March 2008 - FoxInsider

Raimi casting for horror drama

The Sam Raimi produced reality horror show I mentioned the other week "13" has just announced details of it's casting calls so if you fancy nipped over the Atlantic, are aged between 18-30, are "Energetic, competitive and full of personality (Imagine being trapped in a lift with someone like THAT!) and fancy a chance of scooping the $66,666 prize (See what they did there, they took the number of the beast and then added.. er.. 66 grand to it..) here are the addresses. (Who said it was a slow news day?)

Posted: 03-31-2008 5:10 AM by foxinsider with no comments

Flash go bye bye?

Sci-Fi cancels Flash Gordon.. Well, they don't actually go as far as SAYING they do but speaking to the US trade magazine Variety, US Sci-Fi Channel president David Howe said that the network didn't treat the character of Flash Gordon the way he should've been treated, and the network may try to do it again sometime.. Just not right now. That seems to be Sci-Fi double talk for "We're putting it out of is misery... or your misery". I'm surprised it managed to last one season.

Posted: 03-31-2008 5:03 AM by foxinsider with no comments

NBC doing the program thing

Last week we talked about what ABC had lined up for the world of US programming, well now NBC are making their announcement. Such is the way of these things. According to Variety, NBC are focusing on escapism this season. Their rationale is that with the American economy in the toilet people are going to be happier watching fantastical TV... well until the repo men turn up to take that 32 inch flatscreen. Hey ho. Anyway all that is by the by.

 As expected NBC was happy with the performance of the Knight Rider TV Movie that they recently broadcast and a season has been commissioned. Amongst the other remakes that NBC has green-lit is a new high octane version of Robinson Crusoe (two guys trapped alone on a desert island... high octane? this one I have got to see) and Aussie comedy Kath and Kim. Selma Blair and Molly Shannon are both signed up and we expect that if they put even the slightest foot wrong they will never again be welcome down-under.

 Also on the cards, Fear Itself, a horror/thriller series about a woman who inherits a haunted farm house; Kings starring Ian McShane; Barry Sonnenfeld's legal drama Blue Blood; Conan O'Brien's comedy Man of Your Dreams and Steven Weber (Studio 60) vehicle Zip.

NBC have two other cards up their sleeve as well. They have bought Canadian supernatural hospital drama The Listener about a paramedic who discovers he has telepathic powers. And they are looking smug with a new project, My Own Worst Enemy, a story about a suburban family man who has a secret life as a spy, particularly since Christian Slater signed to the show.

How much of these make it to US screens and then to UK screens, well that is anyone's guess... we wait with baited breath

Posted: 03-31-2008 4:41 AM by foxinsider with no comments

A treat for Wire fans

The word on the grapevine is that David Simon, writer, creator and acclaimed genius behind HBO's superlative crime drama - The Wire, is coming to the UK. Sadly he will not be giving pointers to the writers of The Bill... which would be interesting, instead he is passing through doing promotional work on his new project Generation Kill. Adapted from Rolling Stone journalist Evan Wright's book, Generation Kill tells the story of a US Marine unit rocking around the desert in Iraq War I (before the sequel). Think Wire, Jarhead, Full Metal Jacket. FoxInsider has read the first script and it is awesome, at the moment we are fighting others in the office for time with the screener DVDs... but we digress. The point of all of this is that while David Simon is in the UK, FX is apparently working together with HBO and the National Film Theatre to arrange a special screening of the new season of The Wire combined with a Q&A session with the great man himself and a preview of the aforementioned Generation Kill. Watch this space, for if we manage to pull this off tickets will be in limited supply and we may well be able to help you out...

Posted: 03-31-2008 4:30 AM by foxinsider with no comments

FX doing Life

FoxInsider has just taken receipt of the first few preview DVDs for FX's new series Life and we have got to say, it looks great. For those of you don't know, Life is a detective series starring Damien Lewis of Band of Brothers fame. Lewis plays Detective Crews who has just been released from prison, exonerated, after twelve years. Crews returns to the force a changed man, not just because he is now a multi-millionaire from the "oops we incarcerated the wrong man" settlement, but also scarred from the horror of his time inside (they don't treat jailed coppers that well apparently). Lewis plays the quirky detective brilliantly and the show has a great mix of drama and comedy. Expect comparisons with House and Shark... which would not be too far from the mark. Life will come to FX later in 08/09.

Posted: 03-31-2008 4:06 AM by foxinsider with 1 comment(s)

FX's Own

Miscellaneous snippets

Legendary comedienne Tracey Ullman bursts onto TV again this Sunday with her new show State of The Union on Showtime. Tracey will play a number of American stereotype in something that looks remarkably like Little Britain… Hmmmmm. Check it out. http://www.sho.com/site/tracey/home.do?source-shocom_nav Christian Siriano, who won season 4 of Project Runway will be guest appearing in Ugly Betty… I don’t even know why I bother to mention that… oh well in for a penny… Ugly Betty has used a whole host of fashionistas in guest appearance roles: Vera Wang, Kenneth Cole and Victoria Beckham all putting in star turns… so there you go. Sigh. Slow news day. HBO have just picked up Australian comedy series Summer Heights High. Australian comedian Chris Lilly, who wrote and appeared in The Nominees, shown on FX a couple of years ago (cos we are just that groundbreaking) also writes and stars as three of the characters in the new show.   Rumours are that Joss Whedon might have assembled his cast for Doll’s House. Despite all the gossip we were spreading earlier in the week it now looks like Tahmoh Penikett (Battlestar Galactica) is up to play the lead alongside Eliza Dushku, Frank Kranz, Aussie actress Dichen Lachman (Neighbours) and Enver Gjokaj also appear to have landed roles… though that could all change by Monday.

