TINA FEY & FEMINIST BACKLASH?: I wanted to mention this Salon article because it caught my eye and made me think about whether Fey deserves this criticism. I don’t think so.
http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet/2010/04/14/tina_fey_backlash/index.html
My thoughts are pretty much in line with Rebecca Traister and I’m glad she pointed out that Fey has never claimed to be any kind of feminist leader or role model. She’s a comedian/actress/writer/producer. Her business is about being funny and she does that very well. I flinched when I first saw the piece because I’m very defensive of smart, funny gals because a) there are too few of them and b) when women are successful in show business, I like to encourage them, not try to tear them down. Take a look and see what you think.
CONAN TO TBS: When I heard about the TBS deal, all I could think is that it’s a huge win for TBS and a very safe haven for Conan, not a demotion or a step backward. Conan is a huge brick in the building of TBS’ comedy brand. He gets some ownership in his show which is a very big deal AND he’s still getting a nice paycheck. His company Conaco will also develop other shows for TBS which means more money in his pocket. But perhaps most important: Conan will get to do the show HE wants to do, not try to fit into a long-established formula. Steve Koonin, the President of Turner Entertainment, is more than happy to let Conan be Conan. He appreciates the talent and if the deal-making was as easy as reported, that’s a very good sign that Conan and his new bosses will get along a lot better than his former ones. Take a look at Joe Adalian’s excellent interview with Koonin and you’ll see what I mean:
http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/turners-koonin-how-we-wooed-coco-and-why-16225
MEANWHILE, ON THE INTERNETS: Check out the GHOSTFACERS premiere on CWTV.com — the full info about this fun web series is at the end of today’s SURF.
IN PLAIN SIGHT: This week’s episode “Coma Chameleon” got me. While Fred Weller is usually the only reason I tune in, the witness story in this week’s episode was better than usual and guest star Mike Doyle was especially strong. It was also wonderful to see Allison Janney and I’m hoping her guest role will recur. There was also a very emotional turning point to Mary and Raf’s story which wasn’t surprising but the unexpected emotion of the moment caught me by surprise. If you’ve watched the show at all and know Mary’s character, you could guess it would happen sooner or later. The real charm of the show lies in the Marshall/Mary relationship and even though that relationship is professional, there’s a strong personal tie too. I don’t want them to put the two together romantically because what they have now is probably better.
HUMAN TARGET SEASON FINALE: I watched a few episodes of HUMAN TARGET this season but last night’s was a strong season closer that reaffirmed Mark Valley’s appeal as a leading man/everyman’s hero. Valley has that magic combination of charm, sarcasm and humor and I hope they get to make more episodes.
MODERN FAMILY: It’s always lovely to see Justin Kirk on the TV screen no matter the role and he was funny as vaguely eccentric millionaire Charlie Bingham – now Mitchell’s boss. I hope that means Kirk will turn up in future episodes. As usual, Eric Stonestreet was hilarious as he confessed to the camera that he was devastated about going to work at a greeting card store instead of spending his days with Baby Lily: “I’m in a dark place.” I’m still laughing as I think of Jay and Phil going back and forth about how to coach Manny and Luke’s basketball team. The line that made me laugh the hardest: when Jay said to Cameron, “I know, you’ve got your greeting card f–k you money.”
LOST: As usual, my head is still swimming from the story overload. From “Everybody Loves Hugo,” I took away that the timelines are definitely going to merge (well, as definite as I can feel when I watch LOST) and more confirmation that Hugo has become a leader of the island group instead of a follower. It did my heart good to see Hugo and Libby together and the moment when Hugo was suddenly flooded with memories of her made my jaw drop.
Desmond continues to fascinate as he’s the one who can travel back and forth through time without harm and he can affect what happens in the timelines. The chilling moment for me was when NotLocke tried to intimidate/scare him and Desmond said, “I’ve got nowhere to run brutha.”
GLEE: Did you love “HELL-O” as much as the super ratings indicated? Jonathan Groff is a formidable talent and they’re using it to the max as Vocal Adrenaline’s Jesse St. James, having him perform songs as diverse as Lionel Richie’s “Hello” and AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” Idina Menzel looks SO much like an older version of Lea Michele that I found it distracting. Did that happen to anyone else? I can’t wait to hear her sing on the show.
Can we talk about the wonderfulness that is Jayma Mays as Emma? The wide eyed sweetness, the bashful shyness, the romantic moments between her and Will; all these things are so endearing and I just want these two crazy kids to get together and stay together. Surely Will can find a way around her OCD.
Finally, didja love the Sue Sylvester version of “Vogue”? It was a very loving, shot for shot homage to the original video and though I was wildly impressed by Jane Lynch, I also thought Chris Colfer was BORN to vogue. The kid has performance in his veins and the camera loves him too.
TODAY’S SURF WRITTEN WHILE LISTENING TO: Anne Litt’s remix of Ozomatli’s “Love Comes Down” – I’ve been playing this on a loop all day long.
http://www.kcrw.com/music/soundclash-ozomatli
Tonight’s rundown:
ABC: 8:00pm. FlashForward 9:00pm. Grey’s Anatomy (R) 10:00pm. Private Practice (R)
CBS: 8:00pm. Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains 9:00pm. CSI 10:00pm. The Mentalist (R)
NBC: 8:00pm. The Office (R) 8:30pm. The Office (R) 9:00pm. Saturday Night Live in the 2000s: Time and Again
The SNL special highlights the show in the 2000s. Included are clips, backstage anecdotes and interviews with SNL performers including Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Bill Hader, Chris Kattan, Seth Meyers, Tracy Morgan, Amy Poehler, Andy Samberg and Kristen Wiig. Also: insight from memorable hosts, including Alec Baldwin and Christopher Walken.”
In a related note, rumor has it Alec Baldwin will host SNL’s May season finale.
FOX: 8:00pm. Bones 9:00pm. Fringe
Bones and Booth go to her high school reunion in tonight’s episode.
Peter Weller guests in tonight’s FRINGE episode.
THE CW: 8:00pm. The Vampire Diaries 9:00pm. Supernatural (100th episode)
Bravo: 10pm: Real Housewives of NYC
Comedy Central: The Sarah Silverman Program (season finale)
Note: this might be the series finale for Silverman’s show. Fear not, a poop-filled book from her is due out shortly – click and check it out:
Lifetime: 10pm: Project Runway, 11pm: Models of the Runway
That’s a wrap for now.
HERE’S THE OFFICIAL SCOOP ON GHOSTFACERS:
“The debut of the “Ghostfacers” digital series, starring AJ Buckley and Travis Wester as the world’s greatest self-proclaimed ghost hunters on a quest for the paranormal, coincides with the broadcast of the 100th episode of “Supernatural,” starring Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, on The CW (Thursdays 9:00–10:00 p.m. ET/PT). The first two episodes will launch on April 15, followed by two additional episodes each Thursday for the next four weeks, for a total of 10 episodes. Each episode is approximately three to four minutes in length.
“Ghostfacers” Official Website: http://www.ghostfacers.com
“Ghostfacers” follows a team of fearless and sometimes comical “professional” ghost hunters who investigate other-worldly sightings and record their own adventures in documentary-style episodes. In this first installment of the new series, the Ghostfacers team investigates the haunting of a local theatre by the spirit of a young starlet – played by Kelly Carlson (“Nip/Tuck”) – who, according to legend, was murdered in front of her dressing room mirror.
Fans hungry for more “Ghostfacers” mythology can find additional images, character bios and video on the “Ghostfacers” website.
In addition to Carlson guest starring, “Ghostfacers” stars AJ Buckley (“Supernatural,” “CSI: NY,” “Skateland”) as Ed Zeddmore, the team’s enthusiastic leader. Travis Wester (“Supernatural,” “Euro Trip,” “Cold Case”) stars as Harry Spengler, the co-founder of the team and tactical specialist. Brittany Ishibashi (“Supernatural,” “Notes From the Underbelly”) is Maggie Zeddmore, Ed’s adopted sister and the team’s tech-genius. Austin Basis (“Life Unexpected,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “NCIS”) stars as Kenny Spruce, the videographer and occasional shaman.
From Wonderland Sound and Vision (“Supernatural,” “Chuck,” “Sorority Forever”) in association with Studio 2.0, “Ghostfacers” is executive produced by McG, Peter Johnson, Jeff Grosvenor, Eric Kripke and Phil Sgriccia. The series is written by AJ Buckley, Patrick J. Doody, Chris Valenziano and Travis Wester. “Ghostfacers” characters were created for “Supernatural” by Trey Callaway and first appeared in the first season episode ‘Hell House.’ The Ghostfacers concept was later expanded upon by “Supernatural” executive producer and writer Ben Edlund in the third season episode, ‘Ghostfacers.’”
