tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83713758072103733792024-03-13T08:09:11.168-04:00Deep (And Some Not So Deep) TV Thoughts Random musings on all things television by Kevin D. ThompsonAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-69405127361806848312016-06-14T16:17:00.002-04:002016-06-14T16:17:30.611-04:00Why I loved 'Curb Your Entusiasm'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ten years ago at the annual TV Press Tour, Chris Albrecht, then the big man in charge of HBO, was asked what was going on with <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Curb Your Enthusiasm</em>, Larry David's insanely funny comedy.</div>
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"We're working hard with Larry and hopefully there will be a season of <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Curb </em>in '07," he said. "The reason we don't know about <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Curb</em> is Larry was very unsure after the last season. He felt like last season could have been the final season."</div>
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Thankfully, it wasn't. </div>
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Fast forward to today when HBO announced that after a five-year hiatus, <i>Curb</i> will return for a ninth season.</div>
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I'm happy, no, downright giddy is more like it. While David has been busy playing one-time presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders on <i>Saturday Night Live</i>, he was sorely missed playing an exaggerated version of himself.</div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Curb</em> was funnier than most of TV's so-called comedies. I could watch the lovably gruff David arguing with everyone from big name celebrities (Ted Danson, Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer) to no-name department store clerks for several more seasons.</div>
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People magazine has never published a "Crankiest Man Alive" special issue, but if it did, Larry David would grace the cover every year. He made Scrooge look like a kind-hearted grandfather.</div>
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I was sorry when HBO kicked <i>Curb</i> to the curb. </div>
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But good shows never really die.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-27518998426988772272015-08-06T10:41:00.002-04:002015-08-06T11:04:58.488-04:00The day I hung out with Jon Stewart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">After a stellar 16-year run, Jon Stewart signs off for good from <i>The Daily Show</i> tonight. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">Late night television won't be the same without his snarkiness and blade-sharp sense of humor.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">Stewart's departure took me back to 2004 when I hung out at <i>The Daily Show</i> for a day while I was the television critic for <i>The Palm Beach Post</i>. No one can skewer the news like Stewart. I knew this already, but it was reinforced seeing him do it in person.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">Here's that story....</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "Let me hear you make some noise!!!!" </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> The 100 giddy audience members on the shoebox-sized set of the <i>The Daily Show with Jon Stewart</i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><b> </b>are more than happy to oblige as they scream, wave, yelp and pump their fists in wide-eyed delight. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> But Paul Mercurio, the show's hyper warm-up man, isn't impressed. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "Show some more enthusiasm," he shouts to the crowd as a disc jockey named Rocky spins deafening heavy metal jams. "I need you to blow the roof off this joint." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> It's 6:20 p.m. - 10 minutes before Mr. Fake Newsman emerges to say hello to the crowd, sit behind the anchor desk and host what has become TV's most popular - and funniest - satirical news program. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> For now, however, the crowd belongs to Mercurio. When he spots a conservatively dressed older man, for instance, Mercurio cracks, "How about a hand for (<i>Gilligan Island</i>'s) Thurston Howell III." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> He then goes on to poke fun at Puerto Ricans, attorneys, nuns, an overly excited guy from Uruguay and even Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "Jon</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> is a little (guy)," Mercurio sniffs. "You can kick his a--. But don't stare. He's very insecure." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> It's 6:30 p.m. That means Mercurio's time is up. Nobody trekked to<i> The Daily Show</i>'s midtown Manhattan studios to see some unknown warm-up guy. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> When Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">, looking very Ted Koppel-like in a dark suit, gray shirt and striped tie, walks on stage, the audience stands and cheers wildly. He </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">sheepishly pretends not to know what all the fuss is about. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "I don't care for this program and I don't watch it," he says sternly. "It's crass and puerile." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> But we all know nothing could be farther from the truth. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Comedy Central's Daily Show is the hot button show of a divisive political season. Which is why viewership is up 25 percent from this time last year. During the week of the Republican National Convention, <i>The Daily Show</i> averaged 1.4 million viewers. And when the show aired live after the first presidential debate, a whopping 2.4 million viewers tuned in - the most in the show's eight-year history. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Amazingly, <i>The Daily Show</i> has become a key venue for vote-hungry politicians. Vice presidential nominee John Edwards, for instance, used Stewart's </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">Emmy-winning show to announce his candidacy. And Sen. John Kerry yukked it up with Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> in August. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> The guest for this night's taping is Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly. The show, however, is a few weeks before Reilly would be accused of sexual harassment by a female producer at Fox News. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> acts as if he's intimidated by the big, bad O'Reilly. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "He's much larger than me," he says. "Please have my back." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> With only a few minutes before taping, Stewart t</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">akes a few questions from the audience. It's in those fleeting moments where you get a great appreciation of just what makes Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> and his show so popular. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Without the aid of cue cards or a script, Stewart </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">does what only truly gifted performers can do - think quickly and be funny. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Someone asks him </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">why he co-wrote the bestselling <i>America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction</i>, a faux government textbook. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "I'm Jewish and Jews control the media," he says. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Next question. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> One woman talks about the joys of blogging. Stewart r</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">olls his eyes. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "Sounds like a crack problem," he says. "I don't know what you just said." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Another person wants to know why the letters on the TeleprompTer are so big. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "I can't read and the show is done phonetically," Stewart re</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">sponds quickly. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> It's easy to miss <i>The Daily Show</i>'s West 54th Street headquarters/studio - a mere four blocks from my old high school, by the way - because it's inside a nondescript, two-story, burgundy-brick building. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> 30 Rock, it's not. A tiny blue awning that simply says The Daily Show with Jon Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> is the only hint that an actual TV show studio exists inside. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> It's two hours before showtime on a balmy fall afternoon. Folks are already starting to line up. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> For the 20 or so fans waiting early, Jack McGee, the show's head of security, has a very important message. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "Anyone who has to use the restroom please line up in front," McGee says in a whispery, thick-as-mustard Noo Yawk accent. "Once you get inside, you won't be able to go." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> McGee looks like an interesting character. He's tall and balding. His eyes dart around a lot, so you know he doesn't miss much. I learn McGee has been the head security guy since the days when snarky Craig Kilborn ran the place. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "I've only missed one week since I've been here," McGee says proudly. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> I wonder how the audience for the show has changed over the years. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "In the beginning, it used to be older people," he says. "Today it's more or less people between 18 to 34. The kids today are more interested in politics than they used to be." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> McGee looks like a no-nonsense kind of guy you don't mess with. A few <i>Daily Show </i>fans have found that out the hard way over the years. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "I've had to straighten people out when they find out they're not getting in," he says matter-of-factly. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Like how? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "I'd rather not discuss it, but they've been taken care of. You know, you get a couple of young kids who come in with a few drinks in 'em. Sometimes they get in and start acting up, go inside the bathroom and do some blow. But I catch 'em and take care of it." </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> If there was any doubt about Stewart's </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">broad-based appeal, it's on full display today. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> I see young women in eye-catching low-riders. Older, Wall Street-type guys in suits and ties. I see one lady in a wheelchair and two women journalists from Germany. I see hip Gen-Xers on $200 camera cellphones and kindly looking grandmothers who can remember when Jack Paar hosted <i>The Tonight Show </i>and when movie tickets cost $1. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Frances Helen Guest, 79, has been to <i>The Daily Show </i>twice and agrees with everything Stewart </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">says. "He can really see through things and some of the shams that we're being fed," she says. "And I'm tired of the shams. I want a little truth to come out. I want somebody to see some of the things I see and Jon </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">does that for me." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> David Mulkins teaches high school social studies in New York City. He admits he never heard of Stewart's s</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">how until his students told him about it. Now he's hooked. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "I like the satire and I like the fact that he's always shooting down the sacred cows," says the 47-year-old Tennessee native. "In his satire he shows you the way the media, as well as public officials, mold the way we think and how they distort truths or even lie." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Joan Hervey, who lives in Plainsfield, N.J., says she waited 10 months to get her tickets after ordering them last winter. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "I thought they didn't like me," she says. "But I never forgot about it. Jon Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> is one of the smartest people on TV and his commentators and writers are astute and really brilliant." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> While Kristin Reisinger also thinks Stewart </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">is smart, she appreciates his other attributes as well. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "He's kinda sexy," the 32-year-old Reisinger says, smiling devilishly. "This is a good way for me to start out my birthday weekend." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> At around 20 minutes to 6, Terri Abrahams, <i>The Daily Show</i>'s brassy audience coordinator, comes out to tell everyone they can't use cellphones, pagers or flash photography once inside the studio. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> She adds that no one should even think about asking for a picture with </span><span class="hilite" style="background-color: white; color: #cc4422; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px; font-weight: bold;">Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> or an autograph from him. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> The crowd groans disapprovingly. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "Upper lip, sweetie, upper lip," Abrahams says to one woman. "Don't make me hurt you inside the studio." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Back inside that raucous studio, I'm sitting next to a bald guy named Dale. He won't tell me his last name. I do know he's 30, from Vancouver and a stand-up comic. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> He says he likes Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> comedic point of view. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "He doesn't just tell jokes," Dale says. "There's substance to what he's talking about." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Does Dale think he can be the next Jon Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "In my dreams," he says, laughing. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> All Dale wants to do today is "absorb and learn." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> After chatting with O'Reilly about everything from the war in Iraq to bongs in the green room, Stewart </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">tells Mr. Fox News Star during a commercial break that he always finds him "interesting and surprising." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> At the time, I'm sure Stewart d</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">idn't know how prophetic those words would be. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> It's 7:30 p.m. The show is over and Stewart </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">thanks everyone for coming. But before the crowd can head for the exits, a production guy starts whispering in Stewart's e</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">ar. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Here comes an announcement. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "We have one extra thing to do because I did something wrong," Stewart s</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">ays sadly. "It'll only take a few hours. I hope you brought a sandwich." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Stewart,</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> of course, is kidding. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> And that's no surprise coming from TV's savviest lampooner. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-9110104327674020102015-03-25T11:35:00.001-04:002015-03-25T12:03:33.947-04:00Monsters, aliens, deformed freaks...the 5 best 'X-Files' episodes ever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">In honor of Fox announcing on Tuesday that <i>The X-Files</i> -- TV's best sci-fi drama ever -- will return as a limited, six-episode series (yay for me!!!!), here's a look at my top five episodes during the show's memorable nine-year run.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><b>1. "SQUEEZE" </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><b>The story: </b>A liver-eating serial killer (Eugene Victor Tooms) is on the loose after a 30-year hibernation. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><b>Why it's a classic:</b> <i>The X-Files</i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> boasted many unforgettable genetic mutants, but none of 'em were more memorable than the soft-spoken Tooms (a superbly cast Doug Hutchison) who exudes a chilling menace without uttering a word. Remains the show's best stand-alone monster episode. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><b>2. "HOME"</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><b>The story:</b> The Peacocks, a hideously deformed family big on inbreeding, goes on a murderous rampage in their idyllic hometown.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><b>Why it's a classic:</b> The most intense -- and frightening -- <i>X-Files</i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> episode ever. It was so intense, Fox initially refused to repeat it. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><b>3. "ICE" </b></span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><b>The story:</b> FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are trapped in a remote Alaskan outpost...with a worm-like parasitic life form. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><b>Why it's a classic:</b> Yeah, I know, the episode is basically a TV version of <i>John Carpenter's The Thing</i>, but it's still claustrophobic and wonderfully creepy. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><b>4. "PILOT" </b></span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><b>The story: </b>The one that started it all. Scully, a low-key medical doctor is teamed with "Spooky" Mulder, a dry-witted UFO believer, to debunk Mulder's out there paranormal theories.</span></span><br />
<b style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">Why it's a classic:</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Brilliantly sets up the dense mythology to follow in upcoming seasons and instantly showcases the palpable chemistry between Mulder and Scully. Can't forget a then silent Cigarette-Smoking Man (William B. Davis) intensely puffing away in a cameo appearance.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><b>5. "MUSINGS OF A CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN"</b></span></span><br />
<b>The story: </b>We learn more about the mysterious CSM, the sinister government figure who often keeps our intrepid agents from uncovering the truth about alien existence.<br />
<b>Why it's a classic: </b>The brilliantly penned episode by Glenn Morgan peels back the layers of CSM's character, who we learn was a failed novelist and who grew up in several orphanages after his communist spy father was executed and his mom died of cancer. Perhaps that explains why he killed JFK and framed Lee Harvey Oswald for it.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-17490798518792643692015-03-23T10:47:00.001-04:002015-03-24T08:02:41.453-04:00'The X-Files' gearing up for another run<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Truth Is Still Out There -- and could be coming back soon.</span><br />
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According to a report on <a href="http://www.tvwise.co.uk/2015/03/the-x-files-revival-nears-greenlight-at-fox-network-eyes-short-order-gillian-anderson-david-duchovny-to-return/">TV Wise's website</a>, Fox is close to inking a deal to bring back <i>The X-Files</i>, one of television's best dramas ever.<br />
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Stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are reportedly on board to reprise their roles as flashlight-wielding FBI agents, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.<br />
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For nine seasons, <i>The X-Files </i>was an intoxicating mix of murky government conspiracies, scary monsters and sinister aliens. <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><i>The X-Files</i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> came along at an auspicious time with The Cold War just ending. People needed a new boogeyman, something to fear, and <i>The X-Files</i> provided it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">Series creator Chris Carter understood that a show featuring substance and style could be tough to beat. Not only was <i>The X-Files</i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> an extremely intelligent series, it looked like a $100 million feature film. N</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">o show, for example, has ever made the woods appear so foreboding. Or the simple sight of flashlights piercing the darkness so hypnotic.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><i>The X-Files</i> </span>was one of those rare series where paying attention wasn't just important, but essential.<br />
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Yet, that didn't guarantee you'd always understand what was going on. Like any good soap opera, <i>The X-Files</i> always raised more questions than it actually answered. That tactic, however, led to its ultimate demise as viewers -- including myself -- grew weary of the show's deliberate plotting and glacial parceling of clues.<br />
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Still, after the series went off the air in 2002 as it limped to the finish line, I was sad to see Mulder and Scully put down their flashlights for good. That awful 2008 film, <i>The X-Files: I Want To Believe</i> had me wishing they kept those flashlights locked away.<br />
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But after such a long hiatus, I'm ready for The Truth to not just be out there, but to come back to my living room as well.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-3083848321459563892015-03-06T17:19:00.001-05:002015-03-06T17:39:57.800-05:00'Gotham's' Jada Pinkett Smith says she won't be back for a second season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZuVYRUcCFc/VPolNls8S-I/AAAAAAAAAUQ/SXWNr-30_yg/s1600/Fish%2BMooney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZuVYRUcCFc/VPolNls8S-I/AAAAAAAAAUQ/SXWNr-30_yg/s1600/Fish%2BMooney.jpg" height="211" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, Jada Pinkett Smith says she's not returning for a second season on the hit Fox drama, <i>Gotham</i>.<br />
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That'll be our loss since Smith plays roughneck gangsta Fish Mooney as a deliciously fiendish scene chewer who could easily have been the star of the show. I mean, you don't see many characters willing to scoop their own eye out with a spoon just to save their own hide.<br />
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Fish is badass personified, a take charge chick who can wax poetic like Maya Angelou one moment, then slit someone's throat the next. She makes Taraji P. Henson's hood rat Cookie on <i>Empire</i> look like a church-going Girl Scout.<br />
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Smith made the announcement today on <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95h9xzLrDdo">Live With Kelly and Michael</a></i>, but she was pretty coy about her leaving, saying she didn't "think" she would be back because she only signed on the show for one season.<br />
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In a statement the producers would only say, "Fish Mooney's storyline takes a lot of interesting twists and turns into the finale of season one of 'Gotham.'"<br />
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All of this, of course, could be a well calculated ploy by Smith to squeeze more money out of the producers.<br />
