Austin360 blogs > TV Blog > Archives > 2007 > July
July 2007
KEYE hires new sports guy
KEYE Channel 42 News is trading in a Baldwin for a Ballou on its sports desk.
Austin’s CBS station has chosen not to renew sports anchor Skip Baldwin’s contract, so he will depart KEYE on Aug. 10. Baldwin, a University of Texas graduate and 2007 Texas Associated Press award winner, came to KEYE in November 2004 from the Fox station in Nashville. He also has covered sports in San Diego, New Orleans, Midland and Waco.
We’ve been calling and e-mailing Baldwin for two days, but so far we have not heard back from him. We’ve seen him on the air, so we know he’s here. We’ll let you know if we talk to him.
“Skip is a wonderful man who has worked very hard, and we very much appreciate everything he’s contributed,” said KEYE news director Suzanne Black, who declined to say why she’s replacing him.
Bob Ballou, sports anchor/reporter for KENS, the Belo-owned CBS station in San Antonio, has been hired as KEYE’s new sports anchor. He joins the station the week of Aug. 13, but his on-air debut date has not yet been determined.
“Bob’s a very energetic guy,” Black said. “He has covered NBA championship teams, but the driving force for why we asked him to come work with us is his love of local sports.”
Originally from Dallas, Ballou is a graduate of the University of Missouri. He interned with WFAA in Dallas and worked in Columbia, Mo., for four years before joining KENS.
In the May local Nielsen ratings, KEYE’s newscast was ranked fourth at 5 p.m. and third at 6 and 10 p.m. The Belo-owned ABC affiliate, KVUE, is No. 1.
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‘Desperate Housewives’ rolls out the welcome wagon
Wisteria Lane will welcome its first gay “Desperate Housewives” when the ABC comedy-drama returns in September.
Creator Marc Cherry let the news slip out accidentally. Not that he’s ashamed of the new neighbors. Cherry is out and proud himself. But he’s just started writing the roles, and casting has not even begun.
ABC had already announced that Dana Delany will join the “Housewives” in the fall, moving into the house previously inhabited by the Applewhites. (She’s not gay.)
Although most of the residents will have no problem with the gay couple, bumbling Susan, played by Teri Hatcher, will try too hard to befriend the guys and wind up offending them at every turn. Cherry says he is basing this relationship on some discomfort he’s had with his own neighbors.
‘Murder’ for fun …
Sooner or later, it had to happen. Spike TV debuts its very own crime-based reality show, “Murder,” tonight at 10.
The “real homicide” has been pulled from police files but, thankfully, has been re-created for the TV show. We won’t be rummaging through actual blood and guts for our amusement.
Two teams of civilians will peruse the crime scene and compete to solve the case.
Detective Tommy LeNoir, a 27-year veteran of the Arlington police force near Dallas, is host of the show. After the teams present their final theories, LeNoir will reveal what actually happened.
LeNoir, who sports a truly unattractive orange toupee, is no stranger to reality TV. He has appeared on “Cold Case Files,” “Arrest & Trial,” “America Undercover” and “The Forensic Files.”
“I’m comfortable in this venue,” LeNoir pronounced grandly at a presentation to TV critics a couple of weeks ago.
And don’t you just KNOW his follow cops in Arlington give him grief over his Hollywood status.
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Reality TV still loves Austin
Reality television’s fascination with Austin continues …
When the new season of MTV’s “Real World: Sydney” debuts on Aug. 8, 20-year-old Austinite KellyAnne will be among the participants.
According to the skimpy info provided on the show’s Web site, KellyAnne is a self-described “tease” who likes to party and be the center of attention.
Doesn’t that description apply to practically all of the female participants of “Real World,” past and present?
On a more serious note, the University of Texas McCombs School of Business is one of eight major university business schools to compete in CNBC’s new game show “Fast Money MBA Challenge,” which debuts this week, Wednesday at 8 p.m.
The other participating biz schools are Columbia, Yale, Dartmouth, MIT, NYU, UCLA and the University of Chicago.
The contest will feature 32 current MBA students, grouped in school teams, competing head-to-head in categories testing their financial expertise to accumulate money in a virtual investment portfolio.
The champion team will receive $200,000 — which will be divided among the four members and must be used for tuition, loan repayment or other school-related expenses. The final game is scheduled for Aug. 22.
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Austin cop a ‘Superhero?’ Michael found on ‘Lost?’
When the second season of the Sci-Fi Channel’s “Who Wants To Be a Superhero?” debuts tonight at 8 p.m., don’t forget to root for Austin police detective Jarrett Crippen.
The 38-year-old Crippen will present himself as The Defuser in the Stan Lee-produced series.
“Superhero” challenges 10 finalists to create their own super-powered characters, and Crippen’s Defuser is described as an elite combat-trained athlete who is an expert at gadgetry and “nonlethal weaponry.” He has super-speed, strength, agility, hearing and eyesight — including night vision.
The winner gets to have his or her original super-hero immortalized in a Stan Lee comic book.
Fox 7 on the road
KTBC’s Fox 7 News is on the road again for the fourth season of “Hometown Fridays,” featuring live and taped segments from communities around Central Texas.
The segments — featured in the morning, noon, 5 and 9 p.m. newscasts — began last week in Taylor, with a visit to the rodeo. This Friday, the focus shifts to Williamson County.
The communities are chosen through nominations sent to the station’s Web site (www.myfoxaustin.com) by local residents.
Will ‘Lost’ be found?
After floating away from “Lost,” Michael Dawson, the tortured father played by Harold Perrineau, will return when the show begins its new season. No word on whether son Walt will be with him.
Michael and Walt (Malcolm David Kelley) were missing all last season, although the noticeably more grown up Walt did appear in a dream or a vision to Locke. Michael, you might recall, made a treacherous deal with The Others to save his son at the end of the show’s sophomore season.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that Michael will join the survivors he betrayed. He could be participating in flashbacks or flash-forwards. You never know with “Lost.”
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‘Singing Bee’ lifts NBC, blonde trio still sinking
NBC dragged its once proud Peacock feathers into fourth place at the end of last season — behind CBS, ABC and Fox.
In the most recent Nielsen ratings, however (July 16 through July 22), NBC was No. 1.
Is NBC’s long slump finally over? I wouldn’t start popping champagne corks if I were them. The top-rated show for the week was “The Singing Bee,” NBC’s new reality show in which contestants are rewarded for remembering lyrics rather than for actually being able to sing well. It’s also the show that boasts the sexy, dancing Honey Bees, a desperate concept that is bound to wear thin soon.
The second-rated show for the week was also NBC’s — “America’s Got Talent,” which showcases jugglers, dancers, singers and all manner of acts that can only loosely be defined as “talent.” Probably the biggest draw for the show is judge David Hasselhoff, who could show up drunk at any time and spark an explosion.
Also boosting NBC last week were reruns of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Dateline NBC.” The latter, which has become a parody on “Saturday Night Live,” has been chasing child predators again this summer. Seems to be a very popular sport, but host/reporter Chris Hansen must be having trouble keeping a straight face with these guys by now.
Sinking celebutants
Aside from the danger they pose on public roads and highways, I don’t care how drunk or high certain Hollywood celebs become.
If Lindsay Lohan wants to ruin her promising acting career, that’s her business. Her parents should be ashamed that she has to scream this loudly for attention, but beyond that, I don’t particularly care.
Britney Spears was a flash in the pan from the start, and now she’s just a sad exhibitionist who probably needs to have her children placed with safer relatives. Paris Hilton? Boy, I can’t even work up a shrug for her. More money than sense, as my granny used to say.
I might not care, but all the TV entertainment tabloids are hysterical about the blonde trio of bad girls. It’s not as all-consuming as the Anna Nicole Smith fiasco, but it’s possible that “Entertainment Tonight,” “Inside Edition” and “Extra!” would go off the air without the nightly “exclusives” on the bad-ettes.
Do you care? If so, please tell me why … seriously.
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TV junkie wins blog contest; Glenn Cose stars in ‘Damages’
Susan Oakland, a self-described “TV junkie” from Houston has won our Holloway in Hollywood TV blog contest and is thus the proud recipient of a $300 Visa gift card.
The contest, which ran on Austin360.com during my recent stint chasing stars and TV execs in Los Angeles for the fall TV season, was open to anyone in Texas.
Oakland works in public relations in Houston and says her favorite shows are reality programs such as “Survivor,” “Big Brother” and “Amazing Race,” as well as newsmagazines such as “60 Minutes,” biographies and documentaries.
“I have a client whose business will be expanding to Austin soon, so I’ve been visiting the newspaper’s Web site to become more familiar with the area,” Oakland told me by e-mail. “In doing so, I discovered your blog and the contest.”
Congratulations, Susan, and thanks to everyone else who entered. Maybe next year you’ll be the lucky one.
Another good show comes to FX
FX, the little cable network originally created for Fox reruns and second-rate sci-fi stuff, has become home to some of the best shows on TV — “Rescue Me,” “Nip/Tuck,” “The Riches” and “The Shield,” to name a few.
