The Flaming Nose

Anthony Bourdain in The Layover

2012-01-15T10:19:00.001-08:00

Anthony Bourdain, known as the globe trotting TV gourmet, is the best walker on the planet. He doesn't swagger, he doesn't stride...he ambles his way down the streets of cities in every corner of the planet. He is my Ambling Man, towering over most of the other folks no matter where he is, a friendly confident American at home in the world. Judging by the shouts of adoration from the minions who recognize him in even the most obscure locations, he is probably one of the best ambassadors this country has got.

Bourdain's latest TV series The Layover, has a slightly more frantic and condensed feel to it than his former Travel Channel show No Reservations. The new show gives him 24-48 hours in a city where he must use that limited time to eat, drink, explore and meet the local denizens. He does all of the above and more with great charm and cheerfulness. Even when the local fare is somewhat challenging, he is refreshingly honest (maybe a bit too honest) about the toll it takes on his digestive system.

So far I've watched A.B.'s adventures in Miami, Hong Kong, Montreal, Amsterdam and San Francisco. The latter was so compelling, I was inspired to take a train into my backyard city yesterday to visit one of the locations he featured in the episode, the historic Fairmont Hotel. Alas, the famous Tonga Room was closed at the time, I should have checked their website to see that it's only open for dinner! I did enjoy a lovely brief chat with the concierge about how exciting it was to have THE Anthony Bourdain at the hotel when they were filming.

Every episode of The Layover features the perfect mix that helps make any travel/food show a winner:

Fascinating and crazy local people: Bourdain seems to attract them wherever he goes. He seems to prefer offbeat individuals and it always adds great color to the episodes.
Wonderful trivia and history about the locations in a most palatable format.
Great looking food and drinks from restaurant venues both high (4 star) and low (gourmet food trucks and hot dog stands).

Anthony Bourdain does not try to hide his carnivorous side, so if you are a Vegan this series might not be for you. And his real life feud with Paula Deen the Butter Queen might be off-putting to those who are fond of down home food. However, I find his utter delight in trying new dishes and seeing new places to be captivating. M. Bourdain would make the perfect fun traveling companion, no matter what your gender. I nominate him as my #1 fantasy TV boyfriend, for his humor, daring and endearing NYC accent.

Here's a little taste of The Layover in Miami. Bon appetite!

Hail to "Portlandia": Keep Portland Weird!

2012-01-07T14:12:00.001-08:00

Thanks to my personal content editor (Tommy...the only son), I have been turned on to an exquisitely strange and awesome comedy sketch show on IFC called Portlandia. Every episode
starts with a few soothing strains of smooth jazz and a montage of the Pacific Northwest city that is known for coffee bars, indie rock and artist communities (and not much more). Frankly, Portland has never even remotely been on my radar screen, but it sure is now. If I turn up suddenly missing someday, it's because I packed my bags and cats to go be a cafe barista in Portland.

Portlandia stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein and is executive produced by Lorne Michaels. Every single episode is filmed on location in Portland. Fred and Carrie play a whole host of quirky, freaky, surreal characters, some of whom appear on a regular basis. Most irritating = the lesbian duo running a Women's bookstore. Most fascinating, a pair of Japanese Harajuku girls drinking coffee from microscopic cups. They've already spawned buckets of catch phases, including..."cacao", "put a bird on it" and "we can pickle that". Portlandia has also attracted a constellation of wonderful guest stars, including Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks) who plays the mayor of Portland and Jeff Goldblum who was a joy as a crafty dude who specializes in vintage and modern art knots. It's like minimalist macrame. They also featured my favorite new band "The Decemberists" as a fake indie band called Echo Echo.

You can catch up with Season One on Netflix or On Demand if you have IFC. Season Two just premiered last Friday night on IFC at 10:30pm. Run as fast as you can to watch the best new comedy series on TV!

The dream of the 90's is alive in Portland!

The Comedy King on Encore Tonight

2011-12-17T12:04:00.001-08:00

Here at the Flaming Nose, we don't try to hide our love for television. It's blatant, bigger than life and impossible to ignore. No wonder we also love legendary comic Jerry Lewis...for he is all of the above and more. Listen to what the great JL says about our beloved medium: "I love my industry. I love what it does. I don't allow people in my family to use the term TV. That's stupid. It's 'television'. It's a miracle. It's entitled to that respect."

Tonight, Encore TV will feature a wonderful special about Jerry Lewis called "Method to the Madness" by Gregg Barson. Luminaries such as Jerry Seinfeld, Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino all talk about their connection with the comedy great.

My first encounter with Jerry Lewis took place when I was 12 years old. I saw The Nutty Professor and was transfixed by his transformation from the buck toothed nebish professor, to the arctic cool of lounge singer Buddy Love. It had a deep, possibly damaging, impact on my budding psychological development, when I realized I didn't like the nice professor. I liked the bad guy. Which must be why one of my favorite Jerry Lewis moments was when he played himself in The King of Comedy (with Robert DeNiro), and flashed those icy eyes that chilled me to the bone. Although I love his old comedy movies, I wish Mr. Lewis had taken more serious roles over the years, as I think he had a unique skill for communicating menace. It's probably too late now, as the 85 year old comedian, movie star, inventor and philanthropist simmers down to enjoy the twilight phase of this life.

A big fuss and many jokes have been made over how the French revere Jerry Lewis. In fact, in March 2006, the French Minister of Culture awarded Lewis the Légion d'Honneur, calling him the "French people's favorite clown".^{I must be French too, then or je ne sais quoi. For I have spent a life time enthralled by his humor and take no prisoners personality. If you're a Jerry fan too, tonight's documentary on Encore will be a special treat.}

Louis CK Honored by Time Magazine

2011-12-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

By now many of you may have heard that the annual Time Magazine "Person of the Year" is a nod to all the people world wide who have effected change through protest movements. Governments were toppled in the middle east and here in the U.S. the Occupy Wall Street movement has gained momentum in just a few months time.

This issue of Time Magazine also honors many others who made a difference in 2011, and one of them is our very own beloved Louis CK. Actually, the Flaming Nose has been pointing out for over a year that Louis CK is the most brilliant comedian and his television show is light years ahead of anything we've ever seen on TV.

We are so happy to see that Time Magazine agrees, by selecting him as one of their "People Who Mattered" in 2011. He's in very good company. Other winners include singer Adele, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, billionaire Warren Buffet and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Very cool Louis! Congratulations from the Flaming Nose!

Hawaii 5-0's Brian Yang On the Busy Life of an Actor

2011-11-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

Brian Yang is an international man of acting. One week he might be on location as character Charlie Fong for the CBS reboot of Hawaii Five-0 (now in its second season) and the next he’s home in NY or back in the Bay Area working on indie film projects for his production company 408 Films. Oh, and then there are his acting gigs in Hong Kong and mainland China. The man is in the air more than he is on the ground. I want Brian’s frequent flier miles.

Glamorous? Yes. Exhausting? Beyond. I wondered what it was like to lead such a peripatetic, exciting life, and Brian was kind enough to spend an hour on the phone with me from his home in NYC, breaking it down.

JANE COLLINS: What’s it like to work in paradise? Is Hawaii Five-0 filmed mostly on location?
BRIAN YANG: “A typical day on the set starts at about 5am. The island is still asleep and it’s dark. It’s all shot on the island of Oahu. The environment they create for you is very comfortable. The crew, many of whom are locals, are just amazingly giving and kind. As an actor, my job is actually pretty simple. Get to set, be prepared, execute. I'm pretty much in and out. But the crew folk are there from dawn until (often) late at night. I have so much respect for what they do. I just feel totally blessed to be a part of this very successful franchise. My favorite part is to be able to work on a network show set in the greatest state in this country. For me Hawaii is a home away from home.”
JKC: What’s up with your character, Charlie Fong?
BY: “I just take it episode to episode. The writers do what they do and each episode is its own little journey. I come in to help the team along when necessary. It's fun. Each time, I get something different. I guess for both the audience, and myself, we're kept on our toes. I was on the Warner Bros. lot not long ago and found out that the Charlie Fong character is actually based on a lab scientist who appeared on the original series!"
Brian plays a forensic scientist who works for the Hawaii police department on the successful CBS TV series Hawaii Five-0. Courtesy of CBS]
JKC: Tell us about your roots. Did you always want to be an actor?
BY: “I was born in Ohio, which makes me a huge Ohio State fan, even though I went to Cal. We moved to the south Bay area (Silicon Valley) when I was about 6 years old. In my family (and culture), acting was not a profession we were encouraged to go into, but in a way, you could attribute my finding this path to my Mom. She put my photo in a Macy’s Back-To-School contest when I was in high school. Somehow I got picked to go around Nor Cal for an ad campaign and from there I was exposed to the world of agents, commercials, and television and, from there, there was no turning back. Thanks, Mom!”
[Brian went to college at the University of California, Berkeley, and graduated with a degree in Biology in 1996. Image Courtesy of CBS.]
JKC: What do you consider to be your greatest challenge as an Asian American actor?
BY: “I think in general the industry is getting better. After I graduated I made my way down to L.A. I thought 'I’m going to give Hollywood a shot.' I remember learning very quickly, many of the Asian American actors would complain about the stereotypical roles and lack of positive portrayals of Asians on screen. I subscribed to that (way of thinking) at the time. So part of the reason I moved to the East coast and decided to stay there was that I didn’t want to be another disgruntled Asian actor.
Long story short, I moved to the East coast and it was a different playground. I found things that were much more interesting, like independent film. I found pockets of theater and advertising (commercials). In New York, the landscape there forces you to think outside of the box. It's hard to be "just an actor." In Hollywood, things have moved forward over the past 10 years, but we're far from being "there", wherever there is. With age, comes patience. I can only choose my own route or path. So I choose to keep my base in NY. But I've also been doing film and commercial work in Asia”. (I ask if he speaks Mandarin.) “I do but I don’t sound fluent. What I’ve found is everything I’ve done in Asia is in English. The world is shrinking and English is the universal language. They have a lot of programming that needs English. They want an Asian face with a western sensibility. I’ve shot commercials in Hong Kong, but mainland China is where a lot of work is happening. It's an interesting time to be in this business right now.”

“I think it is getting better in Hollywood but there are still too few opportunities there. This Saturday I’m heading an event in L.A. for CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacific Entertainers). It's their 20th anniversary and they are a good marker that proves that Hollywood is moving towards a more colorful landscape. Good things are happening. It’s all very encouraging. But there are still struggles and challenges that we are going to face.”
JKC: What other projects are you working on right now?
BY: “I actually also work as a producer. I have a film production company called 408 Films. We are on our 6^th project right now. We shot two films in Hong Kong (Fog and SuperCapitalist) and a romantic comedy in L.A called The People I've Slept With. All are indie film projects. We just finished principal photography on Nightdreamblues. It’s about three childhood friends who reunite when they are in their 30’s. Over the course of an evening, they each reveal their secrets. It’s a cathartic journey. It’s sort of like Breakfast Club and The Big Chill with an Asian-American cast. Rex Lee (Entourage, Suburgatory) is in it and we are fortunate to have him. We are hoping it will be released in 2012.
What’s really interesting is that this is a very male piece but we worked with a female director (Nadine Truong, AFI graduate) who put her own spin on it. I’m very passionate about this project and can’t stop Tweeting about it. Right now we’ve put out a call for indie music for the film. Please follow us!”
JKC: What advice do you have for BlogHer’s readers who might be interested in an entertainment career?
BY: “Take it seriously, you have to train. It’s no different from any industry. Go to school for it, start at the bottom. Most of us don’t have a father that works at Fox (studios). You have to make it happen. It’s creating your own roles, in indie film or on YouTube. Write something or shoot something and act in it yourself. I don’t want to make it seem easy, it’s not that easy. You have to have the thickest skin, willing to be rejected 9 times out of 10. But if there is nothing on this planet you’d rather do, jump in with two feet. Every moment should be spent doing something to further your career. And even when you arrive or “get there”, you still have to look at the career like a journey. You’ll have good moments. You always have to keep the fires burning. You have to be kind to everyone you meet because people collaborate on many levels.”
Thanks for the words of wisdom, Brian. We’ll see you on the air (Hawaii Five-0) and look for you in the air, next time we’re at an airport in NY, LA or SF.
Visit Brian's Facebook page.

All Aboard for Hell on Wheels!

2011-11-15T16:04:00.001-08:00

Has anybody had a chance to sample the new AMC original series on Sunday nights, Hell on Wheels? I've watched the first two episodes and I am throwing my cow girl hat into the ring for this show. It's about the push to build a transcontinental railroad after the Civil War. As much as I love the western genre, I never quite "got" Deadwood on HBO. I found the constant and relentless use of the word "cocksucker" in every episode to be both tiresome and distracting. Being basic cable, AMC doesn't have the option to make the language in the series so...colorful. Instead, they've concentrated on showing the Wild West as the utterly filthy place it surely must have been. Filthy as in...no toothpaste and really bad teeth. Filthy as in no Tide detergent or washing machines and pants so dirty you can practically smell them through the TV screen. It's the west as a terribly exciting and odoriferous Hell.

The storyline is fairly straight forward, although with an interesting twist on who we normally root for. The main character (Cullen Bohannon, played by Anson Mount) is a former Confederate soldier and slave owner who's trying to get a job out west. Boo...hiss...right? But he turns out to be the nicest guy ever to all the emancipated slaves working on the railroad and even helps save one of them from the evil RR foreman who hates the black workers so much he calls them by the "N" word. Is that even allowed on TV in a historical context? Cullen reminds me the late great British actor Oliver Reed. He has that same baleful and menacing blue-eyed stare. As a devout Yankee, I normally don't go for southern boys or their silly accents, but he pretty much had me at hello.

Other characters include Elam Ferguson (Common), a smart emancipated slave who is forming a fast friendship with our hero Cullen, and Doc Durant (Colm Meaney) as a corrupt, greedy railroad contractor and Bad Guy #1. He's a bit of a stereotype, although it would have been worse if they had given him a long waxy mustache to twirl. If Doc showed up at one of those Occupy camps today, he would have a hard time making friends.

Female characters are sparse except for Lily Bell (Dominique McElligott), a fetching blond who is trying to survive in the most trying circumstances after her husband is killed in an Indian raid. Sunday's episode featured Lily in a scene so excruciating and graphic, I found it nearly unwatchable. She used a fat dirty needle to stitch up her own gaping chest wound. Whilst we looked on. That's about as hard core pioneer spirit as you're ever going to get on the small screen.

Other interesting characters include a couple of enterprising brothers from Ireland (Sean and Mickey McGinnes). They're trying to make a buck on the frontier by showing silent movies in a tent. God bless them. Keep heading west to Hollywood, boys!

Other than westward, I'm not quite sure where this series is heading yet. But I like what I've seen so far, so I'm along for the ride. What about the rest of you folks out there in TV Blog-land? Has anyone seen it?

Something Uplifting For Your Sunday Evening on gmc!

2011-11-13T09:29:00.000-08:00

It gives me great pleasure to pass along, on behalf of one of my former bosses, news of some perfect family programming tonight on gmc. gmc used to be called "Gospel Music Channel" when it started in 2004, but a re-branding in early 2010 broadened the scope somewhat but didn't change the channel's mission to provide uplifting entertainment for its broad and loyal fan base. There's still lots of music on gmc, but also a nice selection of family-friendly and immensely-watchable-for-anyone series such as Early Edition, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Doc, and Sue Thomas FBEye (about which Judith wrote a terrific post a while back when she interviewed series producer Joan Considine; definitely check it out!).

Tonight gmc proudly presents the very recent feature film The 5th Quarter, the dramatic true story of a Georgia family whose terrible personal loss ultimately brought their family back together and also inspired countless others in their community and beyond. It's a story that nobody wants to live out for themselves, but watching it we can thankfully glean the message without having to feel the pain, or at least only a tiny sliver of it.

We can all relate to the anguish of losing a family member -- there must be nothing like a sudden death to roil the senses -- but what comes after is the thing that everybody has to experience for themselves. What the Abbate family did was go forward in several different ways, and you'll see how they did it in this thoughtful film. The cast is impressive -- Aidan Quinn, Andie MacDowell, Ryan Merriman -- and though it did have a theatrical release, The 5th Quarter will probably feel best on TV. It's in the great tradition of timeless TV movies such as Brian's Song and the acclaimed series Friday Night Lights; The 5th Quarter should find a very appreciative audience tonight.

You've probably already figured out that football plays a part in the movie, and it's an element that helps The 5th Quarter reach out even further in its appeal.

For more information on the movie, you should visit the official website of The 5th Quarter. You can learn more about the Abbate family at their Luke Abbate 5th Quarter Foundation site, where you can also find out and help with the continuing good works going on in his name. You should also get acquainted with gmc at their channel website; there's a lot going on there.