Posted: 03-28-2008 9:46 AM by foxinsider with no comments

Bye Bye Blondie

Channel 4 might have only just started showing Dirty Sexy Money but when it comes round to series two they will be one actress short. Samaire Armstrong who plays debutante brat Juliet will not be having her contract picked up. Ugly and completely unsubstantiated gossip suggests there have been a few problems on set but one does not like to speculate. Actually one does but one can’t publically without fear of getting sued!

Posted: 03-28-2008 9:43 AM by foxinsider with no comments

Back to Prison

Warning. If you are a prison break fan please don’t read any more of this article because you will get a quite serious plot point and then write in complaining that we have ruined your television experience when it is your own fault for reading spoilers! 

Posted: 03-28-2008 9:41 AM by foxinsider with no comments

The return of the Saint

If you have not heard Barry Levinson is down to remake The Saint. This time with James Purefoy taking the lead. The production will start with a two hour TV movie to hopefully pilot the series. If that works then who knows what else.  Roger Moore, who played Simon Templar in the original, is also involved with the project. Curious.

Posted: 03-28-2008 9:37 AM by foxinsider with no comments

It is all "Go" at ABC

ABC have got green light crazy right now. First up they have teamed up with Endemol to produce a reality game show called Wipe Out. High brow this ain’t. The studio itself is describing it as “the most crashes, face plants, impacts and wipeouts ever seen on television”, because, lets face it, everyone likes seeing someone get kicked in the crotch! Next up they have a new comedy up on the blocks. The Bad Mother’s Handbook is a half hour, single camera, comedy about 32 year old Karen who spends her time split between looking after her 16 year old daughter and her 48 year old mother. If you think that sounds like a bundle of laughs just think how you would describe Everybody Loves Raymond and that is… a bad example. On top of that ABC have ordered three drama series. Finnegan, a light hearted drama series set in the LAPD’s vice unit, The Unusuals a one hour comedic crime procedural set in the New York Police precinct and Castle about a mystery novelist who helps the NYPD solve crimes. You can see where ABC are going with their programming this year… either that or they are going to make the three shows fight for your love which would be great!

Posted: 03-28-2008 9:20 AM by foxinsider with no comments

Justin Timberlake To Host Awards Show, Not The Grammy's

Now a self-proclaimed sports junkie, Justin Timberlake will host ESPN's ESPY Awards show this summer which honours the year's best and funniest moments in sport. Ha ha hilarious. Talk about a mark of distinction.  Timberlake will also appear in the romantic comedy, The Love Guru, released this summer starring Mike Myers and Jessica Alba.

And just for laughs: 

Watch Justin get mangled in this Superbowl ad for Pepsi...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dprQVQ3wOU

Posted: 03-27-2008 5:57 AM by foxinsider with no comments

Cuthbert Makes a Comeback

And more NY-LON tidings...She's come a long way since her breakthrough role on FOX show 24 as Jack Bauer's really annoying, good-for-nothing crisis prone daughter, as she is set to star in CBS's US remake of NY-LON.  Ny-Lon, (as in New York-London, not the synthetic polimer) centres on Edie, played by Cuthbert, a New York literacy teacher/record store clerk, and Michael, a London stock broker, who embark on a cross-continental romance. 

Posted: 03-27-2008 5:36 AM by foxinsider with no comments

I'm Tom Cruise, Superhero

Those funny guys behind the Scary Movies have finally done something different...they've made a movie spoofing superheroes. A genetically modified dragonfly bites the highschool geek, Rick Riker...ring any bells...and develops superhuman abilities like incredible strength and armoured skin, and becomes costumed crime-fighter "The Dragonfly". 

To promote the film, writer and director Craig Mazin stayed true to his roots by ridiculing scientologist actor Tom Cruise yet again in this irresistable piece of viral marketing. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpoWoZnm4Bw

Superhero Movie is set for release this year.

Posted: 03-27-2008 5:03 AM by foxinsider with no comments

Brand New Telly?

So pilot season is going and the networks are doing their upfronts (basically where they sell advertising space before they have their programs made) and over the next few days there is going to be all sorts of chat about new shows. ABC have apparently picked up a couple of new shows including Five Year Plan - the story of two brothers and their friends who are living out their lives according to their.... well... five year plans. The script comes from Port and Wiseman whose names are likely to mean little to you, unless you are one of those people who memorises credits, in which case you may have noticed that they were involved with the US version of The Office and the reworking of the IT Crowd. ABC have also picked up a new show based on a New Zealand show called Outrageous Fortune which centres around a family of criminals trying to go straight after the father is put away.

USA Networks, currently riding high in the US cable world, is also looking at new shows at the moment and trying to follow in the success of Monk and Psyche both of which have helped them build their position. The first bit of news coming out of their is a show called Shirleyville about a veteran from the conflict in Afghanistan who returns home to hickville, nowhere and accidentally ends up as mayor of the town. Other shows being talked about are The Negotiator, American Girl, Royal Pains about a physician who tends to the mega-rich, and The Nanny Files a new crime show centring around a crime fighting nanny. More news on all of those when we get a look.

Fox are reportedly developing a show called White Collar. In a story line that sounds awfully like Catch Me If You Can meets Prison Break, a white collar criminal escapes from prison to track down his ex-girlfriend only to end up working with the FBI to hunt down other crims.

Finally, can't go without taking a swing at Hallmark (US) for resurrecting (almost literally) The Golden Girls. Reruns rather than a remake but even so... WHY????

Posted: 03-26-2008 5:36 AM by foxinsider with no comments