Tonight (at 9 p.m.) a legal-murder-mystery-thriller joins the fray. Glenn Close stars as a tough-as-nails attorney in “Damages,” which begins and ends with a compelling twist that guarantees that we’ll come back for more next week.
Time-shifting between six months in the past and the present, the show hones in on Patty Hewes (Close), a brilliant but slightly sinister litigator as she pursues a corporate bad guy (Ted Danson) and mentors a young attorney (Rose Byrne) who joins her powerful firm.
The pilot hints at a series that should be rife with mystery, corruption and sin … just the right combo for a juicy summer series.
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TV Critics Awards, Holly Hunter’s ‘Saving Grace’
“Friday Night Lights” may have been semi-snubbed by the Emmy nominations, but the Television Critics Association bestowed its Best New Program Award on the Austin-filmed drama Saturday night in Beverly Hills.
“The Sopranos” won two awards for its final season on HBO: best drama and the Heritage Award, which honors shows that have had a “lasting impact on popular culture.”
NBC’s “Heroes” won the TCA’s top award, program of the year.
The Discovery Channel was a double winner for its gloriously filmed documentary series “Planet Earth” — for news and information programming and for movie, miniseries or special.
Here is the complete list of recipients of the 23rd Annual Television Critics Awards:
Program of the year: “Heroes” (NBC)
Outstanding drama: “The Sopranos” (HBO)
Outstanding comedy: “The Office” (NBC)
Outstanding new program: “Friday Night Lights” (NBC)
Individual achievement in drama: Michael C. Hall, “Dexter” (Showtime)
Individual achievement in comedy: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock” (NBC)
Outstanding children’s programming: “Kyle XY” (ABC Family)
Outstanding news & information: “Planet Earth” (Discovery)
Outstanding movies, miniseries or special: “Planet Earth” (Discovery)
Career achievement: Mary Tyler Moore
Heritage award: “The Sopranos” (HBO)
Holly Hunter: Devil or Angel?
Fans of “Touched by an Angel” and “7th Heaven” might not be quite so enamored by TNT’s new redemption-minded drama “Saving Grace,” which debuts at 9 tonight.
In fact, some may find it offensive. In the opening scene, we see Oscar-winning star Holly Hunter, who plays the heavy-drinking, lustier-than-thou Oklahoma City cop Grace, stripped down and grunting away in a hot sex scene.
Throughout the hour, Our Gal Grace chain-smokes, cusses up a storm and indulges in a multitude of animal instincts en route to what we are led to believe will be her eventual salvation.
After a night of excessive boozing, Grace is barreling down a dark road when she swerves and squashes a man on foot. Frantic, she screams to God for help. His response? Earl (Leon Rippy, “Deadwood”), a wheezy, tobacco-spitting angel with enormous wings. As if to prove his point, he whisks her off to the Grand Canyon, which she pronounces, “Amazin’ … better than sex.”
Grace’s dark and tragic life stems in part from the loss of her sister in the Oklahoma City bombing. She’s an interesting character played with raw abandon by Hunter, but there’s something oddly contrived about her sharp edges. Angel Earl is an amusing guy whose assignment is to make Grace more palatable to God and to viewers. Miracles do happen, but this show is a stretch.
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Double whammy of Drew Carey coming
Drew Carey — rotund, bespectacled and grinning — just might be the perfect game show host. He’s smart, he’s quick-witted and doesn’t abuse or talk down to either viewers or contestants.
Carey’s perfect, assuming we have to have another game show.
In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re awash in game shows right now. At least a half-dozen of the loud, bells-and-whistle, big-cash giveaway shows are sprinkled throughout the broadcast networks’primetime schedules.
Carey’s “Power of 10” arrives next month on CBS primetime, asking contestants how they think the majority of Americans answered various questions, from the silly (how many people don’t wear underwear) to the serious. Some of you might be surprised to learn that 69 percent of Americans say they would call the cops if they saw a Mexican crossing the border illegally.
Every time a contestant’s answer comes close to the results of the opinion poll, the prize money is multiplied quickly (by 10) toward the eventual top haul of $10 million. “That’s serious bill-paying money,” as Carey says.
“I never wanted to be on TV again,” said the laid-back Carey, whose sitcom “The Drew Carey Show” was a major hit on ABC for years, and his improv comedy “Whose Line Is It Anyway” got modest ratings as well. “I was sick of seeing myself on TV, and I have plenty of money. But I was intrigued by the questions on this show, and it isn’t really work. I get to hang out with people I like for a couple of days a week and give away millions of dollars — and it’s not even my money!”
Carey freely admits he made a bundle on syndication of his sitcom.
“Unlike Victoria Beckham, I answer my own door,” he quipped before bursting into that trademark, high-pitched cackle.
“I was having such a good time not being on TV,” Carey said. “I had all the benefits of being on TV - people still liked and recognized me. My shoulders felt a little lighter and I slept better. I thought, wow, this is great! I don’t want to ever be on TV again.”
He was perfectly happy hanging out with his buddies in L.A., visiting friends and family in his beloved hometown of Cleveland, doing standup tours when he felt like it and becoming completely obsessed with major league soccer. He has season tickets to the L.A. Galaxy.
But then all these TV execs started offering him fun things to do that won’t take up much of his time and will let him hang out with the American TV audience again.
And it’s likely that we’ll soon get a double dose of Carey. CBS is in serious negotiations with him to step into the legendary shoes of Bob Barker on “The Price Is Right.” Although that might sound like he’s about to take on a bigger load than he likes (which wouldn’t fit into his “no fun, no work” motto), the daytime gig would still only be half-days for a couple days a week. And Carey is a huge fan of the show.
“That show needs to be treated with a lot of respect,” Carey said in one of his rare serious moments. “I think I would be good at it. Again, it’s easy to do, not really work and really just time out of my day spent giving away prizes. As long as Bob Barker is happy about me, I think fans will be happy.”
A deal is expected to be announced soon.
Little things mean a lot
CBS might have come up with a way to appease angry viewers who are sick of NFL football running all over their favorite primetime shows on Sunday nights.
A new tech service called CBS Eye-lert will notify you by cell phone or e-mail of possible delays on NFL Sundays and then follow up with an approximate new starting time for your program. The network also is working with TiVo to alert viewers’ recording devices to the delays.
You can sign up for Eye-lert on CBS.com.
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‘Friday Night’ set visit: photos and video
The video of today’s visit to the “Friday Night Lights” set is posted. Cast members say hi to the fans in Austin.
And here are a few photos of cast members and crew I shot on the first day of shooting Season Two of “Friday Night Lights” and a video greeting from cast members Taylor Kitsch, Adrianne Palicki, Gaius Charles and Zach Gilford.
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‘Friday Night Lights’ cast returns for shooting
It was like the first day back to school for the returning cast of “Friday Night Lights,” which began shootings its second season for NBC on Thursday.
Probably compounding that feeling: they were shooting at an Austin alternative school.
Thought the show only earned two Emmy nominations when they were announced that morning (one for casting, one to Peter Berg for directing last season’s pilot), spirits seemed high on the set. Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins), returning from shooting an independent film called “Gospell Hill,” said he was glad to be back and was happy to slip back into Riggins’ world of problems.
“It feels funny. It feels good,” Kitsch said, “we are so lucky.”
Kitsch recently bought a condo in South Austin near the Alamo Drafthouse on Lamar Boulevard and is taking the show script by script. Kitsch said he wasn’t bitter about the show’s Best Drama snub, but, “Truthfully, Kyle Chandler really deserved it. He’s the spine of the show.” Kitsch thinks it’ll give the show more fuel for the fire and, “it hasn’t taken away from the confidence we all have in each other at all.”
Adrianne Palicki (Tyra Collette), who spent time back home in Ohio and in L.A. with Connie Britton for the summer, says a lot of loose ends from last season get tied up in the first two episodes of Season Two, including the return of a character who tried to rape Tyra near the end of last season.
She says she’s still getting lots of positive feedback from fans, especially those who appreciate the show’s strong female characters.
Gaius Charles (Brian “Smash” Williams) spent time in L.A., New York and the Caribbean in the summer and shot an episode of “Law & Order: SVU.” He spent the rest of his time off relaxing. “This is an intense job,” he said.
So what about Smash? The actor said that after last season’s championship win, the player’s on top of the world. “Imagine LeBron James in his senior year of high school. He’s exalted like never before,” Charles said. One of the first scenes of the season involves a college recruiter knocking on his door.
Gaius Charles said he enjoyed this year’s Television Critics Association tour, especially in contrast to last year. He says the show once fought to establish credibility, and now it’s getting “respect and reverence” from critics and supporters.
And Zach Gilford (Matt Saracen) returns to town with his dog Pippen (napping in his trailer during shooting) after spending time in his hometown Chicago and in L.A., Alaska and Seattle among other places. Gilford laughed as he explained some recent photos that had circulated from the press tour showing him shaggy of beard and wild of hair.
He was taking some high school kids into the mountains in British Columbia as he has the last five years and wasn’t sure what his start date would be for shooting. He let his hair grow for the whole summer and when he was told he’d have to clean up for the press tour, he decided to show some chutzpah and keep it. Fans will be glad to know, however, that he was clean-shaven and buzz-cut by call time. Whew. We were worried, dude.
