HBO's Newsroom Gets Second Season

I have only watched the first few episodes of The Newsroom, but I have enjoyed the show so far and hope to catch up on the first season.  While the program can be a little preachy at times, and it does provide a rerun of the news over the past few years, it demonstrates that there was another way to pitch the new and inform a nation.  In that regard, I am glad to learn The Newsroom will get a second season, though not without a few bumps.

The Daily has announced that HBO is cleaning house for a second season:

Aaron Sorkin has been doing press all week defending his critically-panned HBO show, “The Newsroom,” but behind the scenes he's cleaning house.

Most of the writers on the cable drama about a Keith Olbermann-type television news demagogue have been fired, sources with knowledge of the show told The Daily. "They're not coming back, except for Sorkin's ex-girlfriend [Corinne Kinsbury]," one source said. [Sorkin is currently dating "Sex and the City" actress Kristin Davis.]

The show was renewed early for a second season and it's unclear how many writers will replace the departing staff.

It seems the high-powered drama is not limited to the television screen.  And Jeff Daniels is creating his own stir in an actual newsroom with this statement on CBS News:

 I think there are many [messages on the show.] However, one of them, specific to that, is that I don’t think we’re informed anymore as a country...I think we have the attention span of a gnat. You know, with cell phones and Twitter.

I like it.  

Update:   Aaron Sorkin is claiming all is well in the writers room.  He recently stated: "I want to be as clear as I possibly can about this...The writing staff was not fired"  He added, "Just seeing that in print is scaring the hell out of the writing staff. They're acting very strange. They're coming to work early. They're acting polite to me. I want the old gang back."

Political Animals Not Very Tame

The first episode of TNT's Political Animals did not work for me.  First, Sigourney Weaver's performance as the Secretary of State Hammond came across as a loud reading of the script. Moreover, as we were warned, the entire episode truly was Dallas set in DC.  It all depends what you are looking for, but this was not what I was looking for on a Sunday night.  And why do they need the crude character of Hammond's mother played by Ellen Burstyn?  If this was intended to add comic relief it was a desperate approach that landed flat.

The only character that seems to be carrying his weight is James Wolk in the part of Hammond's son Douglas.  I remember him from Happy Endings where he had a small but solid role as a gay boyfriend.  

And speaking of gay roles, I feel bad for Sebastian Stan, who plays the part of the gay, troublesome son Thomas (T.J.).  Stan already played this role in NBC's Kings as Jack Benjamin, a similar gay prince moping about and stirring up trouble that tarnishes the royal family.  He probably has more to offer than this bad boy bit.  His most recent role has been that of Jefferson, or the Mad Hatter, on ABC's Once Upon a Time, which I have to admit is a little different from the two roles above.   

Political Animals doesn't suffer from a lack of capable actors and actresses, but rather a reason to be.  I think I will continue to get my dose of political drama from the real Clintons.

Comic Con: Fringe

As a fan of Fox's Fringe, I was interested in the discussions about the series and plans for the future.  Unfortunately, season five will be the show's last season, but it has been a great ride so far and I am sure more fun is in store for the loyal viewers.  

The panel discussion at the July 2012 Comic Con in San Diego started with a trailer for the last season indicating the pending battle with the Observers will keep us riveted (click here for the trailer and panel discussion). 

Here are some of the items covered in the discussion, though none is key to the series itself but rather fun notes on the people behind the show:

-- Joshua Jackson (Peter Bishop) said the 13-episode renewal for the fifth and last season was a "happy surprise."  He also noted that he "aspires to the nobility" of Peter's character.  Later in the discussion he said his favorite episodes were with Lincoln and alt-Lincoln, played by Seth Gabel

-- Jasika Nichole (Astrid Farnsworth) discussed her growing role in season one that cemented her position in the series.  She noted that one of her favorite scenes was when Walter was at a phone booth and he could not remember the number for Peter.

-- Lance Reddick (Phillip Broyles) demonstrated that he can smile.  He also became a little emotional when he discussed one of his favorite episodes, showing the steely agent has a softer side in real life, though he finished saying "you cannot go out and tell anybody this happened."  In terms of his favorite version of his character, he liked alt-Broyles the most because he was so conflicted.  He also wished the character had live a little longer before he died "with a bang."

