TV with MeeVee

Talking To Christina Applegate & Co. About "Samantha Who?"

The new ABC sitcom "Samantha Who?" stars Christina Applegate as a woman who wakes from a coma to find she has retrograde amnesia - she can walk and talk and drive, she just can't remember anything about her life, not family or friends or lovers. Gradually she finds out that 'Old Sam' has been a rotten human being; 'New Sam' decides to change her ways. Call it a kindler, gentler "My Name Is Earl."

"Some people call this 'My Name Is Girl,' and I hate those people," co-creator Donald Todd said at press tour this summer. He was joking, kinda.

"There's an element of this show that can draw on the same kind of setup, someone who discovers a problem and has to go fix it. But with us that's only one element of the show... There are so many avenues for stories on this, but one will be land mines that she has discovers, that she has set out there as Old Sam, and she will want to make amends," Todd said.

At least Applegate won't have to write a backstory for her character this time - she'll be finding it out as she goes along. "What I kind of liked about this is that it was fresh," Applegate said. "Everything was a discovery."

Among the discoveries is that Old Sam's boyfriend, played by Barry Watson, actually broke up with her right before she was hit by a car and knocked into that coma. His relationship with New Sam begins platonically, but there's still some chemistry there...

"I don't know if we're going to seal the deal at any point," Applegate said. "But I think that he's a safe place for Sam, and there's just something there, she really likes him. And it's sort of sad to have this, him having brojen up with her before this, and that's tugging at her heart, because he's sort of the perfect guy for her, maybe not for Sam before, but for this new Sam."

"Pushing Daisies" Interviews: Foreplay In Beekeeper Suits

It's probably the only show that was inspired by "Amelie" and "CSI." ABC's "Pushing Daisies" is a "forensic fairytale" and one of the season's most talked-about new shows. The oddball cast of characters centers around Ned, a piemaker with a miraculous gift - he can revive the dead with a touch. Problem: The second time he touches them, they're toast. Things get really complicated when he revives the love of his life.

To whet your appetite for tonight's debut, here are excerpts of stars Lee Pace and Anna Friel, creator Bryan Fuller, director Barry Sonnenfeld and other cast members talking about the show at press tour in Hollywood...

Q: Can you talk about the genesis of the concept, what was the core idea and then how you decided to develop it so it took on its full chrome here?
Fuller: Sure. The story actually started out as a spinoff of "Dead Like Me," and I put it in my back pocket. And when I went to Warner Brothers and was talking about ideas to do for a new show, I pitched them the idea of a guy who can touch dead people once and bring them back to life, and if he touches them again they go back to being dead. problem is, he touches a dead girl, falls in love with her, and can never touch her again. So that was sort of the core of the idea. It was built around this impossible romance, which kind of infects all the stories around it, so everything has a little bit of sweetness to it.

"Back To You" Brings Grammer, Heaton Back To Sitcoms

Ask a star a leading question and you can see a whole press conference going south right before your eyes. That seemed about to happen at this summer's press tour session for "Back To You," the new Fox sitcom that debuts Wednesday night, with Kelsey Grammer of "Frasier" and Patricia Heaton of "Everybody Loves Raymond" as bickering local news anchors.

A reporter listed shows like "Seinfeld" and "Friends," where the stars had washed their hands of sitcoms afterward, then asked, "If you could explain to us why you guys seem to have a different perspective, where you say, 'Well, we're happy to come back to (sitcoms) even though we've been on these classic shows that were so successful'?"

Grammer looked down from the stage with an expression of disdain familiar to anyone who'd ever seen him as Frasier Crane. "That's what you're writing?"

"That's what I'm asking," replied the reporter. "It depends on what you say."

Fall TV Night-By-Night: Thursday

Only one new show tonight but a considerable amount of new attitude scattered around the schedule, and Sunday night's Emmys could add some more for "Ugly Betty," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Office" and others.

The new show is ABC's "Big Shots," at 10, which delivered a very funny press conference from stars Michael Vartan, Dylan McDermott, Joshua Malina and Christopher Titus, and could be a ratings winner. They're four reasonably powerful and successful guys, but the show follows mainly their romantic and domestic difficulties. It was at least unofficially called "Big Dicks" in the beginning, and seems intended to take a male-centric view of the world. But as it follows the guest-star-laden "Ugly Betty" at 8 and "Grey's Anatomy" at 9, I think ABC is counting on a large number of women sticking with the network to eyeball Vartan and McDermott. Not a bad bet, actually, though I didn't much like the show. All three debut Sept. 27.

CBS stands pat on the night with three dependables: "Survivor" (Sept. 20), "CSI" and "Without a Trace" (both Sept. 27). Not much to report here except A) one has to wonder when the "CSI" juggernaut will cool, and B) "Survivor" is going to China this fall for an inland episode, as seen at left.

TV That Will Scar You: HBO's "Alive Day Memories"

The most searing, scarring, difficult, rewarding piece of television you are likely to see anytime soon debuts on HBO Sunday night. "Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq" is a deceptively simple production. On a darkened stage, young, horribly wounded Army and Marine veterans of the Iraq war sit and talk one-to-one about their experiences to "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini. The actor is often silent, sitting nearly with his back to the camera, saying only as many words as needed, in most cases, to keep the vets talking. But the effect is devastating.

These soldiers were victims of IEDs and other awful weapons. And they all perhaps would have died on the battlefield but for the miracles of combat medicine. The soldiers all know their "Alive Day," the day they didn't die, as a second birthday. But that does not mean their second lives are easy. Sgt. Bryan Anderson lost both legs above the knee, and his left hand. Cpl. Jonathan Bartlett, 22, bilateral amputation of lower extremities. First Lt. Dawn Halfaker (above), 27, right arm and shoulder amputated. Lance Cpl. Michael Jernigan (pictured after the jump), 28, lost both eyes and much of his skull - his brain is now cradled by titanium mesh. And on and on it goes. The horror of war made flesh. And yet these young people are brave, laughing as often as they weep, far more patriotic than they are cynical. As much as "Alive Day Memories" might turn you against this war, its main effect is to make you question the sanity of all wars.

