BuzzSugar

Grey's Anatomy, Modern Family, and 4 More ABC Shows Renewed

BuzzSugar — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 09:48:13 PST

It's ABC's time to shine at the Winter TCA, and the network kicked off the day by announcing the pickup of six series. It's no shocker that rating hits like Grey's Anatomy and Modern Family will be coming back, along with The Middle, Private Practice, and Castle. I was also delighted to see that Cougar Town will be getting a third season.

As for shows that are still in the lurch? The jury is still out on aging series like Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters, plus freshman series like Better With You.

What do you think of the early pickups? Did your favorite make the cut?

Kate Walsh and Taye Diggs Reveal the Future of "AddiSam" on Private Practice

Molly — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:30:00 PDT

Kate Walsh and Taye Diggs stopped by last week's TCA in Beverly Hills to chat about season four of Private Practice. Kate quickly joked that these days they're able to divulge more spoilers, saying, "It's no longer the pentagon. It used to be they'd take a digit for every story you told!" With that out of the way, Kate and Taye still don't know exactly whether the relationship between their characters Addison and Sam will be a successful one this season. They also spoke about Shonda Rhimes's vision for the show and how they deal when she takes their characters in surprising directions - as in Addison being with her best friend's ex husband. Here's what a very playful Kate and Taye had to say:

Where do we pick up when Private Practice returns?

Kate Walsh: There is a little bit of a time jump, but we're not clear how much time. I'd say anywhere between three days and three weeks. [Laughs] I got highlights, so it's been some time. A little bit of time and then we ease people back in with the story. There's a lot of coupling.
Taye Diggs: Things have progressed. There's a lot of marriage talk in the air. So some time has passed, enough for that stuff to have evolved.

What is going on in all the relationships when we meet back up with you?

KW: Well there's a wedding, and it's not us! So yeah, Violet and Pete. It's really lovely and amazing. You kind of see throughout the first episode the question is in the air - what about Sam and Addison? What happened with them the last time we saw them? She took her dress off. Someone tweeted that, "Come on, she took her dress off! Something had to happen!" I was like maybe she just got hot. . . .there's nothing you could say without sexual innuendo. So you see where we end up, but it's very ambiguous. All I would say is for that first episode you really want to watch every single minute, including the last couple of minutes. Or you will miss the F out. I can say that, right? I didn't swear I just said F.
TD: Especially the last couple of minutes. Don't miss out.
KW: You don't want to be that person whose TiVo cut it off and you're like wait, what happened? Then you find out the next day.
TD: You have to set it for five extra minutes
KW: Yes! I'd encourage that. I think you're going to enjoy what you see.

For more Private Practice scoop, just

read more. Dell has left the building, can you tell us a little bit about the effects from that? KW: We all sort of pick up and move on pretty quickly. Turns out we didn't really care so much about Dell [laughs]. We get really back in our self-involved lives. [At one point] Naomi says, "yeah . . . just thinking about Dell." She's the only one, it turns out, in the entire practice. TD: [Chris Lowell] affected the actors far more. He's such a great young man. We miss him. KW: [Laughing] I mean, he's still with us. He is alive! Let's be clear, Chris Lowell is alive. Now that Sam is a grandfather, is there a chance Addison will be helping raise the baby? KW: Who knows, maybe! We haven't seen that far ahead, but I imagine there's gotta be someone she's going to mother. We just haven't seen it yet, but maybe. Perhaps we'll hear Taye sing a lullaby? TD: A couple of seasons ago they played like Sam and Naomi couldn't sing. So now we're kind of trapped. KW: Or they could just bring in Chandra Wilson to sing. They let her sing a lullaby [on Grey's Anatomy] - maybe we could do a crossover for one scene where Bailey is singing to the baby. Shonda always thinks things out and has all these great reasons why she does things to the characters. Do you always agree with where she's coming from? TD: Not always, but she has an open door policy and whenever we have questions, at least from my personal experience, we can chat it out. There's always a reason for the choice a character makes. What is an example of one thing you may have walked into her office about? KW: Well I love the AddiSam, if you will, relationship, but it's like whoa, what kind of person would do this? That's pretty far-fetched in my world. It's a very interesting thing to be like okay, I'm going to date my best friend's ex husband. I don't know how anyone does that. But that's the great thing about being an actor on TV - you get to put yourself in the mind of someone who would do that and have compassion for them enough to get through the scene. That's the fun of acting, but that was definitely like wait, seriously? Remember when Addison went on a terror last season [with men]? Just like boom boom boom, it was like everybody. Just like she's back in! She's back in the ring! TD: Knockin' em down like dominoes!

