Austin360 blogs > TV Blog > Archives > 2009 > November
November 2009
‘30 Rock’s’ Alec Baldwin tired of acting
News agency Reuters quotes a Men’s Journal article hitting newsstands on Friday in which ‘30 Rock’ star Alec Baldwin vows to quit acting when his contract with that NBC show expires in 2012.
“I don’t have any interest in acting anymore,” the article quotes Baldwin, who added that he considers his movie career a failure. “Movies are a part of my past,” he said. “It’s been 30 years. I’m not young, but I have time to do something else.”
Pretty odd announcement coming from a guy who just took a gig co-hosting the Oscars.
What do you think? Can you imagine ‘30 Rock’ without Jack Donaghy? Should Baldwin enter politics? Will he continue to provide crazy fodder for news stories?
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This week’s TV picks
He’s a mean one Monday on ABC.
Monday:
‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ 7 p.m., ABC: Whoville be watching? Iville.
Tuesday:
‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ 7 p.m., ABC: Charlie Brown becomes depressed by rampant consumerism. Do him a favor and fast-forward through the commercials.
‘Scrubs’ 8 p.m., ABC: A new season and a new venue for J.D. and crew.
‘Dirty Jobs’ 8 p.m., Discovery: Mike visits a reindeer farm in Alaska. I wonder if the dirty job is telling Rudolph that Dasher is guiding the sleigh this year?
‘Ghost Lab’ 9 p.m., Discovery: Galveston’s Hotel Galvez and the Presidio La Bahia are poked for spooks. All my spectres live in Texas.
Wednesday:
‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ 7 p.m., CBS: The other reindeer won’t let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games. If only someone had done Ben Affleck a similar favor.
‘Pixar Short Films’ 8 p.m., ABC Family: Twenty of the studio’s short films, including ‘Wall-E’s’ hilarious, Looney Toons-inspired ‘Presto,’ are featured.
‘Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura’ 9 p.m., TruTV: Jesse and his team travel to Alaska to investigate mind-control. ‘Look into my eyes: You will let Dasher guide the sleigh … you wiiiillll let Dasher guide the sleigh …’
Thursday:
‘Flash Forward’ 7 p.m., ABC: Mark and Demetri travel to Hong Kong to try and recapture my interest in this repetitive, plodding saga.
’30 Rock’ 8:30 p.m., NBC: Yay! Will Arnett is back! Yay! NBC finally makes it into this week’s picks!
‘BBQ Pitmasters’ 9 p.m., TLC: There had better be at least one Texan on this new competitive reality show. I’m just sayin’.
Friday:
‘Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa’ 7 p.m., NBC: Whoopie Goldberg, Uma Thurman and Nathan Lane guest star. This would also make a very entertaining ‘Celebrity Jeopardy!’
‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ 7 p.m., AMC: Among the many things this movie taught me: always carry a saw.
‘The Pelican Brief’ 8 p.m., TV Land: Brief? TV Land’s stretching this movie out to 3 hours!
Saturday:
‘Guy’s Disney Holiday’ 8 p.m., Food Network: Guy Fieri visits California’s Disneyland, and eats it.
Sunday:
‘BCS Selection Show’ 7 p.m., FOX: Match ups for the Bowl Championship Series games are announced. It’s like a holiday special for college football fans!
‘Chainsaw Ice Sculptors’ 9 p.m., TLC: Wouldn’t you want to carve something pretty like a swan instead of a chainsaw?
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Adam Lambert answers critics with CBS performance (video)
“American Idol” runner-up and “American Music Awards” controversy-creator Adam Lambert answered his critics musically this morning on CBS’ “The Early Show” (Lambert appeared with Harry Smith and company after ABC’s “Good Morning America canceled his appearance in the wake of the “AMA” brouhaha).
Honestly, Pink’s “Whataya Want From Me?” is such a perfect retort to the kerfuffle that it’s becoming harder and harder to believe the whole thing wasn’t orchestrated. At least Lambert’s vocals were good. And if that didn’t sway you, “The Early Show” trotted the singer’s mom out onstage. to support him.
Awwww.
Check out the video, below, and tell us what you think — does this change your mind about Lambert or his “AMA” appearance?
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FOX drops midseason schedule
The Live Feed has posted FOX’s mid-season schedule. Most notable is that ratings-challenged sci-fi drama “Fringe” is remaining on Thursdays, in spite of chatter that it might move to an easier time slot in the spring. Still, it gets an “American Idol” lead-in, as do the new “Our Little Genius” and the eagerly anticipated “Human Target.”
“Idol” returns Tuesday, January 12.
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‘Paranormal State’ seeks Austin stories
The A&E series “Paranormal State” will be in Austin next month looking for supernatural stories.
Series star Ryan Buell is going on a 10-city tour that hits Austin on Dec. 5.
At the tour stops, fans can share tales of their own paranormal experiences. The stories will be featured at www.paranormalstatetour.com and could become part of future episodes of “Paranormal State.”
In Austin, the “Paranormal State” tour bus will be at the west entrance of Highland Mall (facing Airport Boulevard) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 5.
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Adam Lambert upsets everyone by being Adam Lambert
So gender-bending “American Idol” runner-up Adam Lambert went all Adam Lambert on us and … people are surprised?
As they like to say on SNL’s Weekend Update these days, “really?”
Put aside for a moment that the song, “For Your Entertainment,” was horrible (and is that what you really want to call your tune? You know you’re just begging for the kind of short-retort review “Spinal Tap” got for their fictional “Shark Sandwich” album, right?) and that the vocals were screechy and bad; I think there’s more than a little homophobia involved in the outrage over the performance, including the 1,500 plus complaints ABC received.
Much of the uproar focuses on two segments of the cartoon-goofy, S&M-themed, bad-dinner-theater-ish presentation: Lambert’s open-mouthed kissing of a male backing musician and brief, simulated oral sex with a male dancer.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m not defending the posturing Lambert, who prowled around the stage looking like the love child of young Elvis and old Boy George (while acting like the spawn of David Lee Roth and the Marquis de Sade). But the insinuation that this number was offensive to straight America completely glosses over the point that this performance should have been offensive to everybody.
There were a number of half-naked, hyper-sexualized women pawing Lambert throughout the number, too. Where’s the outrage over that? One scantily-clad, orgasmically-writhing dancer was working two, count ‘em, two stripper poles — Miley Cyrus, were you watching? I think you just got served.
Call me a prude: I’m glad my kids weren’t watching … but not because of the “gay” stuff. None of the overtly sexual aspects of last night’s American Music Awards was appropriate for an ABC show to which most viewers probably tuned in order to see Taylor Swift make an acceptance speech or three without being interrupted by Kanye West.
The true shame of the whole debacle is that Lambert, who more or less wholesomely and playfully batted at sexual identity issues during his “American Idol” run (occasionally pulling off some tasteful and impressive vocal gymnastics and igniting many thoughtful discussions about gender), probably turned off a lot of his own fans last night. At the very least, I’m certain he alienated any fence-sitters he was beginning to win over. Because his song — filled with lyrical challenges to conventionality and promises/threats of shocking behavior (Lambert seems about as threatening as a kitten) — just seemed so calculated and … desperate.
I guess the real question is how many CDs it helps him to sell.
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Bill Moyers retires from weekly TV
The New York Times media blog reports that veteran journalist and PBS mainstay Bill Moyers will retire from weekly television in April, 2010. Moyers currently hosts “Bill Moyers Journal,” an issue-oriented public affairs program.
The article says Moyers plans to continue in television, but has no post-“Journal” projects planned.
“Now on PBS,” which Moyers originally hosted, will also end in April.
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This week’s TV picks
Pauley Perrette’s Abby joins the NCIS: Los Angeles team this week.
Monday:
‘Dancing with the Stars’ 7 p.m., ABC: Wow, has it only been 10 weeks? This is the final night of performances this season.
