It's unfathomable that it has taken so long for the Flaming Nose to report on the Sundance Channel's "Green Porno" series, since it is right up our alley in every regard. Actress Isabella Rossellini stars in a series of vignettes, demonstrating the incredibly varied reproductive lives of insects (Season One) and aquatic animals (Season Two). In addition to their unquestionable weirdness (always a plus for Nosers!), these shorts are packed with science trivia and feature the most colorful, imaginative costumes ever. If Barney the Dinosaur was designed by Jacques Cousteau and Jean-Paul Gaultier, the result would look something like this.
This season has included Isabella depicting the wacky underwater world of marine animal sex for whales, starfish, barnacles and anglerfish. If you don't subscribe to The Sundance Channel, you can visit the Green Porno website where it is possible to stream episodes from both seasons. The site is loads of fun, and includes games, widgets and a nifty app that tells you your "green porno" name. Mine happens to be Canary Deepwater. I like it!
Is there no end this week to the celebrity death parade? Popular and extremely effective television commercial pitchman Billy Mays was discovered dead this morning in his Tampa, Florida home. Mays was the co-star of Discovery's seriesThe Pitchmen (along with Anthony Sullivan) and is remembered for his enthusiastic and bombastic ads for a variety of household products.
From what the news reports are saying, and as you can read from Mays' own Twitter (his last), he was on the U.S. Air flight to Tampa that blew a tire on landing yesterday. Items were flying around the cabin, and Mays reported to a local TV station that he was hit hard on the head by something during the landing, but laughed it off. Coincidence? Sounds very possibly like a delayed reaction to a severe brain injury to me, much like Natasha Richardson's unfortunate accident. (Do read Mays' Twitters. They show a nice family man with a very friendly outlook on life. Really poignant to read them now.)
Billy Mays was clearly a memorable part of the current television landscape, and we offer our sympathy to his family, friends and fans.
The grim reaper made a double play today, with two extraordinary iconic celebrities from the 1970's passing away within hours of each other. One was expected, as Farrah Fawcett succumbed after a long battle with cancer at the age of 61. Click on the link for an excellent tribute posted by Lisa on The Flaming Nose.
The other was shocking to most, as news trickled in around 3:30pm pacific time that Michael Jackson had died in Los Angeles supposedly of a heart attack, at the age of 50. Mr. Jackson had been rehearsing vigorously for an eagerly anticipated concert series in London. He was found unconscious in his rented mansion and rushed to the UCLA medical center, where they were unable to revive him. Crowds of bereaved fans immediately started gathering at the hospital.
Michael Jackson had a very long and accomplished musical career, that was often over shadowed by his "stranger than fiction" personal life. In the 1970's at the age of 11, he became a huge star for Motown records as part of a family singing group called The Jackson Five. They racked up a number of hit singles including "I'll Be There", "ABC" and "I Want You Back". More details can be found on the official Michael Jackson web site (linked above and now crashed due to an overload of interest from around the world). Additional discographies are available on Wikipedia, which was updated with news of Michael's death only minutes after it was first reported on TV.
In the 1980's, Michael Jackson went solo and enjoyed enormous success as a pop star and MTV icon with his super platinum album "Thriller" (1982), which remained on Billboard's top ten list for 80 consecutive weeks and spawned the popular hit singles "Beat It", and "Billie Jean". It is sometimes cited as being the best selling album of all time and the title song has been a staple of Halloween parties for over two decades.
In 1983, Michael appeared on one of the most phenomenal live television specials of all time, NBC's "Motown 25" celebrating the 25th anniversary of Motown records. It was on this event that Michael Jackson unveiled his trademark moon walk dance, in which he appears to glide across the stage as if the floor was made of ice.
