Author: Will Harris (Page 133 of 261)

Will is a member of the Television Critics Association and has written for Decider.com, the Onion A.V. Club, The Dissolve, Indiewire, Rhino.com, TV Week Magazine, The Virginian-Pilot, Popdose.com, and EW.com along with writing for Bullz-Eye.com and Premium Hollywood.

It’s official: CBS has canceled “Jericho.” Again.

March 21, 2008 /

I’m not surprised, of course, but nor am I any less sorry about it.

CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler just released the following statement: “The March 25th episode of Jericho will be the series finale. Without question, there are passionate viewers watching this program; we simply wish there were more. We thank an engaged and spirited fan base for keeping the show alive this long, and an outstanding team of producers, cast and crew that went through creative hoops to deliver a compelling, high quality second season. We have no regrets bringing the show back for a second try. We listened to our viewers, gave the series an opportunity to grow, and the producers put a great story on the screen. We’re proud of everyone’s efforts.”

Clearly, the fact that I stopped blogging the show had absolutely no effect on its low ratings, but I still feel bad about it. (It was one of those situations where circumstances prevented me from blogging one week, and it just snowballed.) These episodes of Season 2 were consistently strong, powerful, and packed with both plot development and action, but, ultimately, if America would rather watch lesser programming, that’s their choice.

It’s the wrong choice, of course, but you know what Doris Day sang: “Que Sera, Sera.”

Do I think the Sci-Fi Network will consider picking it up for a third season? No, not really. I mean, I’d love it if they did, but when a show has been rescued from oblivion once and still can’t get its ratings up, you’re clearly dealing with a situation that isn’t going to be remedied by moving the program to another network. But at least you can’t say the series didn’t go out the same way it began: with a bang.

External Entertainment, External TV, Jericho, News, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas

Britney Spears on “How I Met Your Mother”?

March 20, 2008 /

C’mon, you know you want to see some clips, don’t you? Let me know what you think, not only about her appearance but about the show itself. I’ve long been a fan of the show, and I’m on pins and needles waiting for the 3rd season pick-up. I haven’t even had a chance to watch these clips yet myself, but all I know is that if Britney’s guest shot brings enough ratings to the show to get it a Season 3, then I’m all for it. But, say, why don’t we both go watch the clips right now?

WMV: Clip 1 and Clip 2

Flash: Clip 1 and Clip 2

MP4: Clip 1 and Clip 2

Post-viewing opinion: Okay, A) she’s looking way cute, and B) her last line in that second clip made me laugh out loud. This definitely doesn’t look like the train wreck it so easily could’ve been, but, then, I pretty much trusted the producers of the show from the get-go. I’m just glad that Britney seems to have been able to step up to the plate and play at their level…well, based on these incredibly short clips, anyway. We’ll see the full product on Monday night.

Actresses, External Entertainment, External TV, Gossip, TV, TV Comedies

I’m boycotting every episode…well, except the one with Ben Stein, maybe.

March 18, 2008 /

Thoroughly undermining the return of new episodes of their Monday night comedy line-up (and, ahem, how about you guys hurry up and get that renewal of “How I Met Your Mother” out of the way, huh?), CBS is ringing in Tuesday by announcing a really awful sounding new reality series: “Secret Talents of the Stars.”

Ugh.

Actually, the announcement was slipped into a commercial break last night, trumpeting George Takei’s heretofore-unrevealed abilities as a country crooner. Clearly, this isn’t too much of a shock, given how many other “Star Trek” alumni have proven to be top-notch singers…

…but there’s far more fright ahead than the potential for Sulu Sings! showing up in your friendly neighborhood record store.

