An aide for Quayle said the birdman can't dance. He couldn't run a country either but he tried to do that, so why not have him do a break dance for us on national television?
The old Quinn Martin crime drama that starred Karl Malden and a young Michael Douglas as two detectives in San Francisco was a hit show in the 1970s.
The new version will bring the same backdrop, the same two characters, but a new attitude to the show.
It comes on the heels of the newest and most banal trend - remaking old TV shows.
"Battlestar Galactica" became a hit. The remake of "The Bionic Woman" did not. Now, NBC is trying to revive "Knight Rider" this fall.
The other thing that isn't new is the lack of originality in TV executives' heads.
Quayle to Do the Bird "Dance"?
He can't spell "potato," but the real question is can former vice president, Dan Quayle, dance?
The rumor is that the veep to George H.W. Bush's peep is on a short list to become a contestant on ABC's reality competition show, "Dancing With the Stars" - that is if he knows how to dance and chew gum at the same time.
Sources inside also say that Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell and the ghost of Richard Nixon are vying for open spots on this year's cast.
The Republican Party hopes if they get enough of them, they can have a quorum and take over the country again before Barack does.
"Big Brother" Shake Up
No, half the cast of CBS' reality show, "Big Brother" did not just get booted out of the house.
Instead, the housemates got a bit of a shake up in the form of Tuesday morning's earthquake, which hit near Los Angeles.
The 5.8 quake didn't do much damage, but it certainly spooked Angelinos. Take a look at this video of the "Big Brother" cast breaking away from each other's liplocks long enough to feel the tremors. This video is courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter.
The "Idol" Madness Ends
Well, it's the day after the "American Idol" auditions in Salt Lake City, and the state's capitol has seemingly returned to normal in its wake.
Go here to check out our story in today's (Wednesday's) paper about the chaos.
You also can go hereto our "American Idol" page for all our local coverage on the show, which hit the Beehive State this year with a vengeance.
And go here to check out photographer Al Hartmann's slideshow on Tuesday's happenings.
TGIO - Thank God (or whatever higher power you ascribe to) It's Over!!!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
What She Said
Not very many auditioners were making it through the first cut by late Tuesday morning, according to one hopeful waiting inside the EnergySolutions Arena.
But there was one who did get the thumbs up to move on to stage 2 - a ventriloquist and her dummy, according to the insider.
"She [the ventriloquist] sang, and then her doll sang," said the contestant who saw - and heard - the woman's audition.
"The funny thing," she added, "she's quite good actually."
AHHHHH!! It's Justin!!! (Uh, Justin Who?)
People are telling us it's like "a circus" inside the EnergySolutions Arena during "American Idol" auditions Tuesday.
People inside and outside the arena were seeing some familiar "Idol" faces too.
A source inside (news media was not allowed inside during the auditions - who does Fox think they are!) said Ryan Seacrest was talking it up with auditioners.
Jon Peter Lewis, a finalist from Season 3, was walking along the line in the morning, interviewing contestants for AmericanIdol.com. You can read about him in my story from this morning.
Justin Guiariani, the finalist in Season 1 who lost to Kelly Clarkson, walked around inside the arena and caused a group of girls to scream.
It must have been because his wool-like hair had taken part of their skin when he brushed by them.
By the way, I myself have never seen a bigger collection of teen and twentysomething girls in miniskirts and high heels in one spot - which I guess could be seen as a good thing.
Anyway, if you scroll down below, you'll see some profiles of different people in line this morning who were taking their shots at super stardom.
Idol Hopeful #9
Name: Kateri Combs Age: 17 Hometown: Salt Lake City (by way of Romania)
Kateri had a sign that read: "The 1st Gypsy American Idol."
As in she wants to be one the first Idol from Romania who comes from a family of gypsies. Or so she says.
Every year, according to her adopted mother, the two go back to Romania and live with her gypsy family. She should check first to see if they have a "Romanian Idol."
Why are you the next "American Idol"? "She's sung in the Living Traditions Festival," said her mom, Chris Glenn. "She definitely gets her talent from the gypsies side."
What are you singing today? Possibly "Moondance" by Van Morrison.
Idol Hopeful #8
Name: David Gold Age: 20 Hometown: Layton
David has been trained, he said, since he was four years old. He's been singing in choir, they he moved to Broadway music and pop music by the time he was 15.
He also has a mohawk, which may or may not give him added points on "Idol." After all, Sanjaya completely turned the hairstyling industry on its ear - or follicles, if you will - with his "fauxhawk" two seasons ago. And look where he's at now.
Why are you the next "American Idol"? "I have an ideal male pop voice," he said. "I can operate my voice to do melismas, runs and licks." (he's so trained, in fact, I had no idea what "melismas" were).
What are you singing today? "IndiaSong" from india.arie
Watch It! He's Got a Pair of Spurs!!
We interrupt these important "American Idol" profiles to bring you breaking news from the show's auditions at the EnergySolutions Arena.
According to scuttlebutt on the police scanner Tuesday morning, a man decked in cowboy clothes was entering the arena, presumably to audition for the show. But security asked if they should let him in - because he was wearing spurs.
And we know that a cowboy guy with spurs can attack without provocation, particularly when he's in the middle of a western song. That's what almost did Paula Abdul in in 2003.
It was unknown if they risked letting cowboy guy in. They never did say if he was carrying a revolver.
Idol Hopeful #7
Name: Jabari Black Age: 27 Hometown: Salt Lake City
Jabari was singing with Erica (see below) when I approached them. He's a curriculum developer for Skywest Airlines by day, soulful singing "American Idol" hopeful by night.
Frankly, he and Erica would make a great duet. Or at least he can make sure the airline runs smoothly.
Why are you the next "American Idol"? "I have a different energy I can bring to the show. I have a very outgoing personality. I can transcend different genres of music."
What are you singing today? "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye.
Idol Hopeful #6
Name: Erica Richardson Age: 25 Hometown: Salt Lake City
Erica is what you might call a very confident singer. You'll see what I mean when you read her answer below.
I must say, though, she sounds talented. When I approached her, she was singing with a friend in the line, and she was kinda good. She's a theater major at the University of Utah.
But you could never accuse her of being . . . humble. The fact that she believes she can take on a Whitney Houston song and get away with it proves her mettle. I just hope she has the pipes to back it up - or else.
Why are you the next "American Idol"? "I'm not only a good singer, but I have a lot of other qualities, and I can do whatever they throw at me."
What are you singing today? "The Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston
Idol Hopeful #5
Name: Laura Deneen Age: 18 Hometown: South Carolina
OK, here's one I'm rooting for. Not necessarily because of Laura, but because of her dad, Henry Deneen of Colorado Springs.
Laura flew in from South Carolina where she attends Clemson University. Her dad drove nine hours from Colorado to be with her. Any dad who makes that kind of effort to support her daughter on her audition gets my vote.
And Laura also played Gabriella in a community playhouse version of "High School Musical." I told her to head EAST a couple of miles and she'll see East High School where they filmed the movies.
C'mon A.I. people, isn't that enough to let her through to the next round???
Why are you the next "American Idol"? "Singing has always been my passion, and I feel like I've been given a gift, and I want to share it with the world." (OK, that was cliche #2. See below for cliche #1)
What are you singing today? "How Do I Live" by LeAnn Rimes
Idol Hopeful #4
Name: Swen Swenson (no kidding, that's his name) Age: 28 Hometown: Salt Lake City
Swen is a third-year law student at the University of Utah who plans on being the first defense attorney to have a top-40 single on Billboard's charts while also clerking for a 3rd District Court judge.
Actually, he's clerking now at a law office for an internship. Only he said they don't know he's missing work today in order to audition for "American Idol."
If his bosses were to find out, he most likely would be fired because, A. He didn't tell them he was auditioning for "American Idol," and B. Because he auditioned for "American Idol."
Why are you the next "American Idol"? "I think I'm unique, and I'll bring some flavor to the competition." (Like the flavor of leather-bound legal volumes)
What are you singing today? "Embrace Me" by Greg Laswell (a little-known singer from California, he said)
Idol Hopeful #3
Name: Diana Castaneda Age: 21 Hometown: San Jose
How's this for crazy - Diana flew in from San Francisco on the red-eye this morning. She arrived about 2 a.m. and went straight into line.
And this is her second audition city.
"I originally auditioned in San Francisco, and it didn't go well so I thought I'd come here and give it a second shot," she said.
OK, so here's a brand new style of insanity. I'm wishing her the best of luck though because anyone willing to travel a thousand miles just to audition with several thousand other hopefuls needs it.
Why are you the next "American Idol"? "I've had a passion for singing, and I want to inspire a lot of people." (um, isn't that what they all say?)
What are you singing today? "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" by Dusty Springfield. (I hope she braces for impact if the judges don't say they love her - for the second time!)
Idol Hopeful #2
Name: Lacie Stevenson Age: 20 Hometown: Kaysville
Lacie said she too was in line since midnight which makes her just as insane as Elizabeth (see below) and the others they were with.
