebroadcasting the pilot episodes of several of its signature series, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Felicity and Dawson's Creek.

In addition to the pilots, The WB plans to fill its final night with a bevy of classic promos and image campaigns from The WB's 11-year history, says Variety. There will also be a final tribute reel featuring the hundreds of actors who have appeared on the channel's series over the years.

Because the The WB's final bow will take place on a Sunday -- a night on which The WB airs programming from 5-10 p.m. -- the blowout bye-bye will be a full five hours.

Night will kick off at 5 p.m. with the J.J. Abrams- and Matt Reeves-created Felicity, followed at 6 by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt's Angel. The two-hour pilot to Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer will run in primetime from 7-9 p.m.

Appropriately, Dawson's Creek -- the Kevin Williamson teen drama that put The WB on the map -- will be the final show to air, running from 9-10 p.m.

Some shows that would seem a natural for the last night -- such as Smallville and 7th Heaven -- won't appear because they'll live on at the merged WB-UPN, which is called The CW.

All the studios involved will get a free on-air promo of the DVD collections of their respective series.

More Emmy stuff

2006-06-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

Following up on the discussion yesterday, here’s who’s rumored to have made the cut for the top 15 in the lead acting categories:

DRAMA ACTOR: Hank Azaria, "Huff"; Michael Chiklis, "The Shield"; Patrick Dempsey, "Grey's Anatomy"; Matthew Fox, "Lost"; James Gandolfini, "The Sopranos"; Michael C. Hall, "Six Feet Under"; Peter Krause, "Six Feet Under"; Anthony LaPaglia, "Without a Trace"; Hugh Laurie, "House"; Denis Leary, "Rescue Me"; Bill Paxton, "Big Love"; Martin Sheen, "The West Wing"; James Spader, "Boston Legal"; Kiefer Sutherland, "24"; Treat Williams, "Everwood"

DRAMA ACTRESS: Patricia Arquette, "Medium"; Kristen Bell, "Veronica Mars"; Frances Conroy, "Six Feet Under"; Geena Davis, "Commander-in-Chief"; Edie Falco, "The Sopranos"; Jennifer Garner, "Alias"; Gennifer Goodwin, "Big Love"; Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: SVU"; Allison Janney, "The West Wing"; Evangeline Lilly, "Lost"; Ellen Pompeo, "Grey's Anatomy"; Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"; Chloe Sevigny, "Big Love"; Jeanne Tripplehorn, "Big Love"; Polly Walker, "Rome"

COMEDY ACTOR: Jason Bateman,"Arrested Development"; Zach Braff,"Scrubs"; Steve Carell,"The Office"; Kevin Connelly,"Entourage"Larry David,"Curb Your Enthusiasm"Ricky Gervais,"Extras"Omar Gooding,"Barbershop"Fred Goss,"Sons & Daughters"Adrian Grenier,"Entourage"Kevin James,"King of Queens"Jason Lee,"My Name is Earl"Bernie Mac,"Bernie Mac Show"Eric McCormack,"Will & Grace"Tony Shalhoub,"Monk"Charlie Sheen,"Two and a Half Men"

COMEDY ACTRESS: Tichina Arnold,"Everybody Hates Chris"; Stockard Channing,"Out of Practice"; Marcia Cross,"Desperate Housewives"; Jenna Elfman,"Courting Alex"; Lauren Graham,"Gilmore Girls"; Teri Hatcher,"Desperate Housewives"; Felicity Huffman,"Desperare Housewives"; Jane Kaczmarek; "Malcolm in the Middle"; Lisa Kudrow,"The Comeback"; Eva Longoria,"Desperate Housewives"; Julia Louis-Dreyfus,"New Adventures of Old Christine"; Reba McEntire,"Reba"; Debra Messing,"Will & Grace"; Mary-Louise Parker,"Weeds"; Leah Remini,"King of Queens"

This is a good list, though not completely solid, if for no other reason than the astounding Mary McDonnell was left off for "Battlestar Galactica." (And Edward James Olmos for that matter.)

And apparently, "24" and "Six Feet Under" (yawn) are the other two dramas rumored to be in the top 10.

Emmy A Go-Go

2006-06-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

Emmy A-Go-Go

The Emmy nominations are announced next week (Thursday morning to be exact), so much of the discussion here in the next few days will surround that.

This year’s Emmys have the potential to actually really have some different contenders.

