Posted Jul 23rd 2008 9:42AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, 24, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
I don't know about you, but I'm suffering from serious
24 withdrawal. Like, to the point where I'm ready to start watching the entire series from the beginning again.
But maybe there's a little glimmer of light there. I'm not talking about the
24 movie this fall to tie us into next year -- although that certainly qualifies. I'm talking about the new series,
Night and Day, from
24 co-creator Joel Surnow and Todd Robinson.
TNT has just
given the green light to the series, a fast-paced, gritty drama about the life of an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Hmmm, sounds strangely familiar...
Continue reading Joel Surnow's Night and Day picked up by TNT
Posted Jul 22nd 2008 8:03AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Programming, OpEd, Reality-Free, Comic-Con
Ewww! This poster is so creepy, it makes me want to hurl! And watch this show! Of course, the fact that
Alan Ball is behind it -- the man who helmed one of my favorite shows ever,
Six Feet Under -- has nothing to do with it. Nope, it doesn't. Okay, I'm lying. It has everything to do with it.
HBO's
True Blood, starring Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, is set to premiere on Sept. 7 at 9 p.m. Here's the newly released poster for it. Makes you want to dig into a jar of strawberry jam, doesn't it?
Based on
Charlaine Harris'
Southern Vampire novel series, the show follows the world of vampires set in small-town Louisiana. They're able to co-exist with humans by drinking a Japanese-manufactured synthetic blood. (Well, what fun is that?!)
Continue reading HBO releases True Blood poster (time to stock up on strawberry jam)
Posted Jul 20th 2008 4:04PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, OpEd, Project Runway, Pickups and Renewals, TCA Press Tour
Somehow, I never imagined that
Sarah Jessica Parker's next TV gig after
Sex and the City would be a reality show about art. In fact, it makes me a little sad thinking she'll be doing that instead of some fabulous new series with big stars and groovy music.
But, here you have it:
Bravo has picked up an art competition reality show from Parker's Pretty Matches production company and producers Magical Elves. They're expected to announce the deal today at the
Television Critics Association press tour, so Joel might have more info on this later.
The hour-long show is described by Elves' Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz as a
Project Runway-style competition, only with art instead of fashion. Aspiring artists compete to produce various styles of artwork, including painting, sculpting, etc., which is then judged by a panel of experts.
Continue reading SJP's art reality show on Bravo...I'm just not sure
Posted Jul 20th 2008 11:02AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, OpEd, Web, Watercooler Talk, Documentary
I watched
Hopkins this week for the first time. It's a six-part documentary from
ABC that delves into the lives of the real-life doctors who work at
Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, as well as the patients who come through its doors. It's
reality TV at its grittiest and most heartbreaking, in some cases.
When I first heard about the show, it sounded like an interesting premise -- learn about the doctors and caregivers who work at this medical center I've heard about all my life. When not performing medical miracles, they're just regular people. And from what I gathered watching
Episode 4 this week, the hospital pretty much takes over their lives, leaving little time or energy for the outside world and relationships.
Continue reading Hopkins: Are you watching?
Posted Jul 17th 2008 7:57AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, TV on DVD, TV on the Bigscreen, OpEd, Reality-Free
I've never interviewed
Babylon 5 creator
J. Michael Straczynski and don't know him personally, but he sure seems like one classy guy. He recently posted a note on
his web site, giving readers his thoughts on more
Babylon 5 DVDs.
In short, he's against it. He feels that offerings like the TV movie,
Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers, and the straight-to-DVD story,
Babylon 5: The Lost Tales, take away from the strength of the original TV series.
He writes that
The Lost Tales was commissioned at a $2 million budget, and they did the best they could with it. Apparently, the studio wasn't sure there was an audience for
Babylon 5. Silly studio.
Continue reading Straczynski: It's a Babylon 5 feature film or nothing
Posted Jul 16th 2008 2:23PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, TV Royalty, TV on DVD, OpEd, Retro Squad, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free, Star Trek: Original Series
Having grown up in a
Star Trek household from way back, I'm fairly familiar with a lot of the catch phrases from the original series, which ran from 1966 to 1969. Here are six that still make their way into conversation around here:
1. "Beam me up, Scotty." Gracing bumper stickers and coffee mugs everywhere, and often followed by "There's no intelligent life down here," this is likely the most recognizable phrase from the series. Here's the thing, though. According to
Wikipedia, the exact phrase was never actually spoken in any
Star Trek television episode or film.
