Author: Will Harris (Page 63 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.

TCA Tour, Summer 2009: And so it begins…

July 28, 2009 / Will Harris

If you’re a regular visitor to Premium Hollywood, particularly during the months of January and July, then you’ve probably become aware of my regular forays to Los Angeles to cover the Television Critics Association press tour. The entertainment media loves to talk about the death knell of the tour, which has ostensibly been hastened by the decision to move it to take place after Comic-Con rather than before, but, hey, all I can tell you is that I’m planning to attend this thing until they hang a “closed” sign on the door. As someone who’s based in Chesapeake, VA, and is therefore nowhere near the industry, this remains an incredible opportunity for me to interact with the cast and crew of the television shows that I enjoy and, more importantly, the shows that you enjoy.

I arrived in L.A. yesterday afternoon, and I did my best to blow off my jet lag by avoiding a nap and staying awake to attend an International Pop Overthrow concert. (FYI, Kay Hanley may be doing songs for “My Friends Tigger and Pooh” these days, but she still rocks just as hard now as she did during the Letters to Cleo days.) The move seems to have worked: I woke up at 7:00 AM, feeling refreshed and ready to roll. This is a good thing, since between now and August 8th, I’ll be attending panels dedicated to virtually every series that will be premiering or returning between now and the end of the year. It’s a daunting prospect, especially since I’ll also be trying to fit in several one-on-one interviews during the course of my trip, but, by God, I think I can do it!

Stay tuned!

External Entertainment, External TV, News, TCA Blog 2009, TCA Press Tour, TV

TCA Blog 2009 TCA Press Tour

True Blood 2.6 – Tease ’em, Thrill ’em, Torture and Kill ’em

July 26, 2009 / Will Harris

All right, kids, I’m back to blogging, though given the amount of responses Jamey got from his stint as my substitute, maybe he should be the one doing this on a regular basis. Or not. (I’d be quite glad to let him do it, but I know that – like myself – there are never enough hours in the day for him to accomplish the tasks he already has on his plate, so adding one more would just be cruel.) Fortunately, I’ve had time to play catch-up, so I know what I missed last week…which, as it turned out, was quite a lot.

We didn’t see much of Eric this week, but his scene with Lorena at the beginning of the episode was certainly a crucial one, setting up a lengthy flashback to Chicago in 1926, where Bill…oh, sorry, make that Guillaume…is tickling the ivories as Lorena tries to pick up a beautiful blonde who’s hanging on the arm of a complete boor. Fast-forward a bit, and things have gone horribly wrong for the two non-vampires in the equation. Isn’t that always the way? God damn, Bill was a nasty son of a bitch back in the ’20s. I have to say, though, that I’m still not a fan of those blood-laden sex scenes, so I just focused on the importance of the necklace. It’s clear that there’s still a bond between Lorena and Bill, and despite her actions toward him later in the episode, I still think that her feelings for him are going to come back into play and hose up Eric’s plans.

Jason seemed scared to death that maybe his relationship with Sarah might have been discerned by Rev. Steve, but when the Rev copped a ‘tude toward his wife, you could sense that Jason suddenly wasn’t nearly as upset about the previous night’s actions as he might’ve been…and when Steve started talking about the whole “Meet the Sun” procedure, Jason’s disgust at the concept was evident. So there you go: a perfect excuse for him to hook up with Sarah in the church. Not that she didn’t need some sympathy, after what she’d just witnessed…

The dynamic between Sookie and Hugo was pretty funny, and his discussion about his experiences as a human dating a vampire certainly provided Sookie with a few new things to think about. I laughed when she said that, in person, Sarah looks like vanilla pudding, but there was a lot of tension in the scenes with Sookie and Hugo in Steve’s office, with the constant sensation that Jason could bust in at any time and ruin things for them. He didn’t, of course, but then the tension only got ratcheted up further when it became evident that Sookie and Hugo were on a collision course with oblivion, particularly when talk of the lock-in started. I really didn’t think they’d end up being taken down to the basement. That’s what I get for thinking, I guess.

