This episode of “Californication” reminded us why both the show and (eventual winner) David Duchovny were nominated for Golden Globes last year. The writing was perfect, hitting emotional note after emotional note –- whether funny, sad or sweet. The lead actors, Duchovny and Natascha McElhone, both dazzled. And even the extras, like the cinematography and the set and costume designs, were spot on, taking us effectively back to April 8, 1994, to New York City, to Hank Moody's grungy studio apartment on one of the grunge movement's saddest days: the day Kurt Cobain was found dead.
For a sophomore season that has been all about sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll –- which has too often teetered the pendulum to flash rather than substance –- Sunday was the most refreshing of triumphs. And wouldn't you know: There was very little of California and absolutely no fornication.
Instead, we got a flashback episode to New York and the early days of the Hank-Karen dynamic. We discovered that they began their relationship by being unfaithful to others –- Hank dating a model at the time and Karen a musician who was on tour –- which shed a little light on their destructive tendencies that continue today. And, on that very morning that the news of Cobain's death brought a tear to Karen's eye, she also discovered that she was pregnant with Hank's child. After discussing their options, Hank noted as they cuddled: “We get along really well for a couple of virtual strangers.” “For now, yeah,” she said. “But give it 10 years and I'll just be another woman that you got tired of....” His response: “You know, in 10 years' time you might very well be the love of my life.” Bingo.
They should have titled this season of "Dexter" "Season Three: Now It's Personal." Not a crime can be committed in Miami without it affecting a member of the police department somehow. Miguel Prado's brother is murdered. Deb Morgan's boyfriend, a confidential informant, is nearly killed. Angel Battista's girlfriend is beaten up and now Ellen Wolf (Anne Ramsay), the public defender and friend of Maria Laguerta (Lauren Vélez) is dead. There must be only about 20 people living in Miami.
Two words: Dancing food. “Rosie Live” ended with dancing food. There’s nothing else to say, really except perhaps, Liza Minnelli. “Rosie Live” opened with a little song and dance from Liza Minnelli, who rose to the stage, as if from the grave, to sing a duet with O’Donnell, in a luminous white suit, complete with fetching Broadway hat. Liza, we love you, we will always love you, but there is no shame in retirement.
In between we were treated to Harry Connick Jr. in a Santa hat, Conan O’Brien taking a pie in the face, and Jane Krakowski singing about all the free stuff audience members would get. Some of the items were pretty swell, but I’m here to tell you it wasn’t enough. Rosie made jokes about Spanx, Alec Baldwin appeared in a jacket two sizes too small with weird Einstein hair -- neither of which were part of a gag. Clay Aiken strolled over from “Spamalot” to participate in the world’s most painfully long gay joke ("What was the other thing we have in common," Rosie mused, "oh yeah, we're both Gaaa ... briel Byrne fans.") and Alanis Morissette sang a song referencing the 12 Steps in front of, I kid you not, an endless loop of geese flying through a sunset.
Flying geese! There are not enough free video cameras or White Castle burgers in the world to make up for that. And what about the viewers at home? Where are our new cellphones and white strips products? Rosie, Rosie, what on earth were you thinking? Were you thinking camp? Were you thinking this will be big and brassy and so-over-the-top even the dancing cupcakes will be irresistible? For those of us who are, and remain, Rosie fans, who think “The View” will never quite recover from her departure, who think her desire to resurrect the variety show was, and is, a great idea, disappointment does not even begin to describe it. For weeks now NBC has seduced and tantalized with the promise of a cross between Carol Burnett and “Sonny and Cher.” And this is what we get? Rosie in a glitter top having Baldwin speak into her cleavage and making jokes about her weight? Someone get a hold of Tim Conaway, stat.
