new orleans-related stories
Posted May 6th 2009 10:03AM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
HBO has picked up four new shows, one of which could be the smartest and most compelling thing in the history of the universe, as long as the hype doesn't kill it.
David Simon, the creator of
The Wire, has received a nine-episode greenlight for his new show
Treme, a character drama that looks at the lives of New Orleans musicians in the post-Katrina reconstruction.
Simon brought the show to life with Eric Overmeyer, both of whom worked together on
Homicide: Life on the Street. It will also star former
Wire stars Wendell Pierce and Clarke Peters as well as Steve Zahn, Khandi Alexander, Melissa Leo, Kim Dickens and Rob Brown.
Continue reading HBO picks up The Wire creator's new New Orleans show
Posted Feb 26th 2009 3:02PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Food/Home/DIY, OpEd
The fifth edition of
Top Chef came to a conclusion last night. I'd like to say it was one of the all-time best seasons, that I was on the edge of my seat with excitement, that I was really rooting for one competitor more than another... I'd like to say that, but I can't. All in all,
Top Chef New York, which became
Top Chef New Orleans in the last few episodes, was kind of a dud.
Before I talk about the winner and what happened specifically in the finale, I have to ask why
Top Chef failed to really make use of the location this time around? New York is all about food and great restaurants and amazing chefs, but I can't think of one episode that really used the city in a creative way. Where was the Little Italy challenge? What about a trip to Chinatown for wild ingredients? Gail Simmons' bridal shower could have taken place anywhere. The Super Bowl challenge was generic. And when it was time for the finale,
TC went to the Big Easy. Is that any way to honor the Big Apple?
Continue reading Top Chef serves up a new winner
Posted Jun 21st 2007 11:03AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, Industry, OpEd, Early Looks, Upfronts
Fox really only has a handful of new pilots to premiere next season because it's holding on to mega ratings-getters like
American Idol,
House, Prison Break, and
24... to name a few. It's replacing last season's stinkers such as
Standoff and
Justice.
At its
upfronts presentation last month, the net announced two new reality shows, three new comedies and five new dramas. Of those, we have seen all the comedies and dramas except a drama called
Nashville, which Fox has not yet released for preview.
Continue reading TV Squad previews FOX's new shows
Posted May 28th 2007 1:04PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Documentary
Director Johnatan Demme obtained over 200 hours of footage of the Katrina aftermath, and the resulting documentary, Right to Return: New Home Movies from the Lower 9th Ward will air for five consecutive nights on Tavis Smiley's PBS show beginning this evening. You can check for times in your area by clicking here. The series concludes on June 1.
Continue reading Demme's Katrina documentary to air on PBS starting tonight - VIDEO
Posted May 17th 2007 2:02PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Industry, Programming, 24, American Idol, House, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Animation, Prison Break, Bones, King of the Hill, Game Show, Cancellations, Pickups and Renewals, News and Gossip, Drive, Upfronts
This year, FOX is hoping for a stronger fall season with a shorter baseball hiatus. Instead of 26 game nights, FOX is expecting to air only 14 games leading up to and including the World Series. Once again, FOX's January schedule has FOX poised for a win in ratings with non-stop
24 and renewal of
American Idol. One schedule item worth noting is
The Sarah Connor Chronicles, based on the
Terminator movies. Fox chose to hold it until mid-season because they want a strong female audience, which is something they get when
American Idol returns.
In: '
Til Death,
House,
Bones,
The Simpsons, Family Guy, King of the Hill, American Dad, America's Most Wanted, Cops, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?,
American Idol, 24, Prison Break, New: K-Ville,
New Amsterdam, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Back to You, Return of Jezebel James, Rules for Starting Over, Kitchen Nightmares, Canterbury's Law, NashvilleOut: The Winner,
Standoff,
Drive,
The War at Home,
The O.C.,
Justice,
Happy Hour, The Rich List, Vanished, The Wedding Bells, The LoopMoving: 'Til Death,
Bones (spring)
Continue reading The Upfronts: FOX
Posted Feb 21st 2007 11:02AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: HBO, Celebrities, Documentary
Director Spike Lee has won
a George Polk award for his documentary about the effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. Called
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, the doc chronicled the natural disaster and the disastrous way the federal government responded to the humanitarian crisis. The awards are considered among the highest honors in American journalism, along with the Peabody.
Lee's documentary was four hours long and initially premiered to a New Orleans crowd before airing on HBO last August. The program was filled with news photos and video footage, and all sorts of interviews from celebrities and regular folk who recount their experience in the aftermath of Katrina. Ultimately, the federal government and the Army Corps of Engineers are blamed for the sub-par levees and the response to the disaster.
