Amen!

The rumored Downton Abbey movie has now been confirmed and starts filming this summer!!

It’s official, the Downton Abbey movie is a go. Focus Features has set production with Carnival Films to begin this summer for a return to all things Crawley. The original principal cast, including Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville and more, are set to reprise their upstairs/downstairs roles with Focus and Universal Pictures International distributing.

Creator Julian Fellowes has written the film’s screenplay and will produce alongside Gareth Neame and Liz Trubridge. Brian Percival (The Book Thief), who directed the series’ pilot, will helm the film. Nigel Marchant will also return to executive produce.

The game-changing Downton Abbey followed the lives of the Crawley family and the servants who worked for them for six seasons on the UK’s ITV and PBS’ Masterpiece in the U.S., garnering a massive worldwide following and helping to kick-off the so-called new golden age of television while making period drama chic again — we also learned terms like “entail” and, famously, mused “what is a weekend?” The series won three Golden Globe Awards, 15 Primetime Emmys (out of 69 nominations in total) and a special BAFTA. Downton is the most nominated non-U.S. television show in the history of the Emmys.

And this is exactly how I feel about that...

Barney would approve

It looks like Neil Patrick Harris is on a hosting roll...

Neil Patrick Harris revealed he will host the Academy Awards next February by tweeting a video of him checking "Host the Oscars" from his "bucket list." 

Harris hosted the Tonys four times and Emmys twice. If he can also land the Grammys gig, then he would be the first person to host all four top showbiz award ceremonies.

He has done a great job hosting the Emmys and Tonys over the years...so I have no doubt he'll do a dandy job with the Oscars.

He's snarky.

I like snarky.

Steven Bochco

Very sad news today...

Steven Bochco, creator of classics such as NYPD Blue and Hill Street Blues that helped redefined the medium of television, has died at 74 after a long battle with leukemia. 

Bochco was nominated for an Emmy 30 times as producer and writer, winning 10. His many other honors include the Humanitas Prize and Peabody honors. A New York City native, Bochco attended NYU and earned a theater degree from Carnegie Institute of Technology before beginning his career at Universal as a writer for shows like Ironside and Columbo. He then left for MTM Enterprises, where James Earl Jones starred in his first show, the short-lived cop drama Paris. 

A few years later, he created Hill Street Blues, his breakout, which premiered in 1981. It collected eight Emmys in its debut season and racked up 98 nominations in its seven-season run. The show turned previous broadcast cop dramas like Dragnet on their head, deliberately showing the flaws and human dimensions of police officers and using cinematic techniques to reveal the gritty landscape they patrol. The other trailblazing aspect of Hill Street, whose signature line was Sergeant Phil Esterhaus (played by Michael Conrad) telling the troops, “Let’s be careful out there,” was its serialized narrative. 



Building on the complex depictions of the workaday ambiguities of police work he established in Hill Street a decade earlier, NYPD Blue brought a bolder, more in-your-face tone. No character or actor personified that more than Andy Sipowicz, the complicated detective played by Dennis Franz in a turn that brought him four Emmys. From the pilot of the show to its finale 12 seasons later, it continually pushed the boundaries of decency in skirmishes that might seem almost quaint by today’s standards.

I never missed NYPD Blue. It was a great show with an amazing cast.

Mr. Bochco was an extremely talented man who always did incredibly powerful work, no matter what project he was involved in over the years.

He will be missed.

TV in Hell

If there is a Hell, I'm certain that the Emmy Awards ceremony that aired on Sunday would be playing on a continuos loop on every television set in the flame-domain thoughout eternity.

It was painful to watch right from the beginning and, like a bad kidney stone, became more unbearable as the three hour "event" passed into the night.

The only thing missing was Rob Lowe singing with Snow White again.

From the clueless and punchline-awareness-free reality show co-hosts, the badly photoshopped set pieces, the awkward "sock-it-to-me"/"Laugh-In" segment (poor Alan Sues and Dana Delany's dignity), Jeremy Piven's blathering acceptance speech, Josh Grobin's lengthy TV theme song medly, to the mind-numbing finale that focused on the winner of best reality show host...the pungent horse-hockey was piling on quicker than you could shovel it out of your brain.



The only glimmers of light in the night were Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey/ "30 Rock" winning several times, and Jean Smart and Glenn Close nabbing much-deserved awards before, I hope, rushing out immediately to drink the rest of the night's throbbing viewing pain away.

I don't care how much money they need to spend or who they have to sexually gratify to do it, but please, oh PLEASE, drive that truckload of Emmy production cash up to Ellen's house (or Jon Stewart's) and beg one of them to host again next year.

If nothing else, you could probably get Kathy Griffin to do it for scale and a nice hotel room (at least then we'd know the banter would be, if nothing else, memorable).

If the Emmys cared at all about any of us, they would do it.

This time together

It looks like we're going to get a fun Carol Burnett Show reunion in December...

CBS will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic Carol Burnett Show with a two-hour special set for December 3.

