Sundance's fashionable belt-notch? 'Parks and Recreation'

Crossover between film and television has perhaps never been more common. But it's not often you see the kind of overlap recently demonstrated by "Parks and Recreation," the single-camera tale of bureaucracy in small-town Indiana, and the Sundance Film Festival, the multi-paparazzi story of hype in small-town Utah.

No fewer than four regulars from the NBC series premiered movies at the film gathering, which closed the last of its snow-covered doors on Sunday.

Adam Scott rode into town and shifted from the awkwardness of Ben Wyatt to play the one that got away (from "Party Down" co-star" Lizzy Caplan) in "Bachelorette," one of several raunchy femme-centric romantic comedies at the festival.

Nick Offerman incarnated a recovering alcoholic in the addiction dramedy "Smashed." He's goateed, not mustachioed, here, but his portrayal of a weirdo stuffed-shirt will elicit thoughts of of Ron Swanson. (Real-life wife Megan Mullaly, who of course has a recurring part as Mrs. Swanson on "Parks and Rec," also has a small part in the film, this time as Offerman's boss.)

Rashida Jones, Ann Perkins in "Parks and Recreation's" mythical town of Pawnee, co-wrote and starred in "Celeste & Jesse Forever," a romantic dramedy about her attempts to stay friends with her ex (played by Andy Samberg, himself a "Parks and Rec" guest star).

Perhaps the revelation of the festival was Aubrey Plaza. The actress took her April-flavored, blackly comic, monotone-intoned disaffectedness to new levels as the lead in the whimsical comedy "Safety Not Gauranteed." For many film-goers one of the most likable movies of the festival, "Safety" sees Plaza playing Darius, a twentysomething with few prospects who finds a strange kinship with a wannabe time-traveler (Mark Duplass)

The ethos of independent film has been creeping into television for a while now -- witness the off-kilter comedy of Sundance fixture Zooey Deschanel in Fox's "New Girl."  But the trend just as easily goes the other way. The Sundance stars spoke of their enthusiasm for the NBC show because they say that the series, though aired on a broadcast network, offers a degree of freedom you generally find only in independent film. 

On the set of "Smashed" a few months ago, Offerman told Show Tracker that he finds the independent film and his NBC series simpatico because they both allow for a flexibility that goes well beyond the script. "I've been on shows where it feels like you've just been given a list of rules and you have to read them, and neither of these feels that way," he said.

Seemingly the only "Parks & Rec" star who didn't turn up in Park City was Amy Poehler. But don't be surprised if Leslie Knope makes an appearance here one of these days. After all, everyone knows the only job more important than president of the United States is the one held by Sundance chief John Cooper.

RELATED:

Parks & Recreation: Show Tracker

Smashed is a booze film with a dry wit

Rashida Jones does romantic dramedy in Celeste & Jesse Forever

--Steven Zeitchik

twitter.com/ZeitchikLAT

Photo: Aubrey Plaza, left, stars with Mark Duplass in "Safety Not Guaranteed." Credit: Sundance Film Festival

Rob Lowe becomes Drew Peterson in Lifetime's 'Untouchable'

Ron Swanson's bristly mustache, a revered feature on "Parks and Recreation," just met its match in Rob Lowe's upper lip. Lowe, who appears on the NBC comedy, got fuzzy for his role as accused killer Drew Peterson in Lifetime's biopic, "Untouchable: The Drew Peterson Story," which airs Saturday. 

It was a transformation that required upwards of six hours, as the actor added facial hair, changed hair color, and got a puffier midsection while alternating between the two gigs this summer. 

"That for me -- the transformation -- is what I always aspired to do," Lowe said during a break from filming the movie in July. "To be able to do characters on such wide edges of the spectrum. That is definitely the case right now."

Lowe joined "Parks and Recreation" at the end of the second season as Chris Traeger, an excessively positive government official. In "Untouchable," he assumes the role of Peterson, a Chicago-area police officer who is an accused wife killer.

Favorite TV Guest Stars of 2011

TV series have gone into overdrive with star cameos in recent years, particularly during ratings sweeps periods. Here are some of our favorite guest appearances of 2011:

Matt Dillon on "Modern Family": Bringing back classic TV actors to play parents on contemporary sitcoms has become something of an art, and "Modern Family" nailed it  when the series cast former "Cheers" star Shelley Long as DeDe, Claire's and Mitchell's mom. Even better, DeDe arrived with Matt Dillon as Claire's creepy ex-boyfriend, whose visit caused havoc during little Lily's princess-themed birthday party. He's not exactly competition for Phil, though. “The truth is, I am rich," Dillon boasts. "But not with money. I’ve got my abs, I’ve got my hair, and I’ve got a super sweet job ridin’ that limo outside.”

Steve Buscemi on "Portlandia": The sketches on IFC's cult comedy may be built around the talent and charm of its two cult stars, musician Carrie Brownstein and "SNL" star Fred Armisen, but the series quickly proved that it can throw in a low-key guest star when it cast Kyle McLachlan (who did his time as a northwestern character in "Twin Peaks") in the role of the whimsical faux-mayor of Portland. Even funnier is the use of Steve Buscemi, dropping his "Boardwalk Empire" period garb to play a regular guy who foolishly attempts to use the bathroom in the local feminist bookstore, Women & Women First. Word is that Season 2 will feature even more cameos, from the likes of Eddie Vedder, Kristen Wiig, the Smiths' Johnny Marr and several "Battlestar Galactica" cast members.

 

 

Parker Posey on "Parks and Recreation": If you've ever wondered why Parker Posey doesn't have a quirky yet sweet NBC comedy of her own, the actress' hilariously snooty appearance as Amy Poehler's best-friend-turned-archnemesis Lindsay Carlisle Shay probably soothed the pain slightly.