Link Time! Watch the Flaming Lips's Puzzling New Video

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:30:00 PDT

Watch the new Flaming Lips video for Powerless - Vulture
Dreamworks and Paramount are reportedly not happy with that racy Shrek Vman magazine shoot - The Playlist
Twilight trouble: Eclipse is undergoing a series of reshoots - PopSugar
Who's going to die on Private Practice? - The Ausiello Files
The Butter casting refuses to slow down: now Hugh Jackman and Alicia Silverstone are attached - Coming Soon
A sweet tribute to why Ugly Betty mattered - PopWatch
Buffy's Joss Whedon will direct The Avengers - TV Squad
Glee got its biggest ratings yet following American Idol - The Wrap
Kick-Ass's Chloe Moretz has a foul mouth, but she's certainly not the first - MTV Movies Blog
Sharlto Copley in talks for I Am Number Four - Cinematical

Five Questions for Private Practice

BuzzSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 05:30:36 PDT

It's Summer, and that means it's time for my Five Questions series, where I reflect on the most recent seasons of some favorite shows and chat about their challenges for the future. Today, I'm posing some questions for Private Practice, which will launch its third season this Fall.

What's Violet's condition? Despite the dire circumstances in which we last saw Violet, Amy Brenneman was on set when I visited last week, and there are some spoilers at that link about what she may be facing this Fall. Even if Violet does live, how will she live? Will the attack leave her permanently damaged? Will she have flashbacks to that horrifying scene? Speaking of which . . .
Will Private Practice turn into a parade of over-the-top plotlines? Even Brenneman herself said it felt like she was "in a Quentin Tarantino movie - I'm in a whole other universe" during the season finale, and I hope this Violet situation is an anomaly. I like when the doctors interact and fall for each other and work out dilemmas. I like when this show moves me. I do not like it when it suddenly feels like an episode of Law and Order: SVU. The show needs to create buzz and draw in viewers, but there's got to be a better way.

For my next three questions, just

Private Practice: A New Crossover and Violet's Future

BuzzSugar — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:50:49 PDT

The last thing I was expecting from Private Practice and Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes when a bunch of reporters descended on the Private Practice set on Tuesday was a spoiler. But she must have been feeling generous toward the TCA crowd, because we didn't even have to work for our news: Dr. Miranda Bailey of Seattle Grace (the Emmy-nominated Chandra Wilson) will be guest-starring on the third episode of Private Practice's third season.

I suppose it would be too much to ask, though, for Rhimes to reveal exactly why the crossover takes place. The most we could get was that she'll be "performing a very interesting medical procedure" and "will have her own comments about what's going on" over at Oceanside Wellness. I like the sound of that second idea: I think the Southern California doctors could use a patented Bailey smackdown every now and then.

The Bailey visit wasn't the only thing I learned on the set. What follows is spoilery, but if you want to hear details of Violet's fate after that freaky season finale and what's up next for Addison's romantic life, just

read more. Amy Brenneman was on set, so it was clear pretty quickly that Violet survives the attack by her unstable patient. But that doesn't mean she's unharmed. "She gets hurt. Big time," Brenneman said. "She is saved - I mean, she survives. But she gets hurt. It's ugly." We won't have to wait long to find out the details: The first episode of the new season picks up just 20 minutes after the last scene we saw. After that, though, the episodes will jump a bit forward in time, and things in Violet's relationship with Cooper won't be the same. "There is an emotional fallout for him," Brenneman said, explaining that not only are Violet and Cooper no longer roommates in the first part of this season, they haven't even really spoken for a while. Added Paul Adelstein: "Cooper is kind of avoiding her. He's avoiding going back to the house. . . . He's trying to pay a lot of attention to her, but he feels this guilt that he can't even quite identify, I think." Adelstein said Cooper thinks he's just giving Violet space to bond with her baby - which means, yes, there is a baby! Some other hints about the new season:

Cooper and Charlotte are still together and just as dysfunctional as ever - and the stress of dealing with their own reactions to Violet's trauma isn't doing them any favors.
Naomi really has moved downstairs to the other practice (her on-set office was practically empty).
"There's a lot of Pete" and Violet, Brenneman said - though Sheldon will also continue to appear. The first episode of the season involves a lot of flashbacks with Violet and Pete, including Pete's early days at Oceanside.
Addison is going to start the season single. "And maybe to a comedic extent," Kate Walsh said. "There might be a pet cat involved."