Gandolfini had already visited the troops when he was asked to join the HBO project. "I went to Iraq because I was playing this tough guy on TV and I guess I wanted to go meet a few real ones or something like that," an uneasy and self-effacing Gandolfini said at a press tour event for the film. "I was angry about the lack of attention that was being paid." 

Style Under The Gunn

If anyone on this summer's TV critics tour got a better reaction than the "High School Musical" kids, it was the "Project Runway" fashion maven who's striking out on his own in a couple of weeks with a Bravo series called "Tim Gunn's Guide To Style," which debuts tonight on Bravo. Maybe Gunn wasn't quite as swarmed after his press conference, but not even Zac Efron's words were as intently received by the assembled and frequently underdressed media.

"Why do you think that woman love you so much?" was a not-atypical question, which Gunn tried to hand off to his Emma Peel, co-host Veronica Webb, before consenting to answer with just a hint of a sigh.

"Well, I'd like to believe that people respond to the fact that I am a truth-teller, but that I'm thoughtful and respectful of who they are," said the impeccably well-spoken Chief Creative Office of Liz Claiborne Inc. "I mean, I have a profound respect for the human race. Am I disappointed by certain aspects of it? Of course. We all are. But I really believe in the right of all people to choose, and I believe that we're not all the same by any means. And I don't know, I think it's perhaps the thoughtfulness and respect that woman respond to. And I find that men tend to respond to it also."

Since This Is Labor Day Weekend, Here's Our Take On "Kid Nation"

Weird headline, right? Not so much, actually - now Hollywood's unions are weighing in on the "Kid Nation" flap. No question they have a point. It's not a giant surprise that producers like to skeev past labor laws and union rules by making cheapo reality shows. But I continue to think "Kid Nation" is getting a bad rap. Let's not throw the babies out with the NLRB bathwater. Here's what I wrote yesterday on MeeVee.com, naming the "Kid Nation" kids among the fall season's most intriguing new characters:

"This reality show about 40 kids building their own society in a New Mexico "ghost town" (actually an old western-movie set) has generated tons of controversy about whether this rustic civics experiment for ages 8-15 was actually a form of child abuse, and whether CBS circumvented child labor laws. But from the clips I've seen, it looks like a fascinating, funny, and occasionally lump-in-the-throat piece of television, far more interesting than the sleazy antics in the "Big Brother" household. The kids are real, charming, occasionally odd - and seem genuinely into their work. I'm telling you, this could turn out to be a big hit."

Rounding Up Notable Press Tour Quotes

Hilarious, brilliant and nitwit quotes collected over the previous three weeks during the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills:

"I'm not ashamed. … It's the future in your hand."
- Jerry Trainor, a star of Nickelodeon's "iCarly," on his iPhone fetish. 

"He was in a coma. What does he know?"
- VH1 Classic host Mark Goodman, when "Sopranos" cast member Steve van Zandt was asked about the ending of that show. 

"Some people see the glass half full. Some people see the glass half empty. I see half a glass of poison."
- Chi McBride, imitating "Pushing Daisies" director Barry Sonnenfeld. 

"I don’t sell my soul cheap. I sell it fairly cheap."
- "Jekyll" writer Steven Moffat on doing television. 

"That's Curtis Armstrong playing the role of the zit."
- A Disney Channel executive, after a clip from the new "Wizards of Waverly Place."

Producer Pledges Allegiance To "Kid Nation"

The producer and host of the upcoming CBS reality series "Kid Nation" had their work cut out for them when they faced the media at the summer TV press tour. But they handled it almost as resiliently as the kids on their show. The premise of the show is that 40 kids aged 8 to 15 were isolated in a New Mexico ghost town for 40 days and left to build their own society, while CBS filmed the results. There were reward challenges, but no eliminations.The point was to see what kind of world they would build for themselves - a kid utopia, or something a little more "Lord of the Flies." The results were heartening for those who chose the more optimistic scenario.   

But when executive producer Tom Forman and host Jonathan Karsh took the stage in the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton hotel, they faced a press corps riled up by a story in TV Week magazine that made the show sound just short of a kiddie forced-labor camp.

Press Tour Is Over, Long Live Press Tour

I'm going to be unplugged and in transit for a little while, but I've also loaded features galore into the MeeVee home page, so click over there for stories on Kelsey Grammer's "Back to You," the controversial "Kids Rule," and many more...

Private Practice, Public Appearance

OK, it's the press conference for ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff, "Private Practice," and we're liveblogging... The cast is all here (except late add Audra MacDonald)! ... Creator Shonda Rhimes is talking about how they characters form a wellness group that will do everything but surgery...

They're three days into shooting their first episode, and Kate Walsh says she's more worried about her 5:30 a.m. call that she is about any "pressure" on her to succeed. ... She says the script is like the "delicious, super top-secret diary" of someone else. ...

Now the Isaiah Washington questions. New NBC exec Ben Silverman had told some critics that he was talking to Washington (who landed on NBC's "Bionic Woman") before he was dropped from "Grey's." Tampering? Rhimes sidesteps: "He's a really talented actor...and I hope that show does really well, just not as well as 'Private Practice.'"

Critics Throw Rocks At "Cavemen"

You might expect the new ABC sitcom "Cavemen" to run afoul of critics simply because it's based on a series of Geico insurance commercials. Or maybe just because it sucks. But "Cavemen" took a mild beating today because it seems to be a thinly disguised depiction of one particular race. The producers and actors swore up and down that we've got it wrong, that because the topic is cavemen, it refers to no real minority. But those guys may not have the standing to settle the question...

