KING me!

Really digging KINGS on NBC right now.  I had some reservations about starting another show, but I was definitely hooked by the pilot.  If you missed the pilot, you can download it for free from itunes!!

KINGS is a loose retelling of King David in the Bible found in the books of Samuel and Kings.  It will be very interesting to see where they go with the show.  KINGS takes place in the kingdom of Gilboa (an alternate world resembling New York.)  There are some nice complex characters played by a great cast. Christopher Egan as David and Ian McShane as the King are wonderful.

 

Actually love the casting of the whole show... especially the King's family.  There's a great storyline that has been set up for Jack the king's son (played by Stan Sebastian.) 

I'm excited!  KINGS airs Sunday Nights on NBC.

Here's a preview...

filled with GLEE!

Very excited about GLEE... a new tv show from Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy debuting on FOX next fall.  

The cast has a plethora of Broadway talent.  It stars Matthew Morrison (Hairspray's original Link Larkin) as a spanish teacher who takes over the "worst high school glee club in America!"

His parents will be played by Victor Garber and Debra Monk.  The chorus "diva" is Lea Michele (Spring Awakening.)  It was just announced that Kristin Chenoweth will play a recurring role that is being kept a secret.  (She is also going to be on David E. Kelley's new show LEGALLY MAD.)  The brilliant Jayne Lynch (Best in Show) will also be on the show as the egotistical cheerleading coach.  

GLEE will feature several musical numbers per episode! 

While the show will air next fall, FOX will show the debut May 19 after the final American Idol performance show.  I'm excited to see it, but it IS kind of weird scheduling having to wait over 3 months for episode 2.  Hopefully it will get good ratings following Idol though.  

Here's the promo....

MUST see TV!

The term "Lifetime Movie" conjures up certain images... I think of a woman fighting the odds/overcoming addiction. The woman will usually be played by a former TV star. When flipping through channels I may watch a dramatic scene or two and skip to the next channel.

Perhaps I have never connected to one because I have never...

A - been abducted
B - been sexually assaulted or stalked
C - had a multiple personality disorder
D - had an eating disorder

All kidding aside, I know people love their movies and are inspired by them.

I have to give Lifetime huge props for their latest film. I just saw PRAYERS FOR BOBBY which aired this weekend. This made-for-tv movie is based on the book of the same title. It is the true story of a mother struggling with her son's homosexuality and trying to change him. All this is done in the name of God's love.  It is a tragic story, but also one of transforming ignorance into love and acceptance.

I read the heartbreaking book years ago and thought the movie hit it right on.  Ryan Kelley and Sigourney Weaver as Bobby and his mother are wonderful.  Ms. Weaver gives an amazing nuanced performance.  More importantly,  this is a vital story for young people and their parents struggling to come to terms with being gay AND loving God.  As evident with the past election, this is still an issue America struggles with.

There will be an encore showing tonight at 9pm ET on Lifetime. You can also purchase the film on itunes for $3.99.  A dvd release hasn't been announced yet, but I'm pretty sure there will be one down the road.  WARNING - When you watch this, make sure you have a box of tissues handy.

Here's the preview.  (Don't watch if you don't want to know too much before viewing.)

Also related.... I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend the critically acclaimed documentary FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO.  This is an amazing film and is available on dvd.  What I like about the documentary is that it shows viewpoints from both sides of this controversial issue.  Also it interviews a lot of parents and not just their children.  Here is the preview.  Don't care much for the "child singing under spooky music" in the preview, but the clip gives you an idea of the content of the film.

Annie Get Your Remote

"Broadway meets the Boob-Tube"

Last year was a big year in movie musicals ("Hairspray," "Sweeney Todd," "Across the Universe," and my personal fav… "Once") This summer brings us "Mamma Mia!"

The musical genre also made it’s way to the small screen as well. TV land brought us three wonderful new shows that heavily incorporated musical #’s into their plots. I’m not going to count the dreadful “Viva Laughlin” with the horribly wasted Hugh Jackman. This show had characters lip syncing to pop songs…. If you missed this consider yourself blessed that you never had to see Melanie Griffith sultridise Blondie’s “One Way or Another” (New word I just made up.... SULTRIDISE: verb - to try and make sultry)

...but on to the 3 really good ones... Like Hugh Jackman in "Viva Best-Forgotten," these 3 shows featured characters or cameos by Broadway stars. 

