Parker Posey Signs on for Comedy
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, FOX, My Name Is Earl,
One of my favorites, Parker Posey, will be joining a Fox comedy pilot. Anyone familiar with this Indie queen knows that she’s a fantastic presence, and the pilot comes from Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of Gilmore Girls. Together, that makes a pretty solid pedigree. The show, titled The Return of Jezebel James, stars Parker as a children’s book editor. The comedy comes into play when this newly single character asks her estranged sister to carry the baby that she can’t conceive. Well, I guess it could be funny. Did you see My Name is Earl last week? Kinda the same premise going on. Sherman-Palladino and her husband sent Posey the script for The Return of Jezebel James, despite her history of turning down other pilots. “I can’t believe it’s happening,” Sherman-Palladino said. “Because it’s a comedy, the character runs the gamut of emotions from laughing to flipping out to breaking your heart in 22 minutes, and only one in a zillion people has enough skill and charm to pull that off. Parker Posey is that person.” Isn’t that the truth? Anyone who’s seen her roles in Waiting for Guffman or Best in Show is well aware of her talent.
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American Idol Suffers Hit to Ratings
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Ratings,
Well, okay, so American Idol didn’t take a huge ratings hit, but it did suffer a dip nonetheless. The show titled “Best of the Rest” earned them the lowest ratings of the season. Of course, the dip was just a drop in the bucket. The talent show still grabbed 27.9 million viewers, and that’s for their lowest rated episode. Still not too shabby. The show is certain to rebound nicely, as we are now moving beyond those dreadful first-round auditions and focusing on the Hollywood “boot camp.” This is the point where I can start watching the series. I just can’t bear to sit through the horrible singing, for just a glimpse of the people who actually have some talent. They say it makes good TV, I just think it’s tedious to sit through. I like American Idol, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t have the patience for those early shows. Once the finalists are selected, I’m in in for the long haul.
(You can find all the American Idol 6 posts here.)
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Has Robyn Troup Won American Idol: Season 6 Before It’s Even Started?
Posted by Rob Stevens Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Features, Gossip, Spoilers,
Anyone who knows me has probably heard me rail on the “parade of mediocrity” that is the audition process for American Idol. I’m just the kind of guy that thinks that to get your fifteen minutes of fame, you must be able to do something significant to contribute to ... something. Looking like a jackass and not being able to sing don’t count.
But that’s neither here nor there. Tomorrow starts the first round of hopefuls that were talented enough to get to the Hollywood stage of the competition, and this is normally where I start paying attention to the show. Idol has the ability to make stars out of even non-winners, and in fact, not winning could end up being a major opportunity for you. Kelly Clarkson notwithstanding, some of the biggest names to come out of Idol are Jennifer Hudson and her meteoric rise to capture a Golden Globe and probably an Oscar, and Season 5 finalist Chris Daughtry who’s debut album just went platinum (and is a great rock album).
Which led me to have an interesting conversation with my wife last night. How is it that the audience has been getting it so wrong, since they are the ones making this decision? The voting should be roughly analogous to how sales should go, right? And yet, winner Ruben Studdard falters while Clay Aiken makes out like a bandit. What’s going on?
Click to continue reading Has Robyn Troup Won American Idol: Season 6 Before It’s Even Started?
Jeff Foxworthy to Host Game Show
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Games, FOX, American Idol, Survivor,
TV Envy recently reported on an upcoming game show from Mark Burnett, testing the smarts of contestants on grade school level questions. At that time, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader did not have a host attached. Look no further folks, because Jeff Foxworthy will be taking on the job. The comedian, who became popular for his “You Might be a Redneck” jokes, may be just the quirky host this new game show concept needs. The Fox show will begin on Tuesday, February 27th, following American Idol. I’m looking forward to this because, since I’m not a huge game show fan, I can appreciate the fun of seeing how well people retain that elementary school knowledge. I know I, for one, have emptied most of that information out of my head. I have to start brushing up on this stuff before my first grade son figures out that he knows more than me! The topics that contestants will be quizzed on include math, history, geography and science. They are able to get help, but need to call on real grade-school kids for their lifeline.
Read More | Zap2it
Fox Casting News
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Drama, FOX, ER, The Office,
The FOX network has announced upcoming pilots, and with the news comes casting details. First up is a drama, called Supreme Courtships, starring Shane West. West can currently be seen on E.R. and was a cast member of ABC’s Once and Again. Of course, no word on whether or not West will stay on E.R. With a name like Supreme Courtships, you can kind of guess the subject matter—Supreme Court clerks and their relationships.
