I'll be honest, I don't remember hearing about this big budget mini-series of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick before. But If they do it authentically enough, they'll be guaranteed millions of DVD sales and rentals by high school and college kids who damned sure aren't going to read the book for English class.
It's being put together by Germany's RTL, Austria's ORF and Robert Halmi's RHI. That means it's an RTLORFRHI production, which makes me ROFLMAO. Unfortunately, viewers in the USA are SOL as it currently has no network deal here.
That could change with this big casting news. The $25 million Moby-Dick mini-series has brought William Hurt and Ethan Hawke aboard. They'll be playing the obsessed Captain Ahab and defiant first mate Starbuck, respectively. It looks like there'll be a lot of CGI and effects representing the whale, which is a shame because we could have had a lot of politically incorrect fun casting that role. Maybe SYTYCD's Mary Murphy could be the voice of the whale, which would explain Ahab's obsession to shut it up permanently.
I've checked out the first episode of season two of Crash, which airs Sept. 18 at 10 PM ET on Starz. After a major tragedy in his life, Ben Cendars, played awesomely by Dennis Hopper, has taken some time off to get sober. No more drugs.
Somehow, I find that a difficult pill to swallow, so to speak, and I really hope he goes south again soon. No one plays the drugged out crazy guy like Dennis Hopper. His wild eyes and erratic behavior are the best parts of the show, especially as he interacts with his driver Anthony, played by Jocko Sims. Those two have one of the weirdest, most dysfunctional bromances in TV history, and I'd hate to see it messed up with Ben's sobriety.
On the plus side, Eric Roberts has joined the cast as a billionaire entrepreneur who plans to bring a pro football team to Los Angeles. My other favorite character is Kenny, played by Ross McCall. He's definitely no angel, but he seems like he wants to make things right in this episode. Let's just say it's a bit of a heartbreaker.
So first I see the headline that NBC is developing SelleVision, a home-shopping comedy. I immediately thought of how well tapping into payday loans worked for The CW last year. I guess I associate the people who shop on those home-shopping networks as the same people who get payday loans? Not fair, I know but what can you do.
I don't think we've had a home-shopping network-based scripted show (of that, I'm probably wrong). At the least, it's unique. Then I saw that Bryan Singer was directing. Okay, interesting. Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) is set to write? Sold!
The series, based on the book of the same name, was originally optioned for film, but now is being expanded for television. The bottom line is that the book is bizarre and funny; it features alcohol and drug abuse, marital affairs and other twisted things among its mostly female cast. Fuller excels at weird hour-long comedy-dramas, and this material sounds like a perfect fit for him.
Some have made the argument that actor Ted McGinley is the patron saint of all things television. I mean, sure Teddy-M.C. has a wide and varied career and holds the power to destroy entire series with his very presence.
Well Mr. McGinley, I've met Bruce Campbell (once, almost, it's a long story). I know Bruce Campbell (not really, but Bob probably knows him better than I do). And you, sir, are no Bruce Campbell.
And just to prove it, let me pose a question: has anyone ever held a "Ted McGinley Watch" in his television honor? I didn't think so. Writer and blogger John Sellers has revived the annual TV tradition on his popular True/Slant blog.
(S01E02) After the terrific premiere episode of Glee last May, it was probably inevitable that the second episode would have a hard time recapturing that euphoria. For the first few minutes, however, Glee had succeeded. As Will made his entrance into McKinley High, high on the joy that the New Directions had brought back to his life and seeing it reflected in the lives of the students in the club, I related to the euphoria. I love that euphoria.
As the music to Dean Martin's "Ain't That A Kick in the Head" played (sans vocal) in the background, it seemed that Glee was sailing. More on the rest of the show after the jump.
I know what you're thinking. Joss Whedon already did that with Firefly. But you see, Firefly was quite different than the western Chuck producer Scott Rosenbaum is developing. See, Firefly was a space-based science fiction with western elements. This project is a western with sci-fi elements.
I know what you're thinking. Michael Garrison already did that with The Wild Wild West. But you see-- I'm not going to do all that again. Actually, the description leaves things a little vague, so I've taken the liberty of filling in the blanks with only my sleep-deprived mind and a healthy dosage of Diet Dr. Pepper to guide me.
Rosenbaum's official descriptions include "a gunslinger caught between worlds" and a nod to Planet of the Apes. Post-apocalyptic? They're adapting Stephen Kings' The Dark Tower?! Hardly. I do suspect a future time when we've reverted back to the trappings of the Old West. Either that, or a parallel world. I don't really care, I've been itching for a good western since Deadwood had to go.
(S02E01) - "I'm not going to swap one outlaw for another one."
How do you turn a group of gruff biker outlaws who deal potent drugs to street trash and hardcore hardware to ruthless killers into a likable group of huggable stud muffins?
That's easy. You make a group of radical white supremacists into their enemies. It's the old "lovable by association" tactic of TV writing. Is the audience not buying your childhood version of Darth Vader? Then throw in a wise-cracking alien that sounds like Pee Wee Herman with Down's Syndrome.
However, in the case of the second season of Sons of Anarchy, it's a pretty sweet power play for a show that already packed more punch than an Absinthe smoothie.
Each year, as the new fall season approaches, I go through all the magazine and online sources talking about the various shows to try and figure out which ones I'm going to be excited about, and which I'm going to avoid like the plague.
Inevitably, I wind up sampling plenty of shows from which I should have steered clear. At the same time, a few shows will slip between the cracks, and then I'm bashing my head against the wall because I missed out on the beginning of something special. I hate coming into things late.
