BuzzSugar

Joel McHale and Ken Jeong Share Details About Community!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:00:29 -0800

Community is one of those shows where you know the cast has an awesome time together. So I wasn't all that surprised to hear stars Joel McHale (Jeff) and Ken Jeong (Senor Chang) fawn over one another when they recently sat down with reporters. I've been waiting to see these two cement their friendship on-screen too, and it sounds like I'll get my wish tonight. Both actors shared a few tidbits from the episode, plus thoughts on Chevy Chase, the possible Jeff and Annie romance, and their mutual admiration.

Joel on Jeff and Annie's kiss last week: I haven't seen any scripts where it'll be revisited, because I'll probably be arrested, but believe me it was good times. I mean it's Alison Brie from Mad Men!
Joel on Jeff's relationship with Britta: His first initial reaction was, hey there's a really hot chick. And she has like an endless, you know, she has all the denim jackets that you can find. And so I think that was his first reaction. And then at the complete rejection of him he was like, ah, a challenge. And then as he got to know her, she was so much more than he expected, which was she was a totally grounded cool person...So that intrigued him, and she really is I think the moral compass of the show.

To hear more from Joel and Ken, including what's in store for this week's episode, read more.

Ken on Senor Chang's constant power trip: There is something to be said about being in a room where you have students hanging on every word. And it's definitely, as a teacher I think it's an ego rush, you know. You're definitely feeding off of that. It's really the only time in life you get to have a room where people are hanging on your every word and learning from it, and you have a power to influence.
Ken on tonight's episode: You really get to see why Senor Chang has the chip on his shoulder that he does. And some of that involves love and some of that involves friendship, and you really get to see more of the back story of Chang...And it's the relationship with Joel. Joel is really the guy that sees how [Chang's] character comes to be, and why he's developed all these traits along the way.
Joel on working with Chevy Chase: It's like working with Nolan Ryan. He's older than everybody, he's got the best stories. He has worked way more than any of us, but he still throws it harder than any of us...We have a lot to learn from that guy and it's so weird to be walking around with this kind of icon and legend that, you know, you grew up with.
Joel on Ken: Ken he will invent comedy where there is not comedy. He creates it...He's a damn good performer and you pray to God you get him in your movie or your TV show because it's like having a secret weapon.
Ken on Joel: I'm amazed at how Joel handles everything. He's always just grace under pressure this guy, because we'll be working, you know, on a Wednesday or middle of the week, and then he's got to do the Soup or another show and it's just how he switches gears is effortless. I just marvel at that. I'm like dude, how do you do it?
Ken on Community hitting its stride: I think that my wife has a good theory about sitcoms...They're like fine wine, you give them a little bit of time, and they just keep tasting better and better......The audience gets more familiar with the characters, the writers get more familiar characters, and so do the actors.

Do you like the theory that comedies get better with time? I think Community has gradually improved week after week, don't you agree? (Don't forget to watch tonight!)

Buzz-Worthy Video of the Day: Joel McHale, Chevy Chase Spar

BuzzSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:30:13 -0700

Joel McHale and Chevy Chase make a fabulous old school/new school comedy pair on new show Community, but how do the two actors really feel about each other? Watch today's buzz-worthy video for a behind-the-scenes interview between McHale and Chase, which begins friendly enough, until Chase tells McHale how he really feels about him (hint: there's a metaphor about cashiers crushing bread). It's all downhill from there.

Pilot Watch: Community

BuzzSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 08:15:15 -0700

The networks have announced their Fall schedules, but which series will be worth watching? Throughout the Summer, as I watch the pilots, I'll be posting my first impressions. Note that a lot can change before a show actually makes it to air, so these aren't reviews, just quick thoughts on how the shows look now. Today's pick: the NBC comedy Community.

What's it about? A group of misfit students at a community college come together, Breakfast Club-style.

Who's in it? Joel McHale, Chevy Chase, Gillian Jacobs Allison Brie, John Oliver, Yvette Nicole Brown, Danny Pudi

The good: Community feels like a show that has potential. It preys on Hollywood stereotypes, really working its Breakfast Club metaphor and riffing on some other TV and movie conventions - a bunch of which can be seen in the preview video below. The interactions between McHale as a lawyer who's been sent back to community college and Oliver as the college's crafty dean are among the funniest moments in the pilot. The writers have created an interesting group of characters, and it's fun to watch all the alliances form and fights break out.

