Posts with tag simon pegg
Posted Jul 4th 2008 12:45PM by Annie Wu
Filed under: OpEd, Saturday Night Live, Celebrities, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free
If there were a way to completely stop people on the Internet from saying, "Why do you keep watching this?
Saturday Night Live hasn't been good since the days of Gildaphil Belushikroyd Normfeyrrell!", I would punch that button (or that person). Thinking a little more optimistically, there can always be better days ahead, for
SNL is forever renewable, with an ever changing cast and crew. The thing that gets the fastest turn-over is the host, who has the opportunity to bring something new and exciting from week to week.
Now that the so-so 33rd season is over, I like to pretend everyone at
SNL has kicked aside all the beach time and BBQ invites to plan something exciting for their return. Picking good hosts is an important part of having a successful season, so I've compiled my own list of nine people that must host, just in case
SNL decides to re-work the entire show based on blog responses. I'm just covering all my bases, all right?
Continue reading Nine people who must host SNL next season
Posted Jul 3rd 2008 9:24AM by Annie Wu
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, TV on DVD, OpEd, Celebrities, Reality-Free
The American DVD collection for
Spaced is finally coming out, and Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes and Edgar Wright will be promoting it through their US invasion. Well, by "US invasion," I mean they're going on a
four-city tour, screening episodes and answering questions in NYC, LA, San Diego's Comic-Con, and Austin. That's sort of an invasion, yeah?
Anyway, I was just sitting here and feeling sorry for myself, like I do, doubly so this time because I won't be able to attend any of those inevitably textbook events. Then, I stumbled across this recent
blog entry from Simon Pegg.
Continue reading Not new Spaced, but it will have to do
Posted Jun 11th 2008 9:07AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: TV on DVD, OpEd, Reality-Free
To promote the American DVD release of the BBC series
Spaced on July 22nd,
the creators and director will be doing a U.S. tour. Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes (formerly Jessica Stevenson) and Edgar Wright will be stopping by the L.A. Film Festival to promote the event and future stops may include the San Diego Comic Con, Austin and New York.
The Region 1 DVD will include a brand new
all-star commentary track that will include the creators and director as well as various guest stars including Kevin Smith, Matt Stone (co-creator of
South Park) and Diablo Cody (writer of
Juno).
There was an attempt by McG and Fox to create an American version of
Spaced that didn't involved the original creators. Fortunately, that has been
put to rest.
In short, if you're a
Spaced fan and you live in the vicinity of Los Angeles, Austin or New York then you are a lucky, lucky person.
Posted May 11th 2008 2:03PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Industry, Cancellations, Reality-Free
If the rumors are to be believed, then
the inevitable has occurred. Fox has passed on the Americanized version of
Spaced (nicknamed "McSpaced") and its fans are breathing a collective sigh of relief.
Producer McG made a huge mistake when he decided to not include the creators of the original, British version in his remake yet he included their as if they were still involved. Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes-Stevenson and Edgar Wright have been very vocal in their displeasure regarding the remake.
Known for its cinematic style and pop culture references, the original
Spaced launched the careers of everyone involved. Pegg and Wright have gone on to bigger and better things (such as
Shaun of the Dead and
Hot Fuzz) and Stevenson has starred in several British productions afterwards.
It's never a good sign when one is trying to remake a show and pisses off the original creators. NBC was smart enough to have the creators of
The Office rewrite their original pilot and give them creator credits. Why couldn't
Spaced?
[via
Aint It Cool]
Posted Mar 3rd 2008 7:00PM by Annie Wu
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Industry, TV on DVD, OpEd, Celebrities
Let's start with the good news, because I like ending on a downer. American fans of the British comedy
Spaced, starring Simon Pegg, Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson), and Nick Frost, are in for a treat because the
Spaced Region 1 DVD finally has a release date! Expect the good stuff to come out July 23 of this year. I'm tempted to buy it just because it's something new, shiny, and
Spaced-related, but I already splurged on the 3-Disc Collectors' Set and a region-free player that I got just so that I could watch the series. Why, yes, I am a sad little person.
Continue reading Good news and bad news for Spaced
Posted Nov 5th 2007 2:01PM by Annie Wu
Filed under: Industry, OpEd, Celebrities
When I first heard the news of an
American Spaced remake, I was outraged, just based on principle. How dare McG touch one of my favorite shows of all time? How dare he even entertain the very notion? "For shame, McG," I thought, "For shame." I then proceeded to the nearest Best Buy, where I collected all the copies of
Charlie's Angels and
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and set them alight. I was then banned from entering any Best Buy ever again, but I think I made my point clear.
