Posts with tag Harry Potter
Posted Jun 23rd 2008 10:46AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S02E03) Army Wives is the kind of show that's not afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve, metaphorically speaking. That's what this episode was in essence. The writers weren't afraid to deal with some core themes like faith, courage, fear and bravery.
Time has passed since Amanda's death, but life is not returning to normal for the Holdens. Until Claudia Joy is able to begin to heal, Michael and Emmalin will be suffering, a point driven home in this episode by the messenger. In the guise of guest star Bill Cobbs, he's not real.
At least not real in human form; he's imaginary and only Claudia Joy can see and speak with him. This is very much a dramatic device to help her see that life goes on.
Continue reading Army Wives: The Messenger
Posted Jun 16th 2008 3:43PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Casting, Reality-Free
ABC has cast some familiar television faces
in an ambitious family-oriented pilot called Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas.
The West Wing's Janel Moloney (yes, she's done other stuff, too, but to me she's still Donna) and Patrick Breen (who's been on lots of shows like
Eli Stone and
The West Wing, too), will play the adopted parents of Gwen Malloy, the star of
Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas. Jodelle Ferland, a 13-year-old veteran has landed the Gwen role, and the show will revolve around her. Ferland is a vet, having appeared in features like
Tideland, a Terry Gilliam film,
Dark Angel and
The Collector. On TV, she was in Stephen King's
Kingdom Hospital.
Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas is being talked up as a
Harry Potter meets
Pan's Labyrinth, although the plot also has elements of
Nim's Island in there, if you ask me. Gwen is an adventurous kid who discovers a magic atlas. The atlas is the key to a secret world beneath our own reality.
Continue reading Casting news for Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas
Posted Mar 24th 2008 2:02PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, CSI, House, Law and Order, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, 30 Rock, Ugly Betty, NCIS, TV Squad Lists, Lipstick Jungle, Eli Stone
The world of primetime TV are primarily set in the real world. The real world based on the fiction they create. So,
Law and Order -- in all its incarnations -- is set in New York City, but it's not the real five boroughs. The newspapers they read are not
The New York Times, the
Post or the
Daily News. For contemporary TV fiction, reality is on the margins of the storytelling because you can't really set those characters in a real world. However, when the two worlds intersect, the results can be magic. Here's 8 big-time, primetime examples:
1) Cowboy Up TimeRemember the episode of
Lost when Ben wanted to convince Jack that he was in communication with the world outside the island? To prove that he was telling the truth, he showed Jack a video of the Boston Red Sox winning the world series in 2004. You can't get more real than that, right? And yet it was used in one of the most out of this world shows on the air. In fact, using
Lost's own terminology, the Red Sox video is a constant truth in a universe that's a complete fiction.
Continue reading Eight real world moments in reel TV
Posted Jul 20th 2007 1:54AM by Annie Wu
Filed under: OpEd, The Daily Show, Episode Reviews
First of all, a big congratulations to both
The Daily Show and
The Colbert Report for their
multiple Emmy nods! Comedy Central must be very, very proud. I don't know if Jon will bring up the nominations any time in the near future, but I think Stephen will do a bit of boasting soon.
"
Harry Potter and the Endless Build Up": Senior Literary Correspondent John Oliver chimed in on the
Harry situation (Haha, I just made that up, right now. I'm so good. So very, very good) regarding spoilers. His spoiler joke, "Harry is decapitated by Ron, who is actually Voldemort's robot son", got a good laugh from me, but judging from the mild response from the audience, there weren't too many fans in the crowd. Oh, I just remembered... Back when the sixth book was about to be released, Rob Corddry filed an absolutely hysterical report about spoilers. For once, Comedy Central's website has a clip I want, so
check it out.
