WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART GALA
Monday, December 9, 2002 - at 6:30 p.m
at Grauman's Chinese Theatre
6925 Hollywood Blvd, in Hollywood
Hellboy casting
We contacted Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro to ask if the rumor we received three days ago about actress Selma Blair being cast as Liz Sherman was true or false. del Toro told us they are "negotiating" with Blair (whereas "Dr. Confoundo" said she was signed) for the part of Liz and that they are also in negotiations for the rest of Hellboy's cast. "We should be able to announce a complete cast list in the next 4 weeks or so," the man told us. [Our thanks to Guillermo del Toro.]
Rising CBS gives full-season order to four freshmen
CBS, which has seen its ratings in the key 18-49 demo climb 8% this season, gave a vote of confidence Monday to four new series helping drive the trend. The network ordered nine additional episodes apiece of the crime dramas "Without a Trace" and "Hack," along with the family sitcom "Still Standing." As expected, the network also ordered a full season of the spinoff "CSI: Miami," this year's most-watched new drama. "It wasn't since the year 'ER' and 'Friends' debuted that one network had the top three new shows" in household ratings, CBS chief Leslie Moonves said, referring to "CSI: Miami," "Without a Trace" and "Still Standing." Indeed, "CSI: Miami" and "Still Standing" have helped the network strengthen its Monday lineup, which was already formidable thanks to "Everybody Loves Raymond."
Will 'Primetime Thursday' Become 'Primetime Some-Other-Day'?
ABC's Primetime Thursday , which had managed in the past to hold its own against NBC's E.R. in the 10:00 p.m. hour, has seen its ratings sag further with strong competition from CBS's new drama Without a Trace, a fact not lost on the newsmag's executive producer, David Doss. Asked by Philadelphia Inquirer TV columnist Gail Shister how he feels about the stiff competition, Doss remarked, "It's like asking how I feel about standing in the middle of the freeway -- not great. Like everyone, we want more viewers to see the tremendous work we're doing." Noting that "ABC is working hard to retool the entire network," Doss indicated that "there are discussions going on all the time" about the Primetime slot.
Without a Trace: "Between the Cracks", A Test Pattern Review
Last week's review of Without a Trace garnered at least one "tsk-tsk" from a
disapproving viewer who felt the show had significantly more character
development than the review actually gave credit for (one criticism in the
review was that the characters could swap dialogue without anyone actually
noticing). The viewer's interpretation of last week's episode was that
Samantha and Jack had an affair prior to the episode, which would explain the
sarcastic comments Sam is making throughout. However, there is always the
possibility that one interpretation would be completely different from the
original writer's intention.
Regardless, I assured the feedback writer that I would consider her interpretation.
Without a Trace episode 1.04: "Between the Cracks"
The latest episode deals with the shattering of hopes and dreams. One, in the form of an aspiring model named Eve Cleary. Because of her hectic schedule (sleep all 'til noon, work 'til dark, party 'til dawn), no one even notices that she is gone until eight days later. Second, in the form of Charles Colin, a desperate father who has been searching for his son for eight years. Having kept in contact with the missing persons squad, he refuses to give up hope.
Thankfully, Without a Trace does away with the many soap-opera conventions that have been plaguing much of prime time television as of late. While continuous storylines have their appeal, once the show gets into its nth season, it becomes somewhat tiring. The unfortunate downside of this is that it becomes more difficult for the audience to get attached to these characters. As it is, it is easier for the audience to identify with the people involved with the case rather than the actual squad.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, just provided that the victims are just as compelling as the main characters. Thus, is the tragic case of Eve Cleary, a small town girl who moves to New York to become a model, only to become trapped in what initially appears glamorous, but quickly becomes a seedy underground. It seems to occur in stages, first with the work, then with the parties, then on to the sleaze. Taking a few frames out of Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream, she ends up seeing how used and abused models can get.
While it is taking a little longer than normal to warm up to the main characters, we do see a few spots here and there, such as Danny playing "bad cop" to a witness who is being uncooperative (although this does seem to come out of nowhere). Jack is definitely the leader and mentor of the group, and he does show a little more empathy when dealing with Charlie (played to perfection by character actor Charles S. Dutton).
