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Debra Messing Returns to NBC as a Struggling CEO

BuzzSugar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:45:59 -0700

Debra Messing could be making a return to her comedy home of NBC this Fall. The former Will and Grace and The Starter Wife star has been cast in a new comedy pilot that's apparently been all the rage in Hollywood these past few days.

The show, which has no title yet, stars Messing as a laid-off CEO who finds she's unprepared to be a full-time wife and mother. The writers are a couple of familiar names in Messing's world: Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriot also wrote and executive produced The Starter Wife. The show reportedly "sparked a bidding war between NBC and ABC after interest from several networks."

It looks like shows about the current economy really are a hot ticket these days. I'm glad to see Messing land another lead, and I'm curious to hear more as this show takes shape. What about you?

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USA Breaks Up With The Starter Wife

BuzzSugar — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:30:23 -0800

Uh-oh, Starter Wife fans - it looks like this is the end of the road for Molly Kagen. USA has decided not to renew Debra Messing's show for a second season.

When it aired as a miniseries in the Summer of 2007, The Starter Wife was an unquestioned success, garnering 10 Emmy nominations and getting as many as 5 million viewers (though it was closer to 3 million by the end). But as a regular series this Fall, the show averaged just 2.4 million viewers, which, according to Entertainment Weekly, wasn't enough for USA to renew it. In a statement, the producers called the December finale a "satisfying conclusion" to the story.

It's a bummer for me, because I thought the show was much better as a regular series than it had been as a mini. Everything was just higher quality - the storylines were more interesting, Molly's journey of personal growth intrigued me more, and best of all, they did away with the freaking homeless man from the mini-series. Also, I was looking forward to watching Molly get to make her movie, Wife Goes On. And I'll certainly miss seeing Debra Messing on my TV each week, but I'm equally sad to say goodbye to her quirky, lovable friends: Joan and Rodney.

Tell me: Did you watch the series? Will you miss Molly? And what would you like to see Messing do next?

Photo courtesy of USA

Nothing Like the Holidays: The Fruitcake of the Holiday Movie Season

BuzzSugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:30:52 -0800

The Christmas dramedy Nothing Like the Holidays really is like a fruitcake: Seasonal, obligatory and cliche. It's unoriginal in its presentation, but then again, it is the holidays and someone put in the effort to make it, so a part of you appreciates it a little. You just don't want to taste it ever again. And maybe another part of you is the teeniest bit resentful that you were given something so forgettable.

Having said all that, there are some refreshing aspects to this particular sweet-sour overbaked good. The plot relies heavily on that tiresome declaration of "look how totally wacky and loud we are but we are also so loving!" But at least this time it's a Puerto Rican-American family, an ethnic group that's pretty severely underrepresented in mainstream film. The adult children in the Rodriguez family are gathering together at their parents' Chicago home for Christmas, including big-time New York City lawyer Mauricio (John Leguizamo) and his Jewish fish-out-of-water wife Sarah (Debra Messing), aspiring Hollywood actress Roxanna (Vanessa Ferlito), and soldier Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez) who is just now returning from Iraq. A circle of extra players surrounds the group: cousin Johnny (Luis Guzmán), family friend with a history of gangster life Ozzy (Jay Hernandez), and Jesse's old flame (the one that got away) Marissa (Melonie Diaz) - along with her son and new boyfriend. For more on why there's just nothing like the holidays, read more.

The familial relationships are equal parts tension and love, anger and sweetness, cruelty and warmth. Emotions run high all the time and everyone's got some kind of drama going on. Sarah feels unfairly pressured to have kids, Roxanna fears her fledgling career in TV and film will never take off, and Ozzy is filled with rage toward the recently-sprung-from-prison guy who killed his brother. Jesse's storyline is the most intriguing, largely due to Freddy Rodriguez's wonderful onscreen charisma: Trying to adapt to civilian life again, he wonders what his purpose is and desperately wants to be with Marissa. Finally, there's the ridiculously lame plotline of the parents: Edy (the magnificent teddy-bear-dad Alfred Molina) is hiding something, Anna (Elizabeth Peña) thinks he's cheating on her and thus wants a divorce, leading the kids to think this is their last Christmas together.

All these storylines get knitted together in one big tangly ball of mess, which doesn't give any one character the space to grow beyond the one-dimensional stereotype he or she is given. The actors try mightily to counter this, however, and at times they succeed. These are heavyweight actors who are way above this material, and if there's a reason to see this movie at all, it's them. Their determination to be a part of this story is admirable, and in certain scenes they even manage to add some flavor to an otherwise bland Christmas offering. Overall, though, I'd say you can pass on this dessert - at least until it's re-gifted on TV during next year's holiday season.

