ABC Renews ‘Dancing’, Four More Realities
Posted on February 29, 2008
Reality shows Dancing with the Stars, Supernanny, Wife Swap, Extreme Makeover: Home Addition, and America’s Funniest Home Videos have been renewed for next season by ABC.
This comes after the network gave early pickups to Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty, Brothers and Sisters, Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Samantha Who?, and Dirty Sexy Money earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the PaleyFest has added Bones, Moonlight, and Kyle XY to their line-up, with their new leg starting on March 28. Tickets will be available on March 14.
One Tree Hill: “For Tonight You’re Only Here to Know” Recap
Posted on February 28, 2008
I’m actually surprised it took this long for it to happen, but this week’s episode was the first time I felt a little out of the loop watching One Tree Hill, and remember that I started from Season 5. I’m sure longtime viewers loved that the episode focused quite a bit on that devastating day, but I never got to know Keith or Jimmy, despite perusing through the show’s Wikipedia page more than a few times (mini-tangent: it needs an awful lot of clean-up). So while all the Mouth scenes didn’t really grab me the same way it would have for a true and loyal fan, it may be surprising to read that I still found the episode decent on the whole.
The main reason for that was due to the Peyton/Lindsay scenes. It’s not exactly new ground where storytelling is concerned, but the concept of having the pair trapped in the library worked perfectly and gave the chance for them to bitch and eventually sort out their differences. I thought it was a little convenient that Lindsay’s father suffered a long illness – so bad that he couldn’t recognise his own daughter — before he died (and it’s certainly not the first time I’ve seen the plot device on television), but I’m grateful that both girls are on reasonable terms now. Peyton swallowing her pride and making amends with her ex’s fiancee has even made me warm up to her a little. Loving the hair, by the way, P. It suits you so much more than your usual curly hairdo. The same could be said to Lost’s Kate.
Before things went too far and escalated out of control, though, the insult-hurling was fun to watch, from the “bulimic bitches” to the “man-faces”, the “bony butts” to the “fat asses”. It was undoubtedly awkward for the Brookes, the Haleys, the Mias, and the Tims in the room, but what’s a good hatred for one another without harsh words? We also learned a lot more about Lindsay. For starters, her and Haley bonded when Lindsay was desperate to do the school shooting justice in the book to honour Keith, Jimmy, and Peyton. “Because that day deserves it.” Speaking of Peyton, she was also someone Lindsay looked up to. “I used to admire the Peyton in the book. She seemed so noble, kind. I wish you were here, Peyton, that version of you. What happened to her?” Just so you know, I’m still rooting for Lindsay.
So what happened in the rest of the episode? Carrie handed in her two weeks’ notice! Anyone with an IQ above fifty can guess that she won’t be going away that easily, but for now, we live in hope. Meanwhile, Lucas’ delivery of “You’re a dick!” gifts him with the best line of the week, responding to Nathan’s confession that he kissed her (though he corrected himself moments later that it was she who kissed him, not that things are much better given that he didn’t fire her sorry ass immediately afterwards), closely followed by Brooke’s relieved “My battery just died: it’s great!” at the fact that she doesn’t have to phone Owen and sound desperate. Nathan, I’m still waiting for you to come clean to Haley.
Other scenes, however, didn’t strike the right chords for me. Some of the humour, like Lindsay falling backwards lifting up the chair, provoked a few eyeball rolls at my household, as did the strange montage where the characters took turns singing over Mia’s voice. I’m not entirely sure what the writers were trying to achieve with that when the camera pans would have been so much more effective with just the song playing in the background to let us contemplate on the current situation. Unfortunately, as it stands, it felt more like filler. And while I can appreciate why fans loved the brief return of Tim, he was just “pizza delivery boy” to me. Actually, “perverted pizza delivery boy”. Yeah, I need to watch the past seasons.
I’m sure I’ve missed a few epic matches, too, over the years, so let’s close on Mouth’s coverage of the basketball game, whose angle was inspired by none other than Jimmy. One’s got to admit that it makes an absolutely lame sports story (we only find out the result of the game right at the end on a league table — the Ravens recovered from their deficit and beat their opponents), but he does leave quite a profound message. Some things are so much more important than the game. And the episode demonstrated its point. There was a lot of build-up going into the match, not just this week with the very manly and intimidating walk down the corridor — and yes, Jamie is as cute as ever, especially when he was copying Quentin’s taping of the hand – but also every scene since Lucas took over the team. This was what we were all waiting for. Yet, we didn’t see any of it. Not a single minute.
