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Caption It: Which Caption Should Win?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 09:30:40 -0700

Edie Falco's expression in this picture from Nurse Jackie inspired some great captions last week.

But there can only be one winner! Here are this week's Caption It finalists:

"Is that a scrunchie in your hair? Please don't tell me that's a scrunchie in your hair."
"You don't even want to know the places I could shove this stethoscope. . . ."
"You found a what where? Are you pullin' my stethoscope?"
"No, I am not Tony Soprano's wife."

Photo courtesy of Showtime

Does Nurse Jackie Discourage People From Nursing?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:15:14 -0700

If any buzz is good buzz, then Showtime execs must be mighty pleased right now as nurses react to the new series starring Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie. Falco's lead character is no Florence Nightingale . . . well, unless Nightingale also snorted drugs, had sex on the job, and stole money, just to name a few of Nurse Jackie's proclivities. Some real-life nurses have expressed their anger and dismay:

"I don't know what they wanted from us," said [Barbara] Crane, a nurse in the intensive care unit at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown, N.Y., and president of the National Federation of Nurses. "I have no clue what the screening was supposed to be about," she said. "They couldn't think that those of us in the most ethical profession - and we are the most ethical profession - that we could possibly find that entertaining."

The folks at Showtime maintain that it's just entertainment and "negative publicity is publicity." Plus, plenty of nurses are actually praising the show for presenting a nurse character "with such smarts, fierce dedication to her patients and human contradictions." But Tina Gerardi, chief executive officer of the New York State Nurses Association, has concerns that the show will discourage people from joining the nursing profession.

Do you think TV shows are that influential? Will would-be nurses avoid the profession because of Nurse Jackie?

Photo courtesy of Showtime

TV Tonight: Weeds and Nurse Jackie

BuzzSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 06:30:15 -0700

"The Hemptress" is back - and this time, she's bringing a friend. Weeds returns to Showtime tonight to start its fifth season, and the network is using that opportunity to launch a high-profile and intriguing new series, Nurse Jackie.

I'm especially curious to see what this season of Weeds will hold considering the total transformation the show undertook last year. (Yes, this would be your cue to stop reading if you haven't seen season four.) The show officially shed Nancy's roots as a small-time suburban dealer, moving the show to the Mexican border and plunging Nancy into a relationship with a powerful Mexican mayor-slash-drug lord. Now, Nancy's told Esteban she's pregnant with his child; when season five starts, that baby seems to be the only thing keeping her family out of serious danger.

Following Weeds, we'll get our first look at Nurse Jackie, one of the more interesting new series to come along in a while. The show stars Edie Falco as a nurse with a drug habit and a very particular sense of justice (for example, the first episode involves a scene where she flushes a patient's ear down the toilet). Jackie's attitude is probably best summed up by her mantra - "Make me good, God, but not yet" - and the episodes I've seen are both smart and darkly funny.

Will you be tuning into either show tonight? To watch some behind-the-scenes clips of both shows, just read more.

Photos courtesy of Showtime

First Look: Nurse Jackie and The United States of Tara

BuzzSugar — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:30:14 -0700

Showtime's got several intriguing new shows on its roster, and recently, the network released first glimpses of two of them: The United States of Tara and Nurse Jackie, both of which have intriguing actresses in the lead roles.

The United States of Tara, which premieres in January, stars Toni Collette as a woman with multiple-personality disorder. The clip has some scenes from the show, and in between those, the stars (and writer Diablo Cody) talk about how the project came together out of an idea from Steven Spielberg.

Nurse Jackie, which stars Edie Falco as a nurse walking the line between saint and sinner, doesn't have a premiere date yet, but I've been curious about it ever since I saw a haunting trailer for it back at TCA. Unfortunately, this clip doesn't have quite the drama of that trailer, but it's still nice just to get an idea of what the show will look like.

Do you have your eye on either show? You can watch the trailers if you read more.

Photos courtesy of Showtime

Edie Falco Brings Her Funny Side to Showtime

BuzzSugar — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:30:36 -0800

As someone accustomed to watching Edie Falco's dramatic turn as Carmella Soprano, I thoroughly enjoyed her hilarious stint as Jack Donaghy's liberal love interest on 30 Rock last year. So I'm welcoming the news that Falco is going to combine the dark and the funny in a new series for Showtime.

Falco will star in an as-yet-unnamed half-hour comedy - and though it's just a pilot at this stage, the positive comments from Showtime's entertainment president (which include the line "Bada bing is all I can think of to say!") make it sound like almost a sure bet to become a series. Falco will play a strong-willed New York City nurse who takes on the broken healthcare system while also navigating an unpredictable and frustrating personal life. In a statement from Showtime, Falco called the character and the writing "truly thrilling" - a good sign for someone who could probably do anything she wanted post-Sopranos.

Showtime certainly is making a name for itself recruiting high-profile actresses these days, huh? First Mary-Louise Parker in Weeds, then Toni Colette for the Diablo Cody/Steven Spielberg project The United States of Tara, and now Falco. I love it! What other fantastic, currently underemployed actresses should they recruit? How about Frances McDormand?

