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October 2, 2008
Veep debate .... KXAN update
A couple of big reminders, as if you need them, for tonight:
The one and only vice presidential debate is tonight at 8. PBS’s Gwen Ifill, who broke her ankle Monday while carrying all of her research material, will moderate.
Some conservative radio hosts started tossing rocks at Ifill yesterday over a book she’s been working on for about a year tracing the evolution of black politicians in America.
As you might imagine (given the timing), this is nothing but noise. Republicans knew about the book when the Presidential Debate Commission proposed Ifill as the moderator several months ago, and they signed off on her. Yesterday John McCain said he was certain she would do a fine job because “she’s an objective professional.”
This smackdown promises to be a bigger ratings grabber than the presidential debates.
Gov. Sarah Palin, who remains something of a mystery, will stand toe to toe with Sen. Joe Biden. Will Palin hold up under 90 minutes of national scrutiny? Will Biden stick his foot in his mouth? Will they look at each other? Will the two of them shake hands or hug when it’s all over?
We’ll soon find out. The veep debate can be seen on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Fox Broadcasting, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, CNN and C-SPAN.
KXAN likely to drop off Time Warner Cable tonight
Remember, if you’re watching NBC programming tonight at midnight and the picture suddenly goes dark, it’s not your television. Don’t leap up and start beating your brand new HDTV.
NBC affiliate KXAN, which is owned by LIN TV, has been negotiating a retransmission agreement with Time Warner Cable for several weeks. It hasn’t gone well, and apparently the two sides are at an impasse.
KXAN and LIN want the cable company to pay (less than a penny a day per subscriber) for retransmission; Time Warner argues that KXAN’s signal is free, over-the-air to customers and therefore should be free to subscribers.
The existing contract expires tonight at midnight, and it is likely that KXAN will be dropped from Time Warner until an agreement is reached.
Remember, you can watch NBC shows online (nbc.com), on a TV that’s off cable (with an antenna), on any of the satellite services (Dish, DirecTV), AT&T’s U-verse or on some of the smaller cable companies that might be available in your area (Grande to the south, Suddenlink to the north).
By the way, KNVA, which operates under a licensing agreement with KXAN, is NOT affected. KNVA’s programming of CW and MyNetwork shows will continue. Those are separate agreements with the cable company, so KNVA (Cable Channel 12) stays on Time Warner.
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September 29, 2008
Meet 'Chuck' ... again!
“Chuck” is back. Did you miss him? Did you ever meet him?
That’s the conundrum facing NBC’s first-rate romantic-comedy-espionage-action drama. The show, starring Zachary Levi as a computer nerd drafted into a dangerous and complicated secret life of spying, debuted last fall to good reviews and pretty good ratings.
But then the writers strike knocked it off the air, and NBC couldn’t get it back up and running in time to complete its first season. So it’s been off the air for almost a year, which makes the second season opener more like a second debut.
In the new season (at 7 tonight on NBC), Chuck will be a little less terrified of his new situation and a little less intimidated by his beautiful handler Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski). He still pals around with his Buy More tech colleague Morgan (Joshua Gomez), which is the core for much of the show’s goofy humor.
If you missed out on “Chuck” the first time around, check him out this time.
This particular spy’s double life is twice as much fun as the procedural crime dramas that are all over TV these days. And this season the show will feature guest performances, such as tonight’s bad guy, played by Michael Clarke Duncan, and future appearances by John Larroquette, Melinda Clarke, Nicole Richie and Michael Strahan.
“Runway” — Will it or won’t it?
Is “Project Runway,” now in its fifth season on Bravo, move to Lifetime in ‘09 or not? That’s the question that bubbled up over the weekend.
NBC Universal, which owns Bravo, never wanted to lose “Runway,” and when Lifetime announced it was poaching the fashionista show, NBCU filed an injunction to stop it. Apparently a judge has now put the move on hold.
Hollywood Reporter has the whole mysterious story.
Tina Fey morphs into Palin again
Tina Fey reprised her role as Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live,” again appearing as the Republican vice presidential candidate in the opening sketch. The resemblance and the voice are so striking that I keep thinking the Alaska governor has decided to spoof herself.
Fey is going to have to find a way to work this new gig into her already full (“30 Rock) schedule, at least until the election on Nov. 4.
Saturday night’s show again paired Fey with Amy Poehler, who played Hillary Clinton in the first Fey-Palin appearance. This time Poehler was Katie Couric, whose interview with Palin had been ridiculed for several days last week.
Is there any doubt that Fey-Palin will return this coming Saturday, after Thursday’s scheduled veep debate with Joe Biden? This one should be choice.
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September 25, 2008
Superb doc on Los Lonely Boys tonight on PBS
Talk about perfect timing. For those of you who are staying home tonight to rest up and prep for the three-day Austin City Limits Festival, “Los Lonely Boys: Cottonfields and Crossroads” (9 p.m. on KLRU) will fill you with music, history and a deeply personal take on the San Angelo rockers.
Noted Austin filmmaker Hector Galán, who was born and raised in San Angelo, takes viewers back to the boys’ childhood years when they played honky-tonks and cantinas with their father, Ringo Garza Sr. The elder Ringo dreamed of making it big in music, specifically in country music, and groomed his sons for that particular road to stardom.
The film paints an evocative portrait of life in small-town Texas in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s, as Ringo Sr. struggled with his own career and transferred his own ambition to his sons. Intimate personal stories are woven with live performances by Los Lonely Boys — including gigs at Stubbs, Zilker Park’s Blues on the Green and Antone’s.
“For a filmmaker, the timing couldn’t have been better,” Galán says. “I was able to capture what became their rise in the American music scene, a time when the stars aligned in their favor after so many years of struggle.
Poverty, racism and the music business’ inherently tough road might have stopped a lesser band, but as Galán makes clear, the Garza brothers — Ringo Jr., Henry and JoJo — combined superb talent with strong ambition and sibling support to rock their way to the top of the charts in 2003.
The music is fabulous, the interviews are moving and the finished portrait of this remarkable band is both compelling and inspiring.
DVR ‘til the cows come home tonight!
Tonight is the biggest night of the new fall season, so set every VCR and DVR you’ve got in the house.
Here’s my personal lineup:
“Ugly Betty,” 7 p.m. on ABC
“My Name Is Earl,” 7 p.m. on NBC
“Grey’s Anatomy,” 8 to 10 p.m. on ABC
“The Office,” 8 p.m. on NBC
“CSI,” 9 p.m. on CBS
“ER,” 9 p.m. on NBC
(The new season of “Survivor” starts tonight, too, but I don’t care. If you do, it’s 7 to 9 p.m. on CBS.)