Will you follow Bailey to Private Practice? Do you have thoughts on what's next for Violet? And are you glad Addison will try to be happily single for a change?

Private Practice Rundown: Episode 22, "Yours, Mine, and Ours"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 01 May 2009 12:30:56 PDT

So, I wouldn't say a whole lot gets resolved on the season finale of Private Practice. The episode is basically one big custody battle, with characters fighting for control of their children, their lovers, and their entire lives. And then, in the second half, it becomes a bit of a horror movie. Ready to talk about it? Just

read more. Guys, this twist with Violet and Katie and the baby is messed up! As Amy Brenneman hinted, Violet's baby's in trouble - as is Violet herself. Katie turns up at Oceanside and appears immediately to be off her meds, almost manic. But Violet and Pete can't come up with any reason to have her hospitalized - a decision Violet pays for dearly when Katie shows up at her house and drugs her, paralyzing her from the neck down. Soon, Katie's whipping out surgical equipment, preparing to take back the baby she believes Violet stole. Logic doesn't stop her (Katie seems oddly aware of what a crazy thing she's doing), and Violet can't fight back. And of course Cooper chooses this one time to pick Charlotte over Violet, meaning he doesn't discover the gruesome scene. As the show fades to black, Katie's getting ready to cut, with Violet seemingly resigned to the fact that she'll die. All she can do is beg Katie to be good to her boy. On the Shonda Rhimes scale (remember, the woman killed Meredith Grey, put a bomb in a body, and brought back Denny), how crazy is this? What bad timing, too, because Violet had finally just resolved to be happy. And what makes her happy? Being with Pete. Sheldon all but tells him to man up and fight for Violet if he wants her, and Pete - despite a rambling speech about how fighting hurts his knuckles - finally does. I'm relieved that she and Pete at least get to kiss before the Katie stuff goes down. Poor Sheldon, though, doesn't get his answer from Violet before the episode is up. Because she's not answering her phone. Because she's currently paralyzed from the neck down. So it goes. Meanwhile, I'm so angry at Addison that I could spit. It's not like we never knew on Grey's Anatomy that Addison could do bad things - I mean, she cheated on Derek with his best friend. But I am just not OK with any of this Noah stuff. Hooking up with her pregnant patient's husband while the patient is practically giving birth oversteps so many boundaries, I can't even count them. I don't care if they haven't done anything wrong in the Biblical sense, as Addison claims. Noah's a creep, Addison's playing right into it, and I don't want to watch the two of them anymore, period. In other news:

Naomi's patient mixup, whether the fault of her or Dell or some combination, is so horrible to imagine. Its resolution is awfully tidy as far as the two pregnant women go, but it has to put doubts in Naomi's head about her own abilities as a doctor.
Which doesn't stop her from taking the job at the rival practice, presumably ousting Charlotte. Naomi feels stuck in neutral, working at a practice she doesn't control anymore with a man she doesn't love anymore - even though, apparently, he still loves her, as he blurted out in this episode.
I can't decide if I pity Charlotte or think it's about time someone tells her nobody likes working for her.
Dell gets his daughter back, thanks to Sam, who kind of apologizes for giving Dell a hard time by giving him the money Heather wants (for drugs, I assume). I hope this means fewer tortured moments for Dell next season.

Did this cliffhanger make you want to come back next season - or want to turn off the show for good because of its sheer ridiculousness? Will Naomi really leave? Will Cooper conveniently realize he left something in the house and return to save the day? Photos copyright 2009 ABC, Inc.

Amy Brenneman Says Violet's Baby Is in Danger Tonight

BuzzSugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:30:54 PDT

In general, babies don't have the easiest time at Private Practice's Oceanside Wellness. So will Violet's baby survive tonight's season finale? My recent chat with Amy Brenneman confirmed there's some merit to the question.

