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http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2010/09/supernatural-jensen-ackles-jared-padalecki-say-season-6-is-bigger-and-more-naked.html
When "Supernatural" creator Eric Kripke stepped down from his position as showrunner at the end of Season 5, ceding the throne to Sera Gamble, fans responded with mixed reactions.
Zap2it was on the scene of Creation Entertainment's Salute to Supernatural in Vancouver where series stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles filled us in on the new regime.
"It was a bit of a guard change," Padalecki says, "But it wasn't abrupt. She's been a big part of the show for many, many years. On that note, the show had to change a little bit. Eric's already said that he had a 5-year arc for the show, so now that's ended, we've had to change the actual show a bit."
"I feel like the show's totally different, just in the way that certain scripts are written," Ackles says.
Ackles, who recently directed his first episode, has a good grasp on the changes occurring behind the camera as well. "Eric controlled the size of the script. How big it was, how many characters were written, how many different locations there were, and he was able to really dial it back and make it a doable show within our budget and the time frame that we were filming," he says.
"I do know that from a production standpoint this year it's increasingly more difficult to film because the shows are so big," he continues. "We need an extra two days of work an extra million dollars of production money just to get it all in."
Padalecki grins. "So we fired Misha [Collins]!" he jokes.
Ackles makes it clear that he's confident in Gamble's leadership. "I just think Sera's kind of finding her legs a little bit," he says. "I don't think [the fans] will notice a difference."
We're pretty sure one change won't escape our attention: "I'm naked a lot more," Padalecki says.
Season 6 premieres at 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 24. Our DVR is set. We don't want to miss a moment of Padalecki's... performance.
http://www.deadline.com/2010/09/cable-notes-memphis-beat-looks-good-for-renewal-army-wives-spinoff-a-no-go-facing-kate-order-trimmed/
TNT's freshman Memphis Beat looks promising for a second-season renewal, though there is no official pickup yet. The network is expected to make the decision within the next few days. Despite being overshadowed by the blockbuster launch of fellow freshman TNT drama Rizzoli & Isles, which received an early renewal, the off-beat Memphis Beat created by Liz Garcia and Joshua Harto and starring Jason Lee has developed a fan base, attracting an average of 4.5 million viewers for its 10-episode first-season run.
- Over at Lifetime, the network has passed on the Army Wives spinoff, whose pilot aired as an episode of the series this season. The spinoff, starring Brigid Brannagh and Gabrielle Union as Atlanta detectives, got a lot of attention recently following Deadline's story about Wives executive producer Mark Gordon's use of racial slur during the backdoor pilot's table read. Meanwhile, renewal talks for the mothership series between Lifetime and producer ABC Studios are ongoing.
- And USA has cut the order for upcoming series Facing Kate from 12 to 10 episodes because of scheduling reasons. The series, originally slated for a Q4 debut, will now launch in Q1 2011.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Keck-Mike-Molly-1022570.aspx
I hope CBS' Mike & Molly has some talented makeup people. The new sitcom has just cast 48-year-old character actress Cleo King (Deadwood, Sons of Anarchy) as the grandmother of series regular Reno Wilson, who plays Mike's cop partner, Officer Carl McMillan. Reno is 40 years old himself — thus my great confusion.
And this isn't a one-off guest role. Cleo, who I'm told is hilarious in her wig, will play Grandma in seven out of the first 13 episodes. Viewers will learn that Carl lives with his spry nana (who has the Fountain of Youth stashed in her basement?). I'll let you know if one of the Cosby kids signs on to play Carl's mom. Tempestt Bledsoe, make sure your cell phone's charged!
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Exclusive-Look-Fringe-1022572.aspx
Alt, who goes there?!
The alternate universe is in for a major dose of Dunham when the real Olivia gets the upper hand on a very messed-up resident of the other side as she battles her way home in Fringe's season premiere. Considering the producers have told TV Guide Magazine that the other side has super-healing nanotechnology (and that actor Seth Gable would be back on the show), could Agent Dunham be facing down the previously incinerated Lincoln Lee? And more importantly, will she be able to get back to our universe before her doppelganger gets her paws on Peter?
Find out in three weeks when Fringe kicks off its third season with the "Olivia" episode on Sept. 23 at 9/8c, on Fox. Until then, share your thoughts about what's going on in this pic in the comments below.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Kecks-Exclusives-Ordinary-1022551.aspx
Attention Moonlighting fans. Cybill Shepherd is returning to ABC — and she's bringing Bruce with her.
Before you get too amped up over a Dave and Maddie reunion, let me clarify: Cybill will be appearing in an upcoming episode of No Ordinary Family as mom to Julie Benz's character, Stephanie, a scientist who develops superhuman speed in the pilot (airing Sept. 28). Cybill's character, Barbara Crane, has a husband named Alan, to be played by Bruce McGill.
Though Mr. McGill may not be a Willis, he has some screen cred of his own, most recently recurring as Detective Vince Korsak on TNT's summer hit, Rizzoli & Isles.
At the Emmy Awards, I spoke with Julie who described her character's parents as being similar to her own — very protective and uncertain if any man is good enough for their baby. In other words, expect Barbara and Alan to be thorns in the side of Michael Chiklis' Jim Powell. "They don't know yet about what's happened to the family," says Julie. "So we have to decide if it's best to clue them in or keep them in the dark."