The 5th Quarter premieres on gmc tonight at 7pm with an encore at 9pm, following a nice selection of football-oriented movies such as Rudy beginning at 2pm.

P.S.: You might enjoy watching the official theatrical trailer for The 5th Quarter, which is a bit longer than the new gmc promo.

You also might enjoy the song "Live and Breathe" from The 5th Quarter, sung by Stacy Earle who also stars in the movie.

More on Our Favorite Physicist, the Fascinating Dr. Brian Greene!

2011-11-06T08:10:00.000-08:00

We're going to keep talking about physics and Dr. Brian Greene until everybody is watching his new NOVA 4-part series The Fabric of the Cosmos, airing in November every Wednesday (and other times) on PBS! In addition to our long article the other day (click here), we have just been alerted to a wonderful video that comes to us specially and highly recommended! We wanted to be sure to share it with everyone as further proof that Dr. Brian Greene and everything he does is fascinating, appealing, and you don't want to miss it!

Release your Inner Egghead with Dr. Brian Greene and The Fabric of the Cosmos, on PBS!

R.I.P. Andy Rooney, 1919 - 2011

2011-11-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

The passing of Andy Rooney was perhaps not unexpected after his retirement from 60 Minutes just over a month ago, but it's still a shock. Dean wrote a wonderful tribute to him here on The Flaming Nose at that time, with many great clips and a sincere appreciation and understanding of Rooney's immense contributions to TV journalism, humor, and truth-telling most of all. Please go back and check out Dean's remarkable post by clicking on this sentence.

You will also want to read some of the many well-written and comprehensive obituaries that are showing up as the news spreads of Rooney's passing. As a writer he had a long-lived and varied career, and managed to become a genuine household name when he began appearing on 60 Minutes back in 1978. His usually cranky, frequently hilarious, and sometimes controversial takes on modern society and popular culture put him into great historical company; Rooney would fit right into a line-up alongside comic commentators like Mark Twain, Will Rogers, H.L. Mencken and Robert Benchley from the fairly distant past. All combined a gift for gab with a keen mind and a wry take on modern life that hit a nerve with viewers and readers. Andy Rooney certainly did that, too.

CBS News and 60 Minutes covered his life and death here, The New York Times featured this obituary today, The Huffington Post reported his passing in this article, CNN published this obituary, show business trade paper The Hollywood Reporter posted this article today, and you also might want to check out his entry on Wikipedia.

Too many passings of too many good men with long television histories lately...

Explore "The Fabric of the Cosmos" with NOVA on PBS Tonight!

2011-11-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

It's our contention here at The Flaming Nose that PBS doesn't get enough credit anymore for all the great programming they continue to provide for viewers. The niche (or not-so-niche) cable networks get all the coverage, all the buzz, and most of the time for doing the same kind of projects to what PBS has been offering throughout its whole history. Cooking shows -- they invented and perfected the genre -- brilliant nature shows, fascinating science productions, terrific adult drama...you name it, PBS did it first and they haven't stopped. They sometimes just seem to be flying under the radar these days, and it's a shame.

We love PBS and we want to shout it out that their always-excellent weekly science series NOVA gives us a terrific November four-parter beginning tonight. The quartet of episodes of The Fabric of the Cosmos will take us into the mesmerizing world of modern physics, and it promises to be quite a journey. Based on the book of the same name by popular physicist (and those words don't go together very often!) Brian Greene -- author of The Hidden Reality and The Elegant Universe, and one of the head cheerleaders for the mysterious String Theory in physics -- The Fabric of the Cosmos is truly a show that only PBS would broadcast. It's important, it's intelligent, it's demanding; much as I love Science Channel, Smithsonian, Nat Geo and a few others filled with documentaries, this kind of real science is in short supply on TV. Despite several cable networks with programming mission statements that might include some science, we're more likely to find programs about Bigfoot, or travel documentaries, or extreme fishing shows, or rocket-building competitions. It's not that we don't like those things, it's just that they're not quite science.

But The Fabric of the Cosmos is. Even if physics isn't your thing, it can't be bad for you to just watch and try to absorb the concepts. You're not going to find a more amiable host for your journey anywhere. Brian Greene has an impish demeanor that is the polar opposite of intimidating, as you can see when he was interviewed by David Letterman about six years ago. Be sure to listen for Greene's goofy giggle around 6:45 into the segment; it's adorable!

And what other real scientist could stand up to a heckling from The Big Bang Theory's Sheldon (Emmy Award-winner Jim Parsons) during a guest appearance on that top sitcom?

Not only is Brian Greene a best-selling author and a professor (read his full bio here), he's also a tireless advocate of science in general, whether as the co-founder with his journalist-wife Tracy of New York's annual World Science Festival, or a speaker at the TED conference. (For a taste of his public speaking prowess, click to watch his nearly hour-and-twenty-minute appearance at the Museum of Science in Boston -- you will love it, and you also will like his radio interview from Canada's CBC radio series Current.)

We'll share this cogent short video with him speaking to the importance of science as the basis of rational thought and decision-making; boy, is this ever relevant, as we careen into superstition and denial on a regular basis...

The Fabric of the Cosmos begins tonight with "What is Space?" and continues over the next four weeks with "The Illusion of Time," "Quantum Leap," and finally "Universe or Multiverse?". Here are several overviews of the series and then a promo for tonight's installment.

We urge you to partake of this amazing opportunity to learn, be amazed and intellectually entertained by television, with NOVA and The Fabric of the Cosmos beginning tonight, in NOVA's new Wednesday 9pm slot . Check out the PBS website for more information and be sure to check your local PBS outlet for specific programming times.

P.S.: Don't miss our addenda to this posting -- click here to see an update and another great video!

Gil Cates - Rest in Peace

2011-11-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

This is the second time in a week I have walked my way over to the site to write a tribute piece. This time I memorialize a man I had the extreme good fortune to have worked with over the years. Gilbert Cates, producer of 14 Academy Awards telecasts died suddenly yesterday at UCLA. Gil had been a professor at the University for many years, but he was also a prolific producer and director.

He honed and mastered his art and craft in films, television and live theater. He was elected to serve two terms as President of the Directors Guild of America. He famously chose Billy Crystal to host the Academy Awards. Crystal's second turn as Oscar host in 1991 was so memorable it won Gil Cates an Emmy. He also was wise enough to choose Steve Martin, Chris Rock and Jon Stewart as Oscar hosts over the course of his lengthy helm with the broadcast for the Academy Awards. He produced several Ford's Theater presentations for ABC. I managed to attend a few of these specials and at times you just stopped and watched Gil at work. No drama was ever attached to anything he did, even though he was a masterful creator of drama.

I had the pleasure to work with Gil Cates over the course of my career at the ABC Television Network. I never saw him stressed out. He was an exercise in humility and calm. He possessed a wonderful sense of humor and a strong sense of fairness. You just liked him.

I enjoyed a couple of lunches with him over the years and he was one of those people you hated to break away from. He didn't have a pretentious bone in his body. Gil wasn't capable of shafting someone. A trait in the business of show that has harmed many.

Thank you Gil Cates for providing us with some of the best Oscar broadcasts in the long history of the Motion Picture Academy, but more importantly, thank you for teaching me a few things along the way in life. All good things were learned from Gil Cates.

Daniel Burke - Rest in Peace

2011-10-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

Even though I was a relatively (well, when I started I was a total inconsequential cog) inconsequential cog in the wheel at ABC, I had the good fortune to have a couple of brief encounters with the "big guys" of Cap Cities/ABC (Dan Burke and Tom Murphy). One of them has died at the age of 82. Dan Burke was a sophisticated, elegant and downright regal gentleman. I was honored that he knew of my existence, but there were a few moments in those years I was downright humbled to have him engage in conversation with me. Don't ask me why I would be humbled, but I was rarely impressed and he was an impressive man.

I have three vivid and memorable moments of sharing in ever so brief "chats" with Mr. Burke. We discussed books during two of those short chats and baseball in the third. I've been a voracious reader all of my life and I am being completely honest when I say that the greatest moment in my life, outside of personal moments, was the night the Chicago White Sox won the World Series in 2005.

It's interesting to reflect upon your own thoughts and memories of people you encountered along the path of life. I had no direct business dealings with these men of significant power at the company, but as peripheral as they are in the pages of my own life (and I was beyond peripheral in their lives - I am quite sure neither Burke or Murphy would ever remember me beyond those moments)I have intensely fond and warm thoughts of both of them.

I didn't even know Mr. Burke had passed until late this afternoon. I was attending a conference for most of the day and I saw nor heard one item of news. I was sharing a late lunch/early dinner with a fellow former ABCer and he informed me of the death. I suddenly was transported to a significantly younger version of me and thinking of the innocence of my early stages at ABC.

I encountered Mr. Burke's brother while serving as hostess for a charitable event at the company and he was determined to fix me up with a family member. I had one date with a Burke relative and it was a dud. I was so not his type and he was so not my type that near the end of an intensely awkward lunch I looked at him and laughed. I literally laughed out loud. He then looked at me and laughed right back. We both knew what the other one was thinking. Open and honest. I went back to work and never thought of him again. Of course, had it worked I would be retired and donating my waking hours to volunteering at the local animal shelter!!! Well, I did think of him today, but he only popped into my head because I thought of Dan Burke. I wouldn't recognize the one-time date in a crowd of one, but I have Mr. Burke's face embedded in the pathways of a long ago line of memory.

When I returned home tonight I read two bios on his death (while watching the Rangers and the Cardinals in Game 6 of the World Series) and the official obituary bios are cold and faceless.

He was a man with a dignified air and I trust a tremendous amount of integrity. Clearly, he had superb business skills, but more importantly, he led a full and respectable life. I always remember the 1994 Northridge quake and how Murphy and Burke authorized financial assistance to some employees who had been burdened down by the quake. It's a long story, but I remember thinking they were thoughtful and giving people.

Since I'm watching a baseball game I'll end on a change-up - Mr. Murphy borrowed my copy of "No Ordinary Time" and he never returned it. He's a multimillionaire and that is one of my favorite books of all time. I liked Mr. Murphy a great deal. I sat next to him at a Lakers game one night many, many years ago. I reminded him about the book. I still never got it back, but I did receive a note of thanks when I sat him next to Angie Dickinson at a dinner honoring another ABC exec back in November of '95. I was told by another ABC exec that she was a "great broad" and that's a quote. I most likely wouldn't have let anyone call someone a great broad (well, maybe I'd let Sinatra say it) without a disapproving look on my face, but this man was old enough to be my dad and in many ways he was like a dad, so I figured if Angie were a great broad she'd be an intriguing person to sit next to at a boring fundraiser even though Bruce Hornsby played "The Valley Road" that night.

In a nutshell, these two men always seemed to be decent and loyal people.

Mr. Daniel Burke. I do indeed hope you will rest in peace.

Beavis and Butt-Head are Back!

2011-10-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

If there's anything that we need today -- badly! -- it's the silly, sour, kinda sad and often very sage P.O.V. of MTV's legendary animated duo Beavis and Butt-Head, Mike Judge's brilliant series that debuted on the network back in 1993. Lucky for us, they're back in a new series, starting tonight at 10pm, back on the network that made them famous, and the other way around, too. It was a perfect give-and-take, the crazy antics of B and B on the crazy network that wasn't afraid to have some fun and take a chance with a new filmmaker's scabrous and yet somehow adorable creation. (Mike Judge, of course, went on to create Fox's longtime hit animated series King of the Hill, among other successes.)

MTV Shows

Beavis and Butt-Head was a cultural phenomenom, screamingly hilarious and willing to skewer the very pop culture product and audience that took the series to the heights during its nearly five year run. Like a lot of seemingly stupid comedy, it entertains on a variety of levels, not all of them as facile as you'd imagine. In between the utterly anarchic antics of the excitable Beavis and the more phlegmatic Butt-Head, there's a lot of insight, pain and frustration, and not all of it caused by blue balls, either.

If the original show was a real world, now almost twenty years later one could only imagine both of them in their early thirties, probably meth addicts, wearing wife-beater t-shirts and somehow being politically conservative Republicans dead set against raising taxes on the rich. That's how a lot of marginally illiterate, culturally disadvantaged/disinterested and economically-downtrodden Americans end up, and not by accident. Surely poor Beavis -- even with the help of his dynamic alter-ego Cornholio -- and Butt-Head wouldn't have been able to figure a way out of their socioeconomic morass; actually, what you'd be looking at would be a really grungy episode of Cops, in all its lower-middle-class glory.

But we don't have to face that ugly reality with this new Beavis and Butt-Head. They're back all right, but time has stood still, and they're still the same goofy, nihilistic teens, endlessly amused by double-entendres and entertally hoping for a little sex. They'll be doing their riffs not on music videos like in the old days (because music videos hardly exist anymore), but instead on MTV's line-up of pathetically appealing (or should that be pathetic and appealing?) reality shows like Jersey Shore and 16 and Pregnant, and boy, do they deserve some skewering, too.

I'm a big fan of Beavis and Butt-Head, for all the highs and lows of the characters and their situation. These kids are surviving the best they can, as they sit on their dingy couch, in a living room with cracked plaster walls, trying to make it through school, uninspired, unloved -- maybe deservedly so -- doomed not by anything specific they've done wrong but by a society that simply doesn't have room for most of the unexceptionals, and especially not for kids like them. Beavis and Butt-Head is either a funny tragedy or an ultimately sad comedy, but luckily it is hilarious and these are unforgettable characters. Take them for what they are, and thank goodness that MTV knew enough to approach Mike Judge to bring them back.

Viva Cornholio!

DWTS: Lucky Remaining 7 Trip the Light Fantastic

2011-10-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

A glittering gaggle of singing nuns from the musical "Sister Act" kicked off this week's Dancing with the Stars episode, as the final 7 remaining contestants danced to songs from Broadway shows. Is there anything more delightful than a bunch of sparkling nuns whooping it up on stage? It certainly set the bar pretty high last night. Maybe too high, as this particular episode lacked some of the "wow" moments that have had tongues wagging around the water cooler in past weeks. Do people still huddle around a water cooler at work anymore? Probably not. Maybe they are standing around a microwave, heating their Lean Cuisines and weeping because nobody is allowed to go out to lunch anymore.

Nancy Grace skipped along fetchingly to "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" from "Spamalot". She faced the judges to get her highest score ever, even while sporting some bright red lipstick on her teeth and nose. Hey! This is live television folks. Well, sort of...at least for the viewers on the East Coast. There has already been a visible wardrobe malfunction this season and (no easy way to say this) audible moment which most pundits agree might have been flatulence. That's the kind of thing that keeps bloggers in business ladies and gentlemen. I would also like to say at this time that I am transfixed by Nancy Grace's dancing partner Tristan. He has a charming Irish lilt and steely command when he is forced to lift Ms. Grace's ample sequined form off the ball room floor.

Rob Kardashian danced to a song from "Jersey Boys" last night and David Arquette did a quickstep from "Grease". Both did an OK job, but were not particularly memorable.

Hope Solo tried a number from "Rent" and Chaz Bono looked dashing as the Phantom from "Phantom of the Opera". Both received abyssmal scores from the judges. They really have it in for Hope. I don't see why, she's not that bad. However, she didn't really do anything to distinguish herself and I fear that tonight she might have to go back to being a soccer superstar with gazillion dollar endorsements. It's so sad.

As usual both J.R. ("Chicago") and Ricki Lake (Guys and Dolls..."Luck be a Lady Tonight") were at the top of the leader board getting 9's and 10's from the judges. J.R. practically floated across the stage, he's a modern day Kelly or Astaire. I love how he makes movement seem so effortless. Ricki was captured doing an excellent Norma Desmond impression, which I am featuring here.

The show ended as it started, with plenty of sizzle. All seven couples danced a group routine to "Money Makes the World Go Round" from Cabaret. My beloved witty Carson returned to offer bon mots during their rehearsal. There was no shortage of enthusiasm, as Monopoly money was flung about the stage with wild abandon. I'm taking it as a nod of endorsement to the brave men and women who are Occupying Wall Street!

The New Season Death Knell Tolls On!

2011-10-23T18:15:00.000-07:00

We hope you're been checking out lots of the new shows this season, but there are a few that won't be so easy to track down anymore. There are a handful of already-dead, some that the networks had high hopes for, and some that were probably destined for the goodbye-pile from the start. Let's take a look at the casualties so far, in reverse order of cancellation:

The latest to fall is ABC's redo of Charlie's Angels, which faltered on Thursday nights and couldn't muster enough babe-a-liciousness to survive. Goes to show that hype and pretty girls aren't enough to breathe life into any old retread, even one with a politically-correct mixture of feminine pulchritude on display and a sexed-up Latino playing Bosley. It even sounds bad, doesn't it?