You may catch him at Z’Tejas, which he plans to hit up immediately for some tasty food.
He says the first scene he shot for the second season took some adjusting to. “We were a little rusty and we all felt it,” he said. He was excited to begin shooting some scenes at his fictional house in the afternoon. He promises Matt will be beset by troubles as always, which is good for the character. As for the always modest and charming Gilford, “I’m just glad to be here,” he said.
Bonus: We’ve got video greetings to fans from the four “FNL” cast members mentioned in this entry. Click here to watch.
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‘Jericho’ nuts alert!
OK, all you nuts out there. You can stop hounding me about “Jericho.” I went to the press conference, and now I’m going to tell you what happened.
(Note to non-nuts: The fans who bombarded CBS with packages of nuts in the successful effort to bring back the canceled serial drama “Jericho” have sent me more than 50 e-mails since I’ve been here, telling me to attend the session.)
When the nuclear disaster saga returns at midseason for a seven-episode run, the cliffhanger from the end of Season 1 will be resolved with a “big payoff,” according to executive producer Carol Barbee. The opener for Season 2 will help people learn about the “new world” forming since the attack and since the battle between the towns of Jericho and New Bern.
For anyone holding out hope that Gerald McRaney’s character Johnston Green didn’t really die, I’ve got bad news. He’s dead. Seriously.
“Jericho is a town where people need to be able to die,” Barbee said. “It’s a dangerous place.”
Barbee said Johnston’s death was planned from the get-go to enable prodigal son Jake, played by Skeet Ulrich, to return and take his father’s place as leader of the community. McRaney knew he would croak in the finale and was OK with it. If “Jericho” catches on with its reprieve, there’s a possibility that Johnston/Gerald could return in flashbacks.
“We’d love to have Gerald come back,” Barbee said. “But there’s nothing planned for this season.”
Although cast and crew had heard rumblings about an Internet campaign to save “Jericho,” nobody really thought it would succeed. CBS offered no wiggle room when the show was axed in May.
“It sounded pretty definitive to me - You’re fired,” Ulrich said.
The thousands of calls, letters and e-mails and thousands of pounds of nuts surprised everybody. Three weeks later, CBS changed its mind.
“I don’t think any of us were aware that fan support could affect the decision-making process of a network,” said Ulrich, who broke the good news to several cast.
“The passion of the campaign was humbling,” said Lennie James, who plays Robert Hawkins. “It reminded us who we make it for and that it really matters to them.”
The DVD of the first season comes out Oct. 2, so nuts take note.
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‘Friday Night Lights’ shut out of major Emmy nominations
“Friday Night Lights” was shut out of the major categories in this year’s Emmy nominations. The Austin-filmed NBC drama series, which received lavish praise but low ratings in its freshman season, picked up a directing nod for creator Peter Berg’s helming of the pilot and a nomination for casting. That’s it.
The nominations were announced by Kyra Sedgwick and Jon Cryer this morning at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in Los Angeles.
Although it’s nice to be recognized at all, those two pats on the back were small potatoes considering what should have been: best drama series, best lead drama actor for Kyle Chandler and best lead drama actress for Connie Britton. Those were the major categories many critics and certainly a lot of industry insiders thought were more than a little possible for the brilliant saga about small-town life in fictional Dillon, Texas.
“It’s not disappointment. I’m just a realist,” said executive producer and Austinite Sarah Aubrey. “We’re very proud and happy for Peter and our casting crew. Peter brought his strong directorial vision to TV. And the casting is one of the reasons we’ve been successful, so it’s really appropriate to recognize them. The truth is, when you see who got nominated, especially in the drama categories, it’s really an uphill battle. ‘Heroes’ was the new show that got nominated, and it’s very deserving. It’s a crowded field, and there are a lot of quality dramas. Besides, I wouldn’t know what we’d do if we weren’t the underdog. We’d probably lose our mo-jo.”
What shows beat out “Lights” for the coveted best drama nominations? “The Sopranos,” in its swan-song season; the deserving “Boston Legal,”which could just as easily have been submitted as a comedy; “Grey’s Anatomy” in its exceedingly whiny season; the flashy new “Heroes”; and “House,” about television’s grumpiest doctor.
Who beat out Connie Britton, whose tough but tender-hearted portrayal of Coach Taylor’s wife Tami seemed like a shoo-in? Patricia Arquette (oh, please!) from “Medium”; Edie Falco (expected) from “The Sopranos”; the deserving Kyra Sedgwick from “The Closer”; previous winner Mariska Hargitay of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”; Sally Field, in the brand new “Brothers & Sisters”; and Minnie Driver of FX’s newcomer “The Riches.”
And who was deemed more worthy than Kyle Chandler for best actor in a drama? James Spader of “Boston Legal,” Hugh Laurie of “House,” Denis Leary (long overdue) of “Rescue Me,” James Gandolfini (natch) of “The Sopranos” and Kiefer Sutherland of “24.”
The good news — and there is a little — is that “Ugly Betty” and star America Ferrera both received nominations in the comedy categories. Other shows on the list were “Entourage,” “The Office,” “30 Rock”and “Two and a Half Men.”
Besides Ferrera, comedy actress nominees were Tiny Fey of “30 Rock,” Felicity Huffman of “Desperate Housewives,” Julia Louis-Dreyfus of “The New Adventures of Old Christine” and Mary Louise Parker of “Weeds.”
Cited for comedy actor were Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”), Steve Carell (“The Office”), Ricky Gervais (“Extras”), Tony Shalhoub (“Monk”) and Charlie Sheen (“Two and a Half Men”).
As it has several times in recent years, HBO picked up the most nominations of any network (86). ABC was second with 70, NBC had 69, CBS had 44 and Fox had 28. The HBO movie “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” topped the individual nominations, with 17. “The Sopranos” was the most-honored series with 15 nominations.
Known for less-than-adventurous voting, the Academy proudly notes that 60 percent of this year’s nominations were bestowed on new faces and new shows.
The 59th Primetime Emmy Awards will be handed out Sept. 16 on Fox. For a complete list of Emmy nominees, click here.
And expect to see the “Lights” folks back in Austin and surrounding areas today, when filming resumes for the second season.
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Jimmy Smits brings Latino drama to CBS, Mandy Patinkin disappears
Jimmy Smits is pure gold on TV, from “L.A. Law” to “NYPD Blue” to “The West Wing.” He tends to choose wisely and do extremely well.
On CBS’s new drama “Cane,” he plays a member of a wealthy Cuban-American family in South Florida. A devoted family man and astute business mogul, his character also has a mean streak that would do Tony Soprano proud. No spoilers here, but trust me.
Think “Dallas” meets “The Sopranos”with a Latino flair.
The distinguished cast includes Hector Elizondo, Rita Moreno, Nestor Carbonell and a half-dozen newcomers. In addition to starring in “Cane,” Smits (whose parents came from Puerto Rico and Surinam) also is one of the show’s executive producers.
Aside from NBC’s acclaimed but short-lived “Kingpin,” about warring Mexican and Mexican-American drug cartels, Latino dramas on mainstream U.S. television have been hard to come by.
“We hope we can open up the box a bit about what’s on network television,” Smits said at a CBS press conference today.
Although Smits was cast first and has been involved in developing the series, he says he’s been “a church mouse” in writers’ meetings and prefers not to think of himself as the star.
“I function best in an ensemble,” he said. “I think it has to do with my background in theater. We have this beautiful wheel, and we’re all very important spokes.”
Don’t count on Smits fading into the background, though. If “Cane” is going to succeed, he will need to stay front and center. The guy is a viewer magnet.
More from CBS …
On “CSI: Miami” this fall, Horatio will learn he has a son - not a baby but a child born years ago. He’ll probably yank his designer shades off and mutter, “What have we got here?”
CBS entertainment president Nancy Tassler dribbled that little “CSI” tidbit to the horde of TV critics today.
She also said young Jake, the half-man portion of the sitcom “Two and a Half Men,” will enter high school this fall. Do you care? Are you breathless?
What we really wanted to know about was Mandy Patinkin’s sudden departure from “Criminal Minds.” Out of the blue, as he did years ago on “Chicago Hope,” Patinkin has decided to quit the show. Poof!
“He asked to be released, and we were able to accommodate that,” Tassler said. “It’s a personal issue.”
Which is not how Patinkin’s “people” described it in various trade reports. “Creative differences” was the term used.
“Creative differences is a euphemism for personal issues,” Tassler said, unable to contain a smile. “I wish I could say more, but I just don’t believe this is the proper forum. I hope Mandy will be able to answer those questions himself very soon.”
Whatever. Tassler had even less to say about reports that star Mark Harmon has successfully ousted Don Bellisario, the creator/producer of “NCIS.”
“A star having issues with a producer is nothing new,” she said, again with that odd smile. True, but wouldn’t it be fun to know what those “issues” are? Personal? Creative? Physical violence?
Tassler did confirm that CBS is talking with Drew Carey about the possibility of replacing Bob Barker on “The Price Is Right.” I’m trying to care but not succeeding …
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NBC, ‘Lights’ gang party on a Beverly Hills heliport
You forget just how skinny and busty the women in Hollywood are until times like these. And how unnaturally tan and white-toothed the men and the women are. It’s a miracle more people aren’t poisoned by dental bleach out here.