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September 24, 2008
Dems and Repubs: More alike than not in TV faves
Polls and Top 10 lists might be be superficial fluff, but they sure are fun to peruse, aren’t they?
The latest such flotsam comes from FastTrack Television, and it ranks the Top 10 most-watched shows among supporters of Democrat Barack Obama, Republican John McCain and viewers who call themselves “undecided.”
The final analysis? By deductive reasoning, we can see that we are more alike than not alike when it comes to our TV viewing!
MOST LIKELY TO VOTE FOR BARACK OBAMA
- “House”
- “C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation”
- “Grey’s Anatomy”
- “Heroes”
- “Sunday Night Football”
- “The Office”
- “Family Guy”
- “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”
- “Two and a Half Men”
- “Bones”
[Bold indicates shows NOT in Top 10 among McCain supporters]
MOST LIKELY TO VOTE FOR JOHN MCCAIN
- “House”
- “Sunday Night Football”
- “Heroes”
- “C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation”
- “NCIS”
- “The Office”
- “C.S.I.: Miami”
- “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”
- “Survivor”
- “Grey’s Anatomy”
[Bold indicates shows NOT in Top 10 among Obama supporters]
UNDECIDED
- “C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation”
- “House”
- “Sunday Night Football”
- “Heroes”
- “Grey’s Anatomy”
- “C.S.I.: Miami”
- “ER”
- “Two and a Half Men”
- “The Office”
- “Without a Trace”
Need more politics? Check out Fox online
This week Fox’s Shepard Smith launched “Strategy Room,” an online program described in the cable news channel’s press release as “a freewheeling, irreverent look at politics and breaking news.”
The show streams live Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the conclusion of election day on Nov. 4. It is hosted by Fox anchors and correspondents, with various journalists and analysts popping in as guests throughout each day.
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September 23, 2008
La Lohan a 'Runway' fashionista? And 'The Mentalist' debuts
Lindsay Lohan is famous for many things, from troubled relationships with her parental units to rehab stints for various conditions to heavily photographed lip-locking with her girlfriend.
But she’s not particularly known for fashion, which makes her selection as a guest judge on the next season of “Project Runway” a bit of a head-scratcher.
La Lohan, 22, has a multiple-episode guest stint coming up on the new season of “Ugly Betty” (Thursday on ABC), which is set in a New York fashion magazine, so maybe that’s what is supposed to give her fashion credentials.
More likely Lifetime, which snatched “Runway” away from Bravo, cast Lohan to prove that the old “women’s network” isn’t as stodgy as its reputation.
‘The Mentalist’ debuts on CBS tonight
Simon Baker makes another stab at becoming a TV star with the debut tonight (at 8) of “The Mentalist.”
CBS has been convinced of Baker’s star value for years, starting with “The Guardian” and moving on to “Smith.” Neither show became a spectacular hit. But the network remains high on the prospects of the handsome Australian import who looks like a combination of James Bond and some surfer dude.
In “The Mentalist,” Baker plays Patrick Jane, a former fake psychic who has turned his keen powers of observation to fighting crime for the California Bureau of Investigation. It’s a fairly standard procedural crime drama with occasional doses of humor.
Unlike some of the super-complicated new dramas (“Fringe,” “My Own Worst Enemy,” etc.), “The Mentalist” is straightforward and self-contained. That’s a good thing. But it also feels vaguely old-fashioned and tired.
Baker, who has a knack for comedy (“The Devil Wears Prada”) told TV critics in Los Angeles last summer that he loves the character’s humor and the guy’s inherently fraudulent nature. Maybe if they give him more comedy and less squinting.
Oh, Baker also said he prepared for the role by watching psychics on YouTube. That’s funny all by itself, isn’t it?
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September 22, 2008
The Emmy show: Worst ever?
Lame to the point of needing crutches, last night’s Emmy Awards telecast was arguably the worst televised ceremony ever.
Whoever decided that having the five nominated reality-show hosts emcee the program made an error of epic proportions.
Sure, reality shows have become more and more popular as scripted shows on network TV have waned (partly due to the writers’ strike). But the Emmys are supposed to celebrate high-quality TV, not pander to viewers who scarf down reality TV in the absence of something better.
The show was doomed from the outset when Heidi Klum (“Project Runway”), Tom Bergeron (“Dancing With the Stars”), Howie Mandel (“Deal or No Deal”), Jeff Probst (“Survivor”) and Ryan Seacrest (“American Idol”) came out on stage with nothing prepared.
“This is not a bit,” said Mandel. “We’ve got nothing. We are on Sarah Palin’s bridge to nowhere.”
Truer words were not to be spoken all night.
After affording nearly 10 minutes at the top of the show to the hosts with nothing, there was an interminable bit with Ricky Gervais trying to pry his last-year’s Emmy away from Steve Carell, a groaningly overdone acceptance speech from Tommy Smothers who received a special Emmy, Josh Grobin forcing himself through a whiplash medley of TV theme songs (so awful I had to leave the room), a clunky “Laugh-In” segment and an endless love affair with a rambling Don Rickles.
Realizing how much time was being wasted with such stupid stuff, the director set the show on a trot pace, tossing out awards so fast it was hard to digest the list of nominees. Best comedy actor? Here you go, Alec Baldwin. Best drama actress? Go long, Glenn Close, and catch this one!
But when, in the show’s final moments, it came time to bestow the Emmy for best reality show host, suddenly there was time for another interminable bit.
Jimmy Kimmel offered a summary of each host’s pluses and minuses, and then quipped, “We’ll find out, after the break!” Groans could be heard, in my house and at the Emmys. The award went to a totally underwhelmed Probst, who interpreted “formal dress” to mean no tie.
Kimmel finally euthanized the bit by turning to the audience, hoping to elicit a positive response for the doofus hosting quintet: “Haven’t they been sufficient, everybody?” Tepid applause followed.
I’ve got no problem with the winners. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin were slam dunks for “30 Rock,” as was “30 Rock” itself for best comedy. And it was wonderful to see “Mad Men” cop the big one and “John Adams” rake in multiple prizes. I have a feeling Bryan Cranston, who was fine in “Breaking Bad,” nabbed the best drama actor award as a result of a split vote between Jon Hamm of “Mad Men” and Michael C. Hall of “Dexter.”
Maybe next year the Emmys will produce a show that echoes the quality of the programs to be honored. If that can’t be done, the Television Academy should do us all a favor and just read the names out in a parade of glamorous nominees and winners.
An hour would take care of that — and would produce a lot less groaning.
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September 12, 2008
Will Phelps win gold or bomb on 'SNL?'
Not everybody who’s famous turns out to be the perfect guest host for “Saturday Night Live.”