And if they get to be too annoying, super strong Jim can just hurl them out a window.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Kecks-Exclusives-Vampire-1022548.aspx
Maiara Walsh, who played Gaby's and Carlos' bratty, over-sexed niece Ana on last season's Desperate Housewives, is headed to Mystic Falls to cause more even trouble. In Vampire Diaries' Oct. 7 episode, the 22-year-old actress will appear as Sarah, a high schooler who likes to party. Woo-hoo! Crack open the coffins and pour me some blood!
Vampire Diaries executive producer Kevin Williamson tells me, "Sarah is a girl who sets her eyes on Jeremy and encourages him to party it up at the Lockwood house." (And by Lockwood house, we're now talking Werewolf Central.)
Since Maiara now has a good chance of being killed off by both vampires and werewolves, I wish her the best of luck in Mystic Falls. She's a sweet actress whose Housewives character just never took off. Last we saw of Ana Solis, she was headed off to New York City to pursue a modeling career just like her Aunt Gaby did back in her day. At least I think that's what happened to her. I sort of tuned her character out after she got all caught up with those Bolen neighbors.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Kecks-Exclusives-Heroes-1022538.aspx
Following news that Masi Oka has been cast as Hawaii Five-0's new coroner comes word that another Heroes alum, Jack Coleman (a.k.a Mr. Noah Bennet, a.k.a. Horned Rimmed Glasses), has landed a role on another CBS crime drama. In The Mentalist's Oct. 14th episode, Jack will be playing Max Armstrong, described to me as a wealthy, regal, arrogant, self-important man who becomes the prime suspect in a murder. Sounds like a lot like Sylar (minus that wealthy part). Watch for this Max character to attract Patrick Jane's curiosity because of his calm, cold and collected demeanor.
Turns out Mentalist co-star Owain Yeoman is a big Jack Coleman fan, but not from Jack's role on Heroes. "I'll always remember him as Steven Carrington on Dynasty," Owain tells me.
http://www.deadline.com/2010/09/locke-key-locks-in-series-commitment-at-fox/
Fox has handed a series commitment to the Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci-produced adaptation of the graphic novel Locke & Key, which is eyed for a potential summer run. The project, which will be written and run by Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles creator Josh Friedman, hails from 20th Century Fox TV, Kurtzman and Orci's 20th TV-based K.O. Paper Products and DreamWorks TV where the project originated on the feature side.
Based on Joe Hill's comic published by IDW Publishing, Locke & Key tells the story of Nina Locke and her three children, Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode, who survive an unspeakable horror and attempt to rebuild their lives at Keyhouse, their family home in Lovecraft, Massachusetts. It is a mysterious New England mansion, with fantastic and transformative keys hidden inside its walls that are also being sought by a hate-filled and relentless creature with ties to the Locke family's past who will stop at nothing to accomplish his sinister goals. Friedman, Kurtzman, Orci, K.O's Heather Kadin, DreamWorks TV's Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank as well as IDW CEO Ted Adams are executive producing.
http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/09/comic-icon-the-sandman-tv-series-in-works.html
“The Sandman,” the Neil Gaiman-penned comic book series considered a seminal work in the medium, is in the early stages of being developed into a TV series.
Warner Bros. TV is in the midst of acquiring television rights from sister company DC Entertainment and is in talks with several writer-producers about adapting the 1990s series. At the top of the list is Eric Kripke, creator of the CW’s horror-tinged “Supernatural.”
“Sandman” told the tale of Morpheus, the Lord of the Dreaming, a deity who personifies dreams. The book began in the horror realm but quickly made its mark in fantasy and mythology as Gaiman introduced the Endless, a group of powerful brothers and sisters that includes Destiny, Death, Destruction, Despair, Desire and Delirium (as well as Dream).
The book helped establish DC’s Vertigo imprint and won several awards. It also was one of the few comics that segued from the comics crowd, entering the intellectual and art worlds and winning over a large non-comics-reading audience, particularly via a devoted female following.
A movie version of “Sandman” had been in development since the mid-’90s, with an early version involving Roger Avary. That cooled earlier in the decade, with the thinking that to the best way to tackle an adaptation is the TV route. At one point DC was in talks with HBO and James Mangold to develop a show without WBTV’s involvement, but that never coalesced.
Gaiman was not officially involved with the HBO attempt, though he and Mangold held several rounds of talks surrounding characters and story. The author is not involved in the latest development, though because it is early in the process, that could change.
Kripke has been described as interested in tackling an adaptation but cautious because the comic book has such a passionate following and is held in such high regard. It’s the kind of series where each production decision, from casting to script to design, would be scrutinized by devotees.
Still, Kripke managed to create and sustain “Supernatural,” which week in and week out deals with fantasy, mythological and horror elements. He also displayed a certain amount of creative integrity when he stuck to his guns by not returning as showrunner when the network renewed the series for a sixth season after he completed a planned five-season story line.
Kripke is repped by WME and Principato Young.
http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/09/01/ask-ausiello-spoilers-house-greys-bones/
Question: Where is the Hugh Laurie interview you promised us from the Emmys?! House fans are an impatient lot! —Gillian
Ausiello: First off, simmer yourself. I’ve had a lot on my plate the past few days, if you hadn’t noticed. Second, the interview is RIGHT. HERE.
