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TV Tonight: The Return of Jezebel James

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 06:30:00 PDT

It hurts me so much to write this post, because the fact is, The Return of Jezebel James should be my new favorite TV show. It stars Parker Posey, one of my favorite actresses of all time, alongside Lauren Ambrose, who absolutely stole my heart as Claire Fisher on Six Feet Under. It has an intriguing plot: The sister who has her life together (Posey) can't have children, so she asks her screwed-up younger sister (Ambrose) to carry a child for her. And the whole thing is created and written by Amy Sherman-Palladino, who made her mark with Gilmore Girls.

So it hurts me, truly, to say that I didn't like The Return of Jezebel James. When I talked to Amy Sherman-Palladino at the TCA press tour last summer, she said she wanted Jezebel to be a return to her sitcom roots, when she was a writer on Roseanne. But Sherman-Palladino's quick and witty dialogue just doesn't seem to lend itself well to a show with a laugh track. Both Posey and Ambrose - but especially Posey - feel too big for the very two-dimensional world of Jezebel. And, maybe worst of all, the two don't quite have a believable chemistry as sisters. That last part, I believe, would come with time - but, given the show's other problems and the fact that Fox has already cut its order to seven episodes and socked it into a killer Friday night time slot, I'm not sure the actresses will ever have that chance.

It's possible my expectations were just too high. Maybe I'm being too hard on poor Jezebel; maybe it is a return to the days of Roseanne (or, as Posey suggested, Family Ties) and nothing more. But I wanted more, and Jezebel just didn't deliver for me. Still have faith? The show's first two episodes air tonight starting at 8 p.m. EDT and PDT. To watch a preview, just

Photo courtesy of Fox

Buzz News Roundup, 11/26

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:30:47 PST

The Munchkins of Oz finally got their own Walk of Fame star in Hollywood after 68 years, Reuters reports.
The Hollywood Reporter has news that Lauren Ambrose will voice a creature in Where the Wild Things Are, replacing Michelle Williams.
FunnyOrDie and Pale Force are among the online video award winners chosen by TV Guide.
Ben Stiller will produce a TV pilot called Gods Behaving Badly, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
The Women in Film Foundation will accept film submissions for their Film Finishing Fund the first week in December, Variety reports.
Elizabeth Berkeley of Showgirls and Saved by the Bell fame has won a recurring role on CSI: Miami as Horatio Caine's ex-wife, Zap2it reports.
According to Billboard, Scottish rock group Jesus and Mary Chain is working on a new album.
Broadcasting & Cable wonders what a Webisode is worth.

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Where is the Fisher Family Now?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 12:28:38 PDT

With today's news that Freddy Rodriguez is joining the cast of "Ugly Betty," nearly every actor who played a main character on "Six Feet Under" is now back on TV somewhere. Here's a look at where the Fisher and Diaz folks have ended up:

Peter Krause (Nate Fisher) will star in ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" this fall as Nick George, an attorney who takes over his father's role as counselor to the absurdly wealthy Darling family.
Michael C. Hall (David Fisher) has reinvented himself as a blood spatter analyst-turned-serial killer in Showtime's "Dexter," for which he already received a Golden Globe nomination.
Lauren Ambrose (Claire Fisher) has been cast as Parker Posey's sister in "The Return of Jezebel James," a Fox comedy from "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino that is currently scheduled to air as a midseason replacement.

Lots more - including Rico's new role - so

Freddy Rodriguez (Rico Diaz) is newly cast in "Ugly Betty" as Gio, an ambitious blue-collar sandwich maker who just might complicate the burgeoning love between Betty and Henry.
Rachel Griffiths (Brenda Chenowith) now plays Sarah on ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" - and is a big part of the reason I hope the women of that show will pull in some Emmy nominations.
Jeremy Sisto (Billy Chenowith) had a short-lived stint on NBC's "Kidnapped" last fall, but this year he'll be back as the new detective on "Law & Order."
Lili Taylor (Lisa Kimmel Fisher) starts a starring turn this Sunday as a mixed-up therapist on Lifetime's "State of Mind."

As for the others, Frances Conroy (Ruth Fisher), Mathew St. Patrick (Keith Charles) and Justina Machado (Vanessa) are currently filming movies, while James Cromwell (George) starred this past season as Jack's dad on "24."

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Pilot Watch: "The Return of Jezebel James"

BuzzSugar — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 09:29:00 PDT

The networks have announced their fall schedules, but which of the series will actually 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 comprehensive reviews, just quick thoughts on how the shows look now. Today's installment: Fox's "The Return of Jezebel James."

What's it about? Two estranged sisters - a driven book editor and an alterna-slacker - reconnect when the younger sister agrees to carry the older one's baby.

Who's in it? Parker Posey, Lauren Ambrose, Michael Arden, Scott Cohen

The good: The show is written by Amy Sherman-Palladino of "Gilmore Girls" fame, and the first episode packs in plenty of her signature snappy dialogue. Posey and Ambrose have a great sisterly chemistry, and the plot seems full of potential for at least a couple of strong seasons.

The bad: The production of this show was a huge turnoff for me. It's a half-hour comedy that should be a one-hour drama - or, at the very least, a comedy produced more in the style of "The Office." At least a couple of good lines got buried in the distracting laugh track, and the show felt very sound-stage-y - I'm not sure there was a single exterior shot! The episode also seemed rushed, as though 30 minutes wasn't enough for all the plot and character development the writers wanted to do.