I mention this because NBC’s all-star party last night, high atop the Beverly Hilton Hotel, drew a hugely thin, busty, tan, white-toothed crowd. The shindig was held on the hotel’s heliport, which had been transformed into a lavish open-air cocktail bar and buffet.
Celebrating the premiere success of “The Singing Bee” (a reality show that rates remembering lyrics over vocal pipes), the Peacock’s entertainment for the evening featured “Bee” host Joey Fatone conducting a mini-contest with a couple of critics (not me) and a couple of new-show stars. Deeply embarrassing. Dancing wildly in the background were the scantily clad Honey Bees in teensy black-and-yellow bras and matching micro-minis. I was alternately amused and terrified. What if a helicopter with Paris Hilton on board had wanted to land? The pilot could have been felled by hysterical blindness from this bizarre sight.
What can you say about a party with a red carpet, jostling paparazzi and a star roster that included David Hasselhoff (not drinking, as far as we could tell), Bob Costas, John Madden, John Stamos and hordes of actors from various NBC comedies and dramas — especially “Heroes” and the blissfully normal looking folks from “Lights?” What can you say? Plenty.
Our hometown “Lights” folks send regards and say they can’t wait to come back to Austin and start filming the second season Thursday. These folks, though extraordinarily pretty and smart, just look and act like real people. Maybe it’s the Central Texas air …
Connie Britton on the nurturing, sexy and staunchly independent Tami Taylor:
“There’s something about Southern women. They’re strong and feisty but with a sense of humor. In the beginning, we weren’t sure where the character would go, but I think having her become a high-school guidance counselor helped.”
Britton on what might be the best marriage portrayal on television:
“Kyle and I agreed we wanted to be real partners in that marriage. … He’s a really wonderful husband — I mean to his wife, in real life. It’s not rocket science what we do. We just really clicked. We make each other laugh.”
Britton on the possibility of an Emmy:
“That’s the most horrifying thought. I’ll be in Austin on Thursday. Hopefully I’ll be asleep when they’re announced. It would certainly be great for the show. If we get one, that’s cool.”
Zach Gilford, who plays quarterback Matt Saracen, on the show’s small but ardent band of followers:
“People are either obsessed with the show or say they haven’t seen it but heard it’s really good.” In the Seattle airport, a man from Zimbabwe came up to him and lavished praise.
Minka Kelly (Lyla Garrity, who cheated on her paralyzed boyfriend with his best friend), on reactions she gets:
“I knew I was not going to be the favorite character when I saw the first few scripts. I’ve had a lot of fingers pointed in my face. Lyla doesn’t fit the cheerleader stereotype.”
Scott Porter (Jason Street, paralyzed former quarterback of the Dillon Panthers) on living in our fair city:
“Filming in Austin allows us to bring more reality to our characters. We’ve invested ourselves in the community of Austin and the state of Texas. We love it there.”
Kyle Chandler (Coach Eric Taylor) on Emmys and good ol’ Buddy Garrity:
“I think about the Emmys but only because people keep asking about them. This is far different from anything I’ve done.” Chandler says hanging out with Dallasite Brad Leland, who plays Buddy Garrity, helped him “get Texan.” The two play golf together.
CBS takes over next … gotta go track down Jimmy Smits, who has a new show in the fall. Poor me.
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And even more ‘Friday Night Lights’ news
This time from TV Guide.com’s Michael Ausiello, who’s reporting that Rosie O’Donnell might appear in an episode this fall as an angry soccer coach.
(Warning: mild spoilers ahead)
“Rosie’s a big fan of Friday Night Lights, as we know from The View, and we heard she was interested in being on the show,” executive producer Jason Katims tells Ausiello. “And, usually, we don’t do any stunt casting, but we have a character coming up - six or seven episodes into the new season - of a female soccer coach who is really angry about all of the school’s resources going to football. It’s a really funny character and I think she’d be perfect for it.
“There’s a scene where she comes in to see Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) and slams a dead soccer ball on his desk and basically says, ‘You’re the guy who gets everything!’ It’s a really fun scene, and it’s the one time I’m thinking of stunt casting.”
Katims, who will formally approach O’Donnell in the coming weeks, says he’s willing to tailor the part to fit her wants/needs.
Friday Night Lights would no doubt benefit as well. An appearance by the headline-magnet could give the ratings-challenged drama just the shot in the arm it needs, writes Ausiello.
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“Friday Night Lights” — new season hints
The second season of “Friday Night Lights” arrives Oct. 5 with Coach Taylor racing home to Dillon from his new job coaching college football in Austin to be with his wife, Tami, as she gives birth to their new offspring.
In the next few episodes, the Taylors, played by Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, will wonder whether they’ve made the biggest mistakes of their lives living apart and, if so, what they can and should do about it.
Other developments coming to the NBC series based on the H.G. “Buzz” Bissinger book and Peter Berg movie about high-school football in small-town Texas: Tyra and Landry will become “more intimate,” according to producer Jason Katims; one of the teens will “find God”; and paralyzed former quarterback Jason will regain movement in one hand and new hope, perhaps misplaced, for his future.
The story line, TV critics were told at a Los Angeles news conference Tuesday, jumps eight months into the future, and everyone connected with this acclaimed, Austin-based TV series is pulling for a brighter tomorrow.
With the Emmy nominations coming Thursday — the same day most of the principal cast returns to Austin for filming — the prospect for more awards (to join the show’s prestigious Peabody) seems likely.
“I’m the most superstitious person in the world,” said Austin-born executive producer Sarah Aubrey. “Talking about it seems profoundly jinxing. But of course I hope it happens. I want it for the show, to raise its profile and maybe get more viewers to come.”
Smart money is on Chandler and Britton to earn best acting nods and maybe a best-drama nomination for the show.
NBC renewed “Lights” for a full 22-episode season in spite of lackluster ratings, but the road remains bumpy. After running a couple of repeats on Sunday nights this summer, the network pulled them. But a release of the first season on DVD in August could spark interest.
The network is gearing up for the show’s move to Friday nights, a time usually reserved for losers. But NBC plans a heavy promotion in the fall, and the show’s creative team is hopeful that the move could actually help.
“The idea that a show called ‘Friday Night Lights’ was on a night other than Friday was a challenge, too, so we’ll see,” Katims said.
NBC plans to highlight the family and relationship aspect of the show, but promises have been made that “Lights” will not lose its small-town luster — or its football.
“Our Texas location is one of the biggest characters in the program,” Kyle Chandler said. “It’s a huge benefit for us to be there.”
And although the Taylors will be separated at the start of the season, their bond will not be broken.
“I like the obstacles they have,” Chandler said. “They can’t get any closer, and that’s a great relationship to play.”
The younger cast members are excited about returning to Austin. Several of them never left. The whole group is expected to attend NBC’s all-star party later Tuesday, so we’ll serve up more “Lights” in Wednesday’s TV blog.
And stay tuned for Thursday’s Emmy nominations — announced here at 5 a.m.!
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NBC’s Thursday comedies: Best ever?
Thus NBC, which ended last season in fourth place, has flung open its doors and made just about everybody who has a show on its air available for interview. There’s a big party tonight on top of the Beverly Hilton that could be so star-heavy it collapses onto Wilshire Boulevard.
Monday afternoon representatives of each of the network’s Thursday night comedies marched onto the stage to toss out one-liners (virtually none of which can be reported, not even in a blog!) and answer questions about what might be the best Thursday lineup NBC has ever had. Even in the heyday of “Friends,” “Cheers” and “Seinfeld,” there was always one dud in the mix.
Today’s must-see comedies on NBC are the heavily praised but modestly rated “My Name Is Earl,” “The Office,” “30 Rock” and “Scrubs.” Not a dud in the bunch.
“Scrubs” is entering its seventh and final season after enduring a long run during which its future was always in doubt.
“This is the year ‘Scrubs’ becomes a major hit … We’re really going to roll out the big stuff in our seventh season,” “Scrubs” executive producer Bill Lawrence dead-panned, prompting Zach Braff to laugh so hard he blew his lapel mic off his jacket.
Braff, who has a burgeoning movie career as an actor, writer and director, eventually managed to turn serious: “There is something invigorating about knowing you’re going into your last 18 episodes. We’re going to go out with a bang.”
“The Office” might be the hottest low-rated sitcom on TV, thanks to its popular DVR and webisode viewings. Plus, Steve Carell has morphed into an unlikely movie star with “The 40 Year Old Virgin” “Evan Almighty.” In fact, he’s off filming a movie right now, so the topic turned to the always-intriguing Jim-and-Pam romance. Some have complained that promotions have teased to way more than the writers have delivered. Creator Greg Daniels and star John Krasinski agree: “It’s always been the B-plot, and maybe it was promoted a little too romantically at times.”
Understandable, of course, since writers and co-stars sometimes have no idea where Carell is going with his improvisations.
Freshman semi-hit “30 Rock” grew into a much better and better-rated show after a lackluster pilot. Creator-star Tina Fey slowly let supporting cast such as Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan shine, and she plans to avoid tossing so many story lines into each episode.