Capt. Kirk comes closest to saying the phrase in the episode, "The Gamesters of Triskelion" ("Scotty, beam us up"); in the animated episodes "The Lorelei Signal" and "The Infinite Vulcan" ("Beam us up, Scotty"); in
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ("Scotty, beam me up"); and in
Star Trek Generations ("Beam them out of there, Scotty.")
Continue reading Dammit, Jim! It's a catch-phrase! - VIDEO
Posted Jul 15th 2008 8:01AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: TV Royalty, OpEd, Children, Reality-Free
I knew they'd end up there sooner or later. On Saturday, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington unveiled its latest exhibit:
"Jim Henson's Fantastic World." The exhibit features 14 of
Henson's Muppet creations, including Bert and Ernie, Kermit the Frog, and others from the long-running
Sesame Street. The exhibit is scheduled to remain at the Smithsonian until October, then leaves on a three-year tour to seven other cities.
Continue reading The Muppets take the Smithsonian
Posted Jul 12th 2008 2:22PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Reviewcaps, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S01E01) "You know why we're all here? It's about helping you." --
Sgt. Gregory ParkerYet another cop show has blasted into our lives:
Flashpoint, which premiered Friday at 10 PM on CBS. I'm not much for cop shows, and never got into all the
CSI,
Law & Order shows that continue to grace the airwaves. But I have to say, I was riveted to this one. Not as riveted as I am to
24, but you never know. We'll see how it goes.
It revolves around an elite emergency police unit in Toronto known as the Strategic Response Unit (SRU). The show was actually
inspired by Toronto's real-life Emergency Task Force, and the series is filmed in Toronto, which gives it an authentic air and allows the city to shine in a way it hasn't before. Even in this first episode, we see beautiful shots of the architecture and urban landscape.
The SRU team handles all the nitty-gritty stuff -- hostage situations, gangs, bombs, suicidal teens, you name it. Because of this, they also have an impressive array of state-of-the-art weapons -- sniper rifles, tasers, flash-bang grenades, and a bunch of other stuff I've probably never heard of.
Continue reading Flashpoint: Scorpio (series premiere)
Posted Jul 10th 2008 9:28AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Programming, OpEd, Reality-Free
Can a TV show centered around the $46 billion herbal weight loss industry be interesting? We'll soon find out, because
HBO has greenlit a pilot called
Fat Sells.
The story will center on the head of a weight loss company, and how his life starts to unravel when the FDA begins investigating the company's claims.
Forest Whitaker is attached to exec produce (and possibly direct the pilot), along with Dave Broome, who served as exec producer on
The Biggest Loser. Hmmm ... wonder if he has some insider info he'll bring to this project.
Continue reading Will HBO prove that Fat Sells?
Posted Jul 8th 2008 7:23PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Documentary, Reality-Free
The cable network History -- formerly known as the
History Channel (it'll always be the History Channel to me) -- has
a couple of projects in the works, one of which will likely fuel both sides of the political debate as election time nears.
"102 Minutes That Changed the World" is a piece on 9/11, culling footage from pros and amateurs, including two terrified New York University seniors in a high-rise dorm just blocks from the
World Trade Center. They started shooting the smoking North Tower after it was hit by the first plane, then captured the second plane hitting the South Tower.
The 102-minute piece will premiere without commercials at 9 p.m. on Sept. 11. Done in "real time" format, it'll feature footage from more than 100 sources, pieced together in chronological order, without narration, to provide what History is calling a "seamless historical record of that day."
Continue reading History stacks deck with 9/11, WWII stories
Posted Jul 8th 2008 12:23PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Programming, OpEd, Reality-Free
There's a long-running joke around our house about the
Hallmark channel. Whenever anyone surfs by it long enough to hear a wispy theme song, someone will invariably drop to their knees, lightly press the back of their hand to their forehead, and feign a woman in emotional turmoil. Let's face it, that pretty much describes a lot of Hallmark movies.
