alcoholism-related stories
Posted Dec 12th 2008 12:39AM by Jay Black
Filed under: OpEd, The Office, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E10) You know what? I'm just going to ignore that crazy "Michael kinda-sorta-kidnapping Meredith" subplot tonight. I'm going to view the failed intervention and the ridiculous chase in the parking lot the same way my wife views my back hair: disgusting and useless, but not a deal-breaker. My wife's willing blindness has saved our marriage; I hope by following her lead, I'll save this review. You people don't want to hear me rant (again) about how silly/unbelievable/prosecutable Michael is anyway.
If you excise those ten minutes, you're left with a fairly good episode that ends with, perhaps, the strongest closing stinger in the show's recent memory (and that's saying something, considering that
The Office is probably the best show on TV when it comes to abrupt, last-second mood changes).
Continue reading The Office: Moroccan Christmas
Posted Jun 4th 2008 8:01AM by Kristin Sample
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, Pickups and Renewals, Documentary
A&E is bringing back its award-winning documentary series
Intervention for a fifth season. The series follows people who are estranged from the friends and family and in personal crisis because of their addiction to drugs, alcohol or other compulsive behaviors. At the end of each episode, the addict is surprised with an intervention led by family, close friends and one of these experts: Jeff VanVonderen, Candy Finningan or Ken Seeley.
The season premiere will profile Chad, a gifted athlete who suffers from an addiction to crack cocaine. Chad, once a part of Lance Armstrong's cycling team, now spends his days panhandling, abusing drugs, and drinking. Also on the slate for later this season is
Intervention: After Treatment. This one-hour special will feature a panel of past addicts brought together in a Los Angeles studio for a candid discussion about how the intervention changed their lives.
Intervention returns on Monday June 16th at 9 pm. ET/PT on A&E.
Posted May 10th 2007 10:39AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Industry
After being arrested in Las Vegas last weekend, accused of assaulting his girlfriend, HBO chairman and CEO
has decided to step down from his position.Of course, that's what Time Warner, HBO's (and our) parent company, said in a statement. But according to a statement from Albrecht, the resignation was tendered
at the request of his TW bosses. Right after the incident happened, Albrecht was supposed to take a leave of absence so he can continue alcohol treatments and work with AA that he had discontinued, but
other incidents involving assaults against women were revealed, prompting TW to ask for the executive's resignation.
The network's COO, Bill Nelson, will assume Albrecht's duties on an interim basis until a successor is found. Albrecht had been with the network since 1985.
Posted Feb 20th 2007 12:28PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: CBS, Late Night, Talk Show
During his monologue last night, Late, Late Show host Craig Ferguson talked about all the craziness that Britney Spears has been going through lately (wearing no panties, shaving her head, in and out of rehab - maybe), but he refused to dump on her about it all. He talked about his own bout with alcoholism, and said that even though there's no real evidence that Spears has any alcohol/drug problem, "she clearly needs help."
Ferguson does a great monlogue, because it's very chatty and seems to be a combination of scripted material and just off-the-cuff talking with the audience, and when he talks about his own problems it takes the late-night monlogue to a different level that others don't have. More Jack Parr than Jay Leno.
For the record, we here at TV Squad still feel it's our duty to dump on Ms. Spears, when and if she deserves it.
Posted Jan 8th 2007 12:14AM by Jen Creer
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, ABC, OpEd, Brothers and Sisters
(
S01E11) While I was watching the scenes with Nora working at Ojai, I kind of hated this show, and hated myself for watching it. Even though I knew that I would be tuning in week after week regardless of whether or not I was reviewing it. But then it got better.
So, what do you think? Should Rob Lowe's character, Senator Dreamy McCallister, be excused for voting against gay marriage when the measure wasn't going to pass anyway? Was it okay for him not to make a stand, when he had an education measure he wanted to pass? I'm going to have to say no. He admits that he regrets the vote, but he also wanted Kitty to come and work for him. And he is good at getting what he wants. But low and behold, he has a cute gay brother. Oh please no. Oh please no.
Continue reading Brothers and Sisters: Family Day
Posted Nov 12th 2006 9:15AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, PBS, Web
The final episode (episode? movie? miniseries) of PBS' acclaimed series
Prime Suspect will air tonight (and conclude next Sunday - it's a two-parter, four hours). Tim Goodman over at The Bastard Machine
has a review.
It's titled
Prime Suspect: The Final Act and chronicles detective Jane Tennison's last case before retirement (she's almost 60 now), involving the search for a missing 14 year-old girl, a case that's a lot more complex than she first realizes. It also involves Tennison's heavy drinking and blackouts and sadness. OK, so it's not the most uplifting drama.
Actually, Helen Mirren has always given fantastic performances in these shows (she has won an Emmy for Best Actress and the show itself has won three Emmys), and Goodman says that this one is no exception. The state of Florida even figures into this last episode.
Posted Apr 28th 2006 9:51AM by Anna Johns
CBS'
Without a Trace was among a handful of television
programs awarded for its accurate portrayal of drug and alcohol addiction and tobacco use at the 10th annual Prism
Awards. Kelly Rowan, relapsing alcoholic on
The O.C., George Engel of
Everybody Loves Raymond, S.
Epatha Merkerson for HBO's
Lackawanna Blues, and Lori Loughlin for WB's
Summerland all received
acting honors at the awards show, which was sponsored by the Entertainment Industries Council, National Institute on
Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health and the FX Network. The movie,
Walk the Line, also received an
award.
If
Without a Trace is so realistic, maybe it'll win something for that
teen sex orgy scene.
Posted Jan 26th 2006 1:13PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: TV Royalty
Author James Frey isn't much of an alcoholic, a drug addict or a criminal. He's a pathological liar. And Oprah
exposed him for what he is on her show today. Well, actually,
The Smoking Gun exposed him for what he is back
on January 8th. Oprah just forced him into admitting that he lied in his so-called memoir about addiction and crime,
A Million Little Pieces. Oprah made that book number one on the best seller list when she included it in her
book club. It sold 1.77 million copies.
Oprah opened her show by apologizing to viewers for trusting Frey so
blindly that she
called up
Larry King when he was defending his
lies book and voiced her
support for him. To Frey's face, she said, "I really feel duped." Then, she proceeded to take him down. Inch
by inch. God, I love this woman.
Continue reading Oprah tears James Frey apart, or The Smoking Gun was right
Posted Dec 27th 2005 6:02PM by Jonathan Toomey
Filed under: Talent, Desperate Housewives, The O.C.
Apparently Bree Van De Kamp can't handle the stress. After finding out that her husband Rex was murdered
and then witnessing the death of the man responsible, she's having trouble dealing with well... everything.
Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry says that we can expect Bree (played by Marcia Cross) to start
hitting the bottle a bit excessively.
Some major confrontations with her fellow Wisteria Lane neighbors are also in the works. However, while some people may
wonder where all this is coming from, Cherry reminds us to recall anytime that the pressure has weighed down on Bree in
the past. "Chart it back and you'll see so many moments where she just goes for the wine," he says. This
comes about a year after
The OC pulled the same
stunt with Kirsten and so far the show hasn't been able to get past it. She's "recovered," but the
storylines haven't. Hopefully the same won't happen to
DH. Oh well, let the booze Olympics begin.
Six Mad Men characters who are in limbo after the finale
Fact or Fiction: Big Bang, Brothers & Sisters and CSI
The TV Squad Podcast: Linda Purl talks about The Office, we talk spoilers, and more