The bad: When the jokes miss, they really miss; I still laughed more than I cringed, but it was close. Rather than introduce the characters (except for McHale's), we're just thrown into their world, and it was a little frustrating to figure out why I was supposed to care about their relationships. I like a pop culture reference as much as the next gal, but this show toes the line of having too many. McHale is a funny guy, but I'm still not 100 percent convinced he can carry a comedy as an actor.

Will I watch? I'll check it out again. I think it'll fit well in NBC's Thursday lineup.

To check out a trailer and some photos, just read more.

View 4 Photos ›

Photos courtesy of NBC

Buzz News Roundup, 2/23

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:30:46 -0800

Joel McHale has landed the lead in an NBC pilot in the latest round of casting news. - The Hollywood Reporter
Bruce Springsteen has been confirmed to headline the UK's Glastonbury Festival on June 27. - Billboard
The US television audience for this year's Oscars rose by about 13 percent, lifting the award show from record-low ratings in 2008. - Reuters
The average viewer now watches 151 hours of TV per month, including Internet and mobile viewing. - Broadcasting and Cable
The Dark Knight has passed the $1 billion mark in worldwide box-office sales. - Reuters
Adam Carolla will star in a comedy pilot for CBS. - Zap2it
The Kings of Leon album Only by the Night bumped Lily Allen's album for the No. 1 spot on the UK charts. - Billboard

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Buzz In: Who Should Have His or Her Own Talk Show?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:30:33 -0800

With all the Jay Leno news and Jimmy Fallon buzz lately, it was interesting to read this story suggesting that Joel McHale of The Soup would be a good candidate for a late-night talk show of his own.

According to the story, McHale wouldn't want the job anyway (he'd rather do movies), but I think it's a great idea. From everything I've seen, he's definitely funny enough to hold down a weeknight slot.

That got me thinking about other people whom I'd love to see get their own talk shows. Amy Poehler has that whole NBC sitcom gig coming up, so that will probably keep her busy for a while, but I bet she'd be great behind a late-night desk. And while she's certainly divisive, Kathy Griffin is so funny when she's riffing off other people (say, Anderson Cooper) that I think she'd be a hilarious talk show interviewer.

What about you? Is there anyone you've always thought deserved a daytime or late-night talk show of his or her own?

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TCA Time! Gavin and Stacey, Heigl, and More

BuzzSugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:39:18 -0700

It's time again for the Television Critics Association's Summer press tour, when the networks trot out their shows and stars for reporters in LA. Pop and I will be bringing you reports live from the Beverly Hilton once the network portion of the tour kicks off on Monday (you can get a taste of what you're in for by looking at last year's posts), but until then, I'm watching the Web to see what comes out of the first few days of cable network presentations. Some goodies so far:

The British show Gavin and Stacey, one of PopUK's favorites, totally won over the room at Tuesday's BBC America session, even prompting critics who didn't like it on first watch to give it another shot. I've been excited to check out the show for a while - even more so since NBC is plotting a remake - and now I'm even more looking forward to its Aug. 26 premiere.
In a session for the Hallmark Channel, Grey's Anatomy's Chandra Wilson (who's starring in an upcoming Hallmark movie) ended up addressing the Katherine Heigl controversy and her perceived slam at the Grey's writers. "It kind of got blown out of proportion," she said. "Some years you submit. Some years you don't."
Apparently today, there was a session featuring Sean Young, Mikalah Gordon, and Lorenzo Lamas. I would have loved to be in that room.

A couple more items, so read more.

Here's some inspiration for FitSugar devotees: The Style Network is producing a show in which a 500-pound woman tries to lose weight.
No surprise here: The Soup's Joel McHale never worries about a lack of celebrities to skewer.
If you're into journalists hand-wringing about the sorry state of . . . everything, there's a whole spate of stories this year about whether the TCA tour is still relevant. As one of the bloggers supposedly detracting from the quality of the audience in the room, I appreciate the views of this guy, a newspaper critic who came from the online world.

Mad Men was among the shows scheduled to take the stage today, so I'll keep my eyes open for any interesting reports!