From the 1990's through the present, Mr. Jackson's extremely odd personal life started to overshadow his fame as a recording artist. The list of his eccentricities is almost longer than his string of musical hits. He started to alter his appearance with extreme plastic surgery until he looked more like Norma Desmond than a handsome African American man. He created his own Amusement Park and palace in the hills of Santa Barbara called "Neverland". He briefly married Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of the original King of Pop. He befriended a chimp named Bubbles, who became his traveling companion. Most infamously, he was accused of child molestation, (but acquitted) in a trial that became, like most of his life, a complete media circus. Although not convicted, his career never really recovered after the trial.
From a cute child star to a plastic surgery train wreck and worse, Michael Jackson was absolute cannon fodder for the paparazzi. Now that the glare of their flashbulbs will be dimmed forever, he might be remembered for his musical genius as well as for being as mad as a hatter. For a glimpse of that genius, here's his performance of "Billie Jean" on NBC's Motown 25 television special in 1983.
She had a long career in many projects over the years, but she'll always be one of Charlie's Angels to her many fans who loved her.
Her exceptional beauty and sunny personality brought her early attention in many television commercials, including this one for UltraBrite Toothpaste:
In addition to her lighter roles, Farrah Fawcett eventually achieved critical success for her roles in tougher dramas like the 1984 TV movie The Burning Bed and the 1986 film Extremities, which she had played on stage a few years before.
Here's an nice pictorial tribute to Farrah featuring a song she recorded with Jean-Paul Vignon:
A devoted fan has compiled a selection of special Farrah Fawcett moments from many of her movies and TV shows. We share that here with you, with thanks to YouTube subscriber MomentbyMoment1978.
In addition to her credits in show business as an actress, Farrah Fawcett showed that she had uncommon grace and courage as a human being during her long fight against her illness. We trust those qualities will be the ones that truly define her legacy as time goes by.
You've probably heard by now that the ailing Ed McMahon has just passed away, at the age of 86. Best remembered for his years co-hosting the Tonight show with Johnny Carson, he was for a generation the very model of a television emcee, his amiable presence as comfortable as an old shoe.
You should read his obits and his bio (a good one on Wikipedia here), but most of all it's good at a time to watch him in action. To that end, let's look at a few clips showing the many sides of Ed McMahon.
First up is a clip from Tonight, with Johnny Carson sharing some memories and footage of a slightly tipsy and amusing McMahon:
McMahon, post-Tonight, hosted the talent competition show Star Search in the mid-1980s; here's the opening to the show.
McMahon also frequently co-hosted and did announcing duties on the annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, and here's a clip of them singing together on the 2000 show.
As a longtime spokesman for Budweiser Beer, McMahon frequently showed up in commercials for the product, including this one co-starring Frank Sinatra.
And here's an appearance by Ed on an episode of The Tom Green Show where he talks about making that Sinatra commercial.
There's also an eight-part interview from the Archive of American Television with McMahon, where he discusses his long career in television. Part One is here, and you can access the others from this page, too. You might also enjoy this nice article and interview with him from the pages of Entertainment Weekly magazine, from 2005.
Ed McMahon was one of those ubiquitous performers who always seemed to be busy working, and who also always seemed to have a good sense of humor about himself, enabling him to adapt to the changing times and make himself relevant to many different age groups. That's one reason why the fairly recent publicity about McMahon's money woes made the news at all -- by this point in his life he was like everybody's elderly relative, and our sympathies were with him.
He's gone now, but his legacy as the consummate sidekick survives, and The Flaming Nose salutes Ed McMahon's life and his achievements on this sad day for his family, friends and fans.
Now that summer is officially here (thanks for the Solstice tribute, Lisa!) our thoughts naturally turn to the beach. And what summer beach thought would be complete without a few nervous nods to the shark. It's time to reminisce about great shark movies and television. At the top of the heap, thanks to author Peter Benchley, director Steven Spielberg, and composer John Williams, is JAWS. Released exactly 34 years ago, it has been scaring the daylights out of people (and keeping them out of the water) ever since. Funniest personal "Jaws" anecdote: my sister used to run a dive boat in the Florida Keys. Inevitably some tourist would have a nervous melt down in the water. To get them to snap out of it, she would calmly ask them..."Do you hear the music? No? Well if you don't hear the music, the shark's not coming". It worked every time.