Continue reading The Daily Show: July 19, 2007
Posted Jul 11th 2007 5:59PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, TV Royalty, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show
Charlie Rose: Christian Bale and authors Dov Seidman and Jessie Gruman - The Daily Show: Bruce Willis (repeat)
- The Colbert Report: David France (repeat)
- The Late Show With David Letterman: Emma Watson, P.Diddy, and Spoon
- Jay Leno: John Travolta, The Neville Brothers, and Tony Dungy
- Jimmy Kimmel Live: Ethan Hawke, Elisha Cuthbert, and Harris Wittles
- Tavis Smiley: Mavis Staples (repeat)
- Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Daniel Radcliffe, Carlos Mencia, and Art Brut
- The Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Julie Chen, James Marsden, and Sara Bareilles
- Last Call With Carson Daly: Lifehouse and Amaury Nolasco
Posted Jul 9th 2007 5:59PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, TV Royalty, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show
Charlie Rose: Don Cheadle, Zahi Hawass, and Catharine Roehrig- The Daily Show: Claire Danes (repeat)
- The Colbert Report: Vincent Bugliosi (repeat)
- The Late Show With David Letterman: Don Cheadle and Smashing Pumpkins
- Jay Leno: Daniel Radcliffe, Patton Oswalt, and The Decemberists
- Jimmy Kimmel Live: George Foreman, Jennifer Esposito, and Tiger Army (repeat)
- Tavis Smiley: Walter Isaacson and Lily Allen (repeat)
- Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Jarod Miller, Jason Priestly, and Dan Naturman
- The Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Kathy Griffin, Ken Bruen, and Marty Stuart
- Last Call With Carson Daly: Dave Foley and Ying Yang Twins (repeat)
Posted Feb 10th 2007 1:14PM by Brett Love
Filed under: FOX, American Idol, Music and Variety
We've already seen
Survivor and
Big Brother go the all-star route. And The
Amazing Race is getting set to kick off their own version. Heck, it seems like every time I click by MTV there is another show filled with past
Road Rules and
Real World cast members. So why not American Idol?
According to
TV Guide, Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe is trying to sell Fox on the concept. It's part of the planned songwriting competition. Lythgoe's idea is to narrow those entries down to ten songs and then bring in ten former
Idol contestants to sing the songs on the show.
I'm not an
Idol fan, but I have to say, that's a solid idea. I'm guessing they won't be able to get Kelly Clarkson, and chances are
Jennifer Hudson won't be involved. But assuming that they can manage to get ten of the more popular contestants, this should make for another huge week of ratings. And an
American Idol All-Stars CD... And an
American Idol All-Stars Special Edition DVD... And... good grief,
Idol is just a machine. At this point it's rivaled only by the power of
Harry Potter.
Posted Jan 29th 2007 11:46AM by Elizabeth Chan
Filed under: ABC, News, Daytime, Grey's Anatomy
You are not a true tabloid celebrity unless all of your roads lead towards a one way ticket to rehab. Celebrities wear their Chanel sunglasses and hats low, like a badge of courage, as they are driven in their chauffeured SUV's through the Mojave Desert on their way to places with names more appropriate for a nursery school than to a place for those down the downward spiral of celebrity excess.
Common pre-requisites for rehab include an undying love for cocaine, a struggle with food or a co-dependency on the bottle.
But say you don't have a problem with any of the above and find yourself being publicly scrutinized by society who seek a social remedy for your reprehensible behavior on national television?
We make foul discriminatory language a new reason for rehab and make Isaiah Washington our example.
Unfortunately for Washington, one of the side effects of going to rehab for foul language is being the butt of many jokes, from Wanda Sykes on Ellen to even your own co-worker at The SAG Awards.
It's only a matter of time before we find Harry Potter in rehab. Let me be the first to make this prediction after his...
Continue reading TV's Top 5!: Isaiah's in rehab but what's with Harry Potter?
Posted Jan 27th 2007 8:29AM by Kevin Kelly
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, BBC, Children
Of course, this is an entire new usage of the word "reality." You know, the kind of reality where kids have magical powers and can fly around on broomsticks? My dictionary needs some serious updating. Apparently a new series coming to the BBC entitled
The Sorcerer's Apprentice (no, we aren't kidding) will enroll fourteen kids into a Hogwarts-esque school where they "will be schooled in magic history and folklore, told the latin terms for casting spells, and taught how to look after resident magic animals. As their knowledge and skills progress they will also be taught the art of illusion."
Apparently they'll basically be taught magic by lesser known David Copperfields and Lance Burtons, thereby making this potentially one of the greatest must see train wreck shows in television history. Yes, kids are adorable, but watching them try to learn sleight of hand so they don't get voted off a TV show? Ouch-tastic. Stay tuned for more as the secrets are revealed. You might also brace yourself for a lot of magical puns, because I just can't help myself.
