Two Tivos To Paradise 08.11.06
Posted by Al Norton on 08.11.2006
Writing the teasers is harder than writing the news report! If you like TV, click here. Really. Please.
TWO TIVOS TO PARADISE
Welcome back to the only weekly TV news column written by someone who used to write fan letters to his favorite Days Of Our Lives characters. Not the people who played them, the actual characters themselves. Let that sink in for a minute. Do they have a support group for that affliction? How scary would it be if I wasn't the only 411 writer in that group? Let's move on before the restraining orders roll in.
Another week, another concert; I took my Dad to see Willie Nelson and John Fogerty at The Tweeter Center last Friday night. Willie really is an American icon and anyone who considers themselves a music fan should see him perform live at least once. How many songwriters can claim one standard as their own, let alone have a stretch in a show where they run through three in a row like Funny How Time Slips Away, Crazy, and Nightlife? The incredibly high esteem he is held in by the music community was never more evident than when Steven Tyler came out to play for the encore. John Fogerty was also in excellent form, playing just about everything you'd want to hear from the CCR songbook as well as mixing in a host of new songs, including the poignant and timely Deja Vu All Over Again.
Enough of this other stuff, you came here for some TV news. Put up your dukes, let's get down to it.
Stranded At The Drive-In, Branded A Fool
NBC is pairing up with BBC World Wide for a midseason reality show where America will help choose the new Danny and Sandy for a Broadway revival of Grease. You're The One That We Want is based on How Do You Solve A Problem Named Maria?, a show currently airing in England that will select an actress to play Maria in a new West End production of The Sound Of Music. Interestingly enough, the reason the BBC show was created was because Scarlet Johansson backed out of playing Maria and the producers couldn't find a big name star to take her place.
There is no way this will be anything other than a huge hit as it's an almost foolproof equation: Major built-in audience (Grease is a beloved classic, both on stage and screen) + a proven formula for TV success (reality program where people sing and dance for a clearly defined prize) = RATINGS. I am sure they will do everything possible to get both John Travolta and Olivia Newton John to appear as guest judges, and the list of actors who have appeared in productions of Grease over the years reads like a Who's Who of Hollywood. If they sign Sha Na Na to be the house band I will put this show at the top of my season pass list.
Reach For A Star And I'll Show You A Plan Lost added to its already packed cast by signing Elizabeth Mitchell, Rodrigo Santoro, and Kiele Sanchez for the upcoming season. Mitchell is best known for introducing Dr Weaver to lesbianism on ER, Santoro was Laura Linney's love interest in Love, Actually, and Sanchez was a regular on Related.
I don't have much to say about this but I needed to write something Lost related this week so I could work in a bit o' trivia; Josh Holloway, who plays Sawyer on the show, was the first demon ever dusted on Angel.
People Love You When They Know You're Leaving Soon
HBO confirmed that Curb Your Enthusiasm will return for a sixth season in 2007. Up until this week it was possible that Larry's trip to heaven season finale was going to end up being the series finale as well, but a mutual decision was reached to come back for one more go round. Filming will begin in October.
Last year was the most critically maligned in the show's history, and I will guarantee that those same writers will be lining up to jump back on the bandwagon for the farewell tour. It's the Hollywood circle of life that at some point critics say you have lost "it", mainly so they can write a whole different series of stories down the line about how you got "it" back. I would put last season's episodes where Larry invites the registered sex offender to Passover and where he pretends to be Orthodox to try and bump Richard Lewis up the transplant list up there with anything from the first five years.
It's The New Zoo Revue, Coming Right At You
The kind folks at Netflix sent over a DVD with the pilots for Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip and Kidnapped. The first thing I watched was extended trailers for Heroes and Friday Night Lights, and there is no question you will be seeing both added to my TIVO list come September. Both shows may be trying a bit hard to be seen as "serious", but as you will read in a paragraph or two, I don't have an issue with shows aiming for something other than mediocrity.