To be fair, not everything on the show fell as flat as a turkey at a Sarah Palin picnic, or whatever the line was—yes, there was a Sarah Palin joke but Rosie was in a policeman’s costume at this point and I had my fingers in my ears. The Argentinian Lombard Twins were very good, and never have I been so glad to hear “You Spin Me Round” as when Anti-gravity took the stage with their giant tea cups and their hula hoops. But then we had to endure Kathy Griffin as Nancy Grace and Gloria Estefan making a joke about the turkey being the only one not hungry on Thanksgiving (because, you know, he’s stuffed). Estefan was the final act, but whatever collective relief that fact provided was immediately wiped away by a song about eating and then, of course, the dancing food. Men and women dressed as slices of cake and giant cookies topped off by Rachael Ray making an appearance with a giant rubber turkey.
“Rosie Live” may enter the realm of unsolved mysteries, along with the fate of Amelia Earhart and the design team of the pyramids. O’Donnell was clearly attempting to recapture the uplifting unapologetic wonder of the big Broadway musical and the television variety show. But having a bunch of talented guests does not a terrific show make—you have to actually give them something interesting to do. Otherwise you're left with, well, a rubber turkey.
Are DVRs killing serialized shows? Or are producers just looking for scapegoats?
In case you haven't heard, Tim Kring, executive producer of NBC's onetime hit drama "Heroes," got himself in hot water with recent comments about viewers and DVRs. Kring said that DVRs are making it tougher for serialized shows like "Heroes."
At a screenwriting conference earlier this month, Kring said of the serialized trend:
It's a very flawed way of telling stories on network television right now, because of the advent of the DVR and online streaming. The engine that drove [serialization] was you had to be in front of the TV [when it aired]. Now you can watch it when you want, where you want, how you want to watch it, and almost all of those ways are superior to watching it on air. So [watching it] on air is related to the saps and dips---- who can't figure out how to watch it in a superior way.
The vast majority of the commentary prompted by Kring's remarks centered, not surprisingly, on the "saps and the dips----" part. Hey, he called people who don't have DVRs saps! What a nasty guy! (Kring later apologized.)
But as for his larger point: Is it true? Are DVRs really hurting serialized shows? The networks have a lot riding on that answer, because 1) DVRs currently make up about 28% of the Nielsen Media Research sample and their use is growing, and 2) some of the hottest shows in recent years, including "Lost," "24" and "Heroes," have been heavily serialized. If DVRs are killing these types of shows, network TV could be in even bigger trouble than we thought.
But the evidence for Kring's claim doesn't look very strong. Nielsen stats for the week ending Nov. 2 show that "Heroes" was among the most-time-shifted shows on television, with nearly 40% of its total audience watching on a nonlive basis. Only CW's "90210" and NBC's "The Office" got bigger bumps from DVR usage.
That DVRs could only help serialized series seems intuitive as well. The ability to record multiple programs enables viewers to manage time more effectively and juggle more competitng programs than they otherwise could. They can avoid bailing on a complicated show just because they happened to miss an episode that, say, aired at an inconvenient time. And while there's no question that DVR usage is artificially depressing "live + same day" ratings (ie, numbers that include DVR viewing the same day a show airs), that should not matter over the long run, because the trend is effecting all shows at the same time, if not necessarily equally.
The DVR, looked at this way, is "Heroes'" friend, not its enemy. (Kring could not be reached to comment at his office late Wednesday.)
What's ailing some serialized shows is probably not so much new technology as a glut of similar products elsewhere. There are now plenty of shows with an intricate "mythology," as producers like to say. So if one of them disappoints you -- as many fans have grown cold on "Heroes" lately -- there's another show for you to check out somewhere else.
No reason to be bored these days, in other words. Even if you're a sap without a DVR.
--Scott Collins
Photo: Peter and Nathan Petrelli (left to right, Milo Ventimiglia and Adrian Pasdar). Associated Press
The people behind "At the Movies" are discovering that life can be hard without Roger Ebert.
Earlier this year, Walt Disney Co. revealed plans to shake up the syndicated movie-reviewing show. Longtime co-host Ebert, who'd been off the program recovering from cancer surgery since 2006, announced his departure, along with on-air partner Richard Roeper. The duo were replaced by a younger team, Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz, sometimes jokingly referred to as "Ben Squared."
