Category Archives: Television

Odette Annable joins ‘House’ as series regular

July 30, 2011News, Televisioncast, casting, FOX, House, Odette Annable, series regular, TV cast, TV notesScott Meisner

Still can’t get over the fact that FOX decided to cancel the rising midseason comedy Breaking In? Though there’s still an eensy bit of hope that the network might resurrect the Christian Slater/Brett Harrison sitcom from the grave, we can all sleep well at night now that we know Breaking In breakout female star Odette Annable is returning to the small screen to assist Dr. House and his team of diagnosticians this fall. That’s right–Annable is bringing her charm to the FOX medical drama where she will serve as a series regular. As Deadline so astutely points out, this marks the first regular addition to the cast since the promotion of Olivia Wilde, Peter Jacobson, and Kal Penn in season four. According to various sources, House will meet Annable’s character in the season seven premiere and she’ll be requested to join him at Princeton-Plainsboro. With Lisa Edelstein’s Dr. Cuddy and Amber Tamblyn’s Martha Masters out of the show (and Olivia Wilde’s Thirteen in and out due to blossoming movie deals), Annable (as of right now) will be the only full-time female cast member next season. This may change soon once the team behind House casts Cuddy’s replacement. And for all you Breaking In fans hoping for a comeback, fear not; Deadline reports, “There is time carved into Annable’s deal for House that would allow her to also do Breaking In should Fox opt to pick up the series for a second season.” Booyah!

[Via Deadline]

Conan gets animated in faux trailer for ‘The Flaming C’

July 30, 2011Hilarity, Television, VideoConan, Conan O'Brien, Conan O'Brien superhero, DC Comics, The Flaming C, Warner Bros.Scott Meisner

From the creators of Batman: The Animated Series and the Masturbating Bear comes THE FLAMING C, Conan O’Brien’s superhero alter ego! At Comic Con, Conan crashed the Warner Bros. panel for Green Lantern: The Animated Series to reveal his new trailer for The Flaming C, a movie that is coming to a theatre near you “sometime…maybe.” If you’ve been living under a rock for the past year (or if you’re just not an avid Conan viewer), hop after the break to watch the origin story behind red-haired, oven mitted superhero. In December Conan visited the home of DC Comics and animator Bruce Timm brought to life Conan’s vision of his very own superhero. Like everything Conan does, it’s a riot! Continue reading Conan gets animated in faux trailer for ‘The Flaming C’ →

Fallon, Timberlake & The Roots perform “History of Rap Part 2”

July 28, 2011Music, Television, VideoHistory of Rap, Jimmy Fallon, Justin Timberlake, late night, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, LNWJF, medley, performance, rap medley, The RootsScott Meisner

Man am I glad that the rap medley performed by Jimmy Fallon, Justin Timberlake, and Late Night house band The Roots is certain to become a regular segment on Fallon’s variety show. Just when you thought the original “History of Rap” posted last October couldn’t be topped, version 2.0 rolls around and it is guaranteed to knock your socks off. Mash play and take a journey through hip-hop; the rapping duo tackle classics from N.W.A.’s “Express Yourself” and Cypress Hills’ “Insane in the Brain” to modern hits like 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” and DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win.” And that’s exactly what this is: pure win.

2011 MTV VMA nominees announced, Katy Perry leads the way with 9 nods

July 28, 2011Music, News, Television2011 MTV Video Music Awards, award show, awards show, MTV, MTV Video Music Awards, MTV VMA, MTV VMA nominees, nods, nominees, VMAsScott Meisner

With the MTV Video Music Awards airing exactly one month from today, now’s the best time to read up the 2011 nominees list. As revealed in the post title, Katy Perry leads the pack with nine nominations. Perry’s sensational single “E.T.” is up for Best SFX, Best Editing, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, and Best Collaboration (with Kanye West). “Teenage Dream” is up for Best Cinematography, “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)” might be the Best Female Video, and “Firework” is vying against Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” Beastie Boys’ “Make Some Noise,”Bruno Mars, “Grenade,” and Tyler, The Creator’s “Yonkers” for the coveted Video of the Year. Adele and Kanye West managed to score seven nominations each; “Rolling in the Deep” and “All of the Lights” are fan favorites. West’s “Power” scored two nominations for Best Art Direction and Best SFX. Check out the full breakdown of nominees organized by category after the break. MTV announced that Adele, Lil Wayne, and Chris Brown will perform at the ceremony this year; expect more artists to make the cut before the show airs live on Sunday, August 28 at 9PM.