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That's definitely something Fish would do. And, if the producers didn't give her a raise, well, let's just say they would probably be resting at the bottom of the ocean...<i>as Fish food.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-51399660727832696712015-02-12T12:59:00.002-05:002015-08-06T10:37:46.939-04:00My time on 'The Daily Show'...OK, not on the show, but in the audience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">After a stellar 16-year run, Jon Stewart signs off for good from <i>The Daily Show</i> tonight. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">Late night television won't be the same without his snarkiness and blade-sharp sense of humor,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">Stewart leaving took me back to 2004 when I got a chance to hang out at <i>The Daily Show</i> for a day when I was the television critic for <i>The Palm Beach Post</i>. The fun I had that day is the same fun and laughs viewers have been having for years watching Stewart skewer the news like no one can.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">Here's that story....</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "Let me hear you make some noise!!!!" </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> The 100 giddy audience members on the shoebox-sized set of the <i>The Daily Show with Jon Stewart</i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"><b> </b>are more than happy to oblige as they scream, wave, yelp and pump their fists in wide-eyed delight. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> But Paul Mercurio, the show's hyper warm-up man, isn't impressed. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "Show some more enthusiasm," he shouts to the crowd as a disc jockey named Rocky spins deafening heavy metal jams. "I need you to blow the roof off this joint." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> It's 6:20 p.m. - 10 minutes before Mr. Fake Newsman emerges to say hello to the crowd, sit behind the anchor desk and host what has become TV's most popular - and funniest - satirical news program. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> For now, however, the crowd belongs to Mercurio. When he spots a conservatively dressed older man, for instance, Mercurio cracks, "How about a hand for (<i>Gilligan Island</i>'s) Thurston Howell III." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> He then goes on to poke fun at Puerto Ricans, attorneys, nuns, an overly excited guy from Uruguay and even Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "Jon</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> is a little (guy)," Mercurio sniffs. "You can kick his a--. But don't stare. He's very insecure." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> It's 6:30 p.m. That means Mercurio's time is up. Nobody trekked to<i> The Daily Show</i>'s midtown Manhattan studios to see some unknown warm-up guy. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> When Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">, looking very Ted Koppel-like in a dark suit, gray shirt and striped tie, walks on stage, the audience stands and cheers wildly. He </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">sheepishly pretends not to know what all the fuss is about. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "I don't care for this program and I don't watch it," he says sternly. "It's crass and puerile." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> But we all know nothing could be farther from the truth. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Comedy Central's Daily Show is the hot button show of a divisive political season. Which is why viewership is up 25 percent from this time last year. During the week of the Republican National Convention, <i>The Daily Show</i> averaged 1.4 million viewers. And when the show aired live after the first presidential debate, a whopping 2.4 million viewers tuned in - the most in the show's eight-year history. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Amazingly, <i>The Daily Show</i> has become a key venue for vote-hungry politicians. Vice presidential nominee John Edwards, for instance, used Stewart's </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">Emmy-winning show to announce his candidacy. And Sen. John Kerry yukked it up with Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> in August. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> The guest for this night's taping is Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly. The show, however, is a few weeks before Reilly would be accused of sexual harassment by a female producer at Fox News. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> acts as if he's intimidated by the big, bad O'Reilly. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "He's much larger than me," he says. "Please have my back." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> With only a few minutes before taping, Stewart t</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">akes a few questions from the audience. It's in those fleeting moments where you get a great appreciation of just what makes Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> and his show so popular. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Without the aid of cue cards or a script, Stewart </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">does what only truly gifted performers can do - think quickly and be funny. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Someone asks him </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">why he co-wrote the bestselling <i>America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction</i>, a faux government textbook. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "I'm Jewish and Jews control the media," he says. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Next question. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> One woman talks about the joys of blogging. Stewart r</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">olls his eyes. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "Sounds like a crack problem," he says. "I don't know what you just said." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Another person wants to know why the letters on the TeleprompTer are so big. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "I can't read and the show is done phonetically," Stewart re</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">sponds quickly. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> It's easy to miss <i>The Daily Show</i>'s West 54th Street headquarters/studio - a mere four blocks from my old high school, by the way - because it's inside a nondescript, two-story, burgundy-brick building. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> 30 Rock, it's not. A tiny blue awning that simply says The Daily Show with Jon Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> is the only hint that an actual TV show studio exists inside. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> It's two hours before showtime on a balmy fall afternoon. Folks are already starting to line up. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> For the 20 or so fans waiting early, Jack McGee, the show's head of security, has a very important message. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "Anyone who has to use the restroom please line up in front," McGee says in a whispery, thick-as-mustard Noo Yawk accent. "Once you get inside, you won't be able to go." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> McGee looks like an interesting character. He's tall and balding. His eyes dart around a lot, so you know he doesn't miss much. I learn McGee has been the head security guy since the days when snarky Craig Kilborn ran the place. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "I've only missed one week since I've been here," McGee says proudly. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> I wonder how the audience for the show has changed over the years. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "In the beginning, it used to be older people," he says. "Today it's more or less people between 18 to 34. The kids today are more interested in politics than they used to be." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> McGee looks like a no-nonsense kind of guy you don't mess with. A few <i>Daily Show </i>fans have found that out the hard way over the years. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "I've had to straighten people out when they find out they're not getting in," he says matter-of-factly. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Like how? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "I'd rather not discuss it, but they've been taken care of. You know, you get a couple of young kids who come in with a few drinks in 'em. Sometimes they get in and start acting up, go inside the bathroom and do some blow. But I catch 'em and take care of it." </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> If there was any doubt about Stewart's </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">broad-based appeal, it's on full display today. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> I see young women in eye-catching low-riders. Older, Wall Street-type guys in suits and ties. I see one lady in a wheelchair and two women journalists from Germany. I see hip Gen-Xers on $200 camera cellphones and kindly looking grandmothers who can remember when Jack Paar hosted <i>The Tonight Show </i>and when movie tickets cost $1. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Frances Helen Guest, 79, has been to <i>The Daily Show </i>twice and agrees with everything Stewart </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">says. "He can really see through things and some of the shams that we're being fed," she says. "And I'm tired of the shams. I want a little truth to come out. I want somebody to see some of the things I see and Jon </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">does that for me." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> David Mulkins teaches high school social studies in New York City. He admits he never heard of Stewart's s</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">how until his students told him about it. Now he's hooked. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "I like the satire and I like the fact that he's always shooting down the sacred cows," says the 47-year-old Tennessee native. "In his satire he shows you the way the media, as well as public officials, mold the way we think and how they distort truths or even lie." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Joan Hervey, who lives in Plainsfield, N.J., says she waited 10 months to get her tickets after ordering them last winter. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "I thought they didn't like me," she says. "But I never forgot about it. Jon Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> is one of the smartest people on TV and his commentators and writers are astute and really brilliant." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> While Kristin Reisinger also thinks Stewart </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">is smart, she appreciates his other attributes as well. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "He's kinda sexy," the 32-year-old Reisinger says, smiling devilishly. "This is a good way for me to start out my birthday weekend." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> At around 20 minutes to 6, Terri Abrahams, <i>The Daily Show</i>'s brassy audience coordinator, comes out to tell everyone they can't use cellphones, pagers or flash photography once inside the studio. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> She adds that no one should even think about asking for a picture with </span><span class="hilite" style="background-color: white; color: #cc4422; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px; font-weight: bold;">Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> or an autograph from him. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> The crowd groans disapprovingly. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "Upper lip, sweetie, upper lip," Abrahams says to one woman. "Don't make me hurt you inside the studio." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Back inside that raucous studio, I'm sitting next to a bald guy named Dale. He won't tell me his last name. I do know he's 30, from Vancouver and a stand-up comic. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> He says he likes Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> comedic point of view. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "He doesn't just tell jokes," Dale says. "There's substance to what he's talking about." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Does Dale think he can be the next Jon Stewart</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "In my dreams," he says, laughing. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> All Dale wants to do today is "absorb and learn." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> After chatting with O'Reilly about everything from the war in Iraq to bongs in the green room, Stewart </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">tells Mr. Fox News Star during a commercial break that he always finds him "interesting and surprising." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> At the time, I'm sure Stewart d</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">idn't know how prophetic those words would be. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> It's 7:30 p.m. The show is over and Stewart </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">thanks everyone for coming. But before the crowd can head for the exits, a production guy starts whispering in Stewart's e</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">ar. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Here comes an announcement. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> "We have one extra thing to do because I did something wrong," Stewart s</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;">ays sadly. "It'll only take a few hours. I hope you brought a sandwich." </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> Stewart,</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> of course, is kidding. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> And that's no surprise coming from TV's savviest lampooner. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.1999998092651px;"> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-20827759669991996972015-01-20T17:00:00.004-05:002015-01-20T17:09:07.115-05:00Why Justin Bieber getting roasted on Comedy Central is a smart career move<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HTb8TyJcLoY/VL7PQAhM08I/AAAAAAAAATU/FaA07FYNEjo/s1600/Justin%2BBieber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HTb8TyJcLoY/VL7PQAhM08I/AAAAAAAAATU/FaA07FYNEjo/s1600/Justin%2BBieber.jpg" height="200" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, reportedly Bad Little Boy Justin Bieber will be the next celeb Comedy Central roasts.<br />