The new "At the Movies," which premiered in September, has already earned raspberries from some critics. Audiences don't seem impressed, either. Ratings for the first two months have slumped 23%, to 1.7 million total viewers, compared with the same period last year, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research. Among the crucial category of adults ages 25 to 54, the program is off 25% (from a 0.8 rating to a 0.6).
But ABC Media Productions, the unit that produces "At the Movies," sees a silver lining. The revamped program has shown improvement since the September premiere among total viewers and its target demographic of women ages 25 to 54, a spokeswoman said. Comparing the new guys with Ebert and Roeper is also unfair, she added.
"You are comparing hosts who had been nurtured for years to a team that just started two short months ago," the spokeswoman said.
The big test for "At the Movies" may come over the next few weeks, as movie studios roll out their slate of holiday films and Oscar contenders, and as viewers may look more to critics for guidance.
If an actors strike really does come to pass, don't worry. You won't have to do without "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" or "Saturday Night Live." Even certain scripted series, such as CW's "90210" and CBS' "Gary Unmarried," would be safe. And thank the gods in heaven that Fox's sitcom "Til Death" wouldn't suffer from a walkout.
Dark clouds of labor trouble are again circling Hollywood. But the environment for the TV industry looks considerably different than it did when the writers strike began a little more than a year ago, scuttling much of the networks' 2007-08 season. That's because a larger number of shows this time around simply wouldn't be affected.
Last week, the Screen Actors Guild, whose members have worked without a contract for months, announced it would push for a unionwide vote to authorize a strike. If that vote passes -- which many observers consider unlikely, given the current turmoil in the larger economy, but certainly not impossible -- an actors walkout could happen as early as mid-January. (Sources at the networks and the unions were happy to talk off the record, but no one would agree to be quoted by name discussing a sensitive labor situation.)
When the writers began striking last November, it didn't take long for the pain to spread, because few shows didn't depend on Writers Guild talent. Performers, moreover, felt squeamish about crossing picket lines, partly because they knew the other trade unions would soon be negotiating with the studios and networks over such contentious issues as residual payments for digital content. So the strike not only walloped dramas such as "Lost" and "24," it put the kibosh on "Daily Show," "The Late Show with David Letterman," "SNL" -- the list went on and on.
Since then, however, not only writers but directors, broadcast performers and "below-the-line" production workers have forged new deals with the studios. That's stranded the actors on a bit of an island, at least in terms of negotiating leverage.
Meanwhile, producers have pushed to get more series covered under a deal with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which has traditionally represented broadcasters and generally has a more harmonious relationship with the studios than SAG has had. Such series include ABC's midseason sitcom "Better Off Ted," with Jay Harrington and Portia de Rossi, and Fox's space spoof "Boldly Going Nowhere," currently eyed for the fall. Current shows such as "Gary Unmarried," "Rules of Engagement," "90210" and, yes, "Til Death" are also covered by AFTRA. And of course, AFTRA already covers most unscripted series, such as "Survivor," "American Idol" and "Deal or No Deal," which were left unscathed by the writers strike and wouldn't be impacted this time around either.
If it seems like AFTRA's clout in prime time is growing, well, it is. And that's because of the way TV shows have traditionally been apportioned between the two performers unions: SAG covers filmed projects, AFTRA those on video. The unions have dual jurisdiction for material recorded digitally -- and that's where AFTRA is seeing a big upswing. In fact, the trend toward more AFTRA shows represents a return to the state of the industry prior to the 1980s, when expensive filmed shows such as "Hill Street Blues" began operating under SAG deals.
SAG still covers the big filmed shows such as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." But even there, the networks might not suffer as much as they did during the writers strike. Many shows began production earlier than usual this past summer, so they have finished shooting a large number of episodes. One network source said some series have already completed photography on 15 to 17 episodes and would probably be close to having finished a full season order by the time any strike started.
