TV Squad http://www.tvsquad.com TV Squad http://www.tvsquad.com/media/feedlogo.gif TV Squad http://www.tvsquad.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/23/have-any-questions-for-vik-sahay-of-chuck-ask-them-here/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/23/have-any-questions-for-vik-sahay-of-chuck-ask-them-here/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/23/have-any-questions-for-vik-sahay-of-chuck-ask-them-here/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Vik Sahay and Zach Levi of ChuckOn Tuesday, we're going to be recording our weekly podcast. In honor of the return of NBC's Chuck on January 10, we're going to have Vik Sahay, who plays Buy More cog Lester Patel, on board to talk about the show's return and what fans can expect.

Last season ended with a bang, as most fans already know. Not to spoil anything, but the finale ended with Chuck saying the famous line from The Matrix, "I know kung fu." And, boy, does he ever. Sahay will be able to give us some insight into what's in store for the Buy More crew now that Chuck is going in a new and even more adventurous direction.

Have questions about for Vik about Chuck or anything else? Leave them in the comments and we'll relay them to Sahay during the podcast. We'll even give you credit for any question we use. So, ask away below. Any question we get in before we record the podcast tomorrow (time TBD right now) will be eligible.

 

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]]>chuckfeaturedfinalei know kung fuIKnowKungFulester patelLesterPatelthe tv squad podcastTheTvSquadPodcastvik sahayVikSahayJoel KellerMon, 23 Nov 2009 10:27:00 ESTHeroic Brit dies protecting CBBC kids from elephanthttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/04/heroic-brit-dies-protecting-cbbc-kids-from-elephant/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/04/heroic-brit-dies-protecting-cbbc-kids-from-elephant/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/04/heroic-brit-dies-protecting-cbbc-kids-from-elephant/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

A CBBC tour guide died protecting children from a mad elephant.When watching any nature special from PBS or the BBC featuring dangerous wild animals photographed at reasonably close range, how often do you stop and consider the very real danger men and women are in while getting that footage?

That danger proved deadly this past weekend when a rampaging African elephant trampled and killed a British tour guide (Anton Turner, 38) who was trying to protect a group of children visiting Tanzania.

The kids were in Africa serving as TV hosts for the CBBC (BBC's children's channel) show, Serious Explorers. Seven children were planning to follow the steps of Victorian explorer Dr. David Livingston.

Reports say, when the elephant charged a group of the CBBC kids, Turner challenged the elephant and attempted to shoot his rifle at the animal. But, he was unable to open fire in time and was trampled. Turner leaves behind a pregnant wife.

Continue reading Heroic Brit dies protecting CBBC kids from elephant

 

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]]>bbcCBBCchildrendeaddeathelephantelephantskidskillednaturenature conservancyNatureConservancyJohn Scott LewinskiWed, 04 Nov 2009 11:02:00 ESTReview: Parks and Recreation - Kaboomhttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/23/review-parks-and-recreation-kaboom/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/23/review-parks-and-recreation-kaboom/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/23/review-parks-and-recreation-kaboom/#commentsFiled under: , ,

parks and recreation
(S02E06) No more pit! I figured that the giant hole would eventually be filled in, but I had a feeling that it would take much longer than this. But after only 12 episodes of the entire series, Ann now sees a dirt lot when she looks out of the window of her home. Oh, progress.

Speaking of progress, I haven't been the biggest fan of Andy, but I enjoyed him in this episode. Before, when he turned up, it was mostly just to show how pathetic he is, but this week, in addition to that, he actually helped move the plot along in a big way. He gave up $100,000 for Ann, which honestly, seems like a terrible idea to me. I understand that he's in love with her and all, but there's no guarantee that she's going to get back with him, and a hundred grand is a hundred grand, you know?

Continue reading Review: Parks and Recreation - Kaboom

 

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]]>amy poehlerAmyPoehleraziz ansariAzizAnsarikaboomleslie knopeLeslieKnopeparks and recreation season 2ParksAndRecreationSeason2paul scheerPaulScheerrashida jonesRashidaJonesKona GallagherFri, 23 Oct 2009 03:02:00 ESTAlton Brown calls Top Chef a "sous chef kind of show"... then takes it backhttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/08/alton-brown-calls-top-chef-a-sous-chef-kind-of-show-then/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/08/alton-brown-calls-top-chef-a-sous-chef-kind-of-show-then/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/08/alton-brown-calls-top-chef-a-sous-chef-kind-of-show-then/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Alton BrownGiven the popularity of the second-season opener of The Next Iron Chef, I figured it was a good time to pull out this interview I did with the show's host, Alton Brown, at the network's TCA party in July. It was definitely the tastiest party of the tour, as each Iron Chef contestant plied the critics with delectable morsels of their creativity at various stations.

