12/2/12

"Boss" the Movie?

I was disappointed to hear that Starz' Boss with Kelsey Grammer (Mayor Tom Kane) was being cancelled after only two seasons due to low viewership (rather than his Republican beliefs).  One could argue that all the back-stabbing in each episode was enough to kill all the characters by the time the second season ended, but quite a few survived.  And in the real world, it appears Grammer (who won a Golden Globe for his role on the show) did little to court the TV critics who could have helped the show, as this August 2012 Washington Post story retells: 

As Grammer and gang lobbied for “Boss” in the Beverly Hilton ballroom, which was filled with journalists and company, Grammer’s cellphone rang and he took the call. 

It was his wife.

“Hi, honey. . . . Okay. Cool. . . . I’m [on] stage right now, but go ahead. . . . Oh, that sounds great. . . . But they should bring the truck, so they can to go Universal after that. . . . Call Stan. . . . Okay, 310- ”

Only at that point did a technician turn off Grammer’s microphone, so TV critics could not hear as Grammer read the phone number of his publicist, Stan Rosenfeld, to wife No. 4, Kayte.

“Kelsey Grammer is actually taking a phone call while in the middle of his #TCAs12 panel and he is not keeping it brief. Power corrupts?” a pop culture writer/deputy TV editor tweeted angrily.

This is something that even Mayor Tom Kane would have avoided, though I expect his wife would have been standing at his side anyway.  A month after that strange event, Grammer walked out on an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan after he learned the topics might include his ex-wife.

The good news is that Starz may attempt a movie to wrap up the loose ends.  This would be a nice consolation prize for loyal fans.