Remember how Curb Your Enthusiasm ended last season, with Larry posed in happy, jolly family pictures with the Blacks? Did it leave you laughing and dying to know what happens next -- or is this the end?
HBO announced a seventh season of Curb. It will begin airing in early 2009, giving Larry plenty of time to write the 10 episodes planned. HBO's West Coast prez Michael Lombardo characterized Larry as "excited about it" when he presented at TCA.
That characterization is in line with comments by both Richard Lewis and Jeff Garlin, semi-regular and regular, respectively, in previous months.
And Susie Essman told the New York Post that she had auctioned off a walk-on role in season seven, so it would have been very embarrassing if she didn't know that they were all coming back.
The bar mitzvah is a Jewish rite of passage, the time in a boy's life when he becomes a man -- symbolically -- by reading from the Torah. When a girl does the ritual, it's called a bat mitzvah. I mention all this because in TV, the bar/bat mitzvah has been the catalyst for some wonderful episodes, mostly on sitcoms.
The Simpsons celebrated Krusty the Klown's bar mitzvah in the episode "Today I Am A Klown," which was a variation on one of the all-time great sitcom bar mitzvahs of all time: the episode "Buddy Sorrell, Man and Boy," on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Square Pegs shared "Muffy's Bat Mitzvah" with viewers, and this past season, Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry David used his friend Jeff Greene's daughter Sammi's bat mitzvah to announce that he never put a gerbil up his butt.
The Emmy Awards voting is different than it used to be (more steps in the voting process and a special panel watches episodes and votes after that), and last year the list of the semifinalists was leaked online before it was officially announced. Well, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences don't really want that to happen again, so they've decided to just announce the finalist list itself.
The writers' strike forced some of my favorite shows into an unexpected, summer-long hiatus and delayed the return of others. I'm grateful that shows like Lost still have new episodes, but the second half of this TV season hasn't felt the same. I especially miss the promising new series that were cut short.
It feels like other shows have been on hiatus forever. Flight of the Conchords was supposed to return this year, but had its premiere pushed back until 2009. I miss Bret, Jemaine, and their strange circle of friends. I've been wondering about the fates of several absent characters lately. So many storylines were left unresolved.
Here's a short list of some of the faces I can't wait to see again:
AOL Television has compiled a list of the 50 Best TV Comedies -- Ever, this week revealing numbers 50-41. Inspired by what they did, I've decided to list my favorite sitcom sidekicks, those funny foils that oftentimes make the star shine even brighter than you might have thought. Coming up with just a ten-pack hasn't been so easy. Many times, I'd look at a show and think, "No, it's more of an ensemble. There isn't one sidekick." Falling into that category were B.J. and Trapper John on M*A*S*H. Neither were Hawkeye's sidekick, really (any more than Radar was). Same thing with Friends -- they were all each other's sidekicks. Also, on The Odd Couple, Oscar and Felix were equal; neither was a sidekick. Ditto Two and a Half Men and Laverne & Shirley. Also, because it's my list, I decided not to include married couples -- sorry Rob and Laura, Ricky and Lucy, Archie and Edith.
Whew, after all that, here, in alphabetical order, are the ten I love -- within my own parameters! Feel free to comment with your choices, if your favorite isn't on my list.
Whenever I think of Robert Wuhl, I'm reminded of that scene in Bull Durham where he's playing a coach meeting on the mound with the pitcher and the catcher -- Tim Robbins and Kevin Costner -- and they're arguing about what's an appropriate wedding gift. It's an inane, silly, funny moment, topped by Wuhl's suggestion that candlesticks always make a nice gift.
It's also nice to report that Robert Wuhl has agreed to remain with HBO. It's been his comic home for 12 years, including Arli$$ which ran for season seasons and poked fun at the world of professional sports. The show wasn't a water-cooler comedy likeEntourageorCurb Your Enthusiasm, but it was consistently funny and I enjoyed it.
Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.