NFL quarterback Peyton Manning was fabulous last season. Actor Shia LaBeouf? Not so much.
So we hold our breath as we ready ourselves for Olympic gold medalist extraordinaire Michael Phelps, who hosts tomorrow night’s season opener of “Saturday Night Live” (10:30 p.m. on NBC).
We’re used to seeing Phelps gliding through the water, pumping his fist in victory. We’ve also seen him mutter through a post-swim interview with his loving mom at his side, but we’ve mostly seen him wet and wild.
Can Phelps deliver some funny stuff on “SNL?” Can he do an opening monologue without causing us to groan? And can he deliver a sketch without squinting at a cue card and stumbling over timing?
We’ll see. There’s always a lot riding on the season opening host of “SNL,” but NBC can at least take comfort in knowing that Phelps knows how to handle pressure. Can he handle comedy? We’ll see.
Musical guest this weekend is Lil Wayne, so maybe that will help.
Oh, and if the rumors on People.com are accurate, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama just might pop in for a surprise appearance. Maybe …
Busy Friday on TV … for a change
Normally Friday nights are dead nights for prime-time TV, but tonight a few things are worth noting.
“The 2008 ALMA Awards,” celebrating Latino achievements in American film, TV and music, airs at 7 p.m. on ABC. Eva Longoria Parker is the glamorous host.
“Psych” has its season finale tonight at 9 on USA Network. Life-threatening events are involved.
And, for those living in caves during the past week, Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin gets more air-time on tonight’s special edition of ABC’s “20/20” at 9 p.m. Charles Gibson’s multipart interview with the Alaska governor re-caps and wraps up after two days of dribbling onto ABC’s various news programs.
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September 3, 2008
Secret pilot for '90210' finally debuted!
Today’s guest blog about last night’s premiere of “90210” comes from our design writer Melanie Spencer. She was drafted for this entry because of her status as a former fan of the original. Agree? Disagree? We want to know!
The homeroom bell hasn’t even sounded at West Beverly Hills High School before Pollyannaish Annie Wilson (Shenae Grimes) accidentally spots Ethan Ward (Dustin Milligan), her summer sweetheart from two years ago, receiving — um, to put it delicately — oral pleasure in his SUV in the school parking lot. And thus begins the unceasing drama of “90210.”
During the next two hours of the reprised series, we learn that not only is this new generation of privileged California teens more sexually advanced than their 1990s-era predecessors, but they also are wealthier (luxury cars, plus private jets), partying harder (Keith Richards has nothing on their cache of drugs and alcohol) and more tech savvy (blogs, Webisodes and texting abound).
As a “90210” fan from way back, I have to admit the best part was seeing “frienemies,” Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth), now a student counselor, and Brenda Walsh (Shannen Doherty) reunite over coffee served up by Nat at the Peach Pit.
And now I’m left trying to figure out if Kelly’s 4-year-old son belongs to Dylan or Brandon. A cryptic phone call alludes to Brandon, but I think the writers are toying with us.
As a current “Gossip Girl” enthusiast though, I found myself longing for the lighthearted humor and constant scheming found within the New York prep school crowd. Sigh.
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September 2, 2008
'The Shield' begins final season tonight on FX
While the broadcast networks are trolling for news from the Republican National Convention in St. Paul tonight, FX launches the final season of its ground-breaking cop drama “The Shield” at 9.
It’s been nine months since last we saw Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and his merry band of corrupt, foul-mouthed cops, so it’s going to take more than the 60-second “catch-up” scenes provided at the beginning of tonight’s episode.
Complications abound, from the various gang contingencies to the twisted relationship between Vic and Shane (Walton Goggins) to the ongoing diabolical dealings at The Barn.
Vic is still struggling to get his job back (he’s working now but scheduled to hit forced retirement any minute), and he’s getting more desperate about the situation all the time.
The show’s creator, Shawn Ryan, hinted at the Television Critics Association meetings in July that the final episode, coming in November, will see Vic “pay for his sins.” You might recall that those sins started with a bang in the pilot when he shot a fellow officer in cold blood.
“The Shield” has always been about the thin line between good and evil, and nobody has exemplified that better than Vic — except maybe Shane, who blew up and then shot partner Lem in a particularly stunning encounter last year.
It’s been a breathtaking ride, and tonight’s season opener is appropriately chilling. I’ve seen it. I can’t wait for more.
‘90210’ … A new guilty pleasure?
“90210” debuts tonight, minus reviews because the CW refused to send out screeners. Fine.
Clips indicate this 21st-century version of the ‘90s teen saga just might live up to expectations. The two-hour premiere tonight (7 to 9 p.m.) introduces the very pretty cast and sets up the new family’s dynamics.
For more details on the spinoff, check out today’s TV column on the front of Life & Arts.
We’re big time now … sort of!
Austin has finally broken into the Top 50 TV markets.
In the recently announced new market rankings from the Nielsen Co., Austin moved up from No. 51 to No. 49.
New York is still top dog, followed by Los Angeles and Chicago. The biggest TV market in Texas is Dallas-Fort Worth, at No. 5. Houston is 10th and San Antonio is 37th.
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August 22, 2008
Olympic ad: Nationwide and the grumpy granny
OK, raise your hand if you’re sick of the Nationwide insurance ad that runs about every 30 minutes during NBC’s prime-time Olympics coverage.
Now, raise your hand if you’re a parent and your child suddenly thinks it’s alright to hit people.
Is anybody worried that their kids kid will be terrified of a purse-carrying grandma next time they run into one?
I’m referring to that desperately overplayed commercial featuring a youngish man who drives his car into the side of an elderly couple’s car in a parking lot. The man hops out of his car, effusively apologizing to the old folks.
“Please forgive me,” he says earnestly.
The elderly woman replies, leaping out of her damaged car, “I’ll show you forgiveness!” and proceeds to beat him mercilessly with her purse.
Apparently this ad is quite the talk of outraged parents. And it even prompted a local minister to deliver a scathing review of it in a sermon last week. The man asks for forgiveness; the woman attacks him. Not good Christian behavior.
I confess I chuckled the first time I saw the ad. The old woman reminds me of my own late-great granny. Not the purse-wielding but the general aggressive spunkiness.
But now I’m sick of it and can see how it might not be such a good thing for children to see (repeatedly) during the Olympics.
Thoughts?
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August 21, 2008
Hot summer cable kept us cool couch potatoes
As we pole-vault away from summer TV (I know, too many Olympics references), let’s take a moment to salute our summer lover — cable.
Basic cable networks such as USA and TNT attracted a massive total audience that averaged 51 million prime-time viewers from May 26 through Aug. 17.
