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Friday Night Lights Writers Working on Modern Wizard of Oz

BuzzSugar — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 11:30:58 PDT

We're off to see the wizard! The wizard of . . . Friday Night Lights?

Yes indeed: One of the drama's writers is at work on a modern-day adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, with FNL producer Jason Katims on board to help. The project, called Dorothy Gale, is an hourlong drama being developed for NBC, and according to Variety, the plot goes like this:

Script follows the story of Dorothy, a girl from Kansas who tries to tackle modern-day Manhattan (her version of the Emerald City). Dorothy finds a job in the art world - and must deal with a wicked boss.

It's not the first Oz adaptation we've seen recently (see also: Tin Man, Wicked, an upcoming CGI movie, etc.), and a good number of you think this classic story should stop being messed with, stat. But with such a solid creative team in place, could Dorothy Gale be worth checking out?

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NBC Hurtles Into the '80s with Parenthood TV Series

BuzzSugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:00:17 PST

Parenthood - yes, as in the 1989 Steve Martin movie about a crazy extended family - is getting the TV treatment, courtesy of NBC. The network has ordered a pilot for a dramedy series based on the film, from Friday Night Lights executive producer Jason Katims.

It's the second '80s-themed show the network's ordered so far this pilot season: It also has a Wonder Years-meets-The Ice Storm show called Lost in the '80s. It's also the second time NBC has tried to adapt the movie: The network previously turned it into a short-lived 1990 comedy series starring Ed Begley Jr., Leonardo DiCaprio, and Thora Birch (I know!).

There aren't any details right now about who would play this TV version of Gil Buckman (one of my all-time favorite movie dads) or how much the series would differ from the movie this time around. Hmmm, do I smell a Recast challenge?

Do you think Parenthood could work as an hourlong dramedy? And with NBC losing an hour of primetime each night to Jay Leno's new show, do you think the network should order both this and Lost in the '80s and make one night be '80s night?

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Friday Night Lights: A First Look at Season Three

BuzzSugar — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:48:50 PDT

Score! The Friday Night Lights crew stopped by the TCA press tour on Sunday to chat about their new deal with DirecTV and what's in store for the upcoming season three.

The show will begin shooting again in Austin in August, executive producer Jason Katims said, and it will premiere Oct. 1 on DirecTV before turning up up on NBC sometime in February. The cast all seemed grateful to be back for another season (not to mention back together - Taylor Kitsch couldn't stop calling Kyle Chandler "Chands," which prompted a few giggles). So what's happening when the show picks up? To find out (spoiler alert!), just

The show will pick up about eight months after the last episode we saw. That'll put us in preparation for a new football season - and for senior year for many of the characters, including Lyla, Matt, Tyra, and Riggins. Are the Panthers still defending state champions? We'll find out in the first episode.
Tami's received a huge promotion, going from Dillon's guidance counselor to the school principal. Katims said the writers want to get her driving more stories and not being just the coach's wife, "but we also think that could be a really good way to turn it around and come back to the marriage, where maybe suddenly she finds herself on the opposite side of some issues." It'll also be good for Buddy, who's still leading the Boosters and now can lobby both Taylors about football issues.
As for Lyla, Minka Kelly revealed that the born-again phase of her life is mostly over - over enough, at least, that she's settled into a serious relationship with Tim Riggins. "It's one thing to have this passionate secret relationship," Katims said, "but once they're in a real relationship, then they see how different they are. They're completely like an odd couple. They're from different sides of the tracks. They have different ideas of the future. They have different ideas of personal hygiene!" And they're also possibly headed in different directions in life, so Lyla will spend some time trying to encourage Riggins to get into college, get a scholarship, and be the best Riggins he can be.
Jason Street and Smash will each have four-episode story arcs, and Katims said they'll be some of the show's strongest material. "We are not doing this in any unceremonious way," he said - and he's open to working with both of the actors in the future.
Also out: Santiago, the teacher Julie had a crush on, and Lyla's Christian-radio boyfriend.
With those departures, get ready for some new additions, ready to stir up conflict in Dillon (and also perhaps become a bit of FNL: The New Class if there's a season four after the old guard graduates). One will be a freshman quarterback, JD McCoy, who challenges Saracen for the QB1 spot. His family has moved from Dallas specifically so JD can play on the Panthers, and the story will also show how much pressure his wealthy father puts on Coach Taylor. JD hasn't been cast yet, but Katims said it would be "a very big guest star." Another new addition will be Cash, an old friend of Billy Riggins who's a local rodeo star - and who may be wooing Tyra.
Speaking of Tyra, she's started to feel like perhaps Landry isn't really "the one" - but that doesn't mean it's settled. "They had a conversation," Katims said. "Tyra's interpretation was, 'We broke up.' Landry's just, 'We're taking a break.'"
Since Landry's no longer going to be murdering anybody, he'll be able to get back to being Matt's fun sidekick a little more, too.
Matt and Julie are baby-stepping back into being friends - "and then we'll see how it goes from there," Katims said.
As for the 13th episode, "I'm definitely not going to write it as a series finale," Katims said, as the decision about whether to come back for another year will be made after the episodes have aired on DirecTV. It will have its share of resolution, he said, as well as "cliffhangers and questions that will make you wonder what's going to happen."