“We learned about the tone of the show, so I think maybe we’ll try to do a little less and let things just breathe a bit,” Fey said.
And “Earl?” He wound up in prison at the end of last season, and he’s going to stay there a while, according to creator Greg Garcia. Earl will continue to tick his way through his karma list, but the stories will have more flexibility.
“Earl has a past where he knows a lot of people in prison,” Garcia said. “Some of them are even on his list, so we’ve got plenty of room. And we’ll have flashbacks.”
How long will Earl be in the slammer and when will he get out — maybe during the sweeps?
“I do know, but I can’t really say what’s going to happen,” teased star Jason Lee, sporting a full summer beard in addition to Earl’s trademark moustache. “But I will tell you he enjoys some of it.”
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Peacock execs plug ‘Friday Night Lights,’ etc.
A few notes from NBC’s Monday morning executive press conference starring entertainment co-chairmen Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff:
“Friday Night Lights,” Austin-based and Austin-filmed, was renewed because execs love the show but also because it is “produced efficiently,” meaning it’s relatively cheap compared with the $3 million-per-episode shows like “Heroes.”
Although “Lights” will return in the traditionally dead Friday lineup (and when high-school football fans will be out watching the real thing), NBC believes it will improve in the ratings because it will be sandwiched between the wildly popular “Deal or No Deal” at 7 and “Las Vegas” (with new cast member Tom Selleck) at 9 p.m. Hope they’re right.
Before it’s September season debut, “Lights” will be heavily promoted as a “family drama.” Teens and sports fans are welcome, but NBC hopes to bring in moms and other women with the new ad campaign.
NBC has hired Isaiah Washington, fired from “Grey’s Anatomy” for alleged homophobia and other behavior problems, to play a new character, created just for him, on “The Bionic Woman.” In lamely attempting to address the “Grey’s” controversy and whether it might spill over onto “Bionic Woman,” Silverman simply said several times that Washington is “a wonderful actor.”
Donald Trump and “The Apprentice” will return with a new celebrity version next season. Ick. Proceeds will be donated to charity. Fine. At the top of the dream list for celeb participants is Rosie O’Donnell, with whom The Donald has had a nasty, ongoing war of words.
Alec Baldwin will return to “30 Rock” despite saying he would not after that awful phone recording was released in which he called his daughter a bunch of nasty names. Oh, and Jerry Seinfeld will make a guest appearance on the season opener of “30 Rock” — playing himself, of course.
Rumors to the contrary, NBC insists Jay Leno will turn over “The Tonight Show” to Conan O’Brien in 2009. But the execs say they want Leno to stay on NBC, and they hinted that they might give him a prime-time series to keep him.
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Tim Gunn’s dream of “style epiphany”
Tim Gunn, in his usual professorial demeanor and sartorial splendor, told TV critics slumped in a Sunday afternoon press conference, that the biggest style no-no in America is ill-fitting clothes. Too big, too tight, too short, too long.
The famous “Project Runway”gent was dressed very precisely in a fine-fitting black suit and white shirt. His White hair was perfectly coiffed, pancake makeup oh-so-subtle.
“People should try things on, look in the mirror and assess honestly — does that fit me?” he said, allowing his gaze to slowly pan the room.
Print reporters are notoriously un-stylish, so this was an uncomfortable moment to say the least. And it doesn’t help that Gunn takes himself very seriously. He’s not what you’d call cuddly, if you get my drift.
Gunn, who insists he is critical but never “crushing,” will host a new makeover show on Bravo called “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style,” beginning Sept. 6. The makeover victims will have to agree contractually to look deep within themselves and find fashion style amid the clutter and psychological damage of their personal lives. This will, he states with a slight frown, not be easy.
“A lot of emotion bubbles up in the course of the show,” Gunn said with a quick tug on his French cuff. “I am a truth teller, but I’m thoughtful and respectful. I really believe in the right of people to choose — and that we’re not all the same.”
Working with his “fashion accomplice” Veronica Webb, a former model, Gunn will swoop into his subject’s closets and toss the bad stuff, try to retrieve a few workable pieces and then head to the stores. He’ll take the wealthy women to high-end stores, the not-so-rich to places like Target. His discerning eye will help transforms these ducks into unbelievably stylish swans.
“The goal is for our subjects to have a fashion epiphany,” Gunn said perhaps a bit too grandly. This is, after all, the umpteenth fashion makeover show we’ve seen.
Gunn, who has covered fashion red-carpet arrivals at glittery awards shows for “Today,” said he would love to get his makeover claws into Meryl Streep. Her Oscar appearances have ranged from frumpy to foolish. She looks fabulous in movies but needs work in her personal fashion life.
“I adore Meryl Streep,” Gunn said. “She’s incredibly talented and intelligent, but the message she sends with the way she dresses is ‘I’m too smart to care about this,’ “Gunn said. “I’d like to help her.
As for his own personal fashion evolution, Gunn said he was a “a big nerd” growing up in Washington, D.C. At some point in his teens he turned preppy, but it took him many more years of introspection and to come up with his current, highly GQ appearance. … maybe there’s still hope for the rest of us.
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Star Jones, is that you?
If you thought Star Jones was slim when she was dumped by “The View,” you should see her now. The woman is positively twig-like! Seriously. Her arms are the size of an empty paper towel roll.
Reinventions and makeovers are everybody’s favorite pastime in Hollywood, but Jones has morphed herself into an entirely different person for her new Court TV talk show that debuts Aug. 20. The daytime program, appropriately titled “Star Jones,” sounds a lot like “The View” except that only one person will be popping off opinions and grilling guests.
Jones, you may recall, departed “The View” more than a year ago over her feud with Rosie O’Donnell. Rosie, who has battled the bulge her whole life, pooh-poohed Star’s claim that she lost a ton of weight through diet and exercise. Star later conceded that she might have had a bit of gastric bypass surgery to speed things along, but she didn’t think that was anybody’s business.
When asked about her latest metamorphosis, Jones raised a ruckus in the grumpy Sunday morning crowd when she coyly refused to answer.
“I’ve completely changed, and I will address those questions in a more appropriate format in the coming weeks,” she said.
What format is more appropriate than a press conference? After a bit of badgering, Jones said she has written an article that will appear in Glamour magazine that details exactly how and why she lost more than 100 pounds. Further badgering failed to produce more information, so there you go.
Jones’ new super-slim figure is only part of a dramatic makeover. The ridiculously huge false eyelashes are gone; she now wears lawyer-looking glasses (she is a lawyer, after all); she has a sleek, chin-length smooth hairdo with sunny highlights; and she wears subdued business clothes.
Absolutely nobody — I mean nobody — in the hotel lobby recognized her when she came in … not even the paparazzi, who are trained to recognize everybody.
As Jones returns to the network that launched her TV career years ago as an on-air legal expert in the O.J. Simpson trial, Jones declined to dish about her former boss Barbara Walters or her former nemesis O’Donnell.
“I’m not going to ruin that warm experience,” Jones said. “But I will say that I’m disappointed that no person of color has been placed as part of the permanent cast. That show needs to look like the fabric of society, and it right now doesn’t.”
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‘X-Files’ movie coming, Mary-Kate on ‘Weeds’ Austin guy ‘Grand Slams’
Another “X-Files” is in the works, but it will be months if not years before it finds its way to the big screen.
“There will be another movie,” said star David Duchovny, who was on hand to promote his raw new Showtime comedy “Californication.” “I’m supposed to see a script next week.”
Duchovny said Gillian Anderson will return along with all the usual creepy and semi-creepy characters, too. No word on the story line.
In “Californication,” which debuts 9:30 p.m. Aug. 13, Duchovny plays Hank, a down-and-out writer in Hollywood who has lost his job and his family as his career fades and his libido (and bad judgment) soars. In the pilot, Hank has sex with every female who walks into view — except his 10-year-old daughter.
Natascha McElhone plays his ex-wife, with whom he professes to still be in love. Why not cast Duchovny’s real-life wife Tea Leoni?
“We try not to work together,” Duchovny said. “I can’t imagine anything worse than watching people have sex on TV who have sex in real life. It’s a funky feeling to act with your spouse.”
Mary-Kate on ‘Weeds’
Teensy-weensy Mary-Kate Olsen — looking spacey, bored and exceedingly waiflike — floated into a press conference for the new season of Showtime’s “Weeds.” The third season of the comedy starring Mary-Louise Parker as a marijuana-selling soccer mom, begins 9 p.m. Aug. 13.
This will be the first time Mary-Kate has not worked on screen with her twin Ashley. The girls, of course, grew up on “Full House” and just turned 21. They are millionaires many times over, thanks to their fashion and video businesses, but they’re too young to just sit home reading tabloid reports about themselves.
So Mary-Kate is into acting. She answered a handful of questions without smiling or changing expressions and emitting two audile sighs.
“It’s not that weird working without Ashley,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper while absent-mindedly stroking a chunk of her long, unbrushed hair. “I’m doing what I love to do. I spent the past year auditioning. I’m passionate about acting and fashion. There will always be that celebrity title on me, but hopefully the work speaks for itself.”