On television, the greatest shark programming has been coming to us compliments of the Discovery Channel for over 15 years. "Shark Week" returns on August 2nd with plenty of new footage, including a segment about shark encounters with dogs and other animals. We'll give another update when it gets closer to the air date. In the meantime, the Discovery website has plenty of fun videos, pictures and games about sharks. Shark trivia question: Which beach in America has the most recorded shark attacks? Answer: New Smyrna Beach, Florida, which has recorded over 200 attacks. None were deadly. Note to readers, I have been swimming in the New Smyrna Beach waters dozens of times over the years on vacation (it's near the more famous Daytona Beach) and have never even seen a shark, much less been nipped by one.
So grab your tube of Coppertone and a good scary summer paperback. Whether you stay on the beach and read or are brave enough to venture in, it's important to remember that the odds of a shark encounter are slim to none. Instead of being afraid of this amazing, almost prehistoric beast, we should all think about preserving them. Some are becoming increasingly endangered and rare, like the gentle giant whale shark pictured here.
Sorry for the few days off here -- various events and a road trip for one of the Nosers have resulted in a little off time. Back on Sunday with some good stuff!
Also, our Fall Preview is in the works and will be up shortly! We're creating a great interactive look at what's coming up on all the networks, and we can't wait to share it with you...just as soon as it's done!
In the meantime, Happy Summer Solstice, Everybody!
Though we neglected to remind you to watch Showtime's incredible new series Nurse Jackie yesterday, we hope you did anyway. It's an enigmatic and for me, at least, quite moving show, with Edie Falco absolutely perfect in the title role. What a multi-layered character, played intelligently and with tremendous depth by Falco, is Nurse Jackie. Her friendship with the cool and glamorous lady doctor is intriguing and completely understandable, at least from the doc's POV. Who wouldn't want to be friends with somebody like Jackie?
Great show, great cast. Nurse Jackie is a winner in our book.
Space Shuttle mission STS-127 has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 17th, at 5:40am eastern. This is a work day for most folks so the early hour might prevent quite a few from watching the launch. You might want to set your DVR however. As mentioned in the last post, the Fox News channel seems to be the most faithful for always covering a launch. You can also watch streaming on the Nasa TV website. It's always worth a trip to the Nasa website, where you can see and download gorgeous pictures like the one here (celetial gamma ray bursts) and many others. Let's hope the second time goes without a hitch!
Hello to all our US and Global Nose readers....sorry for the last minute post but we must give an update for the next Space Shuttle launch. Set your alarm clocks for 7am US Eastern (4am here on the west coast of the US) and everybody else around the world will have to do the math. There are few things more magnificent than a space shuttle launch. Breathtaking on TV and, life changing in its explosive beauty if you are ever lucky enough to see one live. As some may already know, the Space Shuttle program is being phased out, while NASA determines the next best steps for mankind's reach for the stars. That being said, these final missions are television events to be treasured, so don't forget to set your clocks for tomorrow's latest mission. This particular adventure will involve more improvements for the International Space Station. You will be able to watch it on Nasa.gov streaming. Or you can turn to Fox cable news, which apparently is the only network covering space shuttle launches on a regular basis. Tune to the Fox affiliate in your local area to see it on TV. If you click on the Nasa TV link above, you can see a live cam of the shuttle at night...waiting for it's moment of glory at dawn tomorrow.
To Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley, Astronauts Dave Wolf and Cristopher Cassidy and Mission Specialists; Julie Payette (from Canada, Lisoid!), Tom Mashburn and Tim Kapra...we, your brothers and sisters still earthbound, wish you a safe and successful journey!