It's been rumored that Violet's mentally unstable patient, Katie, will return tonight, blaming Violet for her own unsuccessful pregnancy and seeking revenge. Meanwhile, we still don't know if Pete or Sheldon is the father - nor do we know if Violet will accept Sheldon's marriage proposal. Lots of questions for just one hour!

I asked Brenneman what the heck Violet sees in Sheldon, why Violet lacks female friends, and lots more. Here are highlights:

Let's start with the big proposal. I feel lukewarm on Sheldon. What does Violet see in him?
Sheldon really understands her, and I kind of like that storyline in that last episode of them working on a case together. Because I do think that for as kind of sloppy and messy as Violet is, she still has a really inquisitive mind about psychology - both hers and other people's - so I think there's something really comforting to her about Sheldon's familiarity with that subject too. I think he adores her, and I think Violet knows that. What [creator] Shonda Rhimes basically said to me was - and you know this is a little black and white - but that Sheldon is the safe guy in that he has been very steady with his affection and she knows he'll probably never go away. Pete, even though [Violet's] known him longer, the idea is that [she's] seen him through bad behavior so . . . can she really trust in Pete?

Do you personally have a preference for which guy Violet chooses, if any?
You know, not really. I mean, I love both these men. Brian Benben [Sheldon] makes me laugh all day long. And I think with Tim [Daly] - you know what's so brilliant about Shonda putting me and him together is because I worked with his sister [Tyne Daly] for 10 years . . . he's very familiar to me. At first it was like "Ew! It's going to be like kissing my brother!" He's gorgeous and he's great, but yeah, Shonda's like, "Well, yeah, that's kind of what I want to explore with Violet and Pete," because they've known each other a long time and then it turns into a sexual relationship, and what is that like? Then, you know, for Violet, too, there's the whole Coop factor. . . . Still at this point in her life the real day-to-day guy to see is Cooper.

To hear about Violet's friendships and what's happening with her baby, just

read more. Do you ever wish Violet had more girlfriends? Yeah! I do. I do. Sometimes I don't know if certain things are deliberate or if we don't have time to tell every story that we'd like to tell, because that's something we explored a little bit at the very beginning of the season with my friendship with Naomi. Because during the very first season . . . I kept saying to Shonda, "Wait a minute. You know, Naomi might be happy that Addison's there because she's great and adorable, but Violet's world is kind of rocked." Addison comes to town and because she has the older relationship with Naomi, Violet just kind of gets tossed aside. But I think that it's interesting with [Violet's] history, you know the fact that she was raped in the past. In one way, I think these men really protect her and really love her, and that's a safe place for her. Will she and Charlotte get closer? Well, I think that's a situational thing. I mean, they're literally sort of on the same couch together, you know? But I think that Charlotte is trying to be generous. I don't know. I have no idea what's planned. I find it really hard to believe. Charlotte's just so weird! I mean, even watching her behavior with Cooper . . . they get close and she's just such a little nervous thing. I think there's genuine love that we both have for Cooper. Is Violet annoyed that Coop and Charlotte have so much sex around her while she's pregnant? Totally! Oh, totally. No, I think everyone's annoyed, and Cooper's trying to be the good guy. I mean, I think that's something that Shonda writes about a lot: How do sexuality and intimacy go together? How do intimacy and fantasy go together? Babies on Private Practice don't fare too well. Is Violet's baby in danger? Violet's baby is in a little bit of danger. I know that's what Tim Daly always says - he's always like, "Wow! We're not a very good practice. We lose patients!" He always says to me, "Violet's not a very good therapist!" But yes, that is a good observation, and, um, all I know is what you guys are going to see [tonight] but . . . yes, the baby's in danger. Photos copyright 2009 ABC, Inc.

TV Tonight: A Return and a Finale on ABC

BuzzSugar — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 07:30:46 PDT

For one week only, ABC Thursdays are back to normal. Ugly Betty makes its return from its Spring hiatus - just in time for Private Practice to air its second-season finale.

When we left off with Betty, the Mode staff was hard at work on the annual sex issue. In tonight's episode, we learn the issue was a flop, leaving Mode in dire financial circumstances (the economy is everywhere!). Conveniently, Betty's boyfriend just happens to be, y'know, loaded. Wonder if that's going to cause any tension at all?