The Carol Burnett 50th Anniversary Special will film on Stage 33 at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, the show’s original soundstage. In it, Burnett will reminisce about her favorite sketches, Q&As with the studio audience, guest stars, her memorable wardrobe and bloopers, as well as the effect the show continues to have on television today as a true pioneer of sketch comedy.

The special will also feature original cast members Vicki Lawrence and Lyle Waggoner, costume designer Bob Mackie, as well as other comedians, comic actors and friends, including Jim Carrey, Kristin Chenoweth, Stephen Colbert, Harry Connick Jr., Bill Hader, Jay Leno, Jane Lynch, Bernadette Peters, Maya Rudolph and Martin Short, among others.

The Carol Burnett Show premiered on Sept. 11, 1967 and starred Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner and Tim Conway. Over its 11-season run, the show earned 25 Primetime Emmys, including three for Outstanding Variety-Music/Comedy Series. In addition, the show earned eight Golden Globe Awards, including one for Best Television Show – Comedy or Musical, and Burnett received four for Best Actress – Comedy or Musical.

Although this should be a LOT of fun, I hope that the exclusion of Tim Conway in the announcement is just an oversight. He was responsible for a large percentage of the unintentional cast laughter during sketches (especially Harvey Korman).

Can't wait to see this when it airs on CBS on December 3rd.

Tim Conway

More sad news today...

Tim Conway, whose gallery of innocent goofballs, stammering bystanders, transparent connivers, oblivious knuckleheads and hapless bumblers populated television comedy and variety shows for more than half a century, died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 85. 

Mr. Conway reached the height of his supporting fame on “The Carol Burnett Show” with characters like Mr. Tudball, an office martinet with an awful toupee, a vaguely Scandinavian accent and a flummoxing secretary (Ms. Burnett); and the Old Man, who moved so slowly that he couldn’t perform in any of the occupations (sheriff, butcher, fireman) he found himself in. His sketch work showed him to be a superb comic collaborator, especially with Ms. Burnett and Harvey Korman. He was also known for including ad-libs that forced his cast mates out of character into not entirely suppressed hysterics. This is one of his most famous ones...



He won four Primetime Emmys (including one for writing) for his work on the Burnett show, which is widely considered one of the enduring high points of television comedy, screwball division, in league with “Your Show of Shows,” “The Honeymooners” and “I Love Lucy.”

In a foreword to Mr. Conway’s autobiography, Carol Burnett called him “a kind and funny genius.” “His sketches with Harvey Korman deserve a spot in whatever cultural time capsule we’re setting aside for future generations,” she wrote. “Maybe there are other performers as funny, but in my opinion I can’t think of anybody funnier.”

He really was one of the funniest guys out there and nobody could keep a straight face when they worked with him, especially Harvey Korman. This is a classic example of that...



He will be very missed.

Just like Jesse James

I really feel sad for Sandra Bullock...

I was so moved when, at the Emmys, she said that she was so happy to finally find someone who had her back and how much she loved him.

That sense of trust and security is so rare to find in a partner and, now, is just another example of why it's even harder to believe that it's possible for the rest of us to hope for in this world.

Men are bad.

Richard Hatch

Very sad news today....

Richard Hatch, who starred alongside Lorne Greene and Dirk Benedict in the 1970s sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica, has died. He was 71.

Hatch earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role as Captain Apollo on the original Galactica, which was greenlighted amid Star Wars mania in the late 1970s. The series, which was expensive to produce and ended up airing only 21 episodes, also earned a Globes nom in 1979 for Outstanding Drama and won a pair of below-the-line Emmys.

After his signature role on Galactica, Hatch continued working in films and TV throughout his life. Along with more guest work on such hits as Murder, She Wrote, T.J. Hooker an arcs on Dynasty and Santa Barbara, he landed a recurring role as Tom Zarek on Sci-Fi Channel’s 2004-09 Battlestar Galactica series that was toplined by Edward James Oleos.

I loved the original Battlestar Galactica, so am sad to hear of his passing.

It's crazy how fast time flies...and scary.

He will be missed.

Still Kicking and Stretching

Exactly 50 years ago, today, the very first episode of Star Trek premiered on television and, all these years later, the brand is still growing and going stronger as time moves forward.

From i09...

Star Trek has had many incarnations over the years—there have been six television shows, 726 total episodes, 13 movies, and one reboot—but its primary mission has stayed the same. The result is a series that won countless awards (31 Emmys!) but has also fostered a massive fandom that includes actors, politicians, and more. It’s a show that created and made famous many of the tropes that science fiction uses all the time now. It’s a series so influential that an actual spacecraft was named after the fictional starship Enterprise. Scientists have spent years working to turn the fake technology seen in the series into a reality. 



It seems impossible now, but back in 1966, the original Star Trek was not an easy sell—it had two pilots and a major cast change before going on the air—and it was canceled after three seasons, due to low ratings. But thanks to syndication, a loyal fandom arose, one that has only grown over the last five decades. Now it’s an institution. And it’s an institution that will continue, as the series finally returns to TV next year with Bryan Fuller’s highly anticipated Star Trek: Discovery.

Happy Anniversary, Star Trek!!