‘According to Jim’ to Be Renewed?
Posted on February 28, 2008
Yesterday, TV Guide’s Michael Ausiello posted that ABC is set to renew comedy According to Jim. “I’m told that the decision has already been made,” said his “Ask Ausiello” feature.
It is believed that this news came as a result of the WGA strike, which led to a heavily shortened pilot season. The show, which returned in January for its seventh season, has suffered from below-par ratings. Their most recent episode on Tuesday only attracted 4.63 million viewers. Add that to the fact that it scored a 1.4/3 in the adults 18-49 demo — the same figure as the CW’s One Tree Hill — and you have to wonder why ABC is continuing to put their faith in the comedy.
The Bronze’s One Tree Hill recap of Tuesday’s episode will be up later tonight.
Showrunner Cerone Joins ‘Dirty Sexy Money’
Posted on February 27, 2008
Daniel Cerone joins Dirty Sexy Money as an executive producer and showrunner alongside creator Craig Wright. The ex-Dexter showrunner replaces Josh Reims, who only signed on for the first season, and will oversee the show’s second season.
This comes after he signed a deal with series’ producer ABC Studios before the WGA strike to develop new projects within the production company.
“Since the pilot, I felt like the show had some of the best potential for storytelling and exploration of characters both on the light and the dark side,” Cerone commented. “I don’t think there is any desire to significantly change the show at all. It’s more about keeping all the best elements and adding as much intrigue, drama, and danger as we possibly can.”
He continued, “There is a real desire to essentially relaunch Dirty Sexy Money. The combination of the writers’ strike and ABC’s belief in the show gives us a rare opportunity.” Dirty Sexy Money will return in the fall, having received a thirteen-episode order for next season.
‘Miss/Guided’ Launches March 18
Posted on February 27, 2008
New ABC comedy Miss/Guided will debut March 18 at 10:30/ET, following the season premiere of mega-hit Dancing with the Stars.
Later that same week, the series – starring Judy Greer as Becky Freeley, an “ugly duckling” who becomes a guidance counsellor at the Glen Ellen High School which she once attended – will move to its regular slot on Thursdays, running back-to-back episodes from 8PM to 9PM.
ABC tried something very similar with Samantha Who? earlier this season with success, and is clearly trying to emulate the same feat.
Miss/Guided is being produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Katalyst Films with Ashton Kutcher on board as one of the executive producers, along with Mark Hudis and Jason Goldberg amongst others.
‘Las Vegas’ Campaign Commences
Posted on February 26, 2008
Fans of Las Vegas are sending baby booties and socks to NBC’s Ben Silverman in a plea to find closure and get a proper finale after the show was unceremoniously axed.
The campaign, “Operation Baby Booties”, was inspired by the success of Jericho’s plan to mail insane amounts nuts to CBS. Booties and socks have been chosen to represent the dramatic comedy due to Delinda’s pregnancy being the unresolved cliffhanger.
“In your shipment, please make sure to express the fact that you want a real ending to your favourite show,” reads the website. “That’s the goal of the campaign — to get Vegas a real ending.” What are you waiting for? You know what to do.
Fall Launch Planned for ‘Robinson Crusoe’
Posted on February 25, 2008
After the network ordered thirteen episodes with British production firm Power for Robinson Crusoe last fall, NBC yesterday confirmed that it was aiming to launch the show next fall – if not, as a midseason replacement in 2009.
“It’s part MacGyver, part comtemporary morality tale about race and personal discovery, part comedy, and part Castaway meets Survivor,” said NBC co-chairman Ben Silverman. He added that it would be an “adrenaline-charged version” and a modern take on the Daniel Defoe novel, but will remain set in the seventeenth century.
The budget for the project is said to be around $35 million.
Fox’s ‘Vantage Point’ Tops Box Office
Posted on February 25, 2008
Lost’s Matthew Fox’s film Vantage Point has topped the US box office chart in its first week, opening with $24 million.
The political thriller, which also stars Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, and William Hurt, knocked Hayden Christensen sci-fi drama Jumper ($12.7 million) from the top spot. The Spiderwick Chronicles ($12.6 million), Step Up 2 The Street ($9.8 million), and Fool’s Gold ($6.3 million) completed the top five.
Meanwhile, an extra six episodes of Lipstick Jungle has been ordered by NBC. This will take the Kim Raver freshman drama, based on the book by Candace Bushnell, up to thirteen episodes. The crew is said to be optimistic about its chances of renewal.