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Over the years, roasters have zinged everyone from Donald Trump to Flavor Flav. But The Biebs has to be one of the most inviting targets ever. Jeff Ross is salivating so much, there's probably a pool of drool in his front yard.<br />
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Where to start?<br />
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The Biebs' brushes with the law? Those ridiculous Calvin Klein ads? The hair? The tats? The music? The monkey he ditched in Germany?<br />
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Roasters may have <i>too </i>much material. Comedy Central should consider making a two-part special.<br />
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Give the Biebs credit, though. Apparently, he's been begging to be roasted for years and is more than game for being the butt of cruel jokes judging by the series of tweets he sent today.<br />
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The Biebs had done a lot of dumb things in his 20 years. So have a lot of other 20-year-olds. Thing is, The Biebs has had to grow up on a public stage, in front of millions of people. Not an easy thing to do.<br />
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Despite all the dumb stuff, getting roasted on Comedy Central could be one of the smartest things The Biebs has done.<br />
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Appearing as a good sport on national TV all the while get toasted and roasted can't hurt album sales, right?<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-51916010385089530882015-01-15T15:02:00.002-05:002015-01-15T17:22:40.376-05:00Is 'Empire' a hit? Fox will say 'yes' as ratings climb in the second week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oYfNBKIySD4/VLgcK7kpM6I/AAAAAAAAATE/0ATy74lX3Xw/s1600/Cookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oYfNBKIySD4/VLgcK7kpM6I/AAAAAAAAATE/0ATy74lX3Xw/s1600/Cookie.jpg" height="277" width="400" /></a></div>
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Looks like Fox has the makings of a hit in <i>Empire</i>, its blinged-out, hip-hop soap.<br />
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Generally, ratings often decline in the show's second week. But they actually went up for <i>Empire</i>, with the show averaging 10.3 million viewers in the 18-49 demo Madison Avenue so desperately craves, up 5 percent from the previous week.<br />
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While I'm enjoying the show so far, some of the performances -- especially Taraji P. Henson as turned up Cookie -- are a little over-the-top and need to go down a notch. The writing could also be a bit stronger.<br />
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For instance, it doesn't make sense that after spending 17 years in the joint, Cookie would expect her sons to immediately embrace her coming home. She should've expected the cold shoulder.<br />
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And having Lucious (Terrence Howard), the dying rap mogul, solving his little extortion problem from his boy, Bunkie -- and Cookie's cousin -- by putting a bullet in Bunkie's head just didn't ring true. If they were so tight, why did Lucious resort to murdering his friend so quickly?<br />
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Oh, I know....makes for better drama than Lucious actually, you know, sitting down and ironing out his differences with his homie.<br />
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Who wants to see that?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-21625382815375245822015-01-14T16:11:00.002-05:002015-01-14T16:13:49.666-05:00Why Ann Curry will probably shine in her new role away from NBC News<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vUmNjhG5u5w/VLbZwc4oKcI/AAAAAAAAAS0/WFxP58R9RhM/s1600/Ann%2BCurry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vUmNjhG5u5w/VLbZwc4oKcI/AAAAAAAAAS0/WFxP58R9RhM/s1600/Ann%2BCurry.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former 'Today' co-anchor Ann Curry tearing up while announcing her departure from the show.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Maybe it's just me, but when you're paying someone $12 million a year, you expect them to, well, work.<br />
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That's a hefty sum to shell out for someone to simply sit on the bench, which is what former <i>Today</i> co-anchor Ann Curry has been mostly doing since her messy divorce from the show in 2012.<br />
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Sure, Curry did the occasional interview or made appearances on <i>Meet The Press </i>and <i>Nightly News</i>, but, for the most part, she was persona non grata at 30 Rock.<br />
<br />
Clearly, the suits at NBC got tired of cutting such a big check for someone the network had very little use for anymore.<br />
<br />
On Tuesday Curry announced she was ending her long-term relationship with NBC News to develop a new media start-up that will be partially funded by, of all companies, NBCUniversal.<br />
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That's a good move for Curry and more up her journalistic alley. The start-up will give her a chance to produce documentaries and cover stories that interest her most. Curry was never really a good fit for the happy talk, morning TV world. It's all about chemistry and Curry had very little of it with her co-anchor -- and possible backstabber -- Matt Lauer. It was often difficult watching all the forced and phony smiles. At times, Lauer looked as if he would've preferred sitting next to a tarantula.<br />
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I was never a big fan of Curry's mostly because she talked too much and never had an off switch. Good journalists know how to listen. There must've been a clause in Curry's contract that stipulated she would get paid by the word. Why else would she consistently interrupt guests with her incessant yapping?<br />
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I didn't even like the <i>way </i>Curry talked, all deep and whispery like she just got the scoop of the century when she was only interviewing a so-called expert about online dating.<br />
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But, I gained a new found respect for Curry for the way she handled her ugly ouster, all dignity and class. She even cried on live TV while announcing her departure and rightfully pulled away as Lauer tried to hug her.<br />
<br />
Sometimes bad things happen for good reasons. Curry will probably shine in her new role. She doesn't have to play nice on air with people she clearly doesn't like. And, if she finds herself talking too much during her interviews, at least she, or one of her producers, can trim the segment in the editing room, something she could never do on live TV.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-23341214308300629432015-01-13T10:26:00.000-05:002015-01-13T10:26:27.113-05:00Mary Murphy hoofing her way off 'So You Think You Can Dance'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-czKrWJejYjk/VLU3-Z-Vl-I/AAAAAAAAASk/XonKWTa7oJs/s1600/Mary%2BMurphy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-czKrWJejYjk/VLU3-Z-Vl-I/AAAAAAAAASk/XonKWTa7oJs/s1600/Mary%2BMurphy.jpg" height="320" width="269" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>So You Think You Can Dance</i> judge Mary Murphy is leaving the show, according to <a href="http://ew.com/">ew.com</a>.<br />
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No reason was given for Murphy's departure. The show begins its 12th season this summer. Perhaps 12 years of doing the same thing had something to do with Murphy calling it quits.<br />
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At least with Murphy gone, viewers won't need earplugs anymore since no one else will ever scream "Hot Tamale Train!" quite like she does.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-48129512418785069622015-01-08T17:31:00.002-05:002015-01-09T09:27:45.119-05:00Will Lifetime's Whitney Houston film live up to the legend?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q1c4WGojsDs/VK8BemhPjBI/AAAAAAAAASU/fvQonK1NQ4I/s1600/Whitney%2Band%2BBobby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q1c4WGojsDs/VK8BemhPjBI/AAAAAAAAASU/fvQonK1NQ4I/s1600/Whitney%2Band%2BBobby.jpg" height="235" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Music icon Whitney Houston (left); Yaya DaCosta and Arlen Escarpeta who play Houston and hubby Bobby Brown in the Lifetime movie, <i>Whitney</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, Lifetime is about to give another superstar R&B artist who died way too young the royal biopic treatment.<br />
<br />
But <i>Whitney</i>, the long-awaited film about Whitney Houston and her tumultuous relationship with hubby Bobby Brown, can't be as bad as Lifetime's hot mess film about Aaliyah's life and tragic death, can it?<br />
<br />
Well, I haven't seen <i>Whitney</i> yet, so I can't say. But, my initial impressions aren't good.<br />
<br />
For starters, Yaya DaCosta, the actress playing Houston, looks very little like the music icon in the clips I've seen. That may not matter, though, if DaCosta is able to convey Houston's essence. After all, Denzel Washington didn't look anything like Malcolm X in Spike Lee's mesmerizing 1992 film, but Washington still made you believe he was the outspoken black activist.<br />
<br />
But DaCosta has a tall order to fill Houston's pumps.<br />
<br />
Another thing: The producers were unable to use Houston's vocals, so all of her songs in the film will be sung by Grammy nominated singer Deborah Cox. While Cox is talented, she's no Whitney Houston. But who is?<br />
<br />
The film, which premieres Jan. 17, marks the directorial debut of Angela Bassett, who co-starred with Houston in the film <i>Waiting To Exhale</i> and who knew Houston fairly well.<br />
<br />
While speaking to a group of TV critics on Tuesday during the winter session of the Television Critics Association press tour, Bassett stressed the film is about Houston's combustible relationship with Brown and is more of a loving tribute to her.<br />
<br />
Bassett basically hinted the film will sidestep the more sordid aspects of their relationship, which I took to mean that it will essentially whitewash many of those parts of Houston's life.<br />
<br />
"Do we really need to see that?" Bassett was quoted in the <i>Los Angeles Times</i>.<br />
<br />
If you're going to make a true and honest biopic on Houston's life, the answer is, yes.<br />
<br />
Here is the official Whitney trailer if you haven't seen it already.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-49831157066695940292015-01-04T11:56:00.000-05:002015-01-04T15:26:02.547-05:00Stuart Scott: The ESPN anchor who always did it his way<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K1EBMdMjLtc/VKluxeiY6LI/AAAAAAAAASA/2ORkC-ywFXY/s1600/Stuart%2BScott.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K1EBMdMjLtc/VKluxeiY6LI/AAAAAAAAASA/2ORkC-ywFXY/s1600/Stuart%2BScott.jpg" /></a>If Stuart Scott, the trailblazing ESPN anchor who died this morning after a seven year battle with cancer, had a theme song for his life, it would've been Frank Sinatra's <i>My Way</i>.<br />
<br />
That's because Scott, gone way too soon at age 49, always lived life on his terms in front of the camera. He wasn't a stiff corporate suit on air, like many black TV anchors believed they needed to be to succeed. <br />
<br />