So they’re finally going there with Huddy.
HUGH LAURIE: It seems that way.
Scared?
LAURIE: I’m scared for him. Terrified. But so far so good. Baby steps.
Are you happy they finally took the plunge?
LAURIE: I care less about what happens than how it happens. And if you do it right, it will work. And if we don’t do it right, nothing works. But I think we’ve danced around the idea long enough, it was time to take some action.
Is it safe to say that if it doesn’t work with Huddy it won’t work with anyone?
LAURIE: That’s a possibility. He might be fatally flawed.
Question: Please give me some scoop about Jenny’s return to Gossip Girl! —Giovanni
Ausiello: I was right. Jenny reappearance is directly connected to Tim Gunn’s upcoming cameo. Turns out Blair permits her nemesis to return to the scene of her last crime (i.e. Manhattan) just long enough for her to interview for a job with Gunn at Parsons. Without giving too much away, Raccoon Eyes inadvertently gets caught up in Chuck and Blair’s latest drama, and the whole mess comes to a head at (natch) a big fancy party.
Question: How long is Mayim Bialik (Amy) sticking around for on The Big Bang Theory? —Holly
Ausiello: Exec producer Bill Prady tells me the actress fka Blossom is booked for a handful of episodes and there’s “no end in mind.” He adds that after embarking on their first date in the season premiere, Sheldon and Amy “are going to settle into a very peculiar relationship that doesn’t involve a lot of physical proximity—lots of video chatting and texting. But the big crisis coming up for Sheldon is the possibility that Amy is expressing feelings for him. That’s going to be a big problem for him.”
Question: I will literally take anything you’ve got on One Tree Hill. —Jasmine
Ausiello: A major-ish character is going to do some time in the slammer this season. That’s literally all I’ve got.
Question: Got anything on the Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice crossover involving Derek’s sister? —Nick
Ausiello: I’ve got this quote from exec producer Shonda Rhimes: “Amelia goes to visit Derek in the third episode of Grey’s. Derek got shot and he hasn’t been returning her phone calls. He’s never returned her phone calls. And what I love about the episode is that it really illuminates Derek. Remember: Derek’s father was shot when they were kids—something that both Amelia and Derek witnessed. And for both of them, Derek’s shooting brings up all of these memories of that. And you also get to see the two Shepherd neurosurgeons operating together, which I think is kind of badass.”
Question: I thought for sure the Grey’s couple tying the knot was Callie and Arizona. Imagine my surprise to find out it was Cristina and Owen! Anyhoo, what’s in store for Calzona if not wedding bells? —Steve
Ausiello: A very crowded house. Arizona decides to move in with Callie, who is currently sharing an apartment with Cristina—who just got married to Owen! That’s enough to put a little strain on any relationship. And another obstacle looms later in the season. Teases Rhimes: “Some stuff happens with their careers that’s going to take them in opposite directions possibly.”
Question: I’ve had a rough day. Do you think you could give me a Chuck scoop and make it better? —Jenny
Ausiello: Chuck and Sarah will be swapping genders this season, and their relationship could suffer as a result. Allow exec producer Josh Schwartz to explain: “In their relationship, Sarah is kind of the guy and Chuck is a little bit more of the emotional one. Chuck is someone who is very comfortable with commitment. And Sarah’s only real commitment is to people that she feels are probably going to die in the line of duty.” Adds fellow EP Chris Fedak: “Chuck also has a lot of access to his emotions and Sarah is one who likes to keep her emotions under wraps to a degree.”
Question: Any chance Steve Carell might change his mind and stick with The Office for another year? —Sandra
Ausiello: There was a chance, but that ship has long since sailed, according to exec producer Greg Daniels. “We held out a lot of hope at the beginning of the year when it was first coming out that [Steve] might leave,” he tells me. “We didn’t comment on it at the time because we were making a last-ditch effort.” But Carell stuck to his guns, and, at this point, Daniels does not anticipate an 11th hour reversal. “Steve doesn’t play a lot of games. He said what he wants to [leave] and he’s doing it in a very classy, typical-Steve fashion. I’m 100 percent confident it’s not some kind of ploy. He gave us plenty of lead time to really construct a great exit for him as well as a great ongoing storyline for other people.”
Question: I’d love a Lie to Me scooplet! —Jonathan
Ausiello: As it happens, I have a capital-S Super one for you: The Man of Steel’s mother, Smallville fave Annette O’Toole, is about to guest on the show and give what I assume will be a tour-de-force performance. She’s been cast as a 60-year-old harboring the proverbial dark secret that makes it extra tricky for her to be treated for her early-onset Alzheimer’s.
Question: Any juicy scoop on CSI: Miami that doesn’t involve Calleigh and Delko? —Ann Marie
Ausiello: Yep, but you may feel like you’ve heard this one before—because, in a way, you have. Just as Bones has a Jersey Shore-inspired episode coming up, so does CSI:M. If ever there was a good time to be a Sookie or Situation look-alike, I’ll be damned if this isn’t it.
Question: Thanks for the awesome video of Chris and Mariska on the Emmy red carpet! Did you get any other SVU scoop there? —Jennifer
Ausiello: Not from them, no, but I did hear that Numb3rs’ David Krumholtz is about to guest in an episode. He plays an expert on fancypants mushrooms who’s mixed up in the same murder investigation that involves Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe winner Rosemary Harris.
