Chappelle’s Lost Episodes Air Sunday
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Cable, Talent, DVD,
Perhaps no one – not even Dave Chappelle himself – can explain why he up and left the lucrative deal that Comedy Central offered him to continue his show. The first season of Chappelle’s Show is the top-selling TV on DVD release, with over 3.5 million units sold. Season 2’s DVD is the third highest-selling TV on DVD release of all time, with 2.5 million units sold. Not too shabby, but the execs at Comedy Central apparently rubbed Dave the wrong way and wanted to control too much of his show, so he bailed. This left the fans wanting more, and luckily they’ll be able to get more this Sunday, July 9th, when Comedy Central airs Chappelle’s Show: The Lost Episodes. While the episodes are sketches Dave completed prior to leaving the series, they should give fans a taste of what they’ve been missing while whetting their appetite for the release of Chappelle’s Show: The Lost Episodes Uncensored DVD, coming out on Tuesday, July 25.
Charlie Murphy and Donnell Rawlings, both Chappelle’s Show regulars, will do the sketch intros for Sunday’s airing since Chappelle never filmed the intros before his departure.
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| Zap2it
Gallery: Chappelle’s Lost Episodes Air Sunday
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New Rules Give Smaller Shows a Chance at an Emmy
Posted by Abby Rose Dalto Categories: Award Shows, Sci-Fi/Horror, ABC, Cable, CBS, FX, HBO, NBC, UPN, WB, Arrested Development, Desperate Housewives, Entourage, Everybody Hates Chris, Grey’s Anatomy, My Name Is Earl, The Office, The Sopranos, West Wing, The,
This year’s Emmy nominations will be announced July 6 and perhaps new nominating guidelines will make 2006 the “year of the underdog”.
Last year showed some progress, with nominations gained by new hits such as Lost, Desperate Housewives and the recently-cancelled, cult-hit Arrested Development (which won seven awards last year).
Apparently some rules have been instated this year that will give newer shows (and shows from less popular networks, such as UPN, FX, and the WB) an even better chance at getting an award. The new system will allow members of the Academy to choose ten to fifteen finalists (depending on category), later cut to five main nominees by a panel of judges.
A few of this year’s hopefuls include The Office (NBC), My Name is Earl (NBC), Rescue Me (FX), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), Gilmore Girls (WB), Battlestar Galactica (SciFi), Everybody Hates Chris (UPN), and Entourage (HBO).
Of course, some regular faces will be sure to make appearance on the list such as members of The West Wing and The Sopranos. (Thank goodness Fraiser is off the air, although Will & Grace may return for one last year of nominations, despite the end of the series a few months ago).
The awards will air on August 27.
Read More | MSNBC
Gallery: New Rules Give Smaller Shows a Chance at an Emmy
First of all, I have to say Saved is my favorite new show of the summer. It has a great cast, and it’s irreverent without crossing quite as many lines as other shows featuring firefighters and paramedics ( Rescue Me I’m looking at you). It starts with a poker game—of course, and the rookie looking very out of place at a bar.
The first patient is one from hell, who Wyatt threatens to push out the back of the ambulance. I kind of wish he had—not only was she a snotty little brat, she listened to Ashlee Simpson. Meanwhile, Angela and the rookie are dealing with a repeat offender that nobody wants to deal with. And I don’t blame them. The rookie, in all his idealistic optimism, is crushed by this sudden exposure to a thing we like to call reality.
Then we have the “paramedics get lost” storyline. Everyone mocks this, I’m sure, but do y’all realize how hard it can be to navigate a city? It’s like all cities pick one thing—a name, a tree, small furry animal, whatever—and name everything after that. Oak street, Oak Ave, Oak Place, Oak Circle, Oak Blvd. Then some idiot tries to give you directions by going, “um, it’s on Oak?” Because, yeah, sweetie, that helps. There’s only 10, after all.
No, I’m not bitter. Why do you ask?
Wyatt and Sack rescue a few more patients—a mother and daughter trapped under an 18 wheeler and a guy up on a crane that is “oh my god way too high”—and gets stuck in the fog. That right there? My worst nightmare. Driving a big huge ambulance in the fog. With a patient in it.