‘Women’s Murder Club’ Returns April
Posted on February 24, 2008
Having found a new showrunner, ABC’s Women’s Murder Club will return to television screens for three episodes in April. Robert Nathan, more familiar to Law & Order viewers, takes over the helm of the show that had been dangerously close to a permanent hiatus.
“There are no plans to revamp the series dramatically or shift the emphasis in any way,” a show representative said. “It remains a procedural focused on the four women leads who partner together to solve crimes.” Two weeks ago, producers Scott Gemmill, Elizabeth Craft, and Sarah Fain were let go by 20th Century Fox Television.
This piece of good news, though, doesn’t mean that the drama is safe. Its chances of being renewed for the 2008-09 season heavily depend on these three post-strike episodes both creatively and in the ratings. Nothing has been mentioned yet on its return timeslot.
Lost: “Eggtown” Recap
Posted on February 24, 2008
Who says we don’t get answers? Not only do we learn why Kate didn’t appear to be on the run in the flash-forward at the end of Season 3, but the “he” she referred to then? Why, it’s no one other than Claire’s little Aaron. Now that’s a shocker.
One aspect of the episode that initially stumped me was its title, “Eggtown”. Nothing a little Lostpedia couldn’t fix, though, which told me that the term “egg-town” represents a deal with undesirable outcomes. The deal Kate struck with the prosecutor, for example, was an egg-town, as she can’t leave the state for ten years despite her escaping jail time. This also means she can’t return to the island without breaking the law, which may or may not explain her reluctance to listen to suicidal bearded Jack’s pleas. What’s interesting is that we’ve not seen any glimpses of any desire from her to find the island again like from Jack or Hurley.
The trial turned her way when her mother, Diane, admitted that she doesn’t want to testify against her anymore, but wants to see “her grandson” in return. Even with the fact that this child is Aaron, why would Kate forbid her from visiting him? Also, why is Jack avoiding Aaron, and why does Kate refuse to put him on the witness stand? And let’s not forget that we’re talking about Claire’s baby son here, so does that mean she doesn’t get off the island? The producers of Lost continue to tease us; with every answer, we get a bunch more questions. But the fact that we seem to be getting a lot of reveals lately makes it a far less frustrating ride than large chunks of the second and third seasons.
The “egg-town” theme recurs on the island, too. Kate agrees to let Miles speak with Ben for one minute in return for the “ghostbuster”, as Naomi puts it, telling everything he knows about her. The consequences for both Kate and Miles are far from super due in no small part to Locke’s “dictatorship”. First, he banishes Kate from the barracks (she also learns that unfortunately for her, she’s going to be such a recognisable face that she won’t be able to stay on the run back home), and then he cruelly stuffs a live grenade in Miles’ mouth and coldly saying, “Enjoy your breakfast.” Locke annoys me somewhat, but I have to admit, he makes a good antagonistic character.
Even though the real-time island scenes were a little slow-paced, there were plenty of interesting nuggets here and there that I’m sure has already sparked much speculation. The thing that caught my attention the most was Miles’ demand for a strangely specific 3.2 million pounds from Ben in exchange for him relaying back to his boss that Ben’s dead. Like Ben asked, why not 3.3 or 3.4 million? Then, there’s the whole cover story that Jack and seemingly every member of the Oceanic Six adheres to: only eight passengers survived the crash and made it to shore, not including the marshall (or Ana-Lucia it seems based on Hurley’s comment to her ex-partner in “The Beginning of the End”), but two died later before the rest were rescued. Which two people supposedly die on the island and not in the initial crash?
Meanwhile, back on the beach, Jack couldn’t get a hold of the chopper that’s carrying Sayid and Desmond to the freighter. Regina was just as confused as I was when she claimed she thought it was still with them back on the island, but I imagine there’s some sort of time distortion shenanigans involved. I was more intrigued with Daniel and Charlotte’s odd little experiment/game. At first glance, it appears that Daniel has difficulty remembering the faces of three cards, but given that we only caught the end of it all, I suspect there’s more than meets the eye.
Lastly, instead of talking briefly about how awesome I still think Jin is, I’m going to confidently call that Michael is Ben’s spy on the boat. Four episodes this season Harold Perrineau Jr. is credited, but still no appearance? Okay, so I’m probably the gazillionth person to predict this, but something tells me they’re saving him up for a shock cliffhanger reveal. And what would get us more excited than to see Sayid and Desmond finally arriving at the freighter next week and seeing Michael right there? Wait, don’t answer that.