A small portion of the growth came from cable news networks, thanks to the excitement over the presidential campaign season.
Compared to the summer of 2004, the previous presidential season, this summer saw a 13 percent increase in basic cable ratings, according to Turner Research and Nielsen Media.
TNT’s “The Closer” maintained its top ranking among cable series. That’s no surprise.
But AMC’s “Mad Men,” which launched its second season with mammoth publicity and a slew of Emmy nominations, has seen its ratings tumble 45 percent since its July debut. That’s a surprise, and not a good one.
USA network, home to “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Burn Notice,” “Monk” and “Psych,” was the No. 1 basic cable network this summer. The highest-rated new series on cable was USA’s “In Plain Sight.”
Other hits this summer: Disney’s original movie “Camp Rock,” ABC Family’s “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” A&E’s miniseries “The Andromeda Strain,” Lifetime’s “Army Wives,” Oxygen’s “Tori & Dean” and MTV’s “The Hills.”
Bravo’s “Project Runway” slipped from previous seasons, but the fashionista competition is one of the most-recorded shows on cable, typically boosting its ratings by nearly 75 percent with DVR use.
Gentle but still in your face: Margaret Cho returns
Korean-born comedian Margaret Cho, one of the funniest ethnic standups working today, launches her new VH1 show tonight at 10.
“The Cho Show” arrives 13 years after “All American Girl,” her ABC sitcom that failed, according to some ABC execs, because Cho was “too Asian.” Which, of course, was the point.
After some personal challenges, Cho got back on the standup circuit, honed her craft and nursed her wounded self-esteem back to health.
The new show is partly scripted and partly not and chronicles her struggle with Korean American identity. In tonight’s opener, she takes a hilarious turn with a gay stylist who tries to convince her to dress in body paint (rather than actual clothing) to accept a Korean of the Year Award.
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August 19, 2008
The old/new WB returns next week
The WB is back, starting Aug. 27, when the Warner Bros. Television Group officially launches TheWB.com, an ad-supported, video-on-demand and interactive program site. Actually it’s switching from a private beta site to a public site.
The online network will feature full episodes of fan-favorites “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Everwood,” “Friends,” “Gilmore Girls,” “The O.C.,” “One Tree Hill,” “Roswell,” “Smallville,” “Veronica Mars,” “Angel,” “Babylon 5,” “Firefly,” “In Living Color,” “The Loop” and “MADtv.”
TheWB.com also will debut original series from creators such as director/producer McG (the upcoming “Terminator Salvation,” “Supernatural,” the “Charlie’s Angels” films) and writer/producer Josh Schwartz (“Gossip Girl,” “Chuck,” “The O.C.”), to name a couple.
Original and acquired series, clearly geared to the 16-to-34 crowd, will include:
“Blue Water High” (Aug. 27): Six Australian teens set forth on a reality show adventure at an exclusive, ultra-competitive surf academy where they live, study, surf and “socialize.” At the end of the 12-month residential athletic and academic program, two surfers - one male and one female - will win the prize they’ve all been fighting for: admission to the professional surfing circuit and a sponsorship contract.
“A Boy Wearing Makeup” (Aug. 27): Mathieu Francis is a boy who wears makeup … and looks fabulous. In a highly personal online video diary, Mathieu dispenses makeup advice and fashion tips while taking viewers along on his own personal journey.
“Whatever Hollywood” (Aug. 27): Suri, Apple and Shiloh are three best friends who are taking Hollywood by storm. They’re starring in their own short films and reality show called “Whatever.” Not sure exactly what this is supposed to be, but it sounds vaguely intriguing.
“Sorority Forever” (Sept. 8): A mystery-drama that goes behind the walls of one of the most intriguing secret societies in the world: the sorority. Publicity material promises that “the show will provide viewers with a sexy, immersive experience that is simultaneously realistic and voyeuristic: Think ‘Prom Queen’ meets ‘The O.C.,’ but set in college.” Yikes!
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August 15, 2008
Bye-bye Logan, hello transgender model
The new season of “America’s Next Top Model” will once again seek to bust the stereotype of the tall, skinny, blonde human clothes-hanger.
Last season a normal-looking woman, but one in the modeling world dubbed “plus-sized,” won the title.
This season, which begins Sept. 3 on the CW, maybe we’ll see a transgender model take the title.
One of the contenders, according to Us Weekly, started life as a man. Isis, 22, was up-front with casting folks and host Tyra Banks, so she’s not trying to hide her man-past.
Bye-bye, Detective Logan
Sunday night’s episode of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (8 p.m. on USA) is the last one for Chris Noth’s character, Det. Mike Logan.
No, Noth wasn’t fired. Like dozens of other regular cast members in the “L&O” franchise, he’s simply moving on to do other things. Maybe his role in this summer’s big-screen “Sex and the City” opened up new possibilities.
Or maybe he’s just tired of playing a depressed New York cop.
And tonight from Beijing
No break for the Olympic-obsessed tonight.
After Thursday night’s exciting but endless gymnastics marathon (seriously, past midnight is past my “school night” bedtime!), we’ve got a full slate of action tonight.
Here’s the lineup: the men’s 100m butterfly and 50m freestyle; women’s 200m backstroke, 800m freestyle and 50m freestyle semifinals; track and field’s first day with highlights from the heptathlon and shot put final; men’s volleyball featuring the USA vs. China.
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August 13, 2008
"Friday Night Lights" signs a new QB
“Friday Night Lights” has cast Jeremy Sumpter, who starred in the 2003 film “Peter Pan,” to J.D. McCoy, a gifted freshman quarterback who moves to Dillon and tries to grab the starting quarterback job from Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford).
According to Entertainment Weekly, J.D. is described as a kid groomed to be a football player by his father, who was a big-deal player himself in younger days. J.D. feels overwhelmed by his dad and looks to Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) to be his mentor.
Janine Turner and D.W. Moffett will play J.D.’s parents when the third season of “Lights” begins on DirecTV on Oct. 1 and NBC in February ‘09.
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Final season of ‘Wire' on DVD today; CNN to open new bureaus
HBO’s much-lauded series “The Wire” ended its brilliant five-season run in March. Today the final episodes of the last season arrive on DVD.
In addition to bringing the stories of Baltimore cops and drug dealers to a conclusion, season five of “The Wire” examined another urban institution currently facing serious challenges, the daily newspaper.
The two worlds of crime and journalism come together as a top cop (Dominic West) desperately tries to secure more funding from the city’s police brass,and a Baltimore Sun reporter (Tom McCarthy) stoops to setting up his own too-perfect crime stories.
The newsroom story line is a particularly personal one for “Wire” creator David Simon, who started his career at the Sun.
