Happy Birthday, Judd Apatow
Dec. 6, 2009 — Judd Apatow,
who created and wrote for the series “Undeclared” (2001-03), turns 42 today.
He played Judd on “Help Me Help You” (2006).
His first acting role was as Foxy the Fox on “The Ben Stiller Show” (1992). He was 25.
Best wishes to Judd and everybody who shares this special day with him.
–Penny TV
Pictured at right: Judd Apatow arrives at the premiere of “Superbad” in Los Angeles on Monday, Aug. 13, 2007. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
Happy Birthday, Nick Stahl
Dec. 5, 2009 – Nicolas Kent Stahl,
who played Ben Hawkins on “Carnivale” (2003-05 on HBO), turns 30 today.
He played John Connor in the 2003 movie “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.”
His first acting role was as Robert Fortier in the 1991 TV movie “Stranger at My Door.” He was 12.
Best wishes to Nick and everybody who shares this special day with him.
–Penny TV
Pictured at right: Nick Stahl arrives at the premiere of “Sleepwalking” during the Sundance Film Festival, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2008, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer)
“Ugly Betty” to move to Wednesdays at 9 p.m. Jan. 6
"Ugly Betty" cast - ABC Photo
Good news for “Ugly Betty” fans – the show is moving to Wednesdays at 9 p.m., beginning January 6, 2010, rounding out ABC Comedy Wednesday.
It seemed as though ABC had dumped it on Friday nights, which is not usually a night of the week for high ratings, so it’s good to see its viewership should be getting a boost in January.
I’ve loved this show from the beginning – it has consistently had great messages such as just be who you are, even if you’re different and that integrity and hard work can get you where you deserve to be – it always has such great heart.
“Ugly Betty” stars America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, Eric Mabius as Daniel Meade, Tony Plana as Ignacio, Ana Ortiz as Hilda, Judith Light as Claire Meade, Becki Newton as Amanda, Michael Urie as Marc, Mark Indelicato as Justin, Daniel Eric Gold as Matt Hartley and Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater.
Based on “Yo Soy Betty La Fea,” the groundbreaking Colombian telenovela that became an international phenomenon, “Ugly Betty” has been awarded Emmy, Golden Globe, Peabody, NAACP, ALMA and Imagen awards and earned 19 Emmy nominations.
– Melissa Hayer
TV.com catches up with Oklahoma actress Kristin Chenoweth
December 4, 2009 – TV.com gets the dish from GLEE’s most popular guest star to-date, Kristin Chenoweth, about upcoming episodes (she’s officially coming back!), the role she’d love to win an Oscar for, and her obsession with the Real Housewives.
Kristin Chenoweth: Killin’ It With Kindness
By Richard Lawson TV.com Staff Writer
Adorable Broadway prodigy Kristin Chenoweth has been building quite a name for herself in the TV world these days, winning an Emmy this year for her supporting work on Pushing Daisies and, this Saturday, starring in an original Lifetime movie, the nudie-calendar romantic comedy 12 Men of Christmas. We recently had a phone chat to discuss her TV endeavors and what may lie in the future, which she happily discussed in her signature cheery Oklahoma patois. But don’t let the folksiness fool you. This woman is a serious pro.
Q: Playing the lead in a Lifetime movie is sort of a rite of passage for an actress. How did you come to the project?
A: I used to tell my manager when I signed with her: “When I get a Lifetime movie, I’ll be happy.” I mean, all of a sudden we’ve been seeing Sigourney Weaver and Marcia Gay Harden, and other really great actresses of that caliber, doing Lifetime movies. There are no rules anymore! Our movie is not trying to be Shakespeare. It’s trying to be fun and funny and a holiday film. And I think it’s all of that. It’s kind of a Private Benjamin situation, which is my favorite movie. I read it and thought it had a lot of potential, that it could be really fun for Christmas, and I just love Lifetime. So it felt like a really good choice.
