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TV Tonight: The Series Finale of Eli Stone

BuzzSugar — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 10:30:41 -0700

Tonight, yet another canceled show bites the dust for good. Actually, this next week or so will be a bit of an ABC canceled show wrap-up, as Eli Stone ends tonight and Dirty Sexy Money begins its run of the final four episodes next Saturday, July 18. Here's what to expect from Eli's farewell episode:

As Eli tries to unravel the mystery of who among his friends may meet their fate on the doomed plane, he and Keith take on the case of a woman named Diane who's in need of a heart transplant, but the religious parents of a donor refuse to give her their daughter's heart to her because she is an atheist. Little does Eli know that the heart he is fighting for will take on greater significance. Meanwhile Taylor and Matt get engaged, and Maggie's faith in Eli is tested.

Will you miss Eli? Do you think the show should have gotten more of a chance? Or are you already over it?

Buzz News Roundup, 4/8

BuzzSugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:30:17 -0700

Once Pushing Daisies is done, the final episodes of Eli Stone and Dirty Sexy Money will also air Saturday nights on ABC this Summer. - Entertainment Weekly
Borat director Larry Charles is in talks to direct the comedy Winter's Discontent about a "sexually frustrated widower" who moves into a retirement community. - ComingSoon
NBC's Kings has been bumped from Sunday to Saturday. - TV.com
Moonlight's Alex O'Loughlin is in line to play the lead opposite Jennifer Lopez in the romantic comedy The Back-Up Plan (aka Plan B). - Zap2It
HBO has renewed Eastbound and Down for a second season. - TV Guide
The iTunes price changes for popular songs have gone into effect. - geeksugar
Diane Keaton and Jeff Goldblum have signed on to join Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams in the comedy Morning Glory. - Variety
Leonard Nimoy is reportedly playing a pretty major role in the Fringe finale. - E!
Kiss's upcoming US and Canadian tour will be entirely routed based on demand at event-based social networking site Eventful. - Billboard

Link Time! 11/25

BuzzSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:30:21 -0800

A case for keeping Eli Stone alive. - TV Squad
For the Star Wars fanatic in your life: a Darth Vader toaster. Yeah, I said it. - Cinematical
Whoa, Jenny Lewis did a song for the Bolt soundtrack! - Stereogum
Josh Schwartz vs. a bunch of questions about Chuck. - Give Me My Remote
A gentle reminder that it's really, really not worth it to rent or buy Fred Claus. - Popwatch
Why is there such a gap between popularity and quality on TV? - Clique Clack TV
Oh, Joel McHale. You always make me so happy. The Soup takes on Twilight. - MTV Movies Blog
Hahaha: Funny clip of John Legend on A Colbert Christmas. - CitizenSugar

Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money Not Picked Up

BuzzSugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:57:10 -0800

ABC has decided against ordering more episodes of Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, and Dirty Sexy Money, at least for now, writes The Hollywood Reporter. The story continues:

Actively avoiding the c-word, the network left the door open for ordering more episodes at a future date, though that is considered improbable. The trio are still on the schedule for next week.

Pushing Daisies has wrapped production on its 13 episodes for this season, while Dirty Sexy Money and Eli Stone will be able to finish their initial orders. There's no word on whether all of those episodes will air between now and when ABC's midseason schedule kicks off in January, though.

Meanwhile, this makes it official that Life on Mars will air after Lost starting in January. Scrubs will also join the Wednesday schedule.

Deep sigh. It's not like this is a shocking surprise for these shows (which all have gotten critical acclaim - especially Daisies - but have struggled in the ratings). But it's still, you know, sad. Can we start the collective wailing in the comments?

Buzz In: What Do You Think of Big-Name Cameos?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:41:31 -0700

By now you may have viewed some of the preview clips of Katie Holmes's upcoming cameo on Eli Stone (if you haven't, click here), which starts with this week's episode, Tuesday night. Many folks are curious about how she'll do on the show since we haven't seen much of Katie in terms of actual movie or TV roles, but at the same time, we've seen a lot of Katie as an oft-paparazzied celebrity. Do you think Katie's fame will distract from her performance on Eli Stone? Can you see her as anyone but Katie Holmes?

Jennifer Aniston will appear soon on 30 Rock which will be intriguing, but again, is it possible to watch her in a TV cameo without thinking this is Jennifer Aniston? One time when I thought it worked out well was Brad Pitt's appearance on Friends, though I don't know what the difference was there.

