Category Archives: Television

Television Critics Association awards: Glee, Lost, Modern Family among winners

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Last weekend the Television Critics Association awards were handed out to much deserved recepients.  The TCA “represents more than 200 journalists writing about television for print and online outlets in the United States and Canada.”  Members annually vote for the favorite TV shows, actors, and actresses.  This year the 26th annual TCA awards took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and was hosted by Dax Shephard (Parenthood).  Glee stole the show with three major wins in the following categories: Program of the Year, Outstanding New Program, and Individual Achievement In Comedy (this one went specifically to Jane Lynch).  In a rare instance, there was a tie for Outstanding Achievement In Drama; it went to Lost and Breaking Bad.  Other notable winners include Modern Family (Outstanding Achievement In Comedy), Julianna Margulies (Individual Achievement In Drama), and The Pacific (Outstanding Achievement In Movies, Miniseries & Specials).  Look after the break for the full list of winners.

[Via EW; TCA] Continue reading Television Critics Association awards: Glee, Lost, Modern Family among winners →

FOX’s ‘Terra Nova’ pushed to fall 2011

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Wahhhh!  That’s the sound I made when I read this breaking news.  The time-travelling, prehistoric journey to save mankind is being pushed back an entire year.   Terra Nova, from the minds of Steven Speilberg, Brannon Braga (24, FlashForward) and David Fury (Lost), simply isn’t ready for its big debut so FOX made a swift decision to remove it from its fall 2010 premiere slot.  Essentially the highly anticipated show is going to pull a Glee.  Remember how FOX delicately handled the rollout of arguably network TV’s most successful new hit?  Instead of premiering Glee in fall 2008, FOX aired a “preview” episode (the pilot) in May after American Idol.  This allowed the show to generate tons of buzz during the summer and resulted in a huge audience wanting to see more by the time fall 2009 rolled around.  FOX thinks they can do it again with Terra Nova; they plan to preview the pilot this May, generate buzz with an intense marketing campaign over the summer, and officially premiere the show in fall 2011.  Read what FOX President of Entertainment Kevin Reilly has to say about the situation:

“Terra Nova will be one of the most visually stimulating and dramatically grand series to air on network television.  It deserves to have an equally unique launch to distinguish that the show is unlike any other, and the spring promotional platform will give us the perfect opportunity to introduce this bold show to audiences.  ..  We went into it knowing it was going to be ambitious.  It really became apparent that we had to do this show right.  We’ll have an enormous jump on the pilot, and on the marketing side, we’ll let people understand the show.”

It will take time than anticipated for the showrunners, writers, and special FX leads to come up with “ground breaking effects” and an “entire world and mythology.”  And you know what?  I’m not so disappointed about all this.  If the creative teams needs an additional few months to make this show the best it can be, I am certainly willing to wait the extra while until things are properly locked and loaded.  This show promises to be explosive both in storytelling and visuals–I’m already hooked!  I have no doubt that the May preview pilot will wow audiences and everyone will be counting the days until its proper fall 2011 launch.

[Via IGN; EW-HollywoodInsider]

What is ‘The Event’?

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I have no idea!  Sorry for the misleading post title there, but I couldn’t help myself.  No one knows what the actual “event” from NBC’s new fall program The Event is, but I’m sitting here at the edge of my seat waiting to find out.  Briefly introduce yourself to the upcoming conspiracy thriller with a quick synopsis and cloaked-in-mystery trailer.  Then check out the brand-spankin’ new character stills in the gallery below.  You will be aquainted with them on Monday, September 20 at 9PM on NBC.

Cast members include Jason Ritter, Sarah Roemer, Blair Underwood, Laura Innes, Željko Ivanek, Ian Anthony Dale, Scott Patterson, Clifton Collins Jr., Bill Smitrovich, Lisa Vidal, Taylor Cole, and Wes Ramsey.