Question: What’s this I’m hearing about Lux having an affair with her teacher this season on Life Unexpected? —Kayla
Ausiello: Can’t confirm an affair. Can confirm a crush. “They definitely have a dynamic between them,” acknowledges exec producer Liz Tigelaar of Lux and her new hottie teacher, played by Melrose Place‘s Shaun Sipos. “It’s a different kind of story. Lux is a character that doesn’t have any desire to play by the rules. She’s also an old soul. She’s drawn to someone different than the typical high school guy. What do you do when you’re not allowed to be drawn to that? And how do you deal with it? And how does it make you feel? What we really want to do is tell a story that gets underneath this girl [and find out] where boundaries should be crossed with her and why she kind of feels like she’s kind of above the rules.”
Question: Any Emmy stuff you didn’t tell us about already that you probably should have? —Janet
Ausiello: Come to think of it, yes. I have a new hero: Eva Longoria Parker. You see, I was taping my red-carpet interviews right next to TV Guide Channel, and unfortunately, their celebrity wrangler, in her zeal to keep their live coverage seamless, busted in on one Q&A after another in a way that brought to mind the word “inexcusable.” As you can imagine, this peeved me, and many of my fellow reporters, to no end. Even more frustrating was the fact that the stars’ publicists allowed it to happen, over and over. But then there was Parker. When the aforementioned wrangler tried to pull her away mid-conversation from another journalist, the Desperate Housewife said, in essence, “No. That’s rude. I’ll be there as soon as I’m done here.” And, with that simple display of common sense and impeccable manners, she rose to the top of my list of favorite people. (BTW, you can get a glimpse of said wrangler doing the devil’s work at the tail end of my interview with John Krasinski.)
Question: Can I just say that your interviews were so cute I just want to pinch your cheeks. Now do you have any good Bones spoilers? —Madeline
Ausiello: You can touch the cheeks, but no pinching. They bruise easily. Here’s your Bones spoiler: Brennan is having a change of heart about Booth!! “What happened at the [end of last season] was that we saw Booth move on and not have any regrets,” recounts exec producer Stephen Nathan. “He did his best. He professed his love and when she couldn’t reciprocate he realized at that point this is now crazy, I have to be happy. I have to try to make a life for myself. And he’s moved on. Now Brennan—who felt very secure in her decision last year—has had seven months alone to think about this. And we think that she’s come back reevaluating her situation and the choice she made with Booth. Brennan is seeing things differently. She seemed to have one take for five years and I think the time away has made her reevaluate what she wants from life and perhaps a relationship with Booth. I don’t think this is something that she has an easy time admitting to herself. And perhaps it hasn’t even bubbled up from her subconscious yet, but it’s something that’s real this season.” I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: This is the season it happens! I can feel it in my, er, bones!
Question: Enough about Booth and Brennan. How about something on Angela and Hodgins? —Missy
Ausiello: The buzz is it’ll be smooth sailing for the newlyweds this season, but Michaela Conlin isn’t buying it. “I don’t believe that,” Angela’s portrayer tells me, before hinting that “something happened” during the seven-month flash forward between the two that “will come up” later in the season. Hmm….
Question: More Bones scoop, please! —Matt
Ausiello: Daisy and Sweets will “reconnect” in the season premiere, but “their relationship is different,” notes EP Stephen Nathan. “Sweets has become a free man in his seven months without Daisy and isn’t initially willing to give that up.”
Question: Since Jason Segel reportedly wants out of How I Met Your Mother when his contract expires after season 8, does that mean that’s when the show will end? —Chip
Ausiello: Maybe… maybe not. “It was funny to see that [quote] become such a story,” laughs executive producer Craig Thomas, “because all our contracts are through eight seasons. [But we all love it] so much, we’d be willing to talk about going beyond that point, too.” Especially since the series’ heart soon will be once again in the right place. Says fellow EP Carter Bays: “We gave our director our little document, [our] Season 6 Map, and she came in with tears in her eyes and said, ‘We’re back!’”
Question: We already know Kate (Alexandra Daddario) is returning to White Collar, but do you know anything about the story—aside from the fact that it’s a flashback episode? —Julie
Ausiello: The episode—the first one back in January—focuses almost entirely on the origin of the Kate-Neil relationship and how it folds into the show’s mythology (i.e. the music box).
Question: A Smallville spoiler in honor of the show’s 10th and final season? —Nelson
Ausiello: Sources confirm to me exclusively that there will be at least one huge “Clois” moment in each of the first eight episodes.
Question: 30 Rock scoop….please? — Randy
Ausiello: On the red carpet at the Emmys, Jane Krakowski told me that as the show enters its fifth season, the show within the show is entering its fifth season as well. And “Jenna has all these wacky things built into her contract [that kick in at this point], because nobody thought we’d still be on the air,” she said. “So I get to be a producer.”