My favorite thing is when well-known personalities play themselves in a TV show, as Oprah is going to do on 30 Rock. What do you think of TV cameos by big-name celebrities? Yea or nay?

Chuck photo courtesy of NBC
Eli Stone photo copyright 2008 ABC, Inc.
Bauer Griffin Online

TV Tonight: Eli Stone

BuzzSugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 07:30:04 -0700

Eli Stone, which premiered last Spring in the aftermath of the writers' strike and begins its second season on ABC tonight, is a warm, cozy blanket of a TV show. It doesn't get a lot of buzz - a fact it's trying to change with guest stars; more on that in a second - but it never fails to leave me with a smile on my face.

If you missed it the first time through or need a refresher, Jonny Lee Miller plays the title character, an attorney who begins having strange visions - either as the result of a brain aneurysm or because he's a modern-day prophet. The aneurysm was removed through a risky surgery at the end of the first season; what happens to the visions now remains to be, er, seen. The only certain thing is that there will be more singing and dancing, featuring supporting cast members like the wonderful Victor Garber.

Like a few other under-the-radar shows (Chuck comes to mind), Eli Stone has reeled in several high-profile guest stars for this new season, including Sigourney Weaver on tonight's premiere and Katie Holmes, whose appearance we've already gotten to glimpse, on next week's episode. Will these guest stars win any new viewers over to Eli's charming ways? Time will tell. For now, you can check out a preview of the new season if you read more.

Buzz News Roundup, 9/10

BuzzSugar — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:33:47 -0700

Josh Groban will sing a medley of TV theme songs at the upcoming Emmys. - Zap2it
Paramount's Nickelodeon Movies division will be making a Kidrobot film. - ComingSoon
Brittany Snow has been added to the cast of Clock Tower, a video game-film adaptation. - Variety
Unsurprisingly, Kenny Chesney is seriously leading the Country Music Association award nominations. - CMT News
Seal is following George Michael as a musical guest on Eli Stone. - The TV Remote
Johnny Depp will reunite with Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski to voice a character in the animated movie Rango. - Variety
Attention Tobias Fünke! The Blue Man Group will star in an IMAX 3-D musical. - ComingSoon
A new lawsuit alleges that Disturbia is an illegal ripoff of Rear Window. - Hollywood Reporter

Source

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:30:15 -0700

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to my selections below you can also catch up on season four of Eli Stone.

The Office: Season Four
There are a handful of TV shows that I love to own and have handy for when I need a pick-me-up, and The Office is definitely one of them. Hurray for the release of season four and more of "The World’s Greatest Boss!" The season started out slow for me but got a lot better as it progressed, and Jim and Pam tentatively entering into a romance was a definite highlight.

Special features include deleted scenes, outtakes, commentary on "Did I Stutter?" and featurettes titled "The Office Convention: Writer's Block Party" and "Goodbye, Toby Music Video."

Two more movies, so read more!

Then She Found Me
I added this little gem of a movie to my must-haves list for the month of September, but I wanted to remind you again - it's just that good. Then She Found Me stars - and was directed by - Helen Hunt and features a really talented cast including Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick, and Bette Midler.

Based on a book of the same name, the movie follows April (Hunt), a middle-aged elementary school teacher who is adopted but, when faced with trouble getting pregnant, refuses adoption as an option for herself. Her issues only get more complicated by marriage problems, a death in the family, and the introduction of her biological mother (a sparkling Midler). If you didn't catch this in the theater, I highly recommend it!

Special features include director's commentary with Helen Hunt, cast interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and the theatrical trailer

Married Life
There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this dark drama starring Rachel McAdams, Chris Cooper, Patricia Clarkson, and Pierce Brosnan, including the acting, the sweet and uplifting ending, the fantastic costumes, and the way the movie captures the 1940s atmosphere. Overall, it's not a perfect film, but it's definitely worth adding to the old queue.

Extras include commentary with director Ira Sachs and three alternate endings.

Victor Garber on Katie Holmes, George Michael, and Being a Spy Daddy

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 05:45:27 -0700

How fantastic is it that Eli Stone has brought Victor Garber back to our TV sets on a near-weekly basis? Garber's been a favorite of mine since his Daddy Warbucks days - though I loved him most as Sydney's dad on Alias - and his role on Eli combines the best of his Broadway background with another tough-as-nails personality. At the TCA press tour, I chatted with Garber for a bit about being back on TV, working with Katie Holmes, and acting alongside George Michael. Check out some highlights:

What inspired you to take the role on Eli Stone?
This came just after Justice was finished, and I wasn't intending to go back to television, but I really loved the script, and I love [Executive Producer] Greg Berlanti, who - I was told by at least three different people, 'You've got to work with him.' So I met with him, and I read the script and I thought, 'This is so great.' That's what inspires me to do anything, is what's on the page. So I was very happy to get involved. Then it turned out to be one of the best experiences I've had. I'm very lucky. I've had three [series] - Alias, and then Justice, which was short but I loved that, and then this. So I feel like I won the lotto, I really do.

Are there any sort of musical numbers that you're just aching to do? Do you ever go to the producers and say, please, let me do this?
I never ever think that, I honestly don't. I was stunned when they threw "Freedom" at me, and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" - stunned. I really didn't expect anything, and - my background is Broadway, pretty much, and I used to be a folk singer, so this was very very different for me, and I was very nervous, frankly. I'm just thrilled that they threw them at me and I was able to pull them off on some level.

Did you talk to Katie Holmes at all about going to Broadway?
No, we actually didn't. We talked about, oddly enough, Annie, because she said she's seen it 60 times because of her daughter. I just loved that that is a part of their life because it is so special to me.

To hear Garber's take on the twists and turns of Alias, just read more.

JJ [Abrams] was here a few days ago, and he was talking about coming across an episode of Alias and saying that even he didn't understand what was going on in that episode. Can you relate to that?
Uh-huh. Jennifer [Garner] and I joke about that all the time. I texted her - I was in Morocco, shooting, and she said, "We were in Morocco all the time on Alias!" I said, "Were we?" Alias was such a challenge in terms of being able to follow it. We used to joke about it all the time, you know, [we'd be] delivering lines, and then I'd say, "I have no idea what I'm talking about right now. None." Fortunately, the fans could explain it all to me when they would run into me and say, "This is what this is about."

We heard your character is going to go in a bit of a different direction this season. Could you talk a little bit about that?
We saw a little bit at the end of last season about how he's obviously seen something in Eli that's awakened something in him. And that's such a wonderful thing to play. It's sort of a reminder of who he used to be, and I think that just continues in this season.

If you had your druthers, what musical guest would they land?
You know, I was so in awe of George Michael. I could not believe that they got him. When we read the pilot, I thought, "Oh, nice try, but you'll never get him." You know, it's like, this will never happen. And then, cut to, I'm acting with George Michael. It was fantastic. He was so willing and nervous and sweet. He didn't realize, you know, you have to sort of like stand in one spot? Like on my close-up, he'd be covering the camera. But he was so sweet. It was a great thrill to work with him.

Source

Five Minutes With Loretta Devine

BuzzSugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:32:13 -0700

The fabulous Loretta Devine stopped by the TCA press tour earlier this week to talk about the upcoming second season of Eli Stone, in which she plays the title character's sassy but loving secretary. Between that and her recurring role on Grey's Anatomy, playing the sometimes-estranged wife of Seattle Grace's chief of surgery, Devine is showcasing her acting chops (and, in the case of Eli, her lovely voice) all over the ABC schedule - so I feel lucky that I managed to snag a few minutes with her in the hallway! Here's what she had to say:

Can you compare your experience working on Grey's Anatomy and Eli Stone, whether there are any similarities or huge differences between them?
They're both very extremely wonderful writers, and my relationships - it's so funny, because in Grey's Anatomy, I have a love relationship with my husband who doesn't spend enough time [with me], and in Eli Stone, I have this young man that I love so much and that I influence from the outside. I feel like the two characters are totally different from each other, so that's a good thing, because it's easy to keep them separate.

What's it like working with James Pickens Jr. on Grey's?
He is such a handsome man and such a debonair man. I learned about him cheating on me watching TV like everybody else, and I was like, "Oh my God! My husband's cheating!"

Even though you're not on the Grey's set all the time, do they keep you in the loop?
No, I'm not in the loop at all. They just call and say, "What's your availability?" and then they use you when they use you.

To hear about some of Devine's dream singing partners on Eli, just read more.

You said you didn't know about the singing on Eli Stone when you auditioned. When did you find out?
When I got the script! I was so excited because I got to sing some on Boston Public, so I'm really happy about that. And I really hope I get a chance to do more of it. You never know till you get the script. I'm not singing in the first two [episodes of the new season] and I'm sad!

The first season was all George Michael songs. Do you have a dream musical guest for the upcoming season?
I don't, to be totally honest, but Beyonce would be great to come on the show. I think she would be so beautiful. Jennifer Hudson, any of the Dreamgirls!

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