There are few sights more unappealing than Dylan Baker in a silk robe, his foot cuffed to the hand of a bloody, dead woman… which made for a great way to start an episode of The Good Wife last night.
Baker played Colin Sweeney, a major client of Lockhart, Gardner. Alicia had been sent READ FULL STORY »
ABC presented its fall schedule to advertisers today with the usual barrage of corporate-speak (“Let’s build innovative-creative!”; “Audience, brands, content — it’s a natural fit!”) and the by-now traditional roasting by Jimmy Kimmel. Kimmel called Lost “what it must be like to be trapped inside the head of Paula Abdul.” He ridiculed ABC exec Steve McPherson for saying READ FULL STORY »
The cast of Glee got a work-out at Fox’s unveiling of its new fall and mid-season line-up. Jane Lynch, dressed in full Sue Sylvester track-suit with bullhorn regalia, began by introducing Fox exec Kevin Reilly, chiding his “local weatherman good looks.” And the kids sang Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” to close out the presentation.
In between, clips were shown from fall and mid-season shows. The standard disclaimer obtains: opinions solely based on clips; shows could get better or worse once entire episodes are seen.
Lonestar: Reilly called it “a modern-day Dallas” and it features READ FULL STORY »
What does it mean that I was more entertained by the pre-taped Alec Baldwin/Jack Donaghy monologue that began NBC’s up-front presentation today than I was by almost any of the shows from which the network showed clips? Having Baldwin’s Donaghy bad-mouth other shows while staying true to his 30 Rock persona — as when he dismissed Fox’s House by saying, “[Hugh Laurie] is faking being from this country, like our President” — was better than all of Baldwin’s recent SNL hosting gig.
NBC is working hard to give the impression that things are moving right along in its prime-time hit-factory, thereby avoiding the fact that it’s had no hits and a lot of Jay Leno to deal with over the past year. But that’s all changed! They’re opening their wallets and their READ FULL STORY »
The 2009 interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu that won Craig Ferguson a Peabody Award will air again tonight, with a new introduction by the host. The Peabody Awards will be handed out today.
Tonight, in honor of that award, Craig will be his usual self-deprecating Robot-Skeleton-leader self, and among his remarks in his freshly-taped intro:
“We thought maybe if you wanted we could show you Desmond Tutu’s visit to the show again, something like an encore performance. But of course this wouldn’t be a repeat. No, no, no, no. A repeat is something you show when it didn’t win the Peabody Award. When you win the Peabody Award it is ‘an encore performance.’ I was humbled and delighted to be in the presence of such a great man.”
As I wrote at the time, Archbishop Tutu is not exactly a mainstay of late-night entertainment. Ferguson’s conversation with the clergyman, is by turns serious, funny, and sometimes both simultaneously (“When you don’t forgive, frequently you feel it in your tum-tum,” said the Archbishop, patting his own tummy) as they talk about race, God, good and evil. And nagging wives. All without reading from cue cards or notes. “I think you’re crazy!” Tutu chuckles at one point. Craig also tells an excellent chess joke involving bishops.
Ferguson interviews Bishop Tutu without being intimidated or fawning, and in so doing, demonstrates the range of tones and subject matter that can be addressed on late-night TV. It’s worth a second look.
Breaking Bad divided its time this week between Walt’s surprise-filled hospital vigil with the recuperating Hank, and Jesse’s not-at-all surprising, but very satisfying, slip from recovering addict to a return to his old meth-slinging ways.
Walter and Jesse had a tense READ FULL STORY »
Alec Baldwin commenced his 15th hosting assignment for Saturday Night Live by noting that he was now tied with Steve Martin. A TV was wheeled on-stage for Martin to appear “via satellite” to jabber amiably, only to have Baldwin shove the television off-camera. The bit was quick and funny.
That was followed by READ FULL STORY »
Alec Baldwin hosts Saturday Night Live for the 15th time tonight. The musical guests are Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Update: Go here for a complete recap of last night’s show, plus an overview of the season.
So much is happening already in the new fourth season of Friday Night Lights, I’m going to organize this recap by bullet points.
• Coach Eric may be struggling to tame his East Dillon Lions, but through some dubiously ethic’d redistricting loophole (thanks, Buddy Garrity!), he secured the services of READ FULL STORY »
Now that the cancellation of Law & Order has been announced, I can say what I’ve been wanting to write for the past 24 hours: Everyone who’s now talking about how much the show will be missed… where were ya when it counted?
Law & Order has been having a very good season. The frequent fireworks between Sam Waterston and his ADAs played by Linus Roache and Alana de la Garza were colorful sparklers. The series’ rare private-life subplot — the cancer READ FULL STORY »