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Will You Watch the Series Version of The Starter Wife?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:30:45 -0700

USA's The Starter Wife returns to TV tonight, this time as a full-fledged series instead of the fun, if fluffy, miniseries that aired back in '07.

Debra Messing is back as Molly Kagan, striking out on her own and trying to decide whether she can really become a writer now that she's free from the clutches of her ex-husband (now played by David Alan Basche, since Peter Jacobson is otherwise occupied). Also returning are Molly's two best friends, Joan (Judy Davis, who won an Emmy for her role) and Rodney (Chris Diamantopoulos), along with a cast of new supporting characters.

The Friday night time slot is tough, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that The Starter Wife can be a special weekend treat on my DVR. What about you? Will you be watching?

Photo courtesy of USA

The Women: Not Fizzy, Just Empty

BuzzSugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:34:00 -0700

Philosophically, the very existence of The Women is something that makes me cheer. As its title suggests, it's a movie full of only women - and many of them "women of a certain age," at that. Director and screenwriter Diane English spent years trying to steer her remake of George Cukor's 1939 classic to the screen, and I respect and admire her determination. A powerful remake of The Women could have sent yet another signal that moviegoers want to see women on screen in all their beautiful, imperfect, daffy, lovable, clueless, fantastic glory.

On screen, though, The Women disappoints to an almost depressing degree. It's not an outright disaster; there are good moments from nearly everyone in the gigantic cast. But it's not screwball enough to honor its '30s movie heritage, not clever enough to make for a fun night out at the theater. And its own message on women is utterly conflicted, threatening to undermine the potential positive impact of bringing an all-female movie to the big screen.

Meg Ryan stars as Mary Haines, whose life comes complete with adorable daughter, fabulous luncheons, and blooming garden she planted herself. If there are cracks in that shiny veneer, she'd hardly notice; as a friend, Alex (Jada Pinkett Smith), points out, she's too busy filling them in. So it knocks her flat when she finds out - thanks to her gossipy manicurist (Debi Mazar) - that her husband is having an affair with the Saks perfume "spritzer girl" (Eva Mendes). That betrayal would be bad enough, but before long, there's another one, courtesy of her best friend Sylvie (Annette Bening), who sells out Mary to save her own floundering career. The Women does fine with that broad sketch of a plot. It's in the details that the movie loses its footing, so read more.

Some of the movie's issues lie in the direction, which isn't confident enough to pull off some of the more screwball elements. English also doesn't seem to know how to use Bette Midler, who has a brief cameo that is delightful to watch but doesn't contribute much to the story, and Debra Messing and Smith are hardly in the movie. The whole look of the film is flat - understandable given its relatively small budget, but far from engaging for a viewer.

What The Women gets right is Mary's devastation at Sylvie's betrayal; losing her husband wouldn't have been so bad if the whole mess hadn't taken her friend along with it. The few scenes with the friends together are a treat, especially when they're plotting their confrontation of (and revenge against) the spritzer girl. Mendes basically just has to act hot and stupid, and she does that well. And Candice Bergen is amusing as Mary's mother, who dispenses advice that seems to be from another era.

Or is it? The Women seems confused about its own thoughts on women's roles. And while I can live with the ultimate outcome of Mary's journey to find herself (though I thought it was far too easy and predictable), what I can't condone is the movie's treatment of Mary's daughter Molly, who is basically a living representation of Why Women Hate Themselves. In her first scene, she tells Mary she's on a diet because she's fat; Mary laughs it off . Over the course of the movie, she starts smoking to keep from eating, burns tampons because she hates being a girl, and laments that she doesn't understand why magazine editors like Sylvie send such mixed signals to women. Sylvie's ultimate response when confronted with all of Molly's baggage? "I'm a hypocrite. Life is complicated."

That's all?

Sadly, that empty, cop-out response is far too apt a metaphor for The Women as a whole.

Photos courtesy of Picturehouse

Movie Preview: Nothing Like the Holidays

BuzzSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 05:30:24 -0700

Sure, when I first saw the poster and description for Nothing Like the Holidays, I kinda groaned inside. Nothing like another reheated family holiday flick! And yet, now that I've watched the trailer, I'm charmed by this new take on an old genre.

