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Link Time! George Clooney Gets Behind A New TNT Show

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:30:05 -0700

George Clooney is signing on to exec-produce Delta Blues (with an Elvis impersonator cop!) for TNT - TV Squad
January Jones will star in the Nicolas Cage thriller The Hungry Rabbit Jumps - Coming Soon
The Short Circuit remake gets a director - MTV Movies Blog
Those DirectTV ads with Chris Farley and David Spade suffer some backlash - E! Online
Kristin Davis talks the Sex and the City sequel - Hollywood Crush
Lots of photos from this past weekend's CMJ Festival - Stereogum
Weezer and Lil Wayne's collaboration "Can't Stop Partying" is pretty darn catchy - Idolator
Check out this list of the best rock-'n'-roll movies - Rotten Tomatoes
Author Augusten Burroughs is working on two new TV series, one for CBS and one for Showtime - Movieline
Norah Jones plays a pirate in her new music video - HitFix
Just in time for Halloween: The 5 scariest TV episodes ever - TV.com
Plus, 10 girl-power inspired costumes (Bella Swan made the list!) - TresSugar

Hawaii Five-O Returning to TV

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:30:27 -0700

Book 'em, Dano! Hawaii Five-O is coming back to CBS. The network is currently at work developing a 2.0 version of the classic cop series, and the writers behind it include two of the guys from Fringe, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci.

I feel pretty confident about the cult favorite's return given that it's in such capable hands, but with yesterday's news that Southland got canceled, can any police drama - even one with established fans - survive against TV titans CSI and Law & Order? Here's hoping Hawaii Five-O may just stand a chance. I'm sure a few die-hard fans of the '70s original will be a bit unhappy about the new, undoubtedly slicked-up version, but as long as they leave the theme song alone, I'll be happy.

How do you feel about a remake? Do you think it can last up against the other police series?

CBS Scores Another Daily Show Alum: Rob Riggle

BuzzSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:38:50 -0700

CBS's comedy department is starting to look a little like The Daily Show, Primetime Edition. Current Daily Show correspondent Rob Riggle has just signed a deal to create and star in a half-hour CBS comedy, following a similar deal by Samantha Bee and Jason Jones last week.

Riggle is committed to The Daily Show through the end of the year, but after that, he'll make the jump to CBS to start working on his show. He's still kicking around ideas for the series, but one thought is that it could draw on his experiences as an officer in the Marine Corps Reserves, as Riggle's done before on the Daily Show.

I'm so glad to see that this wave of Daily Show correspondents will be branching out into new, cool-sounding projects, just like Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Rob Corddry, and Ed Helms did a few years ago. And hey, it looks like there will be some openings over at The Daily Show for 2009, so here's hoping the new correspondents they track down are just as funny as the ones who came before.

Are you excited to see Riggle get his own show? And are there any other current Daily Show correspondents who you think deserve a solo project?

Source

Hawaii Five-O: Oh, No, Not Another Remake!

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:39:47 -0700

Who needs original ideas when you can revisit the hits of the past? From Knight Rider to The Streets of San Francisco, that seems to be TV's strategy these days - and now we can add the classic cop show Hawaii Five-O to the list. The long-running TV show is going to be remade at CBS, with the fictional Hawaiian police department now being run by the son of one of the original cops.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the idea to remake the show came from the network to Criminal Minds executive producer Ed Bernero, who's "such a big Hawaii Five-O fan that he has the iconic theme song from the show as his ringtone." The show will pick up with Chris McGarrett, the son of original cop Steve McGarrett (played by Jack Lord), running the unit.

The original Hawaii Five-O ran for 12 seasons, and - like Miami Vice and Starsky and Hutch - it was originally supposed to be made into a feature film. The movie is stil listed as being in production, but it's apparently been stalled for a while.

Bernero said he's "not trying to reinvent" the original show. The classic theme song will be there (albeit possibly updated), while the show will keep a version of its famous "Book 'em, Danno" closing line. The original was a little before my time, but from what I've seen in reruns, I can't say this is a show I've ever felt a strong desire to revisit. What about you? To watch the original intro, just read more.

Source

Pilot Watch: Worst Week

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:30:34 -0700

The networks have announced their Fall schedules, but which of the series will actually be worth watching? This Summer, as the networks release their pilots, I'll be posting my first impressions. A lot can change before a show makes it to air - especially this year, when the writers' strike severely gummed up the production of pilots - so consider these just some quick thoughts on how the shows look now. Today's installment: CBS's Worst Week, which is set to anchor the Monday night comedy lineup.