Back at the station, the rookie hits on Angela’s roommate and looks all optimistic…until he finds them making out in a car. Funny, I’ve never had that kind of relationship with any of my roommates. Maybe there’s some sort of secret roommate finding list I don’t know about? Anyway, he’s crushed once more. This really is not his day.
The episode winds up with Wyatt and Sack returning the transfer patient from hell—who has done a 180 in attitude and is, well, she’s not pleasant but she’s not driving Wyatt to contemplate homicide either. Angela plans what has got to be the best revenge ever by dumping the stinky patient in her boyfriend’s apartment, where he and his new
girl find him.
The episode leaves off with Sack contemplating a private school for his son, Wyatt and Alice breaking up (For real this time. No. Honest. They mean it.), and the rookie telling Angela he was paired with her because of “God’s plan.” You know, up until then, I was really starting to like the kid.
Gallery: This Week On Saved
Sopranos Actors Finally Agree to Return for Last Episodes
Posted by Christina Furtado Categories: Drama, Prime Time, Cable, HBO, Talent, News,
Good news, Sopranos fans! Silvio and Paulie won’t be sleeping with the fishes for the final eight episodes of the show (at least not right away, anyway). Quite a few of the show’s actors had been holding out on signing contracts for the last episodes; now, the last two hold-outs, Steven Van Zandt (Silvio Dante) and Tony Sirico (Paulie Walnuts), have finally signed on for the show’s conclusion. They had been asking for a whopping $200,000 per episode, but, according to The New York Post, were talked down to $187,000. I’m glad HBO finally settled with them because it would have been incredibly difficult for David Chase to write out two such important characters. Apparently, the deals came just in time for wardrobe fittings later this week. Filming for the final eight episodes is set to begin next week.
Read More | Zap2It
Gallery: Sopranos Actors Finally Agree to Return for Last Episodes
FX’s gritty drama, Rescue Me has received plenty of criticism for its portrayal of misogynistic, alpha-male firefighters and somewhat insensitive approach to story lines. One example? The cringe-worthy rape scene in last week’s episode, which ended with Janet actually appearing to enjoy the attack. .
So, how best to rescue this show? Add a lesbian to the mix!
Rumor has it that the show’s creator’s are considering adding a new female firefighter to the show (Diane Farr, who previously appeared on the show, has moved on to CBS’s crime-solving math drama, Numb3rs) and that she will be a “lesbian or somebody who’s extremely capable in the job.”
I wasn’t aware that “lesbian” and “extremely capable” were interchangeable, but as far as stereotypes go, it could be worse. Who knows if it will be enough to redeem the show with female audiences—or lesbians, for that matter—if they haven’t already fled screaming into the night
Read More | After Ellen
Gallery: Rescue Me Rescued by Lesbian
It’s true that taking a famous movie and turning it into a TV show can be a big risk. However, people always say that the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward and this has sometimes proven true when it comes to that difficult big-screen-to-small-screen transition.
One of the newest attempts is Spike’s Blade, based on the vampire trilogy starring Wesley Snipes. This series stands to be an even bigger risk, as it is Spike TV’s first original scripted dramatic series.
One risk - coincidentally, also vampire-themed - that did pay off was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Based on a cheesy, B-movie about an airhead cheerleader turned “chosen one”, that series may have been one of the biggest risks in TV history. The original film starred Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry for goodness sake! It ended up being a risk worth taking. Buffy, which aired for seven years, earned creator Joss Whedon Emmy nominations, a spin-off (Angel) and a cult following.
The Odd Couple was both a successful film and a long-running sitcom, as was M*A*S*H which stayed on the air from 1972 to 1983!
One risk that did not pay off was the short-lived and long-forgotten Ferris Bueller series, based on the movie starring Matthew Broderick. The film was a huge hit and is a still popular today, but the show tanked. Clueless - which actually featured many of the original cast members from the movie version, minus star Alicia Silverstone - was also cancelled early on.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding was a surprise hit in theaters; My Big Fat Greek Life was a surprise flop on television despite holding on to the original star (and creator) Nia Vardalos.
We’ll have to wait and see if Blade will kill or be killed. Wesley Snipes leaves some pretty big shoes to fill. One can only hope that Kirk “Sticky” Jones, who plays the title role in the series, is up to the task.
Read More | IGMS
Gallery: Will Blade Survive?