QUESTION: I'm looking at a stage full of eight white men, and you produced a pilot in which the ethnic group is unidentified, but they're known for their athletic prowess, their sexual prowess, their dancing.

PRODUCER JOSH GORDON: They're Jewish.

Ba dump-bump!

After a long stretch of attempted comic banter, producer Mike Schiff tried to answer seriously. "Look, is that a concern for the show? Absolutely. That's what we have to be very careful about. And believe me, we spent a lot of time sitting in the (writers') room talking about this," he said. "Unfortunately, if you pick an offensive stereotype of any kind, it's going to bump up into some ethnic group. It's going to happen. As we are, though, talking about the cavemen, it is a very specific thing. If there were cavemen in our world and people were, as they would likely be, looking down on them, what would be the things you would associate with cavement? You know, thickheaded, primal, not as sophisticated or cultured as us. And then, of course, what we want to show in the show is that all those stereotypes are incorrect."

The producers were asked about their off-camera staff, and claimed African-American and Indian-American writers, an Asian-American writer trainee, five women directors, three African-American directors, a female Latina director. Some of the critics in the room sounded mollified by this and went on to ask important questions along the lines of, How long does it take to put on the caveman makeup? But others, including some African American writers, said it was glaringly obvious the Cavemen were thinly disguised blacks.

It's tempting to write off the whole discussion. The entire (dismal) pilot is being re-shot and partially re-cast. Many critics expect "Cavemen" to be the first show canceled this season - one was even betting last night that it will never air. And there have been some ridiculous excesses by the guardians of political correctness. But ABC and the producers had better think long and hard about every line in this show and about whether they fully understand what they're doing.

We Can Be "Heroes," Just For One Day (Pt. 1)

It would be wrong - and possibly a felony - to say too much about how lovely 17-year-old "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere looked yesterday, when NBC arranged a visit to the show's sets. You can see for yourself below. And frankly, she didn't play on her looks the way so many lovely young things do on the tour, batting their eyelashes and making sure we get a good look at the assets. She seemed more like a perfect-attendance, student-council-president type who just happens to be magazine-cover pretty. She did, however, provide one of the more, ummm, troubling moments of the morning, and this one was straight out of a "Buffy" rerun.

As we strolled around the set, Panettiere made very clear that we won't be seeing her in any Lindsay Lohan-style misadventures. "I have an allowance that I get, the money was never made apparent to me, it was just, 'This is what you love to do.' ... I was raised completely as a normal kid," she said. "I take out the trash, I walk the dogs, I make the bed, I vacuum. ... I'm not allowed to leave the house unless I make the bed and everything in my room is put away."

She does have a generous 1 a.m. curfew, however. And besides the fans yelling "The cheerleader!" and pointing at her, there are some tough angles to being a pretty young star. Like the paparazzi waiting outside her house for her to leave.

"You usually have cameras following you, which makes it more of a scene," she said. "I went to try to go to Venice Beach the other day, you can sort of blend in with people, which is kind of nice. But then they see 10 cameras, and they're like, 'Who are they looking at? Who are they looking at?' "

TCA Drama, Such As It Is: "Lost" Announcement Comes Early

ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson is on stage this morning. He's spending much of his time answering questions about the awful "Caveman" - which the critics refer to as "the Geico show." He was pretty candid that the pilot will be entirely re-shot and one of the leads is being recast. ... The one question he wouldn't answer was about rumors of big "Lost" announcements coming at ComiCon down in San Diego tomorrow, beyond saying that they'll have news "everyone will be pretty excited about." The critics are pissed. Why give the news to fanboys and -girls who have to pay for tickets instead of us? McPherson tries to defuse it with a joke - saying Don Imus has been cast on the show. Only uneasy giggles from the critics (who have been here for almost three weeks and are getting cranky). ... I'm not sure this is over. (Anyone know what the rumors are?) ... Meanwhile I'm sitting here trying to write up our excellent set visit to NBC's "Heroes" yesterday. I'll post about that as soon as I can. ... UPDATED: A flack just walked onstage and whispered to McPherson. He says they called the executive producers of "Lost" and got permission to jump the ComiCon announcement, thereby defusing the lynch mob forming among the critics. And as McPherson just said, it's "not earth-shattering": Harold Perrineau is returning to the show as Michael.

Altogether now: "Waaaaaaalt!"

"House" In Da House: Talking To Hugh Laurie

After Fox's "House" press conference yesterday, a few of us went up to talk to Hugh Laurie afterward, and he delivered a pretty stunning insight into the secret of making his cranky and misanthropic character likable.

He started in an unexpected place, then went somewhere great: "One of my favorite moments in 'Star Trek' is when Captain Kirk looks out over the vast cosmos and says 'The three most beautiful words in any language are-', and of course your heart sinks because you think it's going to be 'I love you' or something, and he says, 'Please help me.' What a fantastic idea, that vulnerability and need is a beautiful thing. And actually House is a character in need - of human contact and some kind of redemption - and I think that 'Please help me' aspect is an important element of the show."

That's the kind of moment that we come here to California to get, when we manage to tap the deep thoughts of the creative minds whose work keeps us watching television. Of course, it's not always like that. You can also scroll down the blog a little way to see a picture of Laurie on the bumper cars at the Fox party last night.

Here in this item, let's start with the news we all expected, that Foreman and Chase and Cameron will all be back this season, despite their hasty exits from the hospital payroll in last season's finale. "It so obvious that everybody is back, and we struggled with how to do this," executive producer Katie Jacobs said, looking down the line of the cast. "And the truth is, everybody is back eventually. And everybody is back having changed and having different capabilities. ... To sort of express the change, we were thinking, well, maybe just Hugh and Lisa and Robert would come out first..."

As the season opens, though, House's three acolytes are working elsewhere...