Scott, always comfortable in his own skin, brought a decidedly edgy and funky hip-hop flavor to ESPN when he joined the network in 1993. He talked like the guys did in the barbershop, in the bars, in their homes while watching a game. Scott routinely spouted memorable catch phrases ("Boo-Yah!" "cool as the other side of the pillow" "holla at a playa when you see him on the street") like they were sports scores and he was a platinum-selling rap star.<br />
<br />
The brash style made Scott a must-see (not with everyone, however) and gave him instant street cred in the industry and in locker rooms. On <i>NFL Countdown</i> this morning, Cris Carter said while he was playing, he always gave Scott more information than he did to other reporters because Scott was one of his favorites. That's called respect. Scott never felt the need to speak the perfect King's English, although he could. That wasn't him. There were too many bland TV sports anchors doing that already.<br />
<br />
Clearly, Scott wanted to carve his own, distinctive niche so his voice wouldn't be lost in the 5,000 TV channel universe. He succeeded. You could make a strong case that after Chris Berman, Scott was the second face of ESPN.<br />
<br />
Like Sinatra so eloquently sang many years ago on his signature song, "For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught. To say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels. The record shows I took the blows and did it my way"<br />
<br />
That was, and always will be, Stuart Scott.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-84302752244910227422015-01-02T16:18:00.001-05:002015-01-03T16:24:31.435-05:00Why I can't wait to watch 'Empire,' Fox's trippy new drama<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terence Howard plays a dying music mogul on Fox's new drama, 'Empire'</td></tr>
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<i>Empire</i>, Fox's new hip-hop drama about a dying music mogul who must decide which of his three sons will inherit<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>his business once he's gone, is notable for several reasons.<br />
<br />
For starters, the series, which premiers Wednesday at 9 p.m., reunites Oscar nominees Terrence Howard, who plays Lucious Lyon, the dying mogul and Taraji P, Henson as his ex-wife/ex-con, Cookie, a woman all turned up and who desperately wants what she believes is hers -- that profitable empire. Howard and Henson, of course, starred together in the film, <i>Hustle & Flow</i>.<br />
<br />
Secondly, the show's co-creators have impressive Hollywood cred -- Lee Daniels was nominated for a Best Director Oscar for <i>The Butler</i> while Danny Strong won an Emmy for writing <i>Game Change, </i>the HBO film about the historic 2008 presidential election.<br />
<br />
<i>Empire </i>also boasts all that hip-hop music, if you're into that sort of thing, with Timbaland overseeing the beats.<br />
<br />
But, what stands out is this: Lucious's son, Jamal (Jussie Smollett), is gay. Sure, there are plenty of gay characters on television today. Hell, Shonda Rhimes wouldn't be in business with them. There's even a whole cable channel -- Logo TV -- aimed at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender viewers. Point is, it's no longer earth-shattering -- and it shouldn't be -- like it was in 1997 when Ellen DeGeneres' character announced in an airport that she was a lesbian.<br />
<br />
Network TV writers, however, haven't created many black male characters who happen to be gay.<br />
<br />
The two most memorable: Omar Little, the shotgun-toting gangster on <i>The Wire</i> who was often seen in bed with his pretty boy lovers, and Lafayette, the short-order cook on <i>True Blood</i>. Both were fleshed-out, three dimensional characters who weren't simply there to serve the white characters on those shows.<br />
<br />
And it's no accident that both shows aired on HBO, a premium cable channel known for taking risks because, well, it's not beholden to advertisers and doesn't have to reach a broad audience like broadcast networks.<br />
<br />
Andre Braugher now plays one of the most prominent black male gay characters on the Fox sitcom <i>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</i>. But that's played for laughs.<br />
<br />
Making Lucious' son gay is a delicious twist on <i>Empire</i> because most black men in the ultra-macho -- and homophobic -- hip-hop world would rather be diagnosed with Ebola than to be known as someone who sleeps with other men.<br />
<br />
How much the writers delve into this aspect of Jamal's life remains to be seen.<br />
<br />
But, let's hope <i>Empire</i> doesn't punk out and has the nerve to realistically explore a sensitive topic that is still viewed as taboo in many parts of the hip-hop community.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0West Palm Beach, FL, USA26.7153424 -80.05337459999998426.4884574 -80.376098099999979 26.9422274 -79.730651099999989tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-73560181193100954142014-01-13T16:40:00.004-05:002014-01-13T16:40:41.148-05:00'24: Live Another Day" to premiere May 5<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ufn3glD_6Y/UtRdSWC8E2I/AAAAAAAAANc/yY-pSMZFFmE/s1600/Kiefer+Sutherland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ufn3glD_6Y/UtRdSWC8E2I/AAAAAAAAANc/yY-pSMZFFmE/s1600/Kiefer+Sutherland.jpg" /></a>Start the countdown! <br /><br />Fox announced today that<i> 24: Live Another Day</i> (doesn't that sound like a James Bond movie title?) will premiere May 5 at 8 p.m. with a two-hour episode. Once again, Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) will be barking threats and orders like no one's business in the 12-episode series, which takes place in London four years after the series ended with Jack vanishing into the wind and Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) choking back tears.<br /><br />Jack, still a fugitive on the run finds himself --what else? -- trying to stop another terrorist threat. Man, that kind of nasty business really follow him around. If Jack had a family and took them to Disneyland for vacation, odds are shady guys with funny last names who spoke very little English would probably be at the park that day, too, trying to blow it up.<br /><br />Joining the cast is Yvonne Strahovski (<i>Dexter</i>) as Kate Morgan, an impulsive, but brilliant CIA agent on Jack's trail. Hmmmm....that character description almost sounds like <i>Homeland</i>'s bipolar Carrie Mathinson. <br />
<br />Sutherland admitted he's a little nervous about returning to play Jack. He shouldn't. I'm sure it took Sutherland as much time to slip back into character as he does for him to yell, "Where's the bomb?"<br /><br />While Fox only brought back the series -- one of TV' all-time best -- for a dozen episodes, if <i>Live Another Day</i> does well, the network is open to bringing back Jack for more terrorist chasing badassness.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-62501933823148471502013-12-10T17:04:00.001-05:002013-12-10T17:04:14.675-05:00NBC to remake 'Rosemary's Baby' as a four-hour miniseries<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YJ8dbhPFhic/UqePyxOCIVI/AAAAAAAAANE/et8HaYgFJsQ/s1600/Mia+Farrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YJ8dbhPFhic/UqePyxOCIVI/AAAAAAAAANE/et8HaYgFJsQ/s320/Mia+Farrow.jpg" width="320" /></a>Clearly trying to capitalize on the success of FX's <i>American Horror Story </i>franchise, NBC will remake <i>Rosemary's Baby</i>, the classic 1968 horror film written and directed by Roman Polanski, as a four-hour miniseries. <br /><br />You can understand why. NBC has found something of a niche with horror shows. <i>Grimm</i>, in its third season, remains solid in the ratings while <i>Dracula</i>, the freshman drama starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the famed bloodsucker, has been a modest Friday night hit. Then there's <i>AHS: Coven</i>, the wonderfully decadent cult hit that's enjoying its best season ever on FX. Creepy horror is where it's at.<br /><br />In case you've never seen the original <i>Rosemary's Baby</i> starring Mia Farrow, it's about a young married couple who move into an old New York apartment building where they're surrounded by weird neighbors who aren't exactly bible study members. When the wife gets pregnant, she begins to fear for her unborn child -- and with good reason.<br /><br />The remake will take place in Paris instead of New York. James Wong (<i>American Horror Story</i>, <i>The X-Files</i>) and Scott Abbott (<i>Introducing Dorothy Dandridge</i>) will write the screenplay. Good to see that Wong is involved. He did, after all, write some of <i>The X-Files</i>' best episodes, including "Home," about the freakishly deformed family who loved their mother a bit too much.<br /><br />Although the new <i>Rosemary's Baby</i> will be set in Paris, NBC in a statement said the story will remain faithful to Ira Levin's best-selling novel.<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-28724085385976532362013-12-04T11:47:00.000-05:002013-12-04T11:47:07.216-05:00NBC wisely picks up 'The Blacklist' for a second season<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yvp3Io443wc/Up9awDGd0cI/AAAAAAAAAM0/v0UG4geSTtM/s1600/James+Spader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yvp3Io443wc/Up9awDGd0cI/AAAAAAAAAM0/v0UG4geSTtM/s1600/James+Spader.jpg" /></a>NBC did a good thing on Tuesday by giving <i>The Blacklist</i> a second season, 22-episode order. I'm not watching many of the new fall shows, but <i>The Blacklis</i>t, a deliciously twisty drama starring James Spader as a clever mastermind working with the U.S. government to catch international bad guys, is one of them.<br />
<br />
The reason?<br />
<br />
Well, Spader, of course. No one plays creepy-cool better than Spader, a veteran actor who could make <i>Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star</i> sound menacing. As Raymond "Red" Reddington, a nattily-dressed terrorist who was one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives, Spader is Emmy-worthy superb. Whether he's warning rookie FBI agent Liz Keene (Megan Boone) about her shady husband or simply enjoying a fine wine, Red steals every scene, grabbing viewers by the lapels and daring them to take their eyes off him. And, they can't.<br />
<br />
The beauty of Red is that he always knows more than he's telling. And, as a criminal himself, you never quite know when Red is fibbing or telling the truth. Every line is spoken like a double entendre. He's the Chairman of Cryptic-speak. Plus, Red wears a fedora, a suit and Italian leather shoes like no one's business. <br />
<br />
<i>The Blacklist</i> employs many of the same elements that made <i>24 </i>such a hit -- rock 'em, sock 'em, action, duplicitous characters who speak with foreign accents and a charismatic star in the lead role. But, unlike Jack Bauer, Red never shouts. He's too cool for that. Besides, really powerful men don't need to raise their voice. Just an eyebrow. <br />
<br />
For NBC, renewing <i>The Blacklist</i> was a no-brainer. The series, after all, has been the network's most watched new drama. “The success of ‘The Blacklist’ demonstrates that inspired storytelling
is alive and well in broadcast television, and I’m impressed on a daily
basis by this creative team’s imagination and the extent to which they
will go to capture this grand vision on film,” Bob Greenblatt, the
network's chairman of entertainment, said in a statement.<br />
<br />
So far, <i>The Blacklist</i> continues to stay on my must watch list.<br /> <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-75480266962373122652013-11-26T11:41:00.001-05:002013-11-26T12:09:38.546-05:00'Family Guy' creator kills beloved pooch, Brian<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-piD5GzZbaB4/UpTPGfpLeeI/AAAAAAAAAMk/uj6qxFhmbEg/s1600/Brian+on+Family+Guy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-piD5GzZbaB4/UpTPGfpLeeI/AAAAAAAAAMk/uj6qxFhmbEg/s1600/Brian+on+Family+Guy.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Beloved TV characters are killed off all the time. When <i>24 </i>was on, about five were offed each week. But, you don't see many treasured <i>animated</i> characters meeting their untimely demise.<br />
<br />
That's exactly what happened Sunday when Brian, the wisecracking talking dog on <i>Family Guy</i> died after he was run over (violently!) by a car as he was about to play in the street with Stewie. Fans of the show took the death hard, not sure why creator Seth MacFarlane, who also voiced Brian, decided to off the martini-swigging pooch. <br />
<br />
By Monday, a petition on <a href="http://change.org/">change.org</a> demanded that Brian be brought back to life. If Brian were on <i>American Horror Story: Coven</i>, that would've been a done deal. The petition collected more than 1,500 signatures within hours of popping up on the internet.<br />
<br />