Question: You’re always so nice about making with the 30 Rock spoilers. Please don’t let the streak end today. —Henna
Ausiello: Since you lied about me being so nice, how can I resist? At the Emmys, Keith “Toofer” Powell revealed that, in one of the first new episodes, he’d be getting a big storyline. And not just that, “it involves one of the funniest scenes I have ever read,” he teased. Okay, I’m intrigued. You?
http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/09/01/eddie-izzard-francis-conroy-join-season-3-of-united-states-of-tara/61898
EDDIE IZZARD & FRANCES CONROY JOIN SEASON 3 OF “UNITED STATES OF TARA”
MULTI-FACETED COMEDIAN/ACTOR & AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS
TO GUEST STAR IN THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED
SHOWTIME® COMEDY SERIES
Production On Season 3 To Begin Mid-September
LOS ANGELES, CA – (September 1, 2010) – Multi-faceted comedian and actor Eddie Izzard and multiple award-winning actress Frances Conroy will guest star on the SHOWTIME series UNITED STATES OF TARA. Izzard will appear in eight episodes and Conroy in one episode of the third season opposite Toni Collette, last year’s Emmy® Award winner and this year’s Emmy® nominee for her role as Tara Gregson, a wife and mother who struggles with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Izzard will play Tara’s brilliant psychology professor who is at first a DID skeptic, but becomes fascinated with Tara as a subject, leading him to further explore the condition. Conroy will star as Max Gregson’s (John Corbett) mother, a recluse with a compulsive hoarding problem. Production on season three begins mid-September in Los Angeles for a 2011 premiere.
Eddie Izzard has been hailed as one of the foremost stand-up comedians of his generation. Since his first stage appearance in London’s West End in 1993 in the one-man show “Live At The Ambassadors,” there have been a succession of sell-out and critically-acclaimed international tours, including “Unrepeatable” in 1994; 1996’s “Definite Article;” “Glorious” in 1997; “Dress to Kill” in 1998; 2000 was the year of “Circle,” and “Sexie” followed in 2003. Izzard’s latest stand-up show, “Stripped,” broke box office records with a UK, U.S. and European arena tour. This year, Izzard performed a series of South African dates in support of Nelson Mandela’s 46664 Charity. While initially renowned as a comedian, Izzard is also now equally respected as a film, theatre and TV actor. His hugely successful FX drama series “The Riches,” has been critically acclaimed across the world. His stage appearances include Mamet’s “The Crypotogram;” “900 Oneonta;” the title role in Marlowe’s “Edward II;” and “A Day in the Life of Joe Egg” in London and on Broadway, which won him several prestigious awards including a Tony Award® nomination. His movie credits include “Secret Agent,” “Ocean’s Twelve” and “Ocean’s Thirteen;” “Across the Universe;” “Rage;” “Valkyrie,” among others. In 2009, “Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story,” had its international theatrical release, documenting Izzard’s life as a young street performer during the 1980s to the comedian, actor, political activist he is now recognized as. The film garnered an Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Nonfiction Special.
A graduate of The Juilliard School’s Drama Division, Frances Conroy is a three-time Emmy® nominee, Golden Globe® and Screen Actors Guild winner for her role on the hit series “Six Feet Under.” Conroy’s television credits also include the miniseries “Queen,” “Murder in a Small Town,” and guest roles on “ER,” “Desperate Housewives,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Nip/Tuck,” and “Happy Town.” In theatre, she has been in multiple productions at Joseph Papp’s Public Theatre and Lincoln Center including “Our Town,” first performed on Broadway and then taped for PBS’ “Great Performances.” Conroy was also in “The Lady From Dubuque” and “Three Tall Women.” She received an OBIE Award for Arthur Miller’s “The Last Yankee” and a Tony Award®nomination for “The Ride Down Mt. Morgan.” She has received four Drama Desk Award nominations, and garnered the award for David Hare’s “The Secret Rapture.” She was last seen in the 2006 Mark Taper production of “Pyrenees.” Conroy has appeared in numerous films including “Manhattan;” “Another Woman;” “Crimes And Misdemeanors;” “The Aviator;” “The Neon Bible;” “Scent Of A Woman;” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels;” “Catwoman;” “Shopgirl;” “Broken Flowers;” and independent features such as “Ira and Abby” and “Humboldt County.” This year, Conroy portrays Robert De Niro’s wife in the upcoming “John Curran’s Stone” and stars opposite Kris Kristofferson in “Provinces of Night.”
UNITED STATES OF TARA stars Oscar® nominee Toni Collette, last year’s Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award winner, and this year’s Emmy® nominee for her role as “Tara,” a woman who juggles being a suburban wife, mother and sister while also having DID (dissociative identity disorder), formerly known as multiple personality disorder. Executive produced by DW Studios L.L.C. and created by Diablo Cody, the series delves into how a family copes with the various alters that may appear on any given day and range in age, temperament and even gender.
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/watch_with_kristin/b198355_steve_carells_replacement_on_office.html
Hello, genius casting idea!
You'll never guess what Office executive producer Paul Lieberstein just told us about who he now wants to replace Steve Carell:
Harvey Keitel!
"He's probably the only guy who can do it, and he's doing TV now," Paul tells us of the Oscar nominee, who recently starred on ABC's Life on Mars. That's what a very smart eager man once called a "win-win-win."
The only glitch? Paul needs to, um, talk to Harvey about it and stuff. Minor detail.
"I haven't started any talks with his people, but Harvey would do a great job—a very different energy," Paul says. "And we don't want to bring in another Michael, having someone play a very similar character because we have such a high regard for Steve."