The 90-minute finale is followed by special features that includes commentary by cast, directors, writers and producers; a featurette on the show’s previous seasons; and another featurette on the hard times of traditional newspapers as the Internet and alternative media siphons readers and ad revenue.
Fans of “The Wire,” who tend to be endlessly patient and passionate, undoubtedly will be happy to fork over $59.99 for the DVD.
Speaking of cut-backs: Not at CNN
At a time when many newspapers and TV newsrooms are facing buyouts and layoffs, CNN is adding journalists in 10 cities, from Philadelphia to Seattle, to provide broader TV and online news coverage.
The additions, which CNN hopes to have up and running by spring, also will help offset the sky-high cost of flying reporters and TV crews to breaking news all over the country. Fewer flights plus higher airfares equals a good argument for more mini-bureaus.
Besides Philadelphia and Seattle, the new reporters will be based in Columbus, Ohio; Denver; Houston; Las Vegas; Orlando, Fla.; Phoenix; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; and Minneapolis.
Existing bureaus include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
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August 12, 2008
Old sniping returns to '90210'
Even now, a decade later, there’s sniping among the original cast members of “Beverly Hills, 90210.”
The CW, as you might have heard, is coughing up a spinoff called “90210” that’s set to premiere Sept. 2. The focus is on a whole new cast of characters, but it’s still a high-school melodrama and several members of the original Fox cast will have guest starring or recurring roles.
Jason Priestley and Jennie Garth will appear in the first episode and maybe a few more. Joe E. Tata will reprise his role as owner of the Peach Pit cafe.
In July, when TV critics gathered in Los Angeles to mull the fall season, CW executives announced that Shannen Doherty would appear as director of the school’s musical, and Tori Spelling had been cast to reprise her role as Donna, with the character now owner of a teen-fave boutique.
Well, hiss hiss. Spelling, daughter of the late mogul and “Beverly Hills, 90210” creator Aaron Spelling, has pulled out of the spinoff, less than a month away from its premiere.
Alert TV critics smelled trouble in July when CW spokesman Paul McGuire insisted Spelling would be on the show but declined to say if she had signed a contract.
Spelling did not appear at the “90210” press conference, allegedly because she was tired, but somehow still managed to work on her Oxygen Network reality show “Tori & Dean,” which chronicles her life with husband Dean McDermott.
A rep for Spelling has said there are no plans for her to reprise her role “at this time,” but that seems to open the door for a change of heart if she gets a ton more money than originally offered.
Garth and Doherty reportedly negotiated deals to be paid hefty salaries, somewhere between $35,000 and $50,000 per episode. Spelling’s contract, which she declined to sign, would have given her a relatively paltry $10,000 to $20,000 per episode. This according to various trade publications.
If that Tori job is still open, I would gladly pretend to sell clothes to a bunch of spoiled-rotten teens for $10,000 a week. Wouldn’t you? It’s hard to believe Spelling has casting directors beating down her door.
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August 7, 2008
Presidential ads join Olympics on NBC
Major sponsors of NBC’s 17-day telecast of the Olympics include soft drinks, cars and … presidential candidates?
Yep, Democrat Barack Obama has snatched up $5 million in advertising during the Beijing Olympics, and Republican John McCain has forked over a cool $6 million in ad time.
According to Advertising Age, the president wannabes have bought spots throughout the day and prime-time coverage on NBC’s broadcast network and its cable siblings CNBC, MSNBC, USA, Oxygen and Telemundo. The magazine says this is the first major ad buy on national TV in a dozen years. Until now, the trend has been to target battleground states such as Ohio and Florida.
So while super-swimmer Michael Phelps is piling in gold medals, I guess we’ll get to see the candidates alternately touting their own personal charms and bashing each other. Can’t wait …
The new ‘CSI’ guy
It’s not John Malkovich or Kurt Russell. It’s almost definitely going to be Laurence Fishburne who replaces William Petersen midway through the upcoming season of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”
CBS entertainment chief Nina Tassler played coy on the topic at the TV critics press tour in Los Angeles last month, but she did tout Fishburne at a social function the network hosted. And she described the character that Fishburne will play:
New guy is going to be a doctor who joins the Las Vegas unit as an outsider and later becomes the boss, after Grissom (Petersen) departs after the 10th episode. As previously reported, the new character has the same genetic profile as the average serial killer and wrestles with the knowledge of his creepy DNA.
Grissom will not be killed off and likely will return for occasional guest appearances. Also returning will be Jorja Fox’s Sara Sidle, who departed last season but apparently had a change of heart.
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August 5, 2008
Are McCain and Obama the 'Last Comics Standing?'
From “Saturday Night Live” to “The Daily Show,” presidential candidates are weaving humor — or at least attempts at humor — into their campaign strategies.
Intentionally or not, Republican contender John McCain is probably better at this than Democratic contender Barack Obama.
McCain has long prided himself on jousting with late-night hosts and cracking self-deprecating jokes. Obama, new to this harsh spotlight, seems considerably less comfortable poking fun at himself or anyone else.
But both presidential wannabes have taped fake “funny ads” that will appear in Thursday’s 7 p.m. season finale of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” The network grandly announced this on Monday.
Is this a good idea for the candidates … or a humiliating exercise in desperation?
You be the judge:
McCain’s 30-second spot shows him standing at a lectern, peering into the camera. “I’m John McCain, and I approved this message,” he says. “A president has to be funny.”
In a quick series of photos, we see George W. Bush looking silly in a cowboy hat, Bill Clinton blowing his saxophone and Ronald Reagan hanging out with Bonzo the chimpanzee.
“Unfunny presidents only serve one term — if they win an election at all,” McCain says. “I may not be the last comic standing, but I’m definitely the funniest candidate for president.”
Someone off-camera counters, “Yeah, funny-looking,” and McCain responds with fake anger, “Who said that?”
The Obama spot opens with the candidate also standing behind a lectern.
“Hi, I’m Barack Obama, and I’m running for president of the United States,” he says, looking more than a little awkward. “Remember to vote for me in November. If you don’t think I’m funny, you’ve never seen me bowl.”
Cut to the now infamous shot of Obama gutter-balling on a campaign swing through Ohio.
The “ad” then returns to Obama, turning away from the camera and declaring, “I’m not going to deliver this line any better than that,” and then walking off.
Will viewers be gripping their sides laughing? Perhaps more ominously, will they decide whom to vote for based on the comedy skills displayed on reality TV?
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August 4, 2008
Teen Choice Awards tonight!
Miley Cyrus hosts the “Teen Choice Awards” tonight at 7 on Fox. Plugged in teens and tweens probably already know the winners because the award ceremony actually took place Sunday night in Los Angeles.
