“Bored to Death” a quirky diversion
From left, Ted Danson and Jason Schwartzman in "Bored to Death." - HBO Photo by Barry Wetcher
I’ve just recently watched a few episodes of the second season of the HBO comedy series “Bored to Death,” and it definitely grew on me as I went through a few of the shows, even though I had never watched it before.
“Bored to Death” is centered on Jonathan Ames, played by Jason Schwartzman.
Ames is a writer by day and moonlights as a teacher of fiction writing.
Ames also works as an unlicensed private detective.
Jonathan’s needy mentor George Christopher (Ted Danson) is struggling with his magazine’s new cost-cutting publisher as well as some sobering news involving his health.
Jonathan’s best friend, cartoonist Ray Hueston (Zach Galifianakis), works on his own personal crisis by creating a self-modeled comic book character named Super Ray.
Created by real-life writer Jonathan Ames, this series pretty much defines quirky, but these three characters manage to amuse as they go through their day-to-day misadventures and in solving Jonathan’s private detective cases.
Ames tackles seemingly mundane cases, such as investigating a possible cheating husband and finding a missing pet, but each one I saw ended up being an entertaining undertaking.
When you throw in the idiosyncrasies of each role, played to perfection by all three actors, particularly Danson and Galifianakis, you have the recipe for an unconventional yet diverting show.
“Bored to Death” airs at 9 p.m. Sundays on HBO.
– Melissa Hayer
mhayer@opubco.com
Zach Galifianakis in "Bored to Death." - HBO Photo by Barry Wetcher
Eric McCormack to star in TNT series pilot “Perception”
Eric McCormack - AP Photo by Frank Gunn
Eric McCormack has signed on to play the lead role in TNT’s “Perception” (working title), a dramatic pilot from executive producer Kenneth Biller (“Smallville, “Legend of the Seeker”) and co-executive producer Mike Sussman (“Star Trek: Voyager”).
This will be the third project McCormack has worked with TNT on after starring in the 2009 series “Trust Me” and co-producing the 2007 pilot “Imperfect Union.”
McCormack is also a producer on “Perception.”
According to a TNT news release, McCormack will play Dr. Geoffrey Pierce, an eccentric neuroscientist who uses his unique outlook to help the federal government solve complex cases. With an intimate knowledge of human behavior and a masterful understanding of the mind, this quirky, crime-solving professor pulls lessons from an odd and imaginative view of the world.
Biller and Sussman wrote the script for this pilot, which is produced for TNT by ABC Studios.
“Live to Dance” to premiere Jan. 4
Paula Abdul - AP Photo by Chris Pizzello
The new reality-competition series “Live to Dance” will debut with a two-hour episode at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 4 on CBS.
Paula Abdul is executive producer, mentor and lead expert on the show.
“Live to Dance” will move to its regular time slot at 7 p.m. Wednesdays on Jan. 5, and then will air live beginning Jan. 12.
The premiere episode will follow dancers from across the country auditioning for Abdul and the series’ experts in specially constructed Dance Domes that were built in both New York and Los Angeles to host the tryouts, according to a CBS news release.
At the end of the premiere, a group of dancers from all styles, backgrounds and ages will be chosen for the “Live to Dance” cast.
When the show moves to its regular time period on Jan. 5, an additional group of dancers from the Dance Dome tryouts, ones that the experts deem deserving of a second look, will get a final opportunity to compete in a “dance-off” to earn a spot in the cast.
Those who make it through the “dance-off” will join the final cast, which will then consist of a total of 18 dance acts, in Los Angeles.
Starting Jan. 12, the first six dance acts will compete against each other live, with two acts advancing.
After three rounds, the six dance acts that have advanced will compete against one another in the grand finale for the right to be crowned “Live to Dance” champion and will be awarded a $500,000 prize.
Joining Abdul on the panel of experts is Travis Payne and Kimberly Wyatt, who both bring an extensive dance and choreography resume to the show, with Andrew Gunsberg hosting the series.
“The Vampire Diaries”: Who’s after Elena now?
From left, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley in "The Vampire Diaries." - The CW Photo by Quantrell Colbert
Nice trick Katherine (Nina Dobrev) tried using witch Lucy (Natashia Williams) to put Elena (Dobrev) under a spell in order to deter Damon (Ian Somerhalder and Stefan (Paul Wesley) from killing her – too bad Lucy was related to one of Katherine’s foes.
