Well this is good news!
With encouraging reports coming from the WGA discussions making it more and more likely that a deal will be announced within the week, TV Guide is reporting that several favorite series could be back on the air as early as April.
Michael Ausiello revealed yesterday that Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty and Brothers & Sisters are all planning to go back into production in early month with an eye on creating four-to-six episodes for the end of this season! Newer shows that have already been picked up for next season (Dirty Sexy Money, Pushing Daisies, Samantha Who) would likely go back into production this summer with an eye on producing episodes for next season. Ausiello suggests that this pattern (older shows producing new episodes for the spring, with new shows returning in the fall) is likely to carry over to CBS, FOX and NBC as well, although he says plans for heavily serialized shows like 24, Heroes and Lost are still being discussed.
New episodes in the spring? Yippee!!
Monday, February 04, 2008
Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Houswives and Ugly Betty Will Likely Be Back This Season
Thursday, December 20, 2007
SAG Award Nominees Announced
The nominations for the Screen Actor's Guild Awards have been announced, and Into the Wild leads the pack. Yay!
Emile Hirsch, Catherine Keener and Hal Holbrook all picked up nominations, and the film was nominated for Best Ensemble. Other multi-nominated films include Michael Clayton and No Country for Old Men.
On the television side, I'm psyched to see that Mad Men grabbed nods for it's star (Jon Hamm) and ensemble, and glad to see Christina Applegate recognized for Samantha Who?
Here are the nominees...
MOTION PICTURES
ACTOR
George Clooney - "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis - "There Will Be Blood"
Ryan Gosling - "Lars And The Real Girl"
Emile Hirsch- "Into the Wild"
Viggo Mortensen - "Eastern Promises"
ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett - "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie - "Away From Her"
Marion Cotillard - "La Vie en rose"
Angelina Jolie - "A Mighty Heart"
Ellen Page - "Juno"
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck - "The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem - "No Country For Old Men"
Tommy Lee Jones - "No Country for Old Men"
Hal Holbrook - "Into the Wild"
Tom Wilkinson - "Michael Clayton
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett - "I’m Not There"
Ruby Dee - "American Gangster"
Catherine Keener - "Into the Wild"
Amy Ryan - "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton - "Michael Clayton"
ENSEMBLE CAST
"3:10 to Yuma"
"Hairspray"
"American Gangster"
"Into the Wild"
"No Country for Old Men"
TELEVISION
ACTOR IN A TELEFILM OR MINISERIES
Michael Keaton - "The Company" (TNT)
Kevin Kline - "As You Like It" (HBO)
Oliver Platt - "The Bronx is Burning" (ESPN)
Sam Shepard - "Ruffian" (ABC)
John Turturro - "The Bronx is Burning" (ESPN)
ACTRESS IN A TELEFILM OR MINISERIES
Ellen Burstyn - "Mitch Albom's For One More Day" (ABC)
Debra Messing - "The Starter Wife" (USA)
Anna Paquin - "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" (HBO)
Queen Latifah - "Life Support" (HBO)
Vanessa Redgrave - "The Fever" (HBO)
Gena Rowlands - "What If God Were the Sun?" (Lifetime)
ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Glenn Close - "Damages"
Edie Falco - "The Sopranos"
Sally Field - "Brothers & Sisters"
Holly Hunter - "Saving Grace"
Kyra Sedgwick - "The Closer"
ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
James Gandolfini - "The Sopranos"
Michael C. Hall - "Dexter"
Jon Hamm - "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie - "House"
James Spader - "Boston Legal"
ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alec Baldwin - "30 Rock"
Steve Carell - "The Office"
Ricky Gervais - "Extras"
Jeremy Piven - "Entourage"
Tony Shalhoub - "Monk"
ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate - "Samantha Who?"
America Ferrera - "Ugly Betty"
Tina Fey - "30 Rock"
Mary-Louise Parker - "Weeds"
Vanessa Williams - "Ugly Betty"
DRAMA ENSEMBLE
"Boston Legal"
"The Closer"
"Grey's Antatomy"
"Mad Men"
"The Sopranos"
COMEDY ENSEMBLE
"30 Rock"
"Desperate Housewives"
"Entourage"
"The Office
"Ugly Betty"
Click to visit Idol Thought's AMERICAN IDOL CENTRAL for show recaps and rankings, news on former contestants, best-of lists and much more
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Who Am I -- I Love Samantha Who!
I am not a sitcom guy. Sure, I was all about Friends, and I loved, for a time, Will & Grace and Scrubs. And yes, I find The Office to be pretty genius. But, generally, a half hour comedy is not really my cup of tea.
But, somehow, I love the new ABC sitcom Samantha Who. Like the title character asks herself on a regular basis -- who am I??