‘Trauma’ 8 p.m., NBC: Nancy has reservations about seeing her family for Thanksgiving. That’s probably good — you usually need reservations on holidays.
‘CSI: Miami’ 9 p.m., CBS: Tonight, jellyfish are used as weapons. Guns don’t kill people — sushi kills people.
Tuesday:
‘Dancing with the Stars’ 8 p.m., ABC: A winner is announced, the season ends and a whole lot of feet go into cool, soothing buckets of ice water.
‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ 8 p.m., CBS: Abby alert! Pauley Perrette does the crossover thing.
‘The Good Wife’ 9 p.m., CBS: It’s never a good day when your incarcerated politician husband’s mistress is appearing on Chelsea Handler’s show. I’m just sayin’.
Wednesday:
‘Biggest Loser: Where Are They Now?’ 7 p.m., NBC: Did anybody check the refrigerator?
Thursday:
‘Charlie Brown Thanksgiving’ 7 p.m., ABC: Charlie plays host while Snoopy whips up ice cream, popcorn and toast. What, no peanuts?
‘Beyonce: I Am … Yours’ 8 p.m., ABC: Okay, cool. Just wait here a minute, I have to go tell my wife. What? It’s a concert with backstage clips? Oh, never mind.
‘Paul McCartney: Good Evening New York City’ 9 p.m., ABC: At first I thought it said ‘New Jack City,’ which really would have made this an entirely different show. Macca returns to Flushing, New York, 44 years after the Beatles played Shea Stadium. Get back, indeed.
‘Idol Stars: Where Are They Now?’ 9 p.m., TVGN: Did anybody check the basement?
Friday:
‘Ice Age 2: The Meltdown’ 7 p.m., FOX: Wow, that ice age was short! Give this movie a shot. It’s really not as bad as it sounds.
Saturday:
‘The National Tree’ 7 p.m., Hallmark: Father and son Andrew McCarthy and Evan Williams kill an emotionally meaningful spruce and take it to Washington, D.C. where it’ll be the national Christmas tree. This movie really could be as bad as it sounds.
Sunday:
‘Food Network Challenge’ 7 p.m., Food Network: Pastry chefs create gigantic gingerbread houses. We’re talking 6-feet tall. This gives a whole new meaning to eating one’s self out of house and home.
‘Soul Train Awards’ 8 p.m., BET: Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson try to keep the 22nd annual awards on track.
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‘Lost’ to return Feb. 2
Mark your calendars, “Lost” fans: The ABC drama returns Feb. 2, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
And there’s already a twist to the new season: The longtime Wednesday night mainstay for ABC is moving to Tuesdays at 8 p.m.
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G4’s ‘Campus PD’ will feature San Marcos
San Marcos will be one of the college towns in the spotlight on the new G4 series “Campus PD.”
The series, which debuts next month, is about the police officers who do everything from “checking in on late night parties and keeping the streets free of drunk drivers, to patrolling campuses at night to make sure students are safe after late-night study sessions,” according to a news release from G4.
San Marcos is home to Texas State University. The other cities featured in “Campus PD” are Tallahassee, Fla.; Cincinnati; Chico, Calif.; and Greenville, N.C.
The news release about the show highlights some of the officers featured: “Viewers also tag along with Officer Jason Scott, known as ‘The Transformer,’ who is part of the San Marcos PD ‘Party Patrol,’ a special group tasked with breaking up parties. Scott has made it his mission to educate students in every encounter and do everything he can to inspire them to stay out of trouble.”
“Campus PD” premieres at 10 p.m. Dec. 9.
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Austin’s Stephanie Hunt featured in L.A. Times
The Los Angeles Times has a nice feature on Austinite Stephanie Hunt, who plays Devin on “Friday Night Lights” and has a role in the upcoming series “Parenthood.”
A sampling:
In its three-plus years on the air, “Friday Night Lights” has tackled race, class and domestic issues, and now Devin has given the show a clear entryway into gay and gender concerns. What’s more, a relatively small part on “Friday Night Lights” may rocket the 20-year-old straight of Austin, as she’s been cast in NBC’s “Parenthood,” the mid-season replacement from “Friday Night Lights” executive producer Jason Katims.
“I love her, and I know Jason does, but you never quite know how these things will work out,” said Peter Berg, who directed the “Friday Night Lights” film and serves as executive producer on the DirecTV/NBC series. “You have a plan, but like any football game, things change. Suddenly players you didn’t even notice on the roster step up. She’s terrific. She has a unique presence, and I don’t think we were capitalizing on that. I think there’s probably a bigger role for her in ‘Parenthood.’”
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“Glee: ” “Ballad”
First, a word about last week’s episode called “Wheels,” which first aired Nov. 11.
Unlike my distinguished colleague Dale Roe, I quite liked it.
I am also biased: I have a brother with Down Syndrome. So not only was I pretty happy to see two actresses with D.S. getting work, the woman who played Sue Sylvester’s older sister is the oldest person with D.S. I’ve ever seen on TV. My other younger brother, the one without D.S., and I both freely admit we got a little verklempt at the final scene.
But I also didn’t mind what it did to Sue Sylvester. A pal of mine noted that he couldn’t watch “Glee” because Jane Lynch was doing a minstrel version of Jane Lynch characters. This episode gave her a bit of depth she was lacking — there are things she values, things her delight in everyday evil protects like armor.
And the subplot involving the relationship with Kurt and his father was brilliantly executed. Chris Colfer is doing ground-breaking work here and making it look easy; it should be acknowledged as such.
Besides, “Glee” is not a show that’s exactly reliant on continuity - this isn’t “Lost” we’re talking about. They need never bring up these events again, if they don’t want to. But it was moving for some of us that they happened at all.
Anyway, spoilers and thoughts about last night’s episode after the jump.
I’m not sure they were legally allowed to get out of this episode without breaking out the Police’s epic student/teacher ode “Don’t Stand So Close to Me.” Wasn’t expecting “Young Girl,” but it delivered.
Singing “I’ll Stand By You” to a fetus on a monitor is a note-perfect example of the show’s singular combination of the ridiculous and the sublime. Cutting to Finn telling his mom about the pregnancy and her tearing up as she comforts him was striking. The show is getting better and better at blending these emotional change-ups; I look forward to it concentrating on them more, making them more extreme. For example, the ending of this episode. Yikes. (Nice to see the faintly terrifying Gregg Henry as Quinn’s father. )
“Your lashing out at me is fantastically compelling and inappropriate” - Kurt. I look forward to the moment in this show when the Kurt/Finn relationship isn’t fraught with sexual tension and resolves in to a solid, platonic friendship between a straight guy and a gay guy, something that you don’t see enough in media. (See also Morrissey and Johnny Marr or Adam Lambert and Chris Allen, for two real-life examples.)
Not sure who is the more annoying TV wife, Betty Draper or Terri Schuester — it’s a race to the bottom!
“We’re both mildly attractive and extremely grating” - Suzy Pepper, a cautionary tale urging Rachel to get that mildly attractive groove back. And we hit the heart of the episode and the heart of “Glee” in general — the difficult and volatile nature of high school self-esteem, whether it be the fearlessness of the teenage gay kid or Finn’s struggle with his impending fatherhood or Rachel’s Broadway-baby-raised-by-gay-dads lust. (Word to Lea Michele, who is doing a great job as Rachel.)
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“Sons of Anarchy”: “Service”
Review and spoilers after the jump
As a relative of mine who will go mercifully unnamed here put it, “I love this show, but I’m not sure if it’s just a soap opera or something more.”
I think we have our answer, man.
Yet “biker soap” is a genre I can live with.
Last week, it was time for Gemma (Katy Sagal, the best sport on television) to come clean about the assault by white supremacist Zoebelle’s men (the confession was set to Austinite Patty Griffin’s “Mary,” which might be the best use of a song in a TV show this year). This got Clay (Ron Perlman, America’s craggiest man) and Jax (Charlie Hunnam, still acting just as hard as he can) to squash their beef.