Photo courtesy of NBC

The Mad Men Cast Talks About Their Best Drama Emmy Streak and Missing January Jones

Shannon Vestal — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 21:42:15 PDT

Mad Men picked up its fourth consecutive Emmy win for best drama series, and series creator Matthew Weiner joined the cast in the press room to talk about the fact that they didn't expect a win, being a gracious loser to Friday Night Lights in the writing category, and missing cast member January Jones, who didn't come because she recently gave birth to a baby boy.

Matthew Weiner, on not expecting to win: "I actually heard a lot more 'We loved the show last year but you're not gonna win.' I was disheartened, but we can't go on forever. We keep doing the same work whether we win or not. Lots of people out there are working just as hard and haven't won at all. So I had made peace with the fact that we might lose. Then it turned out we didn't and I'm really happy."
Weiner, on missing January Jones:: "She's home with her baby, John Slattery says. Her baby had his fingers crossed, she told me that. And she said it was really weird that we were going to be here without her, and we miss her terribly. And I had a horrible superstition that her not coming was bad for us and told her she should come anyway, but she didn't. We miss her tonight and we're super happy for her, all of us are. It's a great addition to our work family; we're very close here."
Weiner, on tying Hill Street Blues, The West Wing, and LA Law for the most best drama wins: "I have not absorbed that. I'm a huge fan of television and I've watched all those shows. It's hard to comprehend that we're in that company. It really is."
Weiner, on how winning the award feels after undergoing very public contract negotiations: "You know what, we are always fighting to keep the show the way it is and to keep it good. Everything worked out. The sweetest thing is that we got to go back to work. We get to go back to work tomorrow, and we get to keep making the show for another 39 episodes. And that is really the result of all of it."
Weiner on losing to the best writing Emmy to Friday Night Lights's Jason Katims: "Jason's a great writer, I'm thrilled that he won the award. No one expects any of this. I'm looking at what I think is the greatest cast in television right now, and we were shut out. But we won this award; things sort of balance out, I guess. We got recognized for the show, which is everybody's work on the show, writing, directing, everything. All of that together, to me this is the prize that says people love what we're doing."

Read all our Emmy press room coverage and don't miss any of the great quotes from tonight's big winners!

Announcing the 2011 Primetime Emmy Award Winners!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 12:03:25 PDT

The Emmy Awards have wrapped and this year there were a few repeat winners, as well as some surprises. Mad Men took home the Emmy for best drama for the fourth consecutive year, while Modern Family picked up its second win for best comedy series. The ABC comedy dominated a lot of the evening's other categories, with Julie Bowen and Ty Burell taking home taking home matching Emmys for for best supporting actress and actor. Kyle Chandler was a pleasant surprise winner of the evening, himself admitting he did not expect to win during his acceptance speech for best actor in a drama for his role in Friday Night Lights.

