For those who know Liza Minnelli primarily as Lucille 2 on Arrested Development, Showtime is about to reveal why the now dissipated diva is a living legend: Just watch Liza With a “Z,” Showtime, premiering on Saturday, April 1. Today people think of Minnelli, the daughter of show business royalty Judy Garland and Vincent Minnelli, as an over-the-hill performer whose life is plagued by inconsistent performances, health catastrophes, and marital woes. Back in Spring 1972, when Liza With a “Z” was filmed at Broadway’s Lyceum Theater, Liza was young and glamorous, at the top of her game. Directed by another show business legend, Bob Fosse, the NBC-TV Special showed Minnelli at her best (and there was none better), singing and dancing to the music of Kander & Ebb (Cabaret, Chicago), as well as joking, and reminiscing her way to an Emmy Award. Liza also has an Oscar and multiple Tony Awards.
The program hasn’t been broadcast since NBC-TV’s re-airing in September, 1973. Throughout the 1980s, the false rumor persisted that the landmark special had been lost. Gratefully, it was not. For the Showtime airings, Liza With a “Z” has been restored, digitally re-mastered, and will include previously deleted scenes. If you’re not a Showtime subscriber, not to worry. The DVD will be released on April 4.
Read More 
| Showtime
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Will & Grace: Cowboys and Iranians
Posted by Christopher Stone Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, NBC, Features,
“Cowboys and Iranians,” last night’s episode of Will & Grace (nicknamed “Brokeback Jack”) was a no-laugh mountain. In the “Cowboys” ‘A Story,’ Jack guilts Will into visiting Cowpokes, a gay country-western dance bar, to meet his new flame Travis. While dancing with Travis, Will learns that Jack’s new love has a cheating, self-centered heart.
In the “Iranians” ‘B Story,’ Grace aspires to culture sensitivity, hiring Pam, a prickly Iranian assistant who is all attitude. Grace tolerates the inefficient, insufferable woman until she learns that, like herself, Pam is Jewish. In the episode’s ‘Button,’ Grace laments, “Too bad I’m not Republican, then I wouldn’t have to worry about being sensitive to anyone. I’d just have to worry about being indicted.”
Overall, the script fell short of the series’ award-winning standards. But the laugh anemic “Cowboys” storyline benefited substantially from the appearance of Leslie Jordan in his recurring role as Munchkin closet queen Beverly Leslie. Beverly denies knowing that Cowpokes is a gay bar, then he once again tries to pass off his hot male companion as a “business associate.” In its eighth and final season, Will & Grace has delivered a few riotous episodes, most notably the one in which the cast attends a The Sound of Music Sing-a-long. “Cowboys and Iranians” is not among these gems. Ang Lee himself would have been hard-pressed to mold “Brokeback Jack” into a jewel in the Will & Grace crown.
Sopranos Holds Strong, Big Love Is Flaccid
Posted by Christopher Stone Categories: Drama, Cable, HBO, News,
HBO’s muscular Mafia megahit, The Sopranos, attracted 9.2 million viewers to the network on Sunday. However, the premium channel’s freshman entry, Big Love - which follows The Sopranos - managed to lose almost 6 million of its buff lead-in’s audience, registering a limp 3.4 million viewers. Dubbed ‘Desperate Housewives in Utah’ by cynics, Big Love premiered on Sunday, March 12, to a less than stellar audience of 4.6 million.
For the uninitiated, Big Love stars Bill Paxton as a Viagara-propelled polygamist who juggles three beautiful wives and legal woes in present-day Utah. As the over-extended husband/father/businessman, Paxton is supported by the wonderful Ginnifer Goodwin, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Chloe Sevigny, as the wives who perpetually get short shrift.
Read More | Hollywood Reporter (Subscription Required)
American Idol 5: Kevin Covais Voted Off
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol,
Well, well, well. Who knew that if you wished upon a star hard enough, your dreams could come true? I prayed for the day that Kevin Covais would finally be kicked off American Idol, but I never thought it would happen so soon. When I heard that Votefortheworst.com was backing him just for sheer entertainment, I was convinced that I would have to listen to him for weeks to come. So ultimately, I had to pick Lisa Tucker as the loser for the week. But that’s okay. I may have lost—but I really won! Kevin’s elimination was equivalent to Brent’s firing on The Apprentice. With less dead weight on the show now, we’re just about ready to get down to business. Once that airhead Kellie Pickler is eliminated, it’ll be clear sailing from here…
(You can find all the American Idol 5 posts here.)
LOST: It’s A Question of Time
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Prime Time, ABC, Lost, Editorial,
Okay - of all the revelations in tonight’s episode, there was one thing in particular that really got to me. And no—it wasn’t about Sun’s big secret. Thought that was a doozy. Early in the episode, I had a Different Strokes moment when I caught myself saying: “What chu talkin’ about, Ana Lucia?” At first I wasn’t sure if I heard her correctly, but thanks to the power of rewind I was certain. Remember that first conversation between Ana Lucia and Locke? She said “We’ve been here over a week and you’ve barely spoken two words to me” (or something like that). “We’ve been here over a week.”
Just over a week? Are you kidding me? It’s only been that long? Let’s recap a sampling of the events that have happened since the arrival of the Tailies:
- Mr. Eko gave Locke a portion of the film reel
- Mr. Eko baptized Claire’s baby
- Psychotherapist Libby helped Claire with her memory
- Libby flirted with Hurley in the laundry room
- Sun was grabbed (by Charlie) in the jungle…Ana Lucia was fingered as a suspect.
- A mystery man was found in the jungle
And let’s just remind you—this was just a sampling. I must say though, this does help to explain their lack of hair growth…
NBC To Pick Up Carson’s Cyberspace
Posted by Christopher Stone Categories: NBC, Internet, Video,
Television programming is migrating to the Internet faster than birds can transport Avian Flu to North America. On the other wing, NBC-TV is looking to bring Internet fare to their “must-see” schedule. The Peacock Network has all but signed for Carson’s Cyberhood, a half-hour showcase for homemade video productions that are making the Internet rounds (think Brokeback Mountain parodies and sendups of the Bush administration). Carson Daly has already cowboyed up as host and co-producer. NBC envisions the series as a 21st Century take on the durable America’s Funniest Home Videos format. As on the aforementioned series, Carson’s Cyberhood will have clips vying for a cash prize. Featured clips will run from 20 seconds to two minutes. Eventually NBC hopes that the clips submitted will be created specifically for the series, rather than for the Internet.
Read More | Variety
Fox Hunts Youth & Hispanic Markets With My Network TV
Posted by Christopher Stone Categories: Prime Time, FOX,
Along with new series and returning favorites, September will bring new broadcast networks. Of course, there’s The CW, the previously announced love child of the merging UPN and WB networks. But another interesting neophyte will be Fox’s My Network TV. This newbie will be out gunning for The CW’s youthful viewers, as well as for the growing Hispanic audience. Premiering on September 5, My Network TV will initially offer 12 prime time hours of programming on 10 big city stations that have been UPN affiliates. The network’s first two offerings will both be English-language versions of Latin America’s hugely successful serialized dramas, known in Spanish as telenovelas (television novels).
Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Christopher Stone, a new editor on TV Envy. A life-long television fan and a much published (print and Internet) entertainment journalist, I’m probably best known for my personal development best seller Re-Creating Your Self, and, with Mary Sheldon, as co-author of The Meditation Journal trilogy of hardcover books.
With my spouse, three dogs, and a tortoise shell Calico cat, I live in the Los Angeles South Bay, far enough away from Hollywood to maintain some perspective on the business, and close enough to the ocean to benefit from the ever present breeze.
I love all things television, and I hope to bring humor, spice, and variety to my contributions here.
CBS’ Rock Star to Showcase New Band
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Prime Time, Reality, CBS, Rock Star,
A new twist this year for CBS’ Rock Star. Instead of leading for an already existing band, the winning vocalist will now front a combined group of rock all-stars. This new band, named Supernova, will consist of Tommy Lee (Motley Crue), Jason Newsted (Metallica) and Gilby Clarke (Guns N’ Roses). Last year’s edition of Rock Star helped find a replacement for INXS’s former lead, Michael Hutchence.
Auditions are currently underway but no date has yet been set for the series premiere. Dave Navarro and Brooke Burke will return as co-hosts.
In case you were wondering how the creators of South Park would react to the recent departure of Isaac Hayes—make sure to tune in tonight. As we mentioned last week, Hayes left the show because he felt that the comedy’s affinity for religious bashing had gone too far. Those involved with the show felt that his displeasure really had to do with a specific episode about Scientology.
Although the Hayes announcement was only recently made, co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker were able to quickly crank out a response in time for tonight’s season opener. The episode, called ‘The Return of the Chef’, will feature Chef. Question is—who will be voicing him, if anyone? Stay tuned!
Read More | People
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