This week, the plots start to snowball as everything comes together while falling apart. The increasingly unhinged Trig (Kim Coates) confesses to Opie about the hit that was supposed to be on him that instead offed his wife. That sends Opie on the warpath against Agent Stahl.
Bobby (Mark Boone Jr.: stellar, lumpy) notes to Clay that if word got out that “one of the founding nine” put a hit on a member “that is some very bad PR, brother.” Word.
Stahl is in the process of getting Chibs (Tommy Flannagan) to rat out the absurdly dangerous Jimmy O (Titus Welliver, another “Deadwood” refugee like the wonderful Dayton Callie, who plays morally complicated police chief Wayne Unser on “Sons”).
Stahl tries to twist it up a bit; she chronically Peter principles these deals, always trying to manipulate these guy just very slightly too far.
Meanwhile, white power leader Ethan Zobelle (noted Jewish actor Adam Arkin) is cutting a drug deal with the Mexican gangs the Mayans, which will likely hack off his true-believer right hand A.J. Weston (Henry Rollins, going gray with the dignity befitting the man who gave us side two of “My War”). As someone figures out, this isn’t about race, it’s about controlling the drug trade in this area of California.
Half-Sack’s testicles are still played for laughs and, oh, Trig and Gemma, both in terrible mental places, almost have sex.
Lordy.
Opie is played by the brilliant Ryan Hurst, still delivering the show’s best performance by a country mile, very easily one of the most intense turns on TV — someone just give him a Best Supporting Emmy now. Hurt does “haunted” better than anyone around right now. His confrontations with Stahl and Clay were hypnotic.
Or rather, you can’t take your eyes off this guy whenever he’s on the screen - the guy owns every scene he’s in. I feel a little bad for Hunnam in scenes with Hurst; it’s like watching a mouse in a room with a tiger.
Segal is another MVP. Check out the way she has distinct relationships with each character. See also excellent conversation between a former heroin-addict priest and Gemma, who notes that he is a priest because “service to others is the only thing that keeps the self-loathing to a tolerable level.” Not sure I’ve ever heard that desire to sever put so well.
Two episodes left. What did you think?
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Connie Britton will speak at Reel Women event
Got questions for “Friday Nigh Lights” star Connie Britton? There’s a chance to ask them coming up.
Britton will appear at “Holiday Cheer & Conversation With Connie” from 2 to 4 p.m. Dec. 5. The event, presented by the local film group Reel Women, takes place at Picture Box Studio, 701 Tillery St., Suite A-7.
Sherry Mills, executive director of Reel Women, will interview Britton, who’ll then take questions from the audience.
Holiday refreshments will be served. Admission is $15, and donations for the Blue Santa toy drive and the Austin Area Capital Food Bank are encouraged.
For information, e-mail reelwomen@reelwomen.org, visit reelwomen.org or call 971-1663. As with most Reel Women events, men are welcome at the Britton interview.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Friday Night Lights
Short takes: “House:” “Teamwork” (orig. aired Nov. 16)
In re: “Teamwork”
SPOILERS AFTER THE JUMP
— I love that House, a clear Sherlock Holmes allegory/tribute/homage, now has a detective rival in Lucas Douglas, who is now dating Lisa Cuddy. (Always a little bummed that they didn’t make Cuddy’s last name Adler, in homage to Holmes’ one-that-got-away Irene Adler.)
— Thought the explanation of why Cameron wasn’t angry at Chase was pretty genius. And I love the notion that House was morally doomed, though I’m not sure I buy it.
— Everything about the porn background screamed red herring.
— I enjoy watching this show the way most folks enjoy “Law and Order.” (Speaking of, one of these days I will find a station willing to rerun the Ben Stone episodes, which seem to have aged out of rotation on every L&O network.)
And what did you folks think?
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Short takes: “The Prisoner”
“The Prisoner:” It would actually take a too long to articulate the many, many ways AMC’s “Prisoner” remake is terrible, so let’s just hit some high points.
Strike 1: The show violates what I like to call the Mark Gross Rule of Remakes: It is a remake of something that was once really good, rather than something terrible. For example, the original “Battlestar Galactica” was a blast if you were watching it at, say, 10 years old and almost unwatchable if you were any older. (This rule discussed a bit here.)
The original “Prisoner” is one of the greatest TV shows of all time. Whip-smart, visually innovative, utterly of its time (yet oddly timeless) and cooler than the other side of the pillow, it’s a cult-classic for a reason.
So remaking it seems a bit like saying, “You know what could use a rethink? The first season of ‘The Sopranos.’”
Strike 2: One of the things that made the original “Prisoner” so clever is that it played off of show creator/writer/producer/auteur Patrick McGoohan’s substantial fame in the UK as a secret agent in the TV show “Danger Man,” a role he became disillusioned with, which led to the much-brainier take on the secret agent concept in “Prisoner.”
The new “Prisoner” comes with no such resonances. Instead, we get Jesus versus Magneto.
Actually, I would totally watch a show that was Jesus versus Magneto.
SORT-OF SPOILER ALERT HERE IN WHICH I REVEAL THAT SOMETHING HAPPENS IN EPISODE 2 (BUT NOT EXACTLY WHAT THAT SOMETHING IS) THAT INVOLVES THE THIRD STRIKE
Strike 3: We seem to find out in Episode 2 why Number Six resigned.
Um, wow.
This was pretty much the whole point of the original show. McGoohan’s character resigned from something (we assume the special services) and was sent to the Village so “they” (whoever they were) could find out why. McGoohan refuses to tell them. And thus begins the epic battle of wills between a free man and his captors.
AMC’s “The Prisoner” just tells us right out.
As someone named @doctork100 so elequently put it on Twitter: “6 explaining why he resigned? That’s a dealbreaker, ladies.”
Three strikes and I’m watching something else. My “Prisoner” DVDs, perhaps.
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Guest posters on the TV Blog this week
I’ll be away this week, but that doesn’t mean the TV Blog is going to subject you to reruns. TV never stops, and neither do we. Look for special guest posts from editors Sarah Beckham and Sharon Chapman; writer Joe Gross and others.
I’ll be back next week. Until then, keep track of the remote for me and don’t fall asleep on the couch.
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This week’s TV picks
Monday:
‘Inside the Actors Studio’ 7 p.m., Bravo: Bon Jovi appears. The whole band. It’s official — the Actors Studio has officially run out of actors. I like Bon Jovi okay but, seriously, if I were Robert DeNiro, I would demand that James Lipton never air my episode again.
‘The Prisoner’ 7 p.m., AMC: Six, Two, 313, 11-12 … is this an AMC drama or ‘Monday Night Football?’ It’s a good thing this is just a miniseries, because it’s days are numbered.
‘Gossip Girl’ 8 p.m., The CW: Lady Gaga appears? Hmm … must be sweeps month.
Tuesday:
‘Merry Madagascar’ 7 p.m., NBC: The animated films’ characters jump into action when Carl Reiner’s Santa crashes onto their island. I hope Santa was just on a test run, NBC, because it’s not even Thanksgiving yet! On the plus side, my whole family is looking forward to NBC’s early December Valentine’s Day specials.
‘Ghost Lab’ 9 p.m., Discovery: Spooky stuff’s afoot in Waxahachie and Dallas.
Wednesday:
‘Modern Family’ 8 p.m., ABC: Edward Norton and Elizabeth Banks? Yep, it’s sweeps month.
‘Glee’ 8 p.m., FOX: The glee club is divided up again. Let’s see, first it was boys vs. girls, then minorities vs. non-minorities. Now they’ve been split into couples. Maybe next week Mr. Schuester will dissect them like frogs.
