RobThomas-related stories
Posted Sep 2nd 2009 7:01PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Casting, Reality-Free
Now this is some casting news I can get behind. After the
disastrous In the Motherhood,
Megan Mullally is returning to television-- on a show that's actually funny! Mullally is set to
join the cast of the amazing Party Down, a Starz original from
Veronica Mars creator,
Rob Thomas.
Mullally is replacing
Jane Lynch, whose role as Sue Sylvester on
Glee has been bumped up from recurring character to series regular. She plays "Lydia Dunfree, who leaves her small town and her failed marriage to help her 13-year-old daughter Escapade achieve her dream of becoming an actress. In addition to working as a cater-waiter for Party Down, Lydia is looking for Mr. Right."
Continue reading Megan Mullally gets ready to Party Down
Posted Jun 1st 2009 2:27PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Industry, Programming, Reality-Free
ABC has
given an air date to
Samantha Who?'s swan song. The network will begin burning off the seven remaining episodes of the show Thursdays at 8 p.m. starting June 25.
As we mentioned last week, even a
petition set up by star Christina Applegate couldn't save
Samantha Who? from the axe. It's a shame. Applegate has turned into such a magnetic and charming comedic actor. Here's hoping she gets another shot at her own show or, like Jason
already suggested, a long-running guest stint on
HIMYM or maybe
The Big Bang Theory.
ABC is also making room on its summer schedule for the final eps of
Cupid and
In the Motherhood. The sole remaining ep of
Cupid, which shared the same fate as the 1998 show it was based on, will air June 16 -- if the NBA Finals don't make it to Game 6! (That's another slap in the face from the network to
Cupid creator Rob Thomas).
In the Motherhood's final three eps will begin airing June 25 at 8:30 p.m.
Posted Apr 15th 2009 10:29AM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S01E03) This episode really lacked the charm and spirit of the first two. We did get to see the kooky Julie Hagerty as Claire's kooky mom. That was a plus. But you know a show isn't winning you over when the star's designer T-shirts are more interesting than the plot.
Only three episodes in and the
Cupid cancellation rumors are swirling. According to
some sites, the show is already dead. I might have been upset about
Cupid going bye bye two weeks ago. Today, not so much.
I won't weep for a show that delivers warmed over fluff instead of compelling stories and interesting characters week after week. The first two episodes weren't amazing, but the charming cast, some great guest stars and the show's optimistic spirit managed to make them watchable. Tonight's ep dragged, the story and the couple of the week were straight outta dullsville, and Trevor and Claire's banter is getting old fast.
Continue reading Cupid: The Great Right Hope
Posted Apr 8th 2009 1:07PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S01E02) Like I wrote
last week, the success of
Cupid 2.0 will hinge heavily on the guest stars. Luckily, this week's guest stars were great.
Erik Palladino and Julie Ann Emery (as Mick and Riley) gave me the warm fuzzies as
Cupid's latest couple of the week. I enjoyed their chemistry so much that I was able to forgive the stock "surprise twist" that reared its witless head in the third act.
Continue reading Cupid: Live And Let Spy
Posted Apr 1st 2009 1:00PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S01E01) Call me a hopeless romantic, but I was charmed by the series premiere of
Cupid 2.0.
ABC's original
Cupid from 10 years ago, also headed up by executive producer Rob Thomas, was a smart, playful and quirky hour of television that looked and felt like nothing else on the air at the time. ABC's promos for Thomas' remake made this new show look silly and the quirkiness look forced. Thankfully, that's not the case – for the most part.
Bobby Cannavale plays Trevor (played by Jeremy Piven in the original), a New York City bartender who claims he's Cupid, the god of romantic love. Expelled from Olympus, he's given the task of bringing one hundred couples together here on Earth. Trevor goes about his plan under the watchful eye of Sarah Paulson's Dr. Claire McCrae (Claire Allen in the original), a psychiatrist and best-selling self-help book author assigned to monitor Trevor's release from a psychiatric hospital.
Continue reading Cupid: Pilot (series premiere)
Posted Mar 30th 2009 1:11PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, Interviews, Reality-Free
Ten years after ABC prematurely cancelled Rob Thomas' dramedy
Cupid, the alphabet net has decided to give it another go. The new version of the show, which premieres Tuesday at 10 PM ET, now stars
Sarah Paulson and Bobby Cannavale in the roles originated by Paula Marshall and Jeremy Piven, respectively.