NBC let go its remake of the snide British comedy Free Agents starring Hank Azaria. Its late airdate was October 5th, but don't despair if you liked it -- you can watch the original Britcom on BBC America, and there's nothing like the original!

The CW cancelled Mario Lopez's comedy reality show H8R pretty fast out of the gate; last airdate was also October 5th.

CBS cut the cord on the much touted sitcom How to Be a Gentleman after two Thursday airings, then decided to run out the episodes on Saturday night, replacing Rules of Engagement which slipped happily into HtBaG's vacated 8:30pm slot after The Big Bang Theory. Even the Saturday slot was sunk by the cancelled series, and now it's out of there, too. The flop of How to Be a Gentleman was a bit of a shock, mostly because of its cushy timeslot -- though last season's disappointment $#*! My Dad Says also got no boost at all from TBBT -- and a good cast, including the appealing Kevin Dillon, Dave Foley, and Rhys Darby. I think the problem was lead actor David Hornsby, who lacked the charisma to carry a show as a lead (but is a talented performer, though maybe not as a lead). Overall the show didn't live up to its cast and seemed lackluster and stilted. You just never know!

NBC also quickly pulled the plug on its controversial -- at least to conservative TV activist groups -- period drama The Playboy Club. Three episodes was all it took for NBC to find out that there no future for their bunnies, proving...duh...that there is no inherent desire on the part of TV audiences for 1.) evocations of the Mad Men-era 2.) a show that is sold with the promise of sex but is on a broadcast network so there won't be any. Groups who disliked its glorification of Hefner's mature and hedonistic lifestyle must be basking self-righteously in the warmth of their book-burning bonfires at the demise of The Playboy Club, though it was the ratings and not their prudish rants that sunk the show. So far ABC is hanging in with their Mad Men-esque series Pan Am, but it feels unlikely that it'll make it for a full-season pick-up, and we're quite certain that it won't last for a second season. The series is at best a curiosity and kudos to ABC for keeping it on this long, actually.

Undoubtedly more cancellations to come; any of your favorites hanging on for dear life? What would you be sorry to see get the ax?

A New Liberace TV Biopic in the Works with Michael Douglas & Matt Damon!

2011-10-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

The news out today that Michael Douglas and Matt Damon will star (as the charismatic pianist and his boyfriend) in an HBO Liberace biopic entitled Behind the Candelabra, to be directed by Steven Soderbergh (Contagion, Ocean's Eleven, Traffic, Erin Brockovich), brings to mind the pair of dueling Liberace TV movies from back in 1988.

Liberace died on February 4th, 1987, after a glorious and multifaceted career, and also after a struggle with AIDS (never publicly acknowledged by Liberace, though) and earlier notoriety from a palimony suit brought by his young male companion Scott Thorson. It took a year and a half before both ABC and CBS each brought out their own TV Movies. In a terrific example of TV timing -- though I suppose we should be amazed that they didn't schedule them head-to-head against each other -- ABC's Liberace aired on Sunday, October 2, 1988, to be followed exactly a week later by the CBS TVM Liberace: Behind the Music.

ABC's version starred veteran actor and familiar TV face Andrew Robinson (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Cobra, Dirty Harry, Ryan's Hope) as Liberace, with Rue McClanahan (Maude, The Golden Girls) as Liberace's sainted mother Frances, and John Rubenstein (Crazy Like a Fox, Family, Angel, Desperate Housewives and many more) as Liberace's business associate. This version was more discreet about Liberace's private life and only hinted at his gay lifestyle, instead portraying his struggle to maintain a private life more in general terms and not just concerning his sexuality. Robinson was terrific as Liberace, too.

Here's a scene from the movie, and you can see a promo on YouTube by clicking here.

Liberace: Behind the Music, the CBS take on the subject, starred Canadian actor Victor Garber as Liberace. Garber, now well-known for his roles in Alias and especially in the blockbuster film Titanic, wasn't anything close to a household name at the time this telefilm was made. Of course, theatergoers knew him for his Tony-nominated presence on Broadway in many prestigious productions (including in the original cast of Sweeney Todd), and he had also starred in the movie version of his breakout musical Godspell in 1972 and did many other supporting roles on TV, but his big stardom was to come later. Well-respected actress Maureen Stapleton (Cocoon, The Money Pit, Reds, Queen of the Stardust Ballroom, Plaza Suite, Airport) co-starred as Frances Liberace, and veteran Canadian character actor Saul Rubinek (Warehouse 13, Nixon, Dick, Frasier) appeared as Liberace's business manager.

Here's the promo for the movie, and then a scene:

Garber also got kudos for his impressive and sensitive work as Liberace, and this movie was more open about his sexual orientation which gives it an edge in the realism department, though it's still a typical TV biopic. Obviously the Soderbergh project will deal with the older Liberace if Michael Douglas is playing him, and even though Scott Thorson was only in his early twenties during their affair, Matt Damon may be good enough to pull off that age difference...but he is over 40 now, so it could be a stretch. Still, this could be a terrific TVM and in any case it's going to be fascinating and unusual. Producer Jerry Weintraub spoke to the Los Angeles Times about the project, and you can read the interesting article by clicking here.

If the news of this project has piqued your own interest in Liberace (as it has mine), you should take a look at a few good websites, particularly the excellent Bob's World of Liberace; The Liberace Foundation and Museum; this very detailed account of Liberace's starring movie role in 1953's Sincerely Yours, and of course Wikipedia's concise bio of Liberace. Liberace was a consummate entertainer with a unique sense of style and personal flair that set him apart from everyone else of his era. We're really looking forward to Behind the Candelabra when it shows up on HBO! Hurry up!

"Last Man Standing" - Tim Allen is back

2011-10-11T17:36:00.000-07:00

I had no intention of watching the two episode - one hour premiere of ABC's new comedy show, Last Man Standing starring Tim Allen, but I'm glad I checked it out. Basically, Last Man Standing is Home Improvement, but it works and it works well.

I haven't enjoyed a comedy on television in years and I am quite sure I haven't actually laughed out loud at a television comedy since Allen and Seinfeld were both still on the air; and that's a long time ago.

Instead of fronting a hardware television show Allen's "Mike" works at a sporting goods store/catalog/online service. The name of the company is Outdoor Man and the owner/founder is the always delightful, Hector Elizondo. Allen and Elizondo are like the classic Warner Brothers character actors from the golden age of cinema. If this were 1942, S.Z. Zakall, Peter Lorre and Claude Rains would be popping up as guest stars.

This time around, instead of three sons, Allen is the father to three daughters. The relationships work and shockingly, even seem somewhat real. The always charming Nancy Travis plays Allen's wife and you do feel like he has committed adultery on Patricia Richardson, but by the end of the episode it all works out. It's nice to see Travis again and hopefully, this time around she will land in a hit show that provides us with years of laughs to come.

The show is highly appealing and of course, I love Allen's unmanly rants (soccer, tanning salons, fantasy football, men dancing) and his timing is superb.

Allen, Elizondo, Travis and the kids make this show work. Let's see if this single camera comedy will work in 2011. I hope so. I laughed out loud repeatedly.

Dancing with the Stars Movie Night

2011-10-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

Dancing with the Stars had a movie theme last night. It gave us a
happy ending for some and a box office disaster for others (Nancy Grace and Chynna Phillips both crashed and burned).

I didn't do a post last week, but would like to catch up by saying BOTH of my predictions for "getting the boot" came true. Elisabetta the Italian supermodel and Kristin the blond blah are both gone with the wind.

Last week's theme was highly emotional, with the stars selecting songs that meant something personal from their past. I cried like a baby over JR's beautiful tribute to the men and women in uniform. His dance was heartbreaking and beautiful.

The bottom of the leader barrel for me this week was Chynna, who is usually so accomplished. She forgot her moves to "Mission Impossible" and by the time she faced a tongue lashing from the snippy judges, even her false eyelashes were askew. At the high end for scores...Ricki Lake got two perfect 10's and a 9 to become the top rated of the night. I'm not sure I understand why she got those scores, but the judges all seem to favor her, she's definitely the teacher's pet. JR turned in another wonderful performance, dancing to the theme from the "Pink Panther".

He's so rhythmic and light on his feet. Loved the funny swaying butt panther move too. Inexplicably,

the boring girl judge (Carrie Ann) marked JR down for adding humor to the dance (EXCUSE me...but The Pink Panther movie was a comedy!).

Who will go home tonight? The most likely suspects are Carson and Chaz. Neither one has much of a chance for pulling it out of the fire for the long run. I think Carson is the most vulnerable, even though the audience loves him for his humor and zaniness. He wore a charming blond mustache and feathered pirate hat for his

"Pirates of the Caribbean" dance. But last night's moment of triumph and drama was for Chaz. As his mom (Cher!!!) cried and cheered in the audience, he danced to the theme for "Rocky", even racing up the stairs at the end like Stallone in the iconic scene from the movie. I sure hope he chews a baby aspirin every day, because his heart got a workout last night for sure.

The mirror ball giveth and the mirror ball taketh away. I fear we may be saying hasta la vista to the blond pirate before the day is done.

Sorry no video this time. The iron fists have removed from YouTube. All the more reason to tune in and check it out yourself!

American Horror Story on fX

2011-10-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

It's creepy and it's spooky...and altogether kooky. But unlike the Addams Family, this new macabre drama on fX is short on humor and crazier than a bag full of bats.

The main character is a haunted house with a very troubled past. This Victorian fixer upper has been the venue for some nasty stuff, including the murders of two little red haired juvenile delinquents and a stylish gay couple who left behind some cool leather outfits in the attic.

The show takes place in Southern California, the least likely place for a scary old home unless you count the ride at Disneyland or the equally fake Magic Castle in the Hollywood Hills. A new family moves in and of course they are escaping their own dark past which includes (yawn) infidelity and a more interesting and sad stillbirth.

The cast is astonishingly good for TV. Connie Britton plays Vivian the mom, with Dylan McDermott as the family patriarch who is also a therapist. The amazing Francis Conroy (Six Feet Under) plays a maid with a mesmerizing lazy eye. Violet is the teenage daughter (by law every new TV show must have a teenage daughter) who is already being bullied to death at her L.A. gulag of a high school. Her new friend is a troubled boy named Evan who gets my vote as the most likely kid to go full out Columbine for the new television season.

After only one episode, American Horror already has a breakout character (Constance) played by Jessica Lange. How is it possible that they snagged a two time Oscar winner for this cable television drama? Lange is absolutely terrific as the fading actress and menacing mom from next door. She's a drama queen with a Downs syndrome daughter and a Tennessee Williams southern drawl. Rounding out the cast is Denis O'Hare, who has been so compelling as the evil vampire king on True Blood. Here he plays Larry the ex-con and arsonist with his own secrets to hide about the haunted house.

I would watch this program every week for Jessica Lange alone, but there is so much more to like about it. There hasn't been a really interesting murder/horror series on TV since Twin Peaks, and I am so ready for this one to be a winner. Having grown up in a 200 year old haunted house myself, I can say they never really lose their drafty appeal. And anyway, Halloween is coming, so it's a great time to give it a try. American Horror Story is on fX, Wednesday nights at 10pm.

Farewell Steve Jobs

2011-10-05T19:52:00.000-07:00

An outpouring of grief is covering the web, as the wizard of Silicon Valley Steve Jobs passes from this world. The best quote I read all night was from someone I don't even know on Facebook. "Thank you for changing the world and putting it in the palm of my hand".

The Flaming Nose recognizes tech and creative genius Steve Jobs, who changed the world with Pixar (movies), iPod and iTunes (music), and personal communication/information (Macs, iPhones and iPads). As a Star Trek fan, I've spent my whole life waiting for the sparkly futuristic world of tricorders and communicators. Steve Job's products made me feel like we had already arrived.

Below you'll find what is widely recognized as one of the greatest television commercials of all time. The 1984 Apple advertisement is directed by Ridley Scott ("Bladerunner") Sci-Fi movie auteur. It aired once during the Super Bowl, blew everyone's mind and went on to win buckets of awards. Although we ran this spot on the Nose a few years back, it seemed like a good time to put it up again. See the Apple 1984 posted below.

Rest in peace Steve Jobs. Because of you, I can carry television in my pocket.

Happy 50th Anniversary to "The Dick Van Dyke Show"!

2011-10-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

The Flaming Nose TV Blog is super-pleased to be participating with The Thrilling Days of Yesteryear and their terrific The Dick Van Dyke Show Blogathon, on today's 50th Anniversary of the classic sitcom. Blogs and writers from all over the net are adding their contributions as tribute to this great show, and we're going to spotlight one of our favorite episodes -- "I'd Rather Be Bald Than Have No Head at All", an episode coming near the end of the show's third season (out of the total five).

Ever since men starting noticing male pattern baldness -- sometime past Neanderthal times, as they seem to have had plenty of hair all over -- it's been an ongoing anxiety for a lot of guys. Maybe today it's even hard to imagine what all the fuss is about, since bald is distinctly beautiful these days, but also since "The Hair Club for Men" is still in business, the "yikes" factor must be alive and well at least for some fellas. Star Dick Van Dyke's casual remarks wondering about his own hair status inspired writers Bill Persky and Sam Denoff to pen this memorable episode, a half-hour firmly rooted (har-har) in both everyday life and also wildly imaginative at the same time.

Maybe we'll just go through the basics of the episode -- though you really need to watch it to fully absorb all the comic moments -- to whet your appetite. It's fun looking at screengrabs, too!

After Rob finds a lot of hairs in the sink, he thinks he's going bald and Laura tries to reassure him.

Rob goes into work and Buddy and Sally also try to talk Rob out of his fixation, and they use the argument that lots of men are more attractive bald.

Mel Cooley arrives -- "Well, you just lost your argument..."

Buddy gives Rob the name of Irwin the Barber who has a great reputation as a hair loss specialist.

He starts to look over Rob's head of hair.

He assesses the "elastic-ness" of Rob's hair, among other tests.

After careful consideration, Irwin makes his diagnosis.

"Good roots -- lousy papilla."

"So that's the whole story on a nutshell." Irwin recommends a course of treatment -- his own formula with several "ingrediments"...

Olive Oil and Vinegar. "So who's to say what's silly? Irwin asks.

"When I put it on my hair -- do I comb it or toss it?"

Once Home, Rob does some exercises to bring blood to his head.

And Laura helps him arrange his towel around his smelly hair...

...which of course is cumbersome and he looks like a nut. After a night's sleep, he wakes up.

And underneath the towel he is completely bald!

"I did tell you not to use that stuff..."

Rob tries to figure out if he is dreaming, or if Laura is dreaming.

"Did you shave my head as a joke?...I know what it is...severe shock!"

"What kind of a shock did you have?" she asks innocently.

"You don't call going bald a shock??!"

"You go to Irwin and get your money back..."

"Honey, is this really a dream?"
"Of course it's a dream, darling. Now you go to Irwin and get your money back."
"Yeah. I'm gonna go get my hair back!"

He gets some new stuff from Irwin, with "the miracle ingrediment P.S. 138"

"What is it?"
"Mayonaisse!"

"Tastes good and is good for you!"

"Hiya Baldy, we've been waiting for you!"

"It's not a dream!"
"It is, too!"
"If it was a dream you wouldn't have gone to all the trouble to come down here in your jammies!"

"Rob, I told you I was going to knit you a toupee and I did! It's Mohair!"

"Right...'cos you got no-mo-hair!"

"What's the matter" Is it all messed up?"

Rob: "Lettuce?!"
Sally: "Well, if you use salad dressing you can't expect to grow meatloaf!"

"Now you'll have to sleep with your head in the refrigerator!"

"Where's my hair???"

"Rob, thanks for your hair!"

"Darling, you're having a bad dream."

"And this is the second time I've wakened in it!"
"Well, it's no wonder, you slept with that silly turban on. That would give anyone a nightmare."
"That's just what you said in the dream!"
"Rob, come on, let's take that turban off and wash your hair..."

Yep. He's bald again and Laura faints.

"Honey, wake up, you're having a nightmare..."
"Am I awake?"
"Well, sure you are."
"Are you?"
"Sure. I'm awake."

"Rob...don't ever take off that towel."

"Why?"
"Because under it, you're either bald or you have a head of lettuce!"

"Oh, Rob!"

"That beautiful brown helmet!"

"You were worried about me losing my hair and I go to the doctor once and looks what happens!"
"Ohhh, Rob...oohhh Rob!"

"I guess I could use a good night's sleep, too!"