Host Jane Lynch opened the show with a funny musical opener, but it was the Lonely Island boys and a slew of comedians that helped provide the funnier moments of the evening with spoofs and performances. The nominees for the best actress also garnered a lot of laughs, taking to the stage as soon as their names were announced and literally crowning winner Melissa McCarthy. For a complete list of the night's other winners, just read more

Announcing the 2011 Primetime Emmy Awards Nominees!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 06:14:12 PDT

TV stars Joshua Jackson and Melissa McCarthy were up and at 'em this morning to present the nominees for this year's Primetime Emmy Awards - one of which went to McCarthy herself for her work on Mike and Molly. There aren't too many shockers on this year's list; new shows Game of Thrones, The Killing, and Boardwalk Empire all got some love, Modern Family continues to dominate (now with a nomination for Ed O'Neill), and Friday Night Lights finally got that much-deserved nod for outstanding drama series. There are also some big names you may not have expected to see on this list, such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, and Justin Timberlake all picked up nominations for guest appearances.

Check out the full list of nominees when you

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office
Parks and Recreation
30 Rock

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Mad Men

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Louis C.K., Louie
Steve Carell, The Office
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Timothy Olyphant, Justified

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Kathy Bates, Harry's Law
Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights
Mireille Enos, The Killing
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
Greg Kinnear, The Kennedys
Barry Pepper, The Kennedys
Edgar Ramirez, Carlos
William Hurt, Too Big to Fail
Idris Elba, Luther

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly
Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Elizabeth McGovern, Grantham
Diane Lane, Cinema Verite
Taraji P. Henson, Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story
Jean Marsh, Upstairs Downstairs (Masterpiece)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Chris Colfer, Glee
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
Ed O'Neill, Modern Family
Ty Burrell, Modern Family

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
John Slattery, Mad Men
Andre Braugher, Men of a Certain Age
Walton Goggins, Justified
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Josh Charles, The Good Wife
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
Brian F. O'Byrne, Mildred Pierce
Tom Wilkinson, The Kennedys
Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
James Woods, Too Big to Fail

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jane Lynch, Glee
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men
Michelle Forbes, The Killing
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Margo Martindale, Justified
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce
Melissa Leo, Mildred Pierce
Mare Winningham Mildred Pierce
Maggie Smith, Violet
Eileen Atkins, Upside Down (Masterpiece)

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Idris Elba, The Big C
Zach Galifianakis, Saturday Night Live
Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live
Matt Damon, 30 Rock
Will Arnett, 30 Rock

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Robert Morse, Mad Men
Bruce Dern, Big Love
Jeremy Davies, Justified
Beau Bridges, Brothers & Sisters
Paul McCrane, Harry's Law
Michael J. Fox, The Good Wife

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Kristin Chenoweth, Glee
Dot-Marie Jones, Glee
Gwyneth Paltrow, Glee
Cloris Leachman, Raising Hope
Elizabeth Banks, 30 Rock
Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Alfre Woodard, True Blood
Randee Heller, Mad Men
Cara Buono, Mad Men
Joan Cusack, Shameless
Julia Stiles, Dexter
Mary McDonnell, The Closer
Loretta Devine, Grey's Anatomy

OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY
So You Think You Can Dance ("Alice in Mia-Land Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" / "When We Dance" / "This Bitter Earth - On the Nature of Daylight")
So You Think You Can Dance ("Mad World" / "Sundrenched World" / "Heaven Is a Place on Earth")
So You Think You Can Dance ("Collide" / "How It Ends" / "Fix You")
So You Think You Can Dance ("Scars" / "Fallin" / "Outta Your Mind")
Dancing With the Stars (Jive, "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" / Viennese Waltz, "Hedwig's Theme (Theme From Harry Potter)" / Slow Waltz, "My Love")
So You Think You Can Dance ("Oh Yeah" / "Boogie Shoes" / "I Surrender")

OUTSTANDING HOST FOR A REALITY OR REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
Jeff Probst, Survivor
Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance
Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars
Ryan Seacrest, American Idol

OUTSTANDING MINISERIES OR MADE FOR TELEVISION MOVIE
Mildred Pierce
Too Big to Fail
The Kennedys
Downtown Abbey (Masterpiece)
Cinema Verite
The Pillars of the Earth

OUTSTANDING VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SERIES
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
The Colbert Report
Conan
Saturday Night Live
Real Time With Bill Maher
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

OUTSTANDING VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SPECIAL
Carrie Fisher in Wishful Drinking
Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On
Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden
The Kennedy Center Honors
The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway

OUTSTANDING REALITY - COMPETITION PROGRAM
So You Think You Can Dance
The Amazing Race
Project Runway
American Idol
Dancing With the Stars
Top Chef