But knowing and seeing are two different things, and the fun of any awards show is less who won than what they looked and sounded like when the won — or lost. And like the People’s Choice Awards, the Teen Choice honors tend to attract a full house of nominees.
Here are the nominees:
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July 31, 2008
Dillon Panthers back in Austin soon!
Next week — or possibly this weekend — we welcome our “Friday Night Lights” folks back to town.
Filming on the NBC/DirecTV series is set to begin somewhere in our vicinity on Wednesday, but I bet the cast will begin arriving over the weekend to get settled before the long, hot schedule begins. The series debuts in October on the satellite network and then moves to NBC in February.
At NBC’s “star party” in Los Angeles recently, Connie Britton, who plays Tami Taylor, said she was getting ready to load up her car with suitcases and her dog and hit the road to Texas. Like the rest of the cast, Britton says she loves Austin and has missed it mightily for the past eight months.
“What do I miss most? Guacamole and margaritas at Guero’s!” she said excitedly. “Guacamole and margaritas at Guero’s make me real, real happy.”
Britton also enjoys upscale Austin eateries like Uchi, but she’s especially partial to the South Congress Tex-Mex establishment.
And so is Taylor Kitsch, who plays tragic hero Riggins on “FNL.” But the young music lover from Canada also has missed the Saxon Pub on South Lamar Boulevard.
“I just love the vibe there … it’s dark and you can just chill,” Kitsch said at the same NBC gathering.
None of the guys destined to film Dillon Panther football scenes in the raging August heat seemed worried about the weather.
“Aw, we eat that heat up,” Kitsch said.
Jesse Plemons, who plays Landry — a relatively new addition to the Panthers squad — and Zach Gilford, who plays QB Matt Saracen, both agreed. Informed that Austin has been searing under 100-plus degree days, both guys shrugged.
“We’re ready,” they said, almost in unison. “We missed Austin.”
Kitsch was actually looking forward to outdoor activities at Barton Springs and Lake Austin. He has a motorbike he likes to tool around on and insists the breeze, that feels more like the blast of a hair dryer to me, doesn’t bother him one bit.
Welcome back, Panthers! Don’t forget to hydrate … with water.
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July 29, 2008
'Eureka,' it's back!
It doesn’t get a lot of ink, but Sci Fi Channel’s “Eureka” is surely one of the most imaginative and lush-looking shows on cable.
Check out tonight’s season opener at 8 p.m. when Sheriff Jack Carter (played by Colin Ferguson, seen in photo with Jordan Hinson, who plays his daughter Zoe) continues his effort to keep order in a town filled with wildly eccentric citizens.
The premise, for those of you who’ve never visited “Eureka,” is this: After World War II, the U.S. government herded all the nation’s geniuses and their families into the small town of Eureka in the Pacific Northwest. The high-tech community is secretly working on new advancements, which occasionally go awry.
That’s when the sheriff, who is not a genius but stumbled into the community and was drafted into the job, must step in and maintain order. And while doing so, he must also make sure the town’s overriding secret missions remain secret.
Unlike a lot of sci-fi dramas, “Eureka” is equal parts comedy and drama and has a refreshingly original look and feel.
Austin writer Bill Bishop on tonight’s “Daily Show”
Austin writer Bill Bishop, author of “The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America Is Tearing Us Apart,” is scheduled to be on Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” tonight at 10 p.m.
AMC’s “Mad Men” scores in second-season debut
Is Don Draper our new prime-time hero? Maybe … he’s certainly more intriguing than the well-coiffed but admittedly gorgeous Dr. McDreamy.
The puffing, drinking, brooding centerpiece of AMC’s critically acclaimed series “Mad Men” opened its second season Sunday night with its biggest audience yet — averaging 2 million viewers, according to Nielsen’s big-city overnight ratings.
The opener, which had the bad fortune of going up against a Yankees-Red Sox game on ESPN, nevertheless doubled its first-season average.
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July 25, 2008
New hope for troubled ‘Life on Mars'
It’s never a good sign when a new series changes producers, writers and cast, so ABC’s “Life on Mars” is riddled with bad signs.
Originally developed by David E. Kelley (“Ally McBeal,” “The Practice,” “Boston Legal”), the series languished in limbo for so long that ABC pried the BBC-inspired drama away from the Hollywood mogul and gave it to Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, writing partners for a dozen years with “Alias’ and “October Road” among their credits.
ABC screened clips for reporters in Los Angeles recently, and I have to admit, the show looks appealing. But it just can’t seem to get itself together. Kelley didn’t even get as far as casting the lead.
First, some background: The BBC series (and the American series) focused on a present-day cop who finds himself transported back to 1973 after he’s hit by a car. Suddenly the poor bloke finds himself trying to solve murders without DNA tests or even the use of a cell phone.
The basic plot remains, and Irish actor Jason O’Mara, pictured here (most recently a creepy pyromaniac on “The Closer”), signed on as the time-warped detective. Kelley had written the story set in Los Angeles; the new creative team is moving it to New York.
As if to reinforce the New York ambience, “Life on Mars” will be filmed in the Big Apple and a couple of quintessential New York actors recently have been signed: Michael Imperioli (“The Sopranos”) and Harvey Keitel (“Reservoir Dogs,” “Bugsy”). The series will be Keitel’s first time as a series regular.
We’ll explore TV’s fascination with the 1970s at a later date, but right now we’re wondering what all this means for the troubled “Life on Mars” — which has a talented leading man, a rich New York locale and two terrific supporting players.
Might this troubled show turn out to be terrific in the end? We hope so, because the new show slate is pretty slim now.
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July 22, 2008
"SNL" revs up for the election
Lorne Michaels, the longrunning brain-trust behind “Saturday Night Live,” told TV critics in Los Angeles that he was “seriously frustrated” being off the air during a huge chunk of the presidential primary season. The writers’ strike couldn’t have come at a worse time for the show.
So to make up for lost time, “SNL” will be leaping headlong into the general election with enough political satire to choke a horse.
The new season will start earlier than ever, on Sept. 13, and churn out four consecutive weeks of new episodes (surprisingly, that is rare).
In addition, three live “Weekend Update Thursday” specials will air beginning Oct. 9, and the traditional “SNL Presidential Bash” will air Nov. 2, the night before the election.
Michaels, who has contributed to Republican John McCain’s campaign, said he didn’t see a conflict because he’s also given money to Democratic candidates in the past.
During the early Democratic primaries, “SNL” was accused of being pro-Hillary Clinton, but Michaels disagrees. He did acknowledge that the show has found it difficult to parody Barack Obama.
