Jul 31 2008
It's been a while since viewers have seen Pamela Anderson on TV on a regular basis. "Baywatch" is a TV artifact and Anderson's Fox sitcom "Stacked" was mercifully short-lived. But now she returns in her own don't-call-it-a-reality-show reality show "Pam: On the Loose" (10 p.m. Sunday, E!).
On the plus side, Anderson is revealed to be much smarter than viewers may assume. And she's certainly more sensible than some other celebs (ahem, Denise Richards), refusing to allow the E! cameras to film her children.
In Sunday's premiere, Anderson says the show won't be contrived but it is, following her from one random task (cleaning out her storage unit) to another (selling all her junk at an estate sale, just as Tori Spelling did on her reality show). There's no real backbone to hang the show on. At least "Kathy Griffin's My Life on the D-List" follows her attempts to scrounge up jobs. Anderson sort of meanders through this first episode, although a future episode that features a trip to Washington, D.C., has more of a plot.
Through it all, Anderon displays a game self-awareness. "Some people are afraid of being filmed," she says. "I think I'm afraid of not being filmed."
Anderson's confessional moments are shot while she's soaking in a bubble bath, teasing horny male viewers that they may glimpse her private parts. But this is E! That's not gonna happen.
In an upcoming episode she even mocks her infamous sex tape with Tommy Lee, noting, "I'm good with a handheld video camera." She goes on to explain, "It was a freeing experience. Public humiliation is good for anybody."
Anderson shouldn't be humiliated by anything in "Girl on the Loose," except perhaps it's winking title (get it, she likes sex, she's loose!). Instead she comes off as a knowing celeb whose pet cause -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals -- has been a part of her life for years and isn't an of-the-moment fad. That's more than many celebrities can claim.
But is that enough to get you to watch? Are you over cable TV's infatuation with celebreality shows? Post your comments below. (To post you must log in or register here.)
Jul 30 2008
In this week's Tuned In Podcast, Post-Gazette staff writer Tim McNulty and I discuss the season premiere of AMC's "Mad Men" and offer a preview of episode two, which airs Sunday.
Subscribe or listen to the podcast here.
Jul 29 2008
The first and only season of the Pittsburgh-set Fox sitcom "Back to You" will be out on DVD Oct. 14, retailing for $39.98.
The box set will feature three unaired episodes -- "Date Night," "House Of Tomorrow" and "Hostage Watch" -- and extras, including a "Making Of" featurette, behind-the-scenes clips and a gag reel.
Jul 29 2008
ABC Family's "Secret Life of the American Teenager" (8 tonight) has become a huge hit, and I have to admit, I'm surprised. When I reviewed the first episode last month, I didn't have much faith the show would garner a big audience. True, it's from the producers of "7th Heaven" but it was and is so poorly acted at times with such simple, un-"Juno"-like dialogue, I didn't think it stood a chance.
Yet here it is, ABC Family's highest-rated series ever. What happened?
Perhaps this is the TV equivalent of the old notion that no matter how much kids and teens protest, they are actually comforted by boundaries. "Secret Life" may be about a pregnant teen and may feature other sexually active teenagers, but it's clear that the kids having sex are "bad" while those abstaining are "good." Perhaps the show reinforces the choices made by the "good" kids watching.
There's also a certain level of reality to the show. Yes, the kids who spout statistics out of a textbook or STD brochure don't seem credible, but others do. The geeky guy who's crushing on the pregnant band geek girl tells her almost instantly he loves her after they start dating. Ridiculous move and not something geeky Seth on "The O.C." would do, but it feels entirely real (or perhaps I'm just revealing too much about myself as a teenager).
That's not to say the show has gotten particularly better, though perhaps more layered. This past weekend I caught up on the two episodes I missed while attending press tour and my jaw dropped open at this ridiculous plot device: A gas station was giving out free tampons with a fill-up. On what planet does that happen?
And just as I got done shaking my head over that, Bobby 'Bacala' Baccalieri from "The Sopranos" (Steve Schirripa) walked in and revealed himself to be playing the father of geeky Ben (Kenny Baumann). Wonders never cease.
And yet, I'm kinda hooked. And I keep watching. I guess it's my summer guilty pleasure.
Are you watching "Secret Life of the American Teenager"? If so, how come? Post your comments below. (To post you must log in or register here.)
Jul 28 2008
Now that you've seen last night's second-season premiere of AMC's "Mad Men," maybe you can help the show's costume designer, Katherine Jane Bryant, find vintage shops in Pittsburgh where she can buy wardrobe from for the series.
When I was on the "Mad Men" set earlier this month, Bryant said she's always looking for new sources of vintage clothing and she's particularly interested in winter wardrobes,especially outerwear. Given our demographics, Pittsburgh seems like a good spot to hunt for vintage clothing from the "Mad Men" early '60s era. Post your suggestions of places below -- including the phone number -- or click the "contact" button on the left to contact me. I'll get the information to Bryant. (To post you must log in or register here.)