"I'd Rather Be Bald Than Have No Head at All" is part of that delectable selection of episodes from The Dick Van Dyke Show with dreams featuring prominently. It's a terrific device for allowing crazy situations that otherwise would have strained the credulity of a series that was very much realistic while still being uproariously funny. The humor in 'I'd Rather Be Bald Than Have No Head at All" stands up to the test of time -- fifty years (almost) of time, and that's impressive. The Dick Van Dyke Show feels as contemporary as it did five decades ago, and it's that timeless excellence that makes watching the show a pleasure today, and will continue to make it work even more decades from now. If we've piqued your appetite to watch this episode, check it out on Hulu or Netflix! A special shout-out, of course, to actor Ned Glass who played Irwin the barber -- the acting veteran of hundreds and hundreds of roles was a particular delight here.

Congratulations on 50 great years to The Dick Van Dyke Show, and thanks to The Thrilling Days of Yesteryear for coming up with the great idea for this blogathon!

"The Dick Van Dyke Show" 50th Anniversary Blogathon Now in Progress!

2011-10-03T06:53:00.000-07:00

We direct your attention to the marvelous blog The Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, the host for a very special The Dick Van Dyke Show Blogathon in honor of the show's 50th Anniversary -- TODAY! (You can see the official Blogathon button in our sidebar.)

Do you think The Flaming Nose could stay out of this wonderful event? Hardly! We'll be posting our contribution later today, all about the hilarious third season episode "I'd Rather Be Bald Than Have No Head at All"!

Definitely visit to The Thrilling Days of Yesteryear and keep up with all the festivities, and we'd also like to specially point you over to one of our favorite bloggers Toby O'Brien and his marvelous Inner Toob blog where he looks at TV in a way that is unforgettable, fascinating, intricate and hilarious! He's doing special posts all day today on The Dick Van Dyke Show and you really don't want to miss a single one!

Happy 50th Anniversary to The Dick Van Dyke Show! You made TV history and the laughter has never stopped!

"Dexter" and "Homeland" -- Showtime's Sunday Must-Watch Choices

2011-10-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

Showtime is definitely the network of choice tonight. Yes, we know there's Boardwalk Empire on HBO, Breaking Bad continues on AMC, and Pan Am on ABC, but Showtime has them all beat. At 9pm. the always-tremendous Dexter returns for its sixth season -- can you believe it? -- and this one looks like a great one. With recurring guest stars Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica, American Family, Miami Vice, Stand and Deliver) and Colin Hanks (The Good Guys, Mad Men, The Great Buck Howard, King Kong, Roswell), this cycle of episodes promises some disturbingly evil happenings. In addition to more personal exploration of his divergent roles as serial killer and devoted father, Dexter -- Michael C. Hall -- comes up against a crazed fundamentalist zealot with a gruesome agenda of his own.

Dexter the series is adept at evolving beyond what you think it has to become -- we wonder where else can they go with this? -- and taking the drama into unforeseen avenues, thanks especially to wonderful performances by a selection of talented guests actors and the uniformly watchable regular cast. Hanks and Olmos join an illustrious parade of guest criminal cohorts -- Julia Stiles, John Lithgow, Jimmy Smits, Jaime Murray among them -- as well as good guys like the late, lamented Agent Lundy played so well by Keith Carradine. Regulars Jennifer Carpenter (the ex-Mrs. M.C. Hall), Curtis Harrington, Lauren Velez, Desmond Harrington, David Zayas, C.S. Lee and James Remar never disappoint, and this season will no doubt follow suit.

At 10pm Showtime debuts its newest drama Homeland, centered around the efforts of the Washington D.C. intelligence community to intercept terrorist threats to America. What makes this scenario especially compelling is the presence of actress Claire Danes (Emmy-winner for her title role in HBO's Temple Grandin, Me & Orson Welles, My So Called Life, Stardust) as the obsessed CIA agent Carrie Mathison. Danes is an intense and intelligent actress whose performance is riveting; you can't take your eyes off her. Co-starring with Danes are Mandy Pantinkin (he originated Che in Broadway's Evita -- one of the most amazing performances I've ever seen live -- Criminal Minds, Yentl, Chicago Hope, Alien Nation) as her CIA mentor, Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers, Dreamcatcher, Colditz) as a troubled newly-released captive of Al Qaeda, Morena Baccarin (V, Stargate SG-1) as his wife who must adjust to his return, and David Harewood (Blood Diamond, The Merchant of Venice) as Danes' antagonistic boss who resents her zeal.

The first episode of Homeland throws the viewer right into the action, giving us a hint of Carrie's dangerous work in the Middle East and setting up her expertise and fervor, as well as a tinge of 9/11 guilt (evidently shared by all at the CIA, at least in the series) for not being able to foresee that historic attack. But it's not the past that consumes Carrie, it's the future and the possibility that new operatives are trying desperately for another crack at taking down the United States. Without giving too much away, we simply say watch any of Homeland and you will be hooked -- guaranteed. Showtime has made the first episode of Homeland available free OnDemand and online at their website, and it's a powerful incentive to subscribe (at least for the three months that Dexter and Homeland will be airing) if you haven't already. (FYI, Homeland is based/inspired by the Israeli TV series Prisoners of War. Around here we also really liked Showtime's terrorism-themed drama Sleeper Cell from late 2005, and we'd love to see more episodes (which may be in the works). Worth checking out on DVD.)

We highly recommend taking in Showtime's terrific new Sunday night line-up. You won't be disappointed!

The Flaming Nose Fall TV Preview: The Final Frontier

2011-09-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

It's time to line-up all the Broadcast Networks and see the totality of the 2011 Fall TV Season.

The Fall 2011 ABC TV Schedule

The Fall 2011 CBS TV Schedule

The Fall 2011 CW TV Schedule

The Fall 2011 (and mid-season) Fox TV Schedule

The Fall 2011 NBC TV Schedule

Be sure to revisit our daily previews previously posted here:

We'll be posting our full-on reviews of the new series beginning immediately, which is pretty important -- there's a good chance some of these shows won't be around very long!

Happy Viewing!

The Flaming Nose Fall TV Preview, Part 6 & Part 7: Friday and Saturday

2011-09-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

Friday: A pair of new series on a night which already has a super-competitive 9pm hour.

At 8pm -- a timeslot where years ago CBS put a terrific little series called Joan of Arcadia and too quickly let it die but where Medium prospered quite handily -- the network goes again into the big-concept feel-good arena with A Gifted Man, a medical drama with a touch of the supernatural. Patrick Wilson (Little Children, Angels in America, Watchmen) stars as a elitist high society neurosurgeon whose deceased do-gooder-doctor ex-wife returns from the grave to advise him and help him make his life -- and the lives of those around him -- better. Jennifer Ehle (Pride and Prejudice, The King's Speech, Contagion, and she's the daughter of actress Rosemary Harris, too) is the back-from-beyond wife, Julie Benz (Dexter, No Ordinary Family) plays Wilson's unconventional sister (a role that has since been changed from regular to recurring), recent Emmy winner Margo Martindale (Dexter, Justified) as Wilson's medical office manager. Rachelle Lefevre (Swingtown, Twilight, Life on a Stick) joins the cast in the newly-created role (not in the pilot) of another doctor, as does Pablo Schreiber (The Wire) whose pilot character of a New Age spiritual leader will now be a show regular.

Jonathan Demme (Rachel Getting Married, The Manchurian Candidate, Philadelphia, The Silence of the Lambs) directed the pilot and is one of the executive producers along with Susannah Grant (writer of Erin Brokovich), and that's a good start. Probably the worst thing about A Gifted Man is its 8pm time slot; it's awfully early for something of substance, though it's happened before. A Gifted Man could definitely jump-start CBS' already strong Friday night drama line-up, plus give fans of solid genre drama an extra hour of appointment viewing. It isn't a stretch to imagine this working, especially with ghosts so popular on cable so-called reality shows, and America reportedly becoming more supersititious every day. It's easier to believe that a man's ghostly wife could come back than to have faith in our political system, isn't it?

At 9pm, NBC brings in Grimm, a series that's gotten a lot of mocking and is already on a lot of the cancellation watch lists even before it begins (on October 21st.). Grimm is the second new series (along with ABC's Once Upon a Time) set in the world of fairytale reality, and lovers of cool will enjoy its real-life co-setting of Portland, Oregon, currently the designated go-to city for hipsters. The premise of Grimm is storybook simple: The stories of the Brothers Grimm were really early efforts in criminal profiling, detailing the modus operandi of a whole slew of mythological creatures wreaking havoc on humanity. Their work is carried on by current day "Grimms" who are on the front lines of this otherworldly battle. All I can think when I hear this is that at least two excellent series with somewhat the same general storyline that bit the dust far too long ago and I'd rather have them back than this series. (I'm talking about UPN's Special Unit Two and USA Network's G vs. E...gone but not forgotten!)

You can't fault the cast assembled for Grimm: David Giuntoli (Love Bites, Turn the Beat Around) stars as a newly-minted Grimm, Russell Hornsby (Lincoln Heights, In Treatment) his non-Grimm cop partner, Silas Weir Mitchell (Prison Break, My Name is Earl, Burn Notice) a creature-turned-stool pigeon, internet actress Bitsie Tulloch (quarterlife, lonelygirl15, The Artist) is the hero's girlfriend, Reggie Lee (Prison Break, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, The Fast and the Furious, Drag Me to Hell, Tropic Thunder) is another cop in the Portland P.D., and Sasha Roiz (Caprica, Warehouse 13, and several Canadian series) is another Grimm who's also in real police work.

Will & Grace actor Sean Hayes' production company is behind this series, and you've got to give him kudos for showing some imagination. Maybe the fact that naysayers are already gunning for this one should put it on our must-watch list! But OMG -- the competition! In the same spooky genre there are Fox's excellent Fringe and CW's equally excellent Supernatural, and if you're looking for sraight police drama you'll probably opt for CBS's CSI: NY. Doesn't leave much audience underserved, does it?

And now to Saturday!

Really, there's nothing going on Saturdays...nothing new, that is. There are opportunities to watch replays of CBS and NBC shows -- not a bad thing for viewers, and if the nets are going to go into automatic pilot then economically this is a sound idea.

CBS has placed the returning David Spade/Patrick Warburton Rules of Engagement sitcom in the 8pm slot -- talk about being consigned to a desert island! Yikes! What did they do to deserve this? CBS also is running a comedy encore in the 8:30pm slot, before turning to a repeat of one of their many procedurals and then into their 48 Hour Mystery franchise.

Fox highlights the everlasting Cops in their 8pm hour -- so ahead of its time in its fascination with rednecks and the things they do! -- followed by unnamed encores and some assorted America's Most Wanted specials. AMW, after being essentially cancelled by Fox, was the subject of a heartfelt "save the show" campaign which seems to have worked. Lifetime cable network will be picking up the show beginning next May for a regular run, and that seems like a good fit. Fox will still run several specials of AMC, starting in October.

Our final post will be all the network schedules in one last look!

A farewell to a man named Andy Rooney

2011-09-28T01:30:00.001-07:00

I'd like to say here that I could come anywhere near the cleverness of that sharp, silvered gentleman who, for a long time, told it like it is each week at the end of 60 MINUTES. But I can't. I don't have the sing-song nasal voice, the regal eyebrows, the resolutely clasped hands, the piercing camera glare, the crumpled suit or the wisenheimer Irish attitude. And I certainly don't have the seasoned wisdom, the wood-hewn office with that impressive bookshelf, or the wildly charismatic jowls. Andy Rooney is retiring from 60 MINUTES this week, and with this, we can truly say an era has passed. Who'll be there to complain about computers, kids, grocery stores, shoes, or any other cultural atrocity one can finger?

Oh, of course, we'll always have our comedians. Jerry Seinfeld and Louis C.K. aren't leaving our sights any time soon. But I don't think any stand-up artist can deliver the the whallop of an Andy Rooney. No one out there can point out the foibles of each and every time period like he has week after week, much less for six decades, and certainly any comer would be without his journalistic moxie. And the astonishing thing is that Andy can annoy you and endear himself to you with every snarky remark. No matter who you are, where you are, what you are, you could always rely on Andy to tell you the truth. He didn't fall back on partisan politics; he could jab a razor at either side of the aisle. Still, you always knew where he was coming from as he retained an everyman quality whether he was talking about the Iraq war or Christmas decorations. This made it hard to give in to slapping him when he said something you disagreed with. It helped that he seemed like the kind of guy that could tell you the funniest joke you've ever heard--and bourbon wouldn't even enter the picture.

Ultimately, his two minutes each week at the end of CBS' newsmagazine powerhouse could largely be seen as the two most resolutely honest moments on all of TV all week long. And, given the copious amount of TV programming buffeting us here and there every seven days, this was quite a unique gift. Andy may have long ago segued into cranky old man territory--he didn't bother with Joe Piscopo letting him in on the joke--but that doesn't mean he's ever been out of touch. On point of fact, he embraced his encroaching age, and in doing so, he touched upon everything there is to touch upon. Maybe that's why, in his ageless early 90s, he's retiring. It's not that he has nothing more to say. It's simply that he's said it all, and eloquently at that.

Dancing with the Stars: Better Late than Never!

2011-09-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

As ABC's hit reality contest "Dancing with the Stars" enters its 13th season, I have finally joined the rest of the devoted millions who are entranced by the magic under the mirror ball. Better late than never! There is probably nothing I can say about the show that hasn't been said before by thousands of other bloggers. It has a familiar cast; an older crabby British Judge (Len Goodman) a pretty younger lady judge (Carrie Ann Inaba) and an exuberant hyper comic relief judge with a Euro-trash accent (Bruno Tonioli). They score the dancing contestants on Monday nights while viewers call or text their votes. On Tuesday night the low hanging fruit is eliminated. It's certainly a winning formula, as both DWTS and the singing competition American Idol remain two of the top rated TV shows on the air.

What sets DWTS apart from AI, is the seasonal parade of mostly B and C list celebrities who compete against each other for top prize. Occasionally they will feature someone who is truly a leader in their field...Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, for example. This year's set includes the following:

Carson Kressley: Emmy winning TV star (Queer Eye) and fashion expert who admits that he can't dance, Carson has provided the most humor and highest level of energy early in the season. I hope he sticks around, and I think he botoxed his lips. Let's see if they deflate as the weeks pass by.
Chaz Bono: LGBT activist and author, Chaz is more than just the son of famous acting duo Sonny and Cher. I'm hoping he will last long enough to prove that Mom's A+ performance genes might kick in, but so far he has brought a lot of drama with sore knees and low energy. I don't believe poor Chaz is used to this much exercise, so hopefully he will find the stamina somewhere.
Chynna Phillips: Singer and actress, she seems fit, pretty and graceful. The judges seem to love her so far, and I think she will be a front runner on the leader board.
David Arquette: I thought he was famous for being Rosanna's brother and Courtney Cox's ex husband, but apparently he is also an actor/producer. Does anyone else think that David is just a taco or two short of a combo plate? There's something just a little strange about this boy, and I can't quite put my finger on it. Even he defines himself as "silly". He can dance, however, and that's what this is all about.
Elisabetta Canalis: Italian supermodel, actually bores me to death. I don't see her lasting long, she does not seem very compelling.
Kristin Cavallari: Apparently Kristin is a former MTV reality show star. I wouldn't recognize her on the street if she came up and bit me on the nose. She is blond. And an OK dancer. Meh.
Hope Solo: Soccer Superstar is widely considered to be one of the best female goalies in the world. Athletes have performed extremely well on DWTS in the past, with Olympic medalist Apolo Ohno winning in 2007. So far she can hold her own on the dance floor.
J.R. Martinez: Just two episodes into the season, J.R. (pictured at the top of the post) is already being touted as the one to beat. He is an immensely appealing guy. An Iraq war veteran who overcame severe burns and injuries, he has become an ABC daytime soap star. He's witty, uplifting and best of all, a very coordinated and exciting dancer. I'm rooting for J.R. to go all the way.
Nancy Grace: Former attorney and (now) TV star, Ms. Grace is providing the most drama on the show next to Chaz. This week she had a wardrobe malfunction, unleashing what one judge called "the twins". She might consider a better constructed costume for next week. I suggest one made out of Kevlar.
Ricki Lake: The TV talk show host is a natural dancer who is taking this competition seriously. I like her a lot, and expect that she's going to be a finalist.
Rob Kardashian: Brother of the Kardashian sisters and reality TV celebrity, Rob spends life in the shadow of his insanely rich and widely despised sisters. Right off the bat, that underdog status makes me want to be in his corner. He is also charmingly honest and unaffected about his weight and other less than buff attributes. Rob did a fine job under the mirror ball last night.

Who will go home tonight? I think being boring is more fraught with peril than lack of talent at this stage of the show, so I'm going to make a long shot prediction for Ms. Elisabetta. Chaz is really struggling, although I believe most people (and ABC) would like to see how the human interest story plays out. Ice those knees, Chaz!

Depending on the response, the Nose will decide if we want to make DWTS a regular feature. Give us your comments folks. Here's J.R. jumping and jiving from Monday night to get you in the mood.

The Flaming Nose Fall TV Preview, Part 5: Thursday!