Good Morning From Beverly Hills

Late start today. Ginormous Fox party at Santa Monica Pier last night. They rented out the amusement park, barbecued some Tri-Tip, opened five bars and put Fox prizes in most of the game booths. The music was so loud I could barely hear myself say "gin martini," but I fulfilled my "Fernwood 2Night" fantasy and spent close to an hour shooting the warm Pacific breeze with Fred Willard and his wife, Mary. Not your average big star, Fred spent the entire time eating a funnel cake covered with powdered sugar. Mary, also very nice.

Kiefer Sutherland was there, but beseiged by twenty reporters at once - the second time he's been tortured on the pier this year. Hugh Laurie came, but I already talked to him after his press conference. He appears to have enjoyed the bumper cars. I am reliably informed that a reporter next to him at a game booth told him, "You're a great fucking actor, but you're lousy at Skee-Ball." He took it with a laugh, but made a quick exit thereafter. We rode the Ferris Wheel, which Fox proudly informed everyone is solar-powered. The didn't stop my afraid-of-heights colleague from random screaming. I'll post some actual content shortly.

"Family Guy" Cracks Up The TCA

Seth MacFarlane and the rest of the "Family Guy" cast just gave a live reading of their upcoming 100th episode, "Stewie Kills Lois," mostly convulsing the lunching critics with laughter and only once or twice stunning us into silence. The episode finds Lois sailing off with Peter on a cruise, and psychopathic infant Stewie getting his revenge for being left behind. It's part one of two, and the last words we heard from the folks on stage were "to be continued." But it's hard not to like an episode in which James Brolin wants to go shopping, so wife Barbra Streisand puts a finger aside her ginormous honker and blows cash out her nostril with a sound-effects ATM whir. That was about the only clean joke.

MacFarlane cuts a distinctive figure with his black eyebrows and vaguely Stewie-shaped head. The other four guys wouldn't get a second look at Home Depot. But also on the stage were Mila Kunis of "That 70s Show" and the lovely and hilarious Alex Bornstein, who wore a snazzy red dress that required her to give her boobs a little flourish as she climbed on stage.  

Fox warned us that not everything in the script by David A. Goodman (who narrated) had passed the standards and practices department - thus we might be offended. MacFarlane, for his part, referred repeatedly to passages that Fox had ordered trimmed.

LOIS: You're totally ruined this trip for me! I am mortified to even show my face around this ship!
PETER: Hey, the captain's the one who should be embarrassed. His story was gay!
LOIS (sputtering with rage): You're gay!
PETER: Pleasuring a man with a socked foot one time does not make a person gay!

"Bones" and Booth: True Love Waits. Plus, Pony Play.

Sunday's press tour session for Fox's "Bones" went all Sam-and-Diane on us, as many questions focused on the nearly subliminal romantic attraction between Emily Deschanel's scientist Temperance "Bones" Brennan and David Boreanaz's FBI Agent Seely Booth.

Question: Can you talk about the romance angle with your characters for this season, if the two of you are paired or if there's other-
Deschanel: What romance?
Boreanaz: There's no romance.
Deschanel: What are you talking about?

OK, they were just kidding, but it took a while to get a serious answer...

Fox, Day Two

Today's festivities include sessions for "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and "House," plus a lunch where the "Family Guy" cast will do this week's table read live in front of us. Then it's out to the Santa Monica Pier for a big Hollywood wingding of the kind this summer has been a little short on. (None of this top-of-the-parking-lot nonsense for Fox.) Plus I've still go stuff from yesterday to write up, including the "So You Think You Can Dance" session. So stay tuned. And meanwhile, over on the MeeVee News page, check out interviews with the stars and creators of "Saving Grace," "Damages" and "Mad Men."

Fox, Day One

Normal people don't need to know anything about the executive do-si-do between Fox and NBC. A new guy came in at the peacock earlier this summer, and the old guy went skipping right over to Fox, where the big cheese is an old friend, and now they're maybe extra-motivated to pound NBC in the scheduling game. (Read this if you really want the details.) But there was one good line this morning at Fox's executive press conference that might give you a rooting interest the next time you read a ratings story. Someone asked if Kevin Reilly, the guy who moved to Fox, was going to give the network an advantage because he knows all the ins and outs of NBC's schedule. And his old friend and new boss at Fox, Peter Ligouri, said, "Our sights are not set on the No. 4 network." Zzzzzzing!

Not too much else in the way of news came out of today's sessions, although we had good interviews with the casts and producers of several new shows that I'll be sharing with you in the weeks to come. The closest thing to a bulletin was word that a big school shooting scene will be cut from the "Terminator" spinoff "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," which isn't set to debut until mid-season anyway.

Fox and the producers agreed that the scene in which a terminator shoots up a high school classroom in an attempt to kill teenaged John Connor was in bad taste after the Virginia Tech shootings. Duh. Somewhat to my surprise the execs actually had a good reason for the scene - school is the one place where uber-mom Sarah Connor would have to let her son out of her sight. Since she needs to keep him alive to save the world from the robots in the future - long story - she's pretty protective everywhere else.

Sneak Peek At Upcoming "Simpsons"

I haven't made it out there yet, but my friend who visited an L.A.-area 7-11 turned into a Kwik-E-Mart for "The Simpsons Movie" reports that people are still lined up outside to buy Buzz Cola and other "Simpsons" products. He also says that the clerks were, like Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, of Indian descent and pretty harried. One more sign that people are still crazy for the show. Hell, I am. And this morning Fox spilled some deets on the upcoming season ...

Lionel Richie and Stephen Colbert guest in the season premiere on Sept. 23, which finds Homer becoming accustomed to traveling by private jet. ... Steve Buscemi of "The Sopranos" is once again a criminal, a bank robber who takes Marge hostage in the Sept. 30 episode. ... Comic Book Guy gets some competition from Jack Black in the Oct. 7 episode. ... Later in the season, Kelsey Grammer reunites with his "Frasier" co-stars David Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney as Sideshow Bob and his brother and father. ... Jon Stewart, Dan Rather, Placido Domingo and Topher Grace are also set to visit Springfield this year.

Talking About "The Sopranos" Fade To Black, At The TCA Awards

The critics were articulate and funny in presenting two trophies to "The Sopranos" at last night's TCA Awards. "Sopranos" creator David Chase (below, with Robert Iler) thanked a long list of people but was otherwise a man of few, funny words. Here are the highlights:

Molly Willow of the Columbus Dispatch, presenting the award for Outstanding Achievement in Drama: After eight years of some of the best writing and performances ever on on television (we) love the show so much, we didn’t want to see it end. And as it turned out, we didn’t. (Laughter.) ... In this, its final season, we enjoyed everything from discourse on Yeats to the proper rules of monopoly, and had one final excuse to convince our editors to put in the paper the words Big Pussy. (Laughter.) ... After nine episodes and perhaps television's best squish sound effect with an SUV tire, we had no idea what was coming next, and I guess we still don’t, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t think any of us has ever so enjoyed being left in the dark.

Chase, accepting the award:  Here's another clue for you all/The walrus was Paulie.(Laughter.)

Alan Sepinwall of the New Jersey Star Ledger, presenting the Heritage Award: Come for the whacking, stay for the discussion of family, religion, success, aging, death and the corruption of the American Dream. It is a classic by the standards of any medium.

Chase, to Sepinwall: You're from New Jersey, I'm from New Jersey, would you explain to these people it is possible, in fact likely, to be sitting in a restaurant in New Jersey and have everything just stop.(Laughter.)

Chase again, on the ending: When I went to Stanford University Graduate Film School, 23 years old,  and I went and saw "Planet of the Apes" with my wife, and when the movie was over, I said, 'Wow, so they had a Statue of Liberty too!' (Laughter.) So that's what you're up against.
 

TCA Loves NBC, "Sopranos"

NBC's "Friday Night Lights" was criminally overlooked in the Emmy nominations, but it got a big honor - Outstanding New Program - from the Television Critics Association on Saturday night. The peacock network was the top winner, with four awards at the ceremony here at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in the same ballroom where press conferences for the new fall shows have been going on all week long. NBC also won Program of the Year for "Heroes" and  Outstanding Achievement in Comedy for "The Office." Alec Baldwin won the award for  Individual Achievement in Comedy for his role as the demented NBC executive Jack Donaghy on "30 Rock."

Two programs were double winners. Outstanding Achievement in Drama went, duh, to HBO's "The Sopranos," as did the Heritage Award. Creator David Chase delivered some hilarious comments on the now-legendary ending, including the suggestion that the walrus was Paulie Walnuts. But Baldwin topped him in "Sopranos" love with an hilarious story about trying to get on the show. All that in the morning when I have a chance to listen to the mp3.

Discovery's astonishing "Planet Earth" won for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information and Outstanding Movie, Miniseries or Special.

Michael C. Hall won the award for Individual Achievement in Drama for playing the charismatic serial killer on Showtime's "Dexter," while Disney Channel's "Kyle XY" won for Children's Programming. Finally, the award for Career Achievement went to the great Mary Tyler Moore. She was the only winner not to turn up however.

Three Networks, Three Parties, Three Open Bars, Some Actual Work (Really!)

NBC, Tuesday night, top floor of the hotel parking lot: Insane red-carpet rope line, dozens of TV crews and photogs, shooters on stepladders to aim over their colleagues. Right-turn detour at beginning of red carpet for critics no one wants pictures of. Stage, mirror balls, open bar, couches, harem tents. Same hotel buffet we've been eating for a week except for welcome addition of chefs carving steamship round for sandwiches. Head nearly explodes due to overdose of horseradish sauce; John Madden approaching, sees my face, keeps moving.

"Heroes" cast here, swarmed, see them at the set visit next week. Small talk with several stars. Music too loud for interviewing. Find myself talking to very friendly Ethan Suplee aka Randy from "My Name is Earl." Enough for a story. "I don't know what to do at these things," he says. Is that David Hasselhoff?

Joey Fatone of "The Singing Bee" is on stage, starting a karaoke contest. Two critics actually participate. Bad idea. The star of NBC's new "Chuck" wins, however. Time to leave. Walk the red carpet out. All the photographers are gone.

Total coolness

OK, I've been remiss in my party reporting the last couple of days, and I'll redress that later this morning. But first I've got to tell about something barely TV-related that wowed a lot of people at last night's CW bash outdoors at the Pacific Design Center.

For some reason Bill Gates had guys there in the indoor lounge demo-ing the new Microsoft Surface product. It officially launched in May, but this was the first chance I've had to get my hands on it. It's an insanely cool touch screen technology, and believe me, it pains me to praise MSanything. (More than one person commented that it looked like a giant version of the iPhone, but I'm not going near that one.) It's basically a 30-inch touch-screen tabletop with a powerful Windows Vista computer built in underneath it. But the screen also communicates with infrared devices and RFID chips.

Wanna split the check? Put a couple of RFID-enabled credit cards on the table and call up your bar bill - then drag each drink listed to the card you want to put it on.

My hair? Not perfect.

It's been a long week, and there's yet another party on the horizon this evening, with all the CW stars, some of whom may even be over 21. I know, I know, brutal work I have. But seriously, celebrities and free booze aside, it's also like study hall eight hours a day, with lots of homework. I've been reading "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," the life of Warren Zevon, in the the rare down times when I'm not living the title. He lived much of his life in the neighborhoods just east of here. On one morning walk I found Carmelita Ave is right across from the hotel, and on my only non-tour jaunt so far, I went to the Troubador. So now I think I'm going to call it quits for the day and go downstairs to Trader Vic's and have a pina colada in his honor before the party. I'll talk to you tomorrow.

"Gossip Girl" - "The O.C." Without the Heart

Earlier in the CW session, they touted their interactive site for the new show "Gossip Girl," allowing teens to "enter the world of the show." I think I pissed off head honcho Dawn Ostroff by asking if the kids would be able to buy their Stoli online along with the fashion and music. (No.)

The kids on this show are mostly rich, spoiled and nasty, and while one or two are trying to do the right thing, mostly the show makes underaged sex, drinking and drug abuse look glamorous. But hey, I grew up in the '70s. What is so troubling about this show is how glamorous it makes the lives of selfish, backstabbing, bitchy mean boys and girls. It's "The O.C." as rewritten by Bret Easton Ellis.

Now the cast and creator - "The O.C." auteur Josh Schwartz - are trooping onstage. Schwartz says the best way to communicate values to the target audience for the show "is an honest depiction of this behavior."

"This is the kind of show that would cause a lot of parents to freak," someone says. "At the end of the day these are flawed characters," Schwartz says. "As long as we understand they're searching to do the right thing ... the world isn't as depraved as it appears to be."

Welcome to the CW

Today is The CW's day. We just had head honcho Dawn Ostroff here for a session that focused on the network's ridiculous new reality shows, "The Farmer Wants a Wife" and "Crowned." The latter is a beauty pageant/elimination series in which a dozen mother/daughter teams compete and live together in a posh mansion. Blazing catfights abound, at least to judge by the clips.

A big laugh came with a clip announcing a new twist on an existing show. The announcer's portentious intro, "For the first time in the history of 'Beauty and the Geek!''" pretty much brought the house down.

An even bigger laugh came when Ostroff was asked whether this year's "Pussycat Dolls: Finding The Next Doll" winner is touring with the band. "Asia has decided to do a solo career," said Ostroff, who to her credit didn't look too surprised at the howl of derisive laughter that followed. (Later a publicist got a laugh by announcing that Asia has decided to run away with Mandy Patinkin.)

Ostroff also announced that, like other networks, the CW is making a big green initiative this year, including producing special episodes of its shows. One has already been produced - an episode of "Everybody Hates Chris" called "Everybody Hates Earth Day."

After Ostroff came the cast and producers of the new comedy "Aliens in America," about the friendship between a Pakistani exchange student and the geeky son of his host family. Lots of substantive things to talk about. More on that later.

Right now we have the cast of the new nature/family series, "Life Is Wild" on a satellite feed from South Africa, on big screens on either side of the ballroom. They're sitting around a fireplace in a lodge. D.W. Moffitt is petting a lion cub that's draped across his lap like any other relaxed kitty. And a full-grown cheetah is wandering around at their feet. Nice work if you can get it.

Drew Carey, "Power of 10" and "Golden Happy Wheel"

Drew Carey is one smart, happy fat man. He's always been giggly, but also a little jumpy, on edge, neurotic like every other comedian out there. Today he just seemed content. He was just here talking about his summer game show on CBS, "Power of 10,"  but he said his low TV profile of late is by design. He's rich as hell - syndication money from "The Drew Carey Show," mainly - and he doesn't need to work. For the moment anyway, he's happy about traveling to Italy, watching as many Los Angeles Galaxy soccer games as he can and generally enjoying the benefits of celebrity without the work. Key to getting him to host "Power of 10" was that he could handle all his duties at the New York studio two days a week and then fly home in time to watch the Galaxy play.

Of course the assembled reporters were most excited to ask about reports that he's in talks to succeed Bob Barker on "The Price Is Right." "I just talked to my lawyer half an hour ago...we're in negotiations," Carey said, apologetic at not having more to offer. He knows hosting "Price" wouldn't exactly be hard labor, either, and it would be an honor to follow TV icon Barker. But he just didn't seem very anxious about it one way or the other. Perhaps his attitude toward the the gig was summed up by the one thing he claimed to be able to reveal from negotiations: That his demands include changing the name of "Price" to "Magic Golden Wheel." Cackle.

Jokes aside, the always candid Carey says he knows that hosting one of these shows is not the same as real work - and he ought to know, he used to have a job at Denny's. The poll questions on "Power of 10" are about topics that interest him, like immigration and politics. And he really enjoys giving away other people's money - "like Oprah giving away cars! She doesn't pay for the cars. The car company gives away the cars and she gets the credit!" He says he often tries to talk contestants into trying for the bigger prizes on "Power of 10." He's really looking forward to the first $10 million winner. "My dream is (CBS honcho) Les Moonves standing there with the giant check, going grrrr..." And then he giggled again.

"Jericho": Welcome To The Peanut Gallery

OK, "Jericho" fans, the moment has arrived. Skeet Ulrich, Lennie James, Ashley Scott and executive producer Carol Barbee will be here in the big room momentarily to talk about how you saved their show. I'll liveblog it. Almost needless to say, when we walked in a few minutes ago, every chair held a goodie bag with a pound of peanuts in the shell and a "We Did It" t-shirt featuring a muscular peanut.

A CBS publicist just said that the CBS Interactive press conference is scheduled this morning as a sort of tribute to the online community that fought to bring "Jericho" back.

Now the stars are onboard and we're talking about the cancellation.
Scott on the return: "I was shocked!"
Ulrich: "It sounded pretty final."

Barbee: "When the fans started this nuts campaign, it was only a couple of days before we started talking about what we could do to keep the story going."

She says a three-pronged story planned for the second season - set in Jericho, the new Cheyenne government and on the road from New York - has been compressed to focus only in Jericho for the seven episode mini-season. The show will be "lean and mean and focused on a couple of people," thus will be easy to follow. "We start shooting Monday, and we finish shooting the seven by the end of September," Barbee said.

"Shark" Banter: James Woods Talks Really Fast

He's a high-IQ, high-cynicism guy who's always a lively interview, even when he's pissed-off and scary. This morning at the CBS "Shark" panel, he came to play, with executive producer Ian Biederman and co-star Jeri Ryan at his side. There are some changes ahead in the show. Ryan's character, the district attorney, has lost her race for reelection, so she'll be joining Woods' team of prosecutors in trying cases. (Kevin Pollak joins the cast as the new DA.) Woods, who mentioned Ryan's loveliness a number of times, appears to relish the possibility of a screen romance between them. He was funny, occasionally filthy and highly entertaining. He really does talk incredibly fast. He won't be surprised that his more thoughtful but unfortunately essay-length answers won't make the cut here. I'm just gonna quote the zingers.

Woods on how "Shark" doesn't seem to get as much media attention as some shows with lower ratings: "Maybe we can get some teenage drunk on it that'll go to rehab every week, maybe that'll help."

Woods on a comment he made a year ago about making a lot of money in television: "I didn't realize that, pro-rated by the hour, I could actually sue under the minimum wage law."

Woods on working on "Shark" versus making a movie: "It's fun to drive four minutes to the set, play scenes with Jeri Ryan in skintight clothes, have a great character to play and make tons of money. Or I could fly to Canada and sit in a big f---ing box and eat stale donuts for 14 weeks while some star does drugs, where I have a couple of scenes and I'm the bad guy. I love that concept."

Woods on the (distant) possibility of an affair between his character and Ryan's: "Oh, come on, Ian! One time! A hotel room! A closet! I'm working for scale this year!"

Woods on the show's finale: "I don't believe in vigilante justice unless I'm pissed off about something. I get some lousy customer service, I want to get involved in a workplace killing. Where in India are you, motherf---er? Where exactly in Sumatra are you, you f---er? Oh, boy, that wasn't politically correct."

CBS Entertainment Head Goes to "Jericho"

Liveblogging: Nina Tassler, President, CBS Entertainment, is sitting on the stage, talking about the fan campaign that saved "Jericho" and much more. She says she went to her neighborhood camera store and when the guy at the register saw her name on her credit card he said, "Jericho! I sent you an email!" And then she was at her doctor about to receive some test results and he put his hands in the pocket of his white coat and she thought Uh-oh, I'm going to get some bad news, but he pulled out a bag of nuts, the symbol of the fan campaign. "And I thought, Oh, Jeez!"

She says it was both the volume and intensity of the fan campaign that saved the show - and that she spent a lot of time reading emails and messages boards before the decision. (Tassler seems to be the one network boss who really gets the internets.) She even agreed with fans' complaint that the long hiatus the network put the show on in the middle of last season may have contributed to the ratings dropoff. Now that the show has been picked up for seven episodes at midseason, she says, CBS will tell viewers "you have got to be our Jericho Rangers" and help bring more viewers to the show.

The abrupt departure of Mandy Patinkin from "Criminal Minds" also brings some questions that test Tassler's genial good humor. "Mandy came to us and came to me and asked to be released from the show and we were able to accomodate that," she says carefully. "It's a personal issue. ... In the legacy of 'ER' and 'Law & Order,' the show will go on." The role has yet to be recast but the staff is treating it "as an opportunity to perhaps try something different."

She gets the biggest laugh of the morning when a reporter notes that "creative differences" had been announced as the reason for Patinkin's departure, and now she is saying "personal reasons." Combining the two bland bits of obfuscation, she says this: "I think creative differences are a euphemism for personal issues," a line that brings down the house. (OK, maybe we've been here too long.)

Speaking of personal issues, she says she just heard about "CSI" star Gary Dourdan's violent confrontation with a TMZ.com photographer last night and so she can't comment. Maybe we'll show her the video.

Some announcements: Big-screen ace Tony Scott ("Top Gun") will direct the season premiere of"Numb3rs." ... The season premiere of "Cold Case" will be another music-themed episode, this time set to the songs of (gulp) Nirvana. ... "CSI: NY" will follow the clues on a case right into the virtual world of Second Life. ... The original "CSI" and "Without A Trace" will do their first crossover episode this season. ... And finally, we'll finally be getting some real clues to "How I Met Your Mother."

"Bionic Woman" Offers Actor A Second Chance

Hey, we finally had our first press tour brouhaha. Well, semi-brouhaha. Well, almost. The producers and lead actors of the new NBC action series "The Bionic Woman" just trooped through the big room to tout their noirish remake of the campy 1970s sci fi show. But they ran into a minor buzz saw, or at least an weed whacker, of criticism over their decision to hire fired "Grey's Anatomy" actor Isaiah Washington for a five-episode role. New NBC co-president Ben Silverman grabbed some ink with the announcement yesterday. By this morning at least a couple of reporters were wondering, why was NBC so happy about gaining the services of an actor many in the gay community view as a bigot despite his apologies?

Washington will play "a mysterious person who is brought into the enigmatic scientific organization that is responsible for  creating the bionics that turn Jaime Sommers (Michelle Ryan, 'EastEnders') into the Bionic Woman." The role already existed and was tweaked to fit Washington after Silverman suggested him, the producers said. (Washington also has a deal to develop an action series for NBC.)

Reporters questioned why producers would hire Washington after he was dumped from "Grey's" in a flap over calling one of his co-stars a "faggot." "We feel he is the right actor for the role, and also we believe in second chances," executive producer Jason Smilovic said. He said the right way to deal with someone in Washington's position is "not by casting them outside the system, but by allowing them to make amends."

This led to a question about whether a white actor who used the N word would get a similar second chance, but Smilovic went rope-a-dope, refusing to be drawn into a discussion of hypotheticals. He insisted, though, that producers "embrace the gay community" and that the role is a second chance for Washington, not a sign of absolution. The little dustup petered out as yet another reporter suggested a gay kiss for the character might be the way to solve the issue, which drew derisive laughter. "I think that would break the third, fourth and fifth wall," Smilovic said.

NBC photo of Michelle Ryan as "The Bionic Woman."

The Peacock Flies Atop The Parking Garage

Some of my friends bunked on the other side of the hotel have been complaining about the noise. It seems the Beverly Hills PD is conducting close-quarters pursuit-driving training sessions on the top of the parking garage of the closed department store next door. Squealing tires for hours on end. But it's only going to get worse, as the top floor of the hotel's own garage is being outfitted for tonight's big NBC stars party.There are lighting rigs, speakers, tents and couches already set up. And from my balcony I can see nine disco balls glinting in the morning sunlight. Yikes.

Anyway, it's the second and final day of NBC's portion of the tour. I'm not sure I can handle Keith Olbermann with breakfast, but after that we get the "Law & Order" Brand session with newbies Jeremy Sisto and Alicia Witt, "Tin Man" with Alan Cumming and Zooey Deschanel, "Bionic Woman" with Michelle Ryan and Katee Sackhoff (Isaiah Washington is not listed as attending) and "Chuck." That's just before lunch. The afternoon includes surprise hit "The Singing Bee" with Joey Fatone and "Friday Night Lights." I'm going for coffee, but y'all come back now, y'hear?

Pictured: Yesterday's "Saturday Night Live" session. NBC Photo.

Talking About "The Office" Romance With John Krasinski

After Monday's NBC comedy press conference, three or four of us grabbed John Krasinski to talk about "The Office," Jim Halpert and Pam Beesley's romance on the show, and acting with Jenna Fischer, who plays Pam. He was funny, friendly, accessible. And he has a quiet confidence that reminds me a lot of his character. I worked my way into the group as he was talking about the way the writers handle the romance...

"I think they've proven time and time again that if you go against the grain, you might succeed. Case in point was on 'Booze Cruise,' all that buildup to me finally being able to tell her I love her, and then just 27 seconds of silence. I mean, that was genius," Krasinski said.

"I'm just a pawn in their game. As long as they keep it real and something a good amount of people have gone through in their relationships, that's all we need to do. Just have people have some semblance of 'Yeah, I've been down that road before.' If we start doing things like going out on crazy dates to Disneyland, that doesn't work," he said.

And The Peacock Laughed

In possibly the most insane bit of scheduling so far this tour, NBC has devoted a whopping 30-minute session to Q&A with stars and producers from all four of its Thursday night comedies. By the time they finish introductions, it'll be half over. Nonetheless, given the rabid fan base for "The Office" and perhaps the others, I'm going to liveblog it...

The participants, producers first: Greg Garcia and Jason Lee from "My Name Is Earl," Lorne Michaels and Tina Fey from "30 Rock," Greg Daniels and John Krasinski from "The Office," and Bill Lawrence and Zach Braff from "Scrubs." Fey's got a little black dress with a loooow neck line. Krasinski has a funny haircut, a tie with shirtsleeves rolled up, highwater jeans, sneakers - he looks about 12. Lee has a full hillbilly beard. Everyone else is Hollywood casual normal.

Someone asks about the disappointing ratings for this stellar lineup: "I think this is the year 'Scrubs' becomes a big hit," says Lawrence, to general laughter. "We always geared our plan toward peaking in the seventh year."

Daniels is complaining about spoilers online and Krasinski says, "My bad! Needed a little extra cash! Dishing the secrets!"

Fey on an upcoming guest shot: "We could not be more excited to have Jerry Seinfeld on the show, because then regular America will find out that we have a show."

On the hardest part of comedy writing:
Garcia: "Once you have the story situation, the jokes will come out. We could do a full hour drama and I know within two days it will be all full of jokes...it's the story."
Lawrence: "For us it's mostly just trying to think of new dick jokes."

Lawrence on "Scrubs" going into its final season:
"We've done seven of these (press tours) and by the way, at five of them, the first question was, 'Can you believe your show is still on the air?' "
Lawrence on doing the last 18 episodes:
"We've mapped out the first two and the last two, and the 14 in the middle we're just mailing in."

Krasinski on how a network-wide NBC "Green Week" on enviro themes will affect Dunder-Mifflin:
"We're a paper company, so we're screwed."

The Peacock Flies On Monday

NBC's portion of the tour is about to get underway with an appearance by new co-chairmen Marc Graboff and Ben Silverman. But there's already a good omen for worried "Friday Night Lights" fans. The goodie bag includes a Dillon Panthers logo towel. (More like a facecloth, actually.) I'll liveblog here if there's news...

HERE IT IS (UPDATED): "Friday Night Lights" moves to 9 p.m. Fridays in the fall, "hammocked" between "Deal Or No Deal" and the new, Tom Selleck-equipped "Las Vegas." It's a full-season pickup, too. ...

MORE: "Grey's Anatomy" ejectee Isaiah Washington has been signed to join the cast of the new "Bionic Woman." He'll be in five of the first six episodes. "He's wonderful actor and he's a great  performer - and he became available," Silverman said, getting a big laugh. ...

MORE: JERRY SEINFELD will guest-star as himself on the season premiere of "30 Rock." He'll go head-to-head with Alec Baldwin as NBC exec Jack Donaghy. ...

MORE: Donald Trump will be back with "The Apprentice" - but this time the contestants will be celebrities. The celebrity guest wish list, Silverman said, includes Rosie O'Donnell - "Donald personally told me to extend an invitation to her." Heh heh. Yeah, that'll happen. ...

 MORE: "All in the Family" auteur Norman Lear will oversee a new dramedy. ...

MORE: Summer series "The Singing Bee," hosted by Joey Fatone, did so well in its first airing that it will be coming back in the fall, Tuesday nights at 9:30.

 AND FINALLY: NBC Universal in all its many corporate guises will have a "Green Is Universal" week Nov. 4 through 11 where they'll be ecologically pro-active in every possible way. That includes "green-themed" programming on all of NBC's prime-time shows, with characters like Michael Scott of "The Office" tackling environmental issues. That oughta be good.

It's Foggy In L.A. And Inside My Head.

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