Mary-Kate said she will play “a good Christian girl with a twist” who moves into the neighborhood. The twist? She smokes a bit of weed and touts the virtues of the Bible while stoned.
Austin ‘Millionaire’ winner is back
Austin trivia master Ed Toutant, who hauled in a whopping $1.871 million on “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire” in 2001, will play for an additional chunk of change on the Game Show Network’s “Grand Slam” on Aug. 5, one day after the show’s Aug. 4 debut.
The best-known contestant of the bunch is Ken Jennings, whose run on “Jeopardy!” lasted 74 games. But Jennings is second in overall earnings to Brad Rutter, who beat Jennings in the “Jeopardy Tournament of Champions” for a grand total of $3.255 million.
The Top 16 game show winners will go one-on-one with each other in the new competition, which was taped in New York last month.
Toutant says the key to his lifelong acquisition of knowledge is (ta-da!!) reading a newspaper every day. He’s been reading newspapers since he was a kid, delivering them in his Kentucky hometown.
Since winning his millions, Toutant, 55, has retired from IBM, bought a house in Travis Heights and now plays “club trivia” two nights a week at Mother Egan’s Pub. He refers to his line of work these days as “consultant” and also says he’s “single and available.” (Ladies, start you engines.)
“I do need to reinvent myself and find a new passion,” Toutant said at an over-the-top Game Show Network party featuring acrobats and two women rollng around in enormous see-through bubbles. “I haven’t found what my priorities should be since leaving IBM.”
But he does seem to be enjoying himself nonetheless.
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Ready for the onslaught? ‘High School Musical 2’ is almost here!
The Disney Channel has other hits on its schedule, but “High School Musical,” the little movie that turned into a mammoth pop culture phenomenon last year, is a mooing cash cow.
Can the sequel, “High School Musical 2,” possibly top it? We’ll find out Aug. 17, when the TV movie debuts amid a flurry of digital extras online, on mobile and on-demand. If the original is any indication, the premiere will be followed by albums, worldwide tours, paperbacks, action figures and a slew of movie repeats — including singalong versions for the millions of kids, tweens and teens who are fans.
“High school was never that good for me,” conceded star Zac Efron, who grew up in Southern California. “I wish.”
But the fictional high school life has been terrific for all concerned. Efron also has a prominent role in the big-screen musical “Hairspray” and is weighing several other stage and screen options.
The sequel picks up after the East High School gang’s junior year, with the Wildcats heading into an eventful summer. It showcases 10 splashy production numbers — including one on a baseball field that is cleverly choreographed by Kenny Ortega and involves baseball bats. It’s nothing short of a miracle that nobody was injured.
The scheming Sharpay (a girl, not a dog), played by Ashley Tisdale, gets Troy (Efron) a job at her family’s country club to lure him away from girlfriend Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens). Soul-searching and back-stabbing ensue.
A script is in the works for a theatrical movie of “High School Musical,” and Disney hopes to produce a third TV movie.
“I’d like to see them take us to our senior year — maybe to prom or graduation,” Efron said.
“I hope they have us join the space program,” chirped Lucas Grabeel, who plays Sharpay’s younger brother Ryan. “A high school musical with aliens would be cool.”
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The Brits — hunky and scary — are coming!
The hunky, adventure-loving star of Discovery Network’s “Man vs. Wild” made a decidedly dramatic entrance to what seemed destined to be a dull press conference Friday (the 13th!) afternoon.
Bear Grylls, a brazen veteran of the British Army’s Special Air Service, rapelled 10 stories down the side of the Beverly Hilton Hotel and then jogged into the interview room. Those of us inside watched the action on a big-screen closed-circuit monitor. Outsiders, who are accustomed to bizarre filmings here in LaLa Land, barely looked up. It could have been a scene right out of David Letterman’s “Late Show.”
Bear — a lifelong name that started out Edward, morphed into Teddy and then turned into bear — is a wildly popular adventurer in the U.K. and is gaining fame in the States. “Man vs. Wild” is hardly the old “Wild Kingdom,” as the new host frequently doffs his clothing to swim through glacial waters or swamps filled with poisonous fish. He immerses himself in remote scenarios and challenges himself to survive with only the basic aid of a knife, a water bottle and a flint. (Of course he DOES have a sound and cameraman with him, too.)
In one of his more startling survival tricks last season, Bear managed to wring water from elephant dung. This season he will fly over Mount Everest (at 29,500 feet) dangling from a powered paraglider. It’s an odd way to make a living, but fun to watch.
BBC America and “Jekyll”
Increasingly popular Stateside, BBC America serves up a tasty concoction of wry humor and real chills in a new drama series called “Jekyll.” The show debuts Aug. 4.
James Nesbitt plays the modern-day Dr. Jackman, who has no idea, until all hell breaks loose, that he is a direct descendant of the infamous Dr. Jekyll. But Jackman is, and at inopportune times, he turns into a sexually driven, blood-lusting Mr. Hyde.
In a clip played for critics, Jackman is in the process of a very subtle transformation (red eyes, threatening demeanor) when he wife walks in on him in the kitchen. When she asks with some bewilderment what’s wrong, he responds:
“Dr. Jackman has left the building. It’s time for the night shift.”
Nesbitt says his goal is “to make the fantastical believable,” and to that end, he will give Hyde a bit of a sense of humor and only small physical changes,
“It’s better to do very small things than to go behind the sofa and come back with a big, hairy arm,” he says.
Funny lady leads E! late night
Fast-paced and wickedly caustic, Chelsea Handler is turning her celebrity deflating standup comedy into “Chelsea Lately,” a half-hour late-night talker that debuts Monday night at 10:30 on E!
Don’t look for fawning Jay Leno-type interviews with people pushing movies, records and TV shows. That’s not Chelsea’s deal.
“I’m going to make fun of people, especially celebrities,” she told TV critics. “At the same time, we can sit back and make fun of ourselves for being interested in these people. It’s gotten so ridiculous that we have to make fun of ourselves for being so obsessed.”
If only she could persuade Paris Hilton to come on the show … I’d watch that, repeatedly.
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Want your MTV? You get Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders!
Is MTV losing its hip factor? Maybe … The loudest, flashiest portion of its 3-hour morning dog-and-pony show today was (drum roll, please) the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders! Seriously.
Huh? Yeah, that’s what I thought, but MTV is now a multinetwork conglomerate that owns, among many channels, the CMT Network, and CMT was touting the upcoming second season of its popular reality show, “The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.” Mark your calendars: the season premiere is Sept. 14.
Thus a dozen of the 36-member, booty-shaking squad danced onto a stage, all grinning and kicking and swishing their voluptuous bods and locks. The grand finale was a split. I hadn’t had nearly enough coffee for that.
During the subsequent press conference, cheerleader director Kelli Finglass, a former high-kicker herself, referred to the group’s history and traditions as “sacred.” I’m not sure what was said beyond that because I totally lost my grip on reality.
MTV also owns Spike TV, the testosterone-driven network famous for “CSI” reruns and pro wrestling. It’s getting into original programming, and “The Kill Point” is the hot new drama series starring Donnie Wahlberg as a Pittsburgh cop battling a semi-crazed Iraq War veteran (played by John Leguizamo) whose attempt to rob a bank turns into a nasty hostage situation. The clips looked interesting, but I hope we’re not diving into another Vietnam-era stereotype with all the vets winding up wacko.
Spike also is hawking a new reality show, “Murder,” hosted by a real-life homicide detective from Arlington. Detective Tommy LeNoir is the gruff-talking cop who will escort competing civilian groups through a recreated murder scene and then bark at them as they sort through evidence in about a half-hour and solve the case. Doesn’t sound terribly real to me, but then the cop in charge looks more Hollywood than homicide — red toupee, really smooth face, reality TV resume as long as your arm. I’m suspicious of his name, too. LeNoir? Really?
In happier news, MTV’s Nickelodeon has a promising new fall teen show, “iCarly,” that should appeal to the young Webbers among us. Miranda Cosgrove (“Drake & Josh”) stars as a kid who develops her own Internet show — and encourages viewers to send in their contributions for broadcast. Can’t you just see those pink cell phones jingling?
And the network is developing a new cartoon for preschoolers that will introduce kids to Chinese language and culture. “Ni Hao, Kai-lan” will include basic words in Mandarin, along with play action and general kid fun. “Ni Hao,” by the way, means “hello.”
Last night’s champagne-tasting at the HBO festivities must have been exhausting (I was long-gone at that point) because today’s sessions, so far, have been fairly lightly attended. The Travel Channel is serving up bugs and worms on the buffet, so I better go check that out.
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Big stars cluster around HBO … at last!
When the paparazzi arrive in droves, you know the big stars have arrived. Such was the case Thursday afternoon when HBO trotted out its biggies.
English actor/director Kenneth Branagh tooted his horn for his strange adaptation of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” which he chose to set in 19th-century Japan. Bryce Dallas Howard plays the giggling, wide-eyed Rosalind and David Oyelowo plays Orlando. As a nod to normalcy, Kevin Kline will play mopey philosopher Jacques when the film debuts Aug. 21.