It's not clear why MacFarlane killed off Brian, one of the show's most popular characters. I'm guessing November sweeps, that critical ratings period, had a little something to do with it. Hey, whenever a show gets desperate for viewers, that's when characters start dying. Or having lesbian makeout sessions. Do you think it was a coincidence that Taraji P. Henson's badass cop Joss Carter on CBS' <i>Persons of Interest</i> was also killed during sweeps?<br />
<br />
Knowing MacFarlane, I wouldn't be surprised if he plays the Bobby Ewing card, meaning Brian's death was just a bad dream and he'll be back in no time mocking Peter and trading barbs again with Stewie.<br />
<br />
If I were MacFarlane, that's what I'd do.<br />
<br />
Cats have nine lives. Why can't Brian have two?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-61892363457837542702013-11-20T15:29:00.004-05:002013-11-20T15:31:06.764-05:00Christmas comes early for 'Best Man Holiday' at the box office<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yptdYODPEyc/Uo0bRj0Qt9I/AAAAAAAAAMM/ARUSEW0r8wY/s1600/Best+Man+Holiday+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yptdYODPEyc/Uo0bRj0Qt9I/AAAAAAAAAMM/ARUSEW0r8wY/s320/Best+Man+Holiday+pic.jpg" width="320" /></a>If anyone still needs proof that black folks <i>do </i>go to the movies, I present the following evidence: The <i>Best Man Holiday </i>grosses over $30 million this weekend -- coming very close to besting <i>Thor: The Dark World</i>, which earned $38 million. While everyone seems shocked that <i>The Best Man Holiday</i>, a sequel to 1999's <i>The Best Man</i>, did so well, I'm not.<br />
<br />
For starters, black audiences are always hungry to see themselves on the big screen -- and not just in a Tyler Perry movie. Case in point: <i>Lee Daniel's The Butler </i>grossed over $100 million. That <i>The Best Man Holiday</i> featured such an attractive cast playing characters who don't live in the 'hood and who are upwardly mobile professionals sure didn't hurt. <br />
<br />
Secondly, while Terrence Howard, Taye Diggs and Morris Chestnut may not be A-listers like Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Hugh Jackman, they're huge names in the black community. For the ladies, Chestnut is a grown man chocolate version of Taylor Lautner from the <i>Twilight </i>films whenever he takes off his shirt. Studio heads need to understand this. Put all of these actors in a film together and you're talking box office gold. Despite black films making film studios green money, there's still this shock and awe reaction whenever one of those movies does well. <br />
<br />
No one, like, says, "Wow, I can't believe <i>The Amazing Spider-man </i>kicked butt at the box office this weekend" or "Damn, <i>Man of Steel</i> really overperformed when it grossed a gazillion dollars."<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HXS79EESk6Q/Uo0bYHOW6wI/AAAAAAAAAMY/vDJirBA9L0s/s1600/Best+Man+Holida+pic+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HXS79EESk6Q/Uo0bYHOW6wI/AAAAAAAAAMY/vDJirBA9L0s/s320/Best+Man+Holida+pic+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Moreover, <i>The Best Man</i>, although it was made 15 years ago, remains an extremely popular film, one of those movies that's always seems to be airing on BET. While I don't collect a ton of DVDs (there are very few films I enjoy watching over and over), "The Best Man" is one of them. Probably seen it over 50 times. That's because the story doesn't get old and Hollywood still doesn't make enough ensemble films starring black actors.<br />
<br />
Not surprisingly, word is director Malcolm Lee has been approached about a third installment. To be honest, I'm a little nervous about that one. If you saw the third <i>Hangover</i> movie, you know what I'm talking about. Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing. Still, if there is a third "The Best Man" movie, I'd be one of the first in line to see it. And not surprised if it had another impressive opening weekend.<br />
<br />
Black folks, after all, do go to the movies.<br />
<br />
Here's another shocker: We buy popcorn, too.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-42476121616914448432013-11-15T12:48:00.004-05:002013-11-15T12:48:43.674-05:00'Scandal' gets even more scandalous<br />
<br />
<br />
So, Mama Pope is actually alive, but not so well and looking like a possessed hot mess in some prison on <i>Scandal</i>.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RFQDCoaC6mo/UoZeaFMEEkI/AAAAAAAAAL8/UZFZyMuyFlw/s1600/Khandi+Alexander+pic+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RFQDCoaC6mo/UoZeaFMEEkI/AAAAAAAAAL8/UZFZyMuyFlw/s320/Khandi+Alexander+pic+2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />Did you really think Khandi Alexander was hired to play a dead woman in flahsbacks? <br /><br />Ha!<br /><br />She's too talented for that. And also barely unrecognizable in last night's episode. I mean, I understand the last few decades haven't been glorious ones for Mama Pope, but I halfway expected her head to start spinning and for pea soup to come flying out of her mouth after giving Daddy Pope (Joe Morton) the stink eye.<br /><br />You've heard the old saying, hell hath on fury like a woman scorned? <br /><br />Well, I bet Mama Pope has.<br /><br />Stay tuned...<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-39183648913170009792013-11-11T16:17:00.002-05:002013-11-11T16:17:56.863-05:00Angela Lansbury calls 'Murder, She Wrote' remake a 'mistake'<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9QsYhbUjkvg/UoFJXnaRKAI/AAAAAAAAALs/-fjvF6FVvnM/s1600/Angela+Lansbury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9QsYhbUjkvg/UoFJXnaRKAI/AAAAAAAAALs/-fjvF6FVvnM/s1600/Angela+Lansbury.jpg" /></a>The moment I heard NBC was remaking <i>Murder, She Wrote</i>, the classic whodunit starring the wonderful Angela Lansbury, with Octavia Spencer, I thought the move was stupid.<br /><br />But when are broadcast network executives ever really smart?<br /><br />Didn't NBC learn anything from the <i>Ironside</i> disaster with Blair Underwood? While Spencer is a tremendous actress and clearly has a funny side as she proved on her recent guest-starring turn as an alcoholic/drug addict/wacko embezzler on the CBC sitcom, <i>Mom</i>, the role of Jessica Fletcher is so identified with Lansbury, I can't picture anyone else playing her.<br /><br />What's next? Samuel Jackson in a <i>Gunsmoke</i> remake? Imagine Jackson as Matt Dillon: "I said, get off that horse, motherf----er!"<br /><br />I digress.<br /><br />Back to the <i>Murder, She Wrote </i>reboot. It appears as if Lansbury agrees with me, telling the Associated Press that bringing the show back to life is a mistake.<br /><br />"<i>Murder, She Wrote</i> will always be about a Cabot Cove and this wonderful little group of people who told those lovely stories and enjoyed a piece of that place, and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher, who is a rare and very individual kind of person," Lansbury said. "So I'm sorry that they have to use the title <i>Murder, She Wrote</i>, even though they have access to it and it's their right."<br /><br />Lansbury said she was surprised when she got wind of the remake. Still as classy as ever, Lansbury said she wished the Oscar-winning Spencer luck in her new/old role.<br /><br />"I saw her in <i>The Help</i> and thought she was absolutely wonderful, a lovely actress," Lansbury sid. "So I wish her well, but I wish it wasn't in <i>Murder, She Wrote</i>."<br />
<br />Me too.<br /><br />But, like Lansbury, I don't want to see Spencer fail and hope the new <i>Murder, She Wrote </i>doesn't, uh, get murdered in the ratings.<br />
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The
moment I heard NBC was remaking “Murder, She Wrote”, the classic
whodunit starring the wonderful Angela Lansbury, with Octavia Spencer, I
thought the move was stupid.<br />
But when are broadcast network executives ever really smart?<br />
Didn’t NBC learn anything from the “Ironside” disaster with Blair
Underwood? While Spencer is a tremendous actress and clearly has a funny
side as she proved on her recent guest-starring turn as an
alcoholic/drug addict/wacko embezzler on the CBC sitcom, ‘Mom,” the role
of Jessica Fletcher is so identified with Lansbury, I can’t picture
anyone else playing her.<br />
What’s next? Samuel Jackson in a “Gunsmoke” remake? Imagine Jackson as Matt Dillon: “I said, get off that horse, motherf—-er!”<br />
I digress.<br />
Back to the ‘Murder, She Wrote” reboot. It appears as if Lansbury
agrees with me, telling the Associated Press that bringing the show back
to life is a mistake.<br />
“‘Murder, She Wrote’ will always be about a Cabot Cove and this
wonderful little group of people who told those lovely stories and
enjoyed a piece of that place, and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher, who is
a rare and very individual kind of person,” Lansbury said. “So I’m
sorry that they have to use the title ‘Murder, She Wrote,’ even though
they have access to it and it’s their right.”<br />
Lansbury said she was surprised when she got wind of the remake.
Still as classy as ever, Lansbury said she wished the Oscar-winning
Spencer luck in her new/old role.<br />
“I saw her in ‘The Help’ and thought she was absolutely wonderful, a
lovely actress,” Lansbury sid. “So I wish her well, but I wish it wasn’t
in ‘Murder, She Wrote.’”<br />
Me too.<br />
But, like Lansbury, I don’t want to see Spencer fail and hope the new “Murder, She Wrote” doesn’t get murdered in the ratings.<br />
- See more at:
http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/quickpulse/2013/11/11/angela-lansbury-calls-murder-she-wrote-remake-a-mistake/#sthash.JBQzXYbD.dpuf</div>
The
moment I heard NBC was remaking “Murder, She Wrote”, the classic
whodunit starring the wonderful Angela Lansbury, with Octavia Spencer, I
thought the move was stupid.<br />
But when are broadcast network executives ever really smart?<br />
Didn’t NBC learn anything from the “Ironside” disaster with Blair
Underwood? While Spencer is a tremendous actress and clearly has a funny
side as she proved on her recent guest-starring turn as an
alcoholic/drug addict/wacko embezzler on the CBC sitcom, ‘Mom,” the role
of Jessica Fletcher is so identified with Lansbury, I can’t picture
anyone else playing her.<br />
What’s next? Samuel Jackson in a “Gunsmoke” remake? Imagine Jackson as Matt Dillon: “I said, get off that horse, motherf—-er!”<br />
I digress.<br />
Back to the ‘Murder, She Wrote” reboot. It appears as if Lansbury
agrees with me, telling the Associated Press that bringing the show back
to life is a mistake.<br />
“‘Murder, She Wrote’ will always be about a Cabot Cove and this
wonderful little group of people who told those lovely stories and
enjoyed a piece of that place, and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher, who is
a rare and very individual kind of person,” Lansbury said. “So I’m
sorry that they have to use the title ‘Murder, She Wrote,’ even though
they have access to it and it’s their right.”<br />
Lansbury said she was surprised when she got wind of the remake.
Still as classy as ever, Lansbury said she wished the Oscar-winning
Spencer luck in her new/old role.<br />
“I saw her in ‘The Help’ and thought she was absolutely wonderful, a
lovely actress,” Lansbury sid. “So I wish her well, but I wish it wasn’t
in ‘Murder, She Wrote.’”<br />
Me too.<br />
But, like Lansbury, I don’t want to see Spencer fail and hope the new “Murder, She Wrote” doesn’t get murdered in the ratings.<br />
- See more at:
http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/quickpulse/2013/11/11/angela-lansbury-calls-murder-she-wrote-remake-a-mistake/#sthash.JBQzXYbD.dpuf<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
The
moment I heard NBC was remaking “Murder, She Wrote”, the classic
whodunit starring the wonderful Angela Lansbury, with Octavia Spencer, I
thought the move was stupid.<br />
But when are broadcast network executives ever really smart?<br />
Didn’t NBC learn anything from the “Ironside” disaster with Blair
Underwood? While Spencer is a tremendous actress and clearly has a funny
side as she proved on her recent guest-starring turn as an
alcoholic/drug addict/wacko embezzler on the CBC sitcom, ‘Mom,” the role
of Jessica Fletcher is so identified with Lansbury, I can’t picture
anyone else playing her.<br />
What’s next? Samuel Jackson in a “Gunsmoke” remake? Imagine Jackson as Matt Dillon: “I said, get off that horse, motherf—-er!”<br />
I digress.<br />
Back to the ‘Murder, She Wrote” reboot. It appears as if Lansbury
agrees with me, telling the Associated Press that bringing the show back
to life is a mistake.<br />
“‘Murder, She Wrote’ will always be about a Cabot Cove and this
wonderful little group of people who told those lovely stories and
enjoyed a piece of that place, and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher, who is
a rare and very individual kind of person,” Lansbury said. “So I’m
sorry that they have to use the title ‘Murder, She Wrote,’ even though
they have access to it and it’s their right.”<br />
Lansbury said she was surprised when she got wind of the remake.