Today, on TV Squad Daily:
Paris Hilton unintentionally brought clean water to thousands of people in need, and will help educate hundreds of blind children. It's the best outcome of a DUI and sex tape ever!!!
The Golden Globes weren't the only award nominations announced today. The Writers Guild of America announced the nominees for their awards too. The festivities are on February 9 in LA and NY. I wonder if the writers will show up to get their awards if the strike is still going on?
(S06E10) "He probably read gerbil magazine and you're f*ckin' on the cover!" - Richard Lewis
Wow. That was all over the place and I loved every second of it. It might actually be the best season finale this show has had yet. Better than the incest survivors group. Better than the happy ending massage. Better than the restaurant that Larry helped open. Better than The Producers. Better than Larry dying and then snapping out of it. Why's that? Because for the entire 40 minute episode, there was only one question on your mind: Did he really stick a gerbil up his ass?
(S06E09) "New Larry is keeping the minty breath." - Larry
That was definitely not what I expected from this episode. I was really hoping that Larry and Cheryl would get back together almost immediately and then we were going to get to see Larry "forcing" himself to change in order to please Cheryl. In a way, we sort of did. I loved how whenever he was with Cheryl he was all dressed up. When he wasn't, his usual attire of sneakers and a ratty sweater came back into play. And obviously, his tone and decision making were drastically out of character whenever he was with Cheryl. But the thing I love most about Larry is that as mischievous and conniving as he is -- he's still trying to win back Cheryl because he loves and misses her. I think it's hilarious that the idea of being honest and open with her never enters his mind. Everything has to be a grand gesture backed by an equally self-centered and idiotic plan.
I'm really glad I don't have the same issue that Larry does. This whole five second rule is a crazy thing. These days, the handshake has slowly become obsolete as most people now seem to favor some sort of handshake/hug hybrid for a greeting. Picture Larry at a family reunion! He said he had no control! While the estrogen pills were obviously a mistake on the pharmacist's part, maybe Larry should keep them around if he knows he'll be heading into a hug imminent situation. This was definitely one of the better episodes this season -- doesn't top last week's though. However, this one would have been better if it hadn't felt like I was watching Desperate Housewives with my eyes closed.
Wow. I don't want to say that was the best episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm ever... but it might have been. I don't recall ever feeling so conflicted, angry, confused, and giddy all at the same time while watching this show but now I know what it's like. The whole season has really been building up to this. Hell, the whole series has. We'd always wondered what it would take for Cheryl to finally call it quits. Now we know. Poor airplane phone reception.
Remember how Curb Your Enthusiasm ended last season, with Larry posed in happy, jolly family pictures with the Blacks? Did it leave you laughing and dying to know what happens next -- or is this the end? 
The bar mitzvah is a Jewish rite of passage, the time in a boy's life when he becomes a man -- symbolically -- by reading from the Torah. When a girl does the ritual, it's called a bat mitzvah. I mention all this because in TV, the bar/bat mitzvah has been the catalyst for some wonderful episodes, mostly on sitcoms. 
The Emmy Awards voting is different than it used to be (
The writers' strike forced some of my favorite shows into an unexpected, summer-long hiatus and delayed the return of others. I'm grateful that shows like 
AOL Television has compiled a list of the 
Whenever I think of Robert Wuhl, I'm reminded of that scene in Bull Durham where he's playing a coach meeting on the mound with the pitcher and the catcher -- Tim Robbins and Kevin Costner -- and they're arguing about what's an appropriate wedding gift. It's an inane, silly, funny moment, topped by Wuhl's suggestion that candlesticks always make a nice gift.
Here are the new TV DVDs in stores tomorrow.
At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by the season premiere of The Amazing Race and new episodes of Cold Case and Shark. 
G4 is running a Heroes marathon all day and night. 
Doctor Who panel - Comic-Con Report
NBC's Kings panel - Comic-Con Report
The Dharma Initiative wants you - VIDEO - Comic-Con Report
