This is some news from THE OFFICE that I’m very excited about on a Monday morning. Usually when you think of offices and monday mornings you’d like to kill yourself but this morning… reason to rejoice!
Amy Ryan’s new HR rep Holly Flax will return to Dunder-Mifflin in the fall for a smattering of episodes. I loved Holly’s interaction with Michael, it was sweet and really spoke to who he is as a person and really brought out something we’d never witnessed before in him before. Plus, if no one tells her that Kevin’s not slow, it could make for at least a couple more genius gags. “This is a button…” Oh the brilliance!
“The Wire” star Amy Ryan will get a chance to flex her comedic muscles a bit more next season as she joins “The Office” for multiple episodes.
Ryan is set to appear in at least five segs in the fall, reprising her role as human resources rep Holly Flax. Ryan’s character first showed up in “The Office’s” season finale as a potential love interest for Michael Scott (Steve Carell).
“I don’t know what they’re going to do with the character,” Ryan said, “but as it was written, there’s certainly a lot of potential. It’s a funny thing to enter a show that you’re a great fan of — and it’s nice to tell lighter stories. I love the dark, grittier side of life, but it’s nice to take a break from that, put a skirt on and brush your hair.”
In the season-four ender, “Goodbye, Toby,” Ryan’s character replaced long-suffering HR staffer Toby Flenderson, played by Paul Lieberstein.
“Amy gave the character of Holly an openness and matured innocence that exposed a new side of Michael,” said Lieberstein, who was just upped to exec producer on the show. “She placed her character right on his level.”
I’m psyched, especially because I know her movie career is booming and I figured they didn’t have a chance in hell of getting her back for one episode, let alone multiple.
I finally had some time to catch up on the three episodes of SWINGTOWN that were sitting on my DVR and I’m happy to say that I’m still loving the show.
If you caught this week’s TV Talk Podcast, you heard me talk about how I wasn’t sure I knew where the show was going and that I wasn’t sure about what the show was trying to accomplish but I feel like I now have a better understanding of where Swingtown is headed.
While some of the retro references are far from subtle, I feel like the show has really started to capture the spirit of ‘76 and the issues at hand. Swingers and promiscuity are not the focus of the show (thankfully), at its heart is a family on the cusp of change. Swingtown is all about self discovery and becoming more self aware.
Bruce and Susan’s world has been turned upside down in every way possible. Bruce got a new job which allowed them to buy a bigger house in a nicer neighborhood and then they met the Decker’s who have opened their eyes to the sexual revolution. Having been knocked up the first time they had sex, these two have never had a relationship outside of their marriage and both are realizing that while they love each other, there may be more to life than the isolated and safe world they’ve surrounded themselves with for far too long.
The flip-flopping they’ve experienced lately is obviously some serious foreshadowing to the deterioration of trust between them. At times Bruce seems to be the one more open to swinging while more recently it was Susan that initiated the possibilities. That’s some seriously dangerous water these two are treading and it makes me nervous as all get out.
Where the show is starting to gain its footing is in the relationships and the insecurities among the women on the show. While Trina Decker originally came across as this voracious vixen we’re slowly starting to see how she may have been coerced into her lifestyle or at least how her sexual drive has kept her from some things she’s wanted out of life. I get the feeling that when she was seduced by Tom back when she was a stewardess, she left her job and gave up aspirations of her own.
Now that she’s met Susan and slowly befriended the repressed Janet, Trina is realizing she may be missing out on what she wanted out of life. Am I way off base there? In the cabin episode, there was so much sadness in the way she told the girls about Tom’s new Toyko route and for the first time she was a fully conceptualized character… I loved it.
The women of Swingtown are fantastic and I think that they’re the real story happening on the show. It’s about them rediscovering themselves and reassessing their places in what was a man’s world. Friendship, marriage and work have all been brought up in the more recent episodes and if they continue to explore what those things mean to women I think that the show will be fantastic.
I’m loving Laurie’s storyline and really really loving her hot ass teacher. Shanna Collins who plays Laurie is this incredible force on screen. The best part is the contrast in her character; she’s so worldy, well educated and sure of herself that you forget she’s still really young and stupid. She’s a teenager in every way and I love that they don’t dumb her down. Sure she’s trying to seduce her teacher but she understands the complications and is somewhat realistic about it. I love how she told her early summer fling, Logan, that there was no future. She talked to him in such a confident and almost condescending manner, it was awesome! Laurie Miller rocks!
I don’t know… I’m rambling now. I just basically wanted to say that I’m pleasantly surprised to see that Swingtown does seem to know where they’re headed as a series and that I’m connecting with it. I’ll shut up now.
