Author: John Paulsen (Page 27 of 79)

George Clooney to return to “ER”

January 22, 2009 /

ET Online is reporting that George Clooney is set to make an appearance on the show that made him a star.

Sources confirm to Entertainment Tonight that George Clooney will be filming scenes for an appearance on “ER” this week.

Clooney rose to fame as Dr. Doug Ross on the show, which premiered in 1994, and last appeared uncredited in 2000.

The final episode of “ER” will air Thursday night, April 2 now that NBC has extended the season’s run by three extra episodes. A one-hour clip show retrospective will run just before the final episode airs.

It’s funny how many actors leave successful television shows in order to pursue a (more prestigious) film career yet so few actually go on to become big stars. Clooney is the poster boy for the move to the big screen, but several of his “ER” castmates (Noah Wyle, Anthony Edwards, Sherry Stringfield, Julianna Margulies) were not so lucky.

Truth be told, I stopped watching “ER” a season or so ago and I’m glad that they’re finally wrapping things up. Maybe I’ll tune in to the last few episodes to see if Dr. Doug Ross pops his pretty head in.

External Entertainment, External TV, Gossip, TV, TV Dramas

“Gossip Girl” spinoff moves forward…and backwards

January 20, 2009 /

THR.com is reporting that the CW has ordered a pilot for a “Gossip Girl” prequel. That’s right, a prequel…

After months of, well, gossip, the show’s creators/exec producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage are proceeding with a spinoff that will serve as a prequel to the sophomore drama and chronicle the wild teen years of Lily van der Woodsen (Kelly Rutherford) in Los Angeles in the 1980s.

The network has ordered a backdoor pilot for the project, which will air as a “Gossip” episode May 11. The 1980s world will be introduced in flashbacks tied to the episode’s story line of Lily and her daughter Serena (Blake Lively) wrestling with a problem, Schwartz said. He would not add further details.

Written by Schwartz and Savage, the spinoff will center on young Lily Rhodes (her maiden name) who, after a falling out with her parents, is forced to move in with her sister, the black sheep of the Rhodes family. Overnight, Lily has to transition from a life of luxury and education at a wealthy Montecito boarding school to living deep in the San Fernando Valley she once made fun of and going to public school. Caught between two worlds, Lily dives into the fast-paced Sunset Strip and the Hollywood lifestyle of the ’80s, journeying over the hill to a world of wealth and excess that used to be her own.

Eventually, she meets rocker Rufus Humphrey (played on “Gossip” by Matthew Settle) for a fling that will result in Lily’s secret pregnancy, but “that wouldn’t be for quite a while in the run of the show,” Schwartz said.

Hmm…

Personally, “Gossip Girl” is a guilty pleasure. Yes, it’s superficial, catty and downright evil at times. But it’s also smart, witty and unpredictable. The creators have done a terrific job of creating a host of interesting characters that are both young and old(er), and thus far the storylines haven’t become stale. If I want to turn my brain off, “Gossip Girl” is my go-to show.

The idea of a young Lily — who is one of the most interesting characters on “GG” — navigating Los Angeles in the ’80s sounds appealing. All the live music on the Sunset Strip alone would provide plenty of fodder for storylines. Plus, we’d get to experience all this Lily/Rufus backstory firsthand.

Count me in.

External Entertainment, External TV, Gossip Girl, News, TV Dramas

“Veronica Mars” movie on the way?

January 20, 2009 /

Good news, “Veronica Mars” fans — it looks like there may be a movie in the works.

Fans of the CW drama were absolutely crushed when the network didn’t renew the show in 2007, and talk immediately turned to giving the series a proper two-hour Cineplex sendoff. Now, creator Rob Thomas has divulged the first solid details of the project, which is closer than ever to becoming reality.

Speaking to reporters at the TCAs in Los Angeles, Thomas (on hand to promote his new ABC show Cupid) confirmed that he is writing a Veronica Mars movie, according to iFMagazine.com.

Thomas says he has the movie “70 percent” down in his head, and is struggling with one crucial plot point. However, he also feels he is “on the right track now” and will clear that hurdle soon enough.

The movie is not going to take place where Veronica Mars’ would-be fourth season would have (Thomas made a presentation for network execs that proposed jumping forward in time to Veronica in the FBI). Instead, the movie is set to start just days before Veronica graduates from Hearst College.