So why Harvey, who's been a dramatic film player for most of his esteemed career, and more importantly, is he seriously being considered for the part?
"Yes, absolutely," confirms Paul. "He's a real tough guy, but I saw him in Life on Mars and I saw a lot more comedy in his work, just little slivers of it, little things he would do that made me think he's capable of a lot more than what [he's done]."
Paul is so jazzed about the idea of Harvey joining the show, he already has a bulk of the maybe-replacement's role already written.
"He's an old salesman who thought he could retire and the stock market went down, and he has to come out of retirement to work for a few years."
Harvey, what say you? We diehard Office fans here love this idea and wholly support you or your agent giving Paul a call.
Are guys digging the idea of Harvey Keitel, or do you still have someone better in mind? Sound off in the comments.
http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/09/01/exclusive-mekhi-phifer-exits-lie-to-me/
The Lightman Group is severing ties with the FBI in season 3, which means Mekhi Phifer (a.k.a. Special Agent Ben Reynolds) is out of a job.
“We’re going rogue a little bit,” explains Lie to Me executive producer David Graziano. “Lightman [Tim Roth] is going to act slightly in the more old-school PI model of a TV protagonist, [so] we’re doing away with the FBI contract [and] Mekhi is unfortunately no longer going to be on the show.
“The FBI franchise limited our storytelling a little bit because it had to adhere to the FBI structures of ‘Would the FBI take this case or not?’” Graziano continues. “The character that’s going to be our badge this season is a bent cop, Wolowsky [The Unusuals' Monique Gabriela Curnen], who goes about business in a similar way to Lightman. There’s a mutual respect from the get-go. We’re working hard to make The Lightman Group a dysfunctional family.”
Thoughts? Smart move? Dumb move? Waiting to form an opinion until the show returns on Nov. 10?
http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/09/01/exclusive-george-takei-warps-to-big-bang-theory/
It's safe to say that the nerds of 'The Big Bang Theory' -- Leonard (Johnny Galecki), Sheldon (Emmy winner Jim Parsons), Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) -- are quite familiar with 'Star Trek' lore.
But this season, only one of that quartet will share a scene with 'Star Trek's' Sulu, George Takei, who'll play himself on the CBS comedy in an episode tentatively scheduled for Thu., Oct. 14.
Take a moment to absorb this phaser blast: In that episode, Takei will appear alongside fellow geek icon Katee Sackhoff ('Battlestar Galactica'), who, as I reported last week, is returning to 'Big Bang Theory' to play Wolowitz's conscience.
In an interview, Prady explained that Wolowitz is thinking about getting back together with his ex-girlfriend Bernadette (Melissa Rauch), and it sounds as though Sackhoff and Takei will represent opposing points of view.
"George Takei plays himself, and he's the other person guiding Wolowitz in his thoughts as he tries to figure out what to do about Bernadette," Prady said.
Prady won't disclose the venue for this conversation, but he ruled out a return to Wolowitz's bathtub, where Sackhoff famously appeared last season. But Sackhoff and Takei do share some dialogue, Prady noted.
"I think they do discuss being typecast in science-fiction shows," Prady said.
Though the CBS comedy is opening up a new comedy block for CBS on Thursdays this fall, Prady said that the show doesn't have any plans to alter its basic DNA or engage in crazy stuntcasting.
He noted that he's not a fan of guest stars that "take you out of the world" that the characters normally live in, hence the show's plans to continue casting people and actors that "mean something to these guys."
Stuntcasting means that "you're not watching the show -- you're watching Madonna or Britney Spears. You're watching something that's meta. What we often do is have people from the sci-fi or technology world, often playing themselves," Prady said.
Along those lines, computer pioneer Steve Wozniak will appear in the second episode of the season, and Prady and co-creator Chuck Lorre hope to engineer a return visit for Wil Wheaton, a 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' veteran who has guested on the show a few times as Sheldon's nemesis.
Speaking of guest stars, Mayim Bialik, who plays Sheldon's new friend Amy Farrah Fowler, will recur this fall, and Laurie Metcalf will return in episode 3 as Sheldon's mom.
Wait, I have a feeling I've forgotten something. Oh yeah! Jim Parsons won a Best Comedy Actor this week. Thoughts, Mr. Prady?
"We couldn't be prouder of him," Prady said. "He obviously brings an astonishing performance."
But Prady went out of his way to praise the entire cast, which includes Kaley Cuoco as Penny.
"Usually when you do this [job], when you sit in the writers' room, there's a cast member you're writing away from. You're sitting in the room going, 'Well, he can't deliver a line like that' and 'She'll never give you this moment that you're envisioning, so let's just write away from it,'" Prady said. On 'Big Bang,' "we sit in a room and never once, not for a moment, do we talk about any of these actors not being able to do anything we can think of. It's so wonderful to have Jim's performance acknowledged by the Academy, but it's one of five incredible performances that we experience."
I'll have more from Prady closer to 'The Big Bang Theory's' Sept. 23 season premiere.
http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/09/01/big-bang-theory-evil-wil-wheaton/
It looks like Sheldon is climbing back in the ring with his longtime rival, Evil Wil Wheaton.
Big Bang Theory executive producer Bill Prady confirms to me exclusively that he wants to revive the ugly feud this season—possibly in time for November sweeps.