The premise is the same: Trevor Pierce claims to be Cupid, exiled from Mt. Olympus, and he needs to find true love for 100 couples before he is allowed back home. After Trevor is arrested for one of his stunts and sent to a psychological hospital, singles self-help guru Dr. Claire McCrae is assigned to keep track of him as he makes his way in the outside world. This time around, the show is set in the fast paced and cynical world of New York, complete with all the modern touches of dating in the late '00s (Maybe Cupid will have a Twitter account).
I spoke to the stars of the new
Cupid last week. While I was on the phone, I asked Paulson about what happened on her previous series,
Studio 60. I got a pretty interesting response...
Continue reading Bobby Cannavale and Sarah Paulson talk about the return of Cupid - VIDEO
Posted Feb 19th 2009 2:01PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free
I've seen the new show from
Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas, and it is good. No, not the
Cupid redo; I'm talking about
Party Down.
The comedy about a group of struggling actors working as caterers premieres March 20 on STARZ. The show reunites Thomas with
Mars stars Ken Marino, Ryan Hansen and Adam Scott. Now, Veronica Mars herself, Kristen Bell, is
slated to guest star on the season finale, airing May 22.
Bell will play a rival caterer who makes trouble for the regular characters. Thomas said he wrote the part with Bell in mind.
Continue reading It's official: Kristen Bell will appear on Party Down
Posted Jan 20th 2009 1:04PM by Debra McDuffee
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Celebrities, Reality-Free
If you are a
Veronica Mars fan like I am, then you are probably still mourning the loss of the series; well, the first two seasons anyway. I'm sure the series hadn't run its course and that it would have rebounded from the fiasco known as season three, otherwise known as Piz.
OK, so maybe Piz grew on me a little, and he did keep Logan nice and angry, because nobody likes a happy Logan. And besides, would you want to see that sappy, insipid Logan in a feature film?
Did you like the way I slipped that in there? Feature film? Yep, Rob Thomas has confirmed that since the order on Cupid has been slashed from thirteen to eight episodes, he'll have time to write the
Veronica Mars movie. And he spills the beans on some other juicy tidbits about the film too:
Continue reading Veronica Mars movie is a go, says Rob Thomas
Posted Jan 13th 2009 5:05PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free
I can't believe I forgot to add
Party Down to my recent
list of new shows I'm looking forward to. Not only is it produced by
Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas, but it also
stars several Veronica Mars alums. Ken Marino (Vinnie Van Lowe), Ryan Hansen (Dick Casablancas), Adam Scott (Mr. Rooks), and Jane Lynch (Mrs. Donaldson) have all been cast in lead roles.
I know, I know; I was hoping to see Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni or even Kristen Bell on the cast list too. No such luck. But Colantoni is set to guest star in at least one episode, and so is Ed Begley Jr., who played Dean O'Dell in the last season of
Veronica Mars. Plus, Thomas said that Bell has expressed interest in appearing on the show.
Continue reading Veronica Mars stars to reunite on Party Down
Posted Dec 2nd 2008 6:24PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Industry, Reality-Free
Elle
Woods Bishop
might be dead, but the rumors of Kristen Bell reprising the role of Veronica Mars for a big screen outing are still circulating. Actually, a script is being written and a movie deal might already be in place. At least that's what former
Veronica Mars cast member Enrico Colantoni is saying.
In a recent
red carpet interview with The TV Addict, Colantoni said that
VM creator Rob Thomas is working on a script for a film version of the short-lived CW series. Colantoni is the latest
Mars associate to get fans' hopes up about Veronica's jump to the big screen. In recent months, Thomas and
VM star Kristen Bell have
spoken publicly about their love for the series and their hopes for a film project. Colantoni seems confident that the movie will happen.
The actor also told The TV Addict that Thomas had possibly come to an agreement with "Joel" about the film's production. That "Joel" is most likely Joel Silver, former executive producer of the show (and about a million blockbusters, including
The Matrix and
Lethal Weapon). If this is true, then it looks like this project might actually become a reality. Let's just hope Thomas can fit it in while working on the
Cupid redo for ABC.
Continue reading Do you want to see a Veronica Mars movie?
Posted Sep 19th 2008 3:04PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: My Name Is Earl, Interviews, Reality-Free
The CW may have kicked off its fall season on Labor Day, but for most of the other networks, things are just getting started. So what does that mean for you? Heavy promotion for not only the new shows premiering this fall, but for returning favorites as well. To that end,
My Name Is Earl creator
Greg Garcia and star
Jason Lee spoke with reporters recently about
Earl's upcoming 4th season.