OUTSTANDING REALITY PROGRAM
Hoarders
Antiques Roadshow
Deadliest Catch
MythBusters
Undercover Boss
Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List

OUTSTANDING CASTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Modern Family
The Big C
Glee
Nurse Jackie
30 Rock

OUTSTANDING CASTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Boardwalk Empire
Mad Men
The Killing
The Good Wife
Game of Thrones

OUTSTANDING CASTING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR SPECIAL
Mildred Pierce
Downtown Abbey (Masterpiece)
Cinema Verite
Too Big to Fail
Upstairs Downstairs (Masterpiece)

OUTSTANDING COMMERCIAL
Conan (American Express)
Baby Driver (Subaru)
Questions (Old Spice Body Wash)
Polar Bear (Nissan LEAF)
Baby (McDonald's)
Born of Fire (Chrysler 200)

OUTSTANDING COSTUMES FOR A SERIES
Boardwalk Empire
Mad Men
The Borgias
Game of Thrones
Glee

OUTSTANDING COSTUMES FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR SPECIAL
Mildred Pierce
Downtown Abbey (Masterpiece)
Cinema Verite
Upstairs Downstairs (Masterpiece)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Boardwalk Empire (Martin Scorsese)
Boardwalk Empire (Jeremy Podeswa)
The Borgias (Neil Jordan)
The Killing (Patty Jenkins)
Game of Thrones (Tim Van Patten)

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Modern Family (Michael Alan Spiller)
Modern Family (Gail Mancuso)
Modern Family (Steve Levitan)
30 Rock (Beth McCarthy-Miller)
How I Met Your Mother (Pamela Fryman)

OUTSTANDING NONFICTION SERIES
Moguls and Movie Stars
Biography
American Masters
30 For 30
Pioneers of Television
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL MUSIC AND LYRICS
Family Guy, "Christmastime Is Killing Us"
Saturday Night Live, "I Just Had Sex"
Robert Klein: Unfair & Unbalanced, "An American Prayer - Hymn II?"
Saturday Night Live, "Justin Timberlake Monologue"
Saturday Night Live, "Jack Sparrow"
Saturday Night Live, "The Golden Rule"

OUTSTANDING MAIN TITLE DESIGN
Boardwalk Empire
Rubicon
Too Big Too Fail
Game of Thrones
Any Human Heart (Masterpiece)

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL MAIN TITLE THEME MUSIC
The Borgias
Mildred Pierce
Episodes
Any Human Heart (Masterpiece)
The Kennedys
Camelot

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS FOR A SERIES
Boardwalk Empire
The Borgias
Stargate Universe
The Walking Dead
Game of Thrones

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR A SPECIAL
Mildred Pierce
Sherlock: A Study in Pink (Masterpiece)
The Pillars of the Earth
Gettysburg

OUTSTANDING STUNT COORDINATION
Southland
Game of Thrones
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena
Hawaii Five-0

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Episodes ("Episode 107," David Crane, Jeffrey Klarik)
The Office ("Good-Bye Michael," Greg Daniels)
Modern Family ("Caught in the Act," Steve Levitan, Jeffrey Richman)
Louie ("Poker/Divorce," Louis C.K.)
30 Rock ("Reaganing," Matt Hubbard)

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Mad Men ("The Suitcase," Matthew Weiner)
Mad Men ("Blowing Smoke," André Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton)
The Killing ("Pilot," Veena Sud)
Friday Night Lights ("Always," Jason Katims)
Game of Thrones ("Baelor," David Benioff, D.B. Weiss)

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SERIES
The Colbert Report
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
Saturday Night Live
Conan
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE, OR A DRAMATIC SPECIAL
Mildred Pierce (Jon Raymond, Todd Haynes)
Downtown Abbey (Masterpiece) (Julian Fellowes)
Sherlock: A Study in Pink (Masterpiece (Steven Moffat)
Too Big to Fail (Peter Gould)
Upstairs Downstairs (Masterpiece) (Heidi Thomas)

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR A VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SPECIAL
The Real Women of SNL
Colin Quinn: Long Story Short
64th Annual Tony Awards
Louis C.K.: Hilarious
Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Benefit For Autism Education

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM
The Cleveland Show
Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III
Futurama
The Simpsons
South Park