[Via IGN]

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The Simpsons season 22 guest voices: House, Gleeks, Potter, Rudd, Hamm, FOTC & more

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Can you believe that Matt Groening’s 1987 creation is coming into its twenty-second season this fall?  What’s even more crazy is the awesome list of guest voices The Simpsons team plans to use this season.  In the season premiere “Elementary School Musical” Lisa goes to a performance arts camp.  There she will be greeted by artsy counselors Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords fame and a bunch of excited campers voiced by Glee‘s Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, and Amber Riley.  House‘s Hugh Laurie and Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter) will lend their voices to October’s “Treehouse of Horror” episode.  Later in the season Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, baseball’s Mike Scioscia, and sports writer Bill James will appear in an episode titled “MoneyBart.”  This year’s holiday special “The Fight Before Christmas” will get a kick with Martha Stewart.  Other guest voices that will pop up throughout the season: Halle Berry, Ricky Gervais, Paul Rudd, Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live), Rachel Weisz (The Mummy), Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother), Cheech & Chong, Danica Patrick, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; also Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds) will reprise his role as Fat Tony.  Excited?  The Simpsons 22 premieres Sunday, September 26 on FOX.

[Via IGN]

Rob Lowe becomes a series regular on Parks and Rec!

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Chris Traeger, the world’s most fit, energetic, and positive-thinking auditor, will be sticking around Pawnee, Indiana for the foreseeable future.  NBC has named Rob Lowe a series regular on their rising Thursday night comedy Parks and Recreation.  With Party Down (unfortunately) out of the picture, let’s hope Adam Scott can prove he’s a valuable assest to the show, too.  This ensemble cast just keeps getting better and better.  It’s a damn shame we have to wait until mid-season for new episodes!

[Via EW-HollywoodInsider]

Lost memorabilia up for auction; ultimate Losties inquire within

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Make your own kind of music, sing your own special song; make your own kind of music, even if nobody else sings along.

Who could forget the season two opener “Man of Science, Man of Faith”…when we first discovered a mysterious man living underground inside a hatch?  This man, who we would later come to know and love as Desmond David Hume, was minding his own business and listening to a catchy tune called “Make Your Own Kind of Music” by “Mama” Cass Elliot when another man named John Locke interupted his life of ever-lasting solitude with a loud blast of dynamite atop the Dharma-constructed hatch door.  The song abruptly stoppped when the needle fell off the record and the rest, as they say, is history.

And now you have a chance to be part of that history by owning the very record player that was used in the show!  On August 21-22, LOST: The Official Show Auction will take place at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.  Literally hundreds of Lost props and costumes will be available for fans to bid on.  Everything from Dharma beer cans to Charlie’s DriveShaft ring to Desmond’s photo of himself with Penny to Mr. Eko’s Jesus stick to the blue Dharma van to Jughead to Faraday’s time travel journal (“Desmond Hume will be my constant!”) to Locke’s wheelchair to Carl’s brainwashing googles to Naomi’s Iridium 9500 satellite phone…ugh I’m out of breath…will be up for grabs at the live auction next month.  But don’t expect to get away with any of these items easily.  The Apple-II Plus computer with an Apple III monitor (aka the Swan Station computer Desmond then Locke then Eko used to type in the Numbers every 108 minutes) starts at $1000.  But then again the Swan Station film projector and screen (the medium that first introduced Locke, Jack, and us to Mr. Pierre Change) is given a range of $400-$600, so item pricing will vary.

Interested in bidding?  You have a few options.  You can attend the live action in Santa Monica or you can bid over the phone, with absentee forms, or over the Internet at Live Auctioneers.  Interested in eyeing the goods?  Look in the gallery below for just a handful.  You’re going to want to hit up Profiles in History to view the full catalog (organized by season).  Each item is tagged with a description that’ll job your memory concerning its use in the show.  Minutes will quickly turn into hours when you browse this ultimate collection of Lost shwag.  Have fun, and happy bidding!

[Via Engadget]

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Dr. House wants to sing the blues

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House fans, listen here!  Hugh Laurie, aka Dr. Gregory House, wants to record a blues album and he’s going for it!  It was announced Monday that Laurie signed with Warner Music Entertainment to make a New Orleans-inspired blues album.  “I am drunk with excitement at this opportunity,” Laurie said in a press release. “I know the history of actors making music is a checkered one, but I promise no one will get hurt.”  Joe Henry has signed on to produce.