Thursday:
‘Fringe’ 8 p.m., FOX: Walter’s craving milkshakes. Of course he is. That must mean his body’s not getting enough of something. Oh, I know — ratings!
‘30 Rock’ 8:30 p.m., NBC: Al Gore. Did I mention it’s sweeps month?
‘Family Armor’ 9 p.m., TLC: This show looks at a vehicle-bulletproofing business here in Texas. Now why would we possibly need bulletproofing down here?
Friday:
‘Medium’ 8 p.m., CBS: When Allison becomes light sensitive, she dons sunglasses that show her mysterious numbers. Hmm … maybe she’s watching ‘The Prisoner.’
‘Bartender Wars’ 9:30 p.m., FLN: I’m not sure exactly what this show is about, but if it’s some kind of competition, I predict that somebody will get served.
Saturday:
‘Austin City Limits’ 7 p.m., PBS: Pearl Jam jams. You’d Vedder be watching!
Sunday:
‘2009 American Music Awards’ 7 p.m., ABC: Lady Gaga takes time off from guest-appearing on ‘Gossip Girl’ to join the 37th edition of this annual event. Will Taylor Swift repeat her CMA sweep? (It IS sweeps month!)
‘The Cleveland Show’ 7:30 p.m., FOX: Musical duo Hall and Oates have voice cameos. You know what month it is. I’m just sayin’.
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TV Profile: Leila Rahimi
You might know them or you might not, but chances are you have no idea what they watch. This week we hop onto the couch with a face familiar to sports fans. Next time it could be another television personality, a politician or an ordinary couch potato like you or me — check back to find out.
Leila Rahimi
KXAN Sports Reporter
Number of years in this position: 2
I love my job because: I get to cover people doing what they love, exercise my sense of humor, and show people’s kids doing great things on TV.
Here’s what’s on my DVR: I don’t have a DVR! Isn’t that terrible? Maybe this article will shame me into getting one. I watch shows online. Does that count? I guess I have to admit to what those are …
1. “Gossip Girl” on the CW (How’s THAT for honest?)
2. “E:60” (the fantastic ESPN magazine show)
3. I still tape sporting events. Yes, I said “tape.” As in “on VCR.”
My all-time favorite TV show is: “SportsCenter.”
You’ll never catch me watching: Scary movies. Hate them.
If I have insomnia, the show that lulls me back to sleep is: Anything Sci-Fi. I just can’t do the whole “suspension of disbelief” thing.
A current show I never miss is: Other than KXAN Austin News … “The Rachel Zoe Project” on Bravo. Woman can not live on sports alone.
If my TV is on, it’s probably tuned to this channel: ESPN or FSN Southwest.
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Retired Georgetown TV director lived her own great story line
It sounds as if Linda and Steve Varnum lived a lifetime in just short of eight years.
The couple, high school sweethearts in California over 50 years ago, reconnected in 2002 and settled in Georgetown two years later. Linda, born Linda Gail Day in Los Angeles on Aug. 12, 1938, died on Oct. 23 after bouts with leukemia and breast cancer.
You might not recognize the name, but chances are you’ve seen Day’s work — her page at IMDB.com (the Internet Movie Database) is ridiculous. Her resume reads like a bound collection of TV Guides from the 1980s and early ’90s: Day directed more than 350 episodes of more than 50 different television series, including “Married with Children,” “Archie Bunker’s Place,” “Dallas,” “Kate & Allie,” “Mad About You,” “Who’s the Boss?” and “Clueless.” She was an Emmy Award nominee and she received Paul Newman’s Humanitas Award. The Director’s Guild of America honored her as a trailblazing female director.
And she was Steve Varnum’s soul mate.
Day and Varnum attended separate high schools in the Los Angeles area and were introduced by mutual friends in 1954. They went steady for nine or 10 months, and then went their separate ways. Varnum eventually graduated from college and went to work for the Veterans Administration (now the Department of Veterans Affairs) from which he retired at age 60, while Day continued her education in archaeology and art. Living in Illinois, Day divorced in the early 1960s, returned to Los Angeles and took an office job at CBS. Her father had directed movie trailers and her uncle, Gordon Douglas, was a feature film director (he directed, among other films, “Stagecoach” and “They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!”) but they did not help Day get into show business.
“They hired her as a secretary,” Varnum says. “She couldn’t type, but they loved her; she was such a wonderful personality. You never saw a picture of her where her mouth wasn’t wide open, smiling.” Day kept getting promoted until she landed in script supervising. She found herself on set, responsible for continuity — “making sure that the glass on the table had the same amount of cola or less than it had in the previous scene,” Varnum explains.
At some point, she made the leap to directing, although Varnum didn’t know that when they reconnected. They had talked on the phone two or three times over the years, and the last he’d heard Day was an associate producer. In December 2002, Varnum decided to locate his high school sweetheart again. A Google search turned up thousands of hits but no contact information. He began searching television trade magazines and found an article Day had written, so he e-mailed the magazine explaining that he and Day were high school friends and that she would want to hear from him.
“Coincidentally, the woman who got the e-mail said that she was going to be meeting with Linda the next day,” Varnum recalls. She delivered Varnum’s message early on a Wednesday morning. The next day, Varnum got an e-mail from Day with the subject line “Friends??” After she kidding him, asking him what he was doing reading Caucus magazine, the pair exchanged phone numbers.
“We then talked a couple of hours a day until, well, until forever,” Varnum says. That February, Varnum, then living in Cincinnati, went out to visit Day in Los Angeles. She came out to see him in early April. The pair lived together until they were married in May 2005.
“With two separate lives coming together at such an age, either you’re going to have a lot of problems or you’re going to have to learn how to compromise,” Varnum says. “And we learned to compromise. Both of us moved a lot toward the center, you might say — not politically, but philosophically we moved to the center. Honest to God, it was such a wonderful relationship.
“My wife Linda didn’t know how to nag,” he laughs. “She was such a sweet person, so easy to live with. It was one of those relationships that were just made in heaven or so to speak.”
The pair happened to be going to New Orleans for Christmas in 2003. Texas had not made their short list of places to settle down, but they stopped in Georgetown because they’d heard wonderful things about Austin and were aware of the Sun City retirement community. They fell in love with the area and relocated in 2004. Day became a member of the Sun City Theater group and directed several plays there. Some of the members were naturally wary of a professional outsider coming into their group, Varnum explains, but Day won them over quickly. She had a gift, Varnum says, for “telling somebody how to do something without them feeling like they had been told.”
“She directed Brian Dennehy one time, and he was not happy having a woman director,” Varnum recalls. “But it didn’t take long before she had him wrapped around her finger. People took to her immediately.”
The couple was fond of the Austin Playhouse and visited Esther’s Follies often. They loved Sixth Street and Austin’s restaurants and went to the movies every Thursday. “That’s when they came to clean the house, so we just got out,’ Varnum laughs.
And they watched television, often happening upon episodes Day had directed or stars she had worked with. “If we ever came close to fussing, that was the time,” Varnum joked. He explained that he enjoyed pausing the DVR at exciting points in programs and asking questions about things like what an actor had just said.
“Linda would say, ‘Are we going to watch the movie?’ and I would sit there like an old sullen hen. She did the same thing, but it was OK when she did it. She would say, ‘I directed him,’ or ‘Let me tell you about this one or that one.’ And, so, she did the same thing but I didn’t mind. It didn’t bother me a bit,” he laughs.
Day had worked with so many stars in her career that she had no shortage of anecdotes to recount. Varnum tells me about her “ego wall,” on which she kept clusters of photos. He describes a photo of her and Jerry Lewis upon which Lewis had penned, ‘Linda, my darling, I will never forget last night. Love, Jerry. January ’93.’
“Of course, there was no last night,” Varnum laughs.
There’s the picture of Day with Robert Redford as he gave her the Humanitas Award. The photo shows Day at a microphone while Redford, standing next to her, suspiciously looks at her backside. Day’s slip had gotten caught and was exposed. “She thought that story was so funny, she would tell it to everyone,” Varnum laughed.