Wow, this morning I’m still in disbelief that my girl Chelsea Traille was sent home last night. Shocked is the only word that comes to mind… well after frak, douche, bitch, whore and a few choice others were screamed out in my Tourette’s haze immediately following the announcement. So sad…
On the bright side, we were treated to two amazing group numbers last night, one by Mia Michaels and one from Hok and Dom’s dance crew Quest! Mia remains a genius and seriously my eyes almost explode from all the crazy greatness Quest pulled off. There’s nothing better to me than movements perfectly timed to the song they accompany and both routines were aces in that department.
Last week I got to participate in a conference call with legendary comedy and horror director John Landis and PSYCH’s Maggie Lawson as they talked about tonight’s episode of FEAR ITSELF called “In Sickness and In Health”.
Tune in to FEAR ITSELF on Thursday nights (10pm NBC) because its a bloody good time! “In Sickness and In Health” should be great because it stars both Maggie Lawson and James Roday from PSYCH – together…again… it’s crazy talk! I love seeing the two of them together but in different roles… too bad it looks like he might be trying to kill her, always an issue.
Let me tell you, John Landis can talk! It was great, don’t get me wrong but seriously if he was on an episode of Coffee Talk with Linda Richman the man would have no problem discussing any topic. I’ve pulled some of the questions for your reading pleasure.
Panel: I know you’ve done some great horror work like American Werewolf and Innocent Blood but are you surprised you’ve become very much a go-to guy for horror when your work has predominantly been in comedy?
John Landis: You know, directors just like actors get typed and I personally, you know, it’s because I’ve made very successful comedies, it’s like oh, he’s a comedy guy. And I enjoy comedy and it’s not hard for me but I like all genres. I mean I’d really like to make a Western. As a schlepper, as a young man, I worked on many Westerns in Spain, mostly Italian Westerns.
But my friend Walter Hill once said to me, “If they knew how much fun it was to make a Western they wouldn’t let us.” Because it’s so fun. I made Three Amigos in this country; I directed that and that was a comedy but it was a Western and since you ride around on horses it’s really fun. But I as a filmmaker, I can do whatever story; I’m the storyteller. So if it’s a drama or a love story, whatever it is I’m perfectly capable of doing it.
However, the executives don’t think that way. They think what was he successful in? We’ll give him that. Just like actresses get typed or, you know, it’s sad but I think it’s kind of amusing that I’m a master of horror now. Although since I did those two shows I’ve actually, I guess, done a bit of horror. I like horror and fantasy and I want to stress that this particular episode, the screenplay by Victor Salva, when I read it, it’s not what you expect.
It’s much more of a throw back. It’s kind of like a woman’s picture, a girl in jeopardy picture. It has really no elements of the supernatural and it’s entirely – sits on Maggie’s shoulders. (more…)
We promised you a SUMMER TV PREVIEW podcast and here it is! Kath and I run through all of the summer premiere dates for the new and returning shows as well as give you our input on our faves and more importantly the ones we would never watch in a million years! It’s great fun…
So You Think You Can Dance, The Closer, Big Brother, My Boys, The Mole, The Next Food Network Star, Design Star, Swingtown, Fear Itself, Army Wives, Ice Road Truckers, America’s Best Dance Crew, Wipeout, Flashpoint, Psych, Monk, Mad Men, The Middleman, Burn Notice and more… there’s no reason to be outside when what’s on TV is this hot!
It’s Thursday which means that its time for another one of my AfterElton.com blogs. This week you can learn all about my embarrassing childhood dance routine and the humiliation of being the one “on top”!
So You Think You Can Dance is down to the Top 16 and of the 8 couples left, only 2 of them made me scream like Mary Murphy last night!
I realize I should post the videos in the order they were danced, but it’s my site and it’s all about me getting off on these kids dancing (not that way sickos) so we’ll play by my rules! This is Ducky’s house bitches…
Chelsie and Mark owned the competition last night with their jazzy hip-hop by NappyTabs. Mark never looked so manly and Chelsie never stood out as much as she did last night. It was a critical week for these two because they were in danger of falling into the void where people barely remember them. This routine may be my favorite of the season and may rank right up there with the bench dance from Season 2 and the boardroom from Season 3… yes, I think its that good.
Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura – Hip Hop by Napoleon & Tabitha
Katee Shean and Joshua Allen – Samba by Tony Meredith
Last night the top 16 dancers rumba’d, samba’d and hip-hopped their way into our hearts on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE which means its time for another SYTYCD Podcast!
This week Kath and I go on and on about the return of Adam Shankman, the surprisingly great Katee and Joshua as well as the two that stole our hearts, Chelsea and Mark. It was a great night of dance, screams and bedazzling.
Check out our TV Talk Podcast: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Edition. It’s once again banoodles!
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I might be the only person that’s kind of excited about this news… The Simple Life star and recent baby mama, Nicole Richie, is going to be guest starring on an episode of NBC’s CHUCK!