Spaced director Edgar Wright
recently updated his blog with his own thoughts on this situation and now I'm even more upset. The gist is this: McG and FOX are planning to remake
Spaced. Director Edgar Wright and writers/stars Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson were not contacted before the decision was made to pursue an American version. They will not be involved in the same fashion as the way Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant worked with NBC's adaptation of their creation,
The Office.
Continue reading Spaced's Edgar Wright is pissed, and rightfully so - VIDEO
Posted Oct 30th 2007 11:56AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Industry, OpEd
According to Variety,
an American version of the Simon Pegg/Jessica Stevenson Channel Four Brit-com Spaced is being developed for American audiences. It is being adapted by
Will and Grace alumni Adam Barr and to be exec-produced by McG and Robert Green. The BAFTA-nominated show is about a man (Simon Pegg) and a woman (Jessica Stevenson) who pretend to be a married couple in order to rent a cheap apartment in London. Simon Pegg went on to star in movies like
Shaun of the Dead and
Hot Fuzz.
I've seen episodes of
Spaced and liked it. It has that frenzied storytelling style that is seen in Pegg's later movies. It also has a lot of pop culture references and it helps that Pegg plays a comic book artist and fan.
Continue reading American version of Spaced to be developed
Posted Oct 12th 2007 1:01PM by Annie Wu
Filed under: TV on the Bigscreen, OpEd, Celebrities, Casting
It seems like all the geekiest blogs buzz with excitement whenever there's news about the new
Star Trek movie. Yes,
that includes us. The film sounds cool and all, but I think the biggest reaction I have had is when I silently nodded with approval upon hearing that
Heroes' Zachary Quinto would be playing Spock. That is, until now.
Variety is reporting that
Shaun of the Dead and
Hot Fuzz star Simon Pegg is going to play Scotty in the upcoming feature. Simon Pegg! Insert obligatory "beam him up" joke here.
Continue reading Simon Pegg and Star Trek to make sweet geeky love
Posted Oct 27th 2006 10:07AM by Annie Wu
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Cable, Programming, OpEd, Horror, Comedy Central
I don't know how long these promos have been running on Comedy Central, but during
South Park, I just saw a bug promoting the television premiere of
Shaun of the Dead (Saturday at 9 PM EST!). I was so giddy, I choked on air. Although I've seen it a million an one times, I am very excited that it's coming to American cable.
Shaun is one of those films that I constantly try to get people to see, so it's nice that some fresh meat will watch it without me having to strap them to a chair and do various
Clockwork Orange-y things to them.
Also, I am quite interested in seeing how much they edit from the film. After all, it is a rather gory movie... and the language is quite coarse (heh, Ed's not going to have any lines in the television version, is he?).
Continue reading Shaun of the Dead coming to Comedy Central
Posted Sep 11th 2006 10:41AM by Annie Wu
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Talent, BBC, Celebrities
The latest edition of
The Guardian features some fantastic interviews and articles about some of today's hottest British comedians. They're all great reads, but the photos of the comics re-enacting various moments in pop culture are what really reeled me in. My favorites include Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant (from
The Office) as McCartney and Lennon, the boys from
Green Wing as Queen, and Nick Frost and Simon Pegg (from
Spaced and
Shaun of the Dead) as Paul Gascoigne and Vinnie Jones. Hilarious.
Read the
text and then check out the
great pics by Karl J. Kaul.
Posted May 13th 2006 3:18PM by Annie Wu
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Programming, BBC
BBC America
will start airing one of my all-time favorite shows,
Spaced, starting June 23.
Spaced is an absolutely hilarious show, loaded with clever references to various aspects of stoner/pop/geek culture, from Tekken 2 to zombie flicks to
Star Wars. It's from the makers of
Shaun of the Dead, so expect that sort of material (but with less gore and a lot more
mimed gun fights). Plus, the show features a rather cool-looking Mark Heap (Dr. Alan Statham from
Green Wing) as a miserable, young painter. The now-defunct Trio channel aired the show to coincide with the American release of
Shaun of the Dead back in 2004, but I haven't seen
Spaced on TV since then. Now that it's on BBCA, maybe my American friends will know what I'm quoting all the time.
BBC America also has
Peepshow coming June 30 (I've heard a lot of good things). Apparently,
Peepshow and
Spaced will be a part of BBC America's late-night adult comedy line-up, "The Underground". Well, I would hardly consider
Spaced a candidate for this, but... okay.
The Cheers episode Ken Levine's still writing in his head
Giveaway Tuesday: Fastlane - The Complete Series
Giveaway Monday: The X-Files: Revelations on DVD