Kidnapped has a fantastic cast, which makes Jeremy Sisto's stand out performance that much more impressive. His role as Knapp, a former FBI agent who now works as a sort of bounty hunter for missing children, is a brilliant career choice; going from Six Feet Under's Billy, who never left a square inch of his emotional terrain unplowed, to the focused and driven Knapp, shows his range as an actor. Timothy Hutton and Dana Delaney play a very wealthy New York couple who's oldest child is kidnapped on the way to school despite having a bodyguard (Mykelti Williamson) to protect against such things. Delroy Lindo somehow manages to take the stock part of "law enforcement agent on his last days before retirement" and give it life. He reminds me of Gene Hackman in the way he plays scenes where his character is buying time; his conversation may seem trivial but his eyes communicate that he is thinking two or three steps ahead. I enjoyed the show and will watch it in the fall but the big question with Kidnapped is how to make the story last for a full season without making it seem like the writers are simply trying to make the story last for a full season. Also, there can be an issue of interest when the audience cares more about the person solving the crime than the crime (and its victims) itself.
Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip may be the most hyped new show on any network this fall, and with its pedigree, why not? We are talking about one of the most talented writers in Hollywood, a top notch group of actors, and a premise that has years of built-in material. The hurdle NBC has to avoid is to not set the bar too high; if you tell everyone how incredible your show is, and it's very good but not great, your viewers will come away disappointed. I am happy to report that this will not be the case here as the pilot more than lives up to the buzz.
Following the day to day operations at a Saturday Night Live esque show, iStudio 60 opens with its producer (Judd Hirsch) interrupting a live broadcast to deliver a monologue on the terrible the state of network television. Amanda Peet, beginning her first day as head of programming for the network, is forced to jump into the fray head first, wooing back the show's former writing/directing stars played by Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford. Along the way we meet network President Steven Weber, show producer Timothy Busfield, and several of the comedy show's cast members, notably Nathan Corddry, D.L. Hughley, and Sarah Paulson.
To say that the pilot is reminiscent of the pilot for The West Wing is both obvious and accurate. Both shows spend the full 60 minutes introducing you to the major players and setting what the basic story for the series will be without seeming forced, like they have simply pulled the curtain back and are giving you a secret glimpse, whether it's of the inner workings of the White House or a big time TV network. Both do so with an air of self importance, like you should realize you are watching something special. Some people may be put off by that but I say more power to Sorkin. What's wrong with attempting to make something of serious quality and treating it as such? This would not work for According To Jim, but here it seems fitting. Highlights of the episode include the way Perry and Whitford's characters are introduced, leading us to assume who is the responsible one in the partnership and who is the goof off; by the end of the hour that assumption is turned on its head. It's also great to see the normally charming Weber pull no punches as he play the villain of the piece. This IS must-see TV.
It's "Joanie Loves Chachi" Meets "The Sorrow And The Pity"…It's "Joanie Loves The Pity"
This week's quick hits…Jason Alexander will do two episodes of Everybody Hates Chris this fall, playing the new principal at Don Corleone High School. He will also direct one episode…Daniel Baldwin has signed for at least one appearance on the final season of The Sopranos, playing an actor in Christopher's Godfather meets Saw horror movie. Is it possible Baldwin will be better playing an actor than he actually is being an actor?...Laura Innes, the aforementioned Dr Weaver on ER, will switch hospitals to direct an episode of House…Jack Black will host the MTV Music Awards, set to air August 31st….Josh Blue was voted Last Comic Standing during a season finale that drew enough viewers to guarantee the show will be back next summer.
All The Gold In California Is In A Bank In The Middle Of Beverly Hills In Somebody Else's Name
The Emmys, TV's biggest night of the year, is Sunday, August 27th. Each week I will run down several of the major categories, telling you who I would have nominated as well as who I think will walk away with the trophy. This week we are looking at the Best Supporting Actress nominees, both for comedy and drama.