Bryant is an Emmy-winner for her costume design in HBO's "Deadwood." She said foundation garments are the key to women's costumes on "Mad Men." The show relies on both original pieces and new pieces from Rago Shapewear, which proclaims on its Web site that it's been in business for 50 years.
"You know what's great about the foundation garments, as soon as you put that on as an actor, you really can step into the part," Bryant said. "For the women it is about the bras and girdles. For the men, it's about wearing their pants really high, past their belly button. That's an interesting transformation for the actor because it feels so strange for the men."
And the wardrobe may be having an effect. Actor Vincent Kartheiser, who plays unctuous young ad man Pete Campbell, said when he gets fitted for suits and shirts now, he's more exacting.
"I'm like, this shirt is not a 14-and-a-half. You need to bring this in. I need it tight!" he said, smiling broadly.
Feel free to post your critique of the "Mad Men" season premiere below.
Jul 25 2008
Another chapter in the former TV series "The X-Files" begins today with the release of the big-screen feature "The X-Files: I Want to Believe."
Star David Duchovny, who returns to TV this fall in the second season of Showtime's "Californication," said he never wanted to leave "The X-Files," he just got tired of the hours of the TV show, prompting him to scale back his appearances in the last few seasons of the series.
"The only reason I wanted off the show at any time was sheer fatigue and burnout because we did nine years, averaging 23 or 24 episodes [per season], 11-day episode [shoots], 14-hours-a-day, so it was kind of a lifetime and a decade," Duchovny said. "I never wanted to see the show go away. I wanted to see the show transform into a movie franchise. I wanted to play the character for longer, I just didn't want to play him every day."
Series creator/film director Chris Carter has kept "I Want to Believe" shrouded in mystery, but Duchovny said the Mulder-Scully relationship will play a part in how the characters approach their investigation.
"It's a thriller and it's smart, but unlike other smart thrillers, it has a really adult relationship in the center of it," Duchovny said. "You have two people with a long history working through a case while they're working through each other. To me, that sets this movie apart and makes it real interesting."
Jul 24 2008
If you're a TV or sci-fi fan, be sure to check out Post-Gazette Entertainment editor Sharon Eberson's blog from Comic-Con in San Diego. If I wasn't exhausted from press tour, I'd be even more jealous that she's there on summer vacation!
Jul 24 2008
Friday night the gay cable network Here! debuts the latest Donald Strachey mystery, "On the Other Hand Death," the latest in a line of cable movies based on Richard Stevenson novels about a gay Albany, N.Y., detective played by Chad Allen.
The movies have a tendency to come off as strident when it comes to gay rights, too often painting the gay underdogs as saints and the bad guys as evil, maniacal heterosexuals. But the films do portray a warm, believable picture of Strachey's home life with partner Tim (Sebastian Spence).
This installment focuses on gay hate crimes and the difficulties that gay teens face. It features Margot Kidder (Lois Lane in the '80s "Superman" films) as a lesbian whose home gets painted with homophobic grafitti.
The movie opens with a jaunty, noirish opening credits sequence and director Ron Oliver (" as Folk") keeps the film noir motif alive through the use of shadows throughout the film. This may be a low-budget production but the film's look displays more creative flair than other cable films with much larger budgets.
Jul 23 2008
Press tour is over, but it's the gift that keeps on giving.
In this week's edition of the Tuned In Podcast, I chat Emmy Awards with nominee Kristin Chenoweth of ABC's "Pushing Daisies." Simon Baker discusses differences between "The Guardian" and his new CBS series, "The Mentalist." Former Pittsburgher Wentworth Miller talks about the new season of Fox's "Prison Break." And "Ugly Betty" star Michael Urie previews the new season of his show.
Subscribe or listen to the podcast here.
Jul 22 2008
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- One last post but this will be quick. Got to catch my flight. Pardon the typos in advance.
I wrote about Joss Whedon's new midseason series "Dollhouse" a little bit last week but today I got to visit the two story set, as pictured in this photo.
It's like a giant spa for the Actives to rest in after their missions. There's even co-ed shower a la "Starship Troopers." Lots of dark wood on the set with Asian motifs throughout, including bamboo in giant planters and a stone-bottomed koi pond in the middle of the main Dollhouse set (minus the koi during our visit). Whedon said he read "Shogun" when he was young and got hooked on the culture, which also had a presence in "Firefly."
The massive two-story Dollhouse set has an exercise area, a dark office for a recurring character played by Amy Acker ("Angel"), a glass office set for the computer genius who does the programming on Actives. His office is on the second story and overlooks the whole set and koi pond. There's also an area for dining and another spot that looks like it's for meditation. Also, an area for Actives to get massages.
We also saw the sleep chamber where the Actives rest. They're cushy, padded coffins in the floor of a circular room (Whedon is big on circular sets in "Dollhouse") with the same dark wood paneing and soothing little decorations (more Asian influences). I think there were five or six sleeping slots. Plexiglass coverings slide over each sleeping pod.
Also, Whedon posted on his blog Monday night that he's filming a new first episode. I was initially worried (a la "Firefly) but his post makes it sound like he has things under control. We'll see. I haven't seen the first episode yet.
OK, gotta fly.
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