External Entertainment, External TV, True Blood, TV, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

Bill Compton HBO Sookie Stackhouse True Blood True Blood blog

Rest in peace, Uncle Walter

July 17, 2009 / Will Harris

Walter Cronkite, the last bastion of TV journalists who actually had the respect of print journalists (and you can bet that there were never that many of those to begin with), has died at the age of 92. What can you really say about “Uncle Walter” that hasn’t already been said? The man was a legend in his field, a man who was declared “the most trusted man in America” by more than one opinion poll, and he offered a presence at “The CBS Evening News” that no one has ever been able to match.

Cronkite was an easy target for impressionists, with his straightforward delivery and his standard tag line, “And that’s the way it is,” but he possessed a sense of humor, making an appearance on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” which ranks right up there with the funeral of Chuckles the Clown as one of the most memorable episodes in that show’s history. I actually thought about him very recently, when the animated film “We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story,” was reissued on DVD, as he provided the voice of Captain Neweyes, a scientist from the future. Come to think of it, another of his voiceover roles – that of Benjamin Franklin on “Liberty’s Kids” – turned up on DVD recently as well.

But, of course, it’s none of these things that will prove to be Cronkite’s legacy. It’s his work as a newsman. So let us remember two of his greatest moments as we bid him farewell…

External Entertainment, External TV, News, TV, Video

The CBS Evening News The Mary Tyler Moore Show Walter Cronkite

Bad news, everyone: “Futurama” may have its voices recast

July 17, 2009 / Will Harris

Variety is reporting that the money talks between Fox and the voice actors of “Futurama” – Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche and Tress MacNeille – have broken down. As a result, rumors have already begun to run rampant that, when the show returns for its 26 new episodes on Comedy Central in 2010, it will be with new actors providing the voices of Fry, Bender, Leela, and the gang.

Per the article on Variety.com…

The studio announced last month that it would produce 26 new episodes of “Futurama,” and that Comedy Central was on board to begin airing the new episodes in mid-2010. As part of the announcement, the show’s producers said stars including West, Sagal and DiMaggio had all signed on to return.
Turns out that wasn’t true.
The stars had all expressed interest in returning. But with the budget for “Futurama” dramatically slashed, the salary offers came in well below what the thesps were asking. As a result, 20th has put out a casting call to find replacement voice actors for the show.

Maybe I’m wrong about this (though I certainly hope I’m not), but I think this is going to blow over pretty quickly, and that either the actors will get the money they want or will at least find a middle ground with Fox that makes both parties happy enough to move forward. I mean, think about it: this is a show that has lived, died, and begun to live again as a result of its diehard fans. Do you really think they’re going to accept new people voicing their favorite characters while the original actors still walk the earth and retain the power of speech?

Not bloody likely.

In closing, allow me to present one of my all-time favorite “Futurama” scenes…one which I still quote to this day (“A what what?”)…in German.

UPDATE: Mark Evanier feels the same way I do, and he has a hell of a lot more experience in the field to back it up than I do.

External Entertainment, External TV, News, TV, TV Cartoons, TV Comedies, Video

Billy West Comedy Central Fox Futurama John DiMaggio Katey Sagal Maurice LaMarche Tress MacNeille

A Chat with Cassandra Sawtell (“Harper’s Island”)

July 17, 2009 / Will Harris

You asked for it, you got it: another “Harper’s Island” interview, this time with the young lady who played Madison, the creepiest little girl on the island. Rest assured, however, that it’s a testament to Cassandra Sawtell’s acting abilities that she was able to pull off her role on the series. I spoke with her this afternoon, and she couldn’t have been more pleasant, and she even managed to surprise me with an upcoming film appearance of hers that isn’t mentioned within her IMDb listing…and, wow, what a high-profile film it is!

Stay tuned for…