In a bit of a surprise, one of the contestants, Amanda Freitag, was being assisted by her friend Ariane Duarte, one of the more popular contestants from rival program Top Chef's New York season (I was so flabbergasted by the turn of events, I snapped a pic of the two with my cell phone). When I pointed this tidbit out to Brown, his response was very interesting...

Continue reading Alton Brown calls Top Chef a "sous chef kind of show"... then takes it back

 

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]]>alton brownAltonBrownbobby flayBobbyFlayfeasting on asphaltfeasting on wavesFeastingOnAsphaltFeastingOnWavesfeaturedfood networkFoodNetworkgood eatsGoodEatsinterviewiron chef americaIronChefAmericarachael rayRachaelRaythe next iron chefTheNextIronCheftop chefTopChefJoel KellerThu, 08 Oct 2009 13:02:00 ESTPerfect Showcase bid was a "dark day" on The Price is Right, says Drew Careyhttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/24/perfect-showcase-bid-was-a-dark-day-on-the-price-is-right-say/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/24/perfect-showcase-bid-was-a-dark-day-on-the-price-is-right-say/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/24/perfect-showcase-bid-was-a-dark-day-on-the-price-is-right-say/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Drew Carey on Season 38 of The Price is RightWhen I came upon Drew Carey at CBS's TCA party over the summer, he was tapping away on his iPhone. He was sending a tweet to one of the responders on one of his two Twitter feeds, and was generally having a ball. So I figured he was in a good mood to talk about the show he's most known for these days, The Price Is Right.

It was a season of change for Drew and the show; the prizes got more creative, Drew changed his look, and the show in general did a lot to break out of the mold of the Bob Barker years.

Of course, those changes didn't go unnoticed, as some of the show's more "devoted" fans took to sites like Golden-Road.net to disparage Drew and say the show was going downhill. There was even a minor controversy this past season, as a contestant made a suspiciously on-the-mark Showcase bid, and Drew's reaction to it was less than enthusiastic (for good reason, as he mentions in the interview).

Continue reading Perfect Showcase bid was a "dark day" on The Price is Right, says Drew Carey

 

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]]>changesdrew careyDrewCareydrewfromtvfeaturedgolden-road.netinterviewprice is rightPriceIsRightroger dobkowitzRogerDobkowitzseason 38Season38the price is rightThePriceIsRighttpirTPIRhosttwitterJoel KellerThu, 24 Sep 2009 14:09:00 ESTKen Jeong relives his WWE stint with The Mizhttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/24/ken-jeong-relives-his-wwe-stint-with-the-miz/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/24/ken-jeong-relives-his-wwe-stint-with-the-miz/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/24/ken-jeong-relives-his-wwe-stint-with-the-miz/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Ken Jeong on Community TCA panelOn tonight's hilarious second episode of Community, we see the first appearance of Ken Jeong, who's joining the cast as Spanish professor Señor Chang. Chang has a bit of a chip on his shoulder because he always has to fight against Asian stereotypes.

He's a welcome addition to the cast, and he's been having a hell of a summer. Besides his memorable turn in the massive summer hit The Hangover, he was also in All About Steve and The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard. To promote the latter movie, Jeong and co-star Jeremy Piven bounced around the ring on WWE Raw in August. Imagine a tiny guy like the 40-year-old Jeong trading blows with huge wrestlers and you can see the comic potential.

When I talked to Jeong at NBC's party at the TCA press tour, we were interrupted by WWE's The Miz, and the exchange between them was just too funny for me to keep on my hard drive. Audio is after the jump.

