Category: News

Make Mumma a TV Special, Sweetie, You’re So Clever

Filed under absolutely fabulous news –  those Bolly-swilling, high life-living dames of Absolutely Fabulous, Edina and Patsy, will soon be returning to the small screen in 3 special episodes just in time to commemorate the show’s 20th anniversary. Not seen since the last season in 2005, God willing the fad-following PR guru and glamous sex-mad magazine editor haven’t aged a day.

The specials will be a co-production of BBC America and Logo, which has been airing the original five seasons of Absolutely Fabulous since April. The BBC’s release notes that the specials will pretty much pick up where the series left off. As a devoted fan I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Reprising their iconic roles as Edina Monsoon and and best pal Patsy, leads Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley will be joined by other original cast members Julia Sawalha as put-upon daughter Saffy, June Whitfield as Edina’s mother and Jane Horrocks as personal assistant Bubble. Other surprise guests will also be on board.

In the first episode, audiences rejoin the ensemble in the middle of a “life-changing experience for one – which affects them all.” In the second show, Edina sets her sights on changing the career of someone described by the BBC as “a very big fish indeed.” In the concluding episode, Eddy and Patsy play their own part in the 2012 London Olympics.

All I ask is that they embrace the same hilarious disregard for societal mores as they did in the past.

Conan O’Brien: Now Legally Permitted to Be Funny on Television

COCO, COCO You’ve Come Back to Us!

Tonight brings the glorious return of the one-and-only, gangly, invisible-string dancing, ginger-hair-havin’ late-night talk show host and there’s high hopes that the hooplah surrounding Conan’s return won’t all be for naught. Really I’ve no doubt CoCo will deliver the goods, and the only things to truly speculate on are: will we get regular visits from old Late Night gags that were deemed too inappropriate for the Tonight Show timeslot (my own ridiculous favorite the masturbating bear) and will we see a tone that harkens back to Conan’s goofy roots?

Conan on TBS weeknights, 11/10c

This week’s full schedule from Team COCO:

Monday 11/08

FIRST SHOW POLL WINNER
You clicked and we listened! Who will be the poll winner: The Pope? The Sultan Of Brunei? Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner Gerhard Ertl? WATCH AND FIND OUT!

SETH ROGEN Polls aside, our REAL first guest is a mega superstar who you know from such blockbusters as “Knocked Up,” “Superbad,” and “Funny People!” He helped us out on tour in his home town of Vancouver, BC; he’s the man who always brings the funny, SETH ROGEN!

LEA MICHELE (@MsLeaMichele)You can see this Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actress each week as Rachel Berry on the smash hit TV show, “Glee!”

MUSICAL GUEST: JACK WHITE Legend has it that Jack and Conan first met in a Detroit area bowling area in the 90’s. Since that meeting, Jack White has gone on to rock n roll stardom in The White Stripes, the Raconteurs, and Dead Weather! Conan and Jack cut a “45 record at Jack’s studio in Nashville, and when these two get together, you never know WHAT’S gonna happen! Ladies and gentlemen… JACK WHITE!

Tuesday 11/09

TOM HANKS (@TomHanks) Multi Academy Award winner, one of the greatest actors of our generation – and more importantly, the man who coined the nickname “Coco” – TOM HANKS is joining us tonight!

JACK MCBRAYER You know him from movies like “Talladega Nights” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” – and of course, as Kenneth the Page on “30 Rock.” WE know him as a dear friend who got his start playing bit parts on our show! Don’t miss the hilarious JACK MCBRAYER!

MUSICAL GUEST: SOUNDGARDEN (@Soundgarden | Myspace)
This legendary and highly influential Seattle-born multi-Grammy Award winning rock group is back to rock us all with a track off their new album “Telephantasm!”

Wednesday 11/10

JON HAMM This dashing Golden Globe winner can be seen on AMC’s “Mad Men” as the suave and sophisticated 60’s ad executive Don Draper and most recently in the Ben Affleck helmed crime caper, “The Town”… JON HAMM!

CHARLYNE YI This charming actress and comedian has appeared in such movies as Knocked Up, Semi-Pro, and Paper Heart! Her new movie is “Fast”… The lovely and talented CHARLYNE YI is on the show!

 FISTFUL OF MERCY (@fistfulofmercy | Facebook | YouTube | Myspace | Official Site ) This supercool rock n roll supergroup consists of Dhani Harrison, Joseph Arthur, and Ben Harper – who will be stopping by to rock us out with a slice of their new album “Fistful of Mercy”!

Thursday 11/11

MICHAEL CERA He’s starred on the hit show “Arrested Development” and in such films as “Superbad”, “Juno”, and “Scott Pilgrim vs The World”! The awesome and hilarious… MICHAEL CERA!!

