May 31 2009
Tonight's "Breaking Bad" second season finale likely surprised, perplexed and frustrated viewers on its way to becoming oh-so-satisfying.
The event that led men in HAZMAT suits to the White home was revealed to be the collision of two airplanes in the sky above Alberqueque, which, on first blush, appeared to be an annoyingly random event unrelated to the ongoing story of high school chemistry teacher-turned-cancer-patient-turned-drug-dealer Walter White (Bryan Cranston, pictured right).
But then viewers learned the plane crash wasn't random: The planes collided because an air traffic controller was off his game. The man had just returned to work after the death of his daughter, a junkie who was sleeping with Walt's partner in crime, Jesse (Aaron Paul). Walt could have saved the young woman's life but chose not to.
Everything is connected.
On Thursday I chatted with "Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan about the finale and where the series may be heading in season three.
Q: If there is a theme for the season finale, what is it?
A: The theme for the whole season for the writers and myself, and I guess it pertains to this episode in spades, is chickens coming home to roost. That old expression says a lot about what's going on here in the world of "Breaking Bad" in the sense that Walter White, in choosing to become a criminal and take this very dark path and cook crystal meth and make a fast buck way back in the pilot, set into action a chain of events that led to this moment of this plane exploding in the skies of Alberqueque.
Q: Clearly you mapped out the whole season in advance. What made you decide to make it so interconnected?
A: It was very important to me and that is in a sense what I'm most proud of -- being able to form these connections from the get-go, from the teaser of the first episode of the season, and hopefully to let the audience know that they're signing on for a very well plotted-out ride. We know exactly where we're taking them and and we're taking them to a place and showing them things that are very purposeful and have a point to them. Hopefully viewers will not draw the conclusion that there's anything random about it. Very much the opposite is true in our minds. This catastrophe in the skies over Alberqueque is the cherry on top but it was Walt's responsibility. All of it, in a butterfly effect way, it's all his fault. We're very purposeful in that regard.
Q: Walt's lies really catch up with him in the season finale when Skyler discovers another one and then leaves him. Is this a matter of painting yourself into a corner or do you have a resolution already worked out? And how many times can Walt get caught in a lie before it gets redundant or his wife Skyler just looks dumb?
A: It's like you've been in the writers' room with us. We use that phrase a lot. More often than not an episode ends with us painting ourselves into a corner.
And what you say is absolutely true. It's a big problem for us as writers because the character of Skyler is nobody's fool and she is not a dumb woman. Dumb characters are not interesting.
There are only so many lies Walt can tell. Not to give anything away, but I think certain elements of Walt's life and ongoing criminality may have to change fundamentally in season three because Skyler is nobody's fool.
Q: Will we see more of Giancarlo Esposito's fast food restaurant manager next season?
A: Yes, it's not giving too much away to say I find Giancarlo Esposito's character, Gus, every bit as interesting as you do. And also, Giancarlo, personally, is an absolutely sweet guy to work with. One of the highlights this season was watching Giancarlo sitting face-to-face with Bryan Cranston, two absolutely tremendous actors at the height of their craft. My only regret was that I couldn't be there on the set watching them do it live. Their scenes whetted our appetites for more scenes of them together. I think you'll see more of Gus.
Q: Will we see the air traffic controller character, played by John de Lancie, next season?
A: We may see him again, we may not. .. I think we may see him in episode one of next season; past that is anybody's guess.
Q: How much of next season do you have plotted out and do you have a theme in mind for season three?
A: We are actively plotting away. We've got the first episode pretty much figured out. For the 13 [episodes], the theme has not yet presented itself to us, which doesn't worry me too much. We try to have individual themes to individual episodes as well and sometimes we'll see them and sometimes, interestingly enough, other people tell us what the theme of our episode was. For season three, a lot of particulars have presented themselves to us, but the overarching theme has not yet.
Q: Is there an end game in mind for the series?
A: I love safety, so it's funny I do this show. I try to have as much structure as possible. I have certain ideas for season three but I don't have much of anything in mind for season four. I get scared sometimes and say to myself, you're a structure guy, you should have an end game. I have a little end game figured out but I don't know when to put it into motion exactly. So much of this is being in the dark and shining the flashlight and finding your way rock-by-rock, tree-by-tree through the forest. It's a group effort with my writers picking our way through the forest and finding a way to the other side. It scares me some days and exhilerates me other days. Sometimes it's just exciting to be lost in the woods and have to trust yourself that eventually you'll find your way out.
Q: What can we expect from Jesse (Aaron Paul)? You've made him a likeable character, particularly in this season's episode where he tries to protect the child of the two addicts, even though he's a junkie too.
A: The best way to explain it is what not to expect. I told Aaron Paul early on that my original idea before we cast him was that I had this character in mind and my original idea was to have this character get killed in some horrible fashion at the end of season one. But within an episode or two, Aaron was so good and so funny and charming and endearing [that I knew we couldn't kill him].
We'll learn more about Jesse in season three and he'll deepen as a character. He can't help but deepen as a character. He's had so many terrible things happen that the challenge for us is how do we keep some of that innocence and humor and fun with all the things he's been through.
Q: When do you go back into production?
A: The middle of August. I don't know yet when we'll be on the air, but I imagine it will be around the same time as we came on this year.
May 30 2009
Jay Leno bid farewell to "The Tonight Show" last night, thanking "all the people who made it possible, Michael Jackson, Monica Lewinsky, Bill Clinton, we could not have done this show without you."
It was an amusing hour that lacked much of the emotion of so many TV farewells since it was more of a "see ya later" until "The Jay Leno Show" premieres this fall. Leno addressed that move, noting:
"I'm going to a secluded spot where no one can find me, NBC prime time."
"It's a gamble. I'm betting NBC will still be around in three months, that is not a given."
Leno welcomed his replacement, Conan O'Brien, as his final guest and the two had a funny conversation without a hint of resentment on Leno's part.
But it was all leading up to "something very, very special at the end of the show."
Leno welcomed the children of staffers who were born and grew up during the show's 17-year run. (Well, I think that's what happened. My Comcast DVR cut off before the show ended, luckily the clip is already at NBC.com, although, oddly, not at Hulu.com as I write this.)
Leno introduced 68 kids born to "Tonight Show" staffers, saying, "so that's what I would like my legacy to be." It was a sweet ending that was also unexpected.
May 29 2009
As expected, the CBS Pittsburgh-set medical drama "Three Rivers," whose pilot was shot in Southwestern Pennsylvania, will film subsequent episodes in Los Angeles. I confirmed this with a publicist for the show's production company late last night.
Although I had been hoping the show might, like "The Kill Point," film its episodes here for the benefit of local crews, it's not a surprise that it will go to L.A. Despite Pennsylvania's tax incentives for filmmakers, actors often have contracts that ensure they'll film in a production center such as Los Angeles, New York or Vancouver.
"Three Rivers" is expected to return to Pittsburgh to film batches of scenes to be inserted into assorted episodes, just as CBS's "The Guardian" did, but given the belt tightening that's going on at broadcast networks and studios these days, I'm not holding my breath.
***
Meanwhile, Mosser Casting is seeking extras for the FX pilot "Fire in the Hole" that's filming in Western Pennsylvania through June 12. For details, visit Mosser Casting online. Do NOT contact the Post-Gazette about landing a role as an extra, we have nothing to do with it. (You wouldn't believe how many people call us for some reason.)
***
TV humor of the day, courtesy of The Onion. (H/T Dr. Anita)
May 29 2009
Michael Kinsell, the California teen who was claiming to be the successor to Fred Rogers and planned to host a fundraiser with "Hollywood stars" to raise money to launch his own TV show, has called it a day, according to Current. He's canceled the gala and is in trouble with the California Attorney General's office.
"Event is in motion to be officially canceled today," he wrote to a reporter. "I am in the means of letting our staff know now. At this point I'm finished with this whole thing. Do not be inclined to contact me ever again."
The cancellation comes at the end of a day in which Kinsell's attorney said he never worked with him, his publicist quit, and the California attorney general's office said Kinsell's nonprofit, supposed organizer of the gala, is not recognized by the state.
May 29 2009
All season "Breaking Bad" (10 p.m. Sunday, AMC) has teased viewers with black and white images of a stuffed animal that's missing an eyeball, floating ominously in Walt White's (Bryan Cranston) backyard pool. In recent weeks, we've also seen two body bags in the Whites' driveway.
It was a dread-filled foreshadowing of something bad: Did Walt build a meth lab in the house and it exploded? That would seem unlike Walt, a cancer patient who's been scrupulous in his attempts to keep his side business from his family, but what else could explain it?
Nothing you would guess, but what happened gets explained at the outset of the episode in a way that at first appears to be disappointingly random. Of course, this is too good a show to settle for an out-of-the-blue head fake. As viewers will learn, everything is connected.
I'll post an interview here with seris creator Vince Gilligan Sunday night as soon as "Breaking Bad" ends but suffice it to say, chickens come home to roost and the consequences of Walt's lies to his family, especially wife Skyler (Anna Gunn), are felt.
As uncomfortable as "Bad" sometimes is to watch, there hasn't been a more satisfying drama airing in prime-time this season. The misadventures of Walt and his junkie sidekick Jesse (Aaron Paul) can be funny, dramatic, filled with tension and heartbreaking.
The whole cast is terrific, particularly Cranston. And viewers have only just begun to get to know guest star Giancarlo Esposito, playing against type as a buttoned-down fast food restaurant manager. That tease will only make the wait for the show's third season more of an ordeal for fans.
May 28 2009
Veteran local broadcaster Eleanor Schano will receive the Board of Governors' Award from the
Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
for her lifetime achievements. The Emmy ceremony will be held on Sept. 26 in
Philadelphia.
Past recipients include Fred Rogers, Joe DeNardo and Myron Cope.
Here's the release:
Pittsburgh TV Trailblazer
Eleanor Schano to Receive NATAS Board of Governors’ Award
During 27th
Annual Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards:
Prestigious NATAS
Award Honors Career Achievements
PHILADELPHIA (May 27, 2009) – Pittsburgh’s “woman
of firsts” Eleanor Schano, a trailblazing broadcaster and beloved news
personality whose career spans over five decades work at four Pittsburgh
television stations, will receive the
prestigious Board of Governors’ Award from the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the
National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS). She will be honored by industry peers for
her lifetime achievements during the 27th Annual Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards at
the Loew’s Hotel in Philadelphia on Saturday, September 26, 2009. The award is bestowed by NATAS to recognize career
longevity, achievements and significant contributions to the television
industry.
"I am
very humbled and honored by this prestigious award,” comments
Schano. “There is no greater compliment than to be recognized by your
peers. My pride is measured by the fact that I still have the opportunity to
follow my passion as a TV broadcast journalist, and I salute the hard working
TV news reporters and anchors today who continue to preserve, with integrity,
the power of the written and spoken word."
Schano embarked on a remarkable broadcasting career
defined by many “firsts” in 1951 when, as an undergraduate at Duquesne
University, she became the first female commercial television announcer and
first female weathercaster at WDTV (now KDKA-TV). She performed a variety of duties at KDKA, including hosting a
daily talk show. By 1958, she was on
the move to WTAE-TV, where she served as the city’s first female general
assignment news reporter. From 1969 - 1974,
she made news as well as reported it at WIIC-TV (now WPXI-TV), as the first
solo prime-time anchor woman in Pittsburgh history and hosted the weekly
half-hour public affairs program Face to Face at WIIC.
Making a transition to radio in 1974, Schano joined
KDKA Radio’s morning team as the newscaster on the Jack Bogut Show and also was
general assignment reporter for an afternoon drive news program. In 1975, she returned to KDKA-TV to work as
a news anchor, consumer reporter, general assignment reporter and public
affairs host for the next four years. From
1978-1982, she was both host and executive producer of WPGH-TV’s daily program
Good Day Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Women ’79, a weekly half-hour program
focusing on local women achievers. In
1982, she left Pittsburgh briefly to serve as solo anchor on the 6 pm newscast
at WPEC-TV in Palm Beach, FL. While there, she established and staffed a
South Palm Beach County News Bureau and was named Outstanding Anchor in South
Florida. She returned to Pittsburgh in
1982 to assume her post at KQV-News Radio.
For almost two decades, Schano continued to break new
ground as the host of LifeQuest (formerly AgeWise), the nation’s first
television program for older adults. In the half-hour talk show airing on
WQED-TV, she explored the many health, financial, social and political issues
that impact the lives of senior citizens. In 2008, she launched her new brand
“Live Well/Live Long with Eleanor Schano,” a series of mini-programs airing on
WTAE-TV. In addition to her current role
at WTAE, she is Special Projects Director at KQV-NewsRadio, where she has been
on staff since 1982, and is responsible for numerous series on culture,
entertainment, health, and education.
“We are delighted to pay tribute to a true TV
“woman of firsts” Eleanor Schano during the 27th Annual Mid-Atlantic
Emmy Awards Gala September 26 in Philadelphia,“ said Susan Buehler, President
of the NATAS Mid-Atlantic Chapter and Sr. Vice President of Bellevue
Communications. “Eleanor has consistently worked to blaze new trails and pave
the way for future generations of television news professionals during a career
that spans more than five decades. At
every turn and in every role, she has dedicated herself to setting high
standards of excellence for our industry and has served as an inspiration to
numerous others to follow in her footsteps.”
Schano has garnered some of the industry’s most
prestigious honors – including five Golden Quills and a 1989 Matrix Award for
outstanding investigative news coverage. She was honored by the South Florida
Broadcasters Association as Outstanding TV News Anchor in 1981 and received the
President’s Award from the American Women in Radio and Television, the City of
Pittsburgh’s Love Award for humanitarian service to the community, and Lifetime
Achievement Awards from the Pittsburgh Press Club. Among many career highlights, she wrote and produced the syndicated series
Gateway to Glamour, telecast in 286 markets around the country – marking the
first nationally syndicated series ever to be produced in Pittsburgh. Her book, "Riding
the (air) Waves - the Life and Televised Times of Eleanor Schano,"
was published in 2006 and became a best seller in the Pittsburgh region.
A dedicated and involved member of the Pittsburgh
community, Schano has served as a commissioner for the Great Pittsburgh
Commission for Women, and holds positions on the Board of Directors for both the
Civic Light Opera and the Carnegie Science Center. She was previously on the Boards of the Pittsburgh Radio and
Television Club and the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Federation of
Television and Radio Artists. Schano resides
in Shadyside, PA with her husband, prominent Pittsburgh Attorney and former
Common Please Judge John Feeney. Their family
includes six children and 16 grandchildren.
Past recipients of the NATAS Board of Governors’
Award are: children’s television icon Fred Rogers; Steadicam inventor Garrett
Brown; legendary anchor John Facenda; TV Guide founder and philanthropist
Walter Annenberg; sports broadcasting innovators NFL Films; Former WHYY
president Frederick “Rick” Breitenfeld, Jr.; regional TV pioneer Lewis Klein;
CBS3 veteran reporter Trudy Haynes; Phillies announcer and Baseball Hall of
Famer Harry Kalas; local broadcasting
legend Gene Crane; Joe DeNardo,
the Dean of Pittsburgh Weather; and
veteran Philadelphia
newsman Larry Kane; Pittsburgh Steelers’ broadcasting legend Myron Cope; WCAU news veteran Herb Clarke and trailblazing anchor/reporter
Edie Huggins.
The 2009 Emmy® Nominees will be revealed
August 11 in simultaneous festivities held in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and
Harrisburg.
May 28 2009
Actress Julia Ormond, who plays the head of surgery in the Pittsburgh-set CBS pilot "Three Rivers," is no longer with the series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
No word on whether the role will be recast. Another guest star from the pilot who could have become a series regular, Joaquim De Almeida, also will not be back.
It's not unusual at this time of year for networks to tinker with the casts of their new series before proceeding to make more episodes.
May 28 2009
Spike TV's "Jesse James Is a Dead Man" (10 p.m. Sunday) begins with one of those "don't try this at home, kids" disclaimers similar to what aired before MTV's "Jackass."
In this new series, James, AKA Mr. Sandra Bullock, tries a new dangerous task each week, fromthe Baja 500 to riding a motorcyle across an ice highway (take that, "Ice Road Truckers"!).
In Sunday's premiere, James rides a Nitro Bike that explodes beneath him at one point. Good times.
In January at the TV critics press tour, James said that halfway through the season he'd "only broken a couple of ribs and a concussion and chipped a bone in my elbow, but not really anything debilitating."
He said Bullock cheers him on.
"She loves it. She tells me every day to go out and break a leg."
James, 40, said the show is designed to "put the danger right out in the open and showing what really can happen."
And do they take safety precautions?
"There's not so much safety concerns as there are lawyers," James quipped.
***
The "MTV Movie Awards" air Sunday at 9 p.m., hosted by Andy Samberg ("Saturday Night Live") and executive produced by Mark Burnett ("Survivor"). Here's the details from MTV:
The "2009 MTV Movie Awards" will be broadcast LIVE at 9p.m./8p.m.C. As previously announced, movie megastars Shia LaBeouf, Sandra Bullock, Sienna Miller, Channing Tatum, Bradley Cooper, Abigail Breslin, Thomas Lennon, Danny McBride, Sofia Vassilieva, Denzel Washington, Cameron Diaz, Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, Vanessa Hudgens, Leighton Meester, Jonah Hill and Lil Wayne are confirmed to present popcorn statues. In addition, Eminem will take to the stage to perform music from his anticipated new album Relapse and Kings Of Leon will perform LIVE on MTV for the first time ever, treating viewers to their rock anthem "Use Somebody" from their hit album Only By The Night. Viewers will also be treated to exclusive first looks at the highly anticipated 2009 movie releases The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen during the show.
May 27 2009
Evidently the oft-forgotten My Network TV (WPMY, Channel 22 in Pittsburgh) announced its fall schedule today although not very widely -- I've yet to receive a press release.
TV Week reports its schedule wll include reruns of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader," "Deal or No Deal" and "The Unit."
My Net announced earlier this year that it planned to move away from original programming, save for "WWE Smackdown" on Fridays.
UPDATED MAY 27:
Finally, the full release:
This Fall, the new MyNetworkTV programming service adds a
weekly night of games on Tuesdays with the half-hour versions of "Are You
Smarter Than A 5th Grader?" and "Deal or No Deal" to the 2009-10
television season.
On Wednesdays, MyNetworkTV will
present back-to-back episodes of the action drama "The Unit." Previously
announced programs include a two-hour block of "Law & Order: Criminal
Intent" on Mondays, "My Thursday Night Movie" on Thursdays and "WWE Friday Night
SmackDown" on Fridays.
MyNetworkTV will also celebrate the tenth
anniversary of "WWE Friday Night SmackDown." The season will kick off with a
night of WWE action as part of a special presentation, "Decade of
SmackDown," (October 2)
showcasing ten years of the program's most memorable matches and
moments. "WWE Friday Night SmackDown" features all of the excitement, drama
and great athleticism of the star-studded cast of WWE Superstars, including
Edge, Undertaker, Chris Jericho, CM Punk and Rey Mysterio.
Specials during the Fall
season will feature the "2009 World Music Awards" and "2009 World Magic Awards."
MyNetworkTV will also present its annual collection of holiday movies and
specials during December 2009, including the "2009 Hollywood Christmas
Parade."
Action-adventure and
family-focused blockbusters will continue to be presented in primetime on
Thursdays. The "My Thursday Night Movie" lineup will include titles such as
Courage Under Fire, Soul Food, Date Movie, Entrapment, Girl Next Door and Just Married.
Below
is the Fall 2009 schedule
effective Monday, September
28th:
Monday
8:00- 9:00 p.m. --- "Law & Order: Criminal
Intent"
9:00- 10:00 p.m. --- "Law & Order: Criminal
Intent"
Tuesday
8:00- 8:30 p.m. --- "Are You Smarter Than A
5th Grader?"
8:30- 9:00 p.m. --- "Are You Smarter Than A
5th Grader?"
9:00- 9:30 p.m. --- "Deal or No
Deal"
9:30- 10:00 p.m. --- "Deal or No
Deal"
Wednesday
8:00-9:00 p.m. --- "The
Unit"
9:00-10:00 p.m. --- "The
Unit"
Thursday
8:00-10:00 p.m. --- "My Thursday Night
Movie"
Friday
8:00-10:00 p.m. --- "WWE Friday Night
SmackDown"
May 27 2009
Retired Channel 11 reporter Andy Gastmeyer has a new gig as press secretary for Pittsburgh mayoral candidate Kevin Acklin. (H/T Bill Toland)
More on former newsies in politics from Tim McNulty in Early Returns.
Press release below:
KEVIN ACKLIN ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT OF VETERAN REPORTER
ANDY GASTMEYER AS PRESS SECRETARY
PITTSBURGH - Independent Mayoral Candidate Kevin Acklin announced today that veteran news
reporter Andy Gastmeyer will join his mayoral campaign and serve in the position of Press Secretary.
"I'm honored that someone of Andy's impeccable reputation and journalistic integrity has agreed to
join our campaign team. Andy has always been committed to making our city a better place, and
I'm grateful that he's joining our effort," Acklin said.
"Kevin Acklin has what it takes to win this race and be a tremendous mayor for the city of Pittsburgh.
I've covered Pittsburgh politics for many years, and I've seen first-hand how Grant Street runs. I
know we can do much better. So I look forward to this new challenge, to working with many of my
former colleagues in a new capacity, and to bringing Pittsburgh the kind of leadership it deserves,"
said Gastmeyer.
______
Andy Gastmeyer was a reporter for NBC Affiliate WPXI in Pittsburgh for over twenty-four years. He
was a member of WPXI's Investigative Unit and regularly covered Pittsburgh city politics. Andy
retired from WPXI in December 2008. Pittsburgh City Council declared December 9, 2008, "Andy
Gastmeyer Day," to honor him for decades of excellence in reporting.
A native of New York, Andy graduated with a double major in History and English from Old
Dominion University and did post-graduate work at New York University. Andy also worked as a
reporter for WAVY-TV in Norfolk, VA, for Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV from 1976-1982, and as a White House
reporter for two news services.
Andy has received many awards for his reporting, including four first place awards from the
Pennsylvania Associated Press. He also received an Ed King Memorial Award, and has been honored
with a National POW/ MIA League Humanitarian Award.
###
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