-- John Noble (Dr. Walter Bishop), in his strong Australian accent (not apparent on the series), noted that the glue to the show and fan following is the love running through the program, regardless of the underlying science fiction.  One of his favorite scenes was Agent Olivia shooting 17 men (he was trying to lighten the mood at the table).  Noble also stated he loved the "randomness" of the original Walter.

-- Anna Torv (Olivia Dunham), when not crying, recounted how the episode dedicated to Jasika's character Astrid was a magic moment.  (Here is a little more on that particular episode from TVLine.)

-- J.H. Wyman, Fringe executive producer, praised Fox for sticking with the show even though it had "middling" figures.  He also addressed a fan question about the lack of female Observers, stating the reason for this will become apparent in the final season.

Everyone made it clear this was the last season of the series.  Fringe has been quite an adventure already and I believe a tough sell to many newcomers given the multiple universes and time travel.  The only true center to the show was Peter, when he was there, and this makes sense to loyal fans following the show from day one but could be very confusing to anyone else.  I am glad I stayed with Fringe all these years and look forward to the final stories.

2012 Emmy Nominations in Comedy

The Emmy nominations are out and the list is far from perfect, highlighting some great programs while ignoring others.  Yes, the annual battle of "What about my show?" continues.  And I think I will throw in a few words as well.

First, let's discuss Outstanding Comedy Series.  The winners in this category include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Girls, 30Rock, Veep, Modern Family, and The Big Bang Theory.  The only fresh nominees in the list are Girls and Veep, neither of which compare with the others.  More importantly, if you are looking for a political comedy can you really do better than Parks and Recreation?  Not likely.  And where is Louie?  Sometimes I am not sure if the show is a comedy or drama myself, but you are often witnessing an brilliant slice of life when you switch on an episode.  Fortunately, both shows were part of other nominations, but they still represent a large gap in the comedy category.

Next,  under Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, I was very happy to see Edie Falco for her work on Nurse Jackie and Amy Poehler for her work on Parks and Recreation.  You can find the rest of the nominees at the link above, but I wanted to single out my two favorite blondes with very different techniques yet similar results - great comedy.  Again, I would put Nurse Jackie in a drama/comedy category, but when it attempts humor it is always right on the mark.

Under Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, I tip my hat to both Louis C.K. and Alec Baldwin, as different as Edie and Amy in their work, but always a pleasure to watch.  If I watch 30Rock at all these days, it is only to see the latest antics Baldwin's character, Jack Donaghy. 

Finally, in terms of supporting actors and actresses, I was very surprised yet happy to see the four main actors from Modern Family on the actors list (Ed O'Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Ty Burrell, and Eric Stonestreet) and the two main actresses from the same show on the actresses list (Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara).  However, are we really saying that one comedy can capture 50 percent of the available nominee slots?  This seems to be more a case of not wanting to offend anyone rather than picking the best of the best.  Yes, I will say it again, but where are the supporting actors from Parks and Recreation?  I would put the dry performances of Nick Offerman, who plays Ron Swanson, or Aubrey Plaza, who plays April Ludgate, above some of these other performers.

Award nominations are far from perfect and will never satisfy everyone.  I just had to put in my plug for some worthy shows and performers that deserve the attention.  I hope to say more about the other categories later.

Update:  While Modern Family has been quite successful with Emmy nominations, it has gone through a rough patch trying to start season four.  It seems the success of these actors and actresses has not translated into high enough salaries.  This is not the type of publicity you want right now when the story should be the nominations.

Strong Women: Patty and Elaine

The fifth and last season of Damages started July 11th on DirectTV, with Glenn Close's Patty Hewes facing more brutal courtroom battles.  And this season she is joined by Ryan Phillipe, a Julian Assange-like character who, as with prior main characters, will offer more catnip to Patty.  In fact, you can visit the Phillipe character's website in question at McClarenTruth.org, which is a fun way to get the season started.  

Ms. Close has been a very "committed" attorney, if that is the appropriate word, whereas "slightly mad" works for me as well.  Damages is a fascinating take on the legal profession, though similar to watching Captain America to learn about the U.S. Military.  That is not to say warped people do not exist in the real legal world, as the collapse of Wall Street and ensuing investigations demonstrated, but seldom can you get such a rich catalog of characters in your living room every night.  I would take this over the other television law shows any day.  Go here for a season five trailer.

