TVSquad

Kelly Preston (also known as Mrs. John Travolta) has been signed to star in a new HBO pilot called Suburban Shootout. The series is a dark comedy about rival gangs of suburban housewives. Most recently, Preston had a recurring role on Medium.

Preston will be playing Camilla, the leader of one of the gangs. Other cast members include Kerri Kenney and Rachael Harris. The show is based on a British series that was picked up by the Oxygen network.

The premise of the series sounds good. It's a bit like Desperate Housewives meet Boys In The Hood. I envision a scene in which the housewives rumble like the rival gangs in The Warriors. While the premise works, its success depends on the execution of the idea.

There is one thing that can be confidently said about this new series. The show couldn't possibly be worse that one of she and her husband's previous efforts, Battlefield Earth.

So, John Edwards finally made his endorsement announcement and it looks like he is a Barack Obama type of guy. In other news, I have, once again, managed to out-geek myself. As soon as Jon made that joke about Wolverine, I groaned and thought to myself, "Oh, come on. Daily Show, you've totally lost cool points. Wolverine's skeleton is definitely adamantium." And then that geeky guy came out and corrected Jon. And then I lost cool points. And then I lost extra cool points for using "cool points."

The Wire actor Clark Johnson is going to direct a short film about "masculinity and youth" written by nine New York City students. The film, called Misunderstood, was written by students of the High School of Graphic Communication Arts who won a contest held by Scenarios USA. The group of students consists of juniors and seniors, seven girls and two boys. Clark Johnson was on the committee that chose the winner of the contest. He will begin filming this month with a volunteer crew. Misunderstood is going to premiere this winter and will be "distributed to high schools and community groups across the country, streamed on the Internet and air on TV." However, the article did not include what channel(s) would be airing the short film.

Johnson, who played Gus Haynes on The Wire, directed 2006's The Sentinel. His other directing credits include episodes of FX's The Sheild, one episode of The West Wing, and one episode of NYPD Blue among others.

This fan post from Oh No They Didn't! contains two super-sneaky clips of new songs from Flight of the Conchords' recent Milwaukee tour stop. The audio isn't top-notch, obviously, what with all the audience laughter, echo-y acoustics, and the overwhelming roar of girls everywhere doing that thing where they take off their bra under their shirt and then fling it on the stage. Chick magnets, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement are. Anyway, we still have a long while to wait before their self-titled HBO show returns for a second season. Perhaps we can give a listen to this new material and start thinking about what January 2009 will bring.

In a few weeks you might be able to download your favorite HBO series from iTunes. Apple is in talks with the cable network to sell HBO movies and programs on the iTunes Store website. Different rumors are circulating about the deal, but it appears that HBO stands to profit more than other networks have from their iTunes arrangements.

One possible aspect of the deal is "flexible pricing" for HBO content. Single episodes could cost more than the standard $1.99. It's also possible that that price will remain the same, but that HBO will get a larger percentage of the per-episode profits.

I tried and tried to get into Sex and the City, but two things stood in my way. One, I have testicles, and two, I just don't think the narrative was that strong. I thought I'd like it because it was about NYC and had sex and women in it and the main character was a writer, but it just never happened.

Of course, we now have the big screen adaptation of the series coming on May 30, and people who have never seen the show, but plan on seeing the movie (not sure who that would be, but maybe there are some), and fans of the show who haven't watched it in a while might need a primer. Well, BuzzSugar has taken care of that for you. They list the 12 essential episodes you have to watch before you see the big screen flick. There are two episodes from season one, one from season two, three from season three, two from season four, one from season five, and three from season six (this is in addition to the first and last episodes).

How many of you are planning to see the movie?

Anyone catch the live broadcast of Costas NOW last night? I was lucky enough to get a few tickets and went to the live taping in Manhattan with my girlfriend. And I really do mean lucky. Not only did we get seated in the front row, but we were seated right in front of all the panelists. Everyone. Joe Buck, Cris Carter, Mitch Albom, Mike Tirico, Michael Wilbon, John McEnroe... the list goes on. And of course, Bob Costas was only a few feet in front of us on stage. For a sports and TV fanatic, it was very impressive. So why am I writing about it? The town hall format of the show covered a lot of hot topics in sports, but there were a couple segments that really stood out because they directly relate to what we're doing here at TV Squad -- blogging and athletes' (or in our case TV celebs, writers, and producers) reactions to the media.

I remember seeing a promo for Generation Kill very briefly after the series finale of The Wire, but at the time I didn't think much of it. Which is crazy, really, because the promo clearly states that it's a new mini-series from the creators of The Wire. I should have been psyched but for whatever reason, I sort of just forgot about it. It's not like it's new or anything. David Simon and Ed Burns have been signed on to the project since Februrary of 2007. With the July air-date approaching, I would imagine they've been working on it since The Wire wrapped back in September. I feel like we've heard nothing about it though. Then last week I was in a Barnes & Noble and I saw the book (same title) that the seven part mini-series is based on. I bought it and read it in about 2 days cover to cover. Holy crap was it good.