[Via EW-MusicMix 1, 2] Continue reading 2011 MTV VMA nominees announced, Katy Perry leads the way with 9 nods →

TV Reminder: Entourage premieres tonight at 10:30PM on HBO

July 24, 2011Image cache, News, Television, Uncategorized, VideoDoug Ellin, Entourage, Entourage movie, HBO, poster, reminder, trailer, TV poster, TV reminder, TV trailerScott Meisner

The boys are back for one last hurrah. The eighth and final season of Entourage premieres tonight at 10:30PM on HBO. The shortened six episode season will air every Sunday at this timeslot; the series finale falls on August 28.

In an interview with Vulture, creator Doug Ellen says longtime viewers can expect a return to original form. “I wanted to get back to the early roots of the show, and get back to the guys sticking together, really looking out for each other” he says. “I wanted it to be a little lighter this season; obviously, the third episode is pretty dark, but I think we come out of that in a good way that’s realistic but also comedic.” As for the post-HBO run Entourage movie that’s in the works, Ellin says that the final season will not lead into the movie simply because the storyline for the feature film has not been decided yet. In his words: “I wish I was smart enough — everybody’s like, ‘Oh, you gotta leave it open, and do this and this.’ Every year I do the best I can and it ends somewhere and hopefully it satisfies. But it has nothing to do with any plan for the movie, because at this point there is no plan except [that] we’re gonna do one.” The plan is to ship the boys off to Europe in the movie, but beyond that Ellin’s taking his time in creating a satisfying conclusion for Vince and his friends.

Jump after the break to watch the season 8 poster animate and the latest trailer that teases what’s in store for the six-episode story arc ahead. Continue reading TV Reminder: Entourage premieres tonight at 10:30PM on HBO →

TV teaser: ‘The Walking Dead’ season 2

July 18, 2011Television, VideoAMC, Comic Con, Comic Con 2011, Comic Con poster, poster, teaser, The Walking Dead, TV poster, TV teaserScott Meisner

Here it is, our first glimpse into season 2 of AMC’s The Walking Dead. The scene follows Rick Grimes as he confronts not one but two zombies. His weapon of choice? A rock.

Watch it again, and then again, and anticipate the premiere coming this October.

Update: Hop after the break to see the new Walking Dead Comic Con poster; it features Rick and the gang of survivors atop the winnebago fending off a horde of zombies. Continue reading TV teaser: ‘The Walking Dead’ season 2 →

Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, Cory Monteith not returning to ‘Glee’ for season 4; Rachel & Kurt spinoff coming soon?

July 18, 2011News, Televisioncast, casting, Chris Colfer, Cory Monteith, FOX, Glee, Glee cast, Glee casting, Glee spinoff, Glee spinoff series, Lea Michele, Ryan Murphy, TV cast, TV notesScott Meisner

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy confirmed that show regulars Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, Cory Monteith will not be returning to the FOX musical comedy for season 4. Rachel Berry, Kurt Hummel, and Finn Hudson are seniors and will be graduating from McKinley High at the end of the upcoming season. Murphy explains, “You can keep them on the show for six years and people will criticize you for not being realistic, or you can be really true to life and say when they started the show they were very clearly sophomores and they should graduate at the end of their senior year.” He’s taking the latter route, and although I commend the creative team for keeping things realistic in terms of who stays and goes, it will be with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to these cast members so early in the show’s lifespan. And to make matters tougher for Gleeks, Murphy hints that “more characters are leaving than are staying” by the time graduation rolls around. He added, “We’ve never done anything by the book. We made that decision and I involved Chris [Colfer] and Lea [Michele] and they thought that was a good idea. They both trust the writing and trust me and felt that it would be great to have an open and closed experience for them to go out while they were on top.”