She was planning on singing a SheDaisy song for the judges. I should have told her that the country act's former voice coach, who also is the coach for David Archuleta, lives here.
Why are you the next "American Idol"? "Because I rule! I'm an amazing singer!" (Well, they'll be the judge of THAT!)
What are you singing today? "Still Holding Out For You" by SheDaisy
Idol Hopeful #1
Name: Elizabeth Walker Age: 18 Hometown: Hill Air Force Base
Elizabeth came to the arena with her friends just after midnight and were the first in line for about three hours. So the first question I should have asked her was: Are you crazy?
Needless to say, I asked her something else. Being young, she didn't have much of an answer.
Why are you the next "American Idol"? "Hopefully, because I have a good voice."
What are you singing today? "God Fearing Women" by Tina McBride
"American Idol" is HERE!!!!
Some 4,000 to 6,000 people snaked around the EnergySolutions Arena Tuesday morning to audition for the next season of "American Idol."
There was chaos, confusion. . .dogs and cats living together! It was mass HYSTERIA!!
Today's the only day to audition in Salt Lake City for television's No. 1 show, and David Archuleta wannabes were out in full force today as they prepared to sing their hearts out for judges.
No, not Paula, Randy and Simon. They're here to sing for two assistants for the show and for 19 Entertainment, which produces the show. They have about a minute to impress the two then it's make or break time.
I'll be updating the blog today with profiles of brave audition hopefuls to give you a glimpse of the crazy, the talented and the not-so-talented. It'll give you an idea of who's willing to go before millions of TV viewers to be the next "American Idol." God help us all.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Time for a Do-Over
Joss Whedon of "Buffy" fame is taking a do-over on his anticipated Fox series, "Dollhouse."
He revealed Tuesday that he's going to reshoot the pilot and make the existing pilot he shot the second episode.
"The fact is, I'm very proud of the ep we shot and the series is making me crazy with the excitement. But I tend to come at things sideways, and there were a few clarity issues for some viewers. There were also some slight issues with tone – I was in a dark, noir kind of place (where, as many of you know, I make my home), and didn't bring the visceral pop the network had expected from the script. The network was cool about it, but not sure how to come out of the gate with the ep."
He has plenty of time. The show is slated for mid-season.
The show stars Eliza Dushku about a group of operatives who can have their memories wiped clean to have new ones implanted for the mission.
Sci Fi Turns Up the Programming
The Sci Fi channel had a big hit with "Battlestar Galactica."
Now, it's parlaying that success into more programming for the network - a lot more.
Today, I ran a leftover story from the Television Critics Association press tour about all the new shows coming out of the network over the next year.
Rhiannon Hansen, the "quirky, funky and confident" Utah contestant on MTV's "Legally Blonde The Musical: The Search For Elle Woods," was booted from the finale Monday night at the start of the episode.
Crying as she walked out the door, the 20-year-old Logan girl was cut because she apparently didn't quite have the pipes to sing in the Broadway show, according to one of the judges. (By the way, her vocal coach here in Utah is none other than Dean Kaelin, the same vocal coach for Carmen Rasmussen and that kid named David Archuleta).
Spoiler Alert!!!
(Turns out it was Bailey who won)
Frankly, I haven't seen one episode of the MTV show, but it's worth mentioning because Rhiannon is the latest in a flurry of Utahn's to make sudden exits from reality shows in the last couple of weeks.
We've so far lost three of the four contestants on "So You Think You Can Dance" in the last few weeks - Thayne Jasperson was the last to go - and Kelsey Nixon was booted from the "Next Food Network Star" a couple of weeks ago.
Though Marcus (he doesn't want his last name out there) from West Jordan survived another week on NBC's "Last Comic Standing." He and Chelsie Hightower on "So You Think" are the remaining Utahns.
Oh wait, Keith Bryce from Salt Lake City is still on Bravo's "Project Runway."
It's hard to keep track.
Anyway, good luck to the rest. You're going to need it at this rate. . .
Monday, July 21, 2008
It's All Over Now!!!
BEVERLY HILLS - Well, that spells the end of the week and a half in La La Land.
Waahhooooooo!!!!!
Excuse me.
I've had my fill of celebs (though I do quite like how Selma Blair looked today with her cropped hair), and especially my fill of Hollywood publicists.
I'm tired, a bit grumpy and had to go back now to 95-degree heat. But at least I don't have to deal with the humid air (though I must say my skin and hair are very soft!).
I'll be updating a few tidbits here and there on my blog of leftover news from the Television Critics Association press tour. And you can check the Salt Lake Tribune's television page for some of the columns I wrote for the paper while I was away.
In the meantime, keep reading the blog as I'll keep posting - the new fall season starts in a month.
I think I'm going to fall on the bed and not even wait to kiss my wife and kids. I'll be snoring before anyone realizes it.
"Kath & Kim" Crack Me Up
BEVERLY HILLS - One of the shows that I'm most excited about is NBC's "Kath & Kim," based on the Australian series about a free-wheeling mom (played by Molly Shannon) who finds out her adult daughter (played by Selma Blair) is getting a divorce and wants to move back in.
Here's a clip of it:
I'm even more enthused about the show after attending their session. That's because I found Blair to be very funny with a dry sense of humor. After seeing her in roles before, I thought it was something she never really possessed. But the combination of her and Shannon should be golden (even though they're only about six years apart).
Also, the show co-stars a young actor named Mikey Day who Internet browsers may recognize as starring in the hilarious "David Blaine Street Magic" viral videos. He said they want to make a fourth video in the series.
Here's the first David Blaine video. Check it out.
I just wanted to take a minute to express my love of the show when I was kid who first watched it back in 1975 when it premiered on television with Ebert and then Chicago Tribune critic Gene Siskel.
I was just an 11-year-old lad at the time when I first started watching it religiously when it was a twice-a-month show.
I remember them reviewing such films as "All the President's Men," "Superman," "Star Trek - The Motion Picture," and others from that period.
I mostly credit them for my then growing love of movies because they not only talked about them with an astute critical eye, but they also made talking about them an entertaining pastime.
Two of my biggest highlights in my career was when I met Gene at a journalism conference in Atlanta and he told me that reviewing was the best job in a newspaper, and when I met Roger at the Telluride Film Festival.
At the time, I asked some friends of his who were sitting with him if they thought he would mind if I asked for his autograph. They said that would be OK but wondered why I would want his autograph when I could have asked for someone else's at the festival like French filmmaker Louis Malle's.
To me, the reason was easy: These two guys helped shape my love of movies and television in a way no one else did, including all of my film professors.
To me, the show effectively died in 1999 when Siskel passed away from a brain tumor. Roeper's been fine in his role, but he didn't have the common-man perspective like Siskel had.
Hopefully, Ebert can fully recover from his own cancer scare and resume in the duties he does best, conveying why movies can be the best entertainment in the world.
The great thing is you can go to Ebert & Roeper's Web site and see old videos of Ebert and Siskel's reviews. That can give you an idea of why they were the best in the business.
Now, Jay Leno got into the same act during NBC's session Monday, posing as a reporter in the back of the room.
Only he wasn't as spontaneous or as funny as Kimmel, though he did wear a bald cap to disguise himself. It was a perfect metaphor for the late-night race - Kimmel was doing something funny and original, and Leno was a step behind with something that became a copycat and stale.
But the important news in all of this is that Leno will be signing off on May 29 of next year, and Conan O'Brien will take over the following Monday on June 1. O'Brien's last day on his current late show will be earlier in the year followed by reruns until he takes over "The Tonight Show."
Jimmy Fallon of "SNL" will start his late night talk show sometime in March or April.
Meanwhile, Leno continues to shop his options with NBC and other networks.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Before There Were Cylons
BEVERLY HILLS - Sci Fi is debuting a two-hour prequel to "Battlestar Galactica" that might be a series if the ratings are right.
It's called "Caprica," and it takes place 51 years before "Battlestar" and just before the creation of the robotic Cylons. It involves two families, one of which is the Adamas (from them comes Commander Adama of "Battlestar").
The point of the story is to show the impact of technology on the world (in this case, it leads to the near destruction of the human race, which means I should stop using my iPhone).
The series stars Eric Stoltz ("Some Kind of Wonderful"). There is no premiere date set, nor would the Sci Fi people say if it even will be this year.
It's Not Easy Being Green. . .Screened
BEVERLY HILLS - "Sanctuary" is a new series that debuts in October on the Sci Fi channel, and perhaps its biggest distinction right now is that it will be the first show that's almost entirely filmed in front of virtual sets, ala "Sin City" and "300."
I saw a preview of the series, and frankly I still don't know what it's about. It started out as a Web-only series and was created by some of the people behind "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate Atlantis."
Here's how the network describes it:
"Sanctuary" follows the adventures of the beautiful, enigmatic and always surprising Dr. Helen Magnus, her new recruit, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman, and her fearless daughter, Ashley. Together they track down, study and protect the strange and often terrifying creatures that secretly populate our world and live among us.