Posting below, a video of STS-109, an amazing shuttle launch that I witnessed in person at Cape Canaveral a few years ago with my son Tommy and sister Karine. It was a memorial launch for our brother, who had worked for NASA and passed away. We were there at the viewing mount before dawn, and got to see the Hubble cross over our heads. Seconds later, the Columbia took off, chasing the Hubble in a perfect parallel arc of triumph. The vapor trails stayed in the sky for a long time, as the sun came up over Florida.
That...was the best way to start a day, ever. Tune in tomorrow to watch a launch and see for yourself. TV ( or the Internet...if you watch it online streaming) does not get much better.
With Father's Day a little more than a week away, I thought this adorable viral video moment might be appropriate. Thanks to the National Geographic channel (and MySpace Video), here's a little clip showing a flock of baby Rhea chicks, being watched over lovingly by their Dad. Rhea's are related to the Ostrich, and they look like a ball of fluff being propelled along on a couple of pipe cleaners. On a scale of 1-10 in the Cute department...this is an 11.
Happy early Father's Day to all the hard working Dads out there!
I have an ambivalent relationship with reality television. Occasionally it's magnificent, sometimes it's a train wreck and (all too often), it is one of the seven signs of the coming apocalypse. No other network on TV is able to capture all of these cultural red flags better than TLC, once known as The Learning Channel. If you like your education to be more big top circus tent than university classroom, this network is for you. Most recently, TLC has gotten a big infusion of publicity over the off-line escapades of Jon and Kate Plus 8. Once a cute show about an enormous family of twins, sextuplets and their attractive parents, J&K+8 has taken a dark turn recently due to possible parental infidelities. The tabloids are in heaven and the ratings have reached for the sky. Apparently, a new episode has featured the grounded and wonderful celebrity chef, Emeril. I'm hoping he cooked them something tasty with a lot of fat grams. There's nothing like Cajun comfort food to make everyone settle down.
American Chopper is another regular TLC series that happens to be a personal favorite. Not because it's about motorcycles...not because the imposing but unusually cuddly Teutul family snipes at each other hilariously...no. I'm fascinated because it mostly takes place in a little rural upstate town in Orange County NY about 20 minutes away from where I grew up. I love seeing the background foliage of my humble rural beginnings, when they zoom by on their $100,000 bikes.
TLC specials are among the most terrifying and mesmerizing you will ever witness. Watch at your peril, I'm not kidding. This is where modern day carnival sideshows still have a place in American society. Step right up ladies and gents....two headed babies, mystery diseases, and all forms of medical maladies are in great abundance. Recently, I got pulled into a special called, "The Half Ton Teen". I wanted...I really truly wanted to turn away. Alas I could not. It turned out to be an amazing Pas De Deux between a teenager and his enabling mother, and the redemptive power of stomach staple surgery. I was quite moved, and not a little bit haunted by their story. It's a cautionary tale too, which might help those who are struggling to shed a few (hundred) pounds.
Miami Ink (tattoo people), Little People, Big World (dwarf family) and the absolutely delicious Cake Boss (don't watch this one after "Half Ton Teen, or you will be terribly conflicted) are some other series worth visiting on TLC. It's not for everybody. But if you like the roar of the grease paint and the smell of the crowd; grab some popcorn and cotton candy...summer viewing is here.
Salon.com's television critic Heather Havrilevsky has a nice article about Showtime's Monday-premiering Nurse Jackie, and the whole half-hour dramedy format. You can read the article here. She brings up some cogent points about the genre that is so popular now -- Weeds, United States of Tara, now Nurse Jackie, among others -- and it will be fascinating to see how the form evolves. At least for now it certainly appears to be the one of the very best ways to see tremendous actresses like Mary Louise Parker, Toni Collette and now Edie Falco do their stuff.
We're excited about the Nurse Jackie around here, and I didn't want to neglect to mention the charismatic actor Haaz Sleiman who co-stars as Nurse Jackie's male nurse friend Mo-Mo. If you haven't seen last year's movie The Visitor (for which Richard Jenkins received a Best Actor Oscar nomination), you should, and you'll fall in love with Sleiman in it.