When TVLine mentioned the news to Colfer he said, “It’s definitely not my choice. But I completely understand that it works for the integrity of the show. One of the things that I love about Glee is, despite characters breaking into song in the middle of the hallway, it was very real to me. It always seemed like a very real high school environment. And I think by having some characters graduate, they’ll continue having that element.” Michele took to Twitter and reacted like this: “We always knew we’d graduate in real time. It’s all part of the plan and it’s all good! It’s going to make Season 3 amazing!!!”

Sidenote here: Ever since the season 2 finale where the gang travels to New York City to compete for Nationals, people have been hoping that Murphy imagines a spinoff series starring Rachel and Kurt. The creative team certainly planted the seeds for a possible spinoff. In “New York,” the two of them visit the Broadway set of Wicked and discuss their futures. Rachel says that after they graduate from high school she wants to go to college in New York; she says, “This is where I belong.” Kurt replies, “I’m so coming, too.” In June Murphy tackled the idea head-on with TVLine; “It’s an interesting idea,” he said. “The questions are ‘How would we do it? And when would we do it?’ It would have to be something I would talk about to Peter Rice and Kevin Reilly and Dana Walden and Gary Newman. What we’re trying to do now — maybe those discussions will happen around December — we’re just now trying to do the first 10 episodes.” Something to keep on your radar.

Forcing out fan favorites is an interesting choice to be made. Michele and Moneith are certainly considered the show’s female and male leads, and Colfer has been nominated for his efforts two years in a row. Once they’re gone, Murphy and company will have to find more members to join New Directions; casting is bound to start soon, and I’m sure the writing staff is already cooking up ways to introduce new characters throughout the upcoming season (one of which will come from Oxygen’s Glee Project).

Glee returns Tuesday, September 20 on FOX. The season three premiere will reveal all the departing graduates and confirm who’s safe for season four.

[Via THR]

Barenaked Ladies perform ‘Big Bang Theory’ theme song on set

July 18, 2011Music, News, Television, VideoBarenaked Ladies, CBS, music video, syndication, The Big Bang Theory, theme song, TV theme songScott Meisner

To celebrate the syndication launch of the CBS hit The Big Bang Theory, Canadian alt-rock band Barenaked Ladies crashed the set of the nerdtastic show to perform the insanely catchy theme song. The band plays the song smack dab in the middle of Leonard and Sheldon’s spacious apartment. The tune was conceived back in 2007 when BBT co-creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady asked Barenaked Ladies frontman Ed Robertson to pen a theme song for the series as a “sort of history of everything … in about 32 seconds.” The music video features never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage of the show’s table read, rehearsals and episode taping, and don’t miss co-creator Chuck Lorre handling a guitar. Don’t be shy, sing along! Our whole universe was in a hot dense state…

Oh, and if you’re interested, The Big Bang Theory debuts in syndication September 18, simultaneously on TBS, the Fox Television Stations and broadcast stations across the country, and will air five nights a week. Season five premieres Thursday, September 22 at 8PM on CBS.

2011 Emmy nominations: Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, Modern Family, Game of Thrones score big

July 17, 2011News, Television2011 Emmy nods, 2011 Emmy nominations, 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, award show, awards show, Emmy nods, Emmy nominations, Emmys, nods, nominations, nomineesScott Meisner