“We started talking about the idea of minor celebrities cutting in line,” Prady says, “and we thought it might be funny to have our [Big Bang] guys waiting in line for a one-time-only midnight screening of something like Raiders of the Lost Ark with restored footage, and Wil Wheaton and his three friends cut the line. When it comes time for our guys to get in, the line stops; Wil took the last four seats and Sheldon is just furious. Because it doesn’t make sense to him. Wil’s celebrity is not applicable here. This is not Star Trek. It’s just wrong.”
Prady says the plot—which is still in the planning stages—was not inspired by that highly publicized June incident in which Jason Bateman was allowed to jump to the front of a massive iPhone 4 line at a Los Angeles-area Apple store. “Someone brought that up, but we were mostly talking about our good friend Adam Savage from Mythbusters,” says Prady. “He was apparently in Las Vegas for a Star Trek auction, and there was a preview and he got to cut the line.”
Big Bang Theory‘s fourth season—its first on Thursday night—kicks off Sept. 23.
http://www.deadline.com/2010/09/nbc-nabs-magic-drama-from-ron-moore/
Ronald D. Moore is back at NBC Universal with a new drama project for NBC that has landed one of the biggest commitments so far this pitch season. The project from Sony TV where the Battlestar Galactica developer inked a two-year overall deal in May, is described as an adult Harry Potter set in a world ruled not by science but by magic. I hear the drama got pilot and series penalties totaling close to $2 million.
Before going to Sony, Moore had three consecutive overall deals at NBC Uni’s Universal Media Studios that were tied to his services on Syfy’s Battlestar Galactica, a reimagening of Glen A. Larson's classic, which he executive produced and ran with David Eick. The duo is also behind the Battlestar Galactica spinoff Caprica.
Sony has made drama development a priority this season, signing deals with Moore, Smallville creators Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, who are behind the studio's Charlie's Angeles reboot, and director Michael Dinner, who will now focus more on writing-producing.
http://www.deadline.com/2010/09/fox-orders-jamie-foxx-sketch-comedy-series-for-midseason/
Fox is prepping a primetime sketch comedy series for midseason from Oscar winner and In Living Color alum Jamie Foxx. The network has handed out a 12-episode order to the half-hour comedy, tentatively titled The Jamie Foxx Project. Foxx, Fox TV Studios and producers Eric and Kim Tannenbaum were behind a sketch comedy pilot for Fox this past development cycle. I hear the new project will be different and the original pilot won't be used. Rising sketch comedian/actor Affion Crockett (The Boondocks), who co-starred in the pilot, will star on the series and produce. One of the pilot's co-writers, Carl Jones also will stay on as writer/co-executive producer.
In the vein of Fox's 1990s sketch/variety series In Living Color, which gave Foxx his break, The Jamie Foxx Project will take on pop culture, spoofing movie trailers, commercials, TV shows, music videos and celebrities, with a diverse cast of young new comedians. FtvS, Foxx/King Entertainment and The Tannenbaum Co. are producing the series, with Foxx, Marcus King and Jaime Rucker King, Foxx's managers and producing partners at Foxx/King Entertainment, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum executive producing.
http://www.deadline.com/2010/09/hot-property-jj-abrams-elizabeth-sarnoff-to-shop-alcatraz-drama/
JJ Abrams and Lost executive producer Elizabeth Sarnoff are heading to another island. I hear Abrams and his Warner Bros. TV-based Bad Robot are about to take out to the networks Alcatraz, a drama spec script written by Sarnoff. Like all things Bad Robot, the project is shrouded in secrecy but it is about the San Francisco Bay island that once housed some of the country's most notorious criminals, including Al Capone. WBTV, which co-produces with Bad Robot, declined comment.
Sarnoff joined ABC's Lost, co-created and executive produced by Abrams, in the second season as a writer-producer and rose through the ranks to executive producer in the sixth and final season of the sci-fi/adventure series. She wrote or co-wrote 19 episodes, including the series penultimate episode. Abrams tends to develop with writers he has worked with before and seems to prefer spec scripts over pitches. Bad Robot's two series on the air, Fox's Fringe and the upcoming NBC spy drama Undercovers, originated as spec scripts Abrams co-penned with Alias alums Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and former Felicity and What About Brian writer-producer Josh Reims, respectively. Speaking of Fringe, a trivia tidbit: a minor character on the show's first season was named Elizabeth Sarnoff. Before Lost, Sarnoff worked on Deadwood and Crossing Jordan.
http://www.deadline.com/2010/09/hbo-renews-hung-for-third-season/
HBO has picked up dark comedy Hung for a third season with a 10-episode order to run in 2011.
Hung stars Thomas Jane as a down-on-his-luck Detroit high-school coach moonlighting as a male prostitute and Jane Adams as his rookie, poetry-loving pimp. The husband-and-wife duo of Dmitry Lipkin and Colette Burson created the show and are executive producing with the pilot's director Alexander Payne, Michael Rosenberg, Scott Stephens, Noreen Halpern and John Morayniss for E1 Entertainment. Anne Heche, Eddie Jemison, Rebecca Creskoff, Gregg Henry, Sianoa Smit-McPhee and Charlie Saxton co-star. The penultimate episode of Hung's second season on Sunday averaged 2.5 million. Its season finale airs Sept. 12.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/MegaBuzz-Glee-Greys-Gossip-1022535.aspx
Who's zooming who when Glee comes back? — Cathleen
MICKEY: Finn is all about Rachel in Season 2, according to Lea Michele. "They're very much in love," she tells us, and, brace yourself, kind of into PDA. On the other hand, Jenna Ushkowitz hints at an upcoming romantic tangle for Artie and Tina. "Artie didn't give her what she wanted, so there's a love triangle," she tells us. "She's going to make Artie work for it." Who's the other lucky guy? Two words: Other Asian.