Still as classy as ever, Lansbury said she wished the Oscar-winning
Spencer luck in her new/old role.<br />
“I saw her in ‘The Help’ and thought she was absolutely wonderful, a
lovely actress,” Lansbury sid. “So I wish her well, but I wish it wasn’t
in ‘Murder, She Wrote.’”<br />
Me too.<br />
But, like Lansbury, I don’t want to see Spencer fail and hope the new “Murder, She Wrote” doesn’t get murdered in the ratings.<br />
- See more at:
http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/quickpulse/2013/11/11/angela-lansbury-calls-murder-she-wrote-remake-a-mistake/#sthash.JBQzXYbD.dpuf</div>
</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
The
moment I heard NBC was remaking “Murder, She Wrote”, the classic
whodunit starring the wonderful Angela Lansbury, with Octavia Spencer, I
thought the move was stupid.<br />
But when are broadcast network executives ever really smart?<br />
Didn’t NBC learn anything from the “Ironside” disaster with Blair
Underwood? While Spencer is a tremendous actress and clearly has a funny
side as she proved on her recent guest-starring turn as an
alcoholic/drug addict/wacko embezzler on the CBC sitcom, ‘Mom,” the role
of Jessica Fletcher is so identified with Lansbury, I can’t picture
anyone else playing her.<br />
What’s next? Samuel Jackson in a “Gunsmoke” remake? Imagine Jackson as Matt Dillon: “I said, get off that horse, motherf—-er!”<br />
I digress.<br />
Back to the ‘Murder, She Wrote” reboot. It appears as if Lansbury
agrees with me, telling the Associated Press that bringing the show back
to life is a mistake.<br />
“‘Murder, She Wrote’ will always be about a Cabot Cove and this
wonderful little group of people who told those lovely stories and
enjoyed a piece of that place, and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher, who is
a rare and very individual kind of person,” Lansbury said. “So I’m
sorry that they have to use the title ‘Murder, She Wrote,’ even though
they have access to it and it’s their right.”<br />
Lansbury said she was surprised when she got wind of the remake.
Still as classy as ever, Lansbury said she wished the Oscar-winning
Spencer luck in her new/old role.<br />
“I saw her in ‘The Help’ and thought she was absolutely wonderful, a
lovely actress,” Lansbury sid. “So I wish her well, but I wish it wasn’t
in ‘Murder, She Wrote.’”<br />
Me too.<br />
But, like Lansbury, I don’t want to see Spencer fail and hope the new “Murder, She Wrote” doesn’t get murdered in the ratings.<br />
- See more at:
http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/quickpulse/2013/11/11/angela-lansbury-calls-murder-she-wrote-remake-a-mistake/#sthash.JBQzXYbD.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
The
moment I heard NBC was remaking “Murder, She Wrote”, the classic
whodunit starring the wonderful Angela Lansbury, with Octavia Spencer, I
thought the move was stupid.<br />
But when are broadcast network executives ever really smart?<br />
Didn’t NBC learn anything from the “Ironside” disaster with Blair
Underwood? While Spencer is a tremendous actress and clearly has a funny
side as she proved on her recent guest-starring turn as an
alcoholic/drug addict/wacko embezzler on the CBC sitcom, ‘Mom,” the role
of Jessica Fletcher is so identified with Lansbury, I can’t picture
anyone else playing her.<br />
What’s next? Samuel Jackson in a “Gunsmoke” remake? Imagine Jackson as Matt Dillon: “I said, get off that horse, motherf—-er!”<br />
I digress.<br />
Back to the ‘Murder, She Wrote” reboot. It appears as if Lansbury
agrees with me, telling the Associated Press that bringing the show back
to life is a mistake.<br />
“‘Murder, She Wrote’ will always be about a Cabot Cove and this
wonderful little group of people who told those lovely stories and
enjoyed a piece of that place, and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher, who is
a rare and very individual kind of person,” Lansbury said. “So I’m
sorry that they have to use the title ‘Murder, She Wrote,’ even though
they have access to it and it’s their right.”<br />
Lansbury said she was surprised when she got wind of the remake.
Still as classy as ever, Lansbury said she wished the Oscar-winning
Spencer luck in her new/old role.<br />
“I saw her in ‘The Help’ and thought she was absolutely wonderful, a
lovely actress,” Lansbury sid. “So I wish her well, but I wish it wasn’t
in ‘Murder, She Wrote.’”<br />
Me too.<br />
But, like Lansbury, I don’t want to see Spencer fail and hope the new “Murder, She Wrote” doesn’t get murdered in the ratings.<br />
- See more at:
http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/quickpulse/2013/11/11/angela-lansbury-calls-murder-she-wrote-remake-a-mistake/#sthash.JBQzXYbD.dpuf</div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
The
moment I heard NBC was remaking “Murder, She Wrote”, the classic
whodunit starring the wonderful Angela Lansbury, with Octavia Spencer, I
thought the move was stupid.<br />
But when are broadcast network executives ever really smart?<br />
Didn’t NBC learn anything from the “Ironside” disaster with Blair
Underwood? While Spencer is a tremendous actress and clearly has a funny
side as she proved on her recent guest-starring turn as an
alcoholic/drug addict/wacko embezzler on the CBC sitcom, ‘Mom,” the role
of Jessica Fletcher is so identified with Lansbury, I can’t picture
anyone else playing her.<br />
What’s next? Samuel Jackson in a “Gunsmoke” remake? Imagine Jackson as Matt Dillon: “I said, get off that horse, motherf—-er!”<br />
I digress.<br />
Back to the ‘Murder, She Wrote” reboot. It appears as if Lansbury
agrees with me, telling the Associated Press that bringing the show back
to life is a mistake.<br />
“‘Murder, She Wrote’ will always be about a Cabot Cove and this
wonderful little group of people who told those lovely stories and
enjoyed a piece of that place, and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher, who is
a rare and very individual kind of person,” Lansbury said. “So I’m
sorry that they have to use the title ‘Murder, She Wrote,’ even though
they have access to it and it’s their right.”<br />
Lansbury said she was surprised when she got wind of the remake.
Still as classy as ever, Lansbury said she wished the Oscar-winning
Spencer luck in her new/old role.<br />
“I saw her in ‘The Help’ and thought she was absolutely wonderful, a
lovely actress,” Lansbury sid. “So I wish her well, but I wish it wasn’t
in ‘Murder, She Wrote.’”<br />
Me too.<br />
But, like Lansbury, I don’t want to see Spencer fail and hope the new “Murder, She Wrote” doesn’t get murdered in the ratings.<br />
- See more at:
http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/quickpulse/2013/11/11/angela-lansbury-calls-murder-she-wrote-remake-a-mistake/#sthash.JBQzXYbD.dpuf<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
The
moment I heard NBC was remaking “Murder, She Wrote”, the classic
whodunit starring the wonderful Angela Lansbury, with Octavia Spencer, I
thought the move was stupid.<br />
But when are broadcast network executives ever really smart?<br />
Didn’t NBC learn anything from the “Ironside” disaster with Blair
Underwood? While Spencer is a tremendous actress and clearly has a funny
side as she proved on her recent guest-starring turn as an
alcoholic/drug addict/wacko embezzler on the CBC sitcom, ‘Mom,” the role
of Jessica Fletcher is so identified with Lansbury, I can’t picture
anyone else playing her.<br />
What’s next? Samuel Jackson in a “Gunsmoke” remake? Imagine Jackson as Matt Dillon: “I said, get off that horse, motherf—-er!”<br />
I digress.<br />
Back to the ‘Murder, She Wrote” reboot. It appears as if Lansbury
agrees with me, telling the Associated Press that bringing the show back
to life is a mistake.<br />
“‘Murder, She Wrote’ will always be about a Cabot Cove and this
wonderful little group of people who told those lovely stories and
enjoyed a piece of that place, and also enjoyed Jessica Fletcher, who is
a rare and very individual kind of person,” Lansbury said. “So I’m
sorry that they have to use the title ‘Murder, She Wrote,’ even though
they have access to it and it’s their right.”<br />
Lansbury said she was surprised when she got wind of the remake.