One of the most common complaints about the Emmys is that new series are rarely recognized. Sure, there are exceptions for juggernaut series (Lost and Desperate Housewives), but people that should have won Emmys long ago (yes Lauren Graham, I’m talking about you) have never even been nominated. It’s the way they go.

This year however, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has done something different. In an effort to get a more diverse array of nominees, the Academy has institute a blue ribbon panel system of voting. What does that mean? Funny, I think I’ll tell you.

Emmy ballots were due last week. The accountants went to town, tallied up the votes and in the Best Drama and Best Comedy categories, came up with a list of the top 10 vote-getters. In the best Lead in a Comedy and Drama categories, they came up with a list of the top 15. From there, the Academy contact the respective shows, asking them to submit a single episode for consideration. Those individual performers were also asked to submit one episode that’s representative of their work. Then, a blue ribbon panel looks at the nominees and rates them. The five highest scored submissions are then the ones that actually get the nominations next week.

Now comes the fun part—rumors!

Tom O’Neil at Gold Derby is hot on all this. Here is what he’s come up with regarding what the ten potential comedy nominees are:
Arrested Development
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Desperate Housewives
Entourage
My Name is Earl
The Office
Scrubs
Two and a Half Men
Will & Grace
Weeds

So far, the spies have only come up with 8 of the potential drama nominees. They are:
Big Love
Boston Legal
Grey’s Anatomy
House
Lost
Rescue Me
The Sopranos
The West Wing

Now whether any of this is true or not is yet to be confirmed. I guess we’ll know for sure next week.

As the potential acting nominees become more clear, I’ll pass info along.

The Ego Has Landed

2006-06-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

I’ve known a lot of people with egos.

I’ve gone to school with them. I’ve worked with them. Sometimes, I’ve even idolized them.

But never before have I met someone who has too big of an ego to acknowledge my existence—until now. One of the “very important people” (who we’ll call Chris—a good gender neutral name) at my job won’t even speak to me. I’m not talking about the fact that Chris doesn’t ask my opinion, consult with me, etc. Chris won’t even speak, even in general passing. I will be walking down the hall, pass by Chris, say “Good morning” and get nothing in reply other than the goofy half-cocked grin that could mean either, “I’m completely stoned” or “I’m so superior to you that I won’t even let you know I’m hearing what you say.” I honestly don’t know which it is, and I’m so intrigued/amused that I feel like I want to know.

And speaking of close friends

2006-06-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

So today was an incredibly lousy day that just kept getting worse and worse. It took a mild detour when I got to sit in a production office for 45 minutes, listening to stories of premieres, being astounded by the grandeur of the place. It was impressive in scope.

Nevertheless, I just happened to get the right phone call, giving me my umpteenth life/career option and it sounded like a great Plan Q. (I'm already past Plan D ors something.) This was the kind of person that I can confide in and that I've so been able to count on.

It's great to have friends. (I remind my self of this all the time when nobody calls on the weekends and I sit in my apartment, staring at the wall because I have nothing to do.)

Well, duh!

2006-06-26T18:20:00.000-07:00

Pulled from Reuters:

Americans' circle of close friends shrinking

Americans are more socially isolated than they were 20 years ago, separated by work, commuting and the single life, researchers reported on Friday.
Nearly a quarter of people surveyed said they had "zero" close friends with whom to discuss personal matters. More than 50 percent named two or fewer confidants, most often immediate family members, the researchers said.
"This is a big social change, and it indicates something that's not good for our society," said Duke University Professor Lynn Smith-Lovin, lead author on the study to be published in the American Sociological Review.
Smith-Lovin's group used data from a national survey of 1,500 American adults that has been ongoing since 1972.
She said it indicated people had a surprising drop in the number of close friends since 1985. At that time, Americans most commonly said they had three close friends whom they had known for a long time, saw often, and with whom they shared a number of interests.
They were almost as likely to name four or five friends, and the relationships often sprang from their neighborhoods or communities.
Ties to a close network of friends create a social safety net that is good for society, and for the individual. Research has linked social support and civic participation to a longer life, Smith-Lovin said.
People were not asked why they had fewer intimate ties, but Smith-Lovin said that part of the cause could be that Americans are working more, marrying later, having fewer children, and commuting longer distances.
The data also show the social isolation trend mirrors other class divides: Non-whites and people with less education tend to have smaller social networks than white Americans and the highly educated.
That means that in daily life, personal emergencies and national disasters like Hurricane Katrina, those with the fewest resources also have the fewest personal friends to call for advice and assistance.
"It's one thing to know someone and exchange e-mails with them. It's another thing to say, 'Will you give me a ride out of town with all of my possessions and pets? And can I stay with you for a couple or three months?" Smith-Lovin said.
"Worrying about social isolation is not a matter of nostalgia for a warm and cuddly past. Real things are strongly connected with that," added Harvard University Public Policy Professor Robert Putnam, author of "Bowling Alone," a book on the decline of American community.
He suggested flexible work schedules would allow Americans to tend both personal and professional lives.