2011-09-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

Thursday: Lots of new on a night that's fraught with tough competition for all!

At 8pm, Fox offers the 2nd half of its The X Factor from Wednesday. The X Factor Results Show will rely on what happens the previous night. If the show doesn't hit, Fox will have two dead spaces on the schedule, which seems highly unlikely.

Also a 8pm, ABC debuts their reboot of Charlie's Angels, with producing power including Drew Barrymore who was involved in the Charlie's Angels features. Are people thinking that the original Charlie's Angels was a deep, thoughtful series that somehow a flirty, superficial remake is disrespecting? The original was of course immensely popular, but for tight t-shirts, visible nipples, attractive female stars -- glitz, not guts. Let's not forget that when judging today's Charlie's Angels. Today's Angels are a multi-racial trio, equally as attractive as the original Angels, with a new Bosley who's a hunky Latino (Ramon Rodriguez -- Day Break, Battle: Los Angeles), with an eye for the ladies. Victor Garber (Alias, Titanic) supplies the voice of Charlie, his languid narration a bit too tepid to crank up the excitement level. Australian Rachael Taylor (Transformers, Bottle Shock) plays the rich girl Angel, Annie Ilonzeh (General Hospital) is the bad cop Angel, and Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood) is the Angel who steps in when her sister is killed. Charlie's Angels is a steamy Miami-based action-adventure, nothing special, not particularly good, unmemorable, but it won't kill you. Neither will it charm you or make you want to watch another episode, probably.

At 8:30pm following The Big Bang Theory, CBS debuts How To Be a Gentleman, based on the book of the same name, a sitcom that belongs into the mini-genre of shows bemoaning the feminization of masculinity. No denying the great cast here -- David Hornsby (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Kevin Dillon (Entourage), Dave Foley (NewsRadio, The Kids in the Hall), Mary Lynn Rajskub (24, Punch Drunk Love), Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords), and Nancy Lenehan (The New Adventures of Old Christine, Worst Week). That is a tremendous list of people, many personal favorites of The Flaming Nose in there. In a nutshell, etiquette columnist Hornsby hires his old friend/fitness guru Dillon to teach him how to butch up. Dillon was always the best thing about Entourage, Foley is always outstanding, Darby adorable, Rajskub strange and wonderful -- what's not to like about this? Its terrific lead-in will give it a strong leg-up, but the provenance of How To Be a Gentleman will keep it around. If this turns out to be the less weird and more mainstream 8:30pm comedy -- compared to NBC's great but far from invincible Parks & Recreation -- How To Be a Gentleman will be a go-to show for the long haul.

At 9pm, CBS brings in its new cop drama Person of Interest, starring two of the eeriest actors anywhere, paired together in a complicated crime-solving premise involving ex-CIA operatives, mysterious billionaires, and unorthodox tactics. Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ, Angel Eyes) and Michael Emerson (Emmy winner for Lost and The Practice, Saw) join up to try to stop crimes before they happen, using super-secret computer software and their own brilliant minds. Also starring are Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Larry Crowne) and Kevin Chapman (Brotherhood, Rescue Me). Hard -- make that impossible -- to imagine that this won't work, with a good lead-in and CBS' expertise in the crime drama genre.

Also at 9pm, the CW brings in The Secret Circle, coming out of the strong (for them) cult favorite The Vampire Diaries. The Secret Circle is about a modern day coven of witches called The Secret Circle, and the young woman who returns to her mother's hometown only to learn that her destiny lies within the Circle, too. This is prime CW fare, and they know how to do it up right, with a cast full of gorgeous young thespians and enough supernaturality to keep things interesting. Britt Robertson (Life Unexpected) stars, along with Thomas Dekker (Cinema Verite, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Gale Harold (Queer as Folk, Hellcats), Australians Phoebe Tonkin and Louis Hunter, Shelley Hennig (Days of Our Lives), Jessica Parker Kennedy (50/50), and Natasha Henstridge (Species, Eli Stone). There's no reason why fans of The Vampire Diaries should even consider changing the channel -- The Secret Circle was made just for them. Hard to imagine other than a young demo being drawn to this, what with so many other very strong choices out there, but the CW would be happy just making sure their core audience is kept content.

NBC at 9:30pm slots in new half-hour sitcom Whitney, starring comedienne Whitney Cummings (who's also creator of CBS' Monday night offering Two Broke Girls) as Whitney, one-half of a happily unmarried couple who are facing increased pressure -- from friends, family, and society -- to get officially hitched. Stand-up comedienne Cummings (Chelsea Lately, Money Shot, Punk'd) stars (her character's a photographer), with Chris D'Elia (Glory Daze, Lopez Tonight) as her boyfriend who evidently lives off his profits from selling an internet company, Zoe Lister-Jones (Delocated, Bored to Death, Breaking Upwards) as a good friend, Maulik Pancholy (30 Rock) as her boyfriend, Rhea Seehorn (I'm With Her, The Shaggy Dog) as a dagger-tongued divorcee, and Dan O'Brien (The Greatest Movie Ever Made) as a next-door neighbor who's a cop and an inveterate womanizer.

Since we've seen the pilot, we'll say that Whitney is no Liz Lemon, that's for sure; Whitney is as over-confident about her sexuality as Liz is under, and this includes feeling good about putting on naughty nurse costumes and showing off her ass. You're going to have to be a fan of Whitney Cummings to really enjoy Whitney, because though as pure sitcom it's not exactly bland, it is wince-worthy as it combines nasty talk with otherwise very conventional set-up and pacing and ultimately nothing new under the sun. Co-star Seehorn as the cynical divorced friend seemed to have all the good lines in the scenes she was in, more than Whitney had, anyway. Plus Cummings isn't too confident or natural in her line readings. I think the better bet is to catch her behind-the-scenes comic chops in Two Broke Girls over on CBS. I'm sure it seems like a wonderful thing to have another multi-talented female comedy force out there, but she may not have quite the depth right now to headline her own show. But we will see if Whitney catches on...

At 10pm, NBC introduces their remake of the acclaimed British series Prime Suspect, substituting actress Maria Bello (The Cooler, A History of Violence, Auto Focus, The Company Men, Grown Ups, ER) for Helen Mirren, and those are some shoes to fill, but she's up to the challenge. The rest of the cast is impressive, too, all strong actors (and we mean actors because they are all guys): the talented Aidan Quinn (An Early Frost, Benny and Joon) co-stars, along with Kirk Acevedo (Oz, Fringe, Band of Brothers), Peter Gerety (Brothers & Sisters, The Wire) as Bello's father, Tim Griffin (Star Trek, Iron Man, Grey's Anatomy, Party of Five), Damon Gupton (Unfaithful, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Deadline), Bryan F. O'Byrne (Flash Forward, Mildred Pierce, Tony winner for Frozen), and Kenny Johnson (The Shield, Sons of Anarchy, Saving Grace).

If you watched the original version of you know the story -- tough woman comes into a detective squad, makes waves rather than friends, and doesn't let the department politics or gossip deter her from getting the bad guys. While we know that there's no way that this U.S. version can ever exactly duplicate the taut British brilliance that was Mirren in Prime Suspect, we can at least hope that it hasn't been Americanized too much and dumbed down past tolerance. Many japes have been thrown about because of the weird hats that they've put Maria Bello in, no doubt to demonstrate her edgy uniqueness, but they don't do her any favors and maybe they'll be toned down in future episodes. This is sort of another "how can it lose" situation, but if lead-in Whitney doesn't get some loyal viewers/ decent numbers, and CBS' Person of Interest hits the deck at full force and funnels viewers straight into The Mentalist, then Prime Suspect will have a difficult time getting its niche going. Maybe this will be the one that gets DVRed and watched later on. It's hard to imagine that any lover of police procedurals is going to ignore Prime Suspect completely, but it might not have the impact to warrant original eyeball viewing on Thursday nights. Early reviews are lukewarm, too.

Next up, Fridays and Saturdays, one of which is interesting and one of which is the same-old, same-old.

The Flaming Nose Fall TV Preview, Part 4: Wednesday!

2011-09-21T16:24:00.000-07:00

Wednesday:
Lots of new offerings, with only CBS keeping to old favorites with their line-up on this day.

NBC leads off with two new sitcoms in the 8- 9pm hour. First up is 8pm entry Up All Night, with excellent production credentials -- Loren Michael (SNL, 30 Rock), Emily Spivey (Parks and Recreation, SNL) -- and equally top-notch front-of-camera talent. Check out this cast -- Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?, Jesse, Married With Children) as TV talk show producer who's about to go back to work after having a baby, Will Arnett (Arrested Development, 30 Rock, Running Wilde, Blades of Glory) as her house-husband, Maya Rudolph(SNL, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups, Away We Go) as the star of the talk show, and Nick Cannon (America's Got Talent, The Nick Cannon Show). Clearly up to the task, Christina and Will play new parents contending with the awesome task of raising an infant, modern style -- that is, full of snark, sarcasm, and self-congratulation. Of course the baby is cute and the writing on Up All Night is funny and clever, but it's all about a certain life stage. Does it have enough wide appeal to transcend its very specific niche -- neurotic upper middle class (double-wide Sub Zero fridge proves it) first-time parents -- and haul in general baby-lovers and family comedy-lovers? Also, can we buy Will Arnett, who usually specializes in kind of creepy and hard-edged comedy characterizations, as a concerned and caring parent? I'm not sure it's a done deal, but Up All Night is an attractive package and it's all about the baby, don't forget that.

At 8:30pm NBC brings in Free Agents, a sophisticated comedy which really doesn't belong in the 8:30pm time slot, by virtue of some very salty talk. Adapted from the British series of the same name, Free Agents takes on the dilemma of a once-married couple struggling to re-enter the dating scene, of course fighting those ol' romantic feelings which still simmer between them. The series stars Hank Azaria (The Simpsons, Huff, Tuesdays with Morrie), Kathryn Hahn (Crossing Jordan, Hung), Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Mo Mandel (Chelsea Lately, Love Bites), Natasha Leggero (Ugly Americans, Nick Swardson's Pretend Time), Al Madrigal (Gary Unmarried, Wizards of Waverly Place), and Joe LoTrulio (Sons of Tucson, Reno 911!, Backwash). Free Agents couldn't be truly horrible with such a talented cast, but it does have a sad sack quality that the British do so well -- and believably -- but whether this American re-do can achieve what The Office did isn't guaranteed. (The original Brit version will be coming to BBC America in October; it stars the terrific Stephen Mangan from Episodes). Free Agents U.S.-style (a least in the pilot) seems not to know whether to make fun of Azaria or empathize with him, and his office-mates are a horrible bunch. Eh. Maybe if it were on cable, darker, sadder, more desperate, it would actually be something we'd try to watch.

Fox at 8pm brings in Simon Cowell's The X Factor, the U.S. version of the series that has been on top in the U.K. for seven seasons. Cowell's expertise in the singing competition genre is unquestioned, and this one is different because the initial auditions are performed not only in front of the judges but in front of an audience. The winning contestants advance through several stages -- Boot Camp, Judge's Houses -- and finally to the long audience performance finals. Serving as The X Factor judges with Cowell are L.A. Reid, head of Island Def Jam Records, Nicole Scherzinger (Dancing with the Stars, member of The Pussycat Dolls group), and Paula Abdul, whose history with Cowell from American Idol adds to this new program's sizzle. Could this not work? Unlikely. Nail-biting suspense and raw emotions will assure The X Factor is Fox's newest phenomemon. (Not until the end of November does Fox bring in its Jaime Pressly/Katie Finneran comedy I Hate My Teenage Daughter, so let's just hold off on that for now!).

Unfortunately set up at 8pm against The X Factor over on CW is a new series with a cute premise, the Mario Lopez-hosted H8R. The affable Lopez (Extra, Nip/Tuck) brings people who hate a certain celebrity together with that celebrity who then tries to win over the hater. Two haters and two celebrities per episode, celebs like Snooki from Jersey Shore or Eva Longoria meet their loathers -- maybe a funny premise and certainly of interest if you devour People magazine. In a horribly tough time slot but maybe CW's loyal audience will get into the catty vibe and glom onto H8R.

At 8:30pm, ABC debuts new sitcom Suburgatory, about a single father who discovers his teen daughter is going wild and decides to move them away from big NYC to a calmer life in the suburbs. Jeremy Sisto (Law & Order, Kidnapped, Six Feet Under) stars as the alarmed dad, Jane Levy (Shameless) is his precocious daughter, Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Waitress) their new next-door neighbor, Carly Chaikin her daughter, plus Rex Lee (Entourage), Alan Tudyk (Dollhouse, V, Firefly) and newly-announced Jay Mohr (Gary Unmarried, Ghost Whisperer, Action) will be joining as Hines' husband. The buzz is pretty good on this one and it's certainly got a great home snug in ABC's very successful Wednesday comedy block.

At 10pm ABC premieres Revenge, about a spurned young woman who returns to a hoity-toity Hamptons neighborhood to wreak vengeance on those who ruined her family's life years before. Emily VanCamp(Everwood, Brothers & Sisters) stars as the wronged lass, and the rest of the cast is plenty impressive, too, including Madeleine Stowe (The Last of the Mohicans, 12 Monkeys), Henry Czerny (The Tudors, Clear and Present Danger, Mission: Impossible), and a whole bunch more. Buzz is also good on this one, with the swank setting and super-soapy melodramatic mystery of Revenge hitting a lot of the right buttons.

Next up, the strong and very important weeknight Thursday!

The Flaming Nose Fall TV Preview Pt. 3: Tuesday

2011-09-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

Tuesday: Some new comedies, including one of the buzziest this season, and two intriguing dramas make for an interesting night of TV.

ABC breaks out two new half-hour comedies in the 8pm hour, both with excellent behind-the-scenes names and dedicated to the proposition that it's not easy being a guy these days. Sitcom legend Tim Allen (Home Improvement, Galaxy Quest) returns to the weekly grind in Last Man Standing, about a guy whose changing home situation puts him at comedic odds with his strong-willed all-female family. Nancy Travis (Becker, Duckman, The Bill Engvall Show) plays Allen's wife; Molly Ephraim, Kaitlyn Deaver (Justified) and Alexandra Krosney play their three daughters. Veteran actor Hector Elizondo (Grey's Anatomy, Monk, Chicago Hope) plays Tim's boss, the head honcho of a huge sporting goods store. Jack Burditt (30 Rock, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Just Shoot Me!, Frasier) is among the several executive producers of the show, and his deft touch could make this premise workable. There have been some feminist rumblings that this show is dreadful stereotypical nonsense full of misogynistic ranting, and well...that's comedy for you. The theme of the emasculated man is common this season in sitcom land, but I wouldn't put much sociological coin on it. Either you laugh at this kind of humor or you don't; ABC is hoping that Tim Allen's fan base hasn't forgotten how much they like him.

Man Up! is ABC's 8:30pm entry, this one also with a good producer pedigrees, including Victor Fresco's (Mad About You, My Name is Earl, Better Off Ted). Modern men + romance troubles + male identity crises = Man Up!, where embattled leads Christopher Moynihan (According to Jim, and that bad adaptation of Coupling several seasons back), Mather Zickel (Reno 911!, The Cape), and Dan Fogler (Balls of Fury, Fanboys) jovially fight to maintain hold on their dwindling masculinity, while ultra-guy Henry Simmons (Shark, N.Y.P.D. Blue) effortlessly carries on. The ladies in their lives -- Teri Polo (Meet the Parents, The West Wing) and Amanda Detmer (Private Practice, Necessary Roughness) -- offer the distaff complications. Nothing stand-out about Man Up!, with its agreeable guys and gals, but if lead-in Last Man Standing finds success with an audience of disgrunted males and sympathetic female viewers, it may be enough to pull Man Up! along in its wake. (Does the title have an "!" or not? I've seen it both ways; I'm going with the emphatic!)

As the lead-out for a maybe-past-its-glory Glee, at 9pm Fox slots the half-hour comedy New Girl, one of the most buzzed-about new series this Fall. If you haven't been made aware yet of star Zooey Deschanel and her awe-inspiring adorability, you've obviously been hiding out somewhere deep and dark. Deschanel (500 Days of Summer, Elf, Tin Man, Weeds, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) is the slacker's sweetheart, the hipster's heartthrob, and ladies seem to like her, too. Wide-eyed, wistful and weird, Deschanel's character Jess in New Girl lives one of those unlikely only-in-Hollywood plotlines -- the one where a totally cute and hilarious woman can't seem to find a date. It's also the world where she ends up being platonic friend and roommate with a trio of guys -- Jake Johnson (No Strings Attached, lots of net comedy shorts), Max Greenfield (Ugly Betty, Veronica Mars, Greek), and Lamorne Morris (replacing Damon Wayans Jr. who ended up in ABC's Wednesday show Happy Endings; Morris has been in lots of comedy shorts) -- of varying degrees of likeability. Jess's also got a dry-witted model as a best friend, played by Hannah Simone (host of SyFy's WGC Ultimate Gamer series).