According to the article, the cast is interested and financing shouldn’t be a problem, so this is looking very good at the moment. This comes on the heels of the news that there is also a “Jericho” movie in the works.

Count this writer amongst the fans of the show that were sorely disappointed when the CW elected not to renew it. In that final season, “Veronica Mars” was every bit as good as it ever was, and it felt like there were plenty more stories to tell. I was intrigued by the possibility of her ending up at the FBI, but I’ll take any of Ms. Mars that I can get at this point.

Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External Movies, External TV, Jericho, Movie Dramas, Movies, TV, TV Action, TV Comedies, TV Dramas

It’s time to set your TiVos… (part 2)

January 19, 2009 /

A couple of weeks ago, we provided a list of shows that were debuting soon so that you’d have a chance to set your TiVos. Well, 14 days have past and, since that’s the amount of program data that TiVo can carry, it’s time to do it again.

Here is a list of the scripted shows that premiere in the next two weeks (through Feb. 2):

LOST (ABC)
1/21/09 at 9:00 PM
Two-hour 5th season premiere

LIE TO ME (FOX)
1/21/09 at 9:03 PM
(from FOX’s press release, September 2008) FOX has given a series commitment to LIE TO ME, a compelling new drama from Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox Television. Tim Roth (“The Incredible Hulk”) and Kelli Williams (“The Practice”) star in this fascinating character drama inspired by a real-life specialist who can read clues embedded in the human face, body and voice to expose the truth behind the lies in criminal investigations. LIE TO ME is scheduled to premiere midseason. When you scratch your chin, wring your hands, wrinkle your nose or swallow too much, Dr. Cal Lightman (Roth) knows you’re lying. He doesn’t just think so he knows so. As the foremost deception expert in the country, Dr. Lightman can uncover the deepest secrets and crack the hardest cases. More accurate than any polygraph, he knows whether those in front of him be they family, friends, criminals or complete strangers are honest or not. Dr. Lightman heads up The Lightman Group, a private agency contracted by the FBI, local police, law firms, corporations and private individuals when they hit roadblocks in their searches for the truth. Joining him at the agency are a variety of experts in the field of behavioral evaluation: Dr. Gillian Foster (Williams) is a gifted psychologist and Lightman’s professional partner, a woman whose guidance he needs whether he knows it or not; Will Loker (Brendan Hines) is Lightman’s lead researcher who practices “radical honesty” at all times; and Ria Torres (Monica Raymund) is the newest member of the team, selected for her innate ability to read body language and catch certain clues that her colleagues may miss.

BURN NOTICE (USA)
1/22/09 at 10:00 PM
2nd season winter premiere

THE LAST TEMPLAR (NBC)
1/25/09 at 9:00 PM
(from NBC’s press release) In this four-hour miniseries, Oscar winner Mira Sorvino (“Mighty Aphrodite”) stars in an epic action-adventure tale about the greatest mystery of our time. At the New york Metropolitan Museum, four horsemen dressed as 12th century knights storm the gala opening of an exhibition of Vatican treasures and steal an arcane medieval decoder. For archaeologist Tess Chaykin (Sorvino) and FBI agent Sean Daly (Scott Foley, “The Unit”), this is just the start of a suspenseful game of cat and mouse as they race across three continents in search of the enemy — and the lost secret of the Knights Templar. The miniseries is produced by MUSE Entertainment Enterprises. Victor Garber (“Alias”) and Omar Sharif (“Doctor Zhivago”) also star. Emmy Award-winning television impresario Robert Halmi Sr. (“Tin Man,” “Gulliver’s Travels”), Robert Halmi, Jr. (“The Poseidon Adventure,” “The Christmas Card”), and Michael Prupas (“Human Trafficking”) will executive-produce the miniseries.

