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August 20, 2007
Kristen Bell bounces back!
I'm still not over the CW's cancellation of my favorite show, "Veronica Mars," but the fact that its cast members are popping up in other shows does ease my pain a bit. Of course, I love seeing Tina Majorino (Mac) and Amanda Seyfried (Lily) on the awesome HBO drama "Big Love." And I hear that Jason Dohring (Logan) will be a regular on the new CBS show "Moonlight." But the real news, announced today, is that Veronica herself will be returning to the tube!
Yes, Kristen Bell, who played the spunky teen private eye for three season has a new gig on NBC's red hot drama "Heroes." And I couldn't be happier.
Bell will play "Elle," a mysterious woman with ties to several of the show's main characters. According to a press release from NBC, Bell's character will be introduced in October, and will be on the show for several episodes. Like "Mars," "Heroes" is a serial drama with complex characters, so it's right up her alley.
The actress already is attached to another CW show, providing voiceover narration for the new drama "Gossip Girl," but it's nice to see her handed a TV role that allows her to use more than her voice. I'm also pleased to see that she has a number of movies coming out, including Judd Apatow's buzz-heavy comedy "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."
At a time when so many young actresses are better known for their appearances in the tabloids than their body of work, Bell is a breath of fresh air -- a genuinely talented woman who chooses interesting material. Even before "Mars," her resume included a stint on HBO's dark drama "Deadwood" and a role in the tough and tangled David Mamet film "Spartan."
I'm so pleased that her career has continued to bloom, despite the cancellation of "Mars," and I can't wait to see her on "Heroes."
Posted by amanda on 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2007
"Conchords" to take flight for a second season
Mere days after announcing it would cancel its nutty freshman series "John From Cincinnati," HBO has opted to save its other new series, "Flight of the Conchords," from the same fate. And may I just say, woo-hoo!
The sitcom features the New Zealand music-comedy duo of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement who play sort of an absurdist version of themselves: musicians living in New York and looking for a big break. Their stabs at stardom are constantly undermined by their own naivete and stupidity, and that of their goofy manager, Murray (Rhys Darby), who also works for the New Zealand consulate.
Though more low-key than your typical sitcom, "Flight" is one of the funniest shows on TV.Every episode is puncuated by at the least one of "Flight"s songs, and almost every one is priceless. My favorites have included "Robots," a ditty about a futuristic society in which robots have killed all the humans, and "Business Time," an ode to lackluster marital whoopee (which, apparently, takes place only on Wednesday nights, and can be performed while wearing socks).
And, lest I forget, possibly the best Conchords song, "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room," in which the goofy, bespectacled Jemaine attempts to woo a woman by telling her that she's lovely enough to "be a part-time model -- but you'd still probably have to keep your regular job."
The show's entertainment value isn't limited to the songs. Each episode includes at least one moment of blink and you'll miss it brilliance, like the New Zealand tourism posters that hang in Murray's office (one reads "New Zealand -- Why Not?").
Plus, this might be the cleanest show to ever air on HBO. There's no cursing, save a hilarious sequence in which the duo get a crash course on how to flip the bird. And the sex stuff is refreshingly chaste and awkward. It's just a fun show and it's nice to see HBO giving it a chance to grow its audience.
Posted by amanda on 2:08 PM | Comments (0)
August 16, 2007
Funny "Sunny"
The bad news is that fans of FX's raunchy, mean-spirited and hilarious sitcom "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" will have wait almost another month before the show returns to the cable network for its third season.
The good news is that FX has made an episode available for viewing online, starting today. I've seen the ep -- called "Mac is a Serial Killer" -- and it's hilarious. So what are you waiting for? Go to www.myspace.com/sunnyfx, and watch it. The episode will air on FX later in the season. The new season of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" starts 10 p.m. Sept. 13 with two new back-to-back episodes.
Posted by amanda on 7:47 AM | Comments (0)
August 14, 2007
Mantegna gets "Criminal"
Good-bye, Inigo Montoya. Hello, Fat Tony!
This week, CBS announced that film and TV vet Joe Mantegna would join the cast of its procedural drama, following the sudden departure of series star Mandy Patinkin earlier this summer.
Patinkin, if you'll remember, left the show because of "creative differences." Then, during the television critics association press tour, CBS programming chief Nina Tassler revealed that "creative differences" was an industry euphemism for "personal issues." Still no word on what "personal issues" is a euphemism for.
Anyway, Mantegna has been cast as FBI Special Agent David Rossi, an original member of the Behavioral Analysis Unit to which all the show's characters belong. Rossi is a retiree you has recently volunteered to return to the unit.
Reports from other media have stated that a number of big names -- including Harvey Keitel and Bob Hoskins -- were being considered to join up after Patinkin's departure, but I think it was smart to cast a capable, familiar but non-flashy actor like Mantegna. This is not a show that's about great acting. There aren't big dramatic scenes, no opportunities to show a lot of range. Maybe that's why Patinkin -- known for big performances on Broadway and in movies like "The Princess Bride" -- opted to leave. The show's real star is its formula: group of crime solvers untangles messy murders, assaults, etc.
Big name actors are out of place in this environment. Mantegna is a character actor, known mostly for his work in supporting roles: the dad in "Joan of Arcadia," Dean Martin in "The Rat Pack," and, of course, he's the voice of gangster Fat Tony on "The Simpsons." Mantegna isn't flashy, but he is a team player. He should blend in well. Good luck to him.
Posted by amanda on 10:19 AM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2007
Merv Griffin -- one hard-working dude
If you want to feel really lazy and inconsequential, take a look at the obituaries for television impresario Merv Griffin, who died over the weekend at the age of 82.
The man was a talk-show host and creator of two of the most iconic game shows of all time -- "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune." He began his career as a radio singer making $100 a week, and ended up being one of the richest men in America.
Griffin also was a television institution and, even if you're, like me, too young to remember "The Merv Griffin Show," you're aware of the impact he made. I mean, do you think "Deal or No Deal" or "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader" will run for more than 40 years, as "Jeopardy!" has or 32 year, like "Wheel of Fortune?" It's doubtful.
And, if his obituaries are to believed, he made his name the old-fashioned way -- creativity and hard work. In this age of people who are famous just for being famous, Griffin earned his fame. Apparently, even when he was in the declining stages of the prostate cancer that eventually took his life, he was still working, on a new syndicated game show called "Merv Griffin's Crosswords."
Not only was he passionate and dedicated, he had a sense of humor. If you don't believe that, check out the Steve Martin sci-fi spoof "The Man With Two Brains." Griffin has a hilarious cameo at the end, in which he allows himself to be the punchline to one of the film's long-running jokes. It's one of the movie's funniest moments and it showed that Griffin wasn't afraid to laugh at himself.
Between that and his contributions to television, he'll be missed.
Posted by amanda on 10:24 AM | Comments (0)