Fox has made the pilot available all over the web, which might help garner some sympathy and interest for this show whose hopes lies solely on the charm of Zooey to bewitch the audience. I wouldn't call New Girl (at least the pilot) funny exactly; maybe its secret weapon is just to put you in kind of a good mood trance from watching Deschanel's guileless good-hearted insousiance. It worked for the movies Amelie and Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky, both of which also featured dark-haired charmers who tended to positively influence the world around them, but the films had an edge, too. (Especially Happy-Go-Lucky -- watch the movie!) Is that the aim of New Girl -- to give us something more -- or is Jess merely going to be like a cute but incorrigible puppy whose adorableness makes you forgive the poop on the carpet? Are we supposed to think she has all the answers, or just that she's an idiosyncratic oddity? Zooey is a smart performer and has tremendous personal charisma, and maybe she can take this into a place where it might surprise us. We'd like that, because at the risk of sounding churlish, there's just not quite enough going on with New Girl to justify all the clamor.

At 9pm the CW offers up the return to network TV of fan favorite Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) in Ringer, a CBS reject which nevertheless retains a CBS veneer of class, now combined with CW's pizazz. Gellar has grown up gorgeous and her acting prowess as right as on ever, as she plays a pair of identical twins -- one living the deluxe life, and one who's in trouble with the law -- who are embroiled in sophisticated criminality and unending mystery. The very good actor Ioan Gruffud (Fantastic Four, W, Horrible Bosses) plays the rich twin's husband, Kristoffer Polaha (Life Unexpected, Man Men) is a handsome friend, Nestor Carbonell (The Dark Knight, Lost) is an FBI man keeping tabs on one of the twins, and Mike Colter (The Good Wife, Million Dollar Baby) is the troubled twin's NA sponsor and true friend. The plot is all twisty-and-turny but there's a lot of wit in evidence, too. Ringer is designed to keep the loyal CW younger viewers interested, but also attract a slightly older demo -- starting with grown-up Buffy fans (the show ended eight years ago) -- who are looking for some high-class excitement in a classy show starring a talented TV veteran actress.

10pm brings the new CBS entry Unforgettable, about a police detective with the ultra-rare condition known as HSAM (Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory) who can remember everything except anything about how her sister was murdered. The neatest thing about this show may be that plucky actress Marilu Henner is a consultant on the series because she really has HSAM, and she's set for a guest shot on the show, too. Poppy Montgomery (Without a Trace, Blonde) stars along with Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck, Everwood), Michael Gaston (Jericho), Kevin Rankin (Friday Night Lights), and actress/dancer Daya Vaidya. CBS knows and loves police procedurals -- they never seem to let the network down -- and CBS also knows how to make a female-led show (like their past success Cold Case) rise to the top of the heap. Coming out of a double NCIS lead, Unforgettable is sitting pretty, with ABC's Body of Proof its main competiton. Interested viewers aren't going to need a reminder to check out Unforgettable!

Next up, anything but middle-of-the-road middle-of-the-week Wednesday!

The Flaming Nose Fall TV Preview, Pt. 2: Monday!

2011-09-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

Monday: An interesting quartet of new series show up brand new on Monday nights this fall, something -- as they always like to say -- for everyone.

CBS adds one new comedy to their newly-invigorated -- thanks to Ashton Kutcher replacing Charlie Sheen in Two and a Half Men -- but always very successful line-up. 2 Broke Girls -- premiering on 9/19 at 9:30pm but its regular slot is 8:30p -- comes from Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City, The Comeback, Will & Grace) and Whitney Cummings, the hot young-ish comedienne who also stars in her own eponymous sitcom Thursdays nights on NBC this season. Channeling some Laverne & Shirley vibes, it's the tale of two slightly down-on-their-luck but plucky young women -- one is a disinherited heiress, the other a hard-knocks waitress -- who team up as roommates and restaurant co-workers. Beth Behrs stars as the ex-socialite Caroline, Kat Dennings (E.R., Raising Dad) is the quick-witted Max, improv comic Jonathan Kite is their co-worker, Garrett Morris (SNL) the restaurant's cashier, and Matthew Moy is their boss. This one's all about the chemistry between the two leads, and all indications are that they complement each other well and aren't afraid to get into some physical comedy. Can 2 Broke Girls connect with the funnybone of a Americans facing a depressed real-life economy and still get the laughs? They've got a great timeslot and we know CBS wouldn't put a mess in there.

Debuting on Monday 9/19 at 10pm, NBC brings in the second Mad Men-era-inspired series with The Playboy Club, an evocation of ring-a-ding Chicago of the early 1960s where Hugh Hefner started his first gentleman's key club. Produced by Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind, 24, and so many more), The Playboy Club offers up a seductive mix of adventure, intrigue, beautiful ladies, and the delights of a vanished era, long gone with the tides of social and political change. You can expect a bevy of gorgeous and talented ladies in the cast -- Amber Heard (Zombieland, Pineapple Express), acclaimed theatrical actress Laura Benanti, Canadian actress Leah Renee, Naturi Naughton (Notorious, and part of the singing group 3LW), and Jenna Dewan Tatum (Set Up, Step Up). The male leads are also impressive -- Eddie Cibrian (Third Watch, CSI: Miami) and David Krumholz (Numb3rs, Ray), along with Wes Ramsey (The Guiding Light, Charmed).

As with the stewardesses of ABC's Pan Am, the alluring sexual mystique inherent in the Bunnies fuels the The Playboy Club, but for a start the series will have to be lots peppier than Mad Men to succeed on a broadcast network. It's got some tough competition in the 10pm from ABC's Castle and CBS' successful Hawaii 5-0 reboot returning from last season. What audience isn't being served there already? And wouldn't you really rather see a show about Hugh Hefner's empire on a pay cable outlet? Yes, I realize that Playboy Bunnies weren't anywhere close to call girls, but even the intellectual climate necessary to adequately portray Hefner's monumental achievement doesn't seem like network TV country. Good luck to The Playboy Club, though, because it will no doubt look gorgeous while it lasts.

On Fox at 8pm, debuting Monday 9/26, is the long delayed (from last May) but much anticipated Terra Nova, a science fiction adventure from Steven Spielberg and an impressive list of executive producers with credits like 24, Castle, The Borgias, Nikita and other similarly classy series. A hundred and fifty years from now the Earth is on its last legs, humanity essentially over, until a time rift makes it possible to send people back in time to re-establish the human race at a point in the planet's past, thus ensuring the continuation of the species. That point is 85 million years ago, and the brave adventurers who make the journey back face unbelievable horrors from both the hostile creatures of that prehistoric time as well as the human companions who've made the journey with them.

Avatar's Steven Lang, a terrific actor and dynamic presence, plays the pioneer leader of the mission, heading a cast that includes Jason O'Mara (Men in Trees, Life on Mars), Shelly Conn (Mistresses), Christine Adams (Tron: Legacy) and the young actors playing Conn and O'Mara's children. According to reports, the 8pm time slot necessitated a shift in emphasis to place the plight of the transplanted family at center stage in the drama, which definitely takes it out of Lost territory, at least. (But instead of Lost in Space, think "Lost in Time"...) To keep your dinosaurs straight, Terra Nova takes place in the Cretaceous Period, the prehistoric time which followed the Juraissic Period, a plot point that was deliberate in order to separate this from Spielberg's previous forays into the latter. And don't worry about the Mass Extinction event that marked the division between the Cretaceous and the Tertiary Period -- that happened 65 million years ago so the Terra Nova time travelers will have at least 20 million years to play around.

Promising at least one dinosaur per episode, the spare-no-expense Terra Nova could be great but we're wondering if the family-orientation will suck the juice out of the premise. We're hoping not, and any self-respecting dinosaur-loving kid (are kids still into dinosaurs?) would also prefer plenty of excitement and very little soap opera from a show like Terra Nova. If it becomes too much of a family drama, no matter what perils may lurk outside hearth and home, it will lose viewers craving action and intensity. Cross your fingers that Terra Nova gives us plenty of what we're looking for!

At 9pm, the CW offers up a distaff, soap opera version of Doc Hollywood in Hart of Dixie, the story of a beautiful and privileged NYC med school graduate who ends up practicing in rural Alabama and learning the meaning of life. This is a romance novel for young women come to life, and as that fits in perfectly to CW's target demo and strength. Rachel Bilson (The O.C.) stars as Dr. Zoe Hart, along with Scott Porter (Friday Night Lights), model-turned-actress Jamie King, Wilson Bethel (The Young and the Restless), and Cress Williams (Friday Night Lights). This show is a good companion piece to its lead-in show Gossip Girl, and I think we can rest assured it won't be the last series to use Southern stereotypes to make a point.

Next Up: Pt. 3, Tuesday, coming tomorrow morning!

The Flaming Nose Fall 2011 Network TV Preview, Pt. 1: Sunday Night

2011-09-19T18:25:00.000-07:00

Another year, another TV season, another batch of hopefuls, each eyeing a full-season pick-up and maybe life beyond even that. It doesn't happen very often, and even less often these days with so much TV available on venues other than network TV, and yet...it still matters. Even though most of us don't even receive the broadcast networks over-the-air anymore -- everybody's a cable or satellite channel now, even if they don't start out that way -- they are the bedrock of TV and will remain so until their economic model completely poops out. Let's hope that isn't too soon.

We'll start at the very beginning, which for us is Sunday night. If we were going ala classic TV Guide, we'd start on Saturday, but that's just too out of the box even for TFN. (Besides, Saturdays now are mostly encores of what's playing the rest of the week, so it definitely shouldn't lead the pack.) So Sunday it is.

Sunday: ABC is throwing the most out there, with two new series skewed towards the non-youthful (who are watching Fox), non-general male (who are with the NFL), non older-audience (CBS's traditional line-up) available. Actually, they've gone quite imaginative, with the fairy-tales-are-real drama Once Upon a Time at 8pm, and Pan Am -- their attempt to capture some of the 1960s Mad Men style -- at 10pm out of a declining Desperate Housewives. Fox is adding the new comedy series Allen Gregory (voices by Jonah Hill and French Stewart), about a precocious spoiled rich kid who transfers into a public elementary school, into their always successful animation line-up in the secure 8:30pm slot.

Coming at us first from ABC will be Pan Am (premiering in two weeks on September 25). Historically speaking, the most famous and popular stewardess movie from the period Pan Am is set was 1963's Come Fly With Me, starring Dolores Hart (who left Hollywood to become a nun), Pamela Tiffin and Hugh O'Brian, and while Pan Am may strive for the same wardrobe groove, it's a whole new flight pattern. (The flight attendant genre also got a kick from the book/TV movie Coffee, Tea or Me? and the section in 2002's feature Catch Me If You Can where the serial imposter played by Leonardo DiCaprio masquerades as a Pan Am pilot.) Though most of the glamour has gone out of air travel these days, Pan Am aims to recreate the era when boarding a plane was full of excitement, the stewardesses all pert and young and the pilots stalwart and handsome. Will nostalgia for that long-gone time entice audiences enough to tune into Pan Am? Is the promise of a talented and good-looking young cast enough to bring viewers to the gate?

Christina Ricci stars, long grown up from her Wednesday Addams days and a very talented actress (stunning in Monster, among other roles) who leads the female contingent including talented Quebec actress Katrine Vanasse, Australian Margot Robbie, and Kelli Garner. In the pilot cabin are Michael Mosley (Scrubs) and Mike Vogel (The Help, Blue Valentine). You can't base a show only on costumes and a snazzy mise-en-scene, and maybe we're going to wish this were on cable so that at least we'd get some nudity. The airplane-in-distress genre hardly seems appropriate anymore, so probably nix that trope used to pep up most aviation-set movies over the years. Is there actually an overwhelming desire for more 1960s style? (We'll ask more questions like this when we discuss NBC's The Playboy Club.) Pan Am promises romance, espionage, adventure and the show clips look jazzy and gorgeous. Will we be a frequent flier on ABC's Pan Am? Book us an aisle seat for now...

Premiering on October 23rd on ABC, Once Upon a Time boasts a provenance including writers from Lost, something that already puts this on the viewing short list, and a fanciful storybook setting that's at the very least intriguing. A great cast -- Jennifer Morrison (House, M.D.), Ginnifer Godwin (Big Love), Lana Parrilla (Miami Medical, Swingtown), Robert Carlyle (The Full Monty, Hamish Macbeth, Trainspotting), Josh Dallas (Thor), and Jared Gilmore (Don Draper's son on Mad Men) -- ably populates this parallel world-tale.

Anybody who's been eating up Game of Thrones, Spartacus, True Blood, or anything else remotely fabulous and fantastic will want to tune into Once Upon a Time, if nothing else than to see a show lavishly produced with all the oomph that a broadcast network can throw behind a show. Unfortunately, imaginative premises don't always guarantee anything, particularly viewer loyalty, but if Once Upon a Time can grab enough female viewers away from The Amazing Race (viewers who already clearly like adventure, but ostensibly more realistic) it might have a chance. ABC doesn't have a designated rerun slot anywhere on its schedule to replay OUaT -- unfortunate -- but if there's enough positive buzz and the promise of wondrous things on the small screen then we'll be cheering for this one to work. Fantasy isn't easy on TV -- hey, nothing really is anymore -- but if it's imagination you're seeking, Once Upon a Time could be your favorite destination this fall.

Pt. 2: Monday, coming up next!

63rd Annual Emmy Awards Had a Few Good Moments

2011-09-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

It was a night of expected (cringe worthy musical numbers) and unexpected (Charlie Sheen clear eyed and sober...wait, what?). It was the best award ceremony ever for women who are not size 2 and men who are not 6'2. It had laughs from hilarious host Jane Lynch, and tears for those actors who are no longer with us as Leonard Cohen's hypnotic anthem "Hallelujah" was sung in the back ground.

The 63rd Annual Emmy Award ceremony aired on FOX Sunday night and it had something for everyone, including a large infusion of Hollywood greats (like Kate Winslet and Martin Scorcese) the likes of which wouldn't have been caught dead slumming in the vast wasteland of television 20 years ago. Guess what? TV is cool now, with just as much quality and star power (sometimes more) than motion pictures. Any given episode of "Mad Men" is just as fabulous as something you have to buy a ticket for, and it won Best Drama again last night.

I loved seeing Leonard Nimoy as Mr. President of Television in the opening segment and I thought it was great when Melissa McCarthy (Mike and Molly) was crowned pageant style with a tiara by her fellow nominees for Best Comedy Actress. This was her year, as everybody who saw Bridesmaids knows she stole the show there too. Also -- as the world's 2nd biggest Game of Thrones fan (my son is #1), I was thrilled to see Peter Dinklage win for his breakout role as Tyrion Lannister. He was so shocked to win he charmingly thanked his dog sitter along with his manager.

The musical number spoofing Michael Bolton and his over the top angst filled ballads was so exquisitely weird, it will probably go viral on YouTube. Worth watching if only to see the blue spandex back up singers. Here, let's help it go there. Sorry, I wish the quality could be better...

The Flaming Nose TV Blog Emmy Award Picks

2011-09-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

This is a little less elaborate of an Emmy posting than we usually do; are we getting old, or is it just too confusing with a huge number of the winners already having won at the Creative Arts section of the awards, and the rest coming up tonight? Too hard for me, but please consult this excellent list at Gold Derby.com of who's gotten the statuettes so far. Jane Lynch from Glee hosts.

But we've got some/most of the other big categories here, with a little editorial comment and our picks/predictions in red. (Actually mine; The Flaming Nose often has many opinions!)

DRAMA

Outstanding Drama Series

Boardwalk Empire -- grand achievement, fairly cold and probably not quite ascending to the MM level

Dexter -- consistently good and entertaining but probably not a stand-out season in this company

Friday Night Lights -- a truly decent show and an honor to be in this category

Game of Thrones -- maybe too cult-ish for a general win, but a good surprise and deserved a nomination

The Good Wife -- good solid network show

Mad Men -- lots of nominations, great season, no reason it shouldn't win

Outstanding Actress in a Drama

Kathy Bates, Harry's Law

Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights

Mireille Enos, The Killing

Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order: SVU

Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife -- A favorite of many who has been overlooked, and from a network show, too

Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

Outstanding Supporting Actress in A Drama

Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire

Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife

Christine Baranski, The Good Wife

Margo Martindale, Justified -- Mamy good vibes for this solid actress in this interesting series

Michelle Forbes, The Killing

Christina Hendricks, Mad Men

Outstanding Actor in a Drama

Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire -- If not Hamm then Buscemi, a veteran who's always superb

Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights -- the show is ending but a little too soft for a win

Michael C. Hall, Dexter -- the show is cruising along just fine but nothing unusual considering the competition

John Hamm, Mad Men -- If Bryan Cranston were in here, he'd take it, but Hamm has the field now and should finally triumph
Hugh Laurie, House -- he's got enough money to not worry about awards

Timothy Olyphant, Justified -- the show is a critical favorite and without Hamm or Cranston he could rise to win one of these years

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama

Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones -- We're going with Dinklage's charismatic performance in this intriguing series.

