Television (2)

May 22, 2013

Carrie Bradshaw returns in “The Carrie Diaries”

the carrie diaries

As a long-time fan of Sex and the City, I weeped when the series came to an end in 2004. So you can imagine how excited I am that another of Candace Bushnell’s books starring my favorite fashionista is headed to the small screen!

You won’t find Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis or Cynthia Nixon on set. The Carrie Diaries, set to premiere January 14th at 8pm on The CW, follows our girl Carrie during her senior year of high school during the early 1980′s. The series stars AnnaSophia Robb (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Soul Surfer) in the role made famous by SJP in the HBO series and co-stars Austin Butler (Vanessa Hudgens hottie boyfriend!), Katie Findlay, Ellen Wong, and Brendan Dooling.

I must admit, I was pretty worried about how much I would like The Carrie Diaries and seeing someone else as Carrie but after watching the pilot I am really excited to see how it all unfolds! The story is brought to life perfectly and really captures the essence of the 80′s. You also learn about how Carrie’s love affair with New York City first began!

If you loved Sex and the City, this is a must watch! Check out the previews below for a sneak peek into season one:

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Sneak Peek: Portlandia kicks off season 3 this Friday!

Portlandia season 3_1

Portlandia is getting ready to celebrate the new year with an all new season of hilarity with Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein this Friday and we have a fun new clip to share with you! Below is a scene from the second episode, set to air on January 4th, where last season’s Battlestar Galactica obsessives Doug (Armisen) and Claire (Brownstein) throw a dinner party and discuss some of TV’s hottest shows – including Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Mad Men and Homeland – while casually divulging major spoiler alerts (you’ve been warned!)

But before I show it to you, I MUST tell you all about all the great guest stars making an appearance this season. They include Roseanne Barr (Roseanne), Matt Berry (The IT Crowd), Rose Byrne (Damages, Bridesmaids), band Dirty Projectors, Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live), Juliette Lewis (Conviction, Natural Born Killers), J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), tennis champion Martina Navratilova, Patton Oswalt (Young Adult), George Wendt (Cheers) and some other surprises!

Tune in to the season premiere of Portlandia, Friday, January 4th, 2012 at 10 pm only on IFC.

WWE stars John Cena and Sheamus team up for the Troops

WWE - Season 2012

In the spirit of Bob Hope, the superstars and divas of WWE have brought holiday cheer to the brave men and women serving our country with its annual Tribute to the Troops. Over the last decade the entertainment juggernaut, in partnership with Armed Forces Entertainment, has taken this show of appreciation to the soldiers stationed in the warzones of Iraq and Afghanistan.

In recent years WWE have kept the event in the United States. Its 10th spectacular coming from Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia and Norfolk Station Norfolk, the crown jewel of the United States Navy. They welcomed members of the WWE roster for a weekend of visiting sailors and their families in the Norfolk and Hampton Roads area, culminating with the Tribute to the Troops. It was the first time the show was taped at a U.S. Navy installation.

For superstars like John Cena, who has been a part of 9 out of the 10 events, Tribute to the Troops is bigger than WrestleMania and the company’s most important show of the year.

“The reoccurring theme you see regardless of where you go…all the troops really want to say thank you to us, and to me that’s backwards,” Cena said during a conference call to promote the event to air as a two-hour special 9 p.m. ET Wednesday, Dec. 19 on USA Network and 9 p.m. ET Saturday, Dec. 22 on NBC as a one-hour special.

“We’re there to one, let them know that we completely support them, and we want to say thank you, and two, to give them a weekend of basic downtime. They get to meet and greet us over the weekend, but at the very final day we actually set up and perform for them.
“So the whole weekend is built around thanking them, but literally everyone we meet wants to thank us for supporting them. And that’s just: it’s extremely humbling and flattering and it just goes to show the resolve of the men and women in uniform, they do not under any circumstances put themselves first.”

WWE - Season 2012

The Irish-born Sheamus, who is now in his third year participating, agreed. The former world champion called the weekend a humbling experience. He was grateful to have the opportunity to show his gratitude to the service men and women he meets during these trips.