Source

Emmy Breakdown: Lead Actress in a Drama Series

BuzzSugar — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:00:00 -0700

In the weeks leading up to the 2007 Primetime Emmy Awards, I'll be looking at the nominees in some major categories and trying to predict who's most likely to win in these Emmy Breakdowns. Up today: Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Patricia Arquette ("Medium") - "Medium" isn't a show I regularly watch (er, I even suggested it should be stopped), but I do know that Arquette is a strong actress who really carries her show. She won in 2005 against a tough crowd that included Glenn Close, and she's certainly a threat in this strong category. But I think she'll be overshadowed by others this time around. Chance of winning: Moderate

Minnie Driver ("The Riches") - I'm thrilled to see this show get some recognition, and I thought Driver really grew into her character over the course of the first season. But the episode she submitted for Emmy consideration was the show's premiere - which I thought was some of her weaker work - and I think that will hurt her against such a tough field. She deserves to be here, but I doubt it's her time to win.Chance of winning: Low

For my thoughts on the other four actresses, read more

Edie Falco ("The Sopranos") - Falco is the most decorated actress in this category (unless you count Sally Field's Oscars), and she's coming off the final season of a show that won her three Emmys and boatloads of acclaim. I don't think she's a slam dunk, necessarily, but if the voters are in the mood to reward "The Sopranos" one last time, this Emmy could be hers. Chance of winning: High

Sally Field ("Brothers & Sisters") - As I said while breaking down the supporting actress category, "Brothers & Sisters" is such a strong ensemble that it's hard to break out a single performance and reward it as outstanding. But if there's one exception to that, it's Field. As the Walker matriarch, she's at the heart of everything that happens on the show, and while Field occasionally veers too far into campiness and melodrama for my tastes, her performance is almost always moving. Chance of winning: Moderate to high

Mariska Hargitay ("Law & Order: SVU") - Those of you who watch "SVU" regularly assure me that Hargitay really is good enough to deserve her annual nomination, and I believe you. She's the defending champion in this category, and she beat out a tough field that included Allison Janney and Frances Conroy. But I still don't think last year's group of nominees was as strong as this year's, and it's going to be tough for her to repeat - though I fully expect she'll be back among the contenders next year. Chance of winning: Moderate.

Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer") - Sedgwick has some momentum here, having won the Golden Globe earlier this year. I know her performance is divisive; some see her as too shrieky and affected, while others think her work is brilliant (most of the time, I fall into the latter camp). But she's truly at the center of her show (much like Arquette on "Medium"), and she's carried it for several strong seasons now. It's just a gut feeling, but I think this could be her breakthrough year. Chance of winning: High

Sedgwick, Arquette and Hargitay photos Source
Falco photo Source
Field photo copyright 2007 ABC, Inc.
Driver photo courtesy of FX

David Chase Speaks Out about "The Sopranos" Finale

BuzzSugar — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 12:17:49 -0700

"The Sopranos" creator David Chase wasn't trying to mess with viewers when he put together Sunday's controversial ending to the series. That's what he told New Jersey Star-Ledger columnist Alan Sepinwall in an exclusive interview, the only one Chase intends to do for a while. Here's what he said about the final moments of the episode (which, incidentally, was the highest-rated installment of the series since 2004):

"No one was trying to be audacious, honest to God. We did what we thought we had to do. No one was trying to blow people's minds, or thinking, 'Wow, this'll (tick) them off.'"

As for explanations, well, you won't be getting them from Chase, who told Sepinwall he had "no interest in explaining, defending, reinterpreting, or adding to what is there" and said "it's all there" for viewers of the show to figure it out.

Chase also said that while he's not ruling out a "Sopranos" movie, he's not feeling any urge to make one:

"If something appeared that really made a good 'Sopranos' movie and you could invest in it and everybody else wanted to do it, I would do it. But I think we've kind of said it and done it."

Meanwhile, Stephen Colbert has his own ideas of how the series should have ended. To watch him tell Jon Stewart about his concept for the finale, read more

Photo courtesy of HBO

Were You Satisfied with the Ending of "The Sopranos"?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 10:27:39 -0700

After eight years, six seasons - and more whackings than I can count - "The Sopranos" finished its run last night with a crazy ending that certainly has you talking. The final few minutes (which you can watch here) had me feeling physically tense, and after some thought, I think the controversial final moment was the perfect way to end it. That being said, I'm only a casual fan of the series and I totally understand die-hards feeling short changed. So I have to ask: Were you happy with how it all wrapped up?

TV Tonight: "The Sopranos" Series Finale

BuzzSugar — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 10:40:51 -0700

One of TV's great institutions, "The Sopranos," will air its final episode on HBO tonight. The show has been credited with changing TV, not only inspiring a new generation of shows focusing on both sides of the law but also driving writers and producers to create multidimensional, complicated characters who give viewers something to talk about week after week.

In honor of the finale, I wanted to throw out a couple of questions for fans: What will you miss most about the show? Do you think it's changed television? And can you see anything else taking its place in TV's canon of must-watch shows?

Photo courtesy of HBO

Seventy-Seven Sopranos Episodes in Seven Minutes

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 10:44:02 -0700

If, like me, you've fallen behind on "The Sopranos" and don't think you can catch up before its final episodes begin April 8, don't worry. A guy named Paul Gulyas has condensed all six seasons of the mob drama into seven jam-packed, fast-paced, "whacked out," and totally addictive minutes. I suspect HBO will be ordering YouTube to pull the video soon, but they really should leave it up - after all, I totally feel ready to watch "The Sopranos" now. To see the video, read more

Photo courtesy of HBO