My Name Is Earl returns for its 4th season on NBC with two back-to-back episodes, September 25 at 8pm. Not only did Garcia and Lee give us a taste of what to expect when we catch up with our favorite Camdenites, but they also dished the dirt on dream guest stars, what previous guest star peed over by craft services, if an
Earl movie is in the works, and perhaps a word or two about a famously abrasive
30 Rock star. All of the details are after the jump.
Continue reading Greg Garcia and Jason Lee talk about what's coming up on Earl
Posted Aug 29th 2008 9:07AM by Richard Keller
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
I am about to write something that I normally don't do when it comes to the way networks program their primetime schedules. It's something that will shake your foundations, rock the world, turn Republicans into Democrats (and vice-versa) and make Amy Winehouse finally get sober. Ready? ABC is being smart with its programming schedule.
There, it's done. Now to sit back and wait for the accolades.
Seriously, after years of relying on only a handful of shows to carry the schedule throughout the year, ABC has been filling out their schedules with a number of backup shows to fill those gaps that always appear when a fall premiere tanks. Granted, some of these mid-season replacements also tank, but at least the network is letting them try. Because of that we have been lucky to enjoy shows like Samantha Who? and Eli Stone. This time around, ABC has five new series - all scripted - that will be premiering during the 2008-09 season. You'll find a brief explanation of each after the jump.
Continue reading ABC picks up five series to fill out its new season
Posted Aug 19th 2008 3:21PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Watercooler Talk, Celebrities, Reality-Free
I'm hesitant to get my hopes up, because there's always talk of TV shows making a leap to the big screen. Whether it's a great idea, as with
Arrested Development, or a horrific one like
Friends: The Movie, it seems that as soon as a show ends, the silver-screen talks begin. Regardless, I just about peed my pants when I read that a
Veronica Mars movie may actually become a reality.
Even though
Veronica Mars creator
Rob Thomas has two pilots in the works (
Cupid and
Outrageous Fortune), he still hasn't forgotten the little detective show that is singlehandedly responsible for people no longer asking him if he's the dude from Matchbox Twenty. Apparently, Thomas's production office is located on the same lot where
VM star
Kristen Bell is currently shooting
Heroes and the two sat down for a little chat.
Continue reading Is a Veronica Mars movie in the works?
Posted Jun 11th 2008 11:39AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Casting, Reality-Free
It's hard to believe that we're a full year removed from the glorious mess that was
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. It seemed that the split between "liked it" and "hated it" was about 50-50, but everyone wanted to comment. One thing I noticed in those comments was that, even among the people who liked it, there was a strong sentiment against the performance of Sarah Paulson as Harriet Hayes. Most people just didn't like the chemistry she had with Matthew Perry, and she didn't manage to make us care enough about the plight of the über-religious comedian to root for her to connect with anyone.
So, for anyone who's looking forward to the revival of Rob Thomas'
Cupid, the news that
Paulson's been cast as the female lead on the show has to be disheartening. She's playing Dr. Claire Allen, the same role Paula Marshall played in the original series, opposite Bobby Cannavale, who is taking over the Cupid role from Jeremy Piven.
Continue reading Sarah Paulson cast in Cupid; Studio 60 fans point and laugh
Posted May 2nd 2008 1:01PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Casting, Reality-Free
This sounds like a stroke of genius. Make that two geniuses when it comes to comedy. Catherine O'Hara and Rob Thomas working together.
O'Hara has been cast as the lead in Good Behavior, one of three Rob Thomas projects in the works for next season (although he has stepped back from
Beverly Hills 90210 to concentrate on
Good Behavior and
Cupid). If the ABC dramedy manages to get picked up and O'Hara is heading up the project, they can count on me to tune in. Yeah, I said it. I'm committed if the
SCTV-vet is committed.
Catherine, who might be best known as Kevin's mother in
Home Alone and
Home Alone 2, is better known to comedy devotees for her brilliant work on
SCTV -- Lola "I want to have your baby" Heatherton, and the Christopher Guest mockumentaries like
Best in Show (she was Cookie Guggleman Fleck, the trampy wife of Eugene Levy, both of whom adored their terrier).
Good Behavior is based on
Outrageous Fortune, a New Zealand series about a criminal family. Catherine is Jackie West, the matriarch of the clan, and when her spouse is caught and thrown in jail for five years, she decides that it's time for the rest of the family to go straight.
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