Opie’s daughter Bryce, by the way, is pregnant and thus a tad waddly, which is much better than her skeletal appearance in “Lady in the Water”.
The big buzz for HBO shows this time around is a new drama called “Tell Me You Love Me,” which even some of my younger colleagues keep referring to as “porn.” Producers and HBO executives repeatedly discounted the porn label, preferring to call it “extremely realistic intimacy,” but I’ll just tell you there is lots of sex, lots of nudity and a rather shocking scene with Jane Alexander, who plays a marriage counselor, “prepping” her own hubby for some action.
“Tell Me You Love Me” debuts Sept. 9, and given the advance drooling over the sex scenes (male critics, just so you know, do not use porn as a negative term), the show is guaranteed a huge initial audience.
A subdued (as opposed to grumpy) James Gandolfini was on hand to promote a new HBO documentary he hosts called “Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq,” scheduled for fall. The hulking actor sat down with 10 seriously wounded veterans who share their stories with him and seem to now love him like a big teddy bear.
At some point during his wildly successful run as mob boss Tony on “The Sopranos,” Gandolfini visited the troops in Iraq, and it broke his heart.
“Why did I go? I guess because I’d been playing this tough guy on TV all those years, I wanted to go to Iraq and meet some real ones,” Gandolfini said, deflecting questions to the injured vets who shared the stage. “I was angry people weren’t paying any attention to these guys.”
The mood was lightened to screaming hilarity when Larry David popped in to support the long-awaited return of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” The show about Larry (as opposed to nothing, which is what “Seinfeld” was about) finally returns for its sixth season on Sept. 9.
“Every season I do is my last season because if I knew I was gonna have to come back and do more, I’d never do it in the first place,” David quipped.
He insists his rampant political incorrectness doesn’t get him in trouble with viewers now the way it did when he was writing “Seinfeld” … “except from the people who just hate me in general.”
In real life, David is recently divorced and currently in the process of “cutting myself in half,” but on “Curb” his relationship with Cheryl Hines, who plays his long-suffering wife, is solid.
For the record, Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, the two guys who play funny-bad musicians on “Flight of the Conchords,” are exactly the same in real life — droll, slightly off-kilter and so thickly New Zealand in speech that you can barely understand a word either of them says.
“We started out as a band, eight years ago in university … just two guys practicing guitar,” said Clement, the bespectacled one who also appears in the occasional TV ads for Outback Steakhouse. “We couldn’t memorize other people’s lyrics so we made up our own. It’s bizarre we’ve come this far.”
To prove its glittery, big-network status, HBO threw a swanky dinner party at Hotel W last night. Food and liquor were everywhere, along with a few stars, but at the end of eight hours of interviews, this blogging fool was too sensory-overloaded to dig up any gossip — except that “John from Cincinnati,” starring Austin’s own Austin Nichols, has a good chance of renewal even though the ratings haven’t been spectacular… crossing fingers.
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Lifetime’s cancer and therapists. ‘Nip/Tuck’s’ sexy docs!
LOS ANGELES — Herding cats is easier than juggling all the cable networks’ presentations! With, you know, 10,000 channels competing for eyeballs these days, everybody wants to pitch programming to the 100 or so bleary-eyed TV critics crammed into this hotel.
Lifetime crowed loudly this morning about the success of its new summer drama series, “Army Wives.” Andrea Wong, the girlie network’s CEO, said the series is “the highest-rated show in Lifetime’s history.” Of course we must put that into context and realize that cable ratings tend to be tiny compared with broadcast networks, so the 3 rating that elevates “Army Wives” to that No. 1 status wouldn’t be so hot elsewhere.
Lifetime does have a couple of worthy newcomers, both of which debut this Sunday (July 15).
“Side Order of Life,” starring Marisa Coughlan (who mysteriously disappeared from “Boston Legal” last season) as a thirtysomething woman who re-evaluates her life when she learns her best friend (Diana Maria Riva) is dying of cancer, is pretty good. It sounds more deadly than it is, and thanks to something the producers call “magical realism,” there are plenty of amusing “Ally McBeal”-style fantasy segments. 7 p.m.
Also Sunday night comes “State of Mind,” with Lili Taylor (“Six Feet Under) playing a psychotherapist who actually tells the couples she counsels what she thinks. Pretty funny and very refreshing, not to mention smart. It was created and written by Amy Bloom, who just happens to be a sharp-tongued therapist (and writer) herself. 8 p.m.
“The good thing is that people are less ashamed they have problems these days,” Bloom said. “The bad thing is we have to listen to them when we may not be that interested. People do tend to ‘over-share’ sometimes.”
Next up (more coffee, please!!) was FX, which proudly presented the cast and creative crew of the always shocking “Nip/Tuck.” When the fifth season begins in October, Doctors McNamara and Troy will be nipping and tucking in Hollywood. You may recall they folded their Miami plastic surgery practice in the season finale.
Besides trying to establish themselves in their relocated practice, the often over-sexed boy docs will become consultants on a plastic-surgery TV show. This show-within-a-show will allow them to be even more out of their element. McNamara will become the star, overshadowing the once-cocky Troy, but Troy will likely continue his bizarre sexual adventures. (Fans of the show know exactly whereof I speak.)
“I don’t think the show is kinky enough,” said Julian McMahon, who plays the butt-baring, menage-a-trois loving Troy. “I just want to push things further … the shock and awe we had from the start has faded a bit. We need more kinky stuff.”
McMahon dreams that the show’s eventual finale will have McNamara soaping up in the shower as Troy creeks open the door and steps in. The actor’s public musings were interrupted by a cell phone call from his mother. It’s always something with this guy.
Time to wander over to see the dead bodies showcased by the National Geographic Channel. That session is a LUNCH. Whose bright idea was that?
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The March begins: Ken Burns defends, Isaac Hayes delights
The annual summer TV press tour, cleverly dubbed The Death March with Cocktails by my San Francisco colleague Tim Goodman, is off to a rather slow, nonglittery start.
But then again, the march begins with PBS, which isn’t exactly known for attracting young stars and hordes of paparazzi.
Wednesday’s Big Deal, as you might have already heard, was Ken Burns finally addressing what he planned to do with the new footage about two Hispanic and one American Indian soldiers’ in his mammoth 15-hour documentary “The War.” You may recall Latino veterans were missing in action in the film that was finished more than a year ago. After an explosion of protests, launched by University of Texas professor Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez, PBS hired Austin filmmaker Hector Galan to fill in at least a few of the gaping holes.
But until Burns finally answered reporters’ questions here Wednesday, it was unclear where the nearly 30 minutes of new footage would wind up — smoothly added to the original, tacked on at the end, before or after the credits?
“We’ve done more than we were asked and expected to do, which was our way of honoring our own interest in doing this right,” Burns said. “We’ve added a section at the end of our first episode, before the credits but after the episode, at the end of our fifth episode and at the end of our sixth episode.
The review DVDs sent out to critics before the press tour, Burns said, will be “supplemented” with the additional new material. He did not mention, by the way, Hector Galan by name. And, yes, Burns still seems surprised and miffed that what he calls “this hot political battle” erupted in the first place.
“We try to rise above it and take the high road,” Burns said. “We listened, we heard and we produced some new material … It was, of course, painful to us on one level that people would misinterpret what the film was about.”
You call that collards?
The evening event Wednesday raised the glitter just a tad when PBS hosted a dinner/press conference in connection with the new special “Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story.” Isaac Hayes and a whole gaggle of famous folks from the legendary label attended. Hayes, possibly better known to one generation for “Shaft” and another for his stint as Chef on “South Park,” was resplendent in a long, neon-red tunic.
The program, which airs on PBS on 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1, is pegged to the relaunch and 50th anniversary celebration of Stax Records.
P.S.: The Beverly Hilton’s version of soul food was sorely lacking — rock-hard hush puppies, cold black-eyed peas and collards that had been lightly steamed instead of cooked for an entire day with about a pound of bacon. What were these chefs thinking?
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“Cavemen” evolving, but who cares?
One of the most ludicrous sitcoms to come along in years is undergoing an even more ludicrous recasting.
ABC’s Geico-inspired “Cavemen,” the new comedy about a trio of Cro-Magnon guys “hilariously” struggling to be accepted in modern society, has decided to re-cast the role of younger cave guy Andy.
As if anyone would be able to tell if a new actor exists beneath that heap of rubber-and-fur makeup! Seriously, the producers could have just about anybody “aping” the lines that provoke deafening canned laughter.
Whatever. Because we genuinely feel sorry for a network that has to resort to “Cavemen,” we’ll pass along this important information about the re-doing of what was one of the worst pilots I’ve seen in the centuries that I’ve been covering television.
Sam Huntington is the lucky new actor signed to play caveman Andy. Dash Mihok is the lucky actor let go — who is now free to pursue an actual acting role he can put on his resume.
Besides re-casting, ABC also plans to ditch the pilot sent out to critics in advance of the Television Critics Association’s Press Tour, which begins in deadly earnest tomorrow. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the new pilot will reveal the “back stories” of the cavemen, perhaps revealing why, like the rest of us (well, most of us), these guys failed to evolve past Cro-Magnon.