May you still be as popular (and flexible) over the next 50 years.

Live Long and Prosper.

Ja'net DuBois

Sad news today...

Just over two months after she wowed the crowd at ABC’s Live in Front of a Studio Audience: All in The Family & Good Times, Ja’net DuBois passed away suddenly today. She was 74.

Known for making some of the greatest entrances in sitcom history week after week as neighbor Willona Woods on the Esther Rollie, John Amos, Jimmie Walker and Janet Jackson-led Good Times. 

Back in December of last year, DuBois joined Walker and co-star Bern Nadette Stanis for an appearance on the latest live retelling of one of Norman Lear’s classic TV shows – and she stole the star studded show with pure pizzazz. 

Going on to win two Emmys later in life for her vocal work on Eddie Murphy’s animated series The PJs, DuBois also co-wrote and sang the iconic “Movin’ on Up” theme song from The Jeffersons that opened each episode of that Lear produced series from 1975 to 1985. Though the show originally ran from 1974 to 1975 on CBS, the 133 episodes of the inner-city Chicago set Good Times is still seen on TV Land in repeats in 2020.

She was great on that show and her theme song to The Jeffersons will certainly be remembered for many years to come.

She will be missed.

Joan Rivers

Some very sad news yesterday….

Joan Rivers, a pioneering female stand-up comic and the queen of "Can We Talk?" gossip, has died. She was 81. 

Raspy-voiced and brassy, Rivers was always self-deprecating, foul-mouthed and politically incorrect. A master of reinvention, she endured in show business because of her tenacious work ethic — which she credited to her "immigrant mentality." 

No topic was off limits. From Elizabeth Taylor to Queen Elizabeth to even Anne Frank, Rivers loved going after public figures. "I mock everybody, regardless of race, creed or color," she told the Toronto Star in July. "Every joke I make, no matter how tasteless, is there to draw attention to something I really care about." 

A famously hard-working dynamo, she was nowhere near close to retirement. She worked the red carpets for the MTV Video Music Awards and the Emmys near the end of August and had been scheduled to appear at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey, on Aug. 29. She co-hosted "Fashion Police," starred in WE TV's reality series "Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?" and hosted two online shows, "In Bed With Joan" and "Drunken Celebrity Phone Calls."

She has always been one of my favorite comediennes and was someone I tried to watch as often as I could over the years, especially in her earlier days. She slayed me! I even managed to sell her a couple jokes at one point in my life, which was a big personal highlight for me during my acting/writing days.

Regardless of whether you liked her or not, there's no denying that she worked very hard to get to where she ended up in her amazing and, very often, hilariously entertaining career.

She will definitely be missed.

In threes...

Some very sad news over the holidays...

You may not know his name, but anyone who watches movies and television knows the squat, tough-faced character actor Charles Durning, who died on Christmas Eve, according to his family. 

The 89-year-old decorated World War II veteran had an award-winning career that spanned 20th Century entertainment, from the burlesque stage and theater to television and film, playing roles as diverse as society itself. Durning was the gruff father smitten by Dustin Hoffman's female impersonation of "Tootsie," the Southern politician dancing on stage with George Clooney's Soggy Bottom Boys in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and the corrupt cop caught up in the "big con" by Paul Newman and Robert Redford in "The Sting." 

 He won Tony and Golden Globe awards and was nominated for Academy Awards two times as a supporting actor. He also received nine Emmy nominations and was honored in 2007 with a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild.

He was always good in everything he did, but I really enjoyed him in Tootsie!

Also, another loss...



Jack Klugman, best known as messy sports writer Oscar Madison in TV's "The Odd Couple," died Monday at his California home, his son Adam said. He was 90. 

 Klugman, who won two Emmys for his role in the early 1970s sitcom, also starred in "Quincy, M.E." as medical examiner Dr. R. Quincy from 1976 to 1983. 

And one more...



Some of the coolest spaceships ever filmed came from Gerry Anderson, who died today after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. Anderson did more for space opera on television than almost any other single creator, launching space show after space show from the 1960s to the 1990s. 

But Anderson is probably best known in the United States for creating Space: 1999, a live-action show about the crew of a Moonbase who must survive after the Moon is thrown out of Earth's orbit. 

Space 1999 is still one of my all-time-favorite Sci-Fi shows.

They will all be missed.

Emmy battle

Kathy Griffin's My Life on the D-List is up against Hoarders at the Emmys this year. When Hoarders created a "vote for us" promo using quotes from Kathy about how much she loved the show (which she does), Kathy responded to their clever ad with one of her own.



Asked why she should win over Hoarders, Kathy said...

"I went to Wasilla, knocked on Sarah Palin's door with Levi Johnston, marched on Washington to repeal DADT ['Don't Ask, Don't Tell'], had a pelvic exam on camera, entered the underground world of toddler pageants (where I am still the reigning Little Miss Mature Lady Grand Supreme BTW) and got acting lessons from Liza f---ing Minnelli," she said. "Hoard that, bitches!"

Little Miss Mature Lady Grand Supreme...that's hilarious.