And now we have a new committed Secretary of State coming to television, with Sigourney Weaver coming to the USA Networks tonight (July 15th) on Political Animals.  Said to somewhat model Hillary Clinton, Weaver's character Elaine Barrish Hammond has plenty to keep her busy both on the home front and the Homeland Security front.  Here is how she is described in the series promotions:

Smart, politically savvy, and devoted to both family and country, onetime first lady and unsuccessful presidential candidate Elaine Barrish Hammond has found new purpose and popularity since divorcing her philandering husband and taking on the job of Secretary of State. Now out from under the shadow of her husband, Elaine proves herself to be a gifted politician with a fierce desire to right the wrongs of the world, whether in international diplomatic chambers or in her own living room. But brilliant as she is, balancing her political aspirations with the demands of her personal life will prove a continued challenge for Elaine, and the higher she climbs, the more her principles, her skill, and her family will be put to the test. 

I  look forward to seeing Signourney Weaver on television taking on such a role.  And while the USA Nework is calling this a "limited series event," maybe a strong start will lead to more.  Who knows?  Damages was dead before DirectTV came to the rescue.  We shall see if Secretary Hammond can  carry the day.  Go here for an extended trailer.

Tim Goodman in The Hollywood Reporter has already given his view on the, which makes me somewhat uneasy (given my take on Dallas): "...what Animals is trying to do is take The West Wing and turn it into Dallas. And if you don’t like Dallas, that can be a real letdown."

Chuck Barney of the Contra Costa Times was a little nicer: "Fortunately, as the saga unfolds, it delves into fresher territory, and Political Animals becomes an intriguing, even occasionally humorous, family soap opera about the snake pit of national politics, the expectations of women in power and the corrosive effects of personal ambition."

Netfix's Lilyhammer

I finally found some time to sit down and watch a few episodes of Nexflix-financed Lilyhammer, and I am glad I did.  This odd, little jewel of a show tells the story of a New Jersey mob boss who needs to quickly exit the United States after providing key evidence in an FBI case.  And where does he want to go to get away from it all?  Why, Lillehammer, Norway, of course. 

Steven Van Zandt, who already had a lot of credits in other areas such as music (Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band) as well as television (The Sopranos), brilliantly plays the part of Giovanni Hendriksen, a stereotypical mobster trying to establish his own version of Las Vegas in the Norwegian mountains.  He is definitely a fish out of water in his location, or so it seems for the first 5 minutes.  And then, oddly enough, he finds ways to blackmail, intimidate, and enrich himself with his new neighbors.  If anything, the shows seems to indicate that we are all the same across the globe and subject to the same incentives.  But even this dark side to the show is generally fun and well-balanced with other lighter moments as he pursues a romantic relationship. 

 Dan Schneider in Open Salon stated it well when he noted the following:

The acting is all first rate, and while there are minor dramatic elements, the fact that all the Norwegian characters are played and written as boobs means this show is a comedy, not a dramady. The writing on the show is surprisingly good...Yes, there are stereotypes- of both American gangsters and Nordic cultures, but, as a comedy, it mixes these in unique and genuinely humorous ways. It’s not belly laugh funny, but it makes you often smirk when you feel you should not- say, at a moment of would be pathos for the characters.

From everything I have read, the show has been very popular with Norwegians.  Now we have to see how popular it is state-side, though Netflix has already ordered a second season, which is encouraging.  To enjoy the show you will have to forgive the subtitles.  For some odd reason, Giovanni is always speaking English while the Norwegians speak in their own tongue, creating an interesting viewing experience on both sides of the Atlantic.  It is somewhat strange that Giovanni can pick up the Norwegian language so quickly, yet this is the least quirky part of this new show.  You cannot over-think the program.  Just  enjoy it.

By the way, if you are looking for a place to visit, consider Lillehammer.  Check out events on the city's website.  You may not find Giovanni's nightclub, but you can participate in the 20th annual Birkebeinerrittet on August 20th:

 Birkebeinerrittet is the world's largest cross country bicycle race with 18.000 participants. The course is 94,6 km long. Starting at Rena, and finishing by Haakons Hall, Lillehammer. Starting at Rena, a small town in Østerdalen, and finishing in the city of Lillehammer, you will experience both the beautiful mountains of the area, be cheered on by onlookers and enjoy music and song performed in close proximity to the food stations.