Is Katherine out of the picture for good now?
I bet not.
Will Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) find real romance with Bonnie (Katerina Graham – there seemed to be some sparks between them tonight – they would make an intriguing couple.
No surprise here at all about Tayler’s (Michael Trevino) fate, but I’m glad Caroline (Candice Accola) was able to keep Matt (Zach Roerig) from succeeding in his role in Katherine’s plan.
I hope Lucy stays true to her word in the show tonight and makes another appearance – Natashia Williams’ performance was a strong one.
Last, but not least, what’s the situation behind Elena being in peril again – and who’s behind it?
“The Vampire Diaries” airs at 7 p.m. Thursdays on The CW Network.
– Melissa Hayer
mhayer@opubco.com
From left, Natashia Williams and Nina Dobrev in "The Vampire Diaries." - The CW Photo by Quantrell Colbert
AMC’s “The Walking Dead” tackles zombies with brains, guts and plenty of bite
Frank Darabont’s “The Walking Dead” has brains, guts and plenty of bite. The series, debuting at 9 p.m. Sunday on AMC, has the potential to redefine onscreen zombie sagas by fleshing out its living characters and, rather than simply engaging viewers in the standard video-game mechanics of an undead story (can you get from A to B without getting chomped? How many stumbling corpses can you kill along the way?) “The Walking Dead” asks serious questions about morality and the lengths people might take to survive the zombie apocalypse.
Based on Robert Kirkman’s comic book series and executive produced by the author, “The Walking Dead” centers on Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln of “Love, Actually”), who experiences a brutal twist on the Rip Van Winkle story: a shootout with fugitives lands him in the hospital, comatose. When he wakes up after an untold number of weeks, his IV drip is dry, the EKG is silent and nobody will respond to his requests for help. But as he stumbles through the hospital, clearly a facility ravaged by some terrible fate, the tell-tale signs of an encroaching horror become all too obvious to Rick: bodies stripped of flesh down to the bones, warnings written in human blood on double doors bulging from the insistent pushing of groaning, determined forces on the other side.
The outside world is in the early stages of what Alan Weisman described in “The World Without Us”: nature is taking everything back as the weeds grow higher and the silence deafens. When Rick encounters other survivors such as Morgan (Lennie James) and his young son Duane, he learns that the corpses he saw as he left the hospital are only the ones that were beaten back, dispatched to final, permanent death. His new reality is reduced to simply staying alive while the the “walkers” swarm the streets looking for live flesh. Rick now must try to find his wife Lori and his son Carl, who he’s convinced are still alive, and his plan is to go directly to Atlanta, where there is allegedly a government-protected area where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking for a way to cure the plague.
Series creator Darabont is known best for directing “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Green Mile,” two Stephen King stories based largely in some semblance of reality, but his most recent film was an adaptation of King’s “The Mist,” a raging B-movie style monster piece. Working closely from Kirkman’s story, Darabont, who directed the pilot, has fashioned a zombie-infested world in which the survivors must be ingenious enough to fight off the decaying hordes — zombies might not be smart, but they are tenacious. In the second episode, Rick and several other survivors including Glenn (Steven Yuen) and Andrea (Laurie Holden, “The Mist,” “The X-Files”) come up with a method of disguising themselves that might be the most disgusting concept ever presented in zombie fiction.
This brings up the question of the hour: does Darabont pull any television-enforced punches when depicting zombie splatter? The answer is an emphatic no: this is possibly the most gory, visceral series on television. You can put “The Walking Dead” up against George A. Romero’s series beginning with “Night of the Living Dead” onward, Zack Snyder’s remake of “Dawn of the Dead,” Danny Boyle’s “28 Days Later” or last year’s “Zombieland” and it’s clear that Darabont’s blood is not watered down. This is tough stuff: treat “The Walking Dead” like the old rule about swimming — wait a decent amount of time after eating.
But there is far more to “The Walking Dead” than just spilling bowels and exposed jaw bones. Survivors such as Morgan must deal with something rarely depicted with any nuance or emotion in zombie fiction: the emotional tug of seeing loved ones wandering the streets as their bodies fall apart. Something else is at play early on: the possibility that the undead have some memory of what they once were, who they loved, and where they belonged.