“It’s hard to satirize him because he’s still defining himself, and he’s been cast as sort of a heroic figure,” Michaels said. “Sooner or later he’ll do something that annoys us, but so far he’s been dealt with rather cautiously and reverently.”
Fred Armisen, the white dude who plays Obama, has been criticized for his lame portrayal, as well as for not being black.
“I grew up in a hippy commune,”Armisen deadpanned. “My dad told me he didn’t really know who my mother was, so I could be any race.”
Yeah, and that’s about as funny as Armisen’s Obama has ever been. Let’s hope he does better come September.
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July 11, 2008
"Deadwood" officially dead ... no movie planned
If you’ve been holding your breath about “Deadwood,” you can now exhale.
The HBO western drama is officially, categorically, absolutely dead — with no possibility of a movie to wrap up storylines that have been dangling for nearly two years.
“Deadwood” departed in August 2006 when creator David Milch, apparently weary of the project, moved on to “John From Cincinnati,” a truly bizarre sci-fi drama starring Austinite Austin Nichols that caught on with a few critics (including me) but very few viewers. It was deemed a gorgeous head-scratcher by most.
After “Deadwood” ended, HBO tried to calm frantic fans with the promise of a future movie that would address the conclusion of the violent goings-on in the Dakota Territory. But as time dragged on, the prospect faded. Actors moved on to other projects, and now Milch is working on another HBO series about a corrupt NYPD squad in the 1970s.
So R.I.P. “Deadwood.”
HBO drama in New Orleans
Speaking of dead HBO series, “The Wire” may be over, but David Simon hasn’t finished examining urban blight.
His new HBO project (following the Iraq War miniseries “Generation Kill,” which begins Sunday) is set in New Orleans in a pilot called “Treme,” named for a neighborhood where lots of musicians live. The drama series will chronicle the lives of performers who live there in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Off to Hollywood now
That’s it from Austin. I’m flapping off to Los Angeles for the TV critics summer press tour. The first of my twice-a-day blogs arrive Monday morning and will continue through the week and next weekend.
At the midway point of this festive dog-and-pony show, we’ll attempt a live chat (barring technical difficulties with the hotel’s Web access) on Wednesday at 3 p.m. to assess what’s happened, what’s going to happen and what you guys might want to know that I haven’t yet reported.
It’s never too late when you’ve got a huge chunk of the TV industry sitting in the hotel lobby, so come and chat.
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July 10, 2008
Smokin' hot "Burn Notice" returns tonight
At last, “Burn Notice” returns tonight at 9 for its second season premiere.
USA’s action-packed, mysterious and richly witty spy saga was one of summer’s great pleasures last year, and judging from the two new episodes I’ve seen so far, it’s still terrific this year.
Jeffrey Donovan, in the role of a lifetime, plays former government secret agent Michael Westen, booted out of his globe-trotting career by an unknown force for unknown reasons. Now a private eye in Miami, Michael continues to conduct covert operations in an effort to determine who “burned” him and why.
Bruce Campbell is pure comic relief as Michael’s beer-swilling pal and part-time assistant Sam, and Sharon Gless couldn’t be more perfect as Michael’s chain-smoking mom.
And, of course, Gabrielle Anwar is adorable as the gun-toting coquette Fiona, Michael’s ex-girlfriend and current crime-fighting partner. (I just wish she’d wear some sunscreen ‘cuz she’s starting to look a bit leathery.)
This season Tricia Helfer, formerly of “Battlestar Galactica,” joins the cast as Michael’s new handler who is somehow connected to the folks who burned him.
“Burn Notice” is terrific escapist entertainment — fast-paced, well-written and crammed with interesting characters. Enjoy!
#### New reality show woofs
If you just can’t get through one night without a reality fix, CBS has “The Greatest American Dog” (7 tonight), which at least replaces traditionally pathetic human contestants with cute canines.
A pack of people and their pups live together and attempt to learn various tricks, but the heart and soul of the show is love of dog. And we do love our dogs, don’t we?
I could have done without the unfortunate young woman who insisted on giving her dog a pink mohawk, but whatever.
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July 9, 2008
No strike (for now), fewer "Lights"
No actors’ strike — at least not for now.
The 70,000 members of the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists voted on a new contract with producers last night, and the deal was ratified with 62.4 percent of the vote.
The Screen Actors Guild, whose 120,000 members includes some 44,000 people who also are members of AFTRA, had tried to defeat the deal and support additional gains SAG is demanding in its negotiations.
That didn’t happen, but the ratification was hardly a ringing endorsement for AFTRA, which usually rallies 90 percent support for such agreements. About 37 percent of SAG members voting on the AFTRA contract rejected it.
SAG resumes negotiations with producers on Thursday, with less leverage than if AFTRA had rejected the producers’ deal.
But Hollywood’s future is not exactly secure. SAG members could still strike, assuming they cannot come to terms with producers and assuming they can muster 75 percent of their members’ support for a strike. And if SAG strikes, it’s hard to imagine that AFTRA and perhaps other guilds wouldn’t honor that strike in some way.
Coming on the heels of the devastating writers’ strike, however, another work stoppage seems less likely. Only the super-rich actors like Jack Nicholson can afford it.
“Lights” dimmer? Nah.
The shock over news that “Friday Night Lights” is scaling back participation of two of it’s main characters shouldn’t be shocking.
Gaius Charles (Smash) and Scott Porter (Jason Street) will return for the show’s third season as recurring characters. Doesn’t that make sense?
I mean, when last we saw him, Smash was heading off to college on a football scholarship, and Jason, who was a senior in the show’s first season when he suffered that devastating spinal injury, is working in a car dealership and expecting a baby with his girlfriend.
Shows set in high schools can’t keep the same characters forever. It makes no sense AND actors do age. The Panther football players are all in their mid- to late-20s now anyway.
If “Lights” continues beyond the next season (don’t hold your breath), we should expect other characters to graduate and move on — and new characters to be introduced.
Austin-based “Lights,” you may recall, is returning to NBC in February but arriving in October on DirecTV as a result of a production deal with that satellite company. The show, despite perpetually low ratings, is widely praised by critics and rumored to be a contender for an Emmy this time around … Nominations are released Thursday, July 17. Fingers crossed.
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July 3, 2008
Plan a cool couch-potato July 4th
Too hot to picnic? Too buggy for outdoor fireworks?
We’ve got the solution: cook those wienies indoors, drag the cooler indoors and rev up the big-screen TV. Here are some cool suggestions for Friday’s hot holiday:
Wimbledon, 11 a.m. on NBC — The men’s semi-finals are today, setting up tomorrow’s final. If we’re to believe the hype, it’s gonna be Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but that will have to be settled for sure Friday.