And there’s a photo of Day with Carroll O’Connor sitting in Archie Bunker’s chair, now located in the Smithsonian Institute. “She used to take naps in that chair,” Varnum says.
The couple remained active until weeks before Day’s passing, traveling on cruises to destinations including Australia and New Zealand, Tahiti, Alaska and Europe. At the ages of 70 and 71, the couple went ziplining in Hawaii.
A private memorial service will be held on Nov. 20. Varnum isn’t sure many people would want to attend a service for somebody they didn’t know, even if they had been touched by her work.
“Everybody knows the stars,” he says, “but nobody really knows the people behind the scenes.”
This 2008 photo was taken in Hawaii after Steve and Linda had ziplined on two stations (four “zips”) and were preparing to do another one.
Linda Day relaxes on the set of “Archie Bunker’s Place.” “She had the greatest admiration for Carroll O’Connor,” Steve explains. “He was very nice to work with.”
Linda directed Jerry Lewis in an episode of “Mad About You.” Linda told the ad-libbing comic that he might want to “do his best stuff” because she would have to put some of it on the cutting room floor.
Linda (back row, center) poses with the cast and crew of “Married With Children.”
Robert Redford presents Linda with the Paul Newman Humanitas Award.
This photo of Linda and Steve was taken just a little over two months before Linda passed away. “Her smile was our constant companion,” Steve says.
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TV Guide launches ‘Online DVR’
So you missed the first 10 minutes of Tuesday’s episode of “V.” Say you don’t have a DVR — or that you forgot to set it (as I did … oops!) — what do you do? If you have access to a computer (and you do, or you wouldn’t be reading this) you can probably find your show online. But “V” is relatively new and, let’s face it … with online program guides, who besides a television writer really pays attention to which shows are on which network anymore?
You could surf on over to Hulu.com; they have a lot of shows. But not all networks distribute through Hulu. And the newest episodes of some pay and basic cable programs are only available online through pay sites such as Amazon.com or iTunes.
TVGuide.com aims to turn your computer into a DVR with its new “My TVGuide.com DVR” service. TVGuide.com already has an outstanding online program guide — it’s just like your TV’s online guide and its listings are customizable to your television service provider. The new service sports the ability to add shows to a virtual, online DVR that will alert you, when you visit the site, to new episodes that are available and allow you to watch them right there, without having to navigate to various network sites and find your way back.
The site claims that more than 700,000 videos are available to users, including full episodes of television shows, music videos, movies and web-only video content. It seemed pretty comprehensive — they offered episodes of both the new and the old “Knight Rider.”
I gave it a spin, adding shows from ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX, as well as Showtime and the Discovery Channel for good measure. I was able to watch those first 10 minutes of “V” (with limited commercial interruption). Shows from last night were already listed in my virtual DVR, and it showed me how many episodes total from each show were available and how many were new, which was handy.
I was a little disappointed to click on “Mythbusters” and be told I could watch the show — provided by Amazon.com — for $1.99 (ditto for “Mad Men” and “Weeds”), and that show and others provided by Amazon pop up in a new window, which is a little annoying. But Amazon shows you the first few minutes for free and purchasing, if you decide to do so, is as simple as clicking a button (if you already have an Amazon account).
All you need to do to use the service is to browse to tvguide.com and register (it’s free). I suspect that “My TVGuide.com DVR,” and other services like it, will lead me to watch more television online. How about you?
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Beaver sprays ‘Early Show’s’ Debbye Turner Bell
I’m probably showing my age, but when I saw the headline “Beaver urinates on CBS ‘Early Show’ correspondent” over on The Live Feed, my first thought was, “Oh, that Jerry Mathers!”
Check out the clip here.
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Lou Dobbs leaves CNN
Lou Dobbs, the last of CNN’s original anchors, announced Wednesday that he was leaving the network, the Associated Press reported. Although Dobbs made his announcement just as I was beginning my commute home, I’m not suggesting he timed his exit to make me an hour late in getting the story on my blog — that would make me a conspiracy theorist.
“I will let you know when I set my course,” said Dobbs, explaining that the cable network had agreed to release him from his contract early. He added that he wanted to “contribute positively to a better understanding of the great issues of our day.”
“With characteristic forthrightness, Lou has now decided to carry the banner of advocacy journalism elsewhere,” said CNN President Jon Klein. “We respect his decision.”
Are you upset that Dobbs, who has gained a lot of attention for his controversial stands on trade and immigration policy, is leaving CNN? Do you think he’ll end up at FOX News, as is rumored? Check out the video of Dobbs’ resignation and sound off below:
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Disabled actors upset about tonight’s ‘Glee’
Some disabled actors are speaking out against FOX TV’s “Glee,” which airs an episode tonight largely based upon the paraplegic character Artie, portrayed by Kevin McHale — an actor who, unlike Artie, does not have to use a wheelchair. The criticisms appear in an article from the Associated Press.
Robert David Hall, a longtime cast member of CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” heads a multi-union committee for performers with disabilities, according to the article. He suggests that fears of litigation, production slowdowns or viewer discomfort are poor reasons for casting non-disabled actors as disabled characters. “I’ve made my living as an actor for 30 years and I walk on two artificial legs,” Hall is quoted as saying.
“Glee’s” executive producer, Brad Falchuk, says plenty of wheelchair-using actors were auditioned for the part. “We brought in anyone: white, black, Asian, in a wheelchair,” he said. “It was very hard to find people who could really sing, really act, and have that charisma you need on TV.”
Casting controversy aside, I found tonight’s “very special” episode to continue the confusing slide in quality “Glee” was experiencing before its recent hiatus. The more pseudo-serious the show gets, the less funny and entertaining it becomes. Tonight’s effort seems more like an after-school special, except for the consequence-free introduction of pot-laced brownies to a bake sale — and didn’t the show just have an episode that hammered home how bad drugs are?
This exemplifies the schizophrenia problem from which “Glee” is suffering. It continues with the character assassination the writers are perpetrating on Jane Lynch’s Cheerios leader, Sue Sylvester. Will she be nice tonight? Or evil? Maybe this is the week in which she’ll be both … I won’t spoil it, except to note that the episode ends with a treacly Sue scene that, I guess, attempts to explain her odd behavior, but doesn’t do that at all.
Sue’s secret was not, as the winner of our recent TV Blog contest Gabe Hernandez guessed, that she is pregnant with newscaster Rod’s baby. Nice try, though. Enjoy that soundtrack CD, Gabe. You may want to just listen to it instead of watching tonight’s episode.
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People’s Choice nominees announced
The Associated Press has released the list of nominees for the People’s Choice Awards. The nominees were selected by online voting (more than 18 million votes were cast) and winners are selected in the same fashion.
The categories are a little more open than the Emmys (I’m looking at you, “TV obsession” and “Animal show”) and some online voters might have better voted with their people meters and Nielsen diaries: drama nominees “Eastwick” and “Trauma” have already been canceled, and other nominees, including Kelsey Grammer’s awful “Hank,” are on the bubble.
Queen Latifah will host the broadcast from the Nokia Theatre on CBS, Jan. 6, 2010.
Did you vote? Is your favorite show missing from the list? Here are the television category nominees:
TV drama: “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “House,” “Lost,” “NCIS.”
TV comedy: “Desperate Housewives,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “The Office,” “Two and a Half Men.”
TV drama Actor: Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland, Mark Harmon, Matthew Fox, Patrick Dempsey.
TV drama Actress: Anna Paquin, Blake Lively, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Katherine Heigl, Mariska Hargitay.
TV comedy Actor: Alex Baldwin, Charlie Sheen, Jim Parsons, Neil Patrick Harris, Steve Carell.
TV comedy Actress: Alyson Hannigan, America Ferrera, Amy Poehler, Eva Longoria Parker, Tina Fey.