Posted Jan 24th 2007 1:41PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, ABC, NBC, FOX, Industry
Fox gave the green light to a pilot about cops living and working in post-Katrina New Orleans. It's one of four Katrina-related projects that were being pitched to networks for the next television season, but it's the only one that is moving forward.
K-Ville is an hour-long drama that tells the stories of the police officers who stayed behind when the hurricane hit.
Other New Orleans-themed shows include two more cop shows based in the city that ABC passed on, and one called
NoLa that NBC passed on even with the possibility that Spike Lee would direct the pilot. It's surprising, really, that
K-Ville made the cut because the crisis in New Orleans continues. If nothing else, maybe it will renew the public's interest in that very damaged city.
[Via
TV Tattle]
Posted Jan 23rd 2007 3:00PM by Adam Finley
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Cable, Celebrities
One Night Only: The Series, a new reality show on BET, debuts tonight at 7:30pm. The new series follows a group of students from McDonogh 35 High School, the oldest African-American high school in New Orleans, as they compete for roles not in Dreamgirls, but in One Night Only: Live on the Stage, a multi-media tribute to Dreamgirls. Taped in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the series will not only focus on the upcoming musical, but on the students' efforts to rebuild their homes and communities. Watching high school kids try out for a musical doesn't really interest me, but the mix of trying to be "normal" kids while dealing with one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history might make this one worth checking out.
The series will also feature guest appearances by Jennifer Hudson, Blair Underwood, Dwayne Martin, Tisha Campbell Martin, George Faison and Damone Roberts.
Posted Dec 9th 2006 4:40PM by Julia Ward
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, NBC, Web, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
If you didn't see
Studio 60's Christmas episode, then you should. Not only was it one of the show's best, but it featured a
musical performance by New Orleans musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina that's sure to put a lump in your throat. The musicians were led by
Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews in an original arrangement of "O Holy Night." You hear carols a thousand times, and after awhile, they lose the power to move you. This performance brought all that power back. You can now download the track as a free MP3 from NBC's
Studio 60 website or iTunes.
Continue reading Free download of Studio 60's Christmas musical performance
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 Aug 20th 2006 5:32PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming
At 7, NBC has more coverage of the 2006 Visa Gymnastics Championships. - The WB has an episode of the canceled series Just Legal, though I'm not sure if it's a new ep or a repeat. There's another episode at 9.
- At 8, CBS has a new Big Brother: All-Stars.
- ESPN has The Little League World Series at 8.
- TNT has Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman in Paycheck at 8.
- There's a new Emeril Live on Food Network at 8, "New Orleans: Healing One Meal At A Time."
- Also at 8: Encore has Kim Basinger and Chris Evans in Cellular.
- At 9, HBO has a new Deadwood, followed by new episodes of Entourage and Lucky Louie.
- USA has a new episode of The 4400 at 9, followed by a new Dead Zone.
- HGTV has a new Design Star at 9.
- At 10, Showtime has a new Brotherhood.
Posted Aug 14th 2006 4:40PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming
At 8, FOX has the two hour season finale of Hell's Kitchen. - ABC has Song For New Orleans at 8.
- NBC is showing the latest Psych at 8, followed by a new Treasure Hunters.
- There's a new Kyle XY on ABC Family at 8.
- Also at 8: ESPN has pre-season football action, the Raiders vs. the Vikings, while ESPN2 has more coverage of The Little League World Series.
- At 9, USA has a new Monday Night RAW.
- Bravo has a new Tabloid Wars at 9.
- Also at 9: TNT has a new episode of The Closer, followed by a new Saved.
- At 10, BBC America has a new Life On Mars.
Posted Jun 15th 2006 10:46AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Cable, Talent, Celebrities, Game Show
Finally, a non-celeb takes down the celebs on
Celebrity Poker Showdown.
Ida Siconolfi, who won the Bravo online tournament to get a seat in last night's show, played a fantastic game to beat Fred Savage, Jennifer Tilly, Doug E. Doug, and Brett Butler, and will now go on to the championship match later this season.
When I heard that Bravo was going to pick a regular viewer to get a seat on
Celebrity Poker Showdown, I thought it would be some online gaming geek or some really obnoxious person who would try to outdo the celebs when it came to over the top humor. Not so. Ida proved to be classy, quiet, and one of the top players that has ever been on the show.
I might even have to root for her in the championship game.
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.
Posted May 6th 2006 2:46PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Cable, American Idol, Celebrities
American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino will star in a Lifetime Original Movie about her own life, called
Life is Not a Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story. The
press release describes her story as "inspired by the true story of Fantasia Barrino, a teenage mother who overcame poverty, sexual abuse and illiteracy by using her incredible voice to rise to national prominence." Fantasia will play herself. Loretta Devine (
Crash), Viola Davis (
Traffic) and Kadeem Hardison (
A Different World) will also star. Debbie Allen will direct.
Filming begins later this month in New Orleans.
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