LOVING LEAH (CBS)
1/25/09 at 9:00 PM
(from CBS’s press release) Emmy Award nominee Lauren Ambrose (“Six Feet Under”) and Adam Kaufman (“Without a Trace”) star in LOVING LEAH, a new “Hallmark Hall of Fame” presentation to be broadcast Sunday, Jan. 25 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. This quirky love story revolves around the unexpected wedding and unconventional married life of a 26-year-old widow and her late husband’s brother, a handsome 30-year-old cardiologist. Susie Essman (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), Ricki Lake (“Hairspray,” “China Beach”), Natasha Lyonne (“American Pie”) and Academy Award and Golden Globe Award winner Mercedes Ruehl (“The Fisher King”) also star. Jake Lever (Kaufman), a successful, 30-year-old Washington, D.C. doctor who seems to be living his dream, is stunned to learn of the death of his older brother, Benjamin. Jake and his mother, Janice (Ruehl), who are not religious, drifted apart from Benjamin after he moved away to become a rabbi and chose to devote nearly all of his time to his rabbinical duties and his faith. As a result, Jake and Janice are virtual strangers to Benjamin’s young widow, Leah (Ambrose), and the other mourners in Benjamin’s close-knit Hasidic community in Brooklyn, N.Y. Already ill-at-ease in Benjamin’s world, Jake is shocked when he is asked to honor an ancient Levirate marriage law. As a single man, he’s expected to marry the childless Leah to carry on Benjamin’s name…or else deny his brother’s existence in a ceremony that will release them from this generally un-enforced Jewish law. Despite his serious relationship with a beautiful surgeon, Carol (Christy Pusz), Jake finds it unthinkable to deny his brother’s existence and impulsively suggests he and Leah marry and maintain a secretly platonic relationship in Washington, D.C. Leah gladly accepts as a means of finally pursuing her own dreams without offending her very traditional and domineering mother, Malka (Essman). Jake and Leah’s oversimplified plan to live separate lives out of Jake’s two-bedroom apartment proves to be more challenging than anticipated, especially when Leah’s suspicious mother shows up unexpectedly. The harder they work to disguise their “pretend” marriage, the more their real love for each other grows. Ricki Lake portrays Gerry, the first female rabbi Leah has ever met, who invites Leah to join her temple in Washington, D.C. Natasha Lyonne plays Leah’s sister, Esther.

THE CLOSER (TNT)
1/26/09 at 9:00 PM
4th season winter premiere

TRUST ME (TNT)
1/26/09 at 10:00 PM
(from TNT’s press release, April 2008) TNT has greenlit TRUTH IN ADVERTISING, a new drama series starring Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) and Tom Cavanagh (Ed) and executive-produced by the creators of ad-supported cable’s #1 series of all time, The Closer. The drama centers on two highly creative ad executives whose professional partnership and friendship are put to the test when one is named creative director of their firm. Monica Potter (Boston Legal), Griffin Dunne (Law & Order: Criminal Intent), Sarah Clarke (24), Mike Damus (Lost in Yonkers) and Geoffrey Arend (Garden State) also star in the series, which comes to TNT from Warner Horizon Television. Greer Shephard and Michael M. Robin (The Closer) serve as executive producers, along with The Closer writers Hunt Baldwin and John Coveny. Robin also directed the pilot. TNT has ordered 13 episodes of the series, which is slated to premiere on the network in 2009. “TRUTH IN ADVERTISING takes place in the high-pressure world of advertising, but it’s really a story of friendship and values and how those things are strained by the often conflicting demands of work and family,” said Michael Wright, senior vice president in charge of the Content Creation Group for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies. “Eric and Tom play two fascinating, compelling and always interesting men whose unique friendship and working relationship is the core of the show. We are thrilled to be working on this superb drama with the creative talents who brought us The Closer. And we are especially happy to have such a stellar cast, led by Eric and Tom.” TRUTH IN ADVERTISING takes place in the offices of multi-million dollar Chicago advertising agency Rothman, Greene & Mohr, where Mason McGuire (McCormack) and Conner (Cavanagh) are the top creatives. Family man Mason is a nice guy navigating the politics of an increasingly competitive corporate world. When he is promoted to creative director, he must learn to cultivate his inner shark in order to survive. Conner, on the other hand, is highly emotional from the get-go. As Mason’s partner, friend and copywriter, he gets that advertising is a business, but he’s always looking for ways to mix in plenty of pleasure on the way. Meanwhile, RG&M is on the verge of its IPO and huge advertising accounts are on the line, creating internecine battles among the company’s creative teams and additional pressures on Mason and Conner’s working relationship and friendship. As they desperately try to keep things in check, they risk having the rug upon which they park their Prada-covered feet pulled out from under them. In the take-no-prisoners world of advertising, the order of the day includes pressure, selling, fear, envy, competition and big, big money. But for Mason and Conner, it’s the friendship and loyalty of the people behind the scenes that spell the difference between success and failure.