So excited about the Grey's Anatomy wedding. How will the other docs react? — Abby
ADAM: Well, Meredith isn't exactly over the moon. "Meredith is worried that Cristina is getting married for the wrong reasons," Ellen Pompeo tells us. "She's traumatized after [the shooting] and she's rushing into marriage, which doesn't seem like the right move. It's not that she doesn't want her with Owen. ... There's just a little too much change there and Meredith is worried about Cristina's stability."
It seems like Chuck has amnesia in the promos for the Gossip Girl episodes in Paris. Please tell me that isn't true. — Jill
MICKEY: It's more accurate to say that Chuck wants to forget certain things. Mostly though, Gossip Girl's petit voyage is inspired by the immortal Spin Doctors, in that there are two princes, both of whom are royally screwed when it comes to their feelings about Blair.
So Brennan really isn't going to be jealous of Booth's new girlfriend on Bones? — Tina
ADAM: Executive producer Stephen Nathan says that Brennan will no doubt wrestle with regret about her decisions last season, but it may be Booth who torpedoes his new relationship. "He has forged a new life for himself emotionally," Nathan says. "Of course, all of this occurred when he was not around Brennan. So Brennan's presence in the mix will alter the relationship — it just has to. He's moved on, but whether he continues to move on is another thing entirely."
What's coming up on Desperate Housewives? — Barrie
MICKEY: You know how Lynette and Tom have been taking turns working over the past few seasons? Well, with another mouth to feed now, they need to become a two-income family, which means they need a baby sitter. Tom's mom (Lois Smith) might be able to help out.
Please tell me Sela Ward won't be a new love interest for Mac on CSI: NY! — Max
ADAM: Executive producer Pam Veasey assures us that there is nothing of the sort planned in the immediate future. Besides, we hear that Mac will be too focused on a new adversary to worry about his love life. The show is building a three-episode arc for a new character, a high-ranking police official who butts heads with Mac over how to handle the media during a sniper case.
With Annie and Naomi both having other storylines, is Liam going to get lost in the 90210 mix? —Becca
MICKEY: Liam will have his own troubles, most significantly the lack of a postal address. He gets a job, but quits when he isn't comfortable with the dress code (or lack thereof). A good Samaritan will then invite him to move into her poolhouse — something that happens with some frequency in Beverly Hills, according to television. So yes, after leaving a job in which he has to take his clothes off, he'll become a pool boy. Well done, Liam!
Give me some Brothers & Sisters scoop, please. — Wendy
ADAM: Get ready to see a lot more of Gilles Marini — and not just because he's a series regular this season. In the year that has passed since the Season 4 finale, Luc has become an underwear model! We're also hearing the show is looking to cast Luc's mother, who will make quite a first impression on the Walker clan. Good luck, Sarah.
We love (the Emmy-winning!) Modern Family. Do you have any Mitch-Cam scoop? — Jacob and Lisa
MICKEY: I have it on good authority that Mitch and Cam will give the Glee kiddies a run for their money when they participate in an elaborate dance routine in an upcoming episode. I'm not a betting man (since the court order), but it's sure to be better than my favorite YouTube video ever this week.
What have you heard about Calleigh and Delko's relationship on CSI: Miami? — Chelsea
ADAM: Sounds like it will be more of the same for Calleighko, who ended last season in a place of uncertainty. But co-executive producer Barry O'Brien suggests the new season will provide clarity — eventually. "There may be some new elements that threaten their future together," he says. "You can look to Season 9 to clearly define their relationship, but we're going to take them on quite a journey first."
Are we going to have to wait another two seasons for True Blood's Arlene to give birth? — Warren
MICKEY: Well, if she brings the baby to term, she's definitely not giving birth for a long while, given the show's famously glacial timeline. But based on what Carrie Preston told us at the Emmys, I'm not so sure that she will. "There will be a resolution to Arlene's conflict, but it's not going to be what you think."
I have a feeling Don's behavior is eventually going to jeopardize the agency on Mad Men. Please tell me that I'm wrong. — Justin
ADAM: Sadly, I think you're on the right track, if only because of what Rich Sommer recently told us. "This season is about consequences and paying off things that have been building over the last three-and-a-half seasons," he says. "Decisions that were made and actions that people take all kind of reach a head. There are consequences for every single character on the show — some are minute and some are show-shattering."
Mickey's Mega Rave: I foolishly believed Nancy when she said she wanted a "normal" life for her family. But what's Weeds without, well, weed? The second the Botwins jumped back into the drug trade — this time they're going to try their hand at hash — I felt the show crackle with a familiar energy again. In this case, definitely say yes to drugs.
Adam's Mini Rant: I would have cheered louder for Top Chef's Emmy win if this season wasn't so terrible. #BringBacktheVoltaggioBros