Josh Charles, The Good Wife

Alan Cumming, The Good Wife

Walton Goggins, Justified

John Slattery, Mad Men

Andrew Braugher, Men of a Certain Age

COMEDY

Outstanding Comedy Series

Big Bang Theory

Glee

Modern Family -- The bloom may be a little off this series but probably still on top here

The Office

Parks and Recreation

30 Rock

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie -- hardly a comedy, not played for laughs most of the time, great actress always, though.

Tina Fey, 30 Rock -- Not the best season, award should go elsewhere

Laura Linney, The Big C -- she's a great actress but the series tries way too hard

Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly -- more traditional network show but a deserved nod for Melissa

Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope -- good idiosyncratic turn

Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation -- let's give it to a real comedienne!

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy

Jane Lynch, Glee -- her hosting gig is her win tonight

Betty White, Hot In Cleveland -- an always funny veteran, we'd also love if she got it

Julie Bowen, Modern Family -- very popular choice from popular show

Sofia Vergara, Modern Family -- same as Julie

Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live -- versatile, a real comedy trouper, maybe too popular at the movies this year, though

Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock -- always funny but not the best season of the series

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock -- always good but it wasn't the series' best season

Louis C.K., Louie -- astounding performance that never fails to surprise, we're going to go with him because we love him, too!

Steve Carrell, The Office -- An Emmy as a going-away present? Possibly...probably.

Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory -- Only if he and Parsons split the award...

Matt LeBlanc, Episodes -- He was quite good in the series but did anybody see the show?

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory -- only if he and Galecki split the award...

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy -- (too much Modern Famly in here!)

Chris Colfer, Glee

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family

Ed O'Neill, Modern Family -- a comedy veteran who continues to serve it up with skill

Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Ty Burrell, Modern Family

Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men

REALITY

Outstanding Reality Show

The Amazing Race

American Idol -- though not quite the powerhouse it once was, it's a keeper

Dancing With the Stars

Project Runway

So You Think You Can Dance

Top Chef

Best Host for a Reality Series -- who cares? Any of them...

Phil Keoghan, Host- The Amazing Race

Ryan Seacrest, Host- American Idol

Tom Bergeron, Host- Dancing with the Stars

Cat Deeley, Host- So You Think You Can Dance

Jeff Probst, Host- Survivor -- he won this at the Creative Awards ceremony

VARIETY

Outstanding Variety, Comedy Or Musical Series

The Colbert Report

Conan

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Real Time With Bill Maher

Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy

Idris Elba, The Big C

Nathan Lane, Modern Family

Zach Galifianakis, Saturday Night Live

Justin Timberlake, Saturday Night Live -- won at the Creative Emmy ceremony

Matt Damon, 30 Rock

Will Arnett, 30 Rock

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy

Kristin Chenoweth, Glee

Dot-Marie Jones, Glee

Gwyneth Paltrow, Glee--- she already won this at the early Creative Awards ceremony

Cloris Leachman, Raising Hope

Tina Fey, Saturday Night Live

Elizabeth Banks, 30 Rock

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series
Bruce Dern, Big Love
Beau Bridges, Brothers & Sisters
Michael J. Fox, The Good Wife
Paul McCrane, Harry's Law -- won it at the Creative Awards ceremony
Jeremy Davies, Justified
Robert Morse, Mad Men

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series

Mary McDonnell, The Closer
Julia Stiles, Dexter -- also a very great performance which grew over the season and was stand-out
Loretta Devine, Grey's Anatomy -- won it at the Creative Awards ceremony
Randee Heller, Mad Men -- Miss Blankenship, how we loved you!
Cara Buono, Mad Men
Joan Cusack, Shameless
Alfre Woodard, True Blood

TV MINISERIES or MOVIE

Outstanding TV Miniseries or Movie

Cinema Verite

Downton Abbey

The Kennedys -- Because everybody came down on this, undeservedly...

Mildred Pierce -- too boring but probably will win, because it had "quality" all over it

The Pillars of the Earth

Too Big To Fail

Outstanding Leading Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce -- without the oomph one would have hoped from her

Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey

Diane Lane, Cinema Verite -- taut, brittle and solid

Taraji P. Henson, Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story

Jean Marsh, Upstairs Downstairs

Outstanding Leading Actor in an MiniSeries or Movie

Greg Kinnear, The Kennedys -- you know what? he was good in this...no chance to win, but what the heck.

Barry Pepper, The Kennedys

Edgar Ramirez, Carlos

William Hurt, Too Big To Fail

Idris Elba, Luther

Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood -- if you didn't see this, you should, though...

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce

Bryan F. O'Byrne, Mildred Pierce

Tom Wilkinson, The Kennedys

Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail

James Woods, Too Big to Fail

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce

Melissa Leo, Mildred Pierce

Mare Winningham, Mildred Pierce

Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey -- how can she not be good?

Eileen Atkins, Upstairs Downstairs

Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series --will undoubtedly be one of the Modern Familys

Pamela Fryman, How I Met Your Mother -- nice to see this show get something
Michael Alan Spiller,  Modern Family
Gail Mancuso, Modern Family
Steven Levitan, Modern Famiy
Beth McCarthy-Miller, 30 Rock

Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series
Martin Scorsese, Boardwalk Empire -- pilot was awesome, obviously a pet project
Jeremy Podeswa, Boardwalk Empire
Neil Jordan, The Borgias

Tim Van Patten, Game of Thrones
Patty Jenkins, The Killing

Outstanding Directing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Dramatic Special

Olivier Assayas, Carlos Directed by

Shari Springer Berman & Brian Percival, Cinema Verite
Todd Haynes, Mildred Pierce -- maybe not for the acting but for all the other nuances
Curtis Hanson, Too Big to Fail

We've missed some categories, no doubt, but you can get a complete list of the nominations sorted various ways at the Emmy website. Interactive features at the top of the page, and scroll down to almost the bottom of the page at the right for a selection. of all the ways you can download the lists.

The 63nd Primetime Emmy Awards air on Fox tonight, live, at 8pm Eastern and 5pm Pacific.

Don't Miss Sarah Michelle Gellar in "Ringer" Tonight on CW!

2011-09-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

We haven't published our fall preview yet -- tomorrow, we promise! -- but we highly recommend catching one of the earliest premieres on any of the broadcast networks tonight on the CW. Our favorite Vampire Slayer Sarah Michelle Gellar is back on series TV in Ringer, the story of a twin sister switcheroo that reveals danger and mystery for all. If you haven't seen the ex-Buffy lately, she's matured into a gorgeous 34-year-old and this series is a perfect showcase for her sleek good looks and fully-formed dramatic skills.

Ringer premieres tonight at 9pm on your local CW affiliate, immediately following the return of 90210 at 8pm. (In case you miss it tonight, you can catch an encore this Friday evening at 8pm.)

More 9/11 to Ponder

2011-09-10T15:37:00.000-07:00

I would highly recommend taking a look at the many incredible 9/11 photographs available on the LIFE magazine website. There are over twenty galleries of photos and all are worth our somber reflection as we approach the 10th anniversary tomorrow.

You can access the entire collection here.

Countdown to 9-11 Tenth Anniversary

2011-08-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

Two weeks from today, the tenth anniversary of one of the darkest days in American history will take place. It is fitting that this most widely recorded event will also have extremely prolific television coverage. The Flaming Nose will list as many 9-11 specials as possible here, so that our readers can plan which ones they would like to view. I should also mention that many people also plan to mark 9-11 as a national day of service to provide volunteer efforts for their communities.

Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero
Discovery Channel on September 1, 2011 at 8PM. Documentary on the massive undertaking to rebuild Ground Zero.

9/11: Ten Years Later: A rebroadcast of the CBS special narrated and updated by Robert DeNiro. September 11, 2011 at 8pm.

George W. Bush The 9-11 Interview: This special airs tonight (August 28th). An exclusive National Geographic channel interview with the former president as he describes what he was thinking and feeling as the events of 9-11 unfolded ten years ago.

9-11 Heroes of the 88th Floor: Scheduled for September 4th at 9pm on TLC, Chris Noth narrates this incredible story of bravery about two men who saved a total of 77 lives inside the towers on 9-11.

Saved: 9/11/2001: A unique perspective from Animal Planet about how the healing love of family pets helped two families deal with the pain from 9-11. Airing September 7th at 9pm.

The Love We Make: This one has me thinking I'm going to have to re-up for Showtime (again!). It's a behind the scenes look at the Concert for New York tribute organized by Paul McCartney in the days following 9-11. Featuring rock heavy weights Elton John, The Who and David Bowie. I remember watching this concert when it first aired, and getting a sinus head ache for a solid week from crying so hard. Scheduled for Saturday, September 10 at 9pm.

Voices Inside the Towers: Some survived...some did not. History Channel special on the recorded messages from those trapped inside the Twin Towers on 9-11. There is some confusion about the airing of this special, as many online sources show it scheduled for Sept 10th on History, but their own website no longer has it listed. It's quite possible this special has been pulled already, most likely due to the controversial nature of the content. Sounds like the lawyers got involved.

The Space Between: The only fictional depiction of 9-11, this movie is set to air on USA network on September 11th at 8pm. Starring Academy Award winner Melissa Leo, it's about a flight attendant who befriends a Pakistani boy after flights are grounded on 9-11.

102 Minutes that Changed America: History Channel and A&E will both air this extraordinary documentary that uses video footage from real people (without narration) to depict what happened on the morning of the terrorist attacks in real time. The Flaming Nose has written about this special before, it is probably the best and most chilling of all 9-11 specials because it is utterly real. It will be scheduled again at 8:47 am on 9-11-2011.

The Flight that Fought Back: Discovery Channel is making it possible to watch this documentary from their website. One of the most inspirational and tragic stories from 9-11, depicts the events from Flight 93, where the passengers joined together to fight back against the terrorists.

Twins of the Twin Towers: Fledgling Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) airs a special about the 40 twins who lost their siblings in the World Trade Tower attacks of 9-11. Scheduled for September 11 at 9pm.

9-11. We will never forget, and television will make sure of it.

TV Characters "Watching TV" -- "Men Behaving Badly"!

2011-08-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

Characters on TV are usually too busy being characters on TV to actually watch TV, but here's a wonderful combination of two of our favorite things -- Star Trek and TV watching! The often hilarious Britcom Men Behaving Badly (1992 - 1999, which is listed now on IMDb as British MBB because there was a two-season U.S. version in 1996), starred the very talented Martin Clunes (you may know him best from his great work in the Doc Martin series as the titular curmudgeonly medico, or from his starring role in the very fine Goodbye, Mr. Chips redo which we saw over here as a Masterpiece Theatre), the droll Caroline Quentin (Jonathan Creek, Life Begins, many more), Leslie Ash, and Neil Morrissey (both of whom have done lots of TV in Britain but not shows that have traveled over here much, unfortunately). The series was at first lambasted for the juvenile behavior of its stars -- the epitome of the British trend of the times known as "laddism" -- but it became immensely popular and it just plain funny. (MBB ran on one of the Canadian niche networks (Book TV, of all things!) when I lived up there and I fell in love with it.)

The show lasted forty-four goofy episodes, and is highly recommended for good solid silly laughs. Clunes and Morrissey are best friend flatmates; Quentin in Clunes' sensible girlfriend, and Ash is Morrissey's sometime girlfriend (he pursues her vigorously in the earlier episodes and she finally gives in). In Season 6 they did an episode called "Watching TV" where they're plopped on the couch watching an episode of classic Star Trek, and talking through it. Deceptively simple premise, very funny episode! (Also great because Quentin is at first conked out -- ladies often fall asleep during TV shows, I've found, experientially and anecdotally!) Men Behaving Badly is on Netflix streaming -- all seasons, at least right now. Gratis, more Men Behaving Badly episodes are on Hulu, others here and there on the net, and on DVD. Seems lately that links are harder to find if there are eps up on Hulu, but keep searching!)

Enjoy "Watching TV" from Men Behaving Badly, originally broadcast November 27, 1997! (This is actually just the first five minutes, then you have to click on the link at the top of the viewers to go to Veoh and watch the rest, but it works just fine, or you can just click to begin with and watch the whole thing right away.) Or watch on Netflix.

Watch Men Behaving Badly - s6e04 - Watching Tv.avi in Comedy | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Lee Majors IS the Six Million Dollar Man!

2011-08-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

Fans of actor Lee Majors and his iconic role as TV's The Six Million Dollar Man will enjoy this really informed interview by Mark Gollom from the CBC. Included is a nearly half-hour audio version of the conversation between Mark and Majors, and you will appreciate how well informed Mark is about the show -- he's a lifelong fan -- in comparison to so many times when reporters know NOTHING about the subject and ruin a good interview opportunity.

Be sure to check out this terrific article! Majors is in Toronto this weekend (starting yesterday) for their FanExpo event, which even they refer to as "Comic Con North". They've got a great line-up of guests -- take a look at the Sci Fi list alone! -- and if I were in Toronto this would be a must-attend! (I especially love that Kevin Sorbo [right] will be there -- I think he's wonderful!)

Anyway, if you are there, go! If not, at least read the article and poke around the website!

Special Guest Star Miss Joan Blondell!

2011-08-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

If you're a fan of this tremendously talented actress who took her big screen stardom back in the 1930s and kept it alive for decades on the small screen, you will enjoy my latest post on TCM's Movie Morlocks' blog about the great Joan Blondell! Click here to read it. The above still is from an appearance on Bonanza.

Lots of links to her material that you can view now, though so much isn't out there and we can only hope that more vintage TV becomes available for all of us to enjoy!

Celebrating Skip Homeier!

2011-08-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

All fans of episodic TV will want to check out my post on Turner Classic Movies' Movie Morlocks site, where I recently put up a nice tribute to the terrific character actor Skip Homeier. Homeier was a very familiar face on TV for many years -- retired now and very much missed -- and even if perhaps you don't know his name you certainly have seen his face on many of your favorite series, including of course Star Trek.

Check out the article here!

Happy Birthday to Rose Marie!

2011-08-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

We wish a very Happy Birthday today to Rose Marie -- born on August 15, 1923 -- the brilliantly talented former child star who grew up to co-star on one of television's most innovative, smart and hilarious sitcoms ever. As quick-witted comedy writer Sally Rogers on The Dick Van Dyke Show, Rose Marie showed us that ladies were as funny as gentlemen, and also how much fun working in an office with clever colleagues could be. These two principles have guided many of us on The Flaming Nose, and we salute Rose Marie for being such a tremendous and beautiful role model for independent women!
In case you weren't aware of her early show business triumphs, she was a popular singing star as "Baby Rose Marie" -- and boy, could she belt them out!

And of course we remember how she'd occasionally get to belt out a tune on The Dick Van Dyke Show, too!

In this clip from her interview at the Emmy Legends site, she discusses her role as Sally Rogers and what an important step it was for the portrayal of women on TV. (The whole interview is available on the above link.)

Here's a real piece of TV nostalgia: Rose Marie's The Dick Van Dyke Show co-star Morey Amsterdam and RM appearing on a 1964 episode of the variety show The Hollywood Palace, doing some old-fashioned comedy patter and looking wonderful! (The clip quality isn't great but it's worth it to watch this pair of show-biz pros at work).

Here's a clip from a little later, when she was a spokeswoman for Pledge furniture polish, in addition to all her other work including regular appearances on The Hollywood Squares.

We highly recommend making a visit to Rose Marie's terrific website which contains lots of great info on her prolific career. All fans of this wonderfully talented lady will really enjoy spending some time there!

Happy Birthday, Rose Marie! You're a true TV Treasure!

Happy Birthday, Alfred Hitchcock!

2011-08-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, he was the Master of Suspense. But on 113th anniversary of his birth today, I prefer to focus not on his films, but on the man himself--particularly, his intelligence and indubitably dry wit. These aspects of his personality--coupled with his love of the macabre and the unending power of his films and TV work, of course--were what made him into a superstar. I believe that when informed people think of the word or the profession "director," they think of Alfred Hitchcock. As an explanation to why this is so, here are ten clips that I also offer as tribute, and as a mini late career bio, to this unique artist who truly changed how we see the world:

Here he is, in 1954, as the mystery guest on the TV game show What's My Line? As he signs in, we get to see Hitchcock compose the famous, impossibly elegant 9-line caricature this one-time storyboard artist wryly concocted for himself (here, it's an 8-line drawing--he omits that slight hairline on the show's blackboard). I love his references to Grace Kelly at the end of the clip--"What did you do about it?" This tells us so much about the man.