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 4/2

BuzzSugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:30:16 -0700

Joel McHale and Quantum Leap actor Scott Bakula will join Matt Damon in Steven Soderbergh's comic thriller The Informant, writes Hollywood Reporter.
ComingSoon reports that Brad Pitt will produce and maybe star in The Lost City of Z, about "the search for a lost city in the Amazon."
30 Rock, Project Runway, and The Colbert Report were among the shows honored with Peabody Awards for excellence in broadcast, reports Broadcasting and Cable.
According to Variety, Dave Annable (Justin on Brothers and Sisters) has a role in Julie and Julia, the Julia Child movie starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.
This is pretty genius: According to Zap2it, fans of the vampire drama Moonlight are organizing a blood drive to help save their show, with 3,000 folks already pledging a pint.
The School of Theatre, Television, and Film at San Diego State University will open a Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, writes Variety.
The Hollywood Reporter has news that Ben Stiller will produce and possibly star in a film adaptation of graphic novel The Return of King Doug.
Hayden Panettiere will star in the film adaptation of the book Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List, ComingSoon writes.
People reports that Jay Leno has issued an apology for his comments to Ryan Phillippe that many perceived as anti-gay.

Source and source

Link Time! 3/4

BuzzSugar — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:31:35 -0800

Do you love Joel McHale as much as I do? Popwatch has an interview with him tomorrow and wants to hear your questions for the Soup host.
FilmExperience has a list of actors for whom 2008 looks to be a banner year, including Eric Bana, Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway and Elizabeth Banks, among others.
Vulture wonders why the Saturday Night Live cast is funny everywhere except SNL.
According to Stereogum, the Meatloaf documentary appears to be dramatic.
Brat Pack flashback! TV Squad turns its spotlight on Andrew McCarthy.
Apparently, the next horror remake to come from production company Platinum Dunes will be Rosemary's Baby, according to ShockTilYouDrop.
Pop Candy wants to know about your favorite books on rock music.
The TV Addict fantasy-recasts the Gossip Girl role that Mischa Barton reportedly turned down.
PopSugarUK's latest installment of her awesome interview with Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson is really interesting, as the girls get political.

TV Preview: "Thank God You're Here"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 08:00:23 -0700

Now that "The Black Donnellys" is officially canned, we'll get two hours of "Thank God You're Here," NBC's new improv show in which celebrities walk into a set-up scene and have to ad-lib their way through. The show debuts this coming Monday, April 9, but you don't have to wait to see it - the premiere episode is available online now.

My snap judgment: TV isn't the best showcase for improv, but this show isn't as bad as I'd feared. When I first heard NBC was doing an comedy show with celebrities, I thought they'd be shoving, say, Patrick Dempsey or Evangeline Lilly into a scene, so I'm glad to see that the "celebrities" are actual comedians like Wayne Knight ("Seinfeld"'s Newman) and Joel McHale (E!'s "The Soup"). The supporting cast is also strong: They're good at setting up lines for the featured celebs, but they're funny in their own right too.

At the same time, the constant cutaways to the live studio audience seemed to scream "laugh now!" rather than letting us find the good bits on our own, and the idea of having a judge give a trophy to one of the performers felt like pandering, even if the judge is Dave Foley. My favorite parts of the show were actually the pre-taped (but still improvised) bits, which felt less forced and genuinely funny. Check out the episode and let me know what you think. Or, if you just want a taste, you can watch a clip from the premiere if you read more

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Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

In case you haven't heard, a little movie called New Moon came out this week. I showed you where you can find them next, and I gave you my review of the movie, quizzed you on the book, as well as an exclusive interview with Kellan Lutz and Ashley Greene.
Robert Pattinson continues to make non-Twilight waves at the movies: the trailer for his drama Remember Me debuted, and news that Uma Thurman has been cast as his love interest in Bel Ami surfaced.
This week was a trailer treasure trove: there was Nicholas Sparks adaptation and Miley Cyrus vehicle The Last Song, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jeff Bridge's surefire Oscar bait Crazy Heart, and Edward Norton taking on a dual role in Leaves of Grass.
At least you'll save on tissues: Oprah announced that her talk show will go off the air in 2011.
I interviewed some of the funniest men in prime time: Eric Stonestreet gave me the scoop on Modern Family, while Joel McHale and Ken Jeong bantered about Community.
The reality TV winners were crowned! Irina ruled Project Runway, and Nicole is America's Next Top Model.
The holidays are here! I gave you a sneak peek of holiday episodes as well as more gift guide suggestions.
The BuzzSugar Community is the place to be to chat about everything pop culture, and as an extra incentive, you could see your community posts on the Buzz home page, like polkadot38's awesome Stefan Vs. Damon poll.

Photos courtesy of Summit Entertainment