Continue reading Ken Jeong relives his WWE stint with The Miz

 

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]]>communityjeremy pivenJeremyPivenken jeongKenJeongsenor changSenorChangthe mizTheMizwwewwe rawWweRawJoel KellerThu, 24 Sep 2009 11:27:00 ESTBill Lawrence talks Cougar Town (full transcript)http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/23/bill-lawrence-talks-cougar-town-full-transcript/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/23/bill-lawrence-talks-cougar-town-full-transcript/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/23/bill-lawrence-talks-cougar-town-full-transcript/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Bill Lawrence at TCA session for Cougar TownHere's the full transcript from the phone interview I did with Bill Lawrence a couple of weeks ago... minus the part where we talked about Scrubs. That's an interesting bit in and of itself, and I'll publish that in full sometime during the early part of October.

This goes on for about 5700 words, but if you hang in there, you'll find a lot of good conversation about Cougar Town, the state of the sitcom, why Bill thinks NBC is shortsighted in its dependence on Jay Leno, and why Courteney Cox let him talk our ears off at the Cougar Town TCA session.

You can either leave comments here or at the bottom of the edited version.

Continue reading Bill Lawrence talks Cougar Town (full transcript)

 

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]]>bill lawrenceBillLawrencecougar townCougarTowncourteney coxCourteneyCoxfull transcriptFullTranscriptinterviewscrubszach braffZachBraffJoel KellerWed, 23 Sep 2009 11:04:00 ESTBill Lawrence talks Cougar Townhttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/23/bill-lawrence-talks-cougar-town/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/23/bill-lawrence-talks-cougar-town/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/23/bill-lawrence-talks-cougar-town/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Bill Lawrence at the TCA session for Cougar TownA couple of weeks after I got some Scrubs scoop from Bill Lawrence in Pasadena, I asked if we could talk by phone about his new show, Cougar Town. The Courteney Cox-led show, which follows the travails of a forty-something Florida real estate agent and single mom as she tries to re-enter the dating world, starts tonight at 9 PM ET on ABC.

We talked a little more about Scrubs (I'll print that in a few weeks), then about Cougar Town. I opened with the fact that at the session he had for the show at the TCA press tour, he seemed to spend a lot of time defending the "noisy title" of the show.

The conversation ranged far and wide from that point, from what he thinks about the future of the multi-camera sitcom, why NBC's dependence on Jay Leno is shortsighted, why he's so outgoing to us press types, and why Courteney Cox let him talk everyone's ears off during the press tour session. You can read the long but interesting full transcript if you're eager to find that stuff out. An edited version of the interview is after the jump.

Continue reading Bill Lawrence talks Cougar Town

 

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]]>bill lawrenceBillLawrencecougar townCougarTowncourteney coxCourteneyCoxfeaturedinterviewscrubsJoel KellerWed, 23 Sep 2009 11:04:00 ESTCommunity's Dan Harmon was told by NBC that critics are "bitter"http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/17/communitys-dan-harmon-was-told-by-nbc-that-critics-are-bitter/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/17/communitys-dan-harmon-was-told-by-nbc-that-critics-are-bitter/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/17/communitys-dan-harmon-was-told-by-nbc-that-critics-are-bitter/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Dan Harmon, Creator / Executive Producer of CommunityAt the same NBC TCA party where I spoke to Joel McHale, I also ran into Community creator Dan Harmon. Suffice to say, he's a chatty fellow. I started off by asking him how a first-time show runner like him prepares to be in front of a ballroom full of reporters, as he had been earlier in the day. His answer was pretty interesting: they get briefed and told we're a bitter lot.

Harmon's claim to fame before Community was that he helped create The Sarah Silverman Program for Comedy Central, and he was one of the few people who thinks that the network creative process has been as smooth, if not smoother, than the process for basic cable.

He also got extremely effusive about having Chevy Chase on his show; I was going to edit his epic response to my question about Chevy, but it's so loopy that I figured I'd just let it stand as is. Interview after the jump.

Continue reading Community's Dan Harmon was told by NBC that critics are "bitter"

 

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]]>chevy chaseChevyChasecommunitydan harmonDanHarmonfeaturedjoel mchaleJoelMchaleJoel KellerThu, 17 Sep 2009 14:04:00 ESTJoel McHale talks about The IT Crowd and the reality TV fat trendhttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/17/joel-mchale-talks-about-the-it-crowd-and-the-reality-tv-fat-tren/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/17/joel-mchale-talks-about-the-it-crowd-and-the-reality-tv-fat-tren/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/17/joel-mchale-talks-about-the-it-crowd-and-the-reality-tv-fat-tren/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Joel McHale of CommunityWith the much-anticipated premiere of Community finally bowing tonight, I figured it was a good time to pull out the interview I did with Joel McHale when I encountered him at the NBC party during the TCA press tour. I didn't talk to McHale about his current NBC show, however; I talked to him about his previous NBC show.