Understand now? No? Neither do I.
But judging from the clip I saw, the virtual sets, which are constructed with computers, look expansive and fairly realistic while looking stylistic. You would think the hard part is for the actors to perform in front of nothing but green backdrops with dots on them. The series star, Amanda Tapping, said so far, it's not that difficult.
"You don't feel like you're standing in front of a green screen. You actually feel like you're in the catacombs under Rome or on an island off Scotland," she said. "We go everywhere. Once you get used to it, it doesn't feel like you're on a sound stage anymore."
Here's the full first Webisode if you care to know more about the upcoming series.
Two "Friday Night Lights" Actors Hang Up Their Cleats
BEVERLY HILLS - Two high school graduates from "Friday Night Lights" will be moving on after a four-episode arc this coming third season.
Scott Porter, who plays the paraplegic former quarterback, Jason Street, and Gaius Charles, who plays running back "Smash" Williams will be leaving.
"Essentially it just comes from story," said producer Jason Katims. "I mean, they both graduated the school, and we felt like the show has always really been about, from the very beginning, wanting to be as true to life as possible and be as authentic as possible. And as much as we love Scott and Gaius, we had to be true to what would be happening with those characters."
"They're both concerning the two of them sort of moving on with their lives and going to the next step of their lives," he added. "And then, we definitely want to leave the door open with both of those actors to come back in the future."
"FNL" also is part of a unique deal with DirecTV that has it premiering in the fall exclusively on the satellite service and then debuting in January on NBC.
Which means you Internet savvy people could probably download the episodes off a file-sharing network like BitTorrent right after they air on satellite. Uh, not that I'm advocating such a thing.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Critics Love "Mad Men"
BEVERLY HILLS - "Mad Men," the highly-praised AMC drama about advertising executives in 1960s Madison Avenue, was the big winner at the 24th Annual Television Critics Association Awards Saturday night.
The one-hour series won awards for Program of the Year, Outstanding New Program of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Drama, the first time the basic cable network has ever picked up a TCA Award. The show's second season begins July 27.
Here is a list of the night's winners:
PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: "Mad Men" (AMC)
OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM: "Mad Men" (AMC)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: "30 Rock" (NBC)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: "Mad Men" (AMC)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION: "The War: A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick" (PBS)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING: "WordGirl" (PBS)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINI-SERIES & SPECIALS: "John Adams" (HBO)
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: Tina Fey, "30 Rock" (NBC)
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: Paul Giamatti, "John Adams" (HBO)
HERITAGE AWARD: "The Wire" (HBO)
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT: Lorne Michaels
A Priveledged Gossip Girl with Dirty Sexy Money in Beverly Hills 90210
BEVERLY HILLS - If at first you succeed, try, try again. . .and again and again.
That's the CW's new motto after their freshman series "Gossip Girl" became a hit. Now, the network's formula - heck, everyone's formula - is to create a hip, young adult soap about normal middle-class teens entering the world of the rich and famous.
It's worked with "The O.C." and "Dirty Sexy Money" too, so let's keep churnin' them out.
"Privileged" is the newest entry in that idea. It's about a twentysomething (played by JoAnna Garcia) who gets a job tutoring twin 16-year-old spoiled Paris Hilton types in the center of Palm Beach's wealthy and powerful.
The series creator, Rina Mimoun, thinks of it as "the Gilmore Girls teaching the Gossip Girl."
In the words of the teen characters, "what-evver!"
Here's a promo for the new series, the same one we critics saw during the session Saturday, with the exception of one thing: Marsha Mason, who plays the grandmother in this clip, was replaced by Ann Archer for some unknown reason. It was never discussed during the session today.
"90210" Brings Back Familiar Faces
BEVERLY HILLS - I've been staying in this so-called posh, glamorous city for a week, and frankly I don't see all the fuss over why it should be the heart of a television series.
But the CW is spinning off/remaking "Beverly Hills 90210" into a new one-hour drama with all new hot young kids attending West Beverly Hills High School. Only this time they'll be texting each other and talking smack about each other on their Facebook pages.
Yet the big news Saturday isn't who's on it that's new, but who's coming back from the old show.
Yes, Shannen Doherty, who played acting hopeful Brenda Walsh in the original, is coming back to the new show as the same character for multiple episodes. She will be the drama coach who is directing the high school musical (where the kids will sing "We're All In This Together").
Meanwhile, Jennie Garth's Kelly Taylor returns as well and is a West Beverly guidance counselor, and Tori Spelling, fresh from the maternity ward with a new baby, also returns as Donna Martin and now owns a boutique.
Joe Tata also returns as Nat, the owner of the Peach Pit.
Here's the promo the critics saw Saturday during the session for the show.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Mrs. Soprano Becomes a Nurse
BEVERLY HILLS - Showtime's biggest announcement is the pickup of a new series starring the incomparable Edie Falco, the three-time Emmy-winning actress from "The Sopranos."
It's tentatively titled "Nurse Jackie." Here's how the press release describes the half-hour comedy-drama:
"'Nurse Jackie' is a half-hour dark comedy that is at turns wicked, heartbreaking and funny. Edie Falco stars as the title character Jackie O'Hurley, a strong-willed and brilliant - but very flawed - emergency room nurse in a complicated New York City hospital. A lapsed Catholic with an occasional weakness for Vicodin and Adderall to get her through the days, Jackie keeps the hospital balanced with her own kind of justice. Every day is a high wire act of juggling patients, doctors, fellow nurses and her own indiscretions.
The preview we saw showed Nurse Jackie in all kinds of hanky panky, from flushing a severed ear down the toilet to doing the nasty with a fellow male nurse in the supply closet.
It looked like the show was trying really hard to make her a "flawed" character.
Look for it next spring or the early summer at the latest.
It's Showtime!!
BEVERLY HILLS - Is this the time when Showtime actually moves out of the shadow of its bigger and better pay cable rival, HBO?
Only time will tell, but the No. 2 pay cable service certainly is trying. It's had a bit of success with its drama "Dexter," which for the network's first time was nominated for a Best Drama Emmy Thursday.
It's also had moderate recognition for "Weeds," "The L Word" and "Californication." There were new announcements Friday during the network's session, so let's get to it.
- The biggest news is that "The L Word," pictured, is getting a spin-off for more of that lesbian goodness. Network president Robert Greenblatt wouldn't elaborate much except to say it takes one of the girls from the original show and moves on from there. He wouldn't say which character.
- Meanwhile, "The L Word" will have its final season and conclude with "an open-ended component" that will be carried to the Internet, Greenblatt said.
- The network introduced a new six-episode reality/documentary mini-series called "Lock 'N Load" that examines a gun store in Englewood, Colo., and a particular salesman there. It also looks at the different kinds of people who buy guns there and why. The show debuts next year.
- "Pen & Teller: Bullshit," the network's documentary series in which the Las Vegas duo debunks modern cultural myths, was renewed for a seventh season, making it Showtime's longest-running series currently.
- "Weeds," the satirical suburban comedy about a widowed mother who sells pot, was extended for two more 13-episode seasons.
The British Are Coming! Again
BEVERLY HILLS - More British and Australian actors are coming here and playing Americans in television shows, leading me to believe they're better at it than American actors are.
They're certainly better at doing American accents, anyway, than American actors are at doing British accents. (Though our food is MUCH better than their's)
Rufus Sewell of HBO's John Adams (he played Alexander Hamilton) is the latest import, playing a scientific investigator for the FBI in the new CBS crime drama "Eleventh Hour."
When asked why he just didn't play a British man in the show to keep his normal accent, he said if that were the case, "I wouldn't be playing it."
"I don't want to play a British character for a long period of time, which people will assume is me. He's not me," he said.
"That's the character, and it's not the idea of trying to make him more like me. It's trying to make me more like him," he added.
Well, that makes bloody good sense.
Here's a preview of the show. You would never know the guy's from England.
So Did These Two Shows Have a Meeting of the Minds?
BEVERLY HILLS - If the plot to CBS' new legal procedural drama, "The Mentalist," sounds familiar to the USA comedy-drama "Psych," you're not alone.
"The Mentalist" is about an FBI investigator (played by Simon Baker) who used to be a "psychic" who uses the same parlor tricks and powers of observation to help catch criminals.
"Psych" is about a man who convinces people he's a "psychic" by using his powers of observation to help catch criminals.
Of course, the show's producer, Bruno Heller, insists they're "two quite different" ideas, saying his is "more like Sherlock Holmes" than that [other] show."
A third show is coming from NBC called "Mental," about an investigator who realizes through powers of observation that his show is exactly like two other series this fall.
Here's a trailer for "The Mentalist" to give you a idea of what it's about.
Now "Desperate" Wants Out
BEVERLY HILLS - As is customary of shows of late - ie. "Lost," "Mad Men" - "Desperate Housewives" is now getting an end date.