Posted Dec 8th 2006 8:15AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Industry, Programming, Ratings
1.
Monday Night Football (ESPN)
2.
The Librarian: Return To King Solomon's Mines (TNT)
3.
WWE Monday Night RAW - 10pm (USA)
4.
The Santa Clause (ABC)
5.
WWE Monday Night RAW - 9pm (USA)
6.
The Christmas Card (Hallmark)
7.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (ABC Family)
8.
SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon)
9.
Avatar: The Guru (Nickelodeon)
10.
A Dad For Christmas (Lifetime)
Posted Oct 28th 2006 5:51PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming
At 8, FOX has four episodes of Cops.- ABC has Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban at 8.
- NBC has a new Dateline at 8, followed by new episodes of Kidnapped and Law and Order: SVU.
- TLC has two new eps of Little People, Big World at 8, followed by two new eps of Flip That House.
- AMC's Monsterfest continues at 8 with The Exorcist.
- HGTV has a new reDesign at 8.
- Nick has two Halloween themed episodes of SpongeBob at 8.
- Sci-Fi has Pumpkinhead II at 8, followed by Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes.
- At 9, Food Network has the special Candy Convention.
- Comedy Central has Shaun of the Dead at 9.
- At 11:30, NBC has a new Saturday Night Live, with Hugh Laurie and Beck.
- At midnight, FOX has a new Talk Show with Spike Feresten.
- Don't forget to turn your clocks back one hour before going to bed!
Posted Oct 27th 2006 11:39AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Celebrities, Horror
That's Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the right, in her groundbreaking performance as a woman turned into a nymph in the classic 1986 horror flick
Troll. It was
her first big screen appearance after her short stint on
Saturday Night Live. Luckily, she went on to a role in Woody Allen's
Hannah and Her Sisters the very same year, then on some show about nothing. And now, of course, she's on the hit CBS comedy
The New Adventures of Old Christine.
If you've never seen
Troll, it's, um, interesting to say the least. Maybe good for a goofy Halloween DVD to rent. It stars Michael Moriarty, Sonny Bono, Shelley Hack, June Lockhart and Noah Hathaway as the hero of the flick, Harry Potter.
Yup, Harry Potter.
Posted Sep 12th 2006 10:26AM by Brett Love
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, ABC, Industry
Mike Newell, director of
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, has signed a deal with ABC to develop three pilots for the network. Not much is known about the three dramas, other than that they will be done under the banner of Touchstone, another member of the Disney/ABC megacorp family.
Of course, saying 'Harry Potter director' sounds a little more flashy than '
Huff producer', but I think the latter may have a little more bearing on just where this is headed. While mostly known for his movie work (
Potter, Mona Lisa Smile, Pushing Tin, Four Weddings and a Funeral), Newell is not new to TV. Along with his work on
Huff, Newell also directed episodes of
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and a whole mess of television movies and series in the 70s.
[ via
digital spy ]
Posted Aug 28th 2006 6:33PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Talent, Industry
In what can only be interpreted as an attempt to diversify his acting portfolio, Daniel Radcliffe will star in a made-for-television movie for British network ITV. The actor, whom I will forever identify as Harry Potter, will play the son of real-life author Rudyard Kipling ("The Jungle Book", "Gunga Din").
Called
My Boy Jack, the television movie is about John Kipling's death in World War I during the
Battle of Loos. After his son's death, Kipling wrote "If any question why we died/Tell them, because our fathers lied". Makers of the television movie say the WWI storyline will have present-day applications to the Iraq war.
Posted Aug 19th 2006 9:27AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, ABC, Industry, Programming
ABC has ordered a pilot from Charmed producer Daniel Cerone and Threshold producer David Heyman called Crime Prevention Unit, based on a British detective series.
The series follows a crack investigative team that solves crimes. So it's like Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Or CSI. Or CSI: Miami. Or CSI: NY. Or The Closer. Or how about Criminal Minds? Maybe with a dash of Numb3rs or Without a Trace mixed in?
Hey, it could be good, but how about a cool, old-fashioned private eye show, like Magnum, P.I. or Spenser: For Hire, huh?
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