Fans of the British sitcom The IT Crowd may remember that an American pilot was shot and the show was announced for NBC's midseason schedule a couple of years back, with McHale playing Roy and Richard Ayoade bringing his breakout role of Moss over from the original. Only, the pilot never saw the light of day, and a series was never picked up.

I asked McHale about what caused the show to be dropped and if he has any regrets over the show's flame-out. Then, as a person standing in front of the host of The Soup would tend to do, I asked him about what in the reality TV landscape gets him charged up. Interview is after the jump.

Continue reading Joel McHale talks about The IT Crowd and the reality TV fat trend

 

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]]>dan harmonDanHarmonfalltvfeaturedjoel mchaleJoelMchalemore to loveMoreToLoverichard ayoadeRichardAyoaderock of loverock of love busRockOfLoveRockOfLoveBusthe bachelorettethe IT crowdTheBacheloretteTheItCrowdJoel KellerThu, 17 Sep 2009 11:03:00 ESTSomeone wanted Leno to die of AIDS, according to Lenohttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/11/someone-wanted-leno-to-die-of-aids-according-to-leno/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/11/someone-wanted-leno-to-die-of-aids-according-to-leno/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/11/someone-wanted-leno-to-die-of-aids-according-to-leno/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Jay LenoWith The Jay Leno Show starting on Monday, I figured this would be as good a time as any to print my brief chat with Leno at the party NBC held at the TCA press tour. He had just shown up, and he was surprisingly not yet surrounded by reporters; I figured it would be a good time to throw him a couple of questions I was curious about. Little did I know that I'd be doing it while he was eating one of the short ribs they were serving at the party .

No matter; you get the hot star of the moment in front of you, you throw him questions even while he's chewing. Jay being Jay, he handled it like the pro he is. Nothing really that newsworthy came out of this little chat, which is why I've held on to it until now, but I figured it would be a fun thing to read on a Friday.

Oh, one fun note: he claims that when he started The Tonight Show, someone said "I hope Jay dies of AIDS in one of his cars." Wow. Wonder how easy that article would be to find on the Web?

Continue reading Someone wanted Leno to die of AIDS, according to Leno

 

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]]>abcconan obrienConanObrienfalltvjay lenoJayLenojimmy kimmelJimmyKimmelthe jay leno showTheJayLenoShowJoel KellerFri, 11 Sep 2009 11:03:00 ESTJoan Rivers on longevity, Brooke Shields, and not caring about Johnny Carsonhttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/10/joan-rivers-on-longevity-brooke-shields-and-not-caring-about-j/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/10/joan-rivers-on-longevity-brooke-shields-and-not-caring-about-j/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/10/joan-rivers-on-longevity-brooke-shields-and-not-caring-about-j/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Joan RiversJoan Rivers was in Pasadena in July to promote her show on TV Land, How'd You Get So Rich?, but when I spoke to her after her presentation, I was more interested in a couple of issues. First, her longevity in a business that takes even older comedians and tosses them to the side (Cosby, for instance, is more community activist than comedian these days). Second, I wanted to ask her about her experience on The Apprentice, which included her feuds with wedding planners, Clint Black, and Annie Duke.

But, Joan being Joan, she also randomly let loose on Brooke Shields, Sarah Palin, and whoever else was in her mind during the ten minutes we spoke.

We start off by talking about longevity. She feels one of the reasons she stays relevant is that she doesn't live in the past. "I don't give a shit about Johnny Carson," she said.