TV obsession: “Dexter,” “Gossip Girl,” “The Hills,” “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” “True Blood.”
TV talk show: “Chelsea Lately,” “Live with Regis & Kelly,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Tyra Banks Show.”
TV sci-fi/fantasy: “Heroes,” “Lost,” “Supernatural,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “True Blood.”
TV competition show: “American Idol,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “Project Runway,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Survivor: Samoa.”
Animal show: “Animal Cops,” “DogTown,” “Dog Whisperer,” “It’s Me or the Dog,” “Rescue Ink.”
New TV drama: “Eastwick,” “FlashForward,” “Melrose Place,” “Mercy,” “The Forgotten,” “The Good Wife,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “Three Rivers,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “V.”
New TV comedy: “Accidentally on Purpose,” “Brothers,” “Community,” “Cougar Town,” “Glee,” “Hank,” “The Cleveland Show,” “The Middle,” “Modern Family.”
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TV coverage of Fort Hood Memorial
TV Newser’s Kevin Allocca has posted a blog entry on broadcast and cable networks’ plans for coverage of this afternoon’s memorial service at Fort Hood. The item lists coverage plans from CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, ABC and CBS and promises to be updated as additional coverage plans become available.
Check it out here.
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Fort Hood soldiers on PBS documentary ‘Tattooed Under Fire’
Charles Hanson, Infantry, shows off his tattoo from the River City Tattoo Shop.
Soldiers from Fort Hood, America’s largest military base and the location of last week’s tragic shootings, are spotlighted on PBS’ “Tattooed Under Fire,” airing at 9 p.m. on KLRU.
Nancy Schiesari’s documentary centers on the military ritual of getting inked, interweaving the personal stories of six central characters—and their relationships to the war in Iraq—with the visual expressions of their tattoos (River City Tattoo Parlor, a place where many of the Fort’s war-bound and returning soldiers go under the needle, is located across the street from the base).
From PBS’ press release:
River City Tattoo Parlor owner/artist Roxanne Willis and her team of tattoo artists welcome young men and women daily: as they arrive, shed their uniforms and carve permanence into their transitory flesh. Some seek to adorn their limbs, make a statement, ward off evil with fierce engravings or honor a loved one. Some seek grizzlier images, like “meat tags.” A play on traditional dog tags, “meat tags” are a morbid marker of name, DOB and serial number, designed for posthumous identification. Tattooed just under the armpit on the torso, they are strategically located in the place most likely to remain intact in the event of death by IED explosion.
The young men and women are introduced as they are being tattooed; raw recruits at first and then as returning soldiers, changed in ways only their fellow soldiers can grasp. Through the creative and sometimes subversive act of tattooing, these young soldiers use skin to create personalized images and words that reveal a seldom seen part of the psyche of the American soldier.
The film is an intimate, character-driven portrait of Iraq-bound and returning U.S. soldiers, professing their pride, sharing their secrets and confessing their fears as they go under the tattoo needle. What emerges is an evocative, poignant and highly personal look at the human and cultural cost of war.
“Tattooed Under Fire” is a co-production of KLRU and the Independent Television Service (ITVS).
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KVUE’s Smith talks ‘Good Morning America’
An article on Broadcasting & Cable’s Web site about the impending anchor moves at “Good Morning America” quotes KVUE president and general manager Patti Smith. The story asks ABC affiliates to weigh in on the replacement of Diane Sawyer when she takes the network’s evening news anchor chair in January.
Smith notes NBC’s smooth “Today” transition from Katie Couric to Meredith Vieira:
“They found the right person, an impeccable journalist and a terrific morning host [in Vieira],” she says. “If NBC can do it, then so can we.”
Who would you like to see as “GMA” anchor?
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This week’s TV picks
Trust me, ABC’s “V” is a lot more exciting than this photo makes it appear to be.
Monday:
‘How the Beatles Rocked the Kremlin’ 9 p.m., PBS: Let me hear your balalaikas ringing out — back in the USSR, Russian super fans are interviewed in an exploration of the Fab Four’s influence behind the Iron Curtain.
‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’ 9:30 p.m., Food: Guy Fieri chows down at Texas barbecue joints in this tasty rerun.
Tuesday:
‘V’ 7 p.m., ABC: Okay, the set-up was good. Let’s hope Elizabeth Mitchell and company can continue to deliver.
‘Ghost Lab’ 9 p.m., Discovery: Does John Wilkes Booth haunt the Opera House in Granbury, Texas? Well, you can’t spell Booth without ‘boo.’
Wednesday:
‘43rd Annual CMA Awards’ 7 p.m., ABC: Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood perform and host. I hope this means that CMT gets to air ‘Cougar Town’.
‘15 Remarkable Celebrity Body Bouncebacks’ 7 p.m., E!: Famous folk drop pounds and get into shape. You know, it’s about time somebody started paying attention to celebrities’ physical attributes.
Thursday:
‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ 9 p.m., Bravo: New housewife alert! New housewife alert! Alexis Bellino joins the cast.
‘Gone Too Far’ 10 p.m., MTV: A 20-year-old San Antonio heroin and cocaine addict gets a second chance.
Friday:
‘Bang for Your Buck’ 9:30 p.m., HGTV: Austin outdoor living rooms worth $95,000 are toured. It’s Thanksgiving month, right? I’m thankful that the bathrooms remain indoors.
‘Bose Sound Innovations’ 11 p.m., QVC: I usually don’t like to highlight the shopping channels, but tonight is exactly one-month ‘til my birthday and y’all haven’t been getting the hint.
Saturday:
‘Austin City Limits’ 7 p.m., PBS: Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel perform songs from 2009’s ‘Willie and the Wheel’.
‘Celebrity Ghost Stories’ 9 p.m., BIO: C. Thomas Howell has a spooky encounter in an abandoned hotel. I know, I know … you want to know what C. Thomas Howell is doing in an abandoned hotel. Hey — he’s C. Thomas Howell; he doesn’t have to answer to you.
Sunday:
‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ 7 p.m., ABC: Can David Duchovny help a leukemia survivor and her family rebuild their uninhabitable farmhouse? I want to believe.
‘Nature’ 7 p.m., PBS: The first year in the life of a humpback whale is chronicled. It’s so cute the first time they sit up by themselves, but burping them is really tough, mostly because of the hump.
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TV Profile: Terrell Shaw
You might know them or you might not, but chances are you have no idea what they watch. This week we hop onto the couch with KNVA’s human promotions machine. Next time it could be another television personality, a politician or an ordinary couch potato like you or me — check back to find out.
Terrell Shaw
The Face of The CW Austin
Number of years in this position: 1 year … I prefer to say 12 months it makes it seem longer!
I love my job because: I get to do what I love … which includes everything from being on TV doing contest and promotional spots as well as serving my community with special events and speaking to kids about my job on career days!
Here’s what’s on my DVR: “The Vampire Diaries,” “Gossip Girl” that’s right BRUTHA’S like gossip too, “ESPN Sportscenter,” “WWE Wrestling Raw” and “Smackdown” … Ohhhhh Yeaaahhhhh, “The Young and The Restless” … gotta keep up on my soaps and last but certainly not least PBS “Sesame Street” … hey who says Grover and the Cookie monster can’t be fun and informative past the age of eight years old?
My all-time favorite TV show is: It’s a toss up between “Martin” and “Seinfeld” … yadda yadda yadda they both cause serious damage to my funny bone!
You’ll never catch me watching: “Jon and Kate plus Eight” … THEY CRAZY!
If I have insomnia, the show that lulls me back to sleep is: “Antiques Roadshow” … I’m getting zzzz … just thinking about it!
A current show I never miss is: “TUF The Ultimate Fighter” … what man doesn’t like to see two dudes going head to head in battle and knocking each other out! Plus my boy Kimbo Slice is on their Wrecking Shop … that means he works hard (haha).