I imagine TV execs really got a hungry sense of Alfred Hitchcock's surprising on-screen dynamism while watching him on What's My Line. The following year, in 1955, he began hosting his own anthology series, suitably called Alfred Hitchcock Presents. His appearances on the show--in which this devotee of cinema often derided the necessary trappings of TV (particularly its need for commercials)--are what I think made him an even more stellar household name than he already laid claim to being. This intro, from 1955's episode titled "The Other Sister," is a fine example of his unforgettable hosting style.

Mr. Hitchcock was a pioneer, too, in the construction of film trailers, even though no director--even Steven Spielberg--has ever attempted to do what he did with them. This development in his on-screen personality become more intense after his TV show became a long-running hit. As a result, his home studio Universal allowed him to indulge in unusually long trailers for his films. The Psycho preview is justifiably famous. But so should be this advanced look at his 1963 effort The Birds, in which not even one actual shot from the film is shown (even the glimpse of lead actress Tippi Hedren was filmed specifically for the trailer).

Hitchcock wisely dissects what frightens people here in 1964, on the BBC interview show Monitor. I love how Hitch's handsome facial profile is captured here.

The film-specific crafts of editing and scoring are smartly used in this 1965 segment shot for French television, in which Hitchcock pointedly discusses the dynamics of arguably his most famous film Psycho and then deftly practices his impeccable French on the interviewer.

On the director's 1970 appearance on The Dick Cavett Show (in one of the best episodes of that series, available on Cavett's Hollywood Greats DVD collection), Hitchcock comments correctly on the effects of sex on the Hollywood elite, and then defiantly admits to one of his favorite forms of repartee, in a statement with which I wholeheartedly agree.

Another Hitchcock trailer, this time for his 1972 tale of murder called Frenzy (his late-career return to British filmmaking and still his most personal film, if you ask me). The initial sight of Hitch floating on the Thames is highly amusing. "How do you like my tie?"

Part one of Tom Snyder's very revealing 1973 interview with Hitch on the Tomorrow show; Snyder starts by asking Hitch what scares him. The other five parts are on You Tube.

One year before his death in 1980, Alfred Hitchcock was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute. Surrounded by a truly astounding collection of moviemaking royalty, he is, as usual, hilarious and articulate. But here he is also unexpectedly touching, as he pays tribute to his wife and collaborator of 53 years, Alma Reville Hitchcock who, dutifully sitting by his side, is visably moved throughout.

And, finally, no tribute would be complete without noting the director's famed cameos in his own films. This You Tube post from royvanderzwann collects all but eight of them, and deftly points out each of Hitchcock's sometimes imperceptible on-screen appearances, backed with French composer Charles-François Gounod's "Funeral March for a Marionette," which of course forever became Hitch's instantly recognizable theme song.

Happy birthday, Mr. Hitchcock, wherever you are. And thank you, for everything.

(John Candy as Hitchcock on SCTV--to fully view the segment, click here.)

More Great Lucy Moments from The Queen of Comedy!

2011-08-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

We've had a lot of clips here lately, and considering how many episodes of TV Lucy starred in -- well over 500! -- we haven't even come close to sampling her great comedy output. Let's try some more, shall we, as we watch another selection of timeless Lucy moments!

How about one of The Flaming Nose correspondent Jane's favorite sequences, from I Love Lucy episode "Be a Pal" where Lucy (as Carmen Miranda) tries to make Cuban Ricky a little less homesick:

From the episode "The Ballet" comes this terrific sequence where Lucy tries to learn ballet, under the stern tutelage of guest actress Mary Wickes as Madame Le Mond:

Also from "The Ballet" comes Lucy and comic Frank Scannell doing the classic vaudeville routine "Slowly I Turned":

This is one of my favorite I Love Lucy sequences -- from 'Ricky Thinks He's Going Bald"!

From the I Love Lucy episode "The Million Dollar Idea" -- Lucy and Ethel's salad dressing needs to be un-sold via a TV commercial:

This next clip is always included in Lucy's top moments ever -- from "Lucy Does a TV Commercial"!

The famous grape-stomping scene from "Lucy's Italian Movie"!

And now from "Job Switching" comes one of the top scenes ever, with the great character actress Elvia Allman as Lucy and Ethel's boss at the candy factory:

We hope everybody has been inspired to watch more Lucille Ball after this exciting 100th Birthday Anniversary Weekend. The media coverage of Lucy the past week has been phenomenal everywhere, and it's proof that she reigns supreme as the Queen of Comedy, even after all these years. Any female comedy actress coming along since I Love Lucy is always measured against the standard of hilarity established by Lucille Ball, and that's a fair test.

Many talented and funny women have stepped up to the plate during the past decades -- Joan Davis, Irene Ryan, Tina Fey, Cindy Williams, Amy Poehler, Penny Marshall, Shelly Long, Debra Messing, Bea Arthur, Mary Tyler Moore, Betty White, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Roseanne Barr, Brett Butler, Jenna Elfman, Lisa Kudrow, and so many more -- but nobody has topped Lucy.

Long Live the Queen! Long Live Lucy!

Lucy's Memorable Musical Moments!

2011-08-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

How about a collection of entertaining musical sequences from Lucy's TV shows? There were lots of them, from sentimental to supremely silly, so let's we'll spotlight a few here!

I Love Lucy episode 'The Operetta": Lucy is dressed up as a gypsy hag and sings a tambourine-accented "Queen of the Gypsies"!

I Love Lucy "Lucy Meets Bob Hope": Lucy, Ricky and Bob Hope sing the baseball lament "Nobody Loves the Ump" and a version of "Thanks for the Memories"

I Love Lucy "Lucy's Last Birthday": Lucy thinks that everybody has forgotten her birthday, and this gives us two good songs, the march "Friends of the Friendless" and then Ricky singing the "I Love Lucy" theme song to her.

I Love Lucy "Lucy Goes to Scotland": Now don't go crazy, but this scene is in color, colorized several years ago, but going from set photos which allowed accurate colors. It looks pretty good, and we've got Ricky singing "I'm in Love with the Dragon's Dinner" from Lucy's dream musical.

I Love Lucy "The Diet": Lucy loses a few pounds in order to get into Ricky's nightclub act, and they sing "Cuban Pete" together!

I Love Lucy "Ethel's Home Town": We've posted this on The Flaming Nose before, and we still love it! Ethel gives a concert and it's sabotaged by Lucy, Ricky and Fred in a most hilarious manner!

I Love Lucy "Lucy is Enciente": At the Tropicana, Lucy finally breaks the news that she is expecting, and Ricky sings the Eddie Cantor favorite "We're Having a Baby" to her. This is the whole sequence and is considered one of the top scenes in the entire series. Still utterly charming and sweet.

I Love Lucy "Sales Resistance": Ricky writes a song for Lucy and his new son -- "There's a Brand New Baby at Our House"

I Love Lucy "Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress": Here are Lucy and Ethel rehearsing Cole Porter's "Friendship" for a TV appearance. In the finale of the show, the ladies tear up each other's new gowns, but I couldn't find a clip of that, unfortunately, but this one is plenty cute!

The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour "Lucy Goes to Alaska". Lucy meets up with Red Skelton to do a hobo routine together, and they sing "Poor Us".

I Love Lucy "Lucy Does the Tango": With eggs in her shirt, that's how she does it, all right! The end of this bit got the biggest studio audience in the history of I Love Lucy, btw.

I Love Lucy "Lucy's Show Biz Swan Song": Pregnant Lucy wants to join in Ricky, Ethel and Fred's Barbershop Quartet!

I Love Lucy "Breaking the Lease": Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel sing "Sweet Sue" with Ethel playing the piano.

I Love Lucy "California, Here We Come!": On their way to California, the whole gang joins in!

Happy 100th Birthday, Lucy!

LIFE Magazine and Lucille Ball!

2011-08-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

LIFE Magazine has several great Lucy photo collections, and you'll want to take a look at them!

Lucy's Many and Surprising Faces

Lucille Ball Unpublished Photos -- brand new collection!

"I Love Lucy" Life on the Set

More on Lucy from TV Week!

2011-08-06T07:26:00.000-07:00

TV Week has a nice article about the programming taking place today in honor of Lucy's 100th, and if you have Sirius Radio you'll definitely want to find out about what they are doing. Please visit TV Week and their article "Must-See TV Over the Weekend: You Owe It To Yourself and Your Family To Spend at Least a Few Minutes Watching the Person TV Critic Tom Shales Once Dubbed 'Television's Biggest Star"!

Lucy's Hollywood Guest Stars!

2011-08-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

I've put up a post on TCM's Movie Morlocks all about the Hollywood celebrities who guest-starred on I Love Lucy. It's got a lot of clips -- though for some reason WordPress often doesn't play the clips correctly, so I put in direct links -- but it's got all our favorites and you'll enjoy it! Please go over to TCM's Movie Morlocks and take a look!

Happy 100th Birthday, Dear Lucy!

2011-08-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

Had she not left us on April 26th, 1989...Ms. Lucille Ball would have turned 100 years old tomorrow on August 6th. Such a milestone must be honored by The Flaming Nose, for she is our muse...and we love her so much. She is considered one of America's foremost comedians, as well as (to this day) one of the most popular television stars of all time. So much has been written about the great Ms. Ball, that it makes little sense to recap it again here. If you want to catch up on the nuts and bolts of Lucy's bio, a good place to start is on the Wikipedia page. Or you could re-visit a Lucy birthday post that I wrote in 2009, which has some interesting tidbits about her career.

This time I'm going to focus on some of my favorite episodes and post a few great clips from treasured Lucy TV interviews. So without further ado...

Jane's Top Five Favorite I Love Lucy Episodes:

#1: Lucy in Hollywood-The William Holden Episode. This is the moment that inspired The Flaming Nose. Lucy accidentally spills a bowl of spaghetti on William Holden at the Brown Derby. Trying to disguise herself later at home when Ricky brings the star for a visit, she dons a long putty nose and some pointy glasses. The nose catches fire (scripted) and Lucy puts out the flame in her coffee cup (genius Lucille improv). Thus we have, in my humble opinion, the greatest spontaneous funny TV moment of all time. Apparently I am not alone in this belief, as you can see if you check out the YouTube video below and the many adoring comments.#2: Lucy is Enceinte-Lucy is Pregnant. Lucy is going to have a baby but she can't find the right time to tell Ricky! Made all the more poignant by the fact that the actress and Desi Arnez really were going to have a baby at the time. Incredibly moving (I actually cry every time I watch) I blubbered through it dozens of times on VHS when I was going to have my own baby. Actual baby (the Tomster) grew up watching and loving Lucy too. I feel I have done my duty by creating another happy Lucy fan for the planet Earth.
#3: Lucy and Ethyl are Aliens. They dress up for a special advertising job and scare tourists on top of the Empire State Building. Funniest line, "It's a Moo Moo!", uttered in a nasal Martian accent.
#4: Lucy, Ricky, Ethyl and Fred head to Hollywood. ROAD TRIP!!! Need I say more.
#5: Lucy in Paris: She tries to eat snails and puts the shell cracker on her nose. All of the Paris episodes are superb, from the burlap bag haute couture fashion mishap to the police station scene where a confused chain of non-English speaking money changing victims try to "splain" themselves.

Favorite real-life truth about Lucy as a person: She was by all accounts an excellent mom. You won't be reading any Mommy Dearest expose's about our precious star. She was a great mother, just like my own mother, who counted Lucille Ball as her favorite TV actress through out her whole life. Collins Family Trivia: We used to accuse my mother (actually, compliment is a more accurate description) of being just like Lucy. For one thing, Alice Johnson Collins sounded a great deal like Lucille Ball. Their accents were virtually identical. This is most likely because they both grew up in upstate New York near the the Great Lakes....Lucy near Buffalo in Jamestown, and Alice in Rochester. Also, they were born just a few days apart in August, although Lucy was 15 years older than my mom. Two funny Leos from upstate NY!

And Now...for some great Lucy TV Moments:

Lucy talks to Joan Rivers on the Tonight Show in 1985: She talks about her made for TV movie "Stone Pillow"

Lucy's Last Big Appearance with Bob Hope on the Oscars in 1989: Observe the amazing standing O the audience gave them. They are utterly charming together. This was one of the greatest moments in Academy Award history. I remember watching it live, and got goose bumps from seeing such great Hollywood legends together on the stage. A few months later our Lucy would be gone. But you would never know it to watch this segment. She died with her boots on, that's for sure. Working and awesome until the end.

Lucy and the Putty Nose with William Holden: Lucy at her absolute finest. Check out the amazing Bill Holden, who looks a lot like our current Mad Men Golden Boy, Jon Hamm!

We miss you Lucy. Oh how I wish you had lived to see your 100th birthday. The world was a more darling place with you in it.

Lucy's 100th Birthday Fest: Lucy's TV Theme Songs Thru the Years!

2011-08-04T17:05:00.000-07:00

There's nothing that sticks in the minds of TV fans like a good theme song, especially with a sitcom. A jaunty opening theme can, in fact, essentially make a show. It's no exaggeration to say that sitcoms like Gilligan's Island, The Brady Bunch, and more recently Cheers had their success -- and lasting impact -- sealed through their memorable theme songs that instantly bring to mind the series.

In her TV career spanning several decades and several different incarnations of her eponymous show, Lucille Ball had a terrific collection of theme songs, starting of course with the wonderful I Love Lucy theme written by Eliot Daniel, and heard in Wilbur Hatch's unforgettable orchestration. We heard this at the beginning of the 181 episodes of the series -- its original run was 1951 - 1957 -- and it's never been off the air since.

Lucy and the entire ILL ensemble followed up with a thirteen episode run of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour from 1957 - 1960, with a variation of the I Love Lucy theme. You can watch the beginning of one of the episodes to see the difference.

Two years later Lucy returned to series TV with The Lucy Show, co-starring Vivian Vance, TLS ran for 150 episodes from 1962 - 1968, and of course in many reruns though it wasn't as eternal a syndication staple as was I Love Lucy. Once a station had I Love Lucy, corning the market on Lucille Ball meant another acquisition of a show with a huge amount of episodes, and most stations simply didn't need both. Thanks to the net and DVDs, the very funny The Lucy Show is now beginning to get exposure again.

The Lucy Show went through quite a few different opening themes, beginning with this one utilizing cartoon stick figures, much like the original network style for I Love Lucy (the heart logo came in during syndication runs).

Season two (and beyond) of The Lucy Show was filmed in color but broadcast in black and white (color in syndication runs, though). This is a vibrant open with wonderful Lucy images.

For some reason I really remember this third season version of The Lucy Show open, with the musical stings emphasizing certain comic moments, especially the Chaplin walk.

This is another version of The Lucy Show in color show open, with the kaleidoscope images. You'll also enjoy seeing that iconic, glamorous and somewhat haughty Lucille Ball caricature again!

This next one is evidently a seldom-used Season 5 The Lucy Show open which uses familiar audio but a different version of the theme song.

This next one is a different version of the theme written for Season 5 (heard in the previous opening), with an animated open that Lucy evidently disliked -- including her disembodied head on a jack-in-the-box -- and so it was quickly changed out. Definitely worth looking at, though!

Lucy's next series was Here's Lucy, created by Lucille Ball to be produced by her new production company; she had just sold off her previous company Desilu to conglomerate Gulf & Western. Here's Lucy premiered in the fall of 1968, with her own two children Lucie and Desi, Jr. as co-stars. Here's Lucy would end up running for another six years, until 1974, for a total of another 143 episodes of Lucille Ball comedy!

Here's basically the same theme but with Lucie Arnaz elevated to full 2nd billing in the last couple years of the show.

Lucy's last TV series was Life with Lucy which premiered in 1986 and unfortunately only filmed 13 episodes. Of course the Lucy magic and talent was still there, but it was years later and maybe nobody really wanted to see Lucille Ball as a grandmother -- she had previously been basically ageless. The theme song is fairly generic and not very memorable, and the show's demise could at least have had as much to do with that as anything else. Remember what I said about a good theme song at the beginning here....

Thanks for the memories, Lucy!

Grateful acknowledgements to YouTube users schmoe56789, kbirdusa, jgknightboyz2000, minnowtrappermd, and hepburnflicks for all the great clips!

Let's Turn Facebook into Lucy-Land for her 100th Birthday Anniversary!

2011-08-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, I got this from my fellow Movie Morlock and Facebook friend Suzi Doll, who changed her profile picture there to Lucy yesterday in honor of her upcoming 100th on Saturday. What a great idea! We should ALL change our Facebook profile pics to America's -- no, probably the world's -- greatest comedienne! Find a Lucy pic and put it up there, starting now and through the weekend!