What's it about? A guy, Sam, turns into a bumbling idiot anytime he's around his girlfriend's parents.

Who's in it? Kyle Bornheimer, Erinn Hayes, Kurtwood Smith, Nancy Lenehan

The good: It's interesting to see the most traditional network try a half-hour comedy without a laugh track. If you like slapstick, there's a lot of physical comedy in this episode. The actors do their best to sell some ridiculous situations, and there's a great cameo from Aziz Ansari, who was recently cast in The Office spinoff.

The bad: The funniest moment in your pilot shouldn't come from a guest star. It's hard to feel sorry for Sam when he does so many idiotic things; I like the idea of a guy becoming a human disaster around the people he's trying hardest to impress, but Sam chooses the least-logical option time and time again. I wanted to slap him, not laugh at him. The chain of disasters is assembled well, but it's also pretty predictable. I can't see the show being anything but that, week after week - and considering it's called Worst Week (as opposed to, say, month or year), it's as though CBS already knows its limitations.

Will I watch? Doubtful. I'm curious to see if later episodes change the format, though.

To see a gallery of photos and watch a preview, just read more.

View 3 Photos ›

Photos and video courtesy of CBS

First Look: Flashpoint on CBS

BuzzSugar — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:30:16 -0700

If Swingtown is a step outside the box for CBS, the network's other Summer drama, Flashpoint, seems like a perfect fit. It's a cop show, set in a specialized unit that "rescues hostages, busts gangs, defuses bombs, climbs the sides of buildings and talks down suicidal teens," and it should slip in nicely with the network's crime-of-the-week brand.

The show, which premieres July 11, came to CBS under rather unusual circumstances. Picked up during the writers' strike, Flashpoint is a Canadian production and will air simultaneously on CBS and CTV. The show is set entirely in Canada and is based on Toronto's actual Emergency Task Force, which is similar to a SWAT team in the US.

The show stars Enrico Colantoni (of Veronica Mars, among other things) and Amy Jo Johnston (of Wildfire and Felicity), and from the preview clips I've seen, it seems to have a good energy to it. The downside: I doubt its Fridays-at-10 timeslot will do it any favors in terms of getting an audience outside the most hardcore cop-show viewers. Want to check it out? For a preview and a clip from the first episode, just read more.

Photo and video courtesy of CBS

Sneak Peek: Swingtown's Premiere Episode

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:30:45 -0700

You know, I really want to like CBS' Swingtown, which premieres tonight at 10 p.m. I didn't make it one of my Top Ten Reasons to Keep Your TV On This Summer for nothing. But, unfortunately, the network's promo department doesn't seem to be doing the show many favors.

My evidence: the following video, a sneak peek of tonight's premiere, in which main couple Susan and Bruce Miller move to the suburbs and discover a whole new world of drugs and sex awaiting them. The video sets up what's going to happen in tonight's episode, which is fine - but it's made in the style of one of those seven-minute Sopranos videos, which seem to work best for established series whose viewers are ready to poke a little fun at a show's conventions. Applying it to a new show just makes Swingtown seem silly - which, reviews suggest, is one thing it isn't.

My hope remains that the show will be smarter than this video suggests, and I'll be tuning in tonight to see for myself. Anyone with me? To watch the sneak peek, just read more.

Photo courtesy of CBS

Buzz News Roundup, 5/21

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:37:03 -0700

Variety reports that Spike Lee plans to make a feature-length documentary about Michael Jordan to premier at next year's Cannes Film Festival.
The Telegraph reports that the voice cast members of The Simpsons will receive $500,000 per episode for the next 22-episode season.
According to Hollywood Reporter, John Grisham's bestseller Playing for Pizza will be adapted for the big screen.
Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta and others have joined Michael Cera for the comedy Youth in Revolt, writes ComingSoon.
CBS will stream a number of archived television shows online, including Twin Peaks and The Love Boat, reports The Wall Street Journal.
According to Variety, there will be a Rupert Wainwright-directed indie drama titled Waco, based on the 1993 stand-off at Waco, Texas.
Janet Jackson is gearing up to do a tour, kicking off in Vancouver on September 10, Billboard writes.
Will Smith will produce a remake of France's smash hit comedy Welcome to the Sticks, Zap2It reports.
Reuters reports that Sharon Osbourne has signed on to star in VH1's reality show Rock of Love Girls: Charm School, teaching contestants "about etiquette, fashion and manners."
Zap2It has the news that John Cusack and Chiwetel Ejiofor are in talks to join Roland Emmerich's apocalyptic thriller 2012.