My affection for the show starts with Christina Applegate, who is just about as adorable and charming as possible. I saw the artist formerly known as Kelly Bundy in Sweet Charity on Broadway a few years back, and, even though her singing and dancing was not spectacular, was completely won over by her pluck and stage presence. Here, she's funny, vulnerable, bitchy, sensitive -- everything you could possibly want in a leading lady. I fall a little more in love with her each week.
Then there is the supporting cast, each one more brilliant than the next. I've never been a fan of Jennifer Esposito -- I found her almost unwatchable on last year's short lived Related and totally grating on Rescue Me, but here she is absolutely hysterical. Hys-ter-i-cal.
Melissa McCarthy, who was always delightful as Sookie on Gilmore Girls, is equally as likable here, even if her character is borderline creepy. Her comic timing is so spot-on, she provides an excellent foil to Ms. Applegate. Barry Watson, too, has an understated presence that is totally genuine. He's put to better use here than he ever was on the lame-assed What About Brian?
And Jean Smart. I mean -- Jean Smart, people! After tearing through 24 a couple of seasons ago, it's a hoot to see her back in a full-out comedy, and she milks each joke for every laugh it's got. She's a comic genius.
The premise of the show is getting a bit old -- yes, we get it, she was a bitch, and now she's trying not to be. But with one of the best casts on TV, and one of it's most likable leading ladies, I'm gonna keep watching.
Who am I???
Click for more TV Recaps and Reviews
Friday, September 07, 2007
Fall TV Preview: Mondays at 9PM
Is there a more exciting time than the beginning of the fall TV season? To get ready for the return of favorite series, and the debut of new ones, I will be taking a look over the next couple of weeks at each hour of programming. I'll be giving my thoughts on the many pilots that I've seen, and identifying which shows I will be watching and recording. Fall TV, here we come!
Mondays at 9PM
ABC
8-9:30PM Dancing with the Stars (premieres September 24)
Idol Thoughts readers know I love this show -- click here for a full list of postings on Dancing, including the list of this year's participants.
9:30PM Samantha Who? (premieres October 15) NEW SERIES
ABC Says: Christina Applegate returns to network television in a comedy that offers a do-over in life. What if you had the chance to start over, to do it all again? For Samantha Newly (Ms. Applegate), this fantasy becomes a reality after a hit-and-run accident leaves her in an eight-day coma. When she awakens in the hospital, she is surrounded by family and friends. The only problem is that she has no idea who they are or who she is. As she sets out to rediscover herself, Sam is forced to rely on the only people who can help her -- an eclectic bunch of friends and family.
I love Christina Applegate -- always have, always will. Loved her on Married...with Children, loved her on Broadway in Sweet Charity, heck I even loved her on Jesse. This looks to be the perfect vehicle, allowing Applegate the opportunity to use her humor and romantic comedy chops to their fullest extent. Add to that a stellar supporting cast, including 24's Jean Smart, Gilmore Girls' Melissa McCarthy, What About Brian's Barry Watson and Rescue Me's Jennifer Esposito, and this could be the best new sitcom of the season.
CBS
9:00 Two and a Half Men (premieres September 24)
Just not my thing.
9:30 Rules of Engagement (premieres September 24)
I didn't watched it last year, and I'm not going to start now!
Fox
K-Ville (premieres September 17)
Fox Says: A heroic police drama set – and filmed – in New Orleans. Two years after Katrina, parts of the city are still in chaos, but hope has emerged. Battling an upsurge of violence, understaffing of police forces and a lack of crime labs and other facilities, the cops who remain in the New Orleans Police Department have courage to burn and a passion to reclaim and rebuild their city. Through its no-holds-barred crime stories and dramatic personal stories, this intriguing series will take viewers from the Victorian mansions of the Garden District to the rubble of the Lower 9th Ward.
While some have said the timing of this show is in poor taste, I actually tend to disagree -- why not use the immediacy of the recent past to tell good stories, as long as they are done with respect? Anthony Anderson (who shone on The Shield a few seasons back) and Cole Hauser are excellent as the two leads, although the pilot screener Fox sent me was a little tonally uneven. Still, I'm willing to give this one a chance.
NBC
Heroes (premieres September 24)
It took me until about halfway through the season to figure out what all the hype was about, but once I gave in to the power of Heroes, I never looked back. I'm a little concerned that all of the new ensemble members may dilute the show's engaging storytelling techniques, but I'm more than willing to go along for the ride.
The CW
9:00 Girlfriends (premieres October 1)
Nope.
9:30 The Game (premieres October 1)
Um...nope.
Click for more of the Fall TV Preview
Next up: Mondays at 10PM
Click for This Fall at Idol Thoughts
Posts