The show's funny and chatty producer, Marc Cherry," pictured, said he wants to see the women of Wisteria Lane go back into their homes for good after seven seasons.
"I've made the decision that after seven years, I will probably keel over in a hump and die. I love my baby, you know. I love working with these gals, but the idea of letting anyone else take the show from me kind of makes me sad and sick to my stomach," he said. "It's my thing, and I'm going to take it through seven years. And, you know, I think we're going to get out while people still like us."
"Of course, this could be some clever rouse on my part to get tremendous amounts of money in season 8, but who knows," he added.
"24: Exile" Trailer Online!
BEVERLY HILLS - In this amazing Internet age, I knew it was only a matter of time before the exclusive trailer for "24: Exile" we critics saw at TCA would hit the Web.
Here it is for your viewing pleasure. The two-hour movie, shot in South Africa and a precursor to the season starting in January, debuts in November. I can't wait!
Streamlined and Smooth. . .For Extra Comfort
BEVERLY HILLS - This fall, a new hour-long comedy drama called "The Ex List" will debut on CBS about a woman desperate to find a husband. In the pilot, there's an entire subplot about her roommate getting a wax job, um, south of the border, if you will, to satisfy her boyfriend.
Just make sure your children are asleep or they'll be asking a lot of questions about what the characters are talking about.
It was a rather bold move for a show to spend a good chunk of an hour about a woman's grooming habits down there (in the picture, it's the woman on the right who gets the wax job). But apparently it's going to air.
CBS President Tassler said that subplot will largely remain intact when it airs in the fall except for some "minor adjustments." What are they?
"There will be looking but no touching," she said.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Class, Eyes Front and Center
BEVERLY HILLS - Stars Peter Krause and Lucy Liu of ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" were on stage in a Beverly Hilton ballroom for a Q & A with TV critics about their show. But they were more interested in their little whispers.
Like two naughty school kids, Krause and Liu (pictured, fourth and fifth from the left) began whispering in each other's ear and giggling at one point while someone else on the panel was trying to answer a question.
A short time later, a reporter probed them about it.
The journalist asked, "For Peter and Lucy, you had a very sweet moment there about 20 minutes ago. Could you help us understand what that was about?"
Krause looked embarrassed, maybe bothered by the question. Liu was downright embarrassed and covered her face while laughing.
"Uh, no," Krause said.
The reporter pushed on. "Lucy, perhaps you could do that," he asked.
"I cannot," she said, still hiding her face behind her hands and laughing.
"I feel like we just got busted in class or something," Krause said.
". . .exposed for passing notes," Liu said.
That's right, they did. Here are some suggestions on what I think they could have whispered to each other:
- "Hey this is really boring. Do you think they'll notice if we quietly slip off stage?"
- "You know, we're in a hotel after all. Whaddya say we get a room?"
- "Hey Peter, I just loved you in "Six Feet Under." "Hey Lucy, I couldn't stand you in "Charlie's Angels."
- "Can you believe it? These bozos actually think this crap is good!"
Heigl's Surgical Strike
BEVERLY HILLS - Shonda Rhimes, creator of "Grey's Anatomy," took the stage Thursday as one of a half-dozen showrunners for some of ABC's biggest TV shows.
So it didn't take long for some to ask about the "incident" involving Katherine Heigl and the comment she made about why she wanted to pull her name from Emmy consideration because the writers didn't give her enough to do last season to warrant a nomination.
How did Rhimes, pictured, feel about what some thought was a slap to the "Grey's" writers by Heigl's comment?
"When I was told about it, I have to say that my reaction was that I found it surprising. I actually have a really wonderful working relationship with Katherine, and I love and respect her as an actress, and as everyone knows, Izzie is one of my favorite characters, so for me it was surprising," Rhimes said. "But Katie is an outspoken person, and I think we all know that already."
And asked whether as a writer Rhimes felt attacked by Heigl's comment, the creator said, "the back half of the season, Katherine asked me personally to write her light so that she could do her movie. So I didn't feel insulted."
Here's a list of the major nominees. Hurray for "Mad Men."
Drama Series: ''Boston Legal," ABC; ''Damages," FX; ''Dexter," Showtime; ''House," Fox; ''Lost," ABC; ''Mad Men," AMC. Comedy Series: ''Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO; ''Entourage," HBO; ''The Office," NBC; ''30 Rock," NBC; ''Two and a Half Men," CBS. Miniseries: ''The Andromeda Strain," A&E; ''Cranford" (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; ''John Adams," HBO; ''Tin Man," Sci Fi Channel. Made-for-TV Movie: ''Bernard and Doris," HBO; ''Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale," HBO; ''The Memory Keeper's Daughter," Lifetime; ''A Raisin in the Sun," ABC; ''Recount," HBO. Actor, Drama Series: James Spader, ''Boston Legal," ABC; Bryan Cranston, ''Breaking Bad," AMC; Michael C. Hall, ''Dexter," Showtime; Hugh Laurie, ''House," Fox; Gabriel Byrne, ''In Treatment," HBO; Jon Hamm, ''Mad Men," AMC. Actress, Drama Series: Sally Field, ''Brothers & Sisters," ABC; Kyra Sedgwick, ''The Closer," TNT; Glenn Close, ''Damages," FX; Mariska Hargitay, ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," NBC; Holly Hunter, ''Saving Grace," TNT. Supporting Actor, Drama Series: William Shatner, ''Boston Legal," ABC; Ted Danson, ''Damages," FX; Zeljko Ivanek, ''Damages," FX; Michael Emerson, ''Lost," ABC; John Slattery, ''Mad Men," AMC. Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Candice Bergen, ''Boston Legal," ABC; Rachel Griffiths, ''Brothers & Sisters," ABC; Chandra Wilson, ''Grey's Anatomy," ABC; Sandra Oh, ''Grey's Anatomy," ABC; Dianne Wiest, ''In Treatment," HBO. Actor, Comedy Series: Tony Shalhoub, ''Monk," USA; Steve Carell, ''The Office," NBC; Lee Pace, ''Pushing Daisies," ABC; Alec Baldwin, ''30 Rock," NBC; Charlie Sheen, ''Two and a Half Men, CBS. Actress, Comedy Series: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, ''The New Adventures of Old Christine," CBS; Christina Applegate, ''Samantha Who?," ABC; Tina Fey, ''30 Rock," NBC; America Ferrera, ''Ugly Betty," ABC; Mary-Louise Parker, ''Weeds," Showtime. Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Jeremy Piven, ''Entourage," HBO; Kevin Dillon, ''Entourage," HBO; Neil Patrick Harris, ''How I Met Your Mother," CBS; Rainn Wilson, ''The Office," NBC; Jon Cryer, ''Two and a Half Men," CBS. Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Kristin Chenoweth, ''Pushing Daisies," ABC; Jean Smart, ''Samantha Who?," ABC; Amy Poehler, ''Saturday Night Live," NBC; Holland Taylor Two and a Half Men," CBS; Vanessa Williams, ''Ugly Betty," ABC. Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Ralph Fiennes, ''Bernard and Doris," HBO; Ricky Gervais, ''Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale," HBO; Paul Giamatti, ''John Adams," HBO; Kevin Spacey, ''Recount," HBO; Tom Wilkinson, ''Recount," HBO. Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Catherine Keener, ''An American Crime," Showtime; Susan Sarandon, ''Bernard and Doris," HBO; Judi Dench, ''Cranford (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Laura Linney, ''John Adams," HBO; Phylicia Rashad, ''A Raisin in the Sun," ABC. Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie: David Morse, ''John Adams," HBO; Stephen Dillane, ''John Adams," HBO; Tom Wilkinson, ''John Adams," HBO; Denis Leary, ''Recount," HBO; Bob Balaban, ''Recount," HBO. Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Eileen Atkins, ''Cranford" (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Ashley Jensen, ''Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale," HBO; Alfre Woodard, ''Pictures of Hollis Woods" (Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation), CBS; Audra McDonald, ''A Raisin in the Sun," ABC; Laura Dern, ''Recount," HBO.
Opportunity Lost
BEVERLY HILLS - I don't remember a more awkward time at the Television Critics Association press tour as when Ashton Kutcher and company showed up Wednesday to tout their new reality/game show, "Opportunity Knocks."
In this new series premiering Sept. 30, the show comes to the home of an unsuspecting suburban family and builds a game show set in the front yard. The family gets to then play for prizes and cash with the neighborhood watching like a gigantic block party.
The questions are like a family version of "The Newlywed Game" based on how well you know your kids, siblings and spouse. Questions like where does your sister keep her diary? Which mug was created by your daughter?
In order to set up for the show, the producers research the family in secret beforehand.
To prove how entertaining their idea is, the show's host, J.D. Roth (pictured far left), told the critics they secretly researched one of the journalists in the audience.
They called out Matt Roush, writer for TV Guide, to come on stage.