Still as classy as ever, Lansbury said she wished the Oscar-winning
Spencer luck in her new/old role.<br />
“I saw her in ‘The Help’ and thought she was absolutely wonderful, a
lovely actress,” Lansbury sid. “So I wish her well, but I wish it wasn’t
in ‘Murder, She Wrote.’”<br />
Me too.<br />
But, like Lansbury, I don’t want to see Spencer fail and hope the new “Murder, She Wrote” doesn’t get murdered in the ratings.<br />
- See more at:
http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/quickpulse/2013/11/11/angela-lansbury-calls-murder-she-wrote-remake-a-mistake/#sthash.JBQzXYbD.dpuf</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-3758814782263120682013-11-08T08:21:00.001-05:002013-11-08T08:34:11.804-05:00'American Horror Story' creator wants Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett to return<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AG_HPLwQI_s/UnzkDqXp8iI/AAAAAAAAALU/E3CtG013qGY/s1600/Angela+Bassett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AG_HPLwQI_s/UnzkDqXp8iI/AAAAAAAAALU/E3CtG013qGY/s1600/Angela+Bassett.jpg" /></a>Ryan Murphy, the deliciously twisted co-creator of <i>American Horror Story: Coven</i>, has told<i> Entertainment Weekly</i> that he wants Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett to return for season four.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
"That’s very exciting when you can work with A.) actresses you’ve always
idolized and B.) those two are loving this season. They love what they
get to do," Murphy told the magazine.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ym8KJTx-0Ig/UnzkMADxzWI/AAAAAAAAALc/IadYeRYBZ_w/s1600/Kathy+Bates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ym8KJTx-0Ig/UnzkMADxzWI/AAAAAAAAALc/IadYeRYBZ_w/s1600/Kathy+Bates.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
He said Bates even sent the writers a basket of plush toys all in the shapes of disemboweled organs.<br />
<br />
"It doesn’t get better than when an
Oscar winner sends you a grab bag of stuffed pancreas to say ‘Thank you
and job well done," Murphy said.<br />
<br />
Bassett and Bates are having a devilish time as archenemies Marie Laveaux and Madame LaLaurie, respectively.They're not chewing the scenery, they're <i>devouring</i> it in what has been <i>AHS</i>' best season.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-56368268109561972982013-11-06T12:16:00.002-05:002013-11-06T16:50:48.204-05:00Khandi Alexander to play Olivia Pope's mom on 'Scandal'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oo98UCaY1NU/Unp4VTi4HtI/AAAAAAAAAK4/cw9BI2DDWgg/s1600/Khandi+Alexander+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oo98UCaY1NU/Unp4VTi4HtI/AAAAAAAAAK4/cw9BI2DDWgg/s1600/Khandi+Alexander+pic.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<i>Scandal</i> just got juicier -- if that's even possible.<br />
<br />
Khandi Alexander has been cast as Olivia Pope's (Kerry Washington) long-dead mom on TV's hottest prime time soap.<br />
<br />
As we found out last week, Olivia's mother was aboard a civilian airliner that was blown out of the sky as part of Operation Remington, the same shadowy operation, it appears, that got President Kennedy killed for asking too many questions.<br />
<br />
<i>What?????</i><br />
<br />
If that's not bad enough, we also learned that Olivia's main squeeze, Fitz The President (Tony Goldwyn) was the guy who shot down the plane under orders from Olivia's evil father (Joe Morton).<br />
<br />
<i>What: Part II????? </i><br />
<br />
So, that means Olivia's mom, Maya Lewis, will only be seen in flashbacks. But that's OK as long as she's being played by Alexander.<br />
<br />
Talk about a casting coup. Alexander is a fierce actress who has been underrated way too long. Just go back and check out her work on HBO's compelling miniseries <i>The Corner</i> as a tough-talking mom trying to go straight to her powerful role on<b> </b><i>Treme</i> as a bar owner in post-Katrina New Orleans.<br />
<br />
Too bad CBS never really recognized Alexander's talent. I'm still upset at the <i>CSI: Miami </i>writers for never giving her Dr. Alex Woods character anything to do except talk to dead bodies in a loving tone.<br />
<br />
"It's gonna be alright, bay-bay" was about the extent of Alexander's lines on that show.<br />
<br />
Speaking of lines, Alexander, had the best one in <i>CB4</i>, a "rockumentary" film that covered the rise of a fictitious rap group headed by Chris Rock's MC Gusto. In the movie, Alexander played Sissy, a gangsta rap-loving hoochie who slept with hip hop stars -- and took pictures to prove it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ClUlY8Syjp0/Unp81m2cOrI/AAAAAAAAALE/nNlbSZCjQpw/s1600/Sissy+in+CB4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ClUlY8Syjp0/Unp81m2cOrI/AAAAAAAAALE/nNlbSZCjQpw/s1600/Sissy+in+CB4.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
After giving MC Gusto's wiry frame the once over Sissy, rolling her eyes to the max, blurted, "Small men drown in my s--t." <br />
<br />
Yes, that's the kind of sass and 'tude I want Alexander to bring to <i>Scandal</i>.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-19448826890338629162013-11-05T17:35:00.000-05:002013-11-05T17:54:35.589-05:00History Channel to remake 'Roots'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uBFuupUJK1w/UnlvFVs2dzI/AAAAAAAAAKo/PmrbaMRYc9g/s1600/Roots+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uBFuupUJK1w/UnlvFVs2dzI/AAAAAAAAAKo/PmrbaMRYc9g/s1600/Roots+pic.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Why?<br />
<br />
That's the first question I asked when I read that, according to Deadline, History Channel is going to remake <i>Roots</i>, the groundbreaking 1977 miniseries that made LeVar Burton a star and a lot of white people uncomfortable.<br />
<br />
Well, I guess I can understand the decision from the programming suits' perspective. History Channel, after all, scored big ratings with <i>Haftields & McCoys</i> and <i>The Bible</i>.<i> Roots </i>rewrote the ratings record book when it aired over eight nights on ABC, with about 140 million people watching.<br />
<br />
TV shows, of course, aren't watched like that today with DVRs and a host of other distractions like cell phones, iPads, iPods, Twitter and Facebook vying for our attention like spoiled toddlers. Since viewers have the attention span of a gnat these days, the new <i>Roots</i> may have to be boiled down to a one night, two-hour movie. Still, History Channel has to believe it can attract a sizable audience by cable TV standards.<br />
<br />
I mean, I'll tune in just to compare the new version to the original. And, if the horrors of slavery can be introduced to a new generation of viewers, well, that's a good thing.<br />
<br />
But, there's something not quite right about another actor playing Kunta Kinte.There are some shows and movies you just don't mess with when they're done right the first time.<br />
<br />
<i>Roots</i>, that saga of an American family, that cultural touchstone for the 1970s, fits into that category.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-8061713329866176222013-11-05T11:57:00.000-05:002013-11-05T11:57:14.340-05:00'Veterans of Color' to air on TV One<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NH8B6Mr7s7s/UnkjLLK7LZI/AAAAAAAAAKY/DX0hy_Sy5ac/s1600/Veterans+of+Color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NH8B6Mr7s7s/UnkjLLK7LZI/AAAAAAAAAKY/DX0hy_Sy5ac/s1600/Veterans+of+Color.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In honor of Veterans Day, TV
One announced today <i>Veterans of Color</i><i>, </i>the award-winning documentary, will air on Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Directed by Mark Parry, the documentary explores the untold stories of African-American men and women who served in all branches of the United States
military. These men and women were amongst those who stormed the
beaches of Normandy, flew as Tuskegee Airmen, and served during the Korean and
Vietnam Wars. Through personal interviews, <i>Veterans of Color</i> uses
31 individual experiences and culminates them into one overall message of
self-sacrifice and determination to fight for the liberties of all. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The film began as a
partnership between The Association for the Study of African American Life and
History (ASALH) and The Veterans History Project, established by Congress in
2000. What resulted was a documentary which explores and preserves
the personal accounts of U.S. Veterans. <i>Veterans of Color</i> was the
official selection of the 2013 Roxbury International Film Festival, the 2012
Sarasota Film Festival and the 2013 Honolulu African American Film Festival. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">During the film, veterans
will offer words of wisdom and inspiration through special on-air vignettes.
These segments were filmed at a Walmart and Radio One sponsored screening of <i>Veterans
of Color<span style="color: #1f497d;"> </span></i>held for both active-duty and
retired members of the military earlier this year.</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8371375807210373379.post-75864070353530188742013-11-03T10:11:00.002-05:002013-11-03T10:14:37.932-05:00Guess what? Black women ARE funny!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JYlkPHG88ik/UnZmibIX9WI/AAAAAAAAAIU/tpe-Ivvgh7c/s1600/Kerry+Washington.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JYlkPHG88ik/UnZmibIX9WI/AAAAAAAAAIU/tpe-Ivvgh7c/s320/Kerry+Washington.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Whenever Kerry Washington's role as glam fixer extraordinaire Olivia Pope comes to an end on <i>Scandal</i>, Lorne Michaels, <i>Saturday Night Live</i>'s silver-haired kingmaker, should seriously consider adding her to the show's cast.<br />
<br />
This, of course, will never happen. <br />
<br />
For starters, Washington, who has a pretty good movie and TV career going, would never accept such an offer.<br />
<br />
Secondly, Washington would be way out of Michaels' price range.<br />
<br />
Too bad because Washington killed it as <i>SNL</i> host. I mean, absolutely murdered it while demonstrating an impressive comedic range. I still can't get the lyrics of the hilarious parody of that dumb Fox video by Ylvis out of my head.<br />
<br />
That Washington -- a black female -- did the honors last night, got a little more press than usual because, well, SNL, hasn't exactly embraced black female comics. The show, after all, has had only four in its 38-year history.<br />
<br />
And, consider this, since President Obama was elected in 2008, no cast member has played Michelle Obama. <br />
<br />
Can you imagine <i>SNL</i> without Hilary Clinton? Or Nancy Reagan?<br />
<br />
Of course not.<br />
<br />
So, in a sense, it felt as if Washington was breaking down a color barrier on <i>SNL</i>, even though she wasn't.<br />
<br />
Not shying away from the controversy, the writers actually embraced it in the cold opening by poking fun of the fact that Washington would be forced to play The First Lady, Oprah and Beyonce in the same sketch because of the dearth of black female cast members.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The producers at Saturday Night Live would like to apologize to Kerry
Washington for the number of black women she will be asked to play. We
make these requests because Ms. Washington is an actress of considerable
range and talent – and also because SNL does not currently have a black
woman on the cast. Mostly the latter. We agree this is not an ideal
situation and look forward to rectifying it in the near future, unless,
of course, we fall in love with another white guy first.</i><br />
<br />
Keenan Thompson (no relation), one of two black male cast members, was quoted as saying there are no black women on the show because<i> </i>quality black comediennes are hard to find.<br />
<br />
"They never find ones that are ready," Thompson was quoted in <i>TV Guide</i>.<br />
<br />
Really, Keenan?<br />
<br />
Even if you feel that way, did you, like, have to say it out loud? Are you that worried that a talented black woman is gonna reduce your sketch time? You can't be that insecure. Well, you're a comic, so you probably are.<br />
<br />
Clearly, there are many black women who are ready for not-so-prime time.<br />
<br />
Kerry Washington proved that last night. Perhaps, Washington, as the cutthroat Olivia, can make Michaels fix the problem.<br />
<br />
For good.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06762494697606891805noreply@blogger.com0