BALDWIN HILLS (BET)
1/27/09 at 10:00 PM
3rd season premiere

LISA LAMPANELLI: LONG LIVE THE QUEEN (HBO)
1/31/09 at 10:00 PM

MEDIUM (NBC)
2/2/09 at 10:00 PM
5th season premiere

Geez, y’think some of these press release descriptions are long enough?

External Entertainment, External TV, Lost, TV, TV Action, TV Comedies, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

Battlestar Galactica 4.13: “Sometimes a Great Notion”

January 17, 2009 /

This should go without saying, but do NOT read further if you haven’t yet seen the premiere of the second half of the fourth season. There are MAJOR spoilers ahead.

To prepare for last night’s premiere, I re-watched “The Hub” and “Revelations” just to get back in the “Battlestar Galactica” groove. When the fleet finally jumped to Earth, and started to celebrate, an old hip-hop song from the ’80s — “Joy & Pain” by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock — popped into my head. (By the way, I guarantee you that this is the only “BG” blog that is going to reference a Rob Base song.) I was sad for the fleet knowing what was in store for them on Earth. I still feel like the final trip to Earth was rushed, but the creators wanted to get that plot point in before the first half finale, and I don’t blame them.

So where do we go from here?

First off, I was conflicted when I saw that Dualla played such a prominent role in the “previously on” scenes before the start of the premiere. Once it started, and she was getting major screen time after being largely ignored for most of the fourth season, I figured either she was going to be revealed as the 5th Cylon or that she was going to die…soon. Dualla has always been one of my favorite characters on the show. She’s so damn sweet and cute, and she was always loyal to the man she loved. In many ways, she represented human innocence and optimism, and the fact that she blew her brains out after looking at her childhood picture (and babysitting for Hera — don’t forget that) speaks volumes about the state of the human fleet right now. They put all of their eggs in one basket — Earth — but those eggs have the avian bird flu. R.I.P. Dualla…you will be missed. (By the way, that was a great piece of acting by Kandyse McClure.)

Some time passes and researchers on Earth determine that the planet went through a nuclear holocaust 2,000 years ago. They also dig up Cylon components (unlike any they have seen before) and bones that turn out to be 100% Cylon. Tyrol has a flashback of his life on Earth when the nuclear strike hits. Apparently, he, Anders, Tory and Tigh all have memories of living on Earth two milennia ago. Anders remembers playing “All Along the Watchtower” for a girl, so since that’s a contemporary song, it would seem to imply that this version of “Battlestar Galactica” takes place 2,000 years in our future. If that’s the case, if 100% of the bones are Cylon, then I’m inferring that we are Cylon.

There are load of religious implications to this — are the creators saying that we are reborn somewhere else when we die in the same way that Cylon skinjobs do? Is that our heaven/afterlife? Were all the Cylons on Earth capable of being reborn or just the final five?

This brings me to the giant elephant sitting in the room — and to be honest, I don’t really want to think about it…Ellen is (apparently) the final Cylon. Ellen Tigh. Saul’s drunk whore of a wife. Ellen is the fifth. Ellen.

Surprising? Yes. Out of left field? Sure. A bit disappointing? Hell yeah.

Keep in mind, this is based solely on Saul’s memory of the holocaust. She said that they would be reborn together, but that sounds like something any human could say to their spouse if they were facing imminent death. Then again, the fact that he’s having memories of her at all — that she in fact lived on Earth 2,000 years ago — would imply that she is indeed the final Cylon.

But I’m not sold that she is the fifth, especially in light of what Starbuck found on Earth (and how quickly they revealed it). However, it seems like with the timing of Saul’s flashback, that’s exactly what we’re supposed to believe. And it may in fact be the truth. But it also might be Saul wanting Ellen to be the fifth. Until we see her alive and well, I’m going to be skeptical.

And that’s mainly due to Starbuck, who finds a corpse on Earth that has flowing locks of blond hair and her ring/dog tags around its neck. Couldn’t she be the fifth?

Grrr.

I’m interested to hear what other viewers out there think about this episode. Are you sold on Ellen as the fifth? Or is it Starbuck or someone else? Is there some other explanation?

And where does the fleet go from here?

(FYI, I’m normally going to post this blog sometime on Saturday morning.)

Battlestar Galactica, External Entertainment, External TV, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

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