Will I watch? This show has two of my favorite actresses and one of my favorite writers, so I want it to be good. But I have to say, if this show doesn't change a lot before it makes it to the air at midseason, I don't think I'll be watching.

To watch a preview clip and see a gallery of photos from the show,

"The Return of Jezebel James"

View 4 Photos ›

Photos and video courtesy of Fox

Diggers: A Quietly Charming Slice of Life

BuzzSugar — Wed, 02 May 2007 12:23:12 PDT

Diggers is less like a movie than a moment, a few minutes of poking your head into someone else's life. It's a small, quiet movie where nothing much happens, but its subtle charms make it worth a look - especially because it's already available on DVD.

Diggers focuses on a ragtag group of of clam diggers growing up on Long Island in 1976. It's a hardworking but mostly comfortable life - until a big corporation starts encroaching on their turf. In the midst of the storm is Hunt (played with a quiet sweetness by Paul Rudd), a slacker-digger who oversleeps one morning and later finds his father, whom he was supposed to dig with that day, dead in the water. The death prompts Hunt and his friends - the angry Frankie (Ken Marino, who also wrote the movie), lowbrow pot dealer Cons (Josh Hamilton), and ladies' man Jack (Ron Eldard) - to re-examine their own lives, so

For Hunt, that means developing a flirtation with Zoey (Lauren Ambrose), a city girl visiting Long Island. It's clear that Hunt isn't completely resigned to the digger life - he's also a wannabe artist who takes black-and-white Polaroids of everything - and Zoey encourages Hunt's desires to escape. I'm not quite sure what to make of Zoey; she's written like a city sophisticate, but Ambrose plays her as something more suspicious, like she's hiding a whole history we don't really ever see.

But it hardly matters, because at its heart, Diggers is a buddy film. I couldn't help being reminded of Beautiful Girls, another movie about a clan of old friends. In Diggers, the guys are so used to being around each other that their greeting is the finger and their banter is sharp but old-sweatshirt comfortable. Their dramas are small but not insignificant, and that's what ultimately makes Diggers feel real.

Photos courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Movie Preview: Diggers

BuzzSugar — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 04:00:35 PDT

We all know about my deep affection for Paul Rudd, "The State," and most things "Six Feet Under"-related. So I am loving the trailer for Diggers, a drama that a) focuses on a character played by Paul Rudd, b) was produced by David Wain and written by Ken Marino, both from "The State," and c) stars "Six Feet Under"'s sassy redhead Lauren Ambrose. Count me in!

The film is only out in limited release this Friday before moving into DVD release the following Tuesday, May 1. IMDB calls it a "coming-of-age story about four working-class friends growing up in Long Island, New York, as clam diggers. Their fathers were clam diggers as well as their grandfathers before them." The trailer, however, is a lot more intriguing than that. You can check it out and tell me what you think if you

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Announcing the 2012 Independent Spirit Award Nominees

Becky Kirsch — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:50:49 PST

Kate Beckinsale and Anthony Mackie were up early this morning to present the nominees for the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards. The Artist and Take Shelter lead the pack with five nominations apiece. Right behind it was Drive, which picked up four nods, including one for leading man Ryan Gosling. The Descendants also scored four nominations, though George Clooney was left off the list this time. Though two of our favorite movies of the year didn't pick up quite as many nods, I was happy to see that Beginners and 50/50 got some love, including nominations for best feature.

To see the full list of the nominees, just

BEST FEATURE
50/50
Beginners
Drive
Take Shelter
The Artist
The Descendants

BEST DIRECTOR
Mike Mills, Beginners
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
Another Earth
In the Family
Margin Call
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Natural Selection

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
Bellflower
Circumstance
Hello Lonesome
Pariah
The Dynamiter

BEST SCREENPLAY
Joseph Cedar, Footnote
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Tom McCarthy, Win Win
Mike Mills, Beginners
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash, The Descendants

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Mike Cahill and Brit Marling, Another Earth
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Patrick DeWitt, Terri
Phil Johnston, Cedar Rapids
Will Reiser, 50/50

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Lauren Ambrose, Think of Me
Rachel Harris, Natural Selection
Adepero Oduye, Pariah
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

BEST MALE LEAD
Demian Bichir, A Better Life
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Woody Harrelson, Rampart
Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Jessica Chastain, Take Shelter
Anjelica Huston, 50/50
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Harmony Santana, Gun Hill Road
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Albert Brooks, Drive
John Hawkes, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
John C. Reilly, Cedar Rapids
Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Joel Hodge, Bellflower
Benjamin Kuh-Sulk, The Off Hours
Darius Kond-Jee, Midnight in Paris
Gui-omme Shiffman, The Artist
Jeffrey Waldron, The Dynamiter

BEST DOCUMENTARY
An African Election
Bill Cunningham New York
The Interrupters
The Redemption of General Butt Naked
We Were Here

BEST FOREIGN FILM
A Separation
Melancholia
Shame
The Kid With a Bike
Tyrannosaur

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Given to one film's director, casting director and its ensemble cast)
Margin Call

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
Chad Burris, Mosquita y Mari
Sophia Lin, Take Shelter
Josh Mond, Martha Marcy May Marlene

ACURA SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
Simon Arthur, Silver Tongues
Mark Jackson, Without
Nicholas Ozek, Mamitas

AVEENO TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
Heather Courtney, Where Soldiers Came From
Danfung Dennis, Hell and Back Again
Alma Har'El, Bombay Beach