Gloria Monty, ABC’s Queen of Daytime, Dies at 84
Posted by Christopher Stone Categories: Daytime, ABC, General Hospital, Talent, News,
Gloria Monty, a groundbreaking producer who reinvented the ABC daytime drama General Hospital, turning it into a pop culture phenomenon, died last Thursday of cancer, in her Rancho Mirage, California, home. When she took over GH in 1978, the series was hovering on the brink of cancellation. Dubbed ABC’s Queen of Daytime, Monty was 84-years-old.
She was also controversial. Her most daring storyline for GH had the characters Luke and Laura begin a romance after he raped her on the floor of a closed disco. At the time, Monty’s critics accused her of glorifying violence against women. Immune to criticism, the producer told the media, “Some people call it a rape. We call it a seduction.”
Once a sluggish drama targeting middle-aged housewives, General Hospital under Monty’s guidance won a massive audience of teenagers and young adults. The progressive producer added action-adventure and science fiction to plots; she quickened the pace, and hired attractive, younger actors. She brought in a Broadway designer to modernize the set.
Beyond her many contributions to daytime drama, Gloria Monty is said to have been the model for the motherly soap opera producer in the 1982 Dustin Hoffman classic motion picture Tootsie.
Gallery: Gloria Monty, ABC’s Queen of Daytime, Dies at 84
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Can’t Get Enough Of Your Favorite Shows? Read The Blogs!
Posted by Rhys Alexander Categories: Drama, ABC, CBS, NBC, Internet,
It’s the hottest trend in television: blogs produced by the ‘characters’ of shows. These blogs provide supplemental information and insights for the amusement and delight of television viewers.
Whether it’s Medium’s Joe Dubois’s journal detailing his psychic wife’s dreams, case notes from the lawyers of Boston Legal, or delightfully gruesome entries from several forensic dramas, these blogs are guaranteed to at least curb the hunger of salivating fans wanting more details about their favorite shows and characters.
Which blog would we most like to see launch? It’s no contest: the world needs one from the Grey’s Anatomy cast. Oh, the wonder that would be! Perhaps we should lobby for one. Which are your favorite television blogs, and which show would you like to see get one?
Read More 
| USA Today
Gallery: Can’t Get Enough Of Your Favorite Shows? Read The Blogs!
Another Relationship Planned for Grey’s Anatomy
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Drama, Prime Time, ABC, Grey’s Anatomy,
According the recent issue of US Weekly, there will be soon be another coupling in the halls of of Seattle Grace—this one being of the same-sex kind. Actress Kate Walsh (Addison) told the magazine that this relationship ‘affects all’ of them and that she would be ‘involved in some way’. Interesting… so does this mean that it will be Dr. McDreamy? Maybe he’ll hook up with George as well!
Read More | US Weekly
Gallery: Another Relationship Planned for Grey’s Anatomy
Kyle MacLachlan Co-Stars With More Ladies on Desperate Housewives
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, ABC, Desperate Housewives,
Alrighty then. Kyle MacLachlan, most recently on the failed drama In Justice, will be making his debut on another ABC show very soon. The former Twin Peaks star is probably best known to the Housewives’ female audience as Dr. Trey McDougal on Sex and The City, so starring with another gaggle of women should come as no problem to him. Let’s just hope that he doesn’t have another impotency problem when he tries to woo Susan. As if she didn’t have enough man problems. MacLachlan’s first air date is scheduled for April 16. He is scheduled to appear in several episodes and may even be seen again this fall.
Gallery: Kyle MacLachlan Co-Stars With More Ladies on Desperate Housewives
Dynasty Diva Back for 25th Anniversary Reunion Special
Posted by Christopher Stone Categories: Specials, ABC, Talent,
Dynasty’s top divas Linda Evans (Krystle) and Joan Collins (Alexis) are together again for a 25th Anniversary Special, Dynasty Reunion: Catfights and Caviar, set to air on CBS prime time during the May Sweeps period. The legendary prime time soap premiered on ABC 25 years ago, and it’s been 17 years since the final new episode was broadcast.
Producer Michael Levitt says the Special will be anecdotal, and not a dramatic continuation of the Carrington Family saga. Nonetheless, he’s trying to convince Evans and Collins to reenact their infamous swimming pool catfight. Having them recreate the caviar part of the Special’s title shouldn’t take much arm twisting. The show is in production right now at California’s Filoli Mansion. The manse doubled for the Carrington home in the series’ opening credits.
Gallery: Dynasty Diva Back for 25th Anniversary Reunion Special
Raunchy Oz Star Clean, Sober On Desperate Housewives
Posted by Christopher Stone Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, ABC, Cable, Desperate Housewives, Rumors,
Lee Tegersen, for six seasons compelling as Tobias Beecher, convicted of Vehicular Manslaughter on HBO’s unflinching prison drama Oz, has resurfaced on the last two episodes of the Alphabet Network’s Desperate Housewives. What’s more, the good-looking actor, frequently in scenes of full frontal nudity and Brokeback-like prison sex on Oz, is playing a clean, sober, and straight recovering alcoholic on Housewives.