Best Supporting Actress, Drama
The Actual Nominees
Candice Bergan, Boston Legal
Blythe Danner, Huff
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Jean Smart, 24
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy
My Choices
Candice Bergan, Boston Legal
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Chloe Sevigny, Big Love
Jeanne Tripplehorn, Big Love
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy
This is almost as easy for me as picking Jeremy Piven last week; Chandra Wilson's Dr Bailey is the best thing on Grey's Anatomy and the clear voice of reason (as well as of the audience) over at Seattle Grace. Sandra Oh's Grey role is more showy, and Candice Bergan is VERY solid on Boston Legal, but Wilson is the standout.
Best Supporting Actress, Comedy
The Actual Nominees
Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Megan Mullally, Will And Grace
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
Jaime Pressly, My Name Is Earl
Alfre Woodard, Desperate Housewives
My Choices
Jennifer Fisher, The Office
Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Ashley Jensen, Extras
Jaime Pressly, My Name Is Earl
Cobie Smulders, How I Met Your Mother
Maybe the academy will go sentimental and give Megan Mullally a parting gift for the last season of Will And Grace, or maybe the voters will realize that Curb is more than just Larry David and send Cheryl Hines home with the award, but I am going with Jaime Pressly, both as who I think will win as well as who deserves to win. Week in and week out Joy is the go to character for laugh out loud moments on Earl. More importantly, this win would guarantee that Pressly's future obituary won't lead with Poison Ivy 3.
TV Pick Of The Week
I have to apologize for my pick last week, not because The Minor Accomplishments Of Jackie Woodman wasn't funny, because it was, but more because of what I didn't pick. BBC American ran a marathon of their version of the first season of Hex (really the first season + 4 episodes of season two) which would have been must-see viewing for anybody still going through Buffy and/or Charmed withdrawal (no, I don't think the Charmed was in the same league as Buffy but both had devoted fan bases and both share similar plot lines with Hex). The other obvious choice I missed was the WB rerunning the school hostage episode of One Tree Hill, with an ending that ranked a one of the most stunning moments of last year's TV season. Yes, I know OTH isn't exactly Masterpiece Theater but Dan shooting Keith in cold blood was genuinely shocking.
This week's pick is another new IFC sitcom; The Business is a spin-off of The Festival (which cleverly skewered the world of independent film festivals), and picks up as Vic, a successful soft-core porn producer, takes a regular movie he bought the rights to and tries to break into the mainstream. It's funny as hell, and there's some nudity; who doesn't love that combination?
Two Tivos To Paradise, Weekly Update 30 Days, The 4400, The Apprentice, Battlestar Galactica, Best Week Ever, Big Love, Bones, Boston Legal, Criss Angel Mindfreak, Curb your Enthusiasm, The Dead Zone, Desperate Housewives, Entourage, Extras, Eureka, Everybody Hates Chris, Fast Inc, Ghost Hunters, Grey's Anatomy, Hex, The Hills, House, How I Met Your Mother, King Of Cars, Last Comic Standing, Law And Order, Law And Order: Criminal Intent, Law And Order: Special Victims Unit, Life On Mars, Lost, Medium, The Minor Accomplishments Of Jackie Woodman, My Name Is Earl, The New Adventures Of Old Christine, Nip/Tuck, The Office, One Tree Hill, Prison Break, Project Runway, Psych, Real Sports, Real Time With Bill Maher, Rescue Me, Rock Star: Supernova, Saturday Night Live, Scrubs, The Sopranos, Supernatural, Treasure Hunters, Veronica Mars, and Who Wants To Be A Superhero. Additions : The Minor Accomplishments Of Jackie Woodman Deletions :None
Here ends another edition of Two Tivos To Paradise. Next week I will be chock full of news as well as previewing the lead actor and actress categories for the upcoming Emmys. Keep that feedback coming, and I promise to spend all my waking hours slaving away in front of the tube for your benefit!