Q: There’s a certain less-than-quirkiness to the character. You’re known for playing these kind of manic characters, but this one is pretty “normal.” Was that part of the attraction to the role?
A: Oh my God yes. Because she is a real person. I mean, there’s always going to be a part of me in every part. I am a very animated, I love comedy, I have a unique speaking voice, I’m petite. These are things that make me different. But I’m also a woman, I’m a person, I’m not a cartoon. This was definitely another reason that I took this part. I really wanted people to see me in the leading part, I wanted them to see that I could carry it.
Q: You shot a David E. Kelley pilot that unfortunately didn’t get picked up this season. Any other TV projects on the horizon?
A: Here’s kinda what I’m thinkin’. I’d love to work with Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) again. I’m gonna do another Glee episode, which I’m sooo excited about. That show has what Pushing Daisies had, which is that it’s different. Other than that, while I’m on Broadway this spring I’d like to figure out what my next move is gonna be in terms of television. After the Emmy, everyone expected me to do my own show. I would like to do that, but I want to be careful. This business is not brain surgery, but you do have to consider things. A TV deal could be the next seven years of your life. So I’m glad I will have time to do that considering while on Broadway.
Q: How do you plot a course from stage to screen? Is it a very planned-out process, or do you just kind of consider things as they come? I know you had a sitcom for a little while after you won the Tony for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
A: It’s interesting, and I can only say what happened in my case, but all I ever wanted to do was be on Broadway. I would be the third tree from the left if I had to. The things that make you different are what make you special, and when you’re told you’re short and all that, certain things don’t always seem possible? But then I won the Tony, and that’s how I got the deal with Paramount. They saw the speech [at the Tonys]. Y’know, it was a different time for television. You signed with studios, they’d order thirteen episodes before they even saw the pilot. People say [Kristin] wasn’t a success, but It was for me. I loved the show, and I got to learn about making a four-camera sitcom. And I got paid to do it!
Q: You now have a Tony and an Emmy, which is two-thirds of the Liza Minnelli trifecta. What do you think could be your Oscar-winning role? The rumored Dusty Springfield project?
A: Oh gosh, I don’t know! But I hope it involves music. People ask me all the time if I like acting or singing more, but to me it’s all the same. Singing is just when you can’t speak anymore. It’s all the same. I’m obviously a music lover, it’s what I was trained in. So I’d really like that Grammy, is what I’d like!
Q: What kind of role, on stage or screen, are you dying to play? What’s a side of you we haven’t seen?
A: Well, I’m getting ready to play a girl who tries to kill herself [in Promises, Promises on Broadway this spring]. And that’s not what a lot of audiences expect from a Kristin Chenoweth show! Obviously if you’re a comedian, you’re tortured. There’s a lot of drama. You know, I’ll never forget it. During Wicked, Joel Grey [who played the Wizard] said “You’re a very serious actress, you have a lot going on, you’re not just funny. I want you to do something that shows that.” It was so nice to hear that coming from him. The only reason to do anything in life is to grow as a person. As an actress, a writer, a construction worker. Whatever it is. I’m a little scared of this part, it’s a little close to home. I know what it’s like to be hurt.
Q: So that’s why you chose Promises, Promises in particular? It’s definitely a lesser-known musical.
A: There are several reasons I took the job. Let me tell you: One, it’s a woman. I’ve played awesome parts, but this one is different. She’s very troubled, very sad. Well, not sad. She’s just been spending a lot of time with the wrong man. The other reasons were to work with Burt Bacharach and Sean Hayes. And Promises was willing to let me do a six month run, when most contracts are usually for a year. Which means I can leave for a bit to do TV or something, and then come back.
Q: In the Emmys press room you said you’d love to be on Mad Men. What other shows do you watch and/or want to be on?