Tegersen’s character, Peter McMillian, was Bree’s Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor in his first episode (March 26). In his second Desperate outing (April 2), Lee as Peter fled the Van De Kamp house after Bree kissed him. It’s not that McMillian is immune to the charms of Wisteria Lane’s hottest redhead. As it happens, Peter is not only a former alcoholic, he’s also a recovering sex-aholic who’s not quite ready for dating.
In his real, not reel, life, Lee Tegersen, 40, is rumored to be dating 60-year-old Cher. I say, “What’s a mere 20-year age difference between lovers if your squeeze is a show business legend?”
Read More | HBO
Gallery: Raunchy Oz Star Clean, Sober On Desperate Housewives
Scrubs Coming To iTunes
Posted by Rhys Alexander Categories: Comedy, ABC, NBC, Scrubs, Internet, News,
The NBC comedy, Scrubs, is so good that it has the power to unite enemies. In a television first, the warring networks NBC and ABC will join together to bring the popular comedy to iTunes. If you are a tragic soul who has never seen the show, Scrubs follows the adventures of John “J.D.” Dorian, played by Zach Braff, through his years as a fledgling emergency room physician. With a wildly talented cast, and unparalleled writing, Scrubs is the best comedy on television today.Executives agree, and are counting on the highly-rated show to attract viewers in the coveted 18-49 age group.
As always, each iTune episode will cost $1.99 to download. We’re thrilled. You can never have too much Scrubs!
Read More | LA Times
Gallery: Scrubs Coming To iTunes
Freddie: Freddie And The Hot Mom
Posted by Christopher Stone Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, ABC, Editorial,
Following last night’s Eva Longoria festooned 100th episode of The George Lopez Show, I looked again at Freddie, another ABC-TV Latino comedy. This one is in its freshman year and stars Freddie Prinze Jr. From the same team that gave us the George Lopez and Drew Carey sitcoms, Freddie exhibits the aforementioned series’ flaws, too. The stories are simple and tired, reminiscent of American Vaudeville sketches, and the dialogue is dull.
Charming, handsome, and talented, Prinze Jr. is poorly served by this barely mediocre vehicle. Most episodes, including last night’s tepid shenanigans, focus on Freddie’s attempt to get - and to keep - a woman, despite interference from a well-intentioned, but disaster-prone, live in family.
The cast has snap, crackle, pop that begs better words be put in their mouths, and stronger situations between their script covers. Freddie has great chemistry with Brian Austin Green, who plays his dim, egocentric, libidinous buddy. As Grandma, Jenny Gago steals every scene in which she appears, and the show’s best dialogue is reflected in her Spanglish to English translation titles.
“Freddie and the Hot Mom” had Prinze enamored of his niece’s friend’s comely mother. First, the daughter is against Freddie dating her mom. Later, Prinze’s niece Zoey feels threatened by her uncle’s new girlfriend. If one’s plot is nonsense, then it had better be inspired nonsense. Lucy’s was. Freddie’s is not.
Certainly I appreciate the difficulty of churning out Seinfeld or Will & Grace-sharp dialogue every week. But Freddie’s consistently anemic scripts make the series fall into the category of “don’t see” TV.
Prinze deserve better, as do his cast and crew.
Gallery: Freddie: Freddie And The Hot Mom
It seems like only last year that The George Lopez Show found a home on ABC-TV. But it wasn’t last year, or even the year before. It was 2002. Time and sitcom episodes fly, and, tonight, The George Lopez Show broadcasts its 100th episode.
Titled “George Vows to Make Matri-Money,” the landmark episode features all of the usual Lopez suspects, plus a special guest star appearance by the seemingly omnipresent Eva Longoria. The role doesn’t provide much of a stretch for Desperate Housewives’ venal vixen. On her hit series, Longoria plays the high maintenance wife of Carlos Solis. On George’s sitcom, Eva is the high maintenance friend of his TV wife. Congratulations to Lopez, his cast and crew, for what some are calling “the longest-running Latino sitcom since I Love Lucy.”
Gallery: George Lopez Turns 100
Carol Burnett Visits Wisteria Lane
Posted by Christopher Stone Categories: Drama, ABC, Desperate Housewives, Talent, News,
On Sunday, April 9, a television legend will be ringing Bree Van De Kamp’s Wisteria Lane doorbell. That’s when Carol Burnett guest stars on Desperate Housewives as Bree’s bad seed stepmother Eleanor Mason. Don’t expect the veteran comedienne to be the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down on Wisteria Lane. At Carol Burnett’s request, Marc Cherry, Housewives’ creator and executive producer, is writing Eleanor as an evil woman. In that case, she’ll be a good match for Bree’s son, Andrew, or he is more commonly known at my house, Satan’s Spawn. Should Burnett’s evil turn catch fire with viewers, TV’s legendary funny lady is open to reprising the role in subsequent episodes.
Read More | USA Today
Gallery: Carol Burnett Visits Wisteria Lane
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