First, Roth kept calling out his name but there was no response at first, leading everyone to think Roush wasn't in the audience or just trying to ditch the situation. Then when Roush finally walked to the stage, he looked more put-off then surprised.
Roth told the audience his crew had gone into Roush's office with a video camera unbeknownst to the writer, to capture a piece of memorabilia on his desk - a cue card from a TV show. He asked Roush to recite what it said.
"I don't know," he said.
Roth kept asking. Roush kept saying, "I don't know."
I didn't particularly mind, but I could sense some of the critics were getting restless. Many of them were probably thinking, "We're here to ask questions, not watch a game show."
Then Roth called Zap2it.com's Brill Bundy to the stage, along with her husband and a co-worker for another round of questions. Oh the agony, critics were probably thinking.
Several journalists sitting next to me looked annoyed. There was only a smattering of laughter the entire time. I wanted to hide under the table.
Even Kutcher looked nervous on stage, probably wondering if their plan to entertain the crusty critics was going to work - while the demonstration was going on, I noticed his leg was bouncing like an engine cylinder.
Give the Actors What They Want!
BEVERLY HILLS - Gee, it's true. Every waiter and waitress in Hollywood is a struggling actor.
Keith is a waiter at the hotel I met Thursday morning, and he's definitely struggling.
Work, he said, has dipped dramatically the last couple of months, and auditions are hard to find. That's because production companies are "holding back" because of the threat of a possible actors strike from SAG.
SAG currently is trying to negotiate a deal with the movie studios and producers and have not made much headway since their current contract expired last week.
Meanwhile, actors in this town have been hit hard from the writers strike earlier this year, and the city's economy is in shambles, Keith said.
He also noted that 90 percent of the actors don't want to strike, even if it means that they may lose some ground in residuals from Internet entertainment, which is the main sticking point in negotiations right now.
"A strike would kill us right now," Keith said, now waiting tables at one of the hotel's ballrooms.
And it would be yet another major blow to the entertainment industry which is struggling itself with the dipping economy and a transition to digital form that has studios and networks scratching their heads trying to figure out how to make money from.
In the meantime, people like Keith have to wait tables, pray for the next audition and hope that cooler heads prevail.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
No Room in Bush's Administration
BEVERLY HILLS - Actor John C. McGinley was here Wednesday for a session on "Scrubs," which is moving to ABC this fall, but I asked about his movie career.
McGinley considers Oliver Stone his favorite director and has worked in six of Stone's movies, including "Platoon" and "Wall Street."
So does he have a role in Stone's upcoming biography of George Bush called "W"?
"No, everybody's too old," he said, meaning there wasn't a character available that he could play that was his age.
"He [Stone] gave me the script and asked, 'Is there something here for you?'" McGinley said, adding that he had carte blanche to any minor role in the movie. "There wasn't."
McGinley also was going to work on a Stone movie about the My Lai massacre that was to be an allegory on Iraq and star Bruce Willis, but he said the film was put into "turn around" (movie speak for canceled) because America's appetite for films about Iraq has been tepid.
How Easily She Forgets
BEVERLY HILLS - I had a laugh when a reporter asked Utah dancer/now country singer Julianne Hough who she rooted for when the now-defunct ABC dance show, "Dance Wars: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann" ran last year.
"Both sides," she responded. "I was a fan of fans of both Carrie Ann and Bruno just because I know them. Then I had a friend on Bruno's team, so I was rooting for him." She also mentioned that a friend of hers from high school was on Carrie Ann Inaba's team, so she was cheering her on.
She gracefully danced (she is, after all, a really good dancer) around one fact though: The "friend" she mentioned on Bruno's team was Zack Wilson (pictured), the winner of the competition who also is from Utah and who once was her fiance.
They since broke the marraige off. She claims it was because she wanted to concentrate on her music career.
Did Zack just get dissed??
Julianne Hough Can Dance AND Sing!
BEVERLY HILLS - Utah bred, Julianne Hough, performed for us weary TV critics at the hotel Wednesday to help promote her co-hosting gig on the upcoming ABC special, "CMA Music Festival," which is airing Sept. 8.
She definitely can belt out a tune, entertaining us with a set of three songs including her hit "That Song in My Head," which apparently is 18th on the Billboard charts this week.
Of course, I can't stand country music, so it's hard for me to judge how good the music was, but man, she has a voice. And of course, she can dance too, having won two consecutive seasons of "Dancing With the Stars." (To the left is a picture of her from Wednesday's performance she gave us)
She said she would love to come back to the show, but country music is in her heart right now, and she's busy touring with Brad Paisley and doing her own concerts on the weekends.
As for that other Utah singer whose career exploded on the music world in the last several months, Hough, 19, had this to say:
"To be honest, I didn't actually watch 'American Idol,' she said about fellow local performer David Archuleta's meteoric rise. "I kept up with it, I knew how David was doing, and it's great."
Also, adding about why Utah has been on a roll with locals making it big on national dance and performance shows: "A lot of people in Utah are very talented because their parents put them in music and dance and singing and soccer and anything."
Here's a video of the exact acoustic version of "That Song in My Head" that Julianne played for us today (Wednesday) in the hotel ballroom with the same two backup musicians behind her.
Fixing Wounds from Dr. Heigl
BEVERLY HILLS - ABC president Stephen McPherson did acknowledge "turmoil" brewing from the flap between "Grey's Anatomy" and its co-star Katherine Heigl.
A month ago or so, Heigl made headlines when she opted to pull herself out of the Emmy race for her role as "Izzie" because she felt the writers has not given her enough to do last season to warrant a nomination.
That left everyone wondering if it was code for "those stinking writers didn't write anything good for my character" and a slap to the way she and her character were being treated by the show.
McPherson didn't have much to comment on the matter, but he did say, "it's unfortunate when there's any kind of turmoil on a show."
Despite further rumors that Heigl may be leaving the series to further her movie career (she's since starred in "Knocked Up" and "27 Dresses"), "She's absolutely staying with the show," the network president said. And he insists they have a great storyline for her this season.
"Private Practice" in Rehab
BEVERLY HILLS - ABC president Stephen McPherson admitted Wednesday that the "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off, "Private Practice," was not what he wanted it to be for its first season
Too much talk, not enough action, he said.
"That's not that show, that's not what [creator Shonda Rhimes] does well," he said.
He added that there needs to be "more interaction with the hospital" and that it "works better over this palette of great medical stories."
Instead, he would like the character of Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) perform more surgeries and the clinic getting back to being treated like a business.
It has to stop being an "eco-friendly, nice place to be"
All This For a Phone?
BEVERLY HILLS - Warning! I'm going off topic for a moment. . .
I was strolling through the Westfield mall near Beverly Hills Tuesday night, a gigantic open-air mall much like the Gateway in Salt Lake City, and I noticed this line in front of the Apple store.
Think about it. The new second-generation iPhone 3G went on sale Friday in which there were enormous lines for hours and hours.
Now, it's been on sale for four days, and THERE'S STILL A LINE to buy the phone!!
I wanted to mention this because I found it amazing that an electronic device could be such a part of popular culture that it could garner this much attention.
For Christmas, I either want to be Steve Jobs or receive an iPhone 3G - only I doubt anyone will be able to get one.
(by the way, I took that picture with my old iPhone)
We Interrupt This Press Tour. . .
BEVERLY HILLS - . . .with news of layoffs.
For the last couple of years, it's been an increasingly difficult time at summer press tour listening to stories from other critics about their newspapers and economic troubles. Dailies are losing subscribers, advertising revenue and have been laying off reporters and editors.
Each summer, it's seemingly gotten worse, and this year I've noticed a number of well-known television critics - and staples of the tour - who are no longer attending.
People like Ed Bark formerly of the Dallas Morning News, Joanne Weintraub of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Charlie McCollum of the San Jose Mercury News, the list goes on.
And today I heard an awful story from former Oakland Tribune critic Susan Young who was laid off just a couple of weeks before she attended the tour. She was an 18-year veteran with her newspaper.
Many television critics have been offered buyouts, been reassigned to other beats or just laid off as part of the national crisis going on with newspapers (even television stations and their news departments are starting to feel the economic crunch, like the recent reductions in workers at KTVX Channel 4).
In many of these outlets where the buyouts and layoffs are happening, reporters in features departments are hit first because that's where a lot of veteran writers with big salaries work and whose layoffs can help the bottom line.
While some of the bigger newspaper critics are absent this year from the tour, another reporter here insists that the number of accredited people at this year's event is around the same. That's probably because we're seeing more TV writers for blogs and online-only outlets taking over.
The one unfortunate effect to the dwindling number of movie, arts and TV critics is that most newspapers are beginning to rely on reviews from wire services. Sadly, diverse professional opinions from different minds is dwindling. Individual perspectives are evaporating. Only a few in professional journalism will have a say for the whole country.
Who knows what the tour will be like in another couple of years.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Out With a Bang
BEVERLY HILLS - How's this for a teaser for the final season of FX's brilliant cop drama, "The Shield"?
