BuzzSugar

Kristin Chenoweth + David E Kelley = Lots of Legal Quirkiness

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:32:25 -0800

I'm hardly done with mourning the death of Pushing Daisies, but this news will probably help to get me on the road to recovery: Kristin Chenoweth will be back on our TVs before long as the star of the next legal show from David E. Kelley.

When we first heard about this quirky drama, all we knew is that it would be on NBC and focus on a father and daughter who were both lawyers. Now there are more details, and they're pretty hilarious: The show is called Legally Mad, and Chenoweth will play Skippy Pylon (yeah), a brilliant but kind of unstable attorney who's prone to bouts of psychosis. The description also notes that Skippy's occasionally mistaken for a teenager.

Kelley told the Hollywood Reporter:

I could only picture Kristin playing this role. I've wanted to work with her for a long time and can't wait to reveal her as someone who's completely mad.

Chenoweth was simply born to play a Skippy, and Pushing Daisies showed she can handle quirk. I have just two questions: 1) Will Kelley find a way for her to sing? And 2) Who's going to play dear ol' dad? Fire away with casting suggestions in the comments.

Source

What's Your Favorite David E. Kelley Show of All Time?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:30:50 -0700

David E. Kelley might be a love-him-or-loathe-him writer, but he's created several of the more iconic series of the past couple of decades. Now that he's got a new series on the horizon for NBC, I figured it might be a good time to ask: Which show is your favorite of Kelley's career thus far?

NBC Lands David E. Kelley's Newest Legal Show

BuzzSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:30:22 -0700

He's already got Ally McBeal, The Practice, and Boston Legal under his belt, and now David E. Kelley plans to deliver yet another legal dramedy - this time to NBC.

The network just landed Kelley's latest pilot, a venture we first heard about last week. Details are still scarce, but we know the basics now: the show, like most of Kelley's, is a drama with a comedic bent, and it will focus on a father and daughter who are both lawyers.

While I can occasionally be caught rolling my eyes and complaining about "yet another legal show," network TV actually doesn't have too many of them these days; in fact, once Boston Legal is gone after this season, Eli Stone could be the only one standing. I suppose Kelley is a pretty good place to turn for a possible legal series revival, and until I hear otherwise, I'm choosing to think of this as "Ally and her dad start a law firm."

Do you have any interest in watching another legal show from Kelley - or another show from Kelley, period?

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 10/8

BuzzSugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:31:12 -0700

Julie Taymor, director of Across the Universe and Titus, will bring Shakespeare's The Tempest to the big screen with an interesting cast: Helen Mirren, Jeremy Irons, Djimon Hounsou, Russell Brand and Alfred Molina, among others. - Hollywood Reporter
Jason Priestley will direct an episode of 90210, and Shannen Doherty is in talks to return as Brenda. - Entertainment Weekly
David E. Kelley is pitching yet another legal drama, this time to CBS and NBC. - Zap2it
There's a Get Smart sequel in the works, with Steve Carell on board to reprise his role as Maxwell Smart. - ComingSoon
FX has canceled The Riches, while TBS has renewed My Boys. - Broadcasting and Cable
David Cronenberg is in negotiations to direct the political thriller The Matarese Circle, with Denzel Washington attached to star. - Variety
T.I. has scored his third straight No. 1 album. - Billboard
Enchanted director Kevin Lima will next take on a live-action Tom Thumb movie. - Variety

Source and source

Troubled Life on Mars Adaptation Could Have Life on ABC

BuzzSugar — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:33:53 -0700

One of the pilots I've been curious about for more than a year now is ABC's remake of the BBC series Life on Mars, which followed a police officer who found himself somehow transported to 1973. The remake, which David E. Kelley was writing and producing, was originally expected to be considered for the current TV season - but Kelley had trouble finding a man to play his lead character, so the pilot was never made.

Fast-forward a year. Jason O'Mara (at left), most recently seen as the brain tumor/bear attack guy on Grey's Anatomy, has been cast as officer Sam Tyler, the pilot has been filmed, and all is going well. In fact, ABC is reportedly close to giving the show a spot on its schedule ahead of next week's upfronts.

Oh, except there's one more problem: Now Kelley might leave, and since he owns the U.S. rights to the show, its future is mostly up to him. One option has the October Road team coming on to run the show, which makes my stomach feel a bit queasy; I've seen several episodes of the original Life on Mars, and while Kelley might not be the perfect fit to write a remake, I think he's closer than the Road folks.

After all of this, I'm wondering if Life on Mars is even a show people want to see. I wasn't familiar with O'Mara until his recent Grey's arc, and he bugged me there - but that could have been the character's fault, not his. Would you want to watch more of him? Does the concept interest you? And, if you've seen the original, do you think the show could work in the U.S.? To watch the BBC's original trailer, just read more.

Source