Hot-Dog Eating Contest, 11 a.m. on ESPN — Personally I find competitive eating to be gross, but some folks enjoy it, and maybe the wienie winner will actually be able to keep the dogs down (instead of, you know …).
TV series marathons — All day and, in some cases into the night, multiple marathons are all over cable. Here’s a sample (check our online listings for exact times):
“Twilight Zone” (Sci-Fi)
“King of the Hill” (FX)
“Law & Order” (TNT)
“JAG” (USA)
“Real World” (MTV)
“What Not to Wear” (TLC)
Fireworks — Depending on the size and HD-ness of your TV, watching the box is almost as exciting as attending the ka-booms. Not to mention cooler and less buggy.
“Austin Symphony Concert and Fireworks” (9:30 p.m. on News 8 Austin) — Live from Auditorium Shores.
“Macy’s Fourth of July Spectacular” (8 p.m. on NBC) — New York’s biggie.
“Freedom Over Texas” (8 p.m. on KEYE) — Booms over Houston.
“A Capitol Fourth” (7 p.m. on PBS) — The biggest and best, from Washington, D.C.
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July 2, 2008
A peek at new season of "Damages"
“Damages,” last summer’s big-buzz talker, is now slated to return in the winter. Thank you, writers strike. You’ve ruined my summer!
A few details about the new season have leaked out to whet our appetites for the long, long wait.
The FX thriller, starring Glenn close as steely-eyed Patty Hewes, likely will return in late January or early February with 13 episodes.
No word on what the new legal case will be, but last summer’s complicated villain, Arthur Frobisher (played by Ted Danson), is rumored to be decidedly not dead. He may have been shot in a field in the finale, but apparently he survived.
We know this because Danson is listed in the credits for the second season.
Patty’s traumatized junior attorney Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne), accused but eventually vindicated in the murder of her fiance last season, also has survived and remains in Patty’s orbit. But ambitious Ellen is not likely to be quite so starry-eyed about her boss next season.
Patty’s husband and son also will return, along with trusty (or not-so-trusty?) Tom Shayes (Tate Donovan). He double-crossed so many different people last season it’s impossible to know where his true loyalty lies.
Joining the cast will be William Hurt, Timothy Olyphant (last seen in “Deadwood”) and an unnamed actress who will play a legal adversary to Patty.
Can’t wait … but, sadly, must.
Reality tops Nielsens … so what?
Well, of course a dozen of the Top 20 shows on the latest Nielsen survey are reality shows. That’s because the networks have absolutely nothing else on. If that’s the argument for this suffocating swell, it doesn’t hold up.
And keep in mind that the No. 1 show last week, “America’s Got Talent,” attracted a relatively mediocre audience of 11.7 million viewers. That’s about half what a top-rated show would get during the regular season, when new episodes of “CSI” and “Grey’s Anatomy” are on the schedule.
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July 1, 2008
Strike update: still on hold
Still no settlement in the contract flap between actors and producers.
The current contract expired at midnight last night as producers served up what a spokesman for the group called their “last, best, final offer.”
No response from the Screen Actors Guild.
The New York Times today describes the industry as “eerily quiet.”
No settlement but no overt plans for a strike … maybe covert operations are underway, but nobody is making hair-curling walk-out threats at this point.
So we wait and dread. Will we face a fall full of reality TV? Will we be forced to learn a foreign language, talk to our neighbors or (heaven forbid) read a book come September? The possibilities are terrifying.
Stay tuned.
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June 30, 2008
Strike or no strike tonight? That's the question.
At midnight tonight the actors’ contracts with producers expire.
Strike or no strike? That’s the question.
This article offers a very good look at the squabbles and sad possibilities looming as the Screen Actors Guild not only argues with producers — but threatens a smackdown with its fellow acting union AFTRA (American Federation of Television & Radio Artists).
In a nutshell: AFTRA has recommended a deal to its membership (similar to the new-media revenue gains acquired by writers and directors not too long ago). A vote will be taken July 8. SAG, a bigger union that also includes many of the AFTRA membership, thinks that deal doesn’t go far enough.
Alan Rosenberg, the SAG chief, tried to calm the waters on Sunday by insisting that there are no plans for a strike, that negotiations will continue past the contract deadline if necessary, and everybody should take a deep breath.
In the meantime, alliances are being formed behind certain actors: Tom Hanks is urging SAG to sign the darn deal and move on. Jack Nicholson is urging members to use their clout and hold out for more.
It’s ugly and getting uglier. The fall TV season already has been hit hard by the writers’ strike last winter. Development projects never got off the ground, and the number of new fall series reflect that. ABC, for example, only has two newcomers on its fall schedule.
We’ll keep tabs on this … and hope a deal is made soon.
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June 27, 2008
Carlin hosts "SNL," Scott McClellan on access TV, etc.
George Carlin, who died June 22 from heart failure, will host this weekend’s edition of “Saturday Night Live” (10:30 p.m. on NBC).
The 1975 repeat is historic: It was “SNL’s” premiere episode. As host, Carlin introduced the Not Ready for Prime Time Players — which included Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris and Larraine Newman.
Carlin also performed three monologues and a couple of sketches. The late Andy Kaufman did a quick and appropriately bizarre routine. Music guests were Janis Ian and Billy Preston.
If you’re in the mood for a Carlin tribute AND a trip down memory lane, check it out Saturday night.
But wait, there’s more Scott McClellan!
Former White House spokesman Scott McClellan, whose tell-all book “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception” exploded onto the best-seller list, has been chatting up his book and slamming the Bushies for weeks now.
When he returned to his hometown last Saturday (June 21) for a book-signing and discussion at Austin’s BookPeople, local TV producer David Kobierowski was on hand to tape the Q&A session for his cable access program “TruthAustin.”
The McClellan episodes will air in three parts, beginning Monday at 9 p.m. on Time Warner’s Cable 10, and continue July 7 and 14 at the same time.
####Another Austinite rolls into reality TV
Bravo’s new series “Date My Ex: Jo & Slade” is an offbeat dating competition featuring former “Real Housewives of Orange County” ex-couple Jo De La Rosa and Slade Smiley. In the original reality series, Jo and Slade broke up, and now Jo has moved to Los Angeles to pursue new love and a singing career.
The “twist” is that Slade still has feelings for Jo and insists on going on dates with her and her new men. According to a Bravo publicist, one of her suitors is former Austinite and University of Texas Law School grad Martin Szumanski, who is now a flashy real estate agent with Sotheby’s International Realty in Southern California.
The episode (and show premiere) is July 21, and we’ll see thirty-something Martin wining, dining and dancing with Jo. Maybe he’ll sell her a mansion, too.