RobinWilliams-related stories
Posted Sep 17th 2009 12:09AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Late Night, Talk Show, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
"I guess obviously you've downsized. You had to sell the desk." -- Robin WilliamsLeno's had a couple of nights now to get a feel for what kind of show he wants to do, and figure out how to stay relevant in prime time. Most of the feedback that I've seen from people who saw it hasn't been very positive. They're disappointed that it feels so much like
The Tonight Show.
If one of the ways he's trying to differentiate himself is by having longer comedy bits and fewer guests, then I think that's backfiring a bit because every single comedy video he's shown has gone on way, way too long. It's as if they're trying to create internet viral-worthy videos like
Saturday Night Live has with their "Digital Shorts," but they're missing the mark.
Continue reading The Jay Leno Show: Robin Williams
Posted Sep 15th 2009 9:02AM by Nick Zaino
Filed under: Late Night, Celebrities, Reality-Free, Jay Leno
Anyone who's interested in the Leno/Letterman relationship, the feeding frenzy in the late 70s and early 80s when networks were sweeping up stand-up comedians and changing their lives overnight, and the importance and mechanics of getting a spot on Johnny Carson's
Tonight Show needs to read William Knoedelseder's new book,
I'm Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-Up Comedy's Golden Era.
The centerpiece of the book is the labor discontent between comedians and the Comedy Store that kicked up in 1979, when comedians saw the money coming into the venue and started to wonder why some of the working comics there had to borrow money for breakfast. It's a compelling and unexpected story, and it collects names big and small from television history along the way.
Continue reading New book gets behind the scenes with Letterman, Leno, Robin Williams and more
Posted Aug 24th 2009 9:03PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free
According to the UK Telegraph (and I always have trouble believing anything from the British media, but bear with me), none other than Robin Williams has offered himself up to play Susan Boyle in any planned movie of her life. Apparently, he's been doing impressions of the breakout singer for celebrity friends.
This could very well lead to Robin's second Oscar (his first for a non-supporting role). If he pulls this off, he could be as impressive as Meryl Streep playing Julia Child. Of course, if he can't pull it off, it would look like a sad attempt at repeating Mrs. Doubtfire.
However, unless they start work on the movie tomorrow, this will likely be chalked up as an interesting and amusing rumor. While her story is interesting, Susan Boyle's star has been dimming somewhat and it wouldn't surprise me if she was relegated to Celebrity Big Brother in the near future.
Posted Jul 31st 2009 11:53AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, TV Royalty, Interviews, Celebrities, TCA Press Tour, Reality-Free
I wanted to write about this panel last night. However, the cumulative effects of my afternoon sojourn to In-n-Out Burger to have a double-double and fries, both "
animal style," and the evening Food Network party that included a roasted pig, gourmet grilled cheese and other chef-created delicacies, caused me to collapse into a food coma at around 11 PM.
But l couldn't let two of HBO's panels go without comment. One was for the new comedy
Bored to Death, based on the writings of Jonathan Ames. Joining Ames on the panel were Jason Schwartzman (via satellite), Ted Danson, and the hot comedian of the moment, Zach Galifianakis. The other was Robin Williams, who was promoting his new HBO special,
Robin Williams: Weapons of Self-Destruction, which is set to air in December.
It wasn't surprising that Galifianakis' weird sense of humor dominated his panel; anyone who's seen him on the Comedians of Comedy tour or in
The Hangover would have expected that. The surprise was that, in his panel, Williams was more reflective and pensive than manic.
Continue reading Zach Galifianakis and Robin Williams are HBO's funny guys - TCA Report
Posted Jul 7th 2009 2:03PM by Nick Zaino
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Video, Celebrities, Talk Show
It's always great to see Don Rickles on TV. He's rarely out of form, and he has a knack for sailing some great zingers past the censors. Which means his appearance on last night's
My Life on the D-List was a perfect opportunity, a place where he could be a bit more loose.
We got a taste of that from him, walking around Kathy Griffin's house, but we also got a glimpse of the guy I have heard about from comedians who've met Rickles - the old softie who is ever willing to talk shop with other comics. It was a great moment when Griffin and Rickles talked about how both of their mothers would try to tell them not to pick on people so much, with Griffin's mom providing a bit of the dialogue. Meeting Rickles was on Griffin's mother's "bucket list."