If my TV is on, it’s probably tuned to this channel: The CW Austin of course … I’m not just saying that because I work for them … seriously some of the best TV on television … besides the women on every show is HOTT that’s right two T’s HOTT!
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‘The Goode Family’ makes Comedy Central debut Jan. 6
We previously reported that Austin native Mike Judge’s animated series “The Goode Family” (canceled by ABC) would make the jump to Comedy Central. TV Week reports that that will happen on January 6. The cable network will re-air the first season’s 13 episodes. If the show does well, there’s a possibility that new episodes could be produced.
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Latin Grammys perform for KAKW
The 10th Annual Latin Grammys, broadcast live Thursday night from Las Vegas, were a huge success for local Univision affiliate KAKW. The ratings for the show were up 86 percent over the 2008 numbers.
One highlight of the show was a bilingual duet by Alejandro Sanz and Alicia Keys, “Looking for Paradise.” Here’s video of that performance in case you missed it:
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Aqua Teen stars at Alamo Drafthouse tonight, Saturday
Dave Willis, co-creator of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim show “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” will appear at 7:30 tonight at the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek with Dana Snyder, the voice of Master Shake. The duo will also appear at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
The pair will perform script readings, give out prizes and preview clips from upcoming “ATHF” and “Squidbillies” episodes. In addition, they will be singing songs from the just-released CD, “Have Yourself a Meaty Little Christmas.”
Tickets are $15 and seating begins 45 minutes prior to the performance. For more information, check out the Alamo’s Web site.
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‘Oprah’ move not a done deal
Contrary to Internet reports, Oprah Winfrey has made no decision on the potential move of her syndicated daytime talk show to her new cable network, OWN, Reuters reports via ABC News.
Internet entertainment writer Nikki Finke wrote Thursday that Winfrey would end the Chicago-based talk show when her current syndication deal runs out and move it to Los Angeles-based OWN as soon as mid 2011, the Reuters story says.
Winfrey’s production company, Harpo, Inc., plans to announce the show’s fate by the end of the year.
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John Krasinski of ‘The Office’ will be at Alamo Ritz
John Krasinski, one of the stars of the NBC series “The Office,” will be at the Alamo Ritz next week to promote his debut as a film director.
Krasinski will screen “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men,” based on a book by David Foster Wallace, at 7 p.m. Nov. 13. The event will include a Q&A with Krasinski.
Krasinski also appears in front of the camera in the film. Other cast members include Will Arnett and Timothy Hutton.
For tickets and more information, visit originalalamo.com.
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Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin to co-host Oscars
Two wild and crazy guys?
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that Oscar hosting veteran Steve Martin and newcomer Alec Baldwin (star of NBC’s “30 Rock”) will co-host the March 7, 2010 ABC Academy Awards telecast, ew.com reports. “I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin,” Martin joked.
The choice seems odd in light of the success the younger and more hip Neil Patrick Harris has enjoyed hosting the Tony Awards and, most recently, the Emmys. Ratings for the Oscars seem to drop every year. What do you think? Will the addition of Baldwin’s wry wit and Martin’s banjo-picking convince you to tune in?
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ABC’s Quinones at Book People today at noon
ABC News Correspondent John Quinones will be speaking and signing copies of his new book, “Heroes Among Us: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Choices,” at noon today at Book People, 603 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin. The signing is open to the public and books can be purchased at Book People prior to the event.
Quinones is a San Antonio native and a graduate of St. Mary’s University. He’s a co-anchor of “Primetime” and was most recently a correspondent for “Primetime Thursday” and “20/20.” Quinones won six national Emmy Awards for his “Primetime Live,” “Burning Questions” and “20/20” work.
Quinones is in town to speak at the Texas Campus Compact’s Live. Learn. Serve. Dinner on November 5 from 5:30-10 p.m at the Omni Hotel, 700 San Jacinto Street in Austin. The evening will include a reception, book signing, silent auction and dinner, after which Quinones will deliver the keynote speech.
More information and details on how to order Dinner tickets can be found here.
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Have we seen the ‘Conchords’ final flight?
HBO’s Emmy-nominated “Flight of the Conchords” might have flown for the last time, according to Reuters. The news service quotes co-star Jemaine Clement, nominated for an Emmy for the show’s second season, discussing the workload and saying “It very likely might not” return for a third season.
“We’ve got to write the series, but we’ve also got to write the songs, and just dividing your time into those two writing tasks is really tricky,” Clement said.
HBO is leaving the decision about the series — based on the exploits of a New Zealand folk duo in New York City — up to Clement, co-star Bret McKenzie and series director James Bobin. Clement says that if a full third season does not materialize, the show could return in a shorter season or as a special.
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Contest: Win a copy of the “Glee” soundtrack
Does it seem a little more “Glee”-ful out there today? Is your podmates’ humming more annoying than usual? Do you hear that insidiously catchy, over-produced song in the air? That’s just the “Glee” soundtrack.
“Glee: The Music, Season One, Volume 1” hit store shelves and music download sites today, but I’ve got a free CD for one lucky “Glee” fan (hey — do you think the disc’s name is a subtle clue that there will be more of them on the way?)
From the pilot’s “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” Journey cover to “Dancing with Myself,” the Billy Idol tune “Glee”-ized in the upcoming, “very special” Nov. 11 episode, 17 tracks are featured (thankfully, the “Thong Song” doesn’t appear to be among them).
Here’s how you you can win my still-shrinkwrapped copy: Cheerios’ coach Sue Sylvester has a secret that’s revealed at the end of the next new episode. Take your best or funniest guess at what it is; I’ll choose a random entry and get the CD into the winner’s “Glee”-ful little hands.
Enter by commenting below. One entry per person, please. I’ll post the winning entry on Friday.
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‘V’ arrives tonight: Will you be ‘V’iewing?
Bob D’Amico/ABC
Will this be the “V” remake that gets it right?
The much-anticipated series arrives tonight at 7 p.m. on ABC. It’s a great pilot episode, much more agile than the good — but plodding and maddeningly repetitive — “Flash Forward,” ABC’s earlier fall science fiction offering. A “re-imagining” of the original 1983 NBC miniseries (attempted as a regular series by that network in 1984), “V” centers upon the arrival of an extra-terrestrial race — the titular V, or Visitors — who appear in 29 giant spaceships hovering over Earth’s major cities.
The attractive and soft-spoken aliens arrive with a message of peace. They quickly win over the populace by sharing technology, notably in the medical arena, opening centers where they cure all manner of human ills. They offer tours and rides on their spacecraft and recruit young humans into an ambassador program. But does their benevolence mask a more sinister agenda? Of course it does.
The hour moves briskly, reaching much further into the plot line than I would have anticipated and the first 5 minutes, nearly wordless by broadcast television standards, offer some of the best camera angles and most cinematic visuals of the new season. “V’s” special effects are top-notch and the cast, especially Elizabeth Mitchell (“Lost’s” Juliet) as a counter-terrorism agent and Morris Ryan Nichols (Morris Chestnut) as a resistance fighter, bring their A-game. “Party of Five’s” Scott Wolf plays a conflicted television anchor, tempted by Anna, the leader of the Visitors, to stage a softball interview in exchange for the success the exclusive will bring him.
Just four episodes will air initially, with further installments returning after the 2010 Winter Olympics. The show is expensive to produce; future episodes will have to maintain the pilot’s quality and garner big ratings if the Visitors’ visit is going to last more than one season. I think it has a shot. Like “V’s” Earthlings looking to the skies, I am hopeful, but possibly deluded.
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Chris Pelikan comments on KEYE firing
“I just kind of wanted to put my side out there” Chris Pelikan tells me.
The former KEYE sports personality’s contract — he had been at the station since February 2008 — was terminated on Sept. 9 after the broadcast of a segment two nights earlier featuring interviews from the locker room of the Round Rock Express. Pelikan had operated the camera for and edited the segment, which showed a brief flash of nudity in its final seconds.