Lincoln plays Rick Grimes as a reluctant leader, much like Jack Sheppard in “Lost,” and he’s great in the role. While he was a man of competence and honor in the days before the zombies, Rick is now relying on a reservoir of untapped strength and character, and Lincoln is clearly up to that task. The rest of the cast is equally strong, including Jon Bernthal as Shane Walsh, Rick’s old partner in the sheriff’s office. “The Walking Dead” is a wildly different animal than AMC’s flagship series “Mad Men,” but it’s clear that Darabont, Kirkman and executive producer Gale Anne Hurd are putting just as much care into their project, and have been given a free reign by AMC to do zombies right. Wipe out all plans for Sunday or devote DVR space for the next 13 weeks: “The Walking Dead” is dead on arrival, and that’s a great thing.
– George Lang
Flaming Lips guest star on Nickelodeon preschool series “Yo Gabba Gabba!” Nov. 5
The Flaming Lips with Plex, Muno and Toodee of “Yo Gabba Gabba!” - Nickelodeon Photo by Ben Clark
Oklahoma’s own Flaming Lips will perform on a new episode of the Nickelodeon preschool series “Yo Gabba Gabba!,” which will premiere Nov. 5 at 10:30 a.m. on Nickelodeon.
“Yo Gabba Gaaba!,” “Dora the Explorer,” “Go, Diego, Go!” and “The Backyardigans” will be featured in a special fairytale-themed block on Nov. 5 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., according to a Nickelodeon news release.
The schedule and synopses for the new episodes, provided by Nickelodeon, is as follows:
8 a.m. – Dora the Explorer “Dora’s Pegasus Adventure” (Premiere)
Dora and Boots are playing hide-and-seek with some constellation friends: Pegaso (the flying horse), a baby bear, a lion and a whale. Suddenly a meteor shower rushes by that scares all of the constellations away. Dora and her friends must find the Baby Bear at the black hole; the Lion behind Saturn’s rings; and the Whale who is heading towards the Milky Way. It’s going to be a tight race to get the constellations back home before the sun sets.
9 a.m. – Go, Diego, Go! “Diego Rescues Prince Vicuña” (Premiere)
Diego is on a mission to rescue Prince Vicuña who has gone missing. Diego must zig-zag and tip-toe like a vicuña through the steep mountain path, stretch really low to get under the alpaca’s fence and follow the Prince through the cactus forest. Diego then climbs up the mountain toward the puma pass to rescue the Prince and take him back to vicuña valley.
10:30 a.m. – Yo Gabba Gabba! “Fairytale” (Premiere)
DJ Lance Rock reads a story about Jack and the Beanstalk where Jack (Muno) plants magic beans, climbs a beanstalk and takes the golden bean machine from the Giant (Brobee). The episode features musical guests the Flaming Lips performing “I Can Be a Frog,” from their 2009 album Embryonic and Jack McBrayer (30 Rock) and Paul Scheer tell a “knock-knock” joke.
12:30 p.m. – The Backyardigans “Break Out” (Premiere)
Tasha and Uniqua are princess sisters locked up in a tower. But that will all change as Tasha and Uniqua plan to break out! Austin, the princesses’ magic compact mirror, helps guide them through the elaborate and alarmed floors in the tower. Will the tower guards, Pablo and Tyrone, catch on before the sisters reach freedom? The music genre featured in the episode is Wall of Sound.
“Minute To Win It” holding casting calls this weekend in Tulsa and Norman
NBC’s competition series “Minute To Win It” will be holding casting calls from 4-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, at the Osage Event Center at Million Dollar Elm Casino in Tulsa and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, at the Showplace Theatre at the Riverwind Casino in Norman.
The address for Million Dollar Elm Casino is 951 West 36th St. N, Tulsa, OK 74127 and for information, the main telephone number is (918) 699-7600.
The address for Riverwind Casino is 1544 W Hwy 9, Norman, OK 73072 and for information, the main telephone number is (405) 322-6000.
The series is hosted by Guy Fieri and features competitors participating in a series of simple, yet nerve-wracking, games that can lead to a $1 million prize, according to an NBC news release.
