January 31, 2007
BY DOUG ELFMAN
Television Critic
Chicago Sun-Times
Lately, I've been crushing on the melodic genius of two Fiona Apple songs, "Extraordinary Machine" and "Not About Love." (I'll get to MTV's "Juvies," I swear, just hold on a second.)
Fiona was a teenager when she wrote and sang "The First Taste" and "Sullen Girl" with a wise interpretation you'd expect not of a child but of a two-time divorcee who'd buried her whole family after a bludgeoning.
Fiona's all of 29 now, and I can barely believe she or anyone else wields the quill skills to draw this recent line: "It doesn't make sense I should fall for the kingcraft of a meritless crown." Or this one: "Be kind to me or treat me mean/I'll make the most of it, I'm an extraordinary machine."
(I'm almost to "Juvies." Promise.)
I can't help but covet Fiona's gifts. I was once a scholarship musician. I'm a college-trained writer working at the best columnists' newspaper in the country.
Yet, I can't think of a sentence I wrote, or a concert I performed, that I enjoyed as much as listening to a dozen songs by Fiona, who did not go to college but who sat in her room for chunks of her childhood crafting lyrics and music to fulfill a desire.
So here I am watching "Juvies," a new MTV documentary series that follows various delinquents in Crown Point, Ind. And a 16-year-old runaway named Sara says she's sad to be stuck in kiddie jail because, "I was supposed to try out for 'American Idol' this year."
When I hear Sara say this, I condescend that she doesn't embrace the noble/elitist (take your pick) goal of studying formally to become a master singer like Fiona Apple, as a preparation to audition for "Idol."
Surprise, surprise. A Pew poll in January said the No. 1 goal of four out of five people between Sara's age and 25 is to be rich. Half said their No. 2 goal is to be famous. I can't imagine why they wouldn't rather toil to become a Fiona Apple (I would -- I want that brain) unless they think of her merely as a thin celebrity who lucked out in life.
Everyone on TV, even imprisoned children, aspires to win, not earn, fame and fortune. That's probably why these juvies agreed to let their faces be shown while they were incarcerated.
I'm torn about Sara and the children to come on "Juvies." A) They're a mess; why should I care? B) They're only kids; I couldn't wait to grow up, either; I can't blame them. (They remind me of two teen friends who dropped acid and busted car windows and played mailbox baseball. One was caught; one wasn't.)
Caring about the subjects of this series is necessary, since the show looks and feels fairly standard for MTV's documentary department, which means it's more interesting than entertaining (that's good; documentaries should be enlightening first, fun if possible).
One of the tricks of viewing the show will be guessing if the juvies are lying when they claim to be innocent by rehearsed degrees. (How many times have you been lied to? Today? By adults or children?)
Anyway, I'm not a fan of juvies, but "Juvies" is more serious and less exploitative than it could have been, if not endearing. It's possible there's a Fiona in there somewhere, but I doubt it. An "American Idol"? More likely, statistically speaking.
Either way, the first two featured juvies of "Juvies" proclaim they never want to find trouble again. The way Fiona put that sentiment, when she was about their age, was "I suddenly feel like a different person/From the roots of my soul come a gentle coercion/And I ran my hands over a strange inversion/A vacancy that just did not belong; The child is gone."
See what I mean? Am I expecting too much of the world to produce more Fionas and adore them?
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Sunday, January 28, 2007
How long producers stay at their hit shows?
The producers of ABC's biggest shows speak openly about their plans to either produce their shows indefinitely or to bail out after a few years.
This is a big deal. Look at how the direction, tone and writing of shows like "Gilmore Girls" and "The West Wing" changed once their guiding forces left.
Damon Lindelof, a creator of "Lost," says he wants to bring the show to an end in a set amount of years. He won't say how many years. It seems unlikely ABC would let this happen.
Regardless, Lindelof wants to negotiate with ABC to name a date for the show's final season several years in advance of its goodbye. And he wants to be there till the end.
"If we get to tell the story that we want to tell in the time we think it should be told, we're the guys that absolutely want to do it. It would be incredibly painful to watch a version of 'Lost' that we had no involvement in."
Meanwhile, Shonda Rhimes doesn't want to ever put "Grey's Anatomy" in the hands of another producer.
"I feel it would be really painful to watch it turn into something that wasn't what I had originally intended."
Marc Cherry claims he will "personally take down the sets" at "Desperate Housewives" after seven years, because he wants to protect it from being run by another producer. Last year, Cherry realized how the show could go off the tracks, because he let others guide the drama's direction.
"I took a little step back in season two, because of exhaustion a little bit," Cherry says. "I don't think I was quite as present there. Things didn't go as well. It kind of really hurt me in a deep place. ABC can't bulldoze me out of that show.
"I'm only going to have one major hit. I'm only going to catch lightning in a bottle once. I wish I had the energy to develop and write at the same time, but I don't. This is going to be on my tombstone. I'll be damned if I don't protect it."
"Ugly Betty" is only in its first season, so producer Silvio Horta hasn't become burned out or fatigued. He says he's up for running the show indefinitely.
"I will be there for as long as they'll have me -- the network and fans," Horta says. "As long as I can contribute."
Bicks eyes her future at "Men in Trees" as never-ending.
"I wouldn't want to hand my baby to anybody. It would be unnerving to do that," she says.
But "Brothers & Sisters" producer Jon Robin Baitz wouldn't mind if the show he created got taken over by someone else.
"I would like my show to turn into something I hadn't intended, whether it's better or worse. I can't imagine doing this for more than four years, really," Baitz says.
"I want to go back to making plays and to the theater," Baitz says. "I can understand Aaron [Sorkin, creator of "The West Wing"] getting on that plane to Vegas." (That was in 2001, when Sorkin was busted at an airport carrying pot, 'shrooms and crack.)
This is a big deal. Look at how the direction, tone and writing of shows like "Gilmore Girls" and "The West Wing" changed once their guiding forces left.
Damon Lindelof, a creator of "Lost," says he wants to bring the show to an end in a set amount of years. He won't say how many years. It seems unlikely ABC would let this happen.
Regardless, Lindelof wants to negotiate with ABC to name a date for the show's final season several years in advance of its goodbye. And he wants to be there till the end.
"If we get to tell the story that we want to tell in the time we think it should be told, we're the guys that absolutely want to do it. It would be incredibly painful to watch a version of 'Lost' that we had no involvement in."
Meanwhile, Shonda Rhimes doesn't want to ever put "Grey's Anatomy" in the hands of another producer.
"I feel it would be really painful to watch it turn into something that wasn't what I had originally intended."
Marc Cherry claims he will "personally take down the sets" at "Desperate Housewives" after seven years, because he wants to protect it from being run by another producer. Last year, Cherry realized how the show could go off the tracks, because he let others guide the drama's direction.
"I took a little step back in season two, because of exhaustion a little bit," Cherry says. "I don't think I was quite as present there. Things didn't go as well. It kind of really hurt me in a deep place. ABC can't bulldoze me out of that show.
"I'm only going to have one major hit. I'm only going to catch lightning in a bottle once. I wish I had the energy to develop and write at the same time, but I don't. This is going to be on my tombstone. I'll be damned if I don't protect it."
"Ugly Betty" is only in its first season, so producer Silvio Horta hasn't become burned out or fatigued. He says he's up for running the show indefinitely.
"I will be there for as long as they'll have me -- the network and fans," Horta says. "As long as I can contribute."
Bicks eyes her future at "Men in Trees" as never-ending.
"I wouldn't want to hand my baby to anybody. It would be unnerving to do that," she says.
But "Brothers & Sisters" producer Jon Robin Baitz wouldn't mind if the show he created got taken over by someone else.
"I would like my show to turn into something I hadn't intended, whether it's better or worse. I can't imagine doing this for more than four years, really," Baitz says.
"I want to go back to making plays and to the theater," Baitz says. "I can understand Aaron [Sorkin, creator of "The West Wing"] getting on that plane to Vegas." (That was in 2001, when Sorkin was busted at an airport carrying pot, 'shrooms and crack.)
The magic of ABC's girly shows
January 28, 2007
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic
It wasn't that long ago that ABC was a rudderless mess. Then came "Desperate Housewives," "Lost," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Ugly Betty." And with the arrival of "Brothers & Sisters" and "Men in Trees," ABC has become the broadcast network for narrative-led serials appealing somewhat more to women than men.
Recently, ABC put the creators of these distinct serials in one room to let them explain how they feel about their shows -- including the ways censors at ABC are limiting them, and how long the creator-producers plan to run their hit series before they burn out or fade away.
'Grey's Anatomy" makes up its own words for body parts -- partly to be funny, but partly because network TV has become so bizarrely restrictive.
"I never would have come up with 'vajayjay' if Standards and Practices hadn't told me we couldn't say 'vagina' one more time in our show," says "Grey's" producer Shonda Rhimes.
Marc Cherry, producer of "Desperate Housewives," says ABC actually is a little more restrictive than other networks. He's got the story to prove it -- kind of -- from the time Cherry was creating the very first episode.
"In the scene where Eva Longoria is having afterglow with her 17-year-old gardener, the censor looked and said, 'Does she have to smoke?' And I went, 'So you're good with the statutory rape thing?' "
Others at ABC have similar stories. "You don't know what I had to go through to get the word 'douchey' in" the first episode of "Ugly Betty," says producer Silvio Horta.
Jenny Bicks used to have freewheeling freedom when she produced "Sex & the City" for HBO. Now she produces "Men in Trees" on ABC.
"I was recently told that I could trade; I had two 'asses' and a 'crap,' and I could trade an 'ass' for a 'crap.' But I couldn't have the two 'asses' and the 'crap,' " Bicks says.
Damon Lindelof, a creator of "Lost," says modern times are a throwback to the old days.
"It feels like, you know, you could say things on 'NYPD Blue' in 1991 that you can no longer say at 10 o'clock in 2007," Lindelof says.
There is one reason for the increase of prudishness on network TV: the most famous nipple slip in TV history, and the backlash and federal fines that followed.
"Thank you, Janet Jackson," Cherry says.
"We're on network TV" he adds, "and we also reach a much wider audience, so I understand the need to be responsible."
On the other hand, scrubbing the life out of series is a much bigger deal than viewers realize.
"I spend like $100,000 a week [in post-editing] taking nipples out of my show, because I've got a couple of actresses who refuse to wear bras," Cherry says. "And the standards and practices go, 'Can't see that.' So what's interesting is then I'll turn on 'Friends,' and it's a nipple fest. I don't understand the difference."
Adds "Lost" producer Carlton Cuse, "It's hindering us in our abilities to be as fully creative as we would like to be."
delfman@suntimes.com
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic
It wasn't that long ago that ABC was a rudderless mess. Then came "Desperate Housewives," "Lost," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Ugly Betty." And with the arrival of "Brothers & Sisters" and "Men in Trees," ABC has become the broadcast network for narrative-led serials appealing somewhat more to women than men.
Recently, ABC put the creators of these distinct serials in one room to let them explain how they feel about their shows -- including the ways censors at ABC are limiting them, and how long the creator-producers plan to run their hit series before they burn out or fade away.
'Grey's Anatomy" makes up its own words for body parts -- partly to be funny, but partly because network TV has become so bizarrely restrictive.
"I never would have come up with 'vajayjay' if Standards and Practices hadn't told me we couldn't say 'vagina' one more time in our show," says "Grey's" producer Shonda Rhimes.
Marc Cherry, producer of "Desperate Housewives," says ABC actually is a little more restrictive than other networks. He's got the story to prove it -- kind of -- from the time Cherry was creating the very first episode.
"In the scene where Eva Longoria is having afterglow with her 17-year-old gardener, the censor looked and said, 'Does she have to smoke?' And I went, 'So you're good with the statutory rape thing?' "
Others at ABC have similar stories. "You don't know what I had to go through to get the word 'douchey' in" the first episode of "Ugly Betty," says producer Silvio Horta.
Jenny Bicks used to have freewheeling freedom when she produced "Sex & the City" for HBO. Now she produces "Men in Trees" on ABC.
"I was recently told that I could trade; I had two 'asses' and a 'crap,' and I could trade an 'ass' for a 'crap.' But I couldn't have the two 'asses' and the 'crap,' " Bicks says.
Damon Lindelof, a creator of "Lost," says modern times are a throwback to the old days.
"It feels like, you know, you could say things on 'NYPD Blue' in 1991 that you can no longer say at 10 o'clock in 2007," Lindelof says.
There is one reason for the increase of prudishness on network TV: the most famous nipple slip in TV history, and the backlash and federal fines that followed.
"Thank you, Janet Jackson," Cherry says.
"We're on network TV" he adds, "and we also reach a much wider audience, so I understand the need to be responsible."
On the other hand, scrubbing the life out of series is a much bigger deal than viewers realize.
"I spend like $100,000 a week [in post-editing] taking nipples out of my show, because I've got a couple of actresses who refuse to wear bras," Cherry says. "And the standards and practices go, 'Can't see that.' So what's interesting is then I'll turn on 'Friends,' and it's a nipple fest. I don't understand the difference."
Adds "Lost" producer Carlton Cuse, "It's hindering us in our abilities to be as fully creative as we would like to be."
delfman@suntimes.com
Friday, January 26, 2007
'Grease' is the word; Chicago isn't the place
Chicago Sun-Times
January 26, 2007
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic
Not a single finalist on "Grease: You're the One That I Want" is from Chicago. None of the 12 even auditioned here. But that's no surprise. After producers came looking for Broadway actors here, judges found our city so weak with talent, they breathed "a sigh of relief" when they got to other audition cities.
"We auditioned in Chicago first, and it just was not as strong in terms of quantity as New York or L.A.," says show judge Kathleen Marshall. "Once we got to New York and we saw all these really strong candidates, I think we all ... our shoulders all went down."
"Grease" also doesn't look as if it will be much of a Cinderella story. At first blush, it may have looked like the contestants were largely amateurs, but they were actually a mix of professionals, semi-pros and small-time nobodies.
"We've never pretended it's amateur night," producer Al Edgington said. "We've always said it's the biggest open-casting call in history. You don't just have to be a member of [an actors union]."
What's more, none of the 12 finalists is heavyset. And the dozen look about as lily-white as the movie and as many previous stage productions did.
This seems strange, particularly because last week, just before the finalists were announced, Edgington told reporters it wouldn't be a tough ticket to put an interracial couple in the lead roles. He said this knowing who the 12 would be.
"Things have changed since the late '60s and early '70s, and now we want to find someone completely new and fresh and that feels like 'Grease' is a new, burgeoning brand," Edgington had said. "It's been around for so long, it's time for change."
The Chicago shutout in the talent competition is notable mostly because "Grease" was birthed here. The first production was an amateur night at the Kingston Mines in Old Town.
For NBC's reality-competition show, "Grease" co-creator and Chicago native Jim Jacobs, along with other judges, auditioned to find a Danny and a Sandy to star in a Broadway revival set for staging this year.
"They've got to be better than John [Travolta] and Olivia [Newton-John]," Edgington said. On Sunday, Newton-John takes on the role of guest judge for a two-hour live episode.
Jacobs says newbie cast members hired through the TV show will leave the competition with bigger names, so they'll earn more money than New York veterans.
"They'll get paid around the level of the other experienced Broadway actors playing those roles. It's that plus a bit, I think," Ian says.
Jacobs is surprised by his musical's popular durability.
"Without trying to pat myself on the back, it's almost indestructible," he says. "You see productions in church basements and in community centers that neighbors drag me to, and then people jump to their feet when it's over and they scream and they applaud. I don't get it, you know, quite honestly."
"You're the One That I Want," like "Idol," began with auditions of bad performers, and a few good ones.
But Edgington -- who in 2004 produced a tour special called "American Idol: Life on the Road" -- says the winners of "Grease" have to do more than just "Idol" singing. They must sing, dance and act eight times a week on Broadway.
In "Idol," he says, "they can warble a little bit, and then someone records an album, and off they disappear. I used to work at 'Idol.' I know how it works. This is about a real job and a real prize."
TV viewers -- not the judges -- will vote for the winners out of 12 finalists. Is that a dicey proposition? Putting viewers in charge of Broadway?
"We had our input, and we had our choice down to these 12," judge David Ian says. "And now, what happens happens. We don't have a safety net."
Marshall says it's harder to cast Danny than Sandy, partly because more women than men try out for stage roles.
"It's easy to find a pretty young girl who sings well, but you want to have somebody who also has a little bit of toughness and spirit to her, and she has to transform into this sort of sexy siren by the end of the show," Marshall says.
"But Danny, it's a tall order to fill. You need somebody who has that kind of confidence to be the leader of the gang. That's a hard thing to find."
Too hard to find in Chicago, apparently.
January 26, 2007
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic
Not a single finalist on "Grease: You're the One That I Want" is from Chicago. None of the 12 even auditioned here. But that's no surprise. After producers came looking for Broadway actors here, judges found our city so weak with talent, they breathed "a sigh of relief" when they got to other audition cities.
"We auditioned in Chicago first, and it just was not as strong in terms of quantity as New York or L.A.," says show judge Kathleen Marshall. "Once we got to New York and we saw all these really strong candidates, I think we all ... our shoulders all went down."
"Grease" also doesn't look as if it will be much of a Cinderella story. At first blush, it may have looked like the contestants were largely amateurs, but they were actually a mix of professionals, semi-pros and small-time nobodies.
"We've never pretended it's amateur night," producer Al Edgington said. "We've always said it's the biggest open-casting call in history. You don't just have to be a member of [an actors union]."
What's more, none of the 12 finalists is heavyset. And the dozen look about as lily-white as the movie and as many previous stage productions did.
This seems strange, particularly because last week, just before the finalists were announced, Edgington told reporters it wouldn't be a tough ticket to put an interracial couple in the lead roles. He said this knowing who the 12 would be.
"Things have changed since the late '60s and early '70s, and now we want to find someone completely new and fresh and that feels like 'Grease' is a new, burgeoning brand," Edgington had said. "It's been around for so long, it's time for change."
The Chicago shutout in the talent competition is notable mostly because "Grease" was birthed here. The first production was an amateur night at the Kingston Mines in Old Town.
For NBC's reality-competition show, "Grease" co-creator and Chicago native Jim Jacobs, along with other judges, auditioned to find a Danny and a Sandy to star in a Broadway revival set for staging this year.
"They've got to be better than John [Travolta] and Olivia [Newton-John]," Edgington said. On Sunday, Newton-John takes on the role of guest judge for a two-hour live episode.
Jacobs says newbie cast members hired through the TV show will leave the competition with bigger names, so they'll earn more money than New York veterans.
"They'll get paid around the level of the other experienced Broadway actors playing those roles. It's that plus a bit, I think," Ian says.
Jacobs is surprised by his musical's popular durability.
"Without trying to pat myself on the back, it's almost indestructible," he says. "You see productions in church basements and in community centers that neighbors drag me to, and then people jump to their feet when it's over and they scream and they applaud. I don't get it, you know, quite honestly."
"You're the One That I Want," like "Idol," began with auditions of bad performers, and a few good ones.
But Edgington -- who in 2004 produced a tour special called "American Idol: Life on the Road" -- says the winners of "Grease" have to do more than just "Idol" singing. They must sing, dance and act eight times a week on Broadway.
In "Idol," he says, "they can warble a little bit, and then someone records an album, and off they disappear. I used to work at 'Idol.' I know how it works. This is about a real job and a real prize."
TV viewers -- not the judges -- will vote for the winners out of 12 finalists. Is that a dicey proposition? Putting viewers in charge of Broadway?
"We had our input, and we had our choice down to these 12," judge David Ian says. "And now, what happens happens. We don't have a safety net."
Marshall says it's harder to cast Danny than Sandy, partly because more women than men try out for stage roles.
"It's easy to find a pretty young girl who sings well, but you want to have somebody who also has a little bit of toughness and spirit to her, and she has to transform into this sort of sexy siren by the end of the show," Marshall says.
"But Danny, it's a tall order to fill. You need somebody who has that kind of confidence to be the leader of the gang. That's a hard thing to find."
Too hard to find in Chicago, apparently.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
At the end of the day ...
Hollywood has been overtaken by a hideous monster. That monster is an overused phrase called “At the end of the day …” All kinds of stars are saying it all the time, from Conan O'Brien to Queen Latifah and other actors and TV executives.
The phrase does make stars get to their point quicker, though, like when Lisa Ling talks about being a reporter now, instead of a cohost on “The View”:
“At the end of the day, I'm as much a pop culture junkie as anyone else. But for me as a journalist and for my job, I just have sort of chosen to focus on these things because it's where I derive the most inspiration and passion.”
For two weeks, Hollywooders abused the phrase during the Television Critics Association in Pasadena. Here’s a look-see:
- Conan O’Brien on working outside of his duties at his late show: “At the end of the day, when I've taken what I do in late night and I go anywhere else and I do a guest appearance on a primetime show, or I do the Emmys or something like that, I just try and think of what would be funny.”
- Producer Eric Kripke explaining his show, “Supernatural”: “At the end of the day, the whole concept of the show is two brothers on the road with chainsaws in their trunk, battling things that go bump in the night. There, that's the whole show.”
- Queen Latifah on her HBO movie, “Life Support”: “It's that simple with HIV and AIDS, at the end of the day. What will make it continue is our prejudices, our ideas about it, and the fact that we don't look at ourselves as one giant community and protect each other's children and protect each other's wives.”
- Producer Bill Lawrence on “Scrubs” copycats: “At the end of the day … this show is without a doubt cribbed from “M*A*S*H” and “The Wonder Years,” which are two of my favorite shows.”
- “Lost” producer Damon Lindelof on why the show has many executive producers: “At the end of the day, if you are doing a job, if you have some level of autonomy, if you are responsible for the finished product, you know, my personal opinion, I think the more EPs, the better, because it makes your job a little easier as a show-runner.”
- Actress Nicole Sullivan on her new cop show “Raines” starring Jeff Goldblum: “I'm there for [displaying] txxs and ass really. … And [her character] sort of begrudgingly goes through her work helping [her boss]. But she really does obviously care, at the end of the day, very much. She has a real soft spot for this guy.”
- Liko Smith of G4’s reality-snowboarding hotel show, “The Block”: “On top of the hotel, we layer it with snowboarders and the scene and the music and the media and the stripper poles and the parties, this and that. It succeeds as a hotel first because, yeah, it's fun and games, but at the end of the day, you need to get your wake-up call on time.”
- Producer McG talks about his new reality-competition show on the CW, “The Pussycat Dolls”: “Under no circumstances is this in the service of men. You see women having fun and applauding, and really, at the end of the day, should we have to apologize for having fun?”
- Producer Tim Minear of Fox’s new “Drive”: “We actually do have a [storyline] plan. What we don't want, at the end of the day, is for the audience to feel like they didn't get someplace.”
- Producer Al Edgington on his reality-competition, “Grease: You’re the One That I Want”: Obviously our dream would be for the guy from Allentown to actually end up being Danny. But at the end of the day, long after I've disappeared, Kathleen [Marshall, a talent judge] has to work with these people to make sure they can make a Broadway show work.”
- Producer Ed Bernero describing the appeal of his CBS drama “Criminal Minds”: “It's a thriller. You sit down and watch this thrilling episode, and then it's over, at the end of the day.”
- Dawn Ostroff, president of the CW, on viewers aged 18 to 35: “We're targeting them specifically, and at the end of the day, I think a lot of the components that we have, and some that you will see today, will speak to them in different ways so that we are going to be many things to them.”
- PBS president Paula Kerger on finding funders for “Masterpiece Theatre”: “I think the quality of the work will [be obvious] at the end of the day – that's why I'm optimistic about it.”
- PBS documentarian Irshad Manji: “At the end of the day, the world is at a crossroads. And I can tell you, from the perspective of young Muslims, that one of the reasons there is so much anger at America is that this is a country whose every move matters to the rest of the world. And so many young Muslims see that they do not have any vote in what happens in this country, and yet what happens in this country affects them profoundly.”
- Executive Larry Aidem on his Sundance Channel: “Our audience does not distinguish between the kinds of original programming that we make and the kinds of acquired programming [found] from around the world. At the end of the day, they're either good or not, and they're exclusive to us.”
- Talent manager David Weintraub on protecting clients from doing super stupid stuff while starring in a reality show: "At the end of the day I'm always going to do what's best for my client's career.”
- Actor Robert Vaughn using the phrase literally regarding his AMC show, “Hustle”: “Most people that are in series do not see each other at the end of the day, but we do see each other. We do like each other, and I think the more that we've liked each other and growing each year to be more friendly and a part of our lives, I think the show has improved for that reason.”
The phrase does make stars get to their point quicker, though, like when Lisa Ling talks about being a reporter now, instead of a cohost on “The View”:
“At the end of the day, I'm as much a pop culture junkie as anyone else. But for me as a journalist and for my job, I just have sort of chosen to focus on these things because it's where I derive the most inspiration and passion.”
For two weeks, Hollywooders abused the phrase during the Television Critics Association in Pasadena. Here’s a look-see:
- Conan O’Brien on working outside of his duties at his late show: “At the end of the day, when I've taken what I do in late night and I go anywhere else and I do a guest appearance on a primetime show, or I do the Emmys or something like that, I just try and think of what would be funny.”
- Producer Eric Kripke explaining his show, “Supernatural”: “At the end of the day, the whole concept of the show is two brothers on the road with chainsaws in their trunk, battling things that go bump in the night. There, that's the whole show.”
- Queen Latifah on her HBO movie, “Life Support”: “It's that simple with HIV and AIDS, at the end of the day. What will make it continue is our prejudices, our ideas about it, and the fact that we don't look at ourselves as one giant community and protect each other's children and protect each other's wives.”
- Producer Bill Lawrence on “Scrubs” copycats: “At the end of the day … this show is without a doubt cribbed from “M*A*S*H” and “The Wonder Years,” which are two of my favorite shows.”
- “Lost” producer Damon Lindelof on why the show has many executive producers: “At the end of the day, if you are doing a job, if you have some level of autonomy, if you are responsible for the finished product, you know, my personal opinion, I think the more EPs, the better, because it makes your job a little easier as a show-runner.”
- Actress Nicole Sullivan on her new cop show “Raines” starring Jeff Goldblum: “I'm there for [displaying] txxs and ass really. … And [her character] sort of begrudgingly goes through her work helping [her boss]. But she really does obviously care, at the end of the day, very much. She has a real soft spot for this guy.”
- Liko Smith of G4’s reality-snowboarding hotel show, “The Block”: “On top of the hotel, we layer it with snowboarders and the scene and the music and the media and the stripper poles and the parties, this and that. It succeeds as a hotel first because, yeah, it's fun and games, but at the end of the day, you need to get your wake-up call on time.”
- Producer McG talks about his new reality-competition show on the CW, “The Pussycat Dolls”: “Under no circumstances is this in the service of men. You see women having fun and applauding, and really, at the end of the day, should we have to apologize for having fun?”
- Producer Tim Minear of Fox’s new “Drive”: “We actually do have a [storyline] plan. What we don't want, at the end of the day, is for the audience to feel like they didn't get someplace.”
- Producer Al Edgington on his reality-competition, “Grease: You’re the One That I Want”: Obviously our dream would be for the guy from Allentown to actually end up being Danny. But at the end of the day, long after I've disappeared, Kathleen [Marshall, a talent judge] has to work with these people to make sure they can make a Broadway show work.”
- Producer Ed Bernero describing the appeal of his CBS drama “Criminal Minds”: “It's a thriller. You sit down and watch this thrilling episode, and then it's over, at the end of the day.”
- Dawn Ostroff, president of the CW, on viewers aged 18 to 35: “We're targeting them specifically, and at the end of the day, I think a lot of the components that we have, and some that you will see today, will speak to them in different ways so that we are going to be many things to them.”
- PBS president Paula Kerger on finding funders for “Masterpiece Theatre”: “I think the quality of the work will [be obvious] at the end of the day – that's why I'm optimistic about it.”
- PBS documentarian Irshad Manji: “At the end of the day, the world is at a crossroads. And I can tell you, from the perspective of young Muslims, that one of the reasons there is so much anger at America is that this is a country whose every move matters to the rest of the world. And so many young Muslims see that they do not have any vote in what happens in this country, and yet what happens in this country affects them profoundly.”
- Executive Larry Aidem on his Sundance Channel: “Our audience does not distinguish between the kinds of original programming that we make and the kinds of acquired programming [found] from around the world. At the end of the day, they're either good or not, and they're exclusive to us.”
- Talent manager David Weintraub on protecting clients from doing super stupid stuff while starring in a reality show: "At the end of the day I'm always going to do what's best for my client's career.”
- Actor Robert Vaughn using the phrase literally regarding his AMC show, “Hustle”: “Most people that are in series do not see each other at the end of the day, but we do see each other. We do like each other, and I think the more that we've liked each other and growing each year to be more friendly and a part of our lives, I think the show has improved for that reason.”
Simon Cowell's nasty habit
Ever more acerbic 'Idol' judge chalks it up to nicotine cravings -- and telling it like it is
January 23, 2007
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic
Any cigarette smoker will tell you when you go too long without a fix, you get grumpy. "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell is the country's reigning king of harsh words -- and he smokes. So I ask him if he gets even blunter when a nicotine fit kicks in.
"You mean when I'm doing auditions?" he says. "It's a long day. It's 12 hours. Working with those two [Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson] is a nightmare at times. And you get a bit ratty, so I go have my cigarette break and I get better."
Cowell's latest flareup -- mocking a singer who had been in Special Olympics, and calling another a "bush baby" -- brought out the ethical ninnies last week. The "bush baby" guy, now going by the name Michael Swale, said on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" that Cowell should apologize. Journalists and other failed contestants are acting as if Cowell has finally gone too far.
Riiiight.
If you believe that, check the ratings. They've never been higher, because his straight shooting (or, depending on your point of view, his cruelty) is exactly what viewers crave while hearing horrible singers, which is the most obvious observation I have ever written.
Cowell's persona must be gnawing at him a little, though. In a few episodes this season, he sometimes prefaces harsh words by saying, "I'm not being rude, but. ..." He says to loud people in a hallway, "I'm not being rude, but can you shut up?!" I ask Cowell why he's using this buffer.
"Probably just to make the point I'm not being personal or gratuitous about it," he says. "I'm trying to offer some sanity to what can sometimes be an insane day."
I tell him he looks surprised when people think he's rude.
"Yeah, I'm surprised," he says. "I thought everyone would be shaking my hand: 'Thank you for steering me down the right path, Simon.' "
Cowell does regret some things he's said over the years, including the "bush baby" bit.
"The fact that I'm 47 years old coming to America talking about bush babies is sort of surreal. I think it was an off-the-cuff remark I made, and if he's offended, then I'll apologize. I'll never call anyone a bush baby again."
Pressed about the matter, Cowell rolls his eyes. He will be contrite, but he bears little patience with anyone's browbeating. Except maybe his own.
"There are times, trust me, when I watch [episodes] and I just think, 'God, I wish I hadn't have said that,' and, 'Why do they put it in the show?' " he says. "But we are prepared to show the warts as well as just the good things. ... I think that's why the audience trusts us."
It's commendable for a TV star to stick to his guns in the face of public rebukes over unpopular positions, particularly his take on Jennifer Hudson, who lost "Idol" but now is winning awards for her role in "Dreamgirls," and his disdain for Taylor Hicks, last year's "Idol" champ.
Hudson "should come back on and gloat," Cowell says. "You gotta remember I was one of her main supporters in the beginning. If it hadn't been for 'Idol,' she wouldn't have been picked to do 'Dreamgirls.' The public voted her off, not me, [although] I don't think she was good enough to win the year she was on."
"Idol" host Ryan Seacrest said last week that judges influence viewers' votes. But Cowell says, "Obviously not, because Taylor Hicks won last year.
"I still say Taylor Hicks was not the best singer on 'American Idol 5.' I think he was the most popular. And at the end of the day, record sales will prove me right or prove me wrong."
Tell me. Where is Cowell incorrect anywhere in these comments?
January 23, 2007
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic
Any cigarette smoker will tell you when you go too long without a fix, you get grumpy. "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell is the country's reigning king of harsh words -- and he smokes. So I ask him if he gets even blunter when a nicotine fit kicks in.
"You mean when I'm doing auditions?" he says. "It's a long day. It's 12 hours. Working with those two [Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson] is a nightmare at times. And you get a bit ratty, so I go have my cigarette break and I get better."
Cowell's latest flareup -- mocking a singer who had been in Special Olympics, and calling another a "bush baby" -- brought out the ethical ninnies last week. The "bush baby" guy, now going by the name Michael Swale, said on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" that Cowell should apologize. Journalists and other failed contestants are acting as if Cowell has finally gone too far.
Riiiight.
If you believe that, check the ratings. They've never been higher, because his straight shooting (or, depending on your point of view, his cruelty) is exactly what viewers crave while hearing horrible singers, which is the most obvious observation I have ever written.
Cowell's persona must be gnawing at him a little, though. In a few episodes this season, he sometimes prefaces harsh words by saying, "I'm not being rude, but. ..." He says to loud people in a hallway, "I'm not being rude, but can you shut up?!" I ask Cowell why he's using this buffer.
"Probably just to make the point I'm not being personal or gratuitous about it," he says. "I'm trying to offer some sanity to what can sometimes be an insane day."
I tell him he looks surprised when people think he's rude.
"Yeah, I'm surprised," he says. "I thought everyone would be shaking my hand: 'Thank you for steering me down the right path, Simon.' "
Cowell does regret some things he's said over the years, including the "bush baby" bit.
"The fact that I'm 47 years old coming to America talking about bush babies is sort of surreal. I think it was an off-the-cuff remark I made, and if he's offended, then I'll apologize. I'll never call anyone a bush baby again."
Pressed about the matter, Cowell rolls his eyes. He will be contrite, but he bears little patience with anyone's browbeating. Except maybe his own.
"There are times, trust me, when I watch [episodes] and I just think, 'God, I wish I hadn't have said that,' and, 'Why do they put it in the show?' " he says. "But we are prepared to show the warts as well as just the good things. ... I think that's why the audience trusts us."
It's commendable for a TV star to stick to his guns in the face of public rebukes over unpopular positions, particularly his take on Jennifer Hudson, who lost "Idol" but now is winning awards for her role in "Dreamgirls," and his disdain for Taylor Hicks, last year's "Idol" champ.
Hudson "should come back on and gloat," Cowell says. "You gotta remember I was one of her main supporters in the beginning. If it hadn't been for 'Idol,' she wouldn't have been picked to do 'Dreamgirls.' The public voted her off, not me, [although] I don't think she was good enough to win the year she was on."
"Idol" host Ryan Seacrest said last week that judges influence viewers' votes. But Cowell says, "Obviously not, because Taylor Hicks won last year.
"I still say Taylor Hicks was not the best singer on 'American Idol 5.' I think he was the most popular. And at the end of the day, record sales will prove me right or prove me wrong."
Tell me. Where is Cowell incorrect anywhere in these comments?
Friday, January 12, 2007
Cox: That was a working toy in self-love scene
Courteney Cox tells me about her toy-powered onanism scene in her new FX show, 'Dirt.'
Q: What's the difference between doing a love scene and doing a love scene with yourself?
Cox: “Wow. When I did a love scene with myself I was really nervous. With the guy [on the show], I’ve had love scenes too. But for some reason, that was very vulnerable and awkward. I don’t even want to see it. I don’t watch it. I just close my eyes. I don’t need to see that, possibly what I look like.”
Q: Was that vibrating sound a special effects added afterward?
Cox: “No, no. That was there. It just maybe wasn’t THERE.”
Q: What's the difference between doing a love scene and doing a love scene with yourself?
Cox: “Wow. When I did a love scene with myself I was really nervous. With the guy [on the show], I’ve had love scenes too. But for some reason, that was very vulnerable and awkward. I don’t even want to see it. I don’t watch it. I just close my eyes. I don’t need to see that, possibly what I look like.”
Q: Was that vibrating sound a special effects added afterward?
Cox: “No, no. That was there. It just maybe wasn’t THERE.”
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
The Emaciation Proclamation
Ah, Hollywood. So small, like high school. Today’s nugget: Rod Stewart’s son, Sean Stewart, says he’s engaged to Caleigh Peters. She's the daughter of Jon Peters, who produced “Superman Returns,” “Ali,” “Rain Man,” etc.
But before they got engaged, Sean was also shooting an upcoming reality show for A&E called “Sons of Hollywood” along with Aaron Spelling’s son, Randy.
At the time, for the show, Sean dipped into a pool with naked women, which is apparent in the trailer for the show.
“There was a couple” of women in the pool, Sean says. “Topless and bottomless.”
Off topic, another reporter asks Sean if women in Hollywood are too skinny. Yes, he says. So I ask him what the ideal weight window is for a woman.
“Obviously, not fat, of course,” he says. “I like a girl that’s skinny, but definitely not emancipated, like it looks like she’s skin and bones.”
Yes, he says “emancipated,” not “emaciated.” It’s very clear on my recording. Just a slip of the tongue.
In my blurry pic (from left), stars of the new show: Randy Spelling, Sean Stewart, David Weintraub.
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