“The thing is I might be from Ireland, but the thing is I reside in the United States of America,” Sheamus said.
“This country has given me the greatest of opportunities. It’s given me a chance to live my dream with WWE and all these men and women protect, make sure my life and home is protected.
“…so anything I can do to give back to them or just to make sure I can go face-to-face and tell them, say thank you for all they do. They sacrifice so much. They’re at sea or at service overseas for great chunks of the year or years on end.
“And their families are home waiting for them…It’s a great opportunity for me to tell them thank you.”

U.S. Rear Admiral Tim Alexander, commander of the U.S. Navy Region Mid-Atlantic saw the impact having the WWE superstars and divas had on those serving.

“The sailors, the marines here in the Hampton Roads area, their families were absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to meet the members of WWE and to be able to show them around the bases …and then to attend the main event downtown at the Norfolk Scope. So it was a real treat for us to be able to host this group of wonderful people, and we look forward to doing it again whenever they’re ready.”

The Tribute to the Troops event will also feature performances by Grammy Award-nominated, international superstars Kid Rock and Flo Rida and appearances by Disney’s The Muppets, The Miami Heat and Katie Couric. Video packages will chronicle the memorable few days for the WWE family interacting with service men and women leading up to the spectacular. This included meet-and-greets, flying in an F18, partaking in a spirited game of dodgeball and going aboard the USS Mitscher warship.

Follow me on Twitter @smFISHMAN, http://twitter.com/#!/smFISHMAN, where I post links and information. Opinions expressed reflect no other entity. I can also be found tweeting incessantly during wrestling shows weekly.

TK and Dr. D. Keep Going! ‘Necessary Roughness’ Gets Season 3

It’s one of those days when good TV news keep on coming. This needs to happen more often, except maybe at a slower “one piece of news after the other, no time to breathe” pace? Our weekly sports therapy fix with Doctor Danielle Santino (Golden Globe-nominee Callie Thorne), Terrence “TK” King (the incredibly talented and handsome Mehcad Brooks), Matthew Donnally (the lively and gorgeous Marc Blucas) and the mysterious Nico (wonderfully played by Scott Cohen) is here to stay for another season! Deadline.com is reporting that USA Network will renew its (awesome) football-themed show ‘Necessary Roughness’ for a third season. And another round of happy dance is in for me!

According to Deadline.com, ‘Necessary Roughness’ will get an order for 10 episodes, shortened from its first and second season 12- and 16-episode order respectively, much like other shows USA Network has already renewed, while cutting down the number of episodes for the new season. I can settle for fewer episodes, so long as nobody dares take away my weekly fix of handsome men and badass Dr. D.! You don’t want to deal with an Italian angry woman that’s been deprived of a couple of TV boyfriends at once, trust me.

I know you all are anxiously awaiting the five final winter episodes, that will start airing on January 23 on USA Network, so while you wait… I can’t give too many spoilers away. But know that TK, Doctor D., Matty D. and Nico won’t disappoint. Have they ever? I can only say there will be a comeback that impacts the Hawks and thus every other character on the show. Particularly TK, in more ways than one. Never a dull day for the King of the Hawks! And never enough for us watching all that handsomeness. I never heard complaints for the noticeable lack of shirts on Mr. Brooks this season. As the Latins said “Mens sana in corpore sano” (“A healthy mind in a healthy body”). And TK’s healthy (and then some) body is surely there, while the healthy mind… well, that’s for Dr. D. to obtain, or there would be no show!

‘Necessary Roughness’ has been steady in viewers this season, with an average of about 3 million viewers per episode, so given the good news, you guys better keep it up and not forget to watch, understood? The loyal viewership the show has is what kept it going. Worth mentioning is the fact that the viewer numbers for the show significantly increase once DVR factors in. The show’s season 2 premiere got 4.6 million viewers in Live+7. So let’s keep it up. And I say so being a major fan of this beautiful (and very underrated, in my opinion) show. It deserves a third season for the quality of writing and acting, on top of the good ratings.