A: I love everything on Bravo that’s reality TV. The Real Housewives of any county, love Flipping Out. I don’t want to be on those shows, but boy do I watch ‘em. I like a lot of the crime shows, the real ones though. American Justice, things like that. And yes, I love Mad Men. I really love period pieces, love the whole look, the way it’s shot, the writing. Let’s see… I just got on the 24 bandwagon. And there’s another, which is Lost. I wish I could be the one that rescues them all.
For more TV coverage, check out www.tv.com
Pictured above:
SYTYCD: The podcast!
Lisa Potts and I dish up the latest from “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Fourth season of “Dexter” building to volatile conclusion
Michael C. Hall as "Dexter" - Showtime Photo
Like a powerful hurricane bearing down on Miami, the fourth season of “Dexter” moves at warp speed to a stunning, white-knuckled conclusion.
After last Sunday’s episode, viewers finally discovered that Trinity’s (John Lithgow) daughter Christine (Courtney Ford) was responsible for Lundy’s murder, confirming Deb’s (Jennifer Carpenter) initial hunch.
Additionally, Dexter (Michael C. Hall) discovered a new and more terrifying addition to Trinity’s twisted killing cycle which led to a brief, but to-be-continued showdown between the two prolific killing machines.
With Trinity always seeming to be one step ahead, has Dexter Morgan finally met his match?
Tune in to Showtime Sunday at 8 p.m. for the next to last episode of the fourth season of “Dexter,” or catch up with “Dexter” on Showtime On Demand.
To view a clip for the next episode of “Dexter,” click below.
Top 20 Guest Stars on TV Shows airing Dec. 6-12, 2009
Friday is when The Oklahoman posts a list of the top guest stars (and all the premieres and finales, see separate blog) appearing on TV next week.
And here are 20 celebrities making special TV appearances the week of Dec. 6.
If a well-known personality was missed, feel free to add his or her name in the comments section to help make this list a complete and accurate source for TV watchers everywhere.
(NOTE: All times are CT. For ET, add one hour)
GUEST STARS
••All-American Rejects (rock band from Stilwater) on “One Life to Live,” 1 p.m. Monday on ABC.
••Benjamin Bratt (”The Cleaner”) on “Law & Order,” 7 p.m. Friday on NBC.
••Rosario Dawson (”Rent”) on “Handy Manny,” 8 a.m. Monday on Disney.
••Giada De Laurentiis (”Everyday Italian”) on “Handy Manny,” 8 a.m. Tuesday on Disney.
••Zooey Deschanel (”Elf”) on “Bones,” 7 p.m. Thursday on Fox.
••Reed Diamond (”Dollhouse”) on “Cold Case,” 9 p.m. Sunday on CBS.
••Taye Diggs (”Private Practice”) on “Better Off Ted,” 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on ABC.
••Scott Foley (”Felicity”) on “Cougar Town,” 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on ABC.
••Amanda Foreman (”Felicity”) on “Private Practice,” 9:01 p.m. Thursday on ABC.
••Selena Gomez (“Wizards of Waverly Place”) on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” 7 p.m. Sunday on ABC.
••Anthony Michael Hall (”The Breakfast Club”) on “Community,” 7 p.m. Thursday on NBC.
••John Larroquette (“McBride”) on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” 8 p.m. Wednesday on NBC.
••Louis C.K. (”Lucky Louie”) on “Parks and Recreation,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday on NBC.
••Julianne Moore (“Blindness”) on “30 Rock,” 8:30 p.m. Thursday on NBC.
••Ryan O’Neal (“Miss Match”) on “Bones,” 7 p.m. Thursday on Fox.
••Madison Riley (”Hatching Pete”) on “Jonas,” 7:30 p.m. Sunday on Disney.
••Jason Ritter (”Joan of Arcadia”) on “Mercy,” 7 p.m. Wednesday on NBC.
••Amy Sedaris (”Strangers with Candy”) on “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” 7 p.m. Wednesday on CBS.