It’s never a good sign when a new series undergoes so much tumult, and it’s sometimes a sign that (a) the show will never get on the air or (b) it will morph into something that doesn’t remotely resemble the original concept. We can only hope the latter ensues.
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Katie and CBS News: Heading to Splitsville?
It’s only been a year — just a blink-of-an-eye in the glacial, change-resistant world of network news — but Katie Couric’s stint as The First Solo Anchor of a Network Evening Newscast already looks wobbly.
In an interview with New York magazine released over the weekend, Couric admitted there are days when she wonders what the heck she was thinking when she left NBC’s “Today” at the height of her popularity and moved to the third-place “CBS Evening News.”
Amid deafening hoopla, the $15-million-a-year Couric and her perky persona debuted last September with a revamped newscast that more closely resembled her “Today” format. She wore casual clothes and greeted the audience with “Hi, everyone.” She popped out from behind her anchor desk to chat with guests, and she introduced “everyday people” opinion segments to the broadcast.
CBS chief Leslie Moonves, who had lured Couric away from “Today,” dangled the opportunity to dramatically shake up the stodgy network newscast format and bring hordes of younger viewers to CBS as result.
More than 13 million viewers welcomed her to the evening news last fall.
But that audience fell to 5.5 million in May. CBS is now far behind ABC’s “World News,” which draws about 8 million viewers, and NBC’s “Nightly News,” which has slightly less than ABC.
New “CBS Evening News” executive producer Rick Kaplan now promises a return to more traditional hard news, apparently agreeing with former CBS anchor Dan Rather’s assessment that the newscast under Couric had been “dumbed down” and “tarted up.”
Couric told New York magazine that the anchor job “would have been less appealing” to her if she had known the dramatic changes promised would be so quickly abandoned.
Will CBS ditch Couric for a more traditional anchor this fall? It could happen. Couric is planning to do more work for “60 Minutes,” which could mean she’s planning to spend less time on the “Evening News.”
If that happens, who would step into the seat once warmed by Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather?
CBS doesn’t have a Charlie Gibson waiting in the wings — a comfy, familiar presence who can slip right into the job virtually unnoticed. But it could tap Anderson Cooper, who (perhaps because of the gray hair and CNN resume) has a hard-news aura about him.
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‘The Nine,’ ‘Black Donnellys’ — dead shows revived?
Dead? Alive? Somewhere in between?
It’s about time for network execs to come up with a term to fit shows that are dropped, revived and then returned to limbo. Maybe semi-axed?
NBC brought back “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” in late May, but never with the intention of reviving the series for another season. The Aaron Sorkin drama just never caught on with viewers, but “burning off” the remaining six episodes at least recouped a few of the ad dollars.
Now comes word that ABC is bringing back its failed fall serial drama “The Nine.” After debuting with strong ratings, favorable reviews and healthy promise last September, “The Nine” was yanked after only seven episodes. It was said to be “trending downward” by the number crunchers.
But beginning Wednesday, Aug. 1, the show will return to burn off its remaining six installments.
Wouldn’t it have made more sense to run all episodes of both those series to their conclusion? Maybe viewers would have come back, and if not, at least die-hard fans wouldn’t have had to wait half a year to see the end of their shows.
Sigh … I guess burning off episodes months later is better than nothing at all. At least we got a satisfying end to “Studio 60.”
On the heels of the successful campaign to revive CBS’s “Jericho,” fans of the short-lived but fabulous NBC crime drama “The Black Donnellys” is pleading with HBO to pick up the series.
You may recall that “Jericho” fans sent 50,000 pounds of nuts to CBS, driving home the point that the cancellation was nuts to begin with. “Donnellys”” fans are sending packages of Zesta crackers, munchie items featured in a lounge owned by one of the characters, to HBO execs.
If you want to join the crackers brigade, check out the movement’s new Web site.
It’s probably just a matter of time before “Joey” comes back.
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Austin cop a finalist on Sci Fi’s ‘Superhero’
When the second season of the Sci Fi Channel’s “Who Wants To Be a Superhero?” debuts on July 26, look for Austin police detective Jarrett Crippen to be featured in the reality show’s competition.
Crippen, 38, will present himself as The Defuser in the latest installment of the Stan Lee-produced series.
Contestants aren’t allowed to discuss their time on the show until the competition is over, but we do know that Crippen-The-Defuser taped the show in Hollywood earlier this year. Besides his APD duties, Crippen is a father and a comic book collector.
The Defuser is described as an elite combat-trained athlete who is an expert at gadgetry and creating “non-lethal weaponry.” (This superhero refuses to use firearms!) His powers include super speed, strength, agility, hearing and eyesight — including night vision.
“Superhero” challenges 10 finalists to create their own super-powered characters, from concept to costume. Among The Defuser’s competitors are Hyper Strike, a martial arts virtuoso; Whip Snap, whose powers spring from (you guessed it) her whip; and Mr. Mitzvah, a hero with special powers whose main weapon is a Star of David paddle.
Lee personally picked the finalists, who lived together during the competition and had to perform certain super-hero tasks to test their courage, integrity and resourcefulness. The winner gets to have his or her original super-hero immortalized in a Stan Lee comic book.
We’ll keep you posted on Detective Crippen’s progress.
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Stone Phillips takes a final bow
Stone Phillips bowed out gracefully last night, ending a 15-year run as anchor of “Dateline NBC” after the network axed him a couple of months ago.
In a special edition of “Dateline,” Phillips romped through some of his favorite stories, from celebrity interviews (the post-Grammy totally bald Melissa Etheridge chat was fabulous) to war stories. He wound up with his all-time favorite: a chat with his father, a Waxahachie native who was seriously injured in World War II.
NBC never said exactly why it decided to drop Phillips after so many years, but the word from within indicated cost-cutting measures were the main reason. The network decided it couldn’t afford to have an anchor who didn’t also cover hard news for the “Nightly News.” And Phillips was exclusive to “Dateline.”
With the popularity of newsmagazines waning, the decision probably makes sense. And Phillips was indeed primarily a good-looking talking head. Still, he was a class act and a gentleman to the end.
Emmy news leaking early? Or not
Every year various web sites, such as TheEnvelope, insist they have the inside scoop on deliberations of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Invariably lists of contenders for the nominations, scheduled to be announced July 19, leak out. And invariably the inside scoops are wrong. Sometimes I think these scoopers are just taking us for a ride; sometimes I’m convinced that Academy members are releasing faulty info on purpose.
Anyway, if the latest revelations are accurate, our very own “Friday Night Lights” is on the short list for best drama. I would have guessed that one anyway. Hard to imagine the show, Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton won’t make the cut.
Also on the “unidentified judges’ list,” according to the site, are “Heroes,” “Boston Legal,” “Dexter,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “House,” “Lost,” “Rome,” “The Sopranos” and “24.”
Alleged comedy contenders reported by TheEnvelope are “Ugly Betty,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Entourage,” “Extras,” “My Name Is Earl,” “The Office,” “Scrubs,” “30 Rock,” “Two and a Half Men” and “Weeds.”
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‘Big Brother’ arrives, ‘Studio 60’ departs
If you’re one of those desperate-for-more-reality-TV folks, you’re probably looking forward to the eighth season premiere of CBS’ “Big Brother” (7 p.m. Thursday on KEYE Channel 42).
And if you are looking forward to “Big Brother,” well, get a life! No, seriously, there is a bit of news about this tedious show: A few of the 14 cast members have been selected to room with their worst enemies. This means that CBS realizes that the show has lost whatever drama it once had and now must manufacture a whole new brand of “reality.”
And in a rather desperate attempt to nab a younger demographic, “Big Brother” boasts much younger contestants than previous incarnations of the series. All but three of the 14 participants are in their 20s this time around.
The new “Bro” group includes: a cocktail waitress from Las Vegas, two college students from Kansas, a waitress from California, a bar manager from Los Angeles, a shoe salesman from Chicago, a “talent management assistant” (whatever that is) from New York, a school counselor from Maryland, a nanny from Beverly Hills, a receptionist from Chicago, a business owner from Oregon, a painting contractor from Wisconsin, a former pro football player from Minnesota and a graphic designer from Los Angeles.
“Studio 60” leaves on a high note
“Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” NBC’s much-ballyhooed series from Aaron Sorkin, never quite lived up to its hype last fall. After starting strong and fading fast, the series was yanked and then canceled …
But NBC brought it back after the official season ended in May for a proper farewell. Last Thursday’s episode was indeed a richly satisfying and proper goodbye.
Sorkin wrapped up each character with surprisingly happy endings, perhaps signaling that he’s not a cynical or sour as we might have thought he was.
If you haven’t seen the episode yet but plan to, this is your SPOILER ALERT.
Jordan not only did not die after prematurely giving birth, she survived and asked Danny to be her baby’s adopted father. Marriage, it was clear, was just around the corner for these love birds.
Matt and Harriet finally patched up their angry but deeply passionate love affair and headed off into the night, hand in hand.
Simon and Jack ended their stalemate over an on-air apology, and Tom’s brother was rescued from Middle Eastern terrorists.
All’s well that ends well … too bad Sorkin couldn’t have made the series better from the third episode on.
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