The show is about the baddest cop in California, Vic Mackey (played by Michael Chiklis), who has killed, stolen and beaten people senseless to get what he wants. For six seasons, he has literally gotten away with murder. The seventh and final season begins Sept. 2.
And co-star CCH Pounder said this Tuesday: "The finale is what Vic Mackey deserves."
Oooohhhh!!
Does that mean he dies in the end? Is he arrested for six years of wrongdoing? Does he cut himself shaving his bald head?
Of course no one on "The Shield" panel, including series creator Shawn Ryan, would say. Not that we want them to. The anticipation is nerve-wracking however.
Just know that "Shawn did a tremendous job of writing this finale," Chiklis said. Ryan in turn said, "The finale, to me, feels right."
We hope so. Ending this gritty, eye-opening police drama on top is the least it deserves.
Here's a teaser for the upcoming season.
Born to Be Wild (Or Not)
BEVERLY HILLS - "The Sons of Anarchy" is a new FX drama about a motorcycle gang that's kind of a cross between "Easy Rider" and "The Sopranos."
Only one problem though: Most of the cast apparently didn't know how to ride motorcycles, or actually still don't know how.
"It's not going very well, but I have major medical," series star Ron Perlman ("Hellboy"), who plays the patriarch of the Sons of Anarchy motorcycle club, said about learning to ride.
"I'm an old dog, and it's tough to learn new tricks," he added.
"Anarchy" is a rather unusual drama in which a member is forced to take care of his newborn baby from his drugged-out ex-wife while working in the gang, which is into gun running and killing a thug or two.
The series, which has a 13-episode run, debuts in September on the basic cable channel.
Peterson Says CYA to CSI
BEVERLY HILLS - William Peterson, the star of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," is leaving midseason this upcoming year, according to this release from Entertainment Weekly.
Here's what it has to say:
CSI executive producer Carol Mendelsohn has confirmed exclusively to Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello that William Petersen (Gil Grissom) will be gone by midseason! And not "off too do a play" gone like he was back in 2006. No, this season's 10th episode will be his last as a full-time series regular.
"Billy is leaving," confirms the show's executive producer, Carol Mendelsohn. "But he will remain throughout the run of the series an executive producer. And he will, whenever CBS asks, come back. I don't think you've seen the last of Gil Grissom."
Neither does Petersen. In fact, in an exclusive interview conducted last Friday, the eight-year CSI vet seemed almost reluctant to characterize his departure as, um, a departure. Citing both his ongoing role as an executive producer AND his intention to return on occasion as a (very special) guest star, he said, "I'm in a great place in terms of knowing that I'll be more free to make choices. And I'm responsible enough to not do it in a way that would hurt [the show].
"I want it to work for the writers, I want it to work for the cast, and, MOST importantly, I want it to work for the audience," he added. "I don't want them to abandon the show."
In the meantime, Mendelsohn is plotting one hell of a send-off for her leading man. The events of last season's finale -- specifically the death of Gary Dourdan's Warrick -- will push Grissom to the breaking point. "The easiest way to describe Grissom is 'in crisis,'" Petersen told me. "As a man. As a scientist. As a teacher. As a middle-aged person who has been very successful at what he's done... [he] wonders, 'What's the point?"
Helping Grissom through the crisis will be his true love, Sara, played by Jorja Fox, who is returning for multiple episodes, starting with the season premiere. "I wouldn't want to say exactly what we're going do - I want people to watch, certainly," he chuckled. "But Sara is involved... It's often darkest just before the dawn."
And lest anyone read any hidden meaning into that statement, the actor reiterated, "For me, it's a really good situation. I don't want the audience to think it's NOT... [It isn't] like there's something going on, like 'Petersen's unhappy,' 'cause it's not true. It's quite the contrary."
Excuse Me, But Do You Act Effeminate?
BEVERLY HILLS - Nigel Lythgoe, the creator of Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance," thinks it's OK if gay men dance, just apparently not gay men who like to shop for Louis Vuitton purses and wear MAC lipstick.
When asked why either "Dance" or "Idol" have never had openly gay men (which I believe they have - just not ones who announce their sexuality on the show), Lythgoe (pictured) said it isn't relevant.
However, he did clarify one thing.
"What I don't like on the dance show, to be frank, is effeminate boys that mince around the stage," he said. "I don't care if they're gay or straight. That's got nothing to do with it for me."
"Because they need to be very strong," he added. "Dancing is role playing most of the time, and you need to be strong and lift girls. You need to look stronger than the girl you're dancing with. You control the dance, especially ballroom."
Guess we won't be seeing Perez Hilton on the dance floor soon.
Salt Lake City's In Top Dancing Form
BEVERLY HILLS - Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer and creator of "So You Think You Can Dance" and also executive producer of "American Idol," instantly reacted when I told him I was from Salt Lake City.
The first thing he said to me was how good the dancers in Utah are and the reputation of the Odyssey Dance Theatre company in Salt Lake City.
And why not. Four of the original 20 finalists for this season of "So You Think" were from Utah, including two from Odyssey and one from Center Stage in Orem. The winner of last season, Sabra Johnson (pictured), was from Utah.
The state has been gaining a huge reputation for its talent, particularly in dance, thanks to his show, as well as ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and the "High School Musical" franchise, which was filmed in Salt Lake City.
So I asked him what he thinks is in the water in Utah to produce such talented hoofers.
"I have no idea. Maybe that's the reason to express themselves artistically," he said of Utahns. "I just don't know. But certainly without question, Utah and Salt Lake City have provided us with enormous talent both on 'American Idol' and 'So You Think You Can Dance'"
He did say the success his dancing show had auditioning for talent in Salt Lake City earlier this year led to his decision to come back for the first ever auditions in Utah for "Idol," which will begin July 29.
"Once I saw the talent with 'So You Think You Can Dance,' it was very natural for me to go back and say, 'Hey, this is a talented area, we should go there,'" he added.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Romney Not Slick Enough
BEVERLY HILLS - From one former Utahn to another, President Bush's former chief advisor, Karl Rove, had a couple of criticisms Monday about Mitt Romney's failed political campaign for president.
While Rove, who successfully ran two presidential campaigns for Bush, said the former Massachusetts governor and head of the Salt Lake Olympic Committee (pictured, left) was good at organizational skills like fundraising and the creation of national and local campaign committees, he believed Romney also was "uneven."
"When it came to his own performance, the kind of things he was used to doing when he ran in a relatively small geographical area over a relatively short period of time, [it] didn't serve him well in running across a large number of states over a very long extended period of time. As a result, it was an uneven performance," he said.
"You'd hear from people, 'You know, I was in private meeting with Mitt Romney, and boy, he was great,' and the next day, you'd hear from people saying, 'Well, I was in a private pitch by Mitt Romney, and he was terrible,"" Rove added.
Mad Man in the House
BEVERLY HILLS - I went to the session with Fox News mostly because I had planned to storm the stage and stick two Fox-branded pens (graciously donated to us by the network) in Karl Rove's eyes.
Rove and former Clinton advisor Howard Wolfson were joined on stage by Fox News executive John Moody and host Chris Wallace to tout their upcoming campaign coverage.
But I like to think that Rove is largely responsible for starting the war, destroying our economy, the rising gasoline taxes, an increase in home foreclosures and the horrible season that "24" had last year. He also was the man behind Lindsay Lohan's repeated relapses in rehab and why my daughter got strep this week.
So my plans were to curse his good name and charge the stage. But then I realized that I would probably be arrested by Fox security guards and sent to a California prison which I've heard is worse than the one in "Midnight Express."
Instead, my only recourse is to write this snarky blog entry (which, granted, isn't much).
Needless to say, a lot of people have been talking smack about Rove for his entire career guiding President Bush to the White House. How does he feel about that?
"Who cares?" said Rove, who by the way graduated from Olympus High School and went to the University of Utah. "My attitude is I know who I am. . .there's nothing I can do about it."
Wolfson and Rove will be providing commentary this year from both sides of the political fence for Fox, even though Rove has been subpoenaed to testify in front of Congress over the firing of the U.S. attorneys and has since refused.
A Slap in the Face With a Side of Beef
BEVERLY HILLS - Holy cow, the bovine on the new Fox show, "Fringe," sure made an impression.
The "X-Files"-type thriller features a cow in some scenes (the animal is used for various experiments by the mad scientist in the story).
At the Television Critics Association summer press tour, a critic mentioned to the producers sitting on the stage that the black-spotted cow stole the show in many of the scenes.
To which one of the humiliated actors from the series, Joshua Jackson (pictured) - who was listening in via satellite from New York - quipped, "Um, we can still hear you!"
Guess there's nothing worse than being upstaged by a farm animal.
Thayne's Coming Home
BEVERLY HILLS - An update about former "So You Think You Can Dancer" Thayne Jasperson, who was kicked off the show last week.
The Springville hoofer is coming home.
