TVSquad

Iconic TV director James Burrows has joined the FOX series Back to You as an executive producer and the main director for at least the first season.

While I've personally never been a huge fan of the sitcoms Burrows has been involved with (Cheers, Friends, Dharma and Greg, Will and Grace, Fraiser, Two and a Half Men, countless others), it's no secret the man has a way of propelling sitcoms to new heights, which is undoubtedly what the hope is for Back to You. Also, let me quickly add that I understand the appeal of many of Burrows' series, I'm just not wired for their style of humor. It could be a factory defect, I don't know.

Back to You stars Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton and Fred Willard as members of a news team in Pittsburgh who reunite after their main anchor, played by Grammer, returns after being disgracefully fired from his position in a bigger market.

Sid and Marty Krofft created some of the oddest and most memorable characters for children's television and enhanced many acid trips for those same children's older siblings.

Of course, the brothers couldn't have been on drugs themselves considering all the work that went into productions like H.R. Pufnstuf and Land of the Lost (not to mention countless other productions like Lidsville, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, D.C. Follies and Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters). Marty Krofft spoke about that and a bunch of other things in a recent appearance on the Sound of Young America. You can listen to the interview here.

It's a great interview, especially if you grew up with these shows. Krofft also talks about the new Land of the Lost movie, which, as I mentioned before, does not yet have a director attached to it. Will Ferrell, however, has been cast in the lead role.

Daniel Sackheim, who recently spent some time directing episodes of the FOX series House, is moving on to NBC to both executive produce and direct the new drama, Life. Sackheim also helmed several episodes of other series, including The X-Files and Law and Order.

Life stars Damien Lewis as a police officer who returns to the force after serving a prison sentence for a crime he didn't commit. The series also stars Adam Arkin, Robin Weigert and Melissa Sagemiller. Life will air Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. this fall.

Conan O'Brien, host of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and Adam McKay, co-writer and director of Talladega Nights and Anchorman and father of the infamous Pearl, have at least one thing in common: they both worked on Saturday Night Live. The other thing they have in common is that they were each interviewed recently by two different publications.

O'Brien was interviewed by StarWars.com to coincide with the recent taping of his show in San Francisco (George Lucas was a guest on the program). This was my favorite exchange:

What was your favorite part of visiting Lucasfilm/ILM when you were here in San Francisco?

The part when Lucas took me into a glass elevator. It smashed through the roof and he told me the entire chocolate factory was mine. That poor man has lost his mind.

You know how it is when you're visiting your parents and one of them suddenly tells you that on the day of your birth they sold your soul to Satan? I tell you, that's something you never forget, and it's also the premise of a new series for the CW called Reaper. The pilot will be directed by indie filmmaker Kevin Smith and will begin shooting in Vancouver next month.

The series was created by Michele Fazeka and Tara Butters, former writers and story editors for shows such as Ed, Law and Order: SVU and The X Files. The new series, in which twenty-one year old Sam Oliver must pay his debt to Satan by hunting down souls escaped from Hell, is being described as a dramatic comedy.

This new show could actually be really cool, though I must say that if you're the most powerful evil force in the universe you should be able to create a domain from which no soul can escape. What kind of contractors does Satan have working for him, anyway?

[via TV Filter]

The term is actually "Grand Marshall" but whatever, let's not split Wookiee hairs. George Lucas, the man behind Star Wars, one of the most profitable and popular movie franchises of all time, will be joined by select members of the 501st Legion, a total of 200 Star Wars costume enthusiasts who will be wearing costumes (enthusiastically). There will also be two floats dedicated to Star Wars, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2007: one done up like the forest moon of Endor from Return of the Jedi, and another designed to represent the planet Naboo from the prequels. I would have also created a Dagobah float, but alas, nobody asked my opinion. Also, giant helium balloons of some of the characters would be pretty sweet.

Terry Gilliam, one of my favorite movie makers of all time and the visionary behind such films as Brazil and 12 Monkeys, recently paid a visit to a group of ticket holders waiting outside in New York City for a taping of The Daily Show. Gilliam was there to drum up support for his new movie Tideland, based on Mitch Cullin's novel. Gilliam carried a sign that read, "Studio-less filmmaker / family to support / will direct for food." He also carried a paper cup that some of the fans stuffed with dollar bills. Gilliam hung out with the fans and signed autographs, and was even visited by some of the writers from the show and correspondent Dan Bakkedahl. CC Insider has a report of the event, complete with photos.

Oh yeah, the movie opens October 13th.

Some of my fellow bloggers refer to me as the "animation expert," a nice label, but I don't personally consider myself an expert on animation. I'm really just a big fan with a knack for remembering trivial things. Besides, there are a ton of great Web sites and blogs out there by people who actually work in the industry and can talk about things with an authority I just don't have. Case in point: John Kricfalusi recently posted a lengthy missive from Milton Gray on his blog in which Gray, who currently works as an animation timer on The Simpsons, talked about the importance of timing in animation and sung the praises of early animation directors, especially Bob Clampett. Gray writes about how important the hands-on approach was in those early cartoons, and about working within the confines and restrictions of modern animation. Check it out.