He’s finally got the chance to share his piano and guitar skills he often flaunts on the show with the rest of the world.  And if you were wondering, Laurie is apparently a self-taught pianist due to “creative differences” with his childhood piano teacher.  Oh, House.

[Via EW-MusicMix; USAToday]

Ellen DeGeneres leaves her post as American Idol judge [Update: JLo takes her place]

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Ellen DeGeneres has decided to call it quits after only one year as the judge who just couldn’t fit in on American Idol.  Today FOX released two statements, one from DeGeneres and the other from the network itself.

DeGeneres: “A couple months ago, I let Fox and the American Idol producers know that this didn’t feel like the right fit for me. I told them I wouldn’t leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next.  It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for.   I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings. I loved the experience working on IDOL and I am very grateful for the year I had.  I am a huge fan of the show and will continue to be.”

Peter Rice, FOX Chairman of Entertainment: “We love Ellen and understand and support her decision to bow out of Idol. We were fortunate to receive the humor, energy and love for talent that she brought to the show.”

According to the latest reports, American Idol creator Simon Fuller will be back for season 10, and he hopes to bring new judges to the panel.  Judge Simon Cowell left the show to produce the American version of The X Factor, and this leaves a huge gap to fill.  Justin Timberlake and Elton John are currently in talks with the network concerning this matter.  The state of Kara Dioguardi and our main dawg Randy Jackson remains up in the air until a final decision is made.  The Television Critics Tour begins this Monday; it would be wise for FOX to steal the show by announcing an exciting new panel of judges there.

Update:  According to a report from Deadline, Jennifer Lopez will take DeGeneres’ place as a new American Idol judge for season 10.  FOX and JLo’s reps have yet to comment on the breaking news.  Deadline also spills that “unconfirmed reports” target Steven Tyler as a possible Cowell replacement (that’s in addition to Justin Timberlake and Elton John).

[Via EW-HollywoodInsider]

ABC president Steve McPherson steps down [Update: Paul Lee steps in]

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After six years as ABC Entertainment Group President, Steve McPherson has resigned from the company.  When McPherson first took the reins of the ABC primetime lineup the network was stuck in fourth place behind direct competitors CBS, FOX, and NBC.  Throughout his career as president he oversaw many of ABC’s well known hits and misses.  He had a hand in launching the uber-successful primetime dramas like Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, and Desperate Housewives; the new Wednesday night comedy lineup including Modern Family, Cougartown, and The Middle; and one of most watched reality programs Dancing With the Stars.  During his early days, though, he was there when the network overplayed “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” until its eventual cancellation.  He has also been faulted with not pushing hard enough for procedural dramas (like CBS’ The Mentalist) as opposed to the heavily serialized shows like Lost.  As great as a show Lost was (and always will be), shows like it are hard to repeat and syndicate once they are completed.  His final year with ABC (2009-2010) landed the network in third place, just 150,000 viewers ahead of NBC.

The sudden resignation comes on the heels of the Summer TV Press Tour 2010, a time when the big networks show off and promote their fall TV lineups.  Yesterday “an informed source” leaked information saying that McPherson was tied up in a formal investigation conducted by ABC related to sexual harrassment crimes.  ABC has not responded to comment, nor have they denied the rumors.  McPherson’s lawyer states that his client “made a voluntary decision to resign, and ABC accepted his resignation.  It is not uncommon for high-level executives to be the subject of gossip and innuendo.”  Whatever the case may be, McPherson is out and a replacement has not been decided upon yet.  ABC Family president Paul Lee, riding high on his recent teen-hit Pretty Little Liars, is expected to occupy the now-vacant position.  McPherson’s parting words:

“I want to thank the wonderful team of individuals who have worked with me throughout my time here and wish them nothing but the best.”