None of this means the TV business would escape injury if an actors strike really does come to pass. On the contrary, production schedules for many filmed shows would be thrown into chaos once again and the industry would suffer further ill-timed disruptions at a moment of heightened economic vulnerability.
But the writers strike meant crumbling ratings and truncated seasons for many shows. Fox's "24" alone ended up with a delay that will amount to an 18-month interval by the time it returns in January. Compared with that kind of upheaval, viewers this time might hardly notice any difference.
Near the end of a long conversation today with James Callis, the actor who plays Gaius Baltar on Sci Fi's "Battlestar Galactica," he asked: "Do we need to talk about 'Battlestar'?"
It was suggested that we might do so — if he revealed how the show's final 10 episodes, which begin airing in January, will wrap up the show. He declined. "I don't think anything could prepare you guys for what happens at the end. We weren't prepared," he said.
Hmmm … Go on!
"It's quite — do we use the phrase "space opera"? There is something operatic about the ending of the show, only in the sense that it's like a full orchestra. Imagine very single person in the cast represents an instrument, and you've heard their theme or fugue. And then all the instruments play together. Everybody involved in this thing together — it's like the '1812 Overture.' Not only have you got all of the violins and the flutes, you've also got the flipping cannons they brought off Napoleon's ship, blowing off the roof. It's going off with a bang, this thing."
Was he perhaps setting our expectations too high?
"Honestly you can't be disappointed," he said. "I think if Adolf Hitler were back, he'd be crying in his handkerchief."
I had the opportunity Tuesday afternoon to drop by the rehearsal studios of the American Stars in Concert for the Holidays tour. In an unassuming studio space in Burbank I found Idol giants Kimberley Locke, Diana DeGarmo, Chikezie and David Hernandez running through a rendition of "Mr. Sandman" adapted to the season as Mr. Santa (see videos below).
Leading the performers through their paces was the associate music director of "American Idol," the man who has taken the giants through their songs since season one, Michael Orland. Below are excerpts from my chat with him, followed by my conversation with the Idols themselves.
LAT: How has it been working with this group, whom you knew back when?
Michael Orland: So great to see how far they've come. Kimberley I've worked with recently. She did a cruise and I went along as musical director. Diana is an incredible performer. She was great on the show but she was 16. Now she's 21. She's amazing, so talented.
LAT: So what have you been up to since the finale?
MO: I'm just back from doing the Radio City Music Hall Christmas show, with 18 Rockettes, camels, little people as elves and a
living nativity scene. Right when I got back from Radio City, I did Hollywood Week at the Kodak Theater for season eight. It was fun watching the newbies.
LAT: Can you spot the stars?
MO: I definitely can spot them. I remember in season two I spotted Clay, Ruben, Kimberley and Frenchie Davis out of the crowd. I definitely saw some incredible performers this week. They're all numbers at this point, I don't even remember names, but I definitely saw some incredible singers.
LAT: What advice do you give them?
MO: We tell them, when they come in for Hollywood Week, we've already done Carrie, we've already done Ruben, we've already done Chris Daughtry. Don't copy them. You've gotta be original.
Just when I think I've got my head wrapped around all the secrets "Fringe" has hidden, I stumble across something new. Tuesday night, I learned of the "next episode" pattern (not to be confused with THE Pattern, mind you).