For one thing, the film focuses on a Latino family, which is unusual (embarrassingly so) in both film and television. For another thing, the cast is fantastic. John Leguizamo has already won me over (being one of my favorite actors ever helps), as has another favorite of mine, Alfred Molina. In addition there's the lovable Debra Messing and (ready, Getty Girls?) the winsome Freddy Rodriguez.

The movie's description goes like this: "A Puerto Rican family living in the area of Humboldt Park in west Chicago face what may be their last Christmas together." It starts out seeming tamely cute/funny, and then moves into some more poignant territory. Nothing Like the Holidays opens Nov. 21, and to watch the trailer, read more.

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First Look: The Starter Wife, The Series

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:30:09 -0700

As Fall gets closer, I'm finding myself looking more and more forward to watching more of The Starter Wife, USA's 2007 miniseries that's now getting another shot on TV as a regular series. They've already made a few changes that I can fully support (giving Debra Messing's character, Molly, a new love interest who is definitely not Sam the homeless guy, for one), and some of the things I liked most about the mini - including Judy Davis as the acerbic Joan - are staying put.

We got to see a couple of clips at the TCA press tour, including one funny moment where Molly's having a crisis about being a writer (Joan suggests Molly would be awesome at collecting urine samples). I don't think that particular scene has turned up online yet, but I caught a promo with some new footage while watching the Olympics the other day, and it still gave me a good feeling about the series. It is weird not to see Peter Jacobson as Kenny Kagan, but I'm liking the addition of Hart Bochner a lot.

How are you feeling about this miniseries-turned-real-series at this point? To check out the clips, just read more.

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The Starter Wife: Molly Gets a New Love Interest

BuzzSugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:30:01 -0700

I don't think I'm alone in saying that one of the few things I truly disliked about last Summer's The Starter Wife miniseries was the ending, when Molly (Debra Messing) chose to hook up with the (formerly?) homeless Sam rather than strike out on her own for a while. It wasn't just that I wanted Molly to flaunt her "single and fabulous" status - it was that Sam wasn't a great character, and the actor in the role, Stephen Moyer, lacked a certain . . . oomph.

So it's music to my ears that Molly might - just might - be kicking Sam to the curb when the series version of The Starter Wife begins this Fall. Some casting news has been announced for the 10-episode series, including Hart Bochner joining the show as a love interest for Molly. Bochner will play Zach, a character who starts out as Molly's writing teacher and then moves on to other, presumably more personal entanglements.

Molly's also getting a new sidekick: Liz Marsh, played by Danielle Nicolet. She might be taking the place of Molly's friend Cricket, as Miranda Otto is yet to sign on to the series (though at least we know she's not busy with Cashmere Mafia). Judy Davis will be back as Joan, though, and Chris Diamantopoulos will return as Rodney. Joe Mantegna will be back in a limited capacity as a "special guest," too. Several other folks will be making guest appearances, including Alia Shawkat of Arrested Development. We'll also see a new actress in the role of Molly's daughter, in addition to the new Kenny Kagan.

The show is currently slated to start in October on USA. Do you think you'll be revisiting this story?

Movie Preview: The Women Starring. . . Lots of Women

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:30:48 -0700

I was interested in this remake of the 1939 film The Women when there was initial casting news about it (Debra Messing, Annette Bening, Meg Ryan, Jada Pinkett Smith, Eva Mendes, Candace Bergen, etc. etc.), but after the incredible success of the Sex and the City movie, I'm even more excited about the opportunities for movies directed at a female audience. If nothing else the SATC movie might have indicated to filmmakers and studios that (hello!) it's possible to actually have a female-centric film do well at the box office. In other words: women can be valuable audience members, too, you know.

Anyway, from the new trailer it looks like there's The Woman (Meg Ryan) and all her girlfriends discover that there's The Other Woman (Eva Mendes) but the women don't know how to tell her about this other woman. True to the original, there don't appear to be any men in the movie. This new trailer isn't phenomenal, but it still looks like a reasonably funny movie about female friendship (and rivalry).

The Women opens September 12. To check out the trailer and tell me what you think, read more.

Recast Will and Grace and Win a Prize!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:31:08 -0800

Every other Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

While I liked many things about Will and Grace, I think most of all I liked the well-cast actors who brought to life these wacky characters. But if you had to choose new actors to play Grace, Will, Karen and Jack ("Just Jack!"), who would you pick? Who could do justice to the hilariously lovable foursome?

Leave your entry in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, February 19, complete with a "new" cast photo.

To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt, read more

Characters to recast:
Will Truman (Eric McCormack)
Grace Adler (Debra Messing)
Karen Walker (Megan Mullally)
Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes)

The BuzzSugar t-shirt

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