Must See TV is Back!
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, NBC, My Name Is Earl, Scrubs, The Office,
Remember when Thursday nights were ‘Must See TV’ on NBC? Well, Thursday nights are about to get a great lineup again. Of course, this is just in my opinion, but I’m sure plenty will agree. First, Scrubs is coming back on November 30th! The long-awaited return is finally just around the corner, and here’s hoping that the 9 p.m. slot on the Thursday night lineup will bring more viewers to this great comedy. Second, 30 Rock, the new Tina Fey/Alec Baldwin sitcom will move to Thursdays at 9:30. This little comedy has got potential and Thursday may give it more exposure. My Name is Earl and The Office will continue at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Oh my god, settle in to your comfy chair for the best night of TV! Kevin Reilly, President of NBC Entertainment, said of the news, “We are excited about the prospect of two-hours of top-notch comedy on Thursday nights, which includes the return of Scrubs. We will stay on-brand with the best comedy block on television, which will position us for the future on the night.” Look for it all on November 30th (and of course, ER is still hanging in the Thursday 10 p.m. spot).
Read More 
| ComingSoon.net
Gallery: Must See TV is Back!
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How I Met Your Mother Barneyism Contest
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, CBS, Internet, News,
If you’re a fan of How I Met Your Mother, then this contest may be right up your alley. One of the things that has made HIMYM such a success are the lines that Neil Patrick Harris, as Barney, delivers. These are the lines that people regurgitate the next day at the office—and the writers just keep ‘em coming. I, for one, have never gotten in the groove of watching this show. It just doesn’t deliver enough laughs for me… but I certainly understand the appeal and think that Neil Patrick Harris does a great job of distancing himself from the Doogie Howser persona.
TV.com is running a contest for the best Barneyism, with the winning entry getting written into a script of How I Met Your Mother. Imagine your clever line being delivered on the show—instant fame! Hurry and get your entry in—the winner will be decided in December.
Read More | TV.com Entry Form
Gallery: How I Met Your Mother Barneyism Contest
Farrelly Brothers Pilot Coming to NBC
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, BBC, NBC,
The Farrelly brothers (Peter and Bobby) are perhaps best known for their films There’s Something About Mary, Kingpin, Stuck on You, and Shallow Hal. Now they’re bringing their brand of humor to the small screen, joining forces with Ben Silverman, producer of The Office and Wil Calhoun, a writer for Friends. The pilot, called I’m With Stupid, is an adaptation of a British show that pairs a homeless man with a disabled man in a wheelchair. The man comes to live at the home for the disabled where the wheelchair-bound man lives. So where is the Farrelly brothers’ signature gross-out humor? Well, it’s sure to have some people prickly over the nature of the show and possibly the title (who is the “stupid” one in this friendship?). The brothers will direct and serve as executive producers. The British version has received high marks for its potrayal of disabled people. We’ll see if the Farrelly’s can bring any sensitivity to the subject. The Farrelly’s are currently working on a Three Stooges project.
Read More | Zap2it
Gallery: Farrelly Brothers Pilot Coming to NBC
Scrubs’ Star Takes on Lifetime Movie
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, Cable, NBC, Scrubs,
Sarah Chalke, who stars as Elliot Reid on Scrubs, is taking on a decidedly different role. Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy tells the story of a woman who has discovered she has breast cancer and how she copes with it. Here’s the twist—it’s a comedy. The story is about Geralyn Lucas, now the director of public relations for Lifetime Networks, who documented her battle with breast cancer and survival in the book of the same name. Now adapted for a Lifetime movie, the story is a humorous look at how one woman coped with something that most can’t wrap their brains around. I’m looking forward to seeing Chalke bring her gift of comedy to this film—so far, I’ve read good reviews of her performance. Jay Harrington (Coupling, Desperate Housewives) plays Lucas’ husband—a doctor who is trying to understand what his wife is going through. According to Geralyn Lucas’ bio on the Lifetime web site, her cancer diagnosis was 11 years ago. The movie premieres on Monday, October 23rd at 9 p.m on Lifetime—a fitting film for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Read More | Yahoo! News
Gallery: Scrubs’ Star Takes on Lifetime Movie
Happy Hour and ‘Til Death—Still Kickin’?
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, FOX, Cancellations, Ratings,
In a surprise move, Fox has requested additional scripts of Happy Hour and ‘Til Death—two new sitcoms seemingly perched on the edge of cancellation. The ratings indicate that both of these freshman series are in jeopardy of the axe, but the network is willing to give them some more opportunities to make ‘em laugh. Media reports are saying that Fox wants three more scripts from each—and we’ll see where things go from there. Both shows air Thursday nights, with ‘Til Death averaging about 6.9 million viewers. Happy Hour averaged under 5.6 million viewers in its three airings. Both went on hiatus because of baseball games on Fox, while ‘Til Death took additional time off when Brad Garrett put the brakes on production because of the quality of the scripts.
Read More | Zap2it
Gallery: Happy Hour and ‘Til Death—Still Kickin’?