While we can expect most episodes to end happily with missing persons being reunited with their loved ones, this episode proves that not all missing persons cases end happily. As it is, Charlie has been missing his son for eight years. As well, the audience already knows what happens when a person is missing for more than 48 hours.
As much as the show has received a fair amount of criticism for flat characterization (well, at least in previous reviews), the show does have a chance at becoming a hit, and is certainly effective as a mystery television show. For those looking for an alternative to ER, this show can easily fit the bill. Comments? vinceyim at hotmail dot com.
Spielberg Series "Taken" on SCI-FI Channel
Making its debut on the December 2, 2002 on the
Sci-Fi Channel Taken , an epic saga from Steven Spielberg, abducts the
small-screen, weaving together stories of three families over multiple
generations. Set against the backdrop of actual historical events, all three
families play a crucial role in the history of alien abductions.
Interestingly enough, the grand scale of the tales explore generations of
extra-terrestrial encounters beginning in the skies over Germany during World
War II to the modern day abduction stories that also includes Spielberg's
1977 release Close Encounters of the Third Kind
As viewers reach present day, all the secrets unravel and all three families come together to unlock the mysteries of being Taken.
"Because Taken is a miniseries, it's going to be 100% character driven," says Spielberg. " I believe what will keep people tuned in is that the characters are very compelling. You watch these characters evolve and age before your eyes and give birth to special children, who themselves have a purpose in our story. It is a character story first and foremost."
Spielberg, one of the most successful storytellers in the history of film, is no stranger to science fiction given his earlier forays into the genre (Close Encounters, ET) have since become among the most successful films not only within the genre but in film history.
What was Spielberg's inspiration for this project?
"Alien abduction has always been something that interested me. I've been interested in all the wonders of extra-terrestrial life over my entire life. I've always been really interested in the whole genre of possibilities."
Gearing up to abduct television viewers everywhere later in ther year, the Taken cast includes Dakota Fanning (I Am Sam, Trapped, Cat in the Hat), Anton Yelchin (15 Minutes, Hearts in Atlantis), Joel Gretsch (Minority Report), Ryan Hurst (When We Were Soldiers, Patch Adams), Heather Donahue (The Blair Witch Project), and Desmond Harrington (Ghost Ship).
Nancy Drew gets a date
Maggie Lawson: The college version of teenage sleuth Nancy Drew
(Lawson) finally has a date to enter school. ABC announced today that
their updated flick about the legendary detective will air as a
presentation of The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday, December 15,
from 7:00-9:00pm. The new Nancy Drew centers around problems at River
Heights University when a student's boyfriend ends up in a coma after
abusing performance enhancing substances, leaving his girlfriend at
the top of the list of suspects as the pusher. Can Nancy solve the
crime? Duh!
'Push'-ed Out
ABC plans to air the final episode of Push, Nevada tonight and will air the final clues for people playing the $1-million game associated with the show on the Internet. Revised rules have been posted on ABC's web site, while a run-down of past clues and related material about the show have been posted at www.enochonline.com. Meanwhile, some critics who initially welcomed the show are excoriating ABC for launching it in a crippling time period and doing little to nurture it. Bidding it farewell, John Levesque, in today's (Thursday) Seattle Post Intelligencer, remarked, "We wish you were on a network that could afford to stick its neck out and keep it out there for a full season." Brian Lambert in the St. Paul Pioneer Press observed: "I feel I have all the evidence I need to confirm that I and other TV critics around the country are without question the Kiss of Death. Series after series that we championed as "refreshingly different," "innovative," "unique," "distinctive and engaging," "offbeat and entertaining" and -- the surefire stake through the heart -- "the best show of the new fall season!" have died fast, ugly, miserable deaths."
Actor Carl Lumbly attends the Producers Guild of America's inaugural Celebration of Diversity on October 28, 2002 in Beverly Hills, California. The award show honors individuals that promote broader cultural diversity in film, television and new media productions.