According to the press release I just got:
On a new episode of NBC’s returning drama “Chuck” (Mondays, 8-9 p.m. ET), Special Agent Sarah Walker (series star Yvonne Strahovski, “Gone”) gets a bad blast from the past when she comes face to face with her high school nemesis — played by guest star Nicole Richie (“The Simple Life”) — for broadcast this fall.
Richie will guest-star in the episode as the snarky and spiteful girl who tortured Sarah in school — and now Sarah must face her fears when she is forced to attend her 10-year high school reunion for a mission with Chuck (series star Zachary Levi, “Less Than Perfect”) as her date.
“Nicole auditioned for the part and was very funny,” said executive producer Josh Schwartz. “This role is a great opportunity for her to show off her comedic skills and be diabolically evil and kick some butt. It’s going to be really fun.”
I’ve always found Nicole to be incredibly funny and diabolical so this sounds like perfection to me. Sure its stunt casting but if you can get past the fact that she a tabloid darling and see that she’s frakkin’ hilarious, then this will work for everyone!
Wow, Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica’s Six) is one hot cylon commodity. Not only will she be taunting and tormenting Michael Westen on Burn Notice this summer, she’s now got a new gig lined up over at FOX.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, she’s signed on as the female lead in Shaun Cassidy’s new drama INSEPARABLE.
“Inseparable,” from ABC Studios and writer/exec producer Shaun Cassidy, is a modern-day Jekyll and Hyde tale about Justin/Clyde (Lloyd Owen), a partially paralyzed forensic psychiatrist with a split personality whose alter ego is a charismatic criminal.
Helfer (“Battlestar Galactica”) will play Mason Wicks, a psychiatrist who evaluates suspects for the police department. The casting stems from the talent holding deal Helfer inked with Fox in April.
If you need further proof that AMC’s genius and brilliant MAD MEN is even more so, check out their newest marketing endeavor. This week’s issue of Advertising Age has a multi-page insert dedicated to the fictional advertising company Sterling Cooper and features profiles on Don Draper and runs articles on booming cigarette sales. It’s cramazing!
I just finished rewatching Season 1 of BURN NOTICE and its killing me that I have to wait until July 10th for the premiere of Season 2. If you recall, I had some issues getting into Burn Notice last summer but once I stuck it out and got used to the quirky (sometimes cheesy) humor that accompanied the incredible drama and action scenes, I was hooked. The show’s frakkin’ hilarious!
A couple weeks ago I had to turn down the chance to visit the set in Miami and after checking out all of Rae’s coverage, it pains me even more. But, that’s what put it in my head to rewatch Season 1 so I guess I have her to thank for getting me even more excited than I was for the premiere of Season 2 and the arrival of BSG’s Tricia Helfer.
Here’s a killer promo for Season 2 of Burn Notice “Everybody Wants You”
That promo gets me all jazzed up for the return of Michael Westen, Fi and Sam. Not to mention Mama Westen and his brother Nate. Fi is seriously one of my favorite characters on television right now and the girl can kick some ass! I cannot wait to see her and Helfer go at it, that will be F-I-E-R-C-E!
Burn Notice airs on USA and premieres July 10th at 10pm.
It’s Week 3 and those kids we love danced their asses off last night before a live audience in L.A. which means, it’s Spoiler Tuesday! Check out this week’s SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCESPOILERS!
So You Think You Can Dance Season 4 (Week 3) routines and choreographer spoilers after the jump… (more…)
Wow, this is SUPERNATURAL news that I honestly didn’t think was coming… According to an interview with TV Guide, creator Eric Kripke says that Katie Cassidy’s character Ruby has been axed.
“She’s great, but this was unfortunately a financial decision — purely budgetary, because creatively she was terrific,” Kripke said. “I have nothing but great affection for Katie, and she was great for the show. It was a very difficult business decision about the realities we are in.” Though the budget’s the same as last year, the show films in Canada and is suffering from a lousy exchange rate.
There will be female characters, Kripke promises. But expect more of the love ‘em, leave ‘em or kill ‘em variety. “We have a plan that’s as exciting as any we’ve ever had of how to thread new characters in some unexpected ways,” he said, adding that the season opener will have a couple of “bombshells that will set the show off in a new direction.”
Ruby was so integral in the last few episodes of Season 3 that I thought for sure she would be returning to at least kick off Season 4. I’m kinda shocked, though I shouldn’t be… I know that, but I still kind of am. Ruby really grew on me and I thought she had a lot to offer Sam and Dean in terms of the demon world.
I’m worried that the word “bombshells” was used because there are a lot of complaints that there are so few powerful female characters on the show and unless Ellen’s making a return, I don’t want to get bogged down in the hot girl/demon-of-the-week or damsel in distress roles for females on Supernatural. Sure, I love those bitchy demons and I don’t want them to go away because they’re a trademark of sorts but I need a kick-ass female character on that show and STAT!
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