Continue reading Joan Rivers on longevity, Brooke Shields, and not caring about Johnny Carson

 

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]]>annie dukeAnnieDukebill cosbyBillCosbybrooke shieldsBrookeShieldsdoc severinsenDocSeverinsened mcmahonEdMcmahonfeaturedjoan riversJoanRiversmelissa riversMelissaRiversmichael jacksonMichaelJacksonsarah palinSarahPalinthe apprenticethe celebrity apprenticeTheApprenticeTheCelebrityApprenticeJoel KellerThu, 10 Sep 2009 15:02:00 ESTDavid Tutera gave up on The Apprentice, not just Joan Rivershttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/10/david-tutera-gave-up-on-the-apprentice-not-just-joan-rivers/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/10/david-tutera-gave-up-on-the-apprentice-not-just-joan-rivers/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/09/10/david-tutera-gave-up-on-the-apprentice-not-just-joan-rivers/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

David TuteraI'm starting to slog through my backlog of TCA-related material, and I wanted to make sure this got out there before it gets lost. When I interviewed Joan Rivers while I was in Pasadena, I asked her about the incident on The Celebrity Apprentice finale where David Tutera, whose firm was helping to plan both teams' parties, pulled out of the show completely after Joan requested changes to his plans.

After Tutera presented a panel introducing the second season of his WE show My Fair Wedding, I caught up with him outside the ballroom to get his response to Joan. He knew the questions were coming, because I had mentioned them to his publicist, but I wanted to ease into things by asking him about the show and its upcoming season. Oh, and I asked him for suggestions on how to throw a relatively inexpensive wedding in New Jersey, but that was just for personal reasons.

But Tutera seemed ready. He answered Joan's charges calmly and without the same rancor she used.

Continue reading David Tutera gave up on The Apprentice, not just Joan Rivers

 

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]]>annie dukeAnnieDukedavid tuteraDavidTuterafeaturedjoan riversJoanRiversmy fair weddingMyFairWeddingthe apprenticethe celebrity apprenticeTheApprenticeTheCelebrityApprenticeJoel KellerThu, 10 Sep 2009 09:11:00 ESTBill Lawrence: The TV Squad Interview (Scrubs 2.0 edition)http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/20/bill-lawrence-the-tv-squad-interview-scrubs-2-0-edition/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/20/bill-lawrence-the-tv-squad-interview-scrubs-2-0-edition/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/20/bill-lawrence-the-tv-squad-interview-scrubs-2-0-edition/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Bill Lawrence at the TCA 09 session for Cougar TownOn the last day of the TCA press tour, as the stars of ABC were yukking it up at a crowded party at the Langham Huntington in Pasadena, Bill Lawrence and I were out in the courtyard talking about what the new season of Scrubs -- or as I'm calling it, Scrubs 2.0 -- is going to look like.

Essentially, it's going to be like a medical version of The Paper Chase, with Turk and Cox being the professors. We'll be following the lives of young medical students who will shuttle back and forth between classes and their rotations at the "new" Sacred Heart, which is being rebuilt on the med school's campus. While in the hospital, they'll run into a lot of the characters from Scrubs 1.0, including J.D., as Zach Braff is scheduled to be in the first six episodes.

It all sounds a bit confusing, so I'll let Bill lay it out for you folks. An edited transcript is after the jump. The full transcript can be found here. And I'll be getting on the phone with Bill to talk Cougar Town sometime next week, so stay tuned. Oh, and at the end of the interview, we talk about the role Bill's wife, Christa Miller, had on Scrubs that didn't involve any acting.

Continue reading Bill Lawrence: The TV Squad Interview (Scrubs 2.0 edition)

 

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]]>bill lawrenceBillLawrencechrista millerChristaMillercougar townCougarTowndonald faisonDonaldFaisonfeaturedjohn c. mcginleyJohnC.Mcginleyjudy reyesJudyReyesken jenkinsKenJenkinsmusic supervisorMusicSupervisorneil flynnNeilFlynnpreggerspregnantsarah chalkeSarahChalkescrubsscrubs 1.0scrubs 2.0scrubs season 9Scrubs1.0Scrubs2.0ScrubsSeason9the tv squad interviewTheTvSquadInterviewzach braffZachBraffJoel KellerThu, 20 Aug 2009 11:18:00 ESTBill Lawrence: The TV Squad Interview (Scrubs 2.0 edition) - full transcripthttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/20/bill-lawrence-the-tv-squad-interview-scrubs-2-0-edition-ful/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/20/bill-lawrence-the-tv-squad-interview-scrubs-2-0-edition-ful/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/20/bill-lawrence-the-tv-squad-interview-scrubs-2-0-edition-ful/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Bill Lawrence at the TCA 09 session for Cougar Town Here's the full transcript of the interview I did with Bill Lawrence on the last day of the TCAs. It's goes into some of the financial nitty-gritty of the Scrubs deal and drops a few other details. I also asked him to repeat what was going to go on in the new Scrubs a few times, just so I could understand completely what was going on. Enjoy! The main post, where you can leave your comments, is here.