(This blog got a little long in show descriptions so please fill free to skim)

First up is the wonderfully quirky "PUSHING DAISIES."

In "Pushing Daisies," Ned discovered as a child that he had a gift for bringing people back to life by touching them. If he touches them a second time they are dead (permanently this time!) If they are alive for more than 1 minute someone else in the area drops dead. One day his mom dies from an aneurysm. He, of course, brings her back to life for over a minute.  However, in doing so, the father of his childhood sweetheart “Chuck” drops dead.  She moves away with her aunts and he never sees her again.  Later that night his mom kisses him goodnight and falls dead.

As an adult the charming Ned works as a pie-maker (The restaurant that he owns is called “the PIE HOLE!”)  He is assisted by a waitress named Olive.  She is played to perfection by Broadway cutie Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown.)

Ned ends ups joining forces with a private investigator who uses him as an easy way to solve murder crimes.   Ned touches the victim and gets as much info as he can in one minute. One day the victim happens to be… his childhood sweetheart Chuck.  He is heartbroken and decides to keep her alive.  Romance starts to fill the air during the season.  One problem…. they can’t touch.

This show reminded me a lot of "Amelie" or the movie adaptation of "Matilda."   It is visually stunning and is brought to you by the same people who made the tragically short lived “Wonderfalls” (*Check this series out as well!) The show has a wonderful fairytale vibe to it and started to incorporate musical numbers into the plot.  Besides Kristin Chenoweth, the cast also features Ellen Greene (Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors) as one of Chuck’s aunts.  (The other is the fabulous Swoosie Kurtz.)

Chenoweth’s character Olive pines for romance from Ned.  Here is her musical ode to him with the assistance of his dog.



Pushing Daisies never came back after the writer’s strike. It IS scheduled to return in the fall!!! You can watch full episodes on abc.com

Next up is a show that just finished this past week. This was also on abc.

"ELI STONE" is about a lawyer who starts having visions in the form of musical #’s (often to George Michael songs!!) He visits his brother (a neurologist) who tells Eli he has a brain aneurysm which is probably leading to these hallucinations. Eli turns to a Chinese acupuncturist who believes that Eli is a prophet and that these are visions from God.  Eli doesn’t know what to think.  He starts taking court cases that are influenced by these visions, and his life drastically changes.  I absolutely loved this show and fear that it might not return.  The way it ended tied up loose ends… (but did it in a absolutely beautiful musical sequence.)

Musical #’s were performed by Broadway vets Victor Garber (Godspell, Damn Yankees), Loretta Devine (Dreamgirls), and George Michael himself.   The cast also featured Broadway’s Laura Benanti (Into the Woods, Wedding Singer, Gypsy) and Katey Segal ("Peg Bundy" in Married with Children, and a backup singer for Bette Midler.)  Neither of these gals sang this season but might (or might have ) in coming seasons. I don’t want to post the wonderful finale # for plot reasons, but here is a taste of the show.



Finally, there is the amazing duo that brought us “FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS.”

FOTC is comprised of Bret McKenzie and Jermaine Clement.   They describe themselves as "New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo"

Starting as a comedy act, a series was developed for HBO charting their search for stardom in New York.  This show is absolutely brilliant, and the first season is on DVD right now!

The 2 guys are hilarious. I also love Kristen Schaal.  She plays their obsessively stalkerish singular fan. Here is a clip of Jermaine noticing an attractive woman at a party and trying to woo her through song.



The broadway connection is that Sutton Foster (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein) appeared in a couple episodes as Bret’s Girlfriend. He was composing a song for her telling her he would "climb the highest mountains, swim the deepest sea...." Jermaine hears it and asks would you actually do all that? "Write about things you would actually do…" Here is the finished product...



The second season is not set to air until January 2009.  That gives you plenty of time to discover season one and...

(drumroll)

NEW RELEASE ALERT…

Their first full length U.S. album comes out this Tuesday! (which is why I wrote this blog entry to begin with.) The album features songs from the series and many more wonderful "guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk" masterpieces.

Check out any of these three wonderful shows.  You can find episodes of "Pushing Daisies" and "Eli Stone" on abc.com.  Also available is the dvd and cd of "Flight of the Conchords."

Happy Viewing!