More audition cities will be announced in the coming weeks on nbc.com/casting.
Following is the list of scheduled casting calls:
PHILADELPHIA
Saturday, October 23, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Location: Dave and Busters
325 N. Columbus, Philadelphia, Penn. 19106
SANTA MARIA, Calif.
Saturday, October 23, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Location: Santa Maria Town Center
142 Town Center East, Santa Maria, Calif. 93454
Santamariatowncenter.com
TULSA, Okla.
Friday, October 29, 4-8 p.m.
Location: Osage Event Center at Million Dollar Elm Casino
951 West 36th St. N, Tulsa, Okla. 74127
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.
Saturday, October 30, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Location: Riverwind Casino, Showplace Theatre
1544 W. Hwy 9, Norman Okla. 73072
COLUMBUS, Ohio
Saturday, October 30, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Location: Polaris Fashion Place- Center Court
1500 Polaris Pkwy., Columbus, Ohio 43240
Brian Bosworth makes guest appearance on Spike TV’s “Blue Mountain State” as Denise Richards joins cast
Brian Bosworth - Spike TV Photo
Former University of Oklahoma football star Brian “The Boz” Bosworth makes a guest appearance in an episode of the college football comedy “Blue Mountain State,” which will air at 10 p.m. tomorrow, Oct. 27, on Spike TV.
In this show, Bosworth visits BMS Goats team captain Thad Castle (Alan Ritchson) in a dream and gives him advice on how he can go top three in the NFL Draft, according to a Spike TV news release.
Denise Richards joins the cast of “Blue Mountain State” in this episode as well.
Richards begins her role as the meddling ex-wife of coach Marty Daniels (Ed Marinaro).
The second season of “Blue Mountain State” finds coach Daniels (Marinaro) under pressure to deliver a winning season after an embarassing showing last year and Goats team captain Castle (Ritchson) struggling with the decision to go pro after this season or return to BMS.
Co-stars of the series include Page Kennedy as top recruit Radon Randell, Darin Brooks as second string quarterback Alex Moran and Romanski as team mascot Sammy Cacciatore.
“The Office” Halloween episode a real treat
From left, Kate Flannery, Ellie Kemper, Oscar Nunez and B.J. Novak during the bobbing for apples contest in "The Office's" Halloween episode. - NBC Photo by Chris Haston.
Fans of “The Office” should certainly enjoy this week’s Halloween episode “Costume Contest,” which features exactly that – the Dunder Mifflin staff members competing in a Halloween costume contest.
The winning prize is a dubious coupon book, but viewers will get the reward with the many laughs this show provides.
The opening bit spotlighting Stanley (Leslie David Baker) is hilarious and the costumes are fun, of course.
Then there’s Darryl (Craig Robinson) betraying Michael (Steve Carell) and Jim (John Krasinski) refusing to wear the outfit Pam (Jenna Fischer) picks out for him for the competition.
A special bonus in this episode is guest star Timothy Olyphant returning as Danny, a “past love” of Pam’s.
The costume contest winner winds up being such a fitting choice and there’s a sweet conclusion for this episode.
Overall, it’s a definite Halloween treat.
“The Office” airs at 8 p.m. Thursdays on NBC.
– Melissa Hayer
mhayer@opubco.com
“Wizards of Waverly Place” fourth season premiere Nov. 12
Gregg Sulkin and Selena Gomez in "Wizards of Waverly Place." - Disney Channel Photo by Eric McCandless
The fourth season of “Wizards of Waverly Place” begins Nov. 12 with Alex (Selena Gomez) being tricked into announcing to the world that she and her brothers are wizards while a duplicating spell goes haywire and changes Max’s (Jake T. Austin) life forever, according to a Disney Channel news release.
Gregg Sulkin returns as Mason the werewolf and Bailee Madison joins the cast as a 10-year-old wizard.
David Henrie, Maria Canals-Barrera and David DeLuise also star in the series, which centers on the magical adventures of the Russo family.
Jerry Russo relinquished his wizard powers long ago to marry his mortal wife Theresa.
Their children, Justin, Alex and Max, have wizard powers and work to hone their budding skills, but only one member of the family can keep their powers.
“Wizards of Waverly Place” season four premieres at 8:45 p.m. Nov. 12 on the Disney Channel.