This year, I decided to share my top and bottom five selections. I'm sure the rest of the Squadders and you will have differing opinions than mine, but that's what makes America great, right? Chime in with your own lists in the comments.
I haven't been here from the beginning, so I don't know the exact number of times actress and singer Katey Sagal has sat down to talk to someone from our humble site. But within the last year, someone Squadder has either called her up on the phone or bumped into her in person to chat her up about the return of Futurama or her more serious but equally kick-ass role on Sons of Anarchy.
I'm seriously thinking that we need to institute some kind of frequent visitor punch card that rewards stars with a free pizza, a round of drinks or half off a new muffler (not including labor) for their 10th interview.
Sagal was nice enough to talk to us yet again in anticipation of the new season of Sons of Anarachy that premieres this tonight at 10 p.m. Eastern/9 p.m. Central on FX. We talked about her character Gemma's place in SAMCRO and what she has to endure for the club, and why women are such big fans of the show.
Somehow I don't think this new gig will be as much fun as her old one. But out of love for The Middleman, I will be happy that Natalie Morales has been upgraded to series regular on White Collar. The job started as a two-episode guest spot, so I guess somebody was impressed with our Dub-Dub. If I can't have one of the best shows of the past several years, I should at least be satisfied when the people that brought it to life find new gigs.
The premise of White Collar puts it in that procedural category that generally doesn't appeal to me. But the twist on the formula is fairly novel. Con artist captured by the Feds offers to work with them to nab other criminals in exchange for his freedom. Morales joins the mix as a junior FBI agent who has enough smarts and attitude to hold her own with both the men in uniform and the criminals they're tackling.
Durham County is being touted as the Ion (formerly PAX) network's first foray into original scripted programming in years. And that's kind of true. Except that Durham County first premiered more than two years ago in Canada. There, it's had two six-episode seasons. But while there was a long two-year gap between those seasons up north, Ion will be airing both as a twelve-episode first season stateside.
Based on just that first episode, Durham County is one hell of a ride. I don't think I've felt that much discomfort about what I was watching on a television show in a long, long time. It wasn't so much the gratuitous violence, and it was certainly there, but it was in the characterizations. There were parts of that premiere that were equal parts riveting and just so disturbing you didn't even want to be in the same room with it.
Tonight at 9, the newMelrose Place debuts on The CW. Here's one of the major moments from the original, starring Marcia Cross from Desperate Housewives. People were shocked by this. I wonder if the new show will have similar "wow" scenes.
Normally, TV press kits come with more useless junk than an IKEA furniture kit. They usually come with T-shirts that are too small for the average TV critic's billowy build, toys that can turn the brightest human beings into easily-amused cats, and other assorted paraphernalia.
FX's press kit for the forthcoming second season of Sons of Anarchy has none of these things. There are no bloody brass knuckle sets, fake handlebar mustaches or even a lousy T-shirt that reads "The bitch fell off" on the back, perfect for that upcoming christening or bar-mitzvah.
That doesn't mean it's bad. In fact, it's one of the most bitching press kits to ever grace my cold, ink-stained hands.
The level that FX's Sons of Anarchy's second season has to reach to top their outrageous first might seem unfathomable. But the man helming this ship is writer, creator and executive producer Kurt Sutter - the man who helped steer The Shield through seven strange and unpredictable seasons of treacherous waters that were once deemed unchartable for the likes of basic cable.
It's tight control on what appears to be complete chaos. Sutter and company are a fleet of reckless Sledge Hammers who are willing to blow up whole buildings to get the job done. Trust him. He knows what he's doing.
FX's white hot biker drama kicks off Tuesday and it brings all of the blood, guts, bullets and glory that the first season did in buckets. And that's just in the first five episodes.
Jack is ambitious and follows the rules. Dan is a drunken lech who should have been fired years ago. Probably would have been, too, if it weren't for a heroic act earlier in his career. I have to say, lighter fare is a better direction for these lower budget direct-to-series projects than what we saw this summer.
Cable has it right. People want fun and sexy for summer. The shows under this model get a 13-episode commitment; so why not go all the way with it and try to compete directly with cable? After all, cable is winning summers right now.
I'll be honest, I don't remember hearing about this big budget mini-series of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick before. But If they do it authentically enough, they'll be guaranteed millions of DVD sales and rentals by high school and college kids who damned sure aren't going to read the book for English class.
I've checked out the first episode of season two of 
So first I see the headline that 
I know what you're thinking. Joss Whedon already did that with 
(S02E01) - "I'm not going to swap one outlaw for another one." 
Each year, as the new fall season approaches, I go through all the magazine and online sources talking about the various shows to try and figure out which ones I'm going to be excited about, and which I'm going to avoid like the plague. 
I haven't been here from the beginning, so I don't know the exact number of times actress and singer Katey Sagal has sat down to talk to someone from our humble site. But within the last year, someone Squadder has either called her up on the phone or bumped into her in person to chat her up about 
Somehow I don't think this new gig will be as much fun as her old one. But out of love for 
Durham County is being touted as the Ion (formerly PAX) network's first foray into original scripted programming in years. And that's kind of true. Except that Durham County first premiered more than two years ago in Canada. There, it's had two six-episode seasons. But while there was a long two-year gap between those seasons up north, Ion will be airing both as a twelve-episode first season stateside.
Normally, TV press kits come with more useless junk than an IKEA furniture kit. They usually come with T-shirts that are too small for the average TV critic's billowy build, toys that can turn the brightest human beings into easily-amused cats, and other assorted paraphernalia. 
Utilizing the same international cost-cutting model that brought us 
The Prisoner -- An early look
Sesame Street's 40th: Five funniest characters
Sesame Street's 40th: Five biggest controversies