I thought I'd use the occasion to take a look around YouTube to find some of Rickles' best TV appearances. He seems to have been everywhere, from
The View to cable.
Continue reading Don Rickles on the D-List, The Tonight Show, and more
Posted Jul 30th 2008 1:24PM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Programming, Casting, Reality-Free
When
Law & Order: SVU returns on September 23, it's bringing a trio of guest stars with it.
Luke Perry (90210), Sara Gilbert (Roseanne, 24), and Julie Bowen (Ed, Lost) are all set to make appearances. Perry and Bowen play a couple accused of abusing their foster child. Gilbert is on board to play the child's biological mother.
In addition to the main foster-child abuse storyline, the premiere is going to deal with Benson's (
Mariska Hartigay) attempted rape a the end of last season, as well as Fin's (
Ice-T) possible transfer out of SVU. The premiere also marks the debut of the new ADA played by
Michaela McManus (
One Tree Hill).
Continue reading SVU packs its premiere with guest stars
Posted May 14th 2008 11:04AM by Paul Goebel
Filed under: TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free
Television has often been a benchmark of current popular culture. Whether it's clothes, cars or furniture, people have always looked to TV to help them decide how to look and how to live. Here are ten great examples of how TV characters have "helped" us look our best.
Daisy Duke's Daisy Dukes (The Dukes of Hazzard)
No one knew it at the time, but when Catherine Bach slipped on those ultra-short denims, she was making an impression on more than the teenage boys who were watching. Years later, a brand new and very different generation embraced the Daisy Dukes, much to the delight of those teenage boys who were now old enough to know better.
Continue reading Ten great fashion statements on TV
Posted May 1st 2008 12:20PM by Richard Keller
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Programming, House, Rescue Me, Retro Squad, TV Squad Lists, The Riches, Casting, Reality-Free
As AOL Television continues their look at the 50 Best TV Comedies -- Ever with their Top 10, we here at TV Squad are also looking at television comedy, but with a slightly skewed difference. Last week, we took a look at the Saturday Night Live cast members from 1996 to 2006 that made it to the big time. This week, we get a bit more serious.
There are those in the industry who say that it is easier to go from acting in a drama to acting in a comedy than it is the other way around. Yet, as you will see from the list we've compiled after the jump, there are plenty of comedic actors who have jumped from the world of comedy films, stand-up comedy, and television sitcoms into the more serious world of drama. In many cases they have had even greater success than they did on the other side of the tracks. There have even been instances where they stayed in the drama genre and never went back to being funny.
Continue reading 17 comedic actors who moved into dramatic television roles
Posted Apr 26th 2008 11:59AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Programming, Shark, Reality-Free
The failure of
Secret Talents of the Stars has had ripple effects on the CBS prime time schedule. With
Big Brother coming to an end and
Secret Talents unable to make it past one episode,
the return of Shark, which was going to come back on Tuesdays at 10 p.m., will now return on Tuesday at 9 p.m. for three broadcasts beginning April 29. Had
Secret Talents worked, CBS wouldn't be scrambling on Tuesdays.
The CBS Tuesday lineup for next Tuesday, therefore, will be
NCIS, Shark and a rerun of CSI. Then on May 6, it'll be
NCIS, Shark and
a CSI: Miami rerun. On May 13,
NCIS, Shark and a
Criminal Minds rerun.
What'll be interesting for
Shark fans -- and TV geeks in general like us -- will be to see exactly how well the James Woods legal drama performs with a strong lead in like
NCIS. Even the reruns scheduled to follow the three episodes are all strong support. Will this Tuesday hammock experiment be advantageous to
Shark, securing the kind of Nielsen numbers that will be a deciding factor in the show's renewal for next season?
Continue reading Shark gets a new timeslot
Posted Apr 9th 2008 7:45PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: American Idol, Reviewcaps, Contestants, Alumni, Performances, News and Gossip, Celebrity Commentary, Episode Reviews
(S07E29) Well, this is what you've all been waiting for, right? What's that? Finale? Yeah, I guess that'll be cool, too. But if you've listened to Ryan all season then you know TONIGHT is really what it's all about! If you're looking to find out who got eliminated by vote last night you're going to have to wait until tomorrow. But if you're looking for two-and-a-half hours of entertainment chock full of celebrities and song and charity, then you're looking for "
Idol Gives Back."