It seems that everything comes to HBO eventually, and now they're proving once and for all that size really does matter.

In development is Hung, a series revolving around a well-endowed guy who figures out a way to use his sizable assets. A former high school sports legend, now he's slogging through middle age as a dad and high school basketball coach. Things start looking, uh, up when he creates a scheme to add some zest into his life.

Although further details are sketchy at this point, I keep thinking about Weeds, only in this case, maybe it's about a dad who ventures into adult-oriented territory to keep food on the table and pay the bills. Anyone have further intel? It's HBO, so anything is possible.

Bill Maher has never really been one to take the easy road. He could have been a nice safe comedian, getting the occasional movie role, guesting on a sitcom here and there, keeping his more controversial opinions private. But for whatever reason, he chose to tell the world exactly what he thinks. And he's been fortunate enough to keep finding broadcast partners that will let him do just that. I say, more power to Bill.

Of course, not everyone agrees with me. Bill's recent comments comparing the Catholic Church to the polygamist compound in Texas has a whole lot of Catholic panties in a bunch. So much so that there is now a site with the goal of getting him fired, the aptly titled Fire Bill Maher. It's not nearly as fun as God Hates Shrimp. They would like everyone to cancel HBO until Bill is fired. I really wanted to join in, but there are just too many boobs on HBO. And like my grandma always said, "Always side with the boobs." Video of Bill's allegedly offensive remarks after the jump.

[via bumpshack ]

Uh oh. Remember that biker show that HBO is doing that was just cast with Donal Logue in the lead? Well, there seems to be a question about just who wrote the story and who deserves credit for the script. Sonny Barger filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming that HBO has swiped the project -- 1% -- out from under him.

This is a guy you don't want to mess with, and yet, HBO has stepped into it with him. Sonny Barger is the founder of Hell's Angels. According to his complaint, the network, White Mountain Company and Michael Tolkin (The Rapture, The Player), the writer/producer of 1%, froze him out of the series. He is also ticked off that they've "violated many of his publicity rights when he demanded changes so as not to dilute his own brand." You could say they also violated him by using his name in the press release announcing the greenlight.

There's been another transfer out of the squad at NBC. Detective Chester Lake has turned in his badge. Actor Adam Beach is leaving Law and Order: SVU. He'll be on the show till the end of this season -- his one and only with Law and Order: SVU.

Adam Beach, who was also excellent in the Clint Eastwood feature Flags of Our Fathers as the troubled serviceman Ira Hayes, uncomfortable with the acclaim he received as one of the men who rose the flag at Iwo Jima, received a number of award nominations for his role on the HBO mini-series Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. It was on that project that he worked with producer Dick Wolf.

"From the first day I met him on the set of Bury My Heart, I was knocked out by his commitment, dedication and total immersion in the film's most crucial role," said Wolf.

Everybody wants Donal Logue. Just one month after NBC added him to the cast of NBC's Life, as Charlie's new boss, now comes news that HBO has booked Donal Logue as a biker in 1%. The new pilot casts Donal as a character named Misfit, a Silicon Valley member who's sent to Carefree, Arizona, to get one of the toughest biker clubs in the west in line. Also joining Logue in the show are W. Earl Brown (Deadwood), Timm Sharp (Undeclared), Lucy Punch (hilarious in The Class as Holly Ellenbogen), Marisa Ryan (New York Undercover) and Sonny Barger. Barger is an actual biker and has been enlisted to no doubt add realism to the project.

Game over. The NFL Network has made a change in the broadcast booth and Bryant Gumbel will not be back calling games. The veteran broadcaster, one-time host of NBC's Today show and CBS's Early Show and currently the host of HBO's Real Sports, has been doing play by play on the NFL Network's eight-game schedule alongside color commentator Cris Collinsworth for the past two seasons. He's now the ex-play by play man.

The NFL Network didn't say who would be replacing Bryant, and the way it was presented it appears that the decision to separate at this time was a mutual decision. Still, it was Gumbel who tendered his resignation, perhaps avoiding the embarrassment of being dumped.

There's news about CBS's Mike Birbiglia's Secret Public Journal, and from the sounds of it, this may be a real sleeper -- that's if you believe in the quality of the casting. Joining Mike in the show are comic Bob Odenkirk, actress Rachel Blanchard and former deejay Phil Hendrie.

Mike Birbiglia's Secret Public Journal, based on his stand up comedy, includes Blanchard (7th Heaven) as his significant other, an aspiring doctor and the sensible one of the couple. Phil Hendrie, best known as a popular radio talker but was also on The Unit in a supporting role, has been cast as Mike's abrasive doctor. But perhaps the best news for this CBS project is adding Bob O to the company as Mike's big brother. In everything I've ever seen him do, Odenkirk is a riot. He's a two-time Emmy winner for his comedy writing.