Well let's start with the obvious. You've been thinking about doing another season of Scrubs for like a year now.
(laughing)

Because you told me...when'd you talk to me about that? About a year ago?
We're the only people who shot the shit about it. I thought there was a chance it would happene. I just saw the landscape, you know.

Continue reading Bill Lawrence: The TV Squad Interview (Scrubs 2.0 edition) - full transcript

 

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]]>bill lawrenceBillLawrencechrista millerChristaMillercougar townCougarTowndonald faisonDonaldFaisonfull transcriptFullTranscriptjohn c. mcginleyJohnC.Mcginleyjudy reyesJudyReyesneil flynnNeilFlynnsarah chalkeSarahChalkescrubsscrubs 1.0scrubs 2.0scrubs season 9Scrubs1.0Scrubs2.0ScrubsSeason9the tv squad interviewzach braffZachBraffJoel KellerThu, 20 Aug 2009 11:18:00 ESTTV Squad Ten: Things I learned at the TCAshttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/11/tv-squad-ten-things-i-learned-at-the-tcas/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/11/tv-squad-ten-things-i-learned-at-the-tcas/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/11/tv-squad-ten-things-i-learned-at-the-tcas/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Gordon Ramsay cooks along w/ the critics @ TCAsAs usual, I've come back from the TCA press tour with a voice recorder full of great interviews and a brain made of mush. Because of the mush-brain part, I'm sure I'll go back and listen to some of the interviews and find that the ones I thought were full of golden nuggets of wit turn out to be full of nothing but platitudes.

That's okay, though; the tour was a lot of fun and I got to talk to a lot of interesting people. I mean, where else can you talk to Maria from Sesame Street, Alan Alda, Norman Lear, and Patti Smith.... all in the same day? It's amazing who you feel empowered to talk to when you have a press credential around your neck and a voice recorder in your hand.

But I also learned a bunch of other things during the tour, mostly about the upcoming season, but also a few other things as well:

Continue reading TV Squad Ten: Things I learned at the TCAs

 

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]]>angela bromstadAngelaBromstadcommunityfeaturedflashforwardgordon ramsayGordonRamsaygotta feelingGottaFeelingjay lenoJayLenoken jeongken telegdyKenJeongKenTelegdymodern familyModernFamilysingle ladiesSingleLadiestcastwitterJoel KellerTue, 11 Aug 2009 14:30:00 ESTDoes Kelsey Grammer think FOX president gave him a heart attack? - TCA Reporthttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/08/does-kelsey-grammer-think-fox-president-gave-him-a-heart-attack/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/08/does-kelsey-grammer-think-fox-president-gave-him-a-heart-attack/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/08/does-kelsey-grammer-think-fox-president-gave-him-a-heart-attack/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Kelsey Grammer at TCA 09 session for HankThe title of this post seems far-fetched: How could a big TV star like Kelsey Grammer think that Kevin Reilly, the programming head of FOX, had something to do with the heart attack he suffered a year ago?

If you heard Grammer speak about it during the panel for his new ABC comedy Hank, it's not hard to connect the dots. "I had an event they thought was stress related. You can make of that what you will. It was a rough year," said Grammer, whose FOX sitcom Back to You was cancelled after its first season.

His beef was that he pitched the show to Reilly when the exec was still at NBC, and he passed. Then Reilly got the position at FOX after they bought Back to You. So, basically, the show was airing on a network whose entertainment head already passed on it somewhere else. That, according to Grammer, caused conflict between the network and the writers of the show.

Continue reading Does Kelsey Grammer think FOX president gave him a heart attack? - TCA Report

 

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]]>abcback to youBackToYoufoxhankheart attackHeartAttackkelsey grammerKelseyGrammerkevin reillyKevinReillynbcJoel KellerSat, 08 Aug 2009 19:01:00 ESTABC exec calls Heigl's latest remarks "unfortunate" - TCA Reporthttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/08/abc-exec-calls-heigls-latest-remarks-unfortunate-tca-report/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/08/abc-exec-calls-heigls-latest-remarks-unfortunate-tca-report/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/08/abc-exec-calls-heigls-latest-remarks-unfortunate-tca-report/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

ABC logoABC president Steve McPherson just finished holding court at his network's executive session. Not much in the way of news came up, but when an astute critic -- namely me -- brought up Katherine Heigl's latest foot-in-mouth incident, McPherson didn't mince words.