I got this email today (Monday):
Thayne will teach at Odyssey Dance Theatre's 11th Annual Dance Utah! July 16 to 19, 2008 at the McKay Events Center on the campus of Utah Valley University (formerly UVSC) in Orem.
The West's most exciting and comprehensive summer workshop includes daily classes in jazz, funk and rhythmic stomp (ages 12 and up study ballet, tap and lyrical jazz, too), culminating in a showcase where students will perform choreography and present the new skills they have developed. Faculty includes Founder and Artistic Director Derryl Yeager and more of Odyssey's favorite dancers.
Special rates are available at Hampton Inn, Orem. Registration form and additional details can be found at www.odysseydance.com.
Plug Your Ears
BEVERLY HILLS - Mary Murphy, a judge on the hit Fox show "So You Think You Can Dance," is a screamer you might say.
That is on the TV show. Her decibel-breaking yell and laugh is enough to damage most speaker systems. It's why I haven't watched the last several episodes - my ear doctor told me to stop watching for awhile until my eardrums healed.
Here's a nice piece on her vocal "talents" being put to good use.
Well, she took the stage here in the hotel to acknowledge it's loud.
She said someone brought in a decibel meter to the studio once to test it and it was "louder than a vacuum, a rock band and a small jet engine."
She also forgot a jackhammer, a screaming banshee and a family of 25 polygamous children.
Utahns Dance for Critics (And Gave Me Chills!)
BEVERLY HILLS - It was kind of a nice way to start the week.
Fox started its part of the press tour with a session on "So You Think You Can Dance," the hit reality show that is the dance counterpart to "American Idol."
And the session started with a couple of performances for the weary-eyed critics, both of them from the Utahns who were booted from the show in the last couple of weeks.
First up was Matt Dorame, pictured, who was trained at Odyssey Dance in Salt Lake City. He and partner Kourtni Lind did a ballroom number that was very graceful.
Next was Thayne Jasperson of Springville, another student of Odyssey, who did a modern dance number that also was fun to watch.
These talented former contestants may not be on the show anymore (Jasperson was kicked off last week), but they at least entertained a roomful of otherwise grumpy TV critics.
Another Utahn on Reality TV
BEVERLY HILLS - Another Utahn is going to compete in front of millions of TV viewers.
This time, it's "Keith," who will be sewing and cutting his way to the top of the new season of Bravo's "Project Runway," which begins Wednesday at 10 p.m.
Keith (Bravo isn't releasing the last names of its contestants) is 26, from Salt Lake City, and believes a fashion must is "great-fitting jeans." Funny, since you should see what he looks like in a pair of bad-fitting jeans. (look at his picture at www.bravotv.com)
That means he's the 2,000th Utahn to appear on a reality show this year. Other shows with locals include "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Last Comic Dancing."
Though if you haven't seen Food Network's "The Next Food Network Star," Utah Kelsey Nixon was booted from the show in Sunday night's episode.
A Journey to La-La-Land
BEVERLY HILLS - It's my annual pilgrimage to Los Angeles (where the temperature at night just dipped about 20 degrees from Salt Lake City) where I'm attending the last two-thirds of the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour.
I normally miss the cable sessions because our newspaper only has so much money for me to spend on the tour and because I only have so much sanity to spare in LA and television shows.
This year, the tour is going to be a little lean on new series because of the writers strike earlier this year. Due to the work stoppage, there have been fewer pilots bought up for this upcoming fall season.
But I've arrived in Beverly Hills, and first up starting Monday is Fox.
The first thing I did when I got into the hotel was watch the pilots for the only two new scripted series they're premiering this fall, a sitcom called "Do Not Disturb," about the goings on in a posh hotel, and "Fringe," (pictured) a J.J. Abrams ("Lost") thriller that is of the same conspiratorial ilk as "The X-Files."
For the next eight days, I'll be here listing to announcements from the networks and talking to the people behind and in front of the television cameras.
I'll have tidbits of news throughout the day on my blog so check back often for continual updates.
Stay tuned.
By the way, I saw a brief teaser for the upcoming "24" prequel movie, subtitled "Exile." It looks INCREDIBLE!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
More "Mad Men"
"Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner has a plan for his brilliant AMC drama.
Five seasons, then off into the sunset.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Weiner announced at the annual Television Critics Association summer press tour (I'll be there beginning Monday), his show will have a definite story arc covering 10 years in the lives of his characters.
The show is a wonderfully conceived drama about a group of Madison Ave. ad executives in the 1960s. But the show is about so much more including gender gaps, office discrimination and other issues of that era.
Like "Lost," "Mad Men" will head for a definite end, which could bode well for the drama. Knowing where you're going is always good for the journey itself.
Hope You Like the Olympics. . .
. . .because you're going to get a lot of it when they begin in Beijing next month.
NBC announcedthat it's going to air a whopping 2,900 hours of live TV coverage during the Games, more than any other time.
Here's an interesting possible consequence to this whole digital conversion thing: Cable companies stand to get a boost of subscribers as a result.
I never really thought about it, but it certainly makes sense.
According to this Hollywood Reporter story, several analysts predict that cable companies stand to get a boost of a million or two subscribers as people with analog-only TV sets have to convert to either converter boxes or cable or satellite come February, the deadline to convert.
That could mean an extra $2 billion for the cable companies - not that they need any more money.
A lot of those homes undoubtedly will be from Utah, which has the highest number of homes per capita in the country with analog-only TVs.
More People Watching TV Than Ever
My wife and I always tell our two kids "no more screens" when we order them to turn off the TV or the computer.
A new report from Nielsen Media Research shows we're all watching more "screens."
According to the report, which is being released Thursday, the average American spent 127 hours watching TV in May, up from 121 during the same month last year. It also states a whopping 282 million people watch TV in any given month.
Meanwhile, Americans spent an average of 26 hours on the Internet in May vs. 24 the same month last year.
AFTRA, the other actors union, has ratified its new contract with movie producers and studios.
That puts the main union, SAG, in a very tight position.
SAG has been mulling over the latest offer from the studios and was hoping that AFTRA rejecting their contract would give them more leverage.
Not so now.
Meanwhile, SAG states it will announce a decision about the latest offer on Thursday.
The bottom line, here is what SAG has to consider: the choice between a strike that could prove to be more devastating than the writers strike earlier this year or take a deal that likely is far below what working actors deserve.
I don't care how good of an actor each of the members are, it's hard for them to act happy now.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
I Feel a Lot of Love in This Room
TV Guide caught up with the "American Idol" tour and brought back this dispatchabout the two Davids and their respect for each other.
Here's a peek:
For starters, their tour performances represent their respective hot and cool approaches. Cook claims the audience response so far to Archie is already a tough act to follow. He told TVGuide.com, "It's always fun to go stand in the back and listen to the audience when he first comes out. Crowds have been really noisy for Archie. It's been really intimidating!" Archie maintains, however, that his performance is "laid back" versus Cook's, which is "really exciting and full of energy."
Excuse me while I break away from the Mutual Admiration Society. Sniff, sniff. (Sorry, I have something caught in my eye).
AFTRA came to a tentative agreement - much to the chagrin of SAG - with the producers last May.
SAG is waiting to see if AFTRA will ratify its contract, which might hurt SAG's negotiations power.
AFTRA is supposed to have results either today (Tuesday) or Wednesday. Then SAG will have to make its move on the latest offer.
Clear Skies for Weather Channel Purchase
OK, I can't really figure this out.
It's been reported this week that NBC/Universal just bought the Weather Channel for $3.5 billion. That's billion people.
Can anyone help explain to me why that channel is worth so much?
For one, it's in more than 90 percent of cable homes. That helps explain a little.
But honestly, who watches the Weather Channel? I think the last time I did was when I accidentally happened on it when I punched in the wrong channel numbers.
Anyway, it seems a number of media conglomerates were after the channel. There's another win for massive media consolidation.
I think I'll turn on the TV and see what today's high will be.
"Big Brother" Cast Gets Old
For the first time ever, CBS' "Big Brother" adds a senior citizen to its cast.
The group of people chosen to live together for the 10th season was announced today (Tuesday), and it includes a 75-year-old great grandfather and retired marketing executive from Pennsylvania to the cast.
Here's the brief bio CBS posted on their Web site about Jerry:
Jerry is a diehard Big Brother fan and hasn't missed one episode in all nine seasons. He even watches Showtime After Dark and the 24/7 feed.
Jerry left high school in the 10th grade then, at age 38, returned to college. He went to Central State, Rochester Institute of Technology and Penn State and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing Management ten years later. Before then, he spent four years in the United States Marine Corps and was honorably discharged in 1954. He has been a devoted husband to the same woman for 54 years, and stays physically fit so he can take care of her as she has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's. Jerry has two children, five grandchildren and four great grandchildren. He feels he has an excellent marriage and attributes a good marriage to allowing your partner their own space.