Update: It’s official.  Paul Lee is the new ABC Entertainment Group President and will oversee the network’s primetime lineup and its sister company, ABC Studios.  If he can do to ABC what he did with ABC Family (Kyle XY, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Pretty Little Liars, Greek) this network might have a fighting chance against behemoths FOX and CBS.

[Via EW-HollywoodInsider; here & here; THR]

Visionaries J.J. Abrams & Joss Whedon spill their guts at Comic Con

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At this year’s Comic Con in San Diego, a panal called “Visionaires” brought my two favorite people together: J.J. Abrams (MI: III, Cloverfield, Star Trek, Lost, Fringe) & Joss Whedon (Serenity, Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse).  The panel, conducted by Entertainment Weekly’s Jeff Jenson, is literally packed with all sorts of intriguing information.  Jenson starts things off with the question, “When did you guys decide you wanted to be storytellers?”  Whedon and Abrams are also asked about their takes on comic books, 3D movies, the current and future states of television (including what it wants and supports, the waning of serialized story format), and the outlook for new media (shooting for the web, web content).  They also delve into their respective past and upcoming projects.  Whedon makes it official that he is directing Marvel’s The Avengers and briefly elaborates on the direction he plans to take the movie; he also talks about his now-on-hold horror flick Cabin in the Woods and what’s up with the impending Dr. Horrible sequel.  Abrams shares an anecdote surrounding his super-secret Super 8 movie (which is set to start production this September) and the collaboration with producer Steven Speilberg.  During the 3D movie discussion, Abrams confirmed that Super 8 will not be shot for 3D; he pans 3D and that it adds an unnecessary barrier between the viewer and film.  Although Joss is “totally into” watching 3D flicks, he hopes that his upcoming Cabin in the Woods doesn’t get the streoscopic treatment.  While going back and forth about the state of the serialized story format for TV, Abrams spilled that his upcoming NBC show Undercovers will be self-contained episodes (meaning you can miss a few episodes and still know what’s going on), but there will be an overall mythology to keep week-to-week viewers satisfied.  Speaking about mythology, Abrams also shares his thoughts on the final episode of Lost (spoiler: he loved it).  Whedon continues the conversation by bringing up the demise of FOX’s Dollhouse.  All in all, it’s a great watch and interesting look into two very successful film and TV artists that shouldn’t be missed.  Head over to EW to access the 5-part stream.  Or click here to watch an abridged interview.

Trailer: Syfy’s Red (starring Felicia Day)

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Waay back in March news broke that The Guild/Dr. Horrible‘s Felicia Day would star in a Syfy original movie called Red, a dark re-imagining of the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood.  This past weekend at Comic Con the trailer for it was finally debuted.  To call this a “dark” version of the tale is an understatement.  There’s guns and blood and creepy CGI wolves.  Ah, I won’t spoil it all for you; check it out in the video above.  Red is expected to air next July.

[Via Syfy]

Showrunners Robert Kirkman & Frank Darabont talk up AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ (first BTS video!)

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Having followed the initial murmurs of the new AMC zombie program based on Robert Kirkman’s comic book of the same name, it’s very exciting to see the first behind-the-scenes video footage of  The Walking Dead coming together.  The show follows a group of survivors who are forced to deal with the aftermath of a devastating zombie apocalypse.  Kirkman serves as executive producer.  In the video above he gushes about how swimmingly the show is assembling as the season premiere looms in the near distance (this October).  Writer/director/exec producer Frank Darabont is also having a blast making this show.  “We’re going to following the Robert Kirkman narrative pretty closely,” Darabont reveals.  “We’re giving ourselves permission to veer off the path and find the interesting detours.”  So far, Kirkman has had no problem with Darabont’s methods.  We’ve seen production stills from the set, but there’s nothing like seeing these zombies in action.  And man do they look scary as hell.  But we should expect nothing less from makeup/special FX lead Greg Nicotero.  This show hasn’t even started yet and I’m hooked.  And that’s why I got so excited when I heard Darabont utter these words: “I’d like to do twenty years of zombie TV.”

[Via EW-Popwatch]