Source

The CBS Fall Schedule: My Take (Plus Video!)

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:30:06 -0700

CBS revealed its plans for Fall at the upfronts this morning, including more comedy and a few high-profile drama series. Now that I've had the chance to mull the schedule over, here are some of my thoughts:

CBS' decision to expand into a second night of comedy has to be good news for fans of traditional sitcoms, which CBS already did more of - and arguably does better - than any other network at this point. While the descriptions for Project Gary (pictured above) and Worst Week didn't wow me on paper, I'm curious to check out the full shows for myself.
I wouldn't have pegged CBS as a network for remakes of shows from other countries (that tends to be more NBC's bag), but that's what three of their new series are: The Ex List is imported from Israel, Worst Week is based on a BBC comedy, and Eleventh Hour was originally a BBC miniseries starring Patrick Stewart.
Hooray for How I Met Your Mother! Looking back at my coverage of last year's upfronts, I realized the show followed exactly the same pattern then: Things looked bleak for a while, but then the show went on a big upswing and made the schedule without trouble.
Which of the canceled series will you miss most? Cane never got a lot of buzz, Moonlight had a big fan following but not big ratings, and Shark . . . well, I'm not really sure what the issues were with Shark, to be honest.
Speaking of which, I assume the failure of Jericho to gain an audience after the peanut campaign pretty much puts the kibbosh on any chance of Moonlight returning no matter what fans use to bombard the network, right?

I've got some clips and photos from all the new CBS shows, and you can check them out if you read more.

Eleventh Hour

The Ex List

Worst Week

Project Gary

The Mentalist

Harper's Island

The CBS Fall Schedule: Five New Series, No Vampires

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:35:31 -0700

CBS took its turn at the 2008 upfronts this morning, revealing a slate that boasted five new shows - and the cancellation of a couple of fan favorites. Chief among them: Moonlight, the network's Friday night vampire drama, which in recent weeks had fans organizing a blood drive in its honor. I wonder if stakes and cloves of garlic will soon be arriving at CBS' door?

The schedule also has the network opening up a new comedy night on Wednesdays, with The New Adventures of Old Christine and a new half-hour comedy called Project Gary filling the night's first hour. How I Met Your Mother is indeed back - and keeps its 8:30 p.m. slot on Mondays. As for new shows, they include the Jerry Bruckheimer project Eleventh Hour, the buzzed about drama The Mentalist, and a dramedy called The Ex List starring Elizabeth Reaser, aka Ava/Rebecca/Jane Doe from Grey's Anatomy.

Shark, Cane, Jericho, Kid Nation, and Welcome to the Captain were other series that didn't make the cut for the new season's schedule. Here's the official CBS press release, and to check out the full schedule and descriptions of the new shows, just read more.

All caps = new show (except NCIS and CSI)
** = new time slot

MONDAY
8 p.m. The Big Bang Theory
8:30 p.m. How I Met Your Mother
9 p.m. Two and a Half Men
9:30 p.m. WORST WEEK
10 p.m. CSI: Miami

TUESDAY
8 p.m. NCIS
9 p.m. THE MENTALIST
10 p.m. Without a Trace**

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. The New Adventures of Old Christine**
8:30 p.m. PROJECT GARY
9 p.m. Criminal Minds
10 p.m. CSI: NY

THURSDAY
8 p.m. Survivor
9 p.m. CSI
10 p.m. ELEVENTH HOUR

FRIDAY
8 p.m. Ghost Whisperer
9 p.m. THE EX LIST
10 p.m. Numb3rs

SATURDAY
8 p.m. CBS Crimetime
10 p.m. 48 Hours Mystery

SUNDAY
7 p.m. 60 Minutes
8 p.m. The Amazing Race
9 p.m. Cold Case
10 p.m. The Unit**

Midseason: HARPER'S ISLAND, Rules of Engagement

Here's how CBS describes the new shows:

Worst Week
Worst Week is a comedy about Sam Briggs, an entertainment magazine editor who will do anything to please his girlfriend's parents . . . but instead becomes a one-man wrecking crew whenever he's around them. Sam (Kyle Bornheimer, Jericho) and his girlfriend, Melanie Clayton (Erinn Hayes, Kitchen Confidential), have only one hurdle left to clear as they start their life together: breaking the news to Mel's conservative parents that they have a wedding in the works and a baby on the way. Dick (Kurtwood Smith, That '70s Show), a stern Judge, and his wife Angela (Nancy Lenehan, My Name is Earl), are protective of their daughter, and are really trying to let go of the anger they feel toward Sam ... after all, disaster follows whenever he visits their house. But despite his best efforts, every time Sam takes one positive step forward in winning over his future in-laws, he inevitably takes two crushing steps back. But with support and love from Melanie who stands up for him despite his knack for making himself look bad, Sam will hopefully charm his way into her family.

Project Gary
Project Gary stars Jay Mohr (Ghost Whisperer) and Paula Marshall (Nip/Tuck) in a comedy about Gary Barnes, a recently single painting contractor, and his controlling ex-wife, Allison, who face post-divorce mayhem after 15 years of marriage as they each embark on new relationships. He's the fun parent and she's the strict one. Together, they share custody of their two children - Louise (Laura Marano, Without a Trace), a politically correct and environmentally conscious 11-year-old, and Tom (Ryan Malgarini, How to Eat Fried Worms), their socially awkward 14-year-old son who is nervous around girls. Charming and acerbic, Gary hasn't dated since the split, but finally connects with Vanessa (Jaime King, The Class), a single mother whose condo he was hired to paint. He dreads telling Allison about Vanessa because it doesn't adhere to her belief in their marriage counselor's book, Rules for the Perfect Divorce. However, when Allison tells him that she's engaged to their shrink, all bets are off and Gary decides it's time to move forward. Now, in pursuit of post-marriage happiness, Gary must juggle his eclectic world of an ex-wife, their two kids, their shrink and his gorgeous new girlfriend.

The Mentalist
The Mentalist stars Golden Globe Award nominee Simon Baker (The Devil Wears Prada) as Patrick Jane, a detective and independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation. Within the Bureau, Jane is notorious for his blatant lack of protocol and his semi-celebrity past as a psychic medium, whose paranormal abilities he now admits he feigned. Jane's role in cracking a series of tough high-profile cases is greatly valued by his fellow agents. However, no-nonsense Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney, Prison Break) openly resists having Jane in her unit and alternates between reluctantly acknowledging Jane's usefulness and blasting him for his theatrics, narcissism and dangerous lack of boundaries. Lisbon's team includes agents Kimball Cho (Tim Kang, Rambo), Wayne Rigsby (Owain Yeoman, The Nine), and rookie member Grace Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti, The O.C.), who all think Jane's a loose cannon but admire his charm and knack for clearing cases.

Eleventh Hour
Eleventh Hour from acclaimed producer Jerry Bruckheimer follows Dr. Jacob Hood (Rufus Sewell, The Illusionist), a brilliant biophysicist and special science advisor to the government, as he investigates scientific crises and oddities. His jurisdiction is absolute and Hood is dogged in his pursuit of those who would abuse and misuse scientific discoveries and breakthroughs for their own gain. His passion and crusade is to protect the substance of science from those with nefarious motives. He is called in at the eleventh hour and he represents the last line of defense.

The Ex List
The Ex List is a comedic drama about Bella Bloom (Elizabeth Reaser, Grey's Anatomy) - a single, 30-something, successful business owner who is surprised to learn from a psychic that she's already dated her future husband AND there's a catch: if she doesn't find him in the next year, she'll remain alone forever. During a bachelorette party for her sister, Daphne (Rachel Boston, American Dreams), Bella learns from the psychic she must revisit her past relationships and sort through the mistakes to find her soul mate. Skeptical, Bella begins to analyze every past liaison and failed romance with her close circle of friends, Augie (Adam Rothenberg, Mad Money), an endearing guy who has listened to Bella's love woes since college, Vivian (Alex Breckenridge, Dirt), Augie's long-term girlfriend, and Cyrus (Amir Talai, Campus Ladies), who's chronically unemployed and full of wry observations. Once Bella witnesses proof of the psychic's other predictions, her cynicism disappears and she begins her search. Along her trip down break-up lane, Bella is determined to remain optimistic and receptive, believing that when destiny reopens doors to the past, every relationship can matter in the future.

Photos courtesy of CBS