Last year's inaugural edition was very good, and
Kristin's report of the Idol Gives Back taping from this past Sunday was also very positive. We don't have any pesky (non) eliminations to deal with like last year, so just kick back, donate and enjoy. And, if you want, join us online and chat about it in real-time with other giving
Idol fans.
You can join the chat starting just before 7:30/6:30pm CDT by following this link. Look for the full episode review right here later tonight.Continue reading American Idol: Idol Gives Back 2008
Posted Mar 18th 2008 8:43PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Law and Order, Celebrities, Casting
It feels like a sweeps moment -- a big name star guesting on a long-running show. But it's not set for sweeps. It is, however, a special occasion and a reason to do something festive. So, on April 29,
Robin Williams will make a guest appearance on Law & Order: SVU in part to celebrate the 200th episode of the intense NBC crime drama.
The Oscar-winning actor (for
Good Will Hunting) is no stranger to television, as we all know. Till the day he dies, he'll be Mork. Na-noo, na-noo. As an alien from the planet Ork, Robin Williams was catapulted from obscure comic actor to overnight sensation thanks to the Garry Marshall sitcom
Mork & Mindy. It was the beginning of a stellar career.
Continue reading Robin Williams to guest on SVU
Posted Jun 18th 2007 6:01PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, TV Royalty, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show
Charlie Rose: Sam Nunn and Steven Bach - The Daily Show: Steve Carell
- The Colbert Report: Toby Keith
- The Late Show With David Letterman: Mike Myers and America Ferrera (repeat)
- Jay Leno: Robin Williams, Chelsea Handler, and Big & Rich
- Jimmy Kimmel Live: Evangeline Lilly and Joe Rogan (repeat)
- Tavis Smiley: Senator Chris Dodd and Mandy Moore
- Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Tea Leoni, Tyrese Gibson, and The White Stripes
- The Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Avril Lavigne and Ioan Gruffudd
- Last Call With Carson Daly: Eric Roberts and Jill Cunniff (repeat)
Posted Jan 10th 2007 10:33AM by Brett Love
Filed under: ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, Grey's Anatomy, Music and Variety, Heroes, The Class, Awards
CBS put their regular programming on hold last night so they could show the
33rd Annual People's Choice Awards. Hosted by Queen Latifah, the show gives awards based on public internet voting. As that is the case, these awards track with the Nielsen ratings more than most. Case in point, the award for Television Comedy went to
Two And A Half Men. Top rated for a couple years now, but it can't seem to get any press unless Charlie Sheen is divorcing someone or hiring a hooker.
Most of the other television awards followed similar lines. The award for Best Drama went to
Grey's Anatomy. Best Actor was Patrick Dempsey (
Grey's Anatomy). Best Actress went to Eva Longoria (
Desperate Housewives). Best Competition/Reality show was, of course,
American Idol. Best Animated Show was
The Simpsons. The only real surprise came in the new categories. Best New Drama was
Heroes, which isn't a surprise, but Best New Comedy,
The Class? I didn't see that one coming. The television awards were rounded out with Ellen Degeneres winning Best Talk Show Host.
Movies and Music winners after the jump.
Continue reading People's Choice Awards winners
Posted Nov 27th 2006 7:29PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, HBO, Industry
Last week's
Comic Relief telethon raised $4 million for victims of Hurricane Katrina. It aired simultaneously on TBS, HBO and AOL. Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal headlined the Comic Relief telecasts of the 1980s to raise money and awareness about homelessness. The original Comic Relief stage shows raised about $50 million.
Did anybody watch
Comic Relief on November 18th? I caught a little bit of it but had to turn it off because A) Robin Williams is
no longer funny, and B) Dane Cook
isn't funny either. I was actually more interested in the on-location stories about the current situation in New Orleans than the performances by a long list of guest comedians.
Posted Jun 1st 2006 10:17AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, HBO, Programming, Web, Celebrities
Comic Relief launched 20 years ago to raise awareness and funds for the homeless. It went off the air eight years ago but, according to
The Hollywood Reporter, it is making a comeback this year to benefit the still-suffering victims of Hurricane Katrina. Traditional
Comic Relief headliners Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal plan to lighten the mood during a benefit performance that will broadcast simultaneously on TBS, HBO and AOL on November 18th. Previous performances raised $50 million for the homeless cause. This time, the benefactors of the fundraising will be children and animals.
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