Jerry worked for 38 years in a sales/marketing environment and retired as a general manager at a multi-million dollar sales and marketing organization. He describes himself as being very competitive and says that being number one has been a driving force in his life. He likes to play golf and shoot pool and watches basketball, baseball, tennis and golf. He volunteers at an abandoned animal rescue, serves as a property manager, enjoys playing cards and working out at the gym. His favorite movie is "The Ten Commandments" and he listens to big band music, rock and roll and Elvis Presley. The perfect day for him is one where he is in touch with his family.
But I left out the biggest piece of information from today's announcement: There's NO Utahn's in this year's cast (yea!!)
Monday, July 07, 2008
Ozzy on Fox
Is this what America really needs?
Ozzy and his clan of misfits - Sharon and the kids - are coming to Fox for a new variety show.
Heaven help us all.
According to TVWeek, the show is getting an initial six episode order and is being produced by FreemantleMedia North America, the makers of "American Idol."
In fact, according to the trade Web site, it's possible that the new show could be paired with "Idol" when it premieres in winter or spring of 2009.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Actors and Producers at a Stalemate for Now
Negotiations between the actors and producers and studios is still ongoing, but right now, they will not meet again until Monday with SAG mulling over the last offer made by the producers.
According to Variety, the two groups met for four hours Wednesday, and SAG was looking over the latest offer.
The current actors contract expired Tuesday, but guild members are not mentioning the word "strike" to give the negotiations more time. They don't want to get into panic mode.
Academy Asks NBC to Pull "Baby Borrowers"
The New York Times has reported that the The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry is asking NBC to pull the reality show "Baby Borrowers" because it's endangering the babies in the show.
The series involves teen-agers taking on the roles of parent and raising babies and toddlers - apparently real ones - to teach the "parents" the importance of responsibility. The kids also care for seniors in the show to demonstrate the work in caring for aging loved ones.
But the Academy states, "A child's sense of security should not be gambled with," for the sake of television.
I would tend to agree, though I have yet to see an episode of the show.
NBC, however, states the series is a social experiment that is supposed to, again, educate teens about parenting. And they claim that the parents of the babies and toddlers of the show are always there and watching them on video cameras.
If network executives can come up with an idea to use real babies in a reality show, I can't imagine they're focused on anything else than making money, and certainly not the welfare of the actors they use.
"Sopranos" Co-Star Leaves a Life of Crime
Michael Imperioli, the wiseguy and wannabe screenwriter in HBO's "The Sopranos," is jumping the fence and going from Mob member to police detective for the new ABC drama, "Life on Mars."
Imperioli will play Det. Ray Carling, a politically incorrect investigator who works with the protagonist, a detective from today who is warped back to the 1970s.
The show, which was adapted from a BBC series by producer David E. Kelley, is about the detective trying to investigate murders without the luxury of 21st Century technology and know-how like DNA testing and computers.
Kelley (of "Boston Legal" and "Ally McBeal" fame) has left as the showrunner after making the pilot. The show debuts in the fall.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
"Idol" Tour Begins
The "American Idol" national tour, which is hitting more than 50 cities, began this week in Arizona.
The Los Angeles Times "Idol" blogger was there to provide details of their first city. He remarked that David Archuleta was reluctant to go go-karting. Oh my.
American Movie Classics "Mad Men" was the best scripted drama last year IMHO.
The new second season begins later this month. But you haven't seen the show, you say?
The DVD set of the first season came out this last Tuesday. You may even have hesitated to Netflix it.
Well, here's your chance to watch the pilot episode and get hooked. Below, I've embedded the first episode of the series, which was submitted for Emmy consideration, for your consideration. The episode was divided into three parts, all provided below.
The video is courtesy of AMC, which wants more people to watch it.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Kiss This Kid - PLEASE!!
Honestly, is there a smoocher in the house who can help Murray's David Archuleta.
Here's a Q & A conducted by Seventeen magazine. Note the first question.
1. When was your first kiss?
I haven't had a first kiss. (Huh? What?)
2. Who's your celebrity crush?
I don't have a crush on anyone yet. I've always been against that because it's like you don't even know who they are. It's like when people have a crush on me, it's just weird when they've never even met me. So for me to do that to someone else, it's kind of weird. I look up to Sara Bareilles, John Mayer, and Jason Mraz.
3. What's a girl fashion trend that confuses you?
I don't get those really short skirts.
4. What's the girly movie you secretly love?
I only know of one, and it was good: A Walk to Remember. I hear so much about The Notebook, but I've never seen it. That's the one all the girls were like, "Aww!"
5. What's your TV guilty pleasure?
I like cartoons. I like Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. It's funny! It has things that kids wouldn't get. It's like, if you're mature, you get it. I like that and The Fairly OddParents.
6. Who would play you in the movie version of your life?
I'm a pretty spacey guy, so it'd be funny to see how Robin Williams would act being me even though he's old enough to be my dad.
7. What's your dream job?
To be doing what I am now, only more developed and have more experience in this. But this is my dream job, that's what's funny about it! I never thought I'd be here. I'm in the recording studio right now, just looking at the mics and the headphones and it's crazy! If not music, I think it would be pretty cool to be an ear, nose, and throat doctor.
8. If you could trade places with anyone in the world for one day, who would it be?
I think Will Smith would be pretty cool. He's my favorite actor.
9. Who in your family are you closest to?
I'm close with all of them, really; it's just all for different reasons. My mom is just someone who's easy to talk to and hang with. My sister, it's always cool to be able to help her out with things. My brother is fun when we're just joking and messing around. And my dad is someone who's helpful with my music and easy to talk to about that stuff because he understands me in that sense. So it's like different kinds of closeness with everyone.
Fidgeting with my hands, cracking my knuckles, and stuff like that. Or just spacing out; I'm good at doing that!
13. What's the last song you listened to on your iPod?
"Many The Miles" by Sara Bareilles. I love Sara Bareilles. She's just so clever. I wish I were her. She's so awesome.
14. What's the last thing you bought?
I had to pay an overweight fee because my luggage was too heavy.
15. What did you dream about last night?
I dreamed I was in New York, and I was trying to get past security to get into a talk show to see someone perform (but I don't remember who). Security let me in because of my name, but it was weird. My friends were trying to sneak in, and it's like they had to walk across this glass staircase. It didn't make sense. I went but they didn't even stop me or anything. They just had me sign my name on like a job application. It didn't make sense; it was weird!
16. How much money is in your wallet right now?
I don't know. I don't carry my wallet around. I usually keep it in one of my hidden drawers in my room at my house.
17. What's the best part of being 17?
There are a lot of good things! Being able to hang out with friends and do all the weird stupid things together. People don't usually do that unless they're this age. I love going to random coffee houses that are open late at night.
Another Idol Gets Signed
Just about every "American Idol" fan predicted this would happen.
Back during the competition, judge Randy Jackson said Cook was the one finalist he would sign immediately - and why not? She had a decent voice, and she's, well, blonde hotness.
That makes her the second Cook to sign a deal from last season - winner David Cook being the other - and the third from the group. Murray's own David Archuleta signed with 19 Entertainment/Jive a few weeks ago.
Expect albums from all three probably by the end of the year.
Will Actors Strike?
It's time to hold our collective breaths as the Screen Actors Guild is still negotiating with studios and producers over a new contract as the current contract expires Tuesday at midnight.
While the other actors guild, AFTRA, has inked a deal, SAG is trying to negotiate terms regarding productions for new media like the Internet.
SAG has told its members it's not time to strike and that they can effectively reach an agreement, they just need more time past the contract expiration date.
Here's hoping they work something out. I'm not going to tolerate another season without "24."
"Godfather" Films Restored
For fans of one of the greatest films of all time - according to Britain's Sight & Sound poll - Paramount is giving them an offer they can't refuse.
All three "Godfather" films have been meticulously restored and will be available on September 23 on new DVD and Blu-ray sets.
The first two films in particular have gone through a frame-by-frame process of restoratin. The results should be amazing.
Here's a bit from the press release sent out Monday:
"The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II underwent extensive frame-by-frame examination and restoration utilizing state-of-the-art digital technology in this historic preservation effort, which required more than a year to complete. Robert A. Harris of the Film Preserve supervised the restoration under the direction of Coppola and cinematographer, Gordon Willis. Harris' restoration credits include Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus, Vertigo and Rear Window among others."
Best of all, the set is coming out on high definition Blu-ray for the first time.
Vince Horiuchi loves
to watch television, play video games and make fun of Hollywood
executives - all while keeping an eye on his two daughters. If he
isn't in a self-induced coma from watching too many episodes of
"Hope & Faith," you'll find him at the local cineplex
in a self-induced coma from watching "Bewitched."
Comment Disclaimer
The Salt Lake Tribune does not regulate or approve reader comments on blogs. Commenters should avoid offensive and defamatory language and keep comments on-topic. Users are encouraged to notify The Tribune of comments that do not adhere to these guidelines. E-mail us at webmaster@sltrib.com with the headline of the blog where the comment is posted. Persistent offenders may be blocked from posting.