Are you as thrilled as I am about the comeback of TK, Dr. D., Matty D. and Nico? Then don’t forget to tune in for the show’s winter premiere, on January 23 at 10/9c on USA Network!

Sark Takes on ‘Arrow’! David Anders Cast as New Arrow Foe

One minute while I recollect my thoughts here, because my ‘Alias’ fan self needs to recover from possibly the most thrilling casting news I’ve had so far this season. Julian Sark is going to take his Chateau Petrousse-loving ways to the CW’s new hit drama ‘Arrow’! I get to see Stephen Amell butt heads with David Anders. Am I dreaming? Only Michael Vartan joining as Arrow’s new ally would beat this. (What, TV husband always gotta be TV husband).

So, now that I’ve stopped doing the happy dance for a couple of minutes, let’s get to the details. Zap2It reports that Anders has been cast as Arrow’s new nemesis, Cyrus Vanch. Needless to say, this will be an enemy like no other for Amell’s character Oliver Queen. Because you know, once you’re Sark, there is no way you’re less than the perfect villain. Thinking about it, Sark would get on really well with Oliver Queen, given he’s a billionaire who certainly would have a taste for stylish clothes and Chateau Petrousse. After all Sark’s “For the bubbly, of course” remains one of the best lines a TV villain ever had. And one Oliver Queen and his friend Tommy Merlyn (played by the uber wonderful Broadway talent Colin Donnell) can certainly relate to. Enough, I’m dreaming of Sark partying with the two of them already. That’s what Alias does to me, and pairing it with Arrow is an even deadlier recipe. For my coronaries, that is. But I digress.

Vanch will be crossing paths with Arrow just as he’s freshly released from prison, and of course reverts back to his criminal ways. According to TVLine, once the police can’t get Vanch’s crimes to stop, Laurel enlists the Arrow to stop the criminal – which incidentally, is exactly what Vanch wants. He’s on a mission to take down Arrow, y’all! And for a good reason: he wants to prove all of Starling City’s criminals that he’s ZE BOSS of them by eliminating their number one enemy. On the path to criminal world domination, much? Seriously, this dude already scarily sounds a lot like Sark. He better not have a Sloane behind him as well, or the going will get very tough for Oliver Queen!

I personally am looking forward to seeing Vanch face off with Arrow. Scratch that, I can’t accept I’ll have to wait till after the Christmas break to see it! The cruelty of TV programming is unbearable. Mr. Anders (who also played great villains on ‘Heroes’, ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and ‘Once Upon a Time’) is not one to ever disappoint with his villainous characters, so this will be another one to remember, that much is for sure. And going by the premise for the character, he’ll be one to remember for Oliver Queen as well.

My new favorite drama mixing up with my all-time favorite drama. Doesn’t get much better than that. Now that I’ve given you the news, I can go back to my happy dance. What, even my TV husband Vartan danced on ‘Alias’, so I’m allowed, too. And no, not ever Gangnam style. I’m for actual dancing. Classic choreography and all. Can’t disappoint Sark and Vaughn. Till next time, lovelies! And make sure not to miss a new episode of ‘Arrow’ tomorrow night at 8 p.m. EST on the CW!

Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel say YES to “Girl Meets World”

It is OFFICIAL! Danielle Fishel and Ben Savage have signed on to reprise their roles as Topanga Lawrence and Cory Matthews in a spin-off of the hit series “Boy Meets World.”

Set years after the couple has married, “Girl Meets World” will follow their thirteen year old daughter Riley and her edgy best friend Maya. Could this be Cory and Shawn part two?  While the parent series debuted on ABC Family, the spin-off is slated to appear on The Disney Channel. We also hear that Cory will channel his inner Mr. Feeney, taking up occupation as a history teacher.

But will this series be good? We’d like to think so! “Boy Meets World” creator and executive producer Michael Jacobs is attached to the project.  William Russ, Cory’s father Alan Matthews in the original series, gave the new project his blessing. ”I’m very excited for Disney and Michael Jacobs,”  he said in a statement to HuffPost TV. “They are a great team and will produce an exceptional show, I have no doubt.”

