Friday, May 25, 2007

For You.....My Friends.......


Hey there..........I'm back.

Quick question.

Has this ever happened to you?
You're drivin' in your car. It's a beautiful day. The sun is shinin', and you've got the radio blastin' -- listening to some oldies but goodies........LOUD.

I'm sure you've been there.

Well.......just the other day, I was doin' just that when a song came on that I really love.

As I turned it up and started to sing-along (and seriously frighten the driver next to me, I'm sure!).......I suddenly became inspired.

I started thinking about all of my friends (Hey, I'm talkin' about you guys......thank you very much!), and how great it is to have good friendships in our lives.

Being the crazy entertainment junkie that I am..........it also got me thinkin' about all of the great and funny friendships in some of the movies and TV shows that we all know and love.

Anyways, I came home and did what I like to do.......
ya know, in my "free time."

I whipped up a little video montage to that very song that I had blastin' on the radio........

So here it is -- "A Celebration Of Friendship" .

Music courtesy of Freddie Mercury and Queen.

(Hmmm.....I guess ya never know what's gonna happen when ya turn on the radio!).

I was thinkin' about you all.............

Enjoy!

(Don't forget to turn it up......real loud!) :)



Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Paris & Brit -- "Toxic"


Hey y'all............

Whew -- what a week!

I've been tryin' to keep up with all of the crazy goings-on with
my 2 favorite tabloid tootsies........

Brit Brit and her beloved BFF..........Miss Paris Hilton.

I just tried to send y'all a musical montage that I uploaded to YouTube tonight.

Just in case that doesn't work, I thought I would try to load it
onto the blog as well.

(I'm hopin' it's just below this copy.......)

Let me know if you have any trouble viewin' it..........

I think I might have some spare copies of the Paris Hilton "home video" around here somewhere -- maybe I could copy over that for ya!

I'm not sure, but I'm thinkin' my next video may just have to be about that
crazy "Knight Rider" himself:

David "Don't Hassle The Hoff" Hasslehoff.

He's been a busy boy.

Hmmmm........we'll see...............

Enjoy!

Cagey :)














Friday, May 04, 2007

How about some "Female" Pilots?


Hey again...........

Happy Friday!
(Hang in there, the week is almost over!)

Well, I admit it.

I like to watch TV.


Yes.......I really love to go to the movies, but I also like to sit down at the end of a long day and watch something good on TV.

Ya know -- something funny, touching, dramatic, silly or escapist.

(No........I'm not talkin' about "The Search For The Next Pussycat Doll" !)

Because my viewing time is somewhat limited these days -- I know you all can relate,
I tend to be a little more choosy in what I get addicted to on......"The Idiot Box."

For example: I started out loving "24" when it first started.........now I have trouble keepin' up. Same thing with "Lost".

Too many people. Too many stories. Too much confusion.

You miss one ep...........and you're as lost as that big "Hurley" dude on the island.

("Hey, does anybody have any peanut butter?")


I didn't even get started with "Heroes". I know it's great, I've read all about it (and have even watched a little bit.....)I just can't keep up. It's just too much.

It's sad. Those are 2 really great "high concept" shows that I know I would like -- I just don't have enough time and effort in me to keep up with them consistently.

Yikes........am I lame or what?

Anyhow, what I'm gettin' at is this......half-hour sitcoms are much easier on me.

22 minutes......a few laughs.......(hopefully)........and no crazy terrorists or castaway backstories to keep track of.

I can do that.

As you probably already know -- I love, love, love............. "The Office".

Thursday nights at 8:30 pm............I know I'm gonna laugh.

It's a nice way to ease into the end of the week.

Now, what would really make me happy -- what I would really like to see.......are some more
female-centric half-hour comedies.

We've got plenty of men out there.

We've got: "Two and a Half Men", "My Name Is Earl", "The King of Queens", "How I Met Your Mother", etc, etc, etc..............

Off the top of my head, I can only think of 2 women right now who are tryin' to bring the funny.........

Betty (of "Ugly Betty") and Christine (of "The New Adventures of Old Christine").

Where are the ladies?

What happened to:

Lucy Ricardo, Mary Richards, Rhoda Morgenstern, Maude, Laverne and Shirley, The Golden Girls (My 13-year-old daughter Kate loves that show in reruns, by the way -- go figure!), Roseanne, etc, etc, etc.

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Bring on the funny women!

We know they're out there.............and we know women are watching TV.

The ratings and buzz around shows like "Grey's Anatomy" definitely prove that.

Don't get me wrong -- I like television dramas(and some reality TV) as much as the next gal,
I just really want me some laughs too.

Well...........I have read about 2 Fall TV pilots that could be potentially funny, female-driven comedies.

Obviously, it's hard to really judge just based on a plot outline and a cast list........but I think that these 2 shows have some potential.

If you were a network honcho, and you heard these pitches............would you give 'em the green light?

#1

SAM I AM (ABC)

STATUS: currently in development (2007-2008 season)
DEVELOPMENT STAGE: ordered to pilot

DESCRIPTION:
How would you like to rewind your life, erase all the mistakes and cringe-worthy moments and start over with a clean slate? It's a common fantasy. But for Samantha Newly, the fantasy is far too real. After a hit-and-run car accident puts her into an eight-day coma, she wakes up with retrograde amnesia. She can function in the world, but she can't remember a single fact about her own life!

As Samantha digs through clues like a detective to find out who she is (or was), she's hindered by unreliable narrators: her parents and friends all seem to have something to hide from her. Only Samantha's boyfriend Todd -- a stranger, now is trustworthy.

Quickly though, Samantha learns what everyone else knows: she was a horrible person. Vain, selfish, lacking conscience or heart, she had far more enemies than friends. So when Samantha learns that her "accident" was actually an attempted murder, she is, unfortunately, not surprised. If you could start over, would you do things differently? Could you do them differently? Can people change? Or are we just... who we are?

These are the questions "Sam I Am" asks, as our heroine begins the long, comic process of starting over from scratch - fixing old mistakes, reconnecting with her not-so-loving family and rediscovering love. While friends yank her in different moral directions... afraid of the "old Sam" returning... afraid that her would-be killer will try again... Samantha tries to remake herself through good, positive choices even though the bad ones are so much easier (and way more fun). Don Todd ("Ugly Betty") co-created and wrote this inspired comedy with best-selling Irish author, Cecelia Ahern (PS, I Love You). Peter Traugott ("Jake in Progress") of Brillstein Grey also Executive Produces through the ABC Television Studio.

PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:· ??? as Tim· Christina Applegate as Samantha Newly· Jean Smart as Regina· Jennifer Esposito as Angela· Kevin Dunn as Howard· Melissa McCarthy as Dena· Tim Russ as Frank
CREW INFORMATION:· Cecelia Ahern as CRTR/PROD· Christina Applegate as PROD· Don Todd as CRTR/EP· Peter Traugott as EP· Robert Duncan McNeil as DIR (Pilot)
GENRE(S):· comedy (all)· comedy (single-camera)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

OK...........I like this premise, it's different than anything else on TV right now........and
I think Christina Applegate could pull it off.



I definitely see her as a gal who people could hate, but now all of a sudden -- she's clueless and actually kinda nice............and throwin' everybody a curve ball.

I'm thinkin' Jean Smart is gonna play her mom.........that would be cool, she can bring the funny. I love her.


I dunno, just thought it sounded kinda new and fun -- we'll see.



#2

MISS/GUIDED (ABC)

STATUS: currently in development (2007-2008 season)
DEVELOPMENT STAGE: ordered to pilot

DESCRIPTION:
You can run and you can hide but you can never escape...... who you were in high school. Becky Freeley thought she had left her teenage self behind when she returned to her old school to work as the guidance counselor. It wasn't until Lisa, her gorgeous former nemesis, joined the faculty that Becky realized her cover was blown.

In high school, Becky was an underachiever -- a social bottom feeder and a dork. Today, she's attractive, confident and has an admirer in the school's male nurse. Becky, however, has her eye on Tim, an earnest, single Spanish teacher. Unfortunately, so does Lisa. When Lisa was in high school, she was beautiful, popular and smart. While Becky pined secretly for Lisa's boyfriend, Lisa barely knew Becky existed. This time around, however, Becky is determined to prove that she has changed and to help her students have an easier time than she did.

In the pilot, Becky counsels a young girl in search of a date for the homecoming dance. At the same time, Becky is looking for a date for herself and must confront the fact that she hasn't changed as much as she thought she had. As the guidance counselor, Becky provides us with an inside look at the lives of both the students and faculty. More importantly, Becky has the opportunity to answer the question: If you could go back, knowing what you know
now-- what
would you do differently?

"Miss/Guided" is a show about second chances not only for Becky, but for Lisa and Tim, as well. Produced by Ashton Kutcher and helmed by Emmy winning-director Todd Holland ("Malcolm in the Middle," "The Larry Sanders Show").

PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:· Brooke Burns as Lisa· Earl Billings as Huffy· Jonathan Sadowski as Gary· Judy Greer as Becky Freeley· Kristoffer Polaha as Tim

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I feel the same about this pilot...........I think it sounds different than anything else on TV right now. Also, I love it when characters go "back to school" --- different than before, but maybe NOT so different after all.

(I love that Drew Barrymore movie Never Been Kissed, it kinda reminds me of that
a little bit).

Anyways, character actress Judy Greer is listed as the lead (you've seen her before, she does comedy and drama -- she played Jennifer Garner's buddy/co-worker in 13 Going on 30 ).



I like this casting choice because she's not typically beautiful, by Hollywood standards anyways. You could see her as an outsider in high school......and now she has more self-esteem.

The beautiful nemesis is played by Brooke Burns. Don't know if she is blonde or brunette now.......






She's been in a lot of low-level stuff........you've probably seen her before. But she is also somewhat known for being the ex-girlfriend of Bruce Willis (although -- I think that a lot of Hollywood gals can say that!)

Once again..........we'll see.

Yikes, I just looked at the clock -- and realized that I am going to be late for work if I don't wrap this baby up.

(And I'm never, ever late..............ouch, I think my nose is growing!)

As you can see, I could probably talk about this stuff all day!

Well, I hope you all enjoyed my "pilot talk" this week. I just felt like sharin' some of the stuff I've been reading about lately.

So have a great weekend everybody.............I'll (probably)be back next week.

Later,

Cagey :)

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

More Pilots For Ya........


Hmmmm.......doncha just love a man in uniform?

Yep.

Oooops, I digress.

Happy Wednesday y'all.

Well, as promised.....I have 2 more interesting TV pilots to fill ya in on today.

The first one is generating some buzz because the 2 stars are TV favorites, and they both come from well-loved and established shows.

#1

BACK TO YOU (FOX)

(This one has a blind 13-episode commitment, the pilot already
filmed
in early April)

DESCRIPTION:
In the 90s, the local TV news scene in Pittsburgh was dominated by one team: CHUCK DARLING (Kelsey Grammer, "Frasier," "Cheers") and KELLY CARR (Patricia Heaton, "Everybody Loves Raymond"). They had that elusive quality all news teams need:
chemistry ...... at least on-screen. Off-screen, Chuck was a bit of an egomaniacal womanizer, and Kelly a bit of an uptight know-it-all.

So -- when Chuck got the call to move up to a larger market, no tears were shed. Now, after an embarrassing newscast tirade ends up on the Internet, Chuck finds himself on the downswing career-wise. He's even questioning whether his lifestyle of chasing women and living in hotels is as exciting as it used to be. When he gets the call to return to Pittsburgh, to reunite with Kelly and try to take the newscast back to No. 1, it's an offer he can't refuse.

Now back in Pittsburgh, Chuck has a couple of new co-workers: MONTANA DIAZ HERRERA (Aimee Garcia, "A Lot Like Love"), the perky, sexy, somewhat inept weather anchor, and RYAN CHURCH (Paul Campbell, "Battlestar Galactica"), the overstressed news director. There are also familiar faces like MARSH McGINLEY (Fred Willard, "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," "Everybody Loves Raymond"), the affable, endlessly inappropriate sports anchor, and GARY CREZYZEWSKI, pronounced Kre-shoov-ski (Ty Burrell, "In Good Company," "Out of Practice"), the perennially put-upon field reporter who always seems to get left out in the snow.

But mostly, there's Kelly-- now a single mom to 10-year-old GRACIE (Laura Marano, "Without a Trace"). There was magic between them once. Can they find it again?

BACK TO YOU is written and executive-produced by Steven Levitan ("Just Shoot Me!," "Frasier," "Wings") and Christopher Lloyd ("Frasier," "The Golden Girls").

PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:· Ayda Field as Montana Diaz Herrera· Fred Willard as Marsh McGinley· Josh Gad as Ryan Church· Kelsey Grammer as Chuck Darling· Laura Marano as Gracie Carr· Patricia Heaton as Kelly Carr· Ty Burrell as Gary Crezyzewski

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I do think this one sounds like it could be funny........

I really like Kelsey when he is at his bombastic best. He can be boorish, funny, smart and charming.



I also know some people are on the fence about Patty Heaton, but I think this sounds like a good role for her. I can see she and Kelsey sparring and playing well off of each other.



Hey.....they're both Emmy winners, it's worth a sample.

Also, I get a kick out of Fred Willard --



Watching him play an "endlessly inappropriate" anything, is usually better than most sitcom actors on TV right now.

Have you ever seen Best In Show? His take on the announcer at the dog show is priceless. Rent that baby!

OK........so keep an eye out this Fall for "Back To You" on FOX.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for this one. We'll see if they can create some
"Must-See TV" for me.


#2

DIRTY SEXY MONEY (ABC) ...........Doncha just love the title?

STATUS: currently in development (2007-2008 season)
DEVELOPMENT STAGE: ordered to pilot

DESCRIPTION:
Power, privilege and family money are a volatile cocktail. Living proof: The Darlings of New York City, so absurdly wealthy they put the "upper" in Upper East Side.

This preeminent family's five spoiled adult brats (one of them a Presidential candidate) are always getting mixed up with the wrong people, including freeloading spouses, illegal immigrants and transvestite hookers. It will take a miracle to keep this Kennedy-esque clan out of the tabloids and out of jail.

That miracle comes in the form of Nick George. As a boy, Nick watched his father surrender his freedom and family as the Darling's trusted consigliere(that's family lawyer, to you and me). Burned by his own boyhood encounters with the family, Nick did a 180 and became a lawyer for the disadvantaged. But the passing of his dad thrusts the daunting responsibility of protecting the Darlings' secrets onto Nick. When the family's patriarch offers him an ungodly salary, Nick isn't sure if it's the chance of a lifetime - or a life sentence.

In no time, Nick finds himself racing to plead with cops, hush the tabloids and furiously try to wipe the mud off the esteemed Darling reputation. With new disasters every week, hopefully Nick has the stamina for a marathon. Three-time Emmy nominee Peter Krause ("Six Feet Under," "Sports Night"), Emmy-winner Donald Sutherland, and two-time Oscar nominee Jill Clayburgh ("Ally McBeal," Starting Over, An Unmarried Woman) star in this younger, sexier, redheaded stepchild of Dallas and Dynasty.

Emmy and Pulitzer-nominated Craig Wright ("Brothers & Sisters," "Lost," "Six Feet Under") and executive producer Greg Berlanti ("Brothers & Sisters," "Everwood") use over-the-top situations and razor-sharp satire to illustrate how scads of money can create a great American family... and demolish it.


PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:· Donald Sutherland as Tripp Darling· Glenn Fitzgerald as Brian Darling· Jill Clayburgh as Letitia Darling· Laz Alonso as Colin Davidson· Natalie Zea as Karen Darling· Peter Krause as Nick George· Samaire Armstrong as Juliet Darling· Seth Gabel as Jeremy Darling· Victoria Pratt as Naomi Leeds· William Baldwin as Senator Patrick Darling· Zoe McLellan as Lisa George


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

OK...........this is one I really wanna watch. I sure hope it makes it to the Fall schedule.

I love that they are callin' this -- a "redheaded stepchild" to "Dallas" and "Dynasty".

Oh yeah...........I'm there, baby!

I also love Peter Krause -- "Sports Night" is one of my all-time favorite shows (the eps are now on DVD, I'd highly recommend it..........and I ain't no sports nut, by the way! It's just good stories, a great cast and really smart writing. Aaron Sorkin at his best.)



I think Peter will be great in the role of Nick, trying to pick-up the pieces of this very wealthy (and wacky) NYC family.

And how about Donald Sutherland as the patriarch?


Awesome............love him, love his voice. He really plays a good baddie.

And just guess who is playin' the young politico brother with presidential aspirations?

None other than that handsome Baldwin brother........Billy (that's "William" to you).



Hmmmm..............

I'm thinkin' they can get big brother Alec to do a cameo as a ruthless, muckraking tabloid reporter -- out to expose all of the dirty Darling family secrets.



("Pilot.........did somebody say, Pilot?")



Let's see......then maybe the family lawyer/Nick character -- digs up some good dirt on the reporter(guest-star Alec) instead --(Oh, I dunno.......custody battle transcripts, cell phone records -- something like that).

I'm seein' it.

Hey Alec -- give the producers a call.......

You're so great on the phone --you'd be awesome, baby!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------


Well.........that's all of my "pilot talk" for today.

Tune in tomorrow -- I have a few more goodies to gab about.

Later,

Cagey :)

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

It's Pilot Season......


No.............

Not that kind of pilot.

(Although...........I do know about those!)

TV pilots.





That's what I'm talkin' about.

For this comin' Fall.

The 2007-2008 TV season.

Yep, Hollywood is workin' of those babies -- right now.

Casting 'em and filming 'em..........and hopin' they pick the ones you're gonna love.

Ya know.......... "Must-See TV".

The next "Heroes" and "Grey's Anatomy"...........not the next "Joey" and "Kidnapped."

ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, The CW and all the rest -- are hopin' they have some shows that are gonna make you stay home at night..........(or at least fire up the TiVo!).

Well, I've been surfin' the Net..........readin' about what they will be servin' up in the Fall. I must say, so far...........I'm seeing some stuff that doesn't look half bad.

Some interesting ideas, and some fun casts.

I decided that for the rest of this week, each day I will pick a few of the pilots that I thought sounded interesting -- and share some of the deets with y'all.

Here are the two for today:

#1

"PUSHING DAISIES" (ABC)

STATUS: currently in development (2007-2008 season)
DEVELOPMENT STAGE: ordered to pilot

DESCRIPTION:

It's "Once Upon A Time", and director Barry Sonnenfeld (Men In Black, Get Shorty, The Addams Family) and writer-producer Bryan Fuller ("Heroes," "Wonderfalls," "Dead Like Me") have created an unprecedented blend of romance, crime procedural and high-concept fantasy.

It is a love story about a young man with a very special gift.....the ability to return someone dead briefly back to life with just a simple touch. Ned, a mild-mannered baker of fabulous pies, discovered his gift as a child. Now he puts his gift to good use, working with his only friend, a private investigator, to crack murder cases by asking victims to name their killers.

But the tale gets complicated, as all tales do, when he saves his childhood sweetheart and she miraculously stays alive. Each week, she encourages him to use his powers to solve mysteries and help others. Life would be perfect, except for one cruel twist: if Ned ever touches her again, she'll lose the life he gave her, for good this time. Ahhhh, there's always a catch........

Golden Globe nominee Lee Pace (The Good Shepherd, A Soldier's Girl), Chi McBride ("The Nine," "Boston Public"), Golden Globe nominee Swoosie Kurtz ("Huff," "Sisters") and Tony Award winner Kristen Chenoweth ("The West Wing," Broadway's "Wicked") star in a fairytale in the spirit of Amelie, Stranger than Fiction, and Chocolat. From the producers of Big Fish comes an equally magical and delightful series that offers a weekly dose of sweet, heartwarming, quirky fun.


PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION: · Anna Friel as Charlotte "Chuck" Charles· Chi McBride as Emerson Cod· Jim Dale as Narrator· Kristin Chenoweth as Olive· Lee Pace as Ned· Swoosie Kurtz as Lily

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hmmmm...........maybe it's just me, but I thought this one kinda sounded fresh and interesting. I like quirky and sweet. There are enough straight CSI's and Law and Order's on TV right now.

I'm just sayin'.............

I think this could be good if it's done well. The behind-the-scenes people definitely know what they're doin'. And I love Kristin Chenoweth.......she's a riot.



I hope it works. We'll see.


#2 (This one, I couldn't resist. You'll see why........)

THE VIRGIN OF AKRON, OHIO (LIFETIME NETWORK)

STATUS: currently in development (2007-2008 season)
DEVELOPMENT STAGE: ordered to pilot

DESCRIPTION: This drama revolves around a young woman in Manhattan who, after a stint in rehab, is sent back to her Ohio town to do community service and live with her dysfunctional family.

PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:· Brian Kerwin· Chelah Horsdal· Jill Latiano as Raleigh· Landon Liboiron· Laurie Metcalf as Lydia· Matthew John Armstrong· Shawn Roberts

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

OK.........the basic info listed above is all that I know about this one -- but c'mon. The title, the plot, the people. How could ya not check that baby out?

A few key words make it a "Must-See" for me........Manhattan, rehab, Ohio, community service, dysfunctional and Laurie Metcalf.

Metcalf played Roseanne's sister Jackie on "Roseanne" and she is great. She can do drama or comedy and is usually the best thing in any scene that she is in.



Brian Kerwin is a character actor who I'm sure that you've seen in a lot of things, you just may not recognize his name.



Interestingly..........Kerwin played Jackie's boyfriend on "Roseanne" for a season. They were very good together. I'm thinkin' that they are cast in this as husband and wife.....parents to the rehab girl -- but I'm not positive about that. Just guessin'.

OK...............

That's it for my "pilot talk" for today.

Check back tomorrow for some other TV tidbits..............

I'll be here.

See ya,

Cagey :)