TVSquad

The folks at our sister site Cinematical are working hard to give you news and reviews of the best -- and worst -- the silver screen has to offer. Here are some of their musings on the latest blockbusters, indies, and everything in between:

• My Big Fat Greek Wedding stars, Nia Vardalos and John Corbett are teaming up again in a new rom-com.
  
• I had absolutely no recollection of The Fugitive's trailer, but watching it again makes me understand why Cinematical included it as a Terrific Trailer.
• While a good movie, I found Lars and the Real Girl to be quite disturbing. So the fact that The Beaver is being compared to it, involves a hand puppet and may star Jim Carrey? Frankly, I'm terrified.
• I haven't gotten a chance to see Wolverine yet, but according to this Cinematical poll, it wasn't great. What did you think?
• I'm not exactly waiting for the G.I. Joe movie with bated breath, but in case you are, here's the trailer in HD.

The first Sex and the City movie wasn't just a hit. It was a big, big hit. The worldwide box office was $400 million, which even in today's inflated dollars is an awful lot of cash. Therefore, it was no surprise that New Line has green lighted a sequel to the feature based on the HBO series for release in 2010.

Debra wasn't thrilled with more Sex features, but I have faith in Michael Patrick King. However, there is another issue; while all the ladies are inked for the Sex and the City sequel, Chris Noth is not, which may -- or may not -- be a "big" deal.

(S01E02) Last week we were introduced to T and Buck, and this week we got to meet Alice. While T may be the most outrageous, and Buck the strangest, this first impression suggests that Alice is the most dangerous of Tara's alters. Along with learning about Alice, and her future plans, it was also a big night for guest spots. Tony Hale, Patton Oswalt, and Nathan Corddry were all along for the ride.

(S01E01) My first reaction to seeing the Tara premiere was that this one is going to be very hit and miss with viewers. Diablo Cody doesn't have a long list of credits, but she certainly does have her own unique style. If it's a style you like, you'll be able to fall right in with this one. If you don't ... yeah ... this one could grate on you. Even if that is the case though, I would encourage you to hang in there and give the show a little time. Underneath the occasionally too clever dialog, the Gregson's story has a heart.

Some quickie news from Showtime, presented by entertainment president Bob Greenblatt:

• Ilene Chaiken is developing a spin-off for The L Word, which will feature a yet unspecified character from the original show, whose upcoming season will be its last. There will be an open-ended plot in the season finale that Chaiken will continue online, then pick up if the spin-off comes to pass.
• Two more 13-episode seasons of Weeds have been ordered.
• A seventh season of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! has been ordered, making it Showtime's longest-running show.
• A reality/documentary show called Lock 'N Load has been ordered; it's filmed in a gun shop, and it shows the various people who purchase guns and "exploit their right to bear arms," according to the press release.
• Two new pilots have been ordered and filmed. The United States of Tara, produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Diablo Cody, stars Toni Collette as a suburban mother with multiple-personality disorder. John Corbett stars as her husband (yes... it's a comedy). The other pilot is tentatively-titled Nurse Jackie. It stars Edie Falco as a New York City nurse with a painkiller addiction who sometimes crosses moral lines to help her patients (no... it's not a comedy). Tara will begin airing in winter 2009, and Jackie will begin airing in late spring or early summer.
  

Showtime is bringing us a new comedy series. They've ordered twelve episodes of The United States of Tara which will star Toni Collette as a wife/mother who suffers from dissociative identity (multiple personality disorder). The half-hour comedy will follow Collette, her husband (played by John Corbett), and their children as Collette copes with her different identities. They never know which age, temperament or even gender Collette will be on any given day.

Oscar-winner Diablo Cody (Juno) wrote the pilot and will continue on as a writer and executive producer. She is joined by executive producers Steven Speilberg, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank and Alex Junge. The pilot was directed by Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl).

There's something really great about being able to buy an entire season of a TV show, or the entire run, on DVD. It can be addictive, too. But isn't it interesting that even though there are scads of great -- and some not-so-great -- series committed to DVD and readily available online or at the local superstore, there are a ton more that aren't? And what about great TV specials? When I read this list, it got me thinking about which TV programs I would buy in a heartbeat. My list is very subjective -- maybe even eclectic -- but here's my ten TV shows that need to be on DVD.

The Bob Newhart Show
Recently, when the American Masters did a special about Bob Newhart, they showed footage from The Bob Newhart Show. No, not the one with Suzanne Pleshette as Emily. They had clips from the 1961-62 Bob Newhart Show on NBC. It was a variety hour, showcasing many of his now classic routines. It looked really funny, filled with his inspired sketches and bits. And it was critically acclaimed, too, winning Emmy and Peabody awards. Naturally, NBC canceled it after just one season. I'd love to think that there's enough footage from those shows to create a DVD.

This sounds like a promising new project: John Corbett as Toni Collette's leading man in the Showtime comedy pilot United States of Tara. The show comes from the pen of Diablo Cody, fresh off her Oscar win as the screenwriter of Juno, and the pilot's director is Craig Gillespie who received plaudits for the indie hit Lars and the Real Girl. Oh, and did I mention that Steven Spielberg is one of the producers? Considering this collection of talent and Showtime's recent programming successes, United States of Tara sounds like another ace for the cable net.

The single-camera Showtime pilot Insatiable, which revolves around a small town in which everyone has an addiction, has added an impressive roster of actresses to its cast. Currently in negotiation to appear are Andie MacDowell, Laura Flynn Boyle and Andrea Martin.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the ensemble comedy emulates the tone of Twin Peaks. Alright, I have no idea what that means. So, let's move on.

Mulder is returning to television for a pair of shows in development with Showtime.

The first project, an untitled drama about a novelist with a kid, a drug problem and sex addiction, has not been officially picked up as a series. Duchovny will, however, be starring in and executive producing the pilot for the network. The second series, a comedy entitled Yoga Man, will be written by Duchovny and Bart Freundlich. Yoga Man is being described as Shampoo, but in a yoga studio.

The Showtime pilot based on the British hit Manchild has its four leads now. Julia reported that John Corbett (Lucky, Northern Exposure) had been cast. Now comes word that he will be joined by Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy, etc.), James Purefoy (Rome), and Paul Hipp (Carnivale). According to the Hollywood Reporter, Smith will play Paul, an angry, divorced, 40 something guy who hates his ex-wife and her new husband. I can totally see that working out perfectly. Purefoy is cast as Joe, the leader of the group. He's a good looking rich guy who revels in his single lifestyle.

It's still just a pilot project, but that is some serious casting. I'm always a little leery when someone decides to adapt a British show for a U.S. audience. The track record for doing that isn't exactly stellar. But given this cast, I'm certainly interested to see their take on the story.

Even when he played Aidan on Sex and the City, John Corbett has always been a little bit country. That's why he gave up acting in 2005, headed to Nashville, and grew out his chops. He spent the last year writing and composing songs for a country album with guitarist/friend Tara Novick. Now he has a self-titled album and a video, which you can see on AOL. The video is for a song called Good to Go, and it features your usual country stuff: hay bales, horses, tractors, and dirt. Oh yeah, and it also has a few cameos by Bo Derek, John's real-life girlfriend. You can hear samples of all the songs on his debut album over at his official website. Corbett isn't signed on with a record label because he didn't like their recommendation of waiting a year to create a "marketing strategy" for his album. It's his first album, but it's also a life-long dream for him, so he probably wanted to start the country music part of his life as soon as possible. Even if you don't like the style of music, you've got to admire the guy for walking away from it all to pursue his dream.

[Via Pop Candy]