A nationwide search for Riley is underway. Here is what Danielle Fishel had to say on her official Tumblr.

Girl Meets World

First of all, let me say that you, the fans of Boy Meets World, have been awesome.  That word is often used incorrectly by people, including myself, on a daily basis but you have truly been awe inspiring.  You, yes, even YOU, are the reason that Girl Meets World WILL BE MADE. J

I do not know how many BMW cast members will be returning for GMW, or how often they may appear if and/or when they do appear.  I am going to do my best to not speak for others with this open post.    But because I have known Michael Jacobs, Ben Savage, Rider Strong, Will Friedle, and Bill Daniels for 19 years, I know we share many of the same feelings regarding the 7 wonderful years we spent making BMW. Those years were among the most warm, hilarious, insightful, educational years of my life and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.  Another thing I wouldn’t trade for anything is the integrity and the heart with which BMW was made.  I promise with the entirety of my heart that we will make GMW with the same honesty, innocence, and intelligence that you learned to expect from BMW.

I say this because making the decision to do the show involved more conversations than you can possible imagine.  These conversations were with the same people I mentioned above because they were all instrumental in creating and maintaining the heart of BMW.  The first comment out of every person’s mouth was, “Let’s only do it if we think we can create something as special as we did with BMW.”  When the news leaked that GMW was in the making, literally days after I first heard about the project myself, Michael Jacobs and I had a conversation and we talked about how we were both so blown away by the reactions from all of you.  We felt honored. We felt nostalgic. We felt touched by the excitement in your comments, tweets, Tumblr, and Facebook posts.  But most of all, we felt inspired.  We felt inspired to bring these characters back to life and to tell you more of their stories. Michael said to me, “Danielle, when I read what people say BMW meant to them it makes me so very proud of all of us.  I think it is important for us, for as long as we are fortunate enough to have this opportunity to do GMW, that we all look each other in the eyes every so often and make sure we know we have something of value to offer the audience.”  I think we have that with GMW.

I say that so that I can say this: GMW is a new show.  It isn’t BMW brought back to life but in current day.  It will have familiar faces, familiar themes, and familiar messages.  It will also have new faces, new themes, and new messages. BMW never spoke down to the audience and we are going to do our best to never do that with GMW.  But please keep in mind that this there will be episode 1, of season 1, of a brand new show.  We started at the same place with BMW but we evolved and we evolved quickly.  For those of you who knew and loved BMW, please allow this show to evolve as well.  Stick with us. Give us a chance.

In the meantime, a sincere thank you to every one of you for all of your tweets (I read them all, every day. It killed me not to be able to talk about it!), even those of you who asked us not to do it.  There were only a few of you but I know why you don’t want GMW to happen and I appreciate that BMW meant enough to you that you don’t want to see its legacy tarnished. I can assure you, we don’t want that either. Your love, dedication, and appreciation means more to us than you could ever know and it will be the driving force behind our passion to make the best show we can possibly make. Thank you for giving us the chance to do it again.

Love,

Danielle

What are your thoughts? Are you excited? Do you think they should just leave it alone? Spill it!

 

Jeremy Renner is “keeping secrets” in new SNL promo ads

What could be cooler than an episode of Saturday Night Live with bad ass Jeremy Renner serving as host and the boys of Maroon 5 as musical guests? NBC just released the promo shorts featuring the handsome devil whose starred in countless action flicks including The Bourne Legacy, The Avengers, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and The Town to name a few, and Kenan Thompson who tries to outdo Renner at every turn and fails! (Well except for the bit with the mouse but I’m glad someone is afraid of the rodents as much as I am!)

If Maroon 5′s lead singer Adam Levine was featured in the videos, it would literally be the best promos ever made by the folks at SNL. (Sorry I’m Hispanic and I exaggerate a lot!)

You can tune in to watch Jeremy, Adam and the whole cast of Saturday Night Live, this Saturday only on NBC.