Nurse Jackie premieres tomorrow night on Showtime!
The Flaming Nose mourns the passing of acting great David Carradine, who was found dead in a Bangkok hotel room today, apparently by hanging. Perhaps best known for his role as Caine in the 1970's television series "Kung Fu", Mr. Carradine was also recently seen in the Quentin Tarantino movie series, "Kill Bill".
David Carradine was part of an American acting dynasty that included his father John Carradine (The Grapes of Wrath) and brother Keith Carradine who has recently appeared on the Showtime series "Dexter".
Mr. Carradine was an exceptional character actor who's filmography is astonishingly long. He appeared in over 100 film and television roles in a career that spanned over 30 years. A true Renaissance artist, David Carradine was also an accomplished musician and painter. Pictured here is one of his works, featured on the David Carradine website.
We may never know what demons lead to Mr. Carradine's demise. But it is safe to say he lived life to its fullest and left us with an incredibly full oeuvre of film and television memories. Goodbye "Grasshopper". May you rest in peace.
OK everybody....if you let your Showtime subscription lapse, it's time to re-up again. Dexter is around the corner and in another week, we will have one more cure for the Monday blues. Nurse Jackie premiers on June 8th at 10:30pm. If you'd like a sneak peak of this dark medical comedy, there are several options for viewing. The website is streaming episode one, YouTube is also streaming the whole thing and if you are a cable subscriber with On Demand, the pilot is posted there as well.
I watched Nurse Jackie tonight and was quite impressed. Edie Falco, surely one of the finest and most accomplished character actresses working today, gives a no nonsense performance that is full of surprises. And here's the best part: from this time forth, we will never have to wonder who Dr. Gregory House (Fox Broadcasting) should hook up with. Calling Dr. House.... we've found your perfect woman. She's a workaholic (like you Greg!), addicted to pain killers (ditto for Dr. House) and super smart. Does House suffer fools gladly? No. Neither does our Jackie. She saves lives and she leads a double life. It's a match made in heaven.
Check out the preview below or go to the website and watch the whole thing. It's another winner, thanks Showtime!
We'd be remiss if we didn't wish best of luck to the hilarious and talented Conan O'Brien as he takes over Jay Leno's slot as host of The Tonight Show. If you were a Leno fan (really? you were? really?!) and hate to see him leave, don't worry, you'll be seeing plenty of him this fall at 10pm every weeknight.
But rejoice! We're lucky to now have undoubtedly the most accomplished comedian in the show's host role since Steve Allen started the show in 1953, plus now we've got the equally hilarious Andy Richter along as his sidekick.
This is a beautiful thing, folks, great for late-night TV, great for comedy, and great for NBC! Here's a little video of the preparations as Conan's show moved West.
I haven't even watched the whole show yet, but this is a highlight! (Of course, clueless Viacom seems determined to squash any distribution of this clip except watching some version of it on the MTV site, but we'll keep trying to find clips. If it's not working, blame it on Viacom!)
(Okay, Viacom keeps taking all the clips down, but you can watch the sequence on MTV UK's site, which is easier to watch than the U.S. site. Figures, right? Can I say Viacom is acting like a bunch of bastards?).
Love the shot of Zachary "Spock" Quinto watching the spectacle unfold!
It's unfathomable that it has taken so long for the Flaming Nose to report on the Sundance Channel's "Green Porno" series, since it is right up our alley in every regard. Actress Isabella Rossellini stars in a series of vignettes, demonstrating the incredibly varied reproductive lives of insects (Season One) and aquatic animals (Season Two). In addition to their unquestionable weirdness (always a plus for Nosers!), these shorts are packed with science trivia and feature the most colorful, imaginative costumes ever. If Barney the Dinosaur was designed by Jacques Cousteau and Jean-Paul Gaultier, the result would look something like this.