••Rena Sofer (”24″) on “Criminal Minds,” 8 p.m. Wednesday on CBS.
••Lorraine Toussaint (“Saving Grace”) on “NUMB3RS,” 9 p.m. Friday on CBS.
••Usher (“Moesha”) on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” 7 p.m. Sunday on ABC.
••Fred Willard (”Best in Show”) on “Modern Family,” 8 p.m. Wednesday on ABC.
Pictured above: Brennan (Emily Deschanel, R) and her cousin Margaret Whitesell (guest star Zooey Deschanel, L) spend their first Christmas together in the BONES episode “The Goop on the Girl” airing Thursday, Dec. 10 on FOX. Photo Credit: Greg Gayne/FOX
TV Premieres and Finales airing Dec. 6-12
Friday is when The Oklahoman posts a list of all the premieres and finales (and all the guest stars, see separate blog) coming up on TV next week.
And here are the shows beginning and ending the week of Dec 6.
If one was missed, the network did not issue a press release about it. But feel free to add it in the comments section to help make this list a complete and accurate source for TV watchers everywhere.
(NOTE: All times are CT. For ET, add one hour)
BEGINNINGS
••“I Survived …,” 8 p.m. Sunday on Biography (fourth-season premiere).
••“Shatner’s Raw Nerve,” 9 p.m. Sunday on Biography (second-season premiere).
••“Moises Rules!” 4 p.m. Monday on Disney XD (series premiere).
••“The Closer,” 8 p.m. Monday on TNT (fifth season resumes).
••“Men of a Certain Age,” 9 p.m. Monday on TNT (series premiere).
••“Better Off Ted,” 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on ABC (second-season premiere).
••“Outer Space Astronauts,” 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on Syfy (series premiere).
••“Teen Mom,” 9 p.m. Tuesday on MTV (series premiere).
••“Spectacle: Elvis Costello With …,” 9 p.m. Wednesday on Sundance (second-season premiere).
••“Campus PD,” 10 p.m. Wednesday on G4 (series premiere).
••“Ghost Invervention,” 8 p.m. Saturday on TLC (series premiere).
ENDINGS
••“The Amazing Race,” 7 p.m. Sunday on CBS (15th-season finale).
••“Million Dollar Listing,” 9 p.m. Monday on Bravo (third-season finale).
••“Rita Rocks,” 9 p.m. Monday on Lifetime (second-season finale).
••“The Biggest Loser,” 7 p.m. Tuesday on NBC (eighth-season finale).
••“Scare Tactics,” 8 p.m. Tuesday on Syfy (fall finale).
••“Top Chef: Las Vegas,” 9 p.m. Wednesday on Bravo (sixth-season finale).
••“Secret Lives of Women,” 10 p.m. Wednesday on WEtv (first-season finale).
••“Epitafios,” 9 p.m. Friday on HBO Latino (second-season finale).
••“30 for 30,” 8 p.m. Saturday on ESPN (series finale).
Happy Birthday, Tyra Banks
Dec. 4, 2009 – Tyra Lynne Banks, who hosts and judges “America’s Next Top Model” (2003-09 on The CW), turns 36 today.
She played Jane Scott on three episodes of “Felicity” (2000).
Her first acting role was as Jackie Ames on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (seven episodes in 1993). She was 20.
Best wishes to Tyra and everybody who shares this special day with her.
–Penny TV
Pictured at right: Tyra Banks attends the 2008 Glamour Women of the Year Awards at Carnegie Hall in New York on Monday, Nov. 10, 2008. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer)
SYTYCD: Nathan and Noelle eliminated
I won’t say I told you so (see here) but Nathan Trasoras and Noelle Marsh were sent home Wednesday night.
We’re down to the Top 8 dancers, but we only have two more weeks: The finale will have SIX dancers. Listen to the podcast, which will post soon.
Until then, enjoy this performance from LXD — the League of Extraordinary Dancers.