He called the Grey's star's remarks -- where she complained on several talk shows about her 17-hour first day back on the set, a day that supposedly was created to accommodate her promotional schedule for The Ugly Truth -- "unfortunate." He continued: "It is what it is. People are going to choose to behave the way they behave." He felt especially bad for the show's behind-the-scenes crew, who also put in those long hours without complaint; "It's really hard for the people busting their tails every day to hear that (from Heigl)." He later said that "I'm not going to try to explain someone else's behavior," and repeated the word "unfortunate" once again.

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]]>17 hour day17HourDayabcdancing with the starsDancingWithTheStarsfeaturedgreys anatomyGreysAnatomykatherine heiglKatherineHeiglPaula AbdulPaulaAbdulpresidentromantically challengedRomanticallyChallengedsteve mcphersonSteveMcphersonugly bettyUglyBettyVJoel KellerSat, 08 Aug 2009 17:55:00 ESTAn Office wedding... and Michael Scott talks to the "mafia" - TCA Reporthttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/08/an-office-wedding-and-michael-scott-talks-to-the-mafia-tc/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/08/an-office-wedding-and-michael-scott-talks-to-the-mafia-tc/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/08/an-office-wedding-and-michael-scott-talks-to-the-mafia-tc/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Angela Kinsey shows us accounting on The Office SetOne of the highlights of Friday's press tour day was a visit to the set of The Office. During that visit, various cast members took groups of critics through the entire office set (Angela Kinsey was my group's guide, as you can see in the photo). After the tour, the entire cast, except for the ailing Rainn Wilson, joined creator Greg Daniels in the warehouse to answer our questions.

Executive producer Paul Lieberstein (who also plays Toby) took the bulk of the questions about what's going to go on this season. One tidbit that he readily dropped (probably because it had been published already) was that there's going to be a special event in the fourth episode. Details after the jump.

Continue reading An Office wedding... and Michael Scott talks to the "mafia" - TCA Report

 

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]]>angela kinseyAngelaKinseyepisode 4Episode4mafiapaul liebersteinPaulLiebersteinset visitSetVisittcathe officeTheOfficetourweddingJoel KellerSat, 08 Aug 2009 08:08:00 ESTFX showrunners take turns tearing NBC a new one - TCA Reporthttp://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/08/fx-showrunners-take-turns-tearing-nbc-a-new-one-tca-report/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/08/fx-showrunners-take-turns-tearing-nbc-a-new-one-tca-report/http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/08/fx-showrunners-take-turns-tearing-nbc-a-new-one-tca-report/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

FX Showrunners Panel
FX held panels for Archer and Sons of Anarchy on Friday morning, but by then press tour fatigue had set in, and the energy in the room was low for both. It was especially low for Archer, a Adult Swim-esque spy cartoon by the creator of Sealab 2021 that most of the critics hadn't yet seen. The panel seemed to be more content with answering with wise-ass remarks that made themselves laugh but the just served to make us tired masses annoyed.

Things perked up, though, when the network presented five of its show-runners to talk about what it's like to develop edgy dramas for basic cable. But since the theme of the week has invariably been "Leno at 10," the questions often came back to the fact that NBC with one fell swoop wiped out five hours of scripted drama per week. And the show-runners took every opportunity to bash the Peacock for it.

And it got ugly: "I feel they should take the American flag down in front of the building and just put up a white one," said Rescue Me's Peter Tolan, "because they've clearly given up."

Continue reading FX showrunners take turns tearing NBC a new one - TCA Report

 

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]]>boomtowndamagesemmysemmys2009fxgraham yostGrahamYostjay lenoJayLenokurt sutterKurtSutterlawmannbcpeter tolanPeterTolanrescue meshawn ryanShawnRyanshow runersshow-runnersShowRunersshowrunnerssons of anarchytcathe jay leno showthe shieldTheJayLenoShowtodd a. kesslerToddA.KesslerJoel KellerSat, 08 Aug 2009 07:01:00 EST