So when I read in
Variety that
Hallmark has 30 movies in the pipeline -- and would be announcing them at the
Television Critics Association confab (I guess that's what they call it when it's not the real deal?) -- I knew that a good portion of them would probably have the word "love" in the title.
Yep, sure enough. They've picked up the rights to the next two installments in the
Love Comes Softly franchise, based on Janette Oke's series of eight novels set in the Old West.
The seventh title,
Love Takes Wing, is in production and will air in the first quarter of 2009, starring Cloris Leachman and Hayley Duff. The final title,
Love Finds a Home, is still in the script stage and hasn't been cast.
Continue reading Hallmark plans 30 movies ... about love, of course
Posted Jul 4th 2008 1:02PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, TV on DVD, OpEd, Retro Squad, Reality-Free, Six Feet Under
This post might get a little esoteric, but I'll just lay it out there and, as always, you can either take it or leave it. If you don't like talk about death and dying, stop reading here.
If I was asked to say just one thing about
Six Feet Under, it's that they don't shirk from anything. The Fisher family is complex and messy, but the writers and actors put it all out there, whether it's gay sex, drugs, mental illness, or, of course, death.
That last one is a good thing for me, because I go to a lot of funerals. In the past few years, I've lost two aunts, a dad, a father-in-law, a grandma, a sister-in-law, two cousins, and at least two dozen friends. I've written scores of obituaries and played my violin for dozens of funerals. I'm on a first-name basis with most of the funeral directors in town. And you know what? It's OK!
Six Feet Under has helped me to see that. Read on for five ways the show helps me cope with death.
Continue reading Five ways Six Feet Under helps me cope with death
Posted Jul 4th 2008 12:23PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: OpEd, Grey's Anatomy, Short-Lived Shows, Cancellations, Casting, Journeyman, Reality-Free
Like many people, I was
miffed that Journeyman wasn't picked up for another season. But maybe we'll get our fix of
Kevin McKidd at Seattle Grace next year.
Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the Scottish actor, who blew (some of) us away as the time-traveling journalist Dan Vasser on
Journeyman, is in talks to join the cast of
Grey's Anatomy. The rumor is that McKidd would play a doctor who scrubs in at the hospital after a stint in Iraq.
Continue reading Kevin McKidd Joining Grey's Anatomy?
Posted Jul 4th 2008 11:24AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: TV on DVD, OpEd, Retro Squad, Reality-Free, Six Feet Under
I'm late to the
Six Feet Under party, having just started watching the series on DVD earlier this year. I'm half-way through the final season, so if anyone posts about the last episode (I've heard it's wonderful), I'll have to stick my fingers in my ears and sing la-la-la -- though I already have a general idea how it ends.
At any rate, I
love this show. Who knew I'd get hooked on a show about funeral directors, but there's something very addictive about it. I watch it when I get done working around 2 a.m., and there's something weirdly comforting about watching a show about death at that hour. Like, somehow, you think it'll all be okay. And really, the show isn't just about death. It's about
life and death. Big difference.
Okay, bear with me while I hand out a few awards (and feel free to post your own
SFU Awards in the comments):
Continue reading Six Feet Under: The Awards - VIDEO
Posted Jul 4th 2008 11:03AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: TV on DVD, OpEd, Video, Retro Squad, Reality-Free, Six Feet Under
One of my favorite parts of
Six Feet Under is the opening titles. When I get ready to watch the show, I don't turn it on and do other things while the opening titles play. I sit down and watch the titles from the beginning. It prepares me for the show ahead.
As I learned from watching the behind-the-scenes featurette on the season one DVD set, when a show is created, the opening pictures are usually done first and the music added later. That wasn't the case with
Six Feet Under, mainly because creator
Alan Ball had no idea what he wanted to do with the pictures. So he had composer Thomas Newman -- whom he worked with on
American Beauty -- score the music first.
Continue reading Six Feet Under: The opening titles - VIDEO
Next Page >
Forget the Knight Rider movie, say the series creators - TCA Report
Giveaway Monday: TV Funhouse
Giveaway Monday: Mad Men radio, DVD, lighter and more