Salma Hayek Brings Her Beauty to Ugly Betty
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Drama, Prime Time, ABC, Ratings,
It was only a matter of time, I suppose, before Salma Hayek would step front and center on the show she executive produces, Ugly Betty. Until now, she’s had some fleeting moments on the show in a background soap opera. Her role will encompass multiple episodes, according to an ABC announcement today. Look for Hayek in her first guest star gig on the November 2nd episode—she will appear on three more episodes during November. Hayek will play Sofia Reyes, “a newcomer to the Mode scene who will leave a lasting impression on Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius) and Betty Suarez (America Ferrera).” This announcement comes on the heels of the news that ABC ordered a full season of the popular freshman show. It’s not too late to jump on the bandwagon—this is a fun show, and as I reported earlier, America Ferrera brings so much heart to the Betty character.
Read More | Access Hollywood
Gallery: Salma Hayek Brings Her Beauty to Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty Gets a Full Ride
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Drama, Prime Time, ABC, News, Ratings,
ABC announced on Friday that Ugly Betty would get the full season order. That makes it the third new series to get the go-ahead, behind Heroes and Jericho. Great news for star America Ferrera and executive producer Salma Hayek. Ugly Betty took several years to make it to the small screen, with several producers, writers and networks trying to adapt the Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty La Fea to an American audience. When it finally made it to air, it surprised many by gaining solid viewership against the heavy-hitters in the 8:00 PM Thursday time slot (Survivor, My Name is Earl and The Office). While Ugly Betty continues to come in second to Survivor, it does maintain an average of 15 million viewers per episode. According to ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson, “The show has proven to be competitive in a very strong time period, and we’re thrilled with Ugly Betty‘s performance.”
If you haven’t caught this new series yet, give it a try. It’s different than anything that’s on right now and Ferrera brings so much heart to the role. She really brings across the beauty that lies beneath the ugly facade, and her subtle comedic moments are so sweet. America Ferrera’s first film role was Real Women Have Curves (2002) and I highly recommend it. If you enjoy her performance on Betty, you’ll find her role in this film endearing as well.
Read More | Zap2it
Gallery: Ugly Betty Gets a Full Ride
Watch Out Ugly Betty, Prada is in the Works
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, ABC, FOX, Ratings,
If it works for Betty, why not give Prada a try? Fox is planning to develop The Devil Wears Prada into a half hour sitcom. The Devil Wears Prada was recently a hit movie starring Meryl Streep, based on the bestselling book of the same name. Given Ugly Betty‘s success, Prada has a good chance of making it. While the stories are not exactly the same, there are parallels between the two. Namely, the non-fashion-sensible woman thrown into a world of self-absorbed fashionistas at a magazine. Beyond that, the stories have few other similarities. Fox TV Studios acquired the TV rights, with Robin Schiff (Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion) on board as writer and executive producer of the single-camera comedy. Fox TV Studios president, Angela Shapiro-Mathes will include elements of the hit movie, but is “not looking to directly translate the movie into a TV show.” Hey, if there’s room for two shows about a behind-the-scenes-look at a fictional sketch comedy show, then there should be room for two shows about the world of a fashion magazine.
Read More | Comingsoon.net
Gallery: Watch Out Ugly Betty, Prada is in the Works
Grey’s Anatomy Gives The Fray a Boost
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Drama, Music, Prime Time, ABC, NBC, Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs, Internet,
In other Grey’s Anatomy news, the series has featured two videos by the band The Fray—and given the rock group significant exposure. The hit series aired a four-minute video following the September 7th episode for the single “How to Save a Life,” featuring clips from the show. They followed it up two weeks later with an extended video with additional scenes. And that’s not all—the videos were available on web sites, including ABC.com, as well as electronic magazines. ABC Entertainment senior VP of marketing, Michael Benson, said that the value of the videos were in their ability “to become great content for TV viewers… going beyond the 30-second promo and driving people back to television.”
The band has definitely seen a jump in sales, with between 2,000 and 3,000 copies being sold per week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. To date, the album has sold 897,000 copies, while the title track has sold 622,000 digital downloads. The song “How to Save a Life” is also featured on the Grey’s Anatomy, Volume 2 soundtrack.
For my money, however, I think the tune “How to Save a Life” was a much better fit on last season’s episode of Scrubs, titled “My Lunch.” I was bawling—Scrubs has always done an excellent job of integrating music into every storyline and the inclusion of “How to Save a Life” made me rush out and buy The Fray’s CD the very next day.
Read More | Yahoo! News
Gallery: Grey’s Anatomy Gives The Fray a Boost
30 Rock Premiere Available Online
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Prime Time, NBC, Saturday Night Live, Internet,
I guess not everyone will share my sentiment about 30 Rock, starring Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin—there are a lot of negative comments out there about the show—but I’m really looking forward to Wednesday’s premiere. Perhaps I was in the minority, but I just loved Fey on Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live and think her writing for the film Mean Girls was fantastic. Alec Baldwin is always a showstopper for me too. Any time he’s hosted SNL, he’s been incredibly funny, with excellent timing. I know, I know, there is already the behind-the-scenes-look-at-a-late-night-sketch-comedy-show on Studio 60, but try and give this one a chance.
That said, you can view the entire premiere episode at NBC.com—in advance of the premiere on Wednesday night. I’m dying to see it, but alas, will have to wait until tomorrow to check it out because I’ve just been too busy. Whether you watch it online or catch it on NBC Wednesday at 8:00 PM, I’d love to hear what you think of it. Good—Bad—or just, eh? Also noteworthy: Tina Fey will have a live blog following the show at NBC.com. Check it out.
Read More | NBC.com
Gallery: 30 Rock Premiere Available Online
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