On Thursday Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly) and Joshua Jackson (Fringe) announced the nominees for the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. HBO’s miniseries Mildred Pierce was the most recognized program scoring 21 nominations total; Mad Men (19), Boardwalk Empire (18), Modern Family (17), and Game of Thrones (13) were not too far behind. Let us begin with the drama categories, as is tradition. Outstanding drama series include Mad Men, Dexter, The Good Wife, HBO newcomers Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones, and Friday Night Lights finally gets recognized in its fifth and final season. Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Michael C. Hall, (Dexter), Hugh Laurie (House), Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights), and Timothy Olyphant (Justified) all received Outstanding actor in a drama nominations. Game of Thrones‘ Peter Dinklage (Tyrion “The Imp” Lannister) stands tall above the competition for Outstanding supporting actor in a drama amongst Josh Charles (The Good Wife), Alan Cumming (The Good Wife), Walton Goggins (Justified), John Slattery (Mad Men), and Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age). The following are contending for Outstanding actress in a drama: Kathy Bates (Harry’s Law), Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights), Mireille Enos (The Killing), Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU), Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife), and Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men). Lastly, the Outstanding supporting actress in a drama bunch includes Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire), Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife), Christine Baranski (The Good Wife), Margo Martindale (Justified), Michelle Forbes (The Killing), and Christina Hendricks (Mad Men).

Next let us move onto the comedy categories. Modern Family, 30 Rock, The Office, and at long last Parks and Recreation and The Big Bang Theory all received nominations for Outstanding comedy. Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory), Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory), Matt LeBlanc (Episodes), Louis C.K. (Louie), and Steve Carell (The Office) were handed Outstanding actor in a comedy nominations. After departing The Office, it’s surely Michael Scott’s time to shine. The Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy category is dominated Modern Family actors: Eric Stonestreet, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ty Burrell, Ed O’Neill, Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men), and Chris Colfer (Glee). Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) and Martha Plimpton (Raising Hope) headline the Outstanding actress in a comedy category which also includes Tina Fey (30 Rock), Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie), Laura Linney (The Big C), and Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly). The Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy bunch includes Modern Family‘s Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara, Jane Lynch (Glee), Jane Krakowski (30 Rock), Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live), and the talented Betty White (Hot In Cleveland). Notable guest actors and actresses in comedies include Zach Galifianakis, Justin Timberlake, and Tina Fey for their SNL hosting duties, Glee‘s Kristin Chenoweth, Dot-Marie Jones, and Gwyneth Paltrow, and Raising Hope‘s Cloris Leachman.

And now it’s time to talk snubs. Community and Fringe were not recognized in the slightest. The comedy will eventually receive a nod, as Parks and Rec had to wait a few years too; as for the sci-fi drama, John Noble will always be recognized in my heart as a phenomenal actor and season 2’s “Peter” a brilliantly written episode. Speaking of Parks and Rec, where’s the recognition for Nick Offerman? The man who plays Ron freakin’ Swanson deserves Emmy love; he’s bound to receive it soon. And why The Walking Dead didn’t receive a top nod for Outstanding drama is beyond me; the zombie show managed to pick up nods for special visual effects and sound editing for the spectacularly creepy pilot “Days Gone By.”

The 63nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Jane Lynch, airs live Sunday, September 18 on FOX at 8PM. Look after the break to see the nominees in list form. Continue reading 2011 Emmy nominations: Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, Modern Family, Game of Thrones score big →

Warner Bros. preps ‘Fringe’ swag for Comic Con

July 13, 2011Image cache, Televisionbag, Comic Con, Comic Con 2011, Comic Con swag, FOX, Fringe, swag, swag bag, Warner Bros.Scott Meisner

Considering myself a rabid follower of the FOX sci-fi show Fringe, it didn’t take much deliberation for me to clobber together this brief post. Next week Comic Con comes to San Diego, and within the convention walls Warner Bros. will be handing out these Fringe themed bags-that-convert-into-backpacks. What’s more, TVLine reports, is that an extremely limited number of alternate universe themed swag bags will also be in circulation. I’ve got to get my hands on one of those…

TV trailer: ‘The X Factor’

July 13, 2011Image cache, Television, Videocast photo, FOX, judge photo, The X Factor, trailer, TV trailerScott Meisner

Here’s the first look at US version of The X Factor. Former American Idol judge Simon Cowell transports the talent competition from the UK to the States, and you can bet he’s bring his extremely critical attitude with him. Though it wouldn’t seem that way at first in the trailer embedded above. A photo including fellow judges Paula Abdul, Nicole Scherzinger (of the Pussycat Dolls), and L.A. Reid (former Def Jam CEO) is pasted after the break.

Continue reading TV trailer: ‘The X Factor’ →