Rescue Me Co-Creator Responds to Critics of Sex Scene
Posted by Christina Furtado Categories: Drama, Prime Time, Cable, Editorial,
As many of us know by now, last week’s Rescue Me included a disturbing sex scene that has created quite a bit of controversy. All over the internet, people have been arguing about to what extent the scene depicted a rape, and about the show’s lack of social responsibility in showing a woman apparently enjoying a rape. The show’s co-creater Peter Tolan has been posting in response to this controversy on the Television Without Pity message boards. According to Tolan, “In terms of the scene ... I never wrote the words ‘don’t’ or ‘no’ at any point in the scene, and when I talked to Andrea about the playing of the thing, I pretty much told her that she had to stand up to Tommy—that he had taken so much away from her over the years, that she had to stare him down from a position of strength while he was forcing himself on her. I told her to shame him with the words she was given - to let him know he couldn’t hurt her anymore, no matter what he did.” Tolan does acknowledge, however, that many viewers interpreted the scene differently, and that the issue of a woman seeming to enjoy a rape had “caused some concern” for them, but he’s very vague about it. Also, to further complicate matters, there is an interview with Tolan and Denis Leary in which they claim it wasn’t a rape at all. (Beware of some mildly spoilery stuff there.) Hmm.
As I stated in my comment to the post I linked to, I am of two minds about this issue. On the one hand, it is consistent with the characterization of these characters, and with the sort of two-dimensional portrayal of women on Rescue Me in general: they all seem to be evil, crazy, or some combination of the two. On the other hand, I do indeed think it’s socially irresponsible in this day and age to portray a woman as enjoying something that could be construed as a rape. In addition, if Tolan and Leary’s vision of this scene failed to come across to the audience in general, couldn’t the scene perhaps be looked at as a failure, artisically? Thoughts, anyone?
Read More | Zap2It
Gallery: Rescue Me Co-Creator Responds to Critics of Sex Scene
Yes, when I found out that my beloved Real World was heading to Denver, I thought the show had not only jumped the shark, but did a backflip over it, wearing a tutu. But fear not reality fans! It seems as though Denver has proved itself cooler than Seattle and Chicago- they’re not protesting, they’re joining in the fun! The Denver Post kicked off the Real World romp with a 24/7 investigative blog, and now the local alternative rag, the Westword, has out-realitied, reality. The Westword created a fake cast, crew, security detail, and slew of producers waving release forms, fooling Denver residents into believing they were the “Real” deal. So authentic were the ersatz “Real” kids, they even tricked Holly, a former Road Rules cast member who came over to introduce herself.
A really fake reality show? Boy. It almost makes you miss Puck.
Gallery: Denver Newspaper Creates Fake Real World Cast and Crew
Comedy Central to Bring Futurama Back from the Dead
Posted by Christina Furtado Categories: Animation, Comedy, Cable, FOX, DVD, News, Renewals,
Comedy Central has ordered 13 episodes of former Fox animated series Futurama to debut in 2008. The network bought the rights to the existing 72 episodes of the cult series last year, and talks about bringing the series back began at 20th Century Fox Television with show creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen. Voice actors Billy West, Katey Segal, and John DiMaggio are all expected to return to the comedy about a frozen pizza boy who wakes up 1000 years in the future. The show has done well on DVD, much like the other cancelled Fox show Family Guy, which was resurrected on that network last year. Ah, the power of TV-on-DVD!
Read More | Coming Soon
Gallery: Comedy Central to Bring Futurama Back from the Dead
Showtime Cancels Huff
Posted by Christina Furtado Categories: Drama, Cable, Showtime, Cancellations, News, Ratings,
After two low-rated but critically acclaimed seasons, Showtime has pulled the plug on its drama Huff, according to a report in Variety yesterday. The cast of the show, that focuses on a psychiatrist played by Hank Azaria and his family, was apparently notified earlier in the week. The show was noted for a huge Emmy campaign after its first low-rated season, resulting in an Emmy for Blythe Danner. A second season only aired, however, because Showtime exec Robert Greenblatt had been so impressed by the show that he green-lit a second season before the first even aired. The second season still failed to increase its numbers, so the season finale on Sunday night will also be its series finale. Huff also stars Oliver Platt, and Season One is available on DVD.
Read More | Coming Soon
Gallery: Showtime Cancels Huff
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