Stay tuned to see Clint Black (performing stand-up comedy; Malcolm-Jamal Warner accompanied by a Hip Hop Orchestra on bass guitar as they perform an original song; Marla Maples presenting her gymnastic abilities with The Anti-Gravity Troupe featuring unusual gear, aerials, flips and bungee mechanics; Sasha Cohen exhibiting her agility as a contortionist by performing with the “New Shanghai Circus,” a Chinese Acrobat Troupe featuring Kate Kong, renowned contortionists and additional background performers; Ric Flair surprising viewers with his salsa dancing skills; Joe Frazier showcasing his smooth moves as a rhythm & blues singer; Bridget Marquardt soaring as a trapeze artist with the former masters of Cirque du Soleil; Mya demonstrating her tap-dancing prowess; and Danny Bonaduce maneuvering a unicycle with members of The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Go on, be honest: how obvious was it that the above paragraph came straight from the press release? Well, so’s this next one.

In addition, Sheila E. (singer/drummer) will juggle with The Flying Karamazov Brothers; Roy Jones, Jr. (boxing champion) will rap; Cindy Margolis (spokesmodel/actress) will perform magic; Ben Stein (pop culture personality) will dance The Jitterbug.

Ben Stein: Dancing Machine®.

My Maxim-style review of this series which I have yet to actually see: while I would actually pay good money to see Ben Stein dance The Jitterburg, I would not even walk from my living room into my kitchen to see any of the other acts. It will, therefore, probably be a huge hit when it premieres premieres on Tuesday, April 8, at 10 PM, and end up running for several seasons, with the Ben Stein episode being the lowest rated of the season.

That’s pretty much how my opinions tend to pan out, you know.

ADDENDUM: In response to the ceaseless clamoring from the PH readership, I felt as though I should give equal mockery to another “great” moment in the history of singing “Trek” stars…

…but, c’mon, if I’m doing that, then I need to give a “Next Gen” shout-out as well, right?

C’mon, surely NOW you can release “Muppets Tonight” on DVD!

March 17, 2008 /

It’s been quite awhile since we’ve gotten a really decent Muppet movie – even with a guest appearance by Quentin Tarantino, I still don’t think you can really consider “The Muppet Wizard of Oz” an unbridled success – so I’m extremely heartened by the news that Jason Segel and Nick Stoller, the guys behind “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” have just signed a deal to create a new flick for the Muppets. Given his work on”Freaks and Geeks,” “Undeclared,” and “How I Met Your Mother,” the words “Jason Segel” have instilled trust in me for quite some time now, so I can’t wait to see the end result of this.

And to keep that good feeling going, here’s Kermit singing “The Rainbow Connection.”

Actors, External Movies, Movie Comedies, Movies, News

Review: “John Adams” – Episodes 1 & 2

March 16, 2008 /

Historical dramas are a dodgy proposition to pitch to the mainstream. True, Showtime has been doing all right with “The Tudors,” but let’s face it: the success of that series has ultimately been as much to do with audiences eating up the soap-opera aspects of the storyline as it is to do with the actual historical events contained within. Since HBO’s new 7-part miniseries, “John Adams,” can’t possibly compete on the same level (nor would its producers have any interest in attempting to do so), it’s evident why the network has felt obliged to promote the work everywhere possible, up to and including every single Netflix envelope that’s gone out in the past few weeks. The good news, however, is that if people actually take a chance and tune in, what they’ll find is an enthralling program which will, fingers crossed, inspire Americans to sit up and take proper notice of their history.

Paul Giamatti and David McCullough at the Virginia premiere of John Adams
Paul Giamatti and David McCullough
at the Virginia premiere of “John Adams”

Based on David McCullough’s 2002 biography, “John Adams” provides a detailed examination of the life of America’s second President, with the title character played by…Paul Giamatti? Giamatti might seem on the surface to be an odd choice for the role of John Adams, since he’s known more for the comedic rather than the dramatic and hasn’t done all that many period pieces; the only ones that leap immediately to mind are “The Illusionist” and “Cinderella Man,” and both of those take place in the 20th century, so they’re not really stepping that far back in time. You’d never know of his lack of his experience from his performance here, however. The phrase “acting tour de force” doesn’t begin to describe how substantially Giamatti owns the role of John Adams; it’s a measured performance, showing a man who loves his wife and family but struggles to find a way to keep them close while building a new nation.

Continue reading »

Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External TV, Reviews, TV, TV Dramas

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 Premium Hollywood

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