On Sept. 7, the day the segment was taped, KEYE Sports Director Bob Ballou suggested the pair head to the Dell Diamond to interview a few players who were being called up to the Houston Astros. Pelikan operated the camera while Ballou interviewed players. Pelikan had spent a lot of time in locker rooms throughout his career, he says, but he hadn’t operated a camera in one since college. (Pelikan says that he was asked to start shooting video about three months after he arrived at KEYE when the sports photographer was moved to news.)
Pelikan says that when he and Ballou got back to the station about 4:30 p.m. he edited the segment for broadcast on the 6 p.m. news, showing a group of interns how to use the equipment while he worked.
After the newscast, the KEYE sports department received an e-mail from a viewer pointing out that a player’s naked rear end could be seen in the background of the segment. Pelikan said he and Ballou immediately examined the piece.
“Sure enough, for probably the last second of the sound bite in the sort of deep recesses of the background, a guy sort of came from around the corner — like, after he had gotten out of the shower — and he sort of just turned around and flashed part of his butt,” Pelikan recalls, “for no more than a second, second and a half. And, honestly, not a single person who was working the control room or any part of the show noticed it.”
Pelikan says Ballou responded to the viewer’s e-mail, apologizing and promising greater vigilance. “And we thought that was kind of the end of it.”
The next morning, the station received another e-mail. Pelikan said the content was basically the same as that of the first message, with the writer noting that he or she was not offended, but that somebody might have been.
That’s when Pelikan says KEYE News Director Suzanne Black first contacted him about the matter, forwarding the message to Pelikan and Ballou, asking them for an explanation.
“I responded first, saying I shot it, I edited it, it was my fault,” Pelikan says. He explained the time crunch and apologized. “I took responsibility for it; I said I was sorry.” He says that when Black told him they would have to talk further, he began to realize how serious the matter was.
“And it wasn’t like I didn’t take it seriously, because I understand obscenity and all that sort of thing,” he says. “But it was a complete and total oversight and you really almost had to be looking for it to see it. “
When management had him anchor the 6 and 10 p.m. shows that day, he thought things would be OK.
On Sep. 9, Pelikan met with Black and KEYE President and General Manager Amy Villarreal in Villarreal’s office. He says Villarreal spent the first few minutes of the meeting praising Ballou and Pelikan’s chemistry and their work.
“But we’re going to have to terminate your contract today,” Pelikan remembers her suddenly saying.
“And I honestly lost my breath for a few minutes. I couldn’t believe it,” Pelikan says.
He says that Villarreal brought up the possibility of a fine from the Federal Communications Commission, telling him the offense was grounds for dismissal. “She gave me a letter of termination that she wanted me to sign, and I wasn’t about to sign anything at that point in time, “ he remembers, “because I couldn’t just sit there and believe that what they were doing was right, or legal even.”
But “contracts work the way contracts work,” he tells me, “and technically I did violate a station policy on obscenity. The whole thing was just very difficult for me to accept because I felt like I had done a lot to help out that station.”
He says that the last time he had been in Villarreal’s office was four or five months earlier, when the station manager had asked him to pass on his contractual raise to help the station out in these tough economic times. “And I did it in two seconds because I thought it was the right thing to do for the station.”
He says he felt blindsided by the termination.
“I’m sitting there with a 4-week-old baby thinking, ‘how the heck am I going to provide for her? How am I going to have insurance for her?’ “ he says.
He tells me that his daughter, now 12 weeks old, is the twinkle in his eye these days. “It’s been a real nice silver lining to this whole cloud — that I’ve been able to spend a lot of time with her.”
I ask Pelikan if he hates Janet Jackson, whose wardrobe malfunction at the 2004 Super Bowl is regularly credited with increasing standards scrutiny for broadcast television.
“Her name came up in the meeting,” he laughs.
He says he never had a performance review that came back without excellent marks. “The only time Suzanne or Amy would come and talk to us was to say ‘Stop working so hard. You guys are killing yourselves; you’re going to burn yourselves out.”
I ask him if he feels that the punishment fit the crime.
“I guess this is negligence. But I feel like I did everything that I was asked to do there and then some and for something like this to be the end, no,” he says. “I can’t believe that they thought a punishment like this was the right way to go.”
Would he be upset if one of his children saw something similar to the segment in question on the news someday?
“Obviously, I would prefer that my child not be introduced to anything on television of any sort of sexual nature before I feel they’re ready for that,” he says. “And I am sincere when I say that if someone was sitting there or their child was sitting there and that caused a difficult moment, I sincerely apologize for that. You figure if you turn on the 6 o’clock news you’re not going to see something like that.
“But it’s hard for me to look at it that way, because I feel like so few people — even those who were watching — saw it. I don’t know how many people were watching that day and how many saw it, but we got two e-mails on it. I don’t know how many you got.”
I received one.
Pelikan says he’s had an offer to return to his native St. Louis to do a radio show, but says that family issues make that unlikely. His father has spent his life in medical sales, so he’s got feelers out in that industry. He has applied for a few PR jobs, but he hasn’t heard much back.
“It’s a tough economy right now,” he says, “and here I am trying to switch careers with a resume that just has TV on it. I think patience is going to have to be an important thing for me right now.”
It took Pelikan almost two months to begin receiving unemployment compensation. “Fortunately, the Texas Workforce Commission didn’t agree with (KEYE’s) assertion that I engaged in ‘gross misconduct’ and approved my claim,” he says.
Pelikan doesn’t want to leave Austin, but if it comes to that he would consider relocating to St. Louis or to Dallas, where his wife’s family lives. Regardless of what happens, he will have fond memories of Austin.
“My time here has been wonderful,” he says. “It’s a very special breed of person who lives down here. No matter what happens professionally, I will always love Austin and I will always treasure my time here. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Villarreal declined to comment on the record about Pelikan’s dismissal.
“As always our policy is not comment on personnel issues,” wrote Jerry Wagley, KEYE’s director of creative services. “It would be unfair to our staff and their privacy to do that.”
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Video: ‘24’, evil President Logan return in January
The Associated Press reports that Gregory Itzin will rejoin the cast of the FOX drama “24” when new episodes begin airing in January.
Although Itzin’s disgraced President Logan’s wife got all stabby on him in Season 6, we learned in Season 7 that he was still alive.
The 2-night, 4-hour “24” Season 8 premiere starts at 8 p.m. Sunday, January 17, but I don’t think I’ll be watching.
What do you think? Will you be back or should Jack Bauer just hang it up already?
Maybe this Season 8 trailer will help you decide:
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‘Southland’ saved by TNT
As speculated, cable network TNT has picked up “Southland,” in a manner of speaking. The cop drama, starring Benjamin McKenzie (of Austin) was canceled by broadcast network NBC after six episodes of its second season were shot but before any of them had aired. TNT will run those episodes along with the 7 from its truncated first season; this will give new viewers a chance to jump in at the beginning.
Here’s your chance, “Southland” fans … TNT — already home to cop drama “Dark Blue” — will evaluate “Southland’s” ratings and decide whether or not to bring it back after these 13 episodes have aired.
The show will begin airing on TNT January 12 at 9 p.m., going head-to-head with NBC’s “Jay Leno Show.”
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Most networks up this fall, but ABC drops
Reuters reports that viewership is up at three of the four major broadcast television networks this season. Only third-place ABC — with 11 new dramas and comedies — has seen a decline in ratings.
Major points from the story:
“Glee” and “House” are doing well for FOX, the only network up in all demographics and categories.
First-place CBS has 13 of the Top 20 programs.
NBC ratings are up but network, whose move of Jay Leno to the 9 p.m. prime-time hour from late night has drawn only about 5 million viewers weekly, is still in last place.
Read the complete story by clicking here.
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