BLOGS
September 2011 Archives
The suspense of how many awards Mad Men will win and how many Justified will be snubbed is finally over: the Emmys are tonight, and the ceremony is going to fly by, according to producer Mark Burnett (and only him).
Attack of the Tea Party? That seems to be the premise in the Season 4 premiere of The Clone Wars, as Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his diplomatic aide/lover Padme Amidala make their way to a planet where an inexperienced new leader finds his rule challenged by an insurgent political group that distrusts his leadership and favors aligning with Count Dooku and the rest of the Separatists.
Hasn't it felt like Kate Gosselin has been off the air for years? Maybe it's because my faithful DVR lets me watch TLC without the commercials. Or because after her Dancing with the Stars stint, the public was finally finished mocking her. Whatever the reason, it just feels passé to make fun of Ms. Gosselin these days -- especially considering that as of tonight, she is officially no longer a reality star.
Ten years ago today, the networks completely turned their airwaves over to coverage of what would come to be known as 9/11. To mark this solemn anniversary, many channels are doing so again, revisiting the events of that day and its aftermath in a series of new primetime specials, as well as re-airings of older programs.
Two of the biggest pop culture icons of the '60s and '70s share a stage for a chat about their illustrious pasts. In one chair, you've got the director of such seminal comedies as The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and Spaceballs (we won't bring up Dracula: Dead and Loving It if you won't), and opposite him there's the late-night chat show host who traded witticisms and barbs with such folks as John and Yoko and Groucho Marx.
The series that we named The Best New Scripted Show of the Summer ends this evening, and we are already starting to miss Harvey Specter.
It seems appropriate somehow that a series that was, in part, born out of the aftermath of 9/11 ends the week of that tragedy's tenth anniversary. When it premiered in 2004, Denis Leary and Peter Tolan's firehouse drama was hailed as a bold, provocative series that, along with The Shield, cemented FX's reputation as a destination for risk-taking shows. And even though Rescue Me's quality (as well as its ratings) dipped over the years, it still took bold chances and generally gave its sizeable cast compelling material to play.
FX's popular biker series returns for its fourth year for more motorcycle gunning, impressive facial hair and Katey Sagal just generally being awesome. Creator Kurt Sutter has promised an all-around stronger season than the scattershot Season 3 and certainly the plot descriptions and electic guest star line-up (including David Hasselhoff as a porn star) has us intrigued.
Oh yeah, Bravo's still going through with this season, despite the suicide of Russell Armstrong. Cue theme music?
Have you always wanted to get into The Good Wife, but haven't gotten around to watching all of the episodes? Have you seen most of the series and just need a refresher? Are you just really, really obsessed with all things Julianna Margulies? There's no bad reason to watch this!