JULIE BOWEN From her co-starring role on “Ed”, to her guest starring stint on “LOST”, to her current Emmy nominated turn on ABC’s breakout hit “Modern Family”, Julie Bowen continues to amaze and astound! “Modern Family” airs Wednesday nights at 9/8c on ABC!

JON DORE ( @TVsJonDore | Facebook | YouTube | Myspace ) Hey! It’s the hilarious comedy stylings of stand up comedian JON DORE! You’ve seen him on Comedy Central’s “Live at Gotham” and “Comedy Central Presents…”, “Held Up” on Crackle.com, and on “The Jon Dore Television Show” on IFC and The Comedy Network in Canada.

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Zombies are the New Vampires

With the glut of vampire-centric entertainment found on television in the past decade, it’s refreshing (pun intended) to see that the next big thing on the horizon is a tale of zombies – The Walking Dead. The six-part first season of the series based on the graphic novel of the same name will fittingly premiere on Halloween, and its pedigree impresses before seeing one frame – coming from the award-winning powerhouses of AMC and acclaimed producer-director Frank Darabont.

While zombies have had their day in cinema, this TV addict can’t recollect a time that they have been the subject of serialized storytelling and it’s long overdue as there is a wealth of metaphor in what they can represent and address – class, addiction, apathy, disease, consumption – but usually the base of all zombie stories is the human struggle to survive. AMC’s The Walking Dead tells the story of the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse and follows a small group of survivors traveling across the United States in search of a new home away from the hordes of zombies. As their situation grows more and more grim, the group’s desperation to survive pushes them to do almost anything to stay alive.

In anticipation of the premiere a recent fan-made video was released depicting his personal vision of the show’s opening credits. Truly a staggering and impressive creation it has caught the eye of several industry notables working in the sci-fi/fantasy genre including Lost honcho Damon Lindelof.

Anderson Cooper – Night AND Day

While most of my nights are filled with scripted television fare, that doesn’t mean I’m immune to the charms of evening news shillers, most specifically the dashing silver fox Anderson Cooper. I’ve been known to flip on over to CNN from time to time for a little dose of Anderson Cooper 360, not only because he’s easy on the eyes but mostly because he seems like the last remaining newsmen who actually tells it like it is and cares about the impact of his journalism. Credit my starry-eyed affinity because of his time doing pre-, during- and post-Katrina coverage, pulling people to safety out of the rising waters with nothing but his strong upper torso and bare hands – okay maybe that’s a little sensationalist/tabloid journo of me, but a vivid imagination is healthy – AC puts his fame and position in the media to good use and I’m always excited to see what he’ll do next. I even love his guest hosting duties along side Kelly Ripa at Live with Regis & Kelly, he always handles his co-host and the oftentimes silly antics of the show with enthusiasm and dignity (if that can be found on Live). Enjoy the Human Dominos video below depicting a little of said silliness – thanks goes to friend of TVDishwithTrish, Jackie Boy for providing this gem.

So it’s no surprise that word came this week that AC will be heading up a new daytime talk show.  As part of the deal with Telepictures Productions and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, Cooper also renewed his agreement with CNN for a multi-year contract. The deal calls for Cooper to continue hosting 360.

The arrival of Cooper on the syndication scene would represent the rare crossover of a TV personality from serious primetime news into the daytime space. Cooper could draw comparisons to silver-haired daytime legend Phil Donahue, though Donahue originally only hosted morning news and radio programs. The View co-hosts Barbara Walters and Meredith Vieira, however, both have extensive news experience.

The as-yet-untitled project will not have a hard-news focus, though given AC’s background, he’ll bring a more journalistic approach to handling popular topics compared to most daytime fare. The show is billed as a topical format that will cover everything from celebrities and pop culture to social issues and wide-interest news stories. Using his well-established interview skills, Cooper’s show will welcome a broad range of guests and tackle debate-provoking subjects. Segments are said to include hidden-camera experiments and town-hall meetings, with a focus aimed at appealing to female viewers (and the gays who love him). Considering the exit of Oprah this fall, it seems a smart time for AC to make a move on such a demographic.

Saturday Night Live – Inspired Hosting Choices

After the announcement that Jane Lynch will pull hosting duties on Saturday Night Live this fall, it’s now been disclosed that current Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston will also be among the honored guest hosts in the sketch comedy show’s 36th season.

This bit of news is filed in the “It’s About Time!” category as anyone who was there during Cranston’s days on Malcolm in the Middle will attest to his phenomenol prowess in the comedy department. It finally seems he’s getting the lion’s share of recognition that’s always been deserved coming off a third straight Best Actor Emmy win, albeit in the drama category where he’s proven his amazing acting range. The seven seasons on Malcolm he did prior to his current series had some of the best moments in sitcom history – witness such a moment here from its first year:

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