Posts Tagged ‘TCA Winter 2012’
FX takes a late night shot with lippy, trippy Russell Brand
by Ed Bark on January 16th 2012 at 7:42 am
PASADENA, Calif. -- Forever and a day ago, the annual winter Television Critics Association "press tour" began with a gentle discourse on cooking by PBS celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich, who once made Pope Benedict XVI eat his soup. It ended early Sunday afternoon with the wild-eyed musings of Britisher Russell Brand, who will be shepherding the FX network into the late night arena with Strangely Uplifting. "I'm not from here, am I?" he asked rhetorically. "I'm English. So it's like the perspective of an alien to understand this peculiar time, this peculiar country. I think it's a bit like Mork… read more »
Betting anew on a new sight-unseen Charlie Sheen sitcom
by Ed Bark on January 16th 2012 at 6:06 am
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PASADENA, Calif. -- Few if any television executives are as forthcoming as FX president and general manager John Landgraf. So on the final day of the annual winter Television Critics Association "press tour," he didn't duck or even dodge locatetv.com's questions about how and why his network bit on a new Charlie Sheen comedy series adapted from the 2003 feature film Anger Management. He also was the only high level exec to appear onstage in jeans. Sheen and veteran television producer Bruce Helford (The Drew Carey Show) pitched the show to a number of networks, Landgraf said Sunday. "I walked into… read more »
TNT's 'Dallas' reboot draws a full house
PASADENA, Calif. -- The "Big Three" of Dallas, as a co-executive producer dubbed them, fittingly sat front and center Saturday during a highly anticipated interview session tied to the fabled serial drama's re-launch this summer on TNT. Larry Hagman, Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy at times felt their ages amid the younger generation actors sharing the stage with them. Josh Henderson, who plays J.R. Ewing's bad seed son, John Ross, remembered the original Dallas as his grandma's favorite TV show during the 1970s and '80s. "I guess I was born in like Season 4 or something," he said. "I literally… read more »
Julianne Moore takes Palin to the next level in HBO's 'Game Change'
PASADENA, Calif. -- Be assured that Julianne Moore has been transformed into an astonishing facsimile of Sarah Palin in the HBO movie Game Change. She didn't look the part Friday at HBO's interview session. But on-screen, Moore is more than a match for Tina Fey, whose Saturday Night Live sendups of Palin captured both her looks and cadence. Premiering March 10th, the solidly entertaining film also stars Ed Harris as 2008 Republican presidential candidate John McCain and Woody Harrelson in what often is a scene-stealing depiction of campaign strategist Steve Schmidt. "Oh wow, I did a tremendous amount of research," Moore… read more »
J Lo and Marc: together again for a Univision debacle
by Ed Bark on January 15th 2012 at 3:39 am
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PASADENA, Calif. -- In the annals of TV "press tour" fiascos, Univision's early Saturday morning breakfast event rises to muy grande status. Lured by the announced joint appearance of the divorcing Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, an increasingly tired and bedraggled group of reporters answered an unprecedentedly early 7:30 a.m. bell. Breakfast burritos and other Mexican foods awaited, with attendees also encouraged to start their morning with a Bloody Mary. No thanks. Just serve us the featured attractions, who also are the stars and co-executive producers of Q'Viva! The Chosen, a new 12-episode international talent search premiering on Jan. 28th… read more »