 

 Honorable mention: Posey gets extra points for her sharp turn on "The Good Wife" as Alan Cumming's ex, a presidential campaign worker who offers to do him a favor — in exchange for something she needs, of course.

 

Condoleeza Rice on "30 Rock": Jack Donaghy has had plenty of famous lady friends (played by Edie Falco, Isabella Rossellini, Salma Hayek, Julianne Moore), but the former secretary of state is the most unlikely. Rice was game to play silly, defending her love of "Mars Attacks!" and agreeing to help rescue Jack's wife from the clutches of Kim Jong Il.

Which brings us to honorable mention Margaret Cho, who impersonated that now-deceased North Korean dictator on that very same "30 Rock" episode.

 

Michael J. Fox on "Curb Your Enthusiasm": Larry David knows how to put a guest star to work. Past seasons have featured stars such as Ben Stiller and Jerry Seinfeld, and this season Ricky Gervais, Rosie O'Donnell, Mayor Mike Bloomberg and ballplayer Bill Buckner showed up to great effect. But Fox closed the season with a self-deprecating wink, leaving Larry convinced that the actor's shaky behavior isn't related to his Parkinson's disease — it's just rude.

 

Sarah Silverman on "Bored to Death": Silverman plays it straight as a rather unorthodox "friendship therapist" trying to help Jonathan (Jason Schwartzman) and his mentor George (Ted Danson) mend their relationship. By massaging her feet.

 

Josh Holloway on "Community": No list of clever and wacky cameos would be complete without "Community," which brings referential comedy to a new level.This fall featured an amusing appearance by Luis Guzman as a graduate of the community college returned to make a promotional video for the school, but the Season 2 finale wins the prize by bringing in Josh Holloway — a.k.a. Sawyer, lost to us since "Lost" — who swaggers in like a gunslinger in a spaghetti western. Sure, the guns are loaded with paintballs, but still, he darkens Greendale's halls with hints of a giant conspiracy all around them. “Sweetie, this thing is so much bigger than you can imagine," he mutters, before dashing out to catch a Coldplay concert.

What great guest appearances did I miss? Let me know below in the comments.

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— Joy Press

twitter/joypress

Photo: Julie Bowen, left, Shelley Long and Matt Dillon in "Modern Family." Credit: ABC.

Year in Review: Mary McNamara's top TV of 2011

For all the shows that premiered this fall, it was not a stellar season. Fortunately, the television landscape has many datelines, so, taken overall, it was a very good year. And here’s why:

“Game of Thrones”: HBO proved that nothing beats epic fantasy when it’s rooted in good story and great performances, which this show most definitely is. No doubt the dragons will be fun too, but with Peter Dinklage’s Tyrion and Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys, even dragons are just icing.

Margo Martindale on “Justified”: FX’s lyrical, Elmore Leonard-inspired drama about a U.S. marshal returning to his hometown to clean up a few messes took on epic and revolutionary proportions when creator Graham Yost introduced Mags Bennett (Martindale), a back-country mob boss the likes of which have never been seen. Martindale rightly won an Emmy for her astonishing performance, but it would have been better if she had won another season — for reasons that confound me, Yost chose to kill off Mags in the season finale. I may forgive him; I haven’t yet.

“Downton Abbey”: Julian Fellowes crossed “Upstairs, Downstairs” with his own “Gosford Park” to herald a new and glorious age of PBS period drama.

“Homeland”: Wrangling Claire Danes and Damian Lewis as two of the most complicated characters on television (not to mention the ever-mercurial Mandy Patinkin), Howard Gordon and some of his “24” team turned an Israeli hit into the first show to successfully mirror midwar America.

Al Jazeera: During this year’s rebellions in the Mideast, Americans found themselves glued to their laptops to watch on-the-ground coverage from Al Jazeera English. For a time, many lobbied to find it a permanent American home, which would be a very good thing.

Ted Danson in “Bored to Death” and “CSI”: It’s difficult to imagine another actor who could juggle the quaint-ish HBO comedy and the CBS behemoth at all, let alone with such agility. I am not a huge fan of either show but watch both for the pleasure of seeing a man so utterly in control of his craft.

AMC and “The Killing”: Veena Sud’s murder-mystery stumbled as it soared, and outraged fans and nonfans alike with its non-finale season finale. But around here, we give points for trying, and AMC continues to do just that, accepting its failures (“The Prisoner”) as down payment for its successes (“The Walking Dead”). Sud took on TV’s most popular and predictable genre and, for better and worse, made it her own. Also Mireille Enos is now officially a star, and that has to count for something.

“Parks and Recreation” and “The Middle”: Two wonderful shows that have been living in the shadows of “The Office” and “Modern Family,” respectively, finally seem to be getting the recognition they deserve.

“Louie”: Louie C.K.’s angsty, semiautobiographical FX comedy defines adult comedy — outrageous, sentimental, big-hearted, brave and true. And that duckling-in-Afghanistan episode just about killed me.

The not-so-best

Having recently endured, through circumstances beyond my control, back-to-back viewings of “Jack and Jill” and the latest “Twilight” movie, I cannot bring myself to use the word “worst” in connection with anything I have seen on television this year. But here are a few of the biggest disappointments (none of which, I am happy to add, involved Al Pacino).

OWN: I’m not certain what I expected from the new Oprah Winfrey Network, but I know it was more than a bunch of whiny reality series. When Rosie O’Donnell is your biggest draw, things are not up to the Oprah standard.

And the cable networks’ coverage of the jