Archive for category episodic TV
Stephen Battaglio on From Yesterday to Today
Posted by admin in episodic TV, pop culture on December 1, 2011
Article first published as Stephen Battaglio on From Yesterday to TODAY on Technorati.
From Yesterday to Today
In 2012, the U.S. national TV broadcast network NBC will celebrate that Today, its morning news and talk show, first went on the air 60 years ago in January of 1952. Indeed, NBC’s celebration started a little early in mid-November, with the release of From Yesterday to Today: Six Decades of America’s Favorite Morning Show, a book written by Stephen Battaglio (TV Guide‘s business editor) and published by Running Press. Battaglio, who was granted access to the TODAY show’s archives in order to fully document the rich history of the show, was kind enough to take part in a recent email interview about his 272-page book. The book features a variety of information and photos covering the show’s 60-year history as well as an introduction by current Today show host Matt Lauer.
Did NBC give you full access to its show archives?
Yes. We were able to use their photos. I was able to review past episodes of Today – a lot of fun – and interviews with the personalities that NBC News producers had done over the years. I combined that with my own research and reporting on the show done over my career as a journalist covering the TV industry. I also did a few dozen fresh interviews with the current and past Today producers and cast members.
Rowlf on The Jimmy Dean Show
Posted by admin in Animation, episodic TV, streaming video on November 25, 2011
Last night, a brief Twitter exchange between writer Chris Roberson and myself got me to thinking about the early career of one of the Muppets, Rowlf the Dog. As noted in his Wikipedia entry, ‘Rowlf was actually the first true Muppet ‘star’ as a recurring character on The Jimmy Dean Show, first appearing in a show telecast on September 19, 1963.”
Exploring further for online evidence of Rowlf’s role on the shoe, I was fortunate to run across a seven-minute clip of Dean and Rowlf discussing music, courtesy of the always enlightening blog for the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive. Why would an animation site cover the early work of a Muppet? As noted by the blog: “Animators can learn a lot from puppeteers when it comes to creating a living, breathing character.”
Check out the post, as it is almost as informative as the YouTube clip.
Just Discovered: The Jimmy Stewart Show (1971)
Posted by admin in comedy, episodic TV, streaming video on November 8, 2011
In reading about the passing of TV producer/writer Hal Kanter, I learned that among his many projects throughout his career, he once helped develop a 1971 sitcom starring the film legend, Jimmy Stewart.
I am not sure which I enjoy from this project: Stewart riding a bike through the opening credits or the guest star for that week’s episode: Kate Jackson.
Missed It: Happy Endings Penny & Penny’s Mom Singing Duet
Posted by admin in comedy, episodic TV, streaming video on October 28, 2011
I watch the ABC sitcom Happy Endings while writing typically (sitcoms do not command the full O’Shea attention), but I cannot fathom how I missed this–from a few weeks back. A singing duet featuring Casey Wilson as Penny and Megan Mullally as Penny’s mother. I do remember thinking, man I hope Mullally appears again (much as she does periodically on NBC’s Parks and Recreation as one of Ron Swanson’s ex-wives). Watching it a second time, I realized that I ignored the scene because I hate this song. Glad I watched it again, despite the song.
A hat tip for Yahoo’s The Set, for making me aware of this bit, that at first I could not remember watching. Now if I could only find the scene where Penny fell forward with a podium (on Happy Endings season finale), while saying: “I’m going down!”
Actress Rachel G. Fox on Dream House
Posted by admin in episodic TV, Film on October 19, 2011
Article first published as Interview: Actress Rachel G. Fox on Dream House on Blogcritics.
Rachel G. Fox
This past weekend [Late September] saw the theatrical release of Dream House, a mystery/thriller directed by Jim Sheridan and featuring actress Rachel G. Fox in a supporting role. Fox recently was more than happy to discuss via email her role in the film, as well as her work on the ABC Family series Melissa & Joey. Not every actress can say they’ve acted alongside Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Naomi Watts in a movie, and as revealed in our discussion, Fox clearly enjoyed playing Watts’ daughter. Many families desire to own the ideal home, and in Dream House, the Atentons (Craig and Weisz) think they have found theirs. But soon the family discover their home was the scene of a murder and that their lives may be in danger as well. Fox plays a member of the Patterson family, who live next door to the Atentons. On the social media front, fans of Fox will be pleased to learn, as of last week, she has joined Tumblr. My thanks to Fox for her time and thoughts.
What was the audition experience like for Dream House, did you have to audition for director Jim Sheridan? Can you talk about what it was like to work with an award-winning director like Sheridan?
The audition process for Dream House started with me sending in a tape to the casting director in New York, through my agent. There were thousands of tapes submitted and the director, Jim Sheridan, chose two girls to meet with in a director session. I didn’t know it was just two of us until I arrived at the director session! At the time, I had heard of Sheridan, but I did not know fully about his work so I researched about him and learned about his projects (Brothers, In America) and his stature.
2006 Ron Howard Interview: Working with Andy Griffith
Posted by admin in episodic TV, history, streaming video on October 10, 2011
There’s an underlying quality of these Archive of American Television interviews that I appreciate. That is, rather than trying to conduct a talk show format (“Here’s a funny story, Jay.”) kind of interviews, the goal is to discuss the craft and history of television.
In this snippet from a 2006 interview with Ron Howard, he discusses the experience of working with Andy Griffith and the impact that the actor had on the set, in terms of setting a tone.
Be sure to visit this site to see other clips as well or if you want all the knowledge at once: the whole six-hour interview.
Actor Jonathan Kite on CBS’ 2 Broke Girls
Posted by admin in comedy, episodic TV, Film on October 5, 2011
Article first published as An Interview with Actor Jonathan Kite of CBS’ 2 Broke Girls on Blogcritics. It is timely that the interview re-runs today, given that CBS announced it ordered a full season of the sitcom. Congrats to Kite and the cast.
Jonathan Kite
This Monday, September 19, marks the premiere of the new CBS comedy, 2 Broke Girls. In anticipation of the new series, actor Jonathan Kite (who plays the role of Oleg the Russian cook) took some time to discuss his character and his interaction with the cast. The basic premise of the show, as described by CBS, is “a new comedy about two girls who form an unlikely bond over having no money and no shame”. In addition to discussing the new CBS comedy, Kite provides details about his work-in-progress (as writer, producer and star) the feature film, The Walk On. I enjoyed getting a flavor of Kite’s sense of humor, particularly with his last answer.
What was it about the show’s script and/or its producers that prompted you to audition for the role of Oleg the Russian cook?
I have been a fan of Michael Patrick King and Whitney Cummings for a while, so when I found out they were doing a show together, I really focused on becoming a part of it.
How much guidance did you get from the writers and producers on how to approach Oleg, and/or were you given the freedom to shape the character somewhat?
Oleg is a good mix of incredible writing and bold choices. I’ve been given tons of freedom, which is always honed by the show’s creative teams.
Marc Bernardin on Syfy’s Alphas
Posted by admin in episodic TV on September 14, 2011
When I found out that writer Marc Bernardin wrote next Monday’s episode (The Unusual Suspects [premiering September 19 at 10/9c]) of Syfy’s Alphas, I wanted to find out all I could from the writer himself. Lucky me, Bernardin was eager to discuss his work on the show. Below is a preview of the episode. Syfy described the episode as follows: “When a member of the team is suspected of being an agent for Red Flag, the group is held against their will until the traitor is revealed.”
My thanks to Bernardin for a fun interview during a busy and successful time in his life.
Tim O’Shea: How did you get involved with Syfy’s Alphas?
Marc Bernardin: Well, the long story is very long and involves decades of waiting, a boatload of luck, and a plane-load of an unnamed substance being airlifted into a classified location. The short story is, I wrote an original TV pilot for a show that’ll never get on the air — basically, I wrote a $30 million action movie, and that’s about $26 million more than they like to spend on pilots — my agents thought that, while it would never sell, it was strong enough to serve as a good sample. They sent it to the boys at Syfy who thought that my particular love for blowing stuff up, mated with my comic-book experience, would be a good fit for Alphas.
Things to Learn: Groucho Marx Auditioned for That Girl
Posted by admin in episodic TV, streaming video on September 11, 2011
Why do I continue to link to interviews like this? Because the Archive of American Television offers them and is also smart enough to place teasers like this (the fact that Groucho Marx auditioned to play Marlo Thomas’ dad on That Girl) on its YouTube channel.
To see the full Marlo Thomas interview, it can be found at the archive’s website.
Archive of American TV: Jonathan Winters on Robin Williams/Mork & Mindy
Posted by admin in comedy, episodic TV on July 16, 2011
I’m really surprised that the Archive of American TV tried to zero in on only two topics with this Jonathan Winters clip. In the span of seven minutes, he covers what seems like seven different stories.
I could not fathom trying to get Winters to stay on topic (without negatively impacting his overall comedic rthythm).
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