Showrunner Jeff Pinkner touched on it briefly here, but it seems to go something like this:
In the episode titled "The Cure" or as I like to refer to it, "The one where the girl's head explodes," Dr. Bishop uses a thermometer that has the letters ZFT on it. ZFT being an organization involved with THE Pattern brought up in the very next episode, "In Which We Meet Mr. Jones" a.k.a. "Parasite around the guy's heart." Oh, and speaking of which, Agent Loeb's wife gave Olivia her husband's things in that episode, including a copy of "A Christmas Carol," which hints strongly toward the flashing green-and-red lights in the next episode, "The Equation." You know ... the one with the Equation. There was some mention of a butterfly painted on a trash can in that episode to hint at tonight's plot. So now I have another thing I need to look for each week as I rewatch "Fringe" frame by frame. Normal objects made extremely creepy: This one is a tie between butterflies and the booting music for Olivia's laptop. The Venture Brothers have done a good job of giving the old Monarch butterfly some street cred lately, but it doesn't hold a candle to Tuesday night's razor-winged beauties slicing through a man's neck. I was let down to find out they weren't real. Though their creepiness factor was matched by the sound of Olivia's laptop booting itself. Popping back to life to show her e-mail from a dead man with No Subject! Almost feels like that will be part of campfire stories for kids of this generation. "And the e-mail had NO SUBJECT!"
Best Walter line: "Uh oh." Second place going to its immediate follow-up: "I just got an erection." Tuesday night really was a treasure trove for Walter. We got to see a little of his past -- Dr. Frankenstein-ish home movies of him psychosomatically burning a dirty hippie with a piece of ice. But by the end of the episode, we saw his compassion keep him from letting Olivia threaten her life in the pursuit of answers. A marvelous episode for our semi-evil genius, but the best part had to be his proclamation of arousal, though he did assure Olivia that it was simply because he had to urinate and had nothing to do with her state of undress. That just makes it more uncomfortable. Peter proving he's not Pacey: You see him beat the crap out of that guy? No idea who he was. Michael Kelly. Most likely one of the guys who is looking for Peter now that he's back in Boston. Beat him down, emptied out his gun and walked away down the street. Nice going, Pacey. Or should I say MISTER Pacey?
Connection to Massive Dynamic: Isn't it good to have our old friend back? "Fringe" kept the sinister global conglomerate out of the picture just long enough to be missed and then brought it back perfectly. Did its leaders kill an employee who was stealing corporate secrets? Or were they merely victims? And the longer the writers and producers keep from showing William Bell, the better. He can be hidden longer than the nightmare man, but not as long as Jacob.
Connection to J.J. Abrams-land: Check out the scene in which Agent Dunham searches Mark Young's house. She finds his plane ticket to Omaha, and yes, he planned to fly on Oceanic Air -- the airline of choice for "Lost."
Spot the Observer: The powers that be must have wanted to reward us for having to wait for the extra long "House" to finish. They gave us the Observer in the very first scene. As Mark Young hurries off the elevator, the Observer stands at the end of the hallway and watches him scurry down the hallway to his horrible end.
In contrast to Season 6, it really seemed to me that any of the Season 7 finalists could win, depending on how the audience voted and how the mysterious “Dancing With the Stars” vote weighting worked.
Each finalist brought specific strengths to the competition. Brooke Burke was technically strong and very consistent, and her and Derek’s routines were often more ambitious than those of the other contestants. Lance Bass and Lacey exhibited a great deal of stage presence and solid technical skills; over time, too, their choreography managed to hit the right balance of personality and adherence to the rules. Warren Sapp and Kym consistently wowed the live audience with their exuberance, and Warren got high marks for degree of personal difficulty, given that he’s a 300-pound ex-NFL player.
In the end, though, Brooke’s skills won out, with Warren coming in second, and Lance –- surprisingly (to me, at least ) –- landing in third.
Tonight, all of the stars from Season 7 were back ...
Two words: Dancing food. “Rosie Live” ended with dancing food. There’s nothing else to say, really except perhaps, Liza Minnelli. “Rosie Live” opened with a little song and dance from Liza Minnelli, who rose to the stage, as if from the grave, to sing a duet with O’Donnell, in a luminous white suit, complete with fetching Broadway hat. Liza, we love you, we will always love you, but there is no shame in retirement. 
Are DVRs killing serialized shows? Or are producers just looking for scapegoats? 
Near the end of a long conversation today with James Callis, the actor who plays Gaius Baltar on Sci Fi's "Battlestar Galactica," he asked: "Do we need to talk about 'Battlestar'?"