Meanwhile, on Private Practice, Violet's about to give birth, and that prompts her to make a decision between Pete and Sheldon. But things take a turn for the dark when a past patient shows up at Oceanside, putting Violet and her baby in grave danger. I chatted with Amy Brenneman about this episode a few days ago, and I'll be sharing some of her thoughts on her storyline later today, so stay tuned for that.

In between the two, we have another new episode of Grey's Anatomy, in which Izzie's mom - played by Sharon Lawrence, last seen as Megan's mom on Privileged - comes to town to pay a surprise visit to her ailing daughter. She's not the only parent in town: Thatcher Grey turns up at Seattle Grace with a thing or two to say to his daughters.

Sounds like quite a night all around, eh? To check out a clip from each of tonight's episodes, just

Private Practice Rundown: Episode 21, "What You Do For Love"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:30:23 PDT

Private Practice is back and more intense than ever. The patients in this week's episode are actually more compelling to me than the doctors' lives - save for maybe Pete's little romance with Idina Menzel, and that's just because I like Idina so much.

Violet is now super-pregnant and nobody knows who the dad is, Addison is completely unable to avoid Noah and is once again paired with him on a medical case, and Naomi grapples with an offer that might be too good to refuse. Oh and there's a marriage proposal. Ready to talk about it? Just

read more. Seriously, these patients! Where to begin? How about with Addison's pregnant lady: I was a little stunned when the husband wheels in dead, but then my mind went straight to, "The brother killed him." The show delivers actual suspense when Charlotte breaks up the heart surgery party with her common sense. I love how she's all, "Guys? A husband with the same blood type shows up dead - just when his wife desperately needs a heart transplant? Maybe we should think about foul play?" And then the brother basically gives Addison a nonanswer when she confronts him about potentially committing the murder: "So I wanted something I couldn't have . . . don't tell me you haven't felt that way." Um, OK, but yes or no, buddy? And then there's Sam's Mary Kay Letourneau. I knew something was up just because they picked an actress who looked sort of creepy to play the part. The double-standard on Sam's part was killing me, and Naomi is right: what if it had been their daughter having sex with a male teacher twice her age? He would freak out! But since the teacher's a woman, he and Cooper entertain her declarations of love (although Coop isn't too happy about it). Give me a break. I think the biggest case for reporting her - that they don't even mention! - is the repeat-offender issue. What if the next time this teacher strikes, it's a 14-year-old? Some more thoughts:

I'm telling you, Charlotte is a better woman than I am. I just don't know if I could wake up in the morning to my boyfriend sitting with another woman in his lap (even if they're practicing lamaze). I loved this line though: "I get my itches scratched in the morning." Ha!
Ugh. Dell being moody is getting old. I'm glad Pete finally stood up to him.
I'm officially doing an about-face and am warming to Noah. He's sexy when he's being a doctor, and he and Addison work well together. Maybe the absence of, you know, a wife made me less annoyed.
Boo to Pete breaking up with Idina's character. I like the cute nod to her real-life marriage when Sam says, "Nice . . she's a . . . I like her."
Are you guys at all charmed by Sheldon's nerdiness yet? I feel bad being so grossed out by him, but I'm just not into this love triangle.

The big twist at the end is that the guy trying to recruit Naomi to head up his state-of-the-art, non-HMO special hospital thing is also Charlotte's boss. So is this new clinic really just Oceanside's competitor? Is this guy looking to fire Charlotte and replace her with Naomi? Also, Sheldon's proposal? How do we feel about that?! What did you guys think of this episode? Photos copyright 2009 ABC, Inc.

Buzz In: What TV Show Can You Just Not Quit?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:30:02 PDT

The other day at Sugar HQ, some coworkers and I started talking about whether Joss Whedon's Dollhouse is good (or at least getting better). One colleague said it was just too cheesy and nonsensical at times for her to really stick with it. I was in a different boat: It doesn't matter how many cons there are with Dollhouse, I just can't seem to quit it. It's sort of the opposite of a guilty pleasure, in that there's not a lot of pleasure, but if I stopped watching now, I'd feel too much guilt. I also sometimes feel this way about Private Practice.

So I'm curious: Is this unique to me, or are there shows that you keep watching despite not necessarily always enjoying them? What shows' flaws do you put up with, for some reason, week after week?

Photo courtesy of Fox