Don't Mess It Up---PLEASE

2006-06-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

YEAH!

Here's news about one of the best books ever, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, that's actually looking to be turned into a movie. What follows is from author Michael Chabon's official blog:

"The fate of this project--whether it will move at last from the nebulousness of pre-pre-production into really-truly pre-production, with a budget and cast and everything, will be decided on or around 12 July 2006. Miss Natalie Portman is a strong likelihood for the part of Rosa; other casting is ongoing, as are work on the script (a lot of cutting) and tests conducted by a number of top-drawer animation studios (for the comic book elements). Quick answers (as of this date): Golem: yes. Antarctica: yes. [Spoiler] love story: yes. Ruins of World's Fair: no. Long Island: no. Orson Welles: no. Salvador Dali: yes. Loving reference to Betty and Veronica: no. Stan Lee: no."

Thanks, but...

2006-06-19T19:27:00.000-07:00

This week is like finals week. Don’t expect any blogging.

Sorry.

Quotation of the Day

2006-06-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

“What's an Emmy worth if someone like Lauren Graham from 'Gilmore Girls' can't be nominated?"—Hollywood Reporter

AMEN!

TV Watch

2006-06-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight, PBS is broadcasting the musical, The Light in the Piazza. I haven't seen it, but I've heard the score and it's sumptuous. Definitely check it out if you get the opportunity. Record Windfall and check it out later. This is one of the summer's must-sees.

Old School

2006-06-14T23:07:00.000-07:00

Seriously, the finale of Commander-in-Chief revolved around the ERA?  What a ludicrous storyline!  Why are you doing a story about an issue that hasn’t been an issue in 30 years?  I’d have cancelled this too if that were the finale you gave me to air.

Sheesh!

Supposedly there might be the possibility of some TV movies that come out of the show, but I just don’t think this show ever clicked.  There was a great idea here, but its execution just failed.  Oh well!

And in the discussion of things that stalled, apparently ABC has brought in a completely new showrunner for What About Brian? and they’re looking to cast some new roles.  They’ve also let go of Raoul Bova (!) as Brian’s brother-in-law.  Whatever they’re doing over there, the network definitely wants to be in the JJ Abrams business, and they definitely have faith in this show.  Let’s hope it turns out to be as promising in the fall!

Egads and a half

2006-06-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

I find this information so disturbing I don’t even know what to think. I mean, I don’t know which role CZJ is looking to play, but she’s waaaay too young for Mama Rose and she’s too old for Gypsy Rose Lee. Somebody explain this to me. Granted, this is from Liz Smith, but still...

Now the rumor is out and hot that the Weinstein Company is close on the heels of director Rob Marshall for a movie version of the show about the evolution of that famous stripper - Gypsy Rose Lee - and her infamous stage mother, Rose. This incredible "best damn show I've seen in years!" (courtesy of New York Times critic Walter Kerr) opened to acclaim in 1959 with Broadway's hit-making powerhouse, Ethel Merman, in the role of Mama Rose. The Arthur Laurents "book" with Jule Styne music and Sondheim's lyrics has been revived over and over, usually successfully, with such as Angela Lansbury and Tyne Daly playing the part. Hollywood made a botch of it back in 1962 when they put the sleek Rosalind Russell in the role. (The only saving grace of this version was the delicious Natalie Wood as Gypsy.)

Um........

2006-06-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

So even though I'd read enough spoilers not to be completely flabbergasted, I sat, shaking my head last night at the final 30 seconds of Rescue Me. Are we really supposed to believe that? (I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet.) Just because something sounds like an interesting idea doesn't mean it's one worth exploring with your characters--particularly when you've established something quite contrary.

Maybe in the upcoming weeks they'll work it out, explain it, and everything will make sense. Though I just can't imagine how.