FOX also announced a new comedy, called The Rules of Starting Over, with Craig Bierko and Rashida Jones. The comedy will look at the lives of friends who are jumping back into dating following their divorces. Jones is currently on The Office, and there has been a lot of speculation about how long her role as Jim’s girlfriend will continue. Perhaps her signing on to a new pilot is good news for Pam and Jim fans?
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Kirstie Alley Returns to TV
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, FOX, Oprah Winfrey Show,
Kirstie Alley has been gracing the TV quite a lot, what with her Showtime series Fat Actress, the Jenny Craig ads, and the appearance on Oprah. This time, however, she’s back on network television, playing the lead in The Minister of Divine, a British remake of the comedy The Vicar of Dibley. I just love the word “vicar,” and I don’t really know why, other than it just sounds funny when the Brits say it. So, she plays a former rebel who comes back to her hometown—as a minister. I’m looking forward to Alley’s return to TV. While I didn’t enjoy Veronica’s Closet, Fat Actress was a little gem. And anyone who can parade their weight loss on Oprah has more than their fair share of fans, no doubt.
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New Game Show Tests 5th Grade Smarts
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Games, Prime Time, FOX, American Idol, Survivor,
Here’s a fun development from Mark Burnett—a game show that tests people on 5th grade level questions. The Fox show, titled, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (clever) begins in late February and will run for six episodes.
Viewers anxious to discover if they are, in fact, smarter than a 5th grader will be able to find out on FOX starting at the end of February. The air time will be a bit funky, with episodes airing at 9:30 p.m. on February 27th and 28th. The show will most likely get a big bump since the episodes will follow American Idol. March 1st and 8th promises an hour-long episode each night—yet again following Idol‘s lead. Then, on March 15th and 22nd, the game show will be at 8:00 p.m. Do you think you’re smarter than a 5th grader? You may think so, but consider that most of us emptied 5th grade geography, history, math, and science out of our brains long ago. The questions come from 1st through 5th grade text books, and be assured that the contestants can ask for help—from actual grade school kids.
Read More | Zap2it
Rumor: Paula Abdul to be Replaced
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Gossip, Rumors,
When I first read the gossip that Paula Abdul might be replaced on American Idol, I figured it was true. Her strange behavior seems to be begging for her to get the boot. Then I read a bit more and saw that Courtney Love may be her replacement. Huh? Seems it would be in Idol producers’ best interest to replace one incoherent judge with someone reliable, and… I don’t know… coherent? The rumor comes from Us Weekly, so I think we may have to take this one with a grain of salt. Their report says that a source informed the magazine that Nigel Lythgoe, Idol executive producer, considered replacing Paula with Courtney. No telling who the “source” is, but it seems a fair assumption that this prediction will never see the light of day. Us reported that Love was contacted by Lythgoe, but she made no comment about whether or not she would appear on Idol. Love said of the call, “He was wondering if I was interested. I thought it was kind of weird but brilliant.”
Read More | Reality TV World
ABC Moves ‘Knights of Prosperity’
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Music, Prime Time, Reality, ABC, FOX, American Idol, Ratings,
ABC must have some faith in the new comedy The Knights of Prosperity—they’ve decided to move the new show to a time frame that isn’t against American Idol. I’m not so sure the show is worth saving, but compared to In Case of Emergency, which Knights has been paired with, seems they are making the better choice about which to move. If you haven’t seen it, Knights features Donal Logue and a team of rag-tag thieves as they try to rob Mick Jagger. The first episode showed potential, but it seemed to take a slide in subsequent episodes. Ratings for the first two shows were at 6.2 million, but the last two episodes only drew in 4 million viewers. In Case of Emergency will stay on in the Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. slot, where I’m sure it will certainly face its eventual death. The Knights of Prosperity will now be seen at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, following George Lopez. According to Jim will take on American Idol at 9 p.m. Once American Idol cuts back to a one hour show in a few more weeks, Emergency may gain some steam, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.
Read More | Zap2it
‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Auditions Set to Begin
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Prime Time, Reality, FOX,
Put on your dancing shoes, it’s time to show the folks at So You Think You Can Dance that you can—well, you know—dance. Fox is beginning to hold auditions for the third season of the dance talent competition. Look for auditions in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta. New York dancers can show their stuff March 1-3 at the Manhattan Center Theater. Chicago folks can make their way to The Legendary Chicago Theatre on March 8-10. Los Angeles hopefuls can try out at the Orpheum Theatre on March 22 -24. The auditions wrap up on April 5-7 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The dancers who make the cut attend a call-back week, where the top 20 contestants will be announced. So, not only do you need to be a talented dancer, but you also need to be between 18 and 30 years old. Guess my aspirations have been crushed because I’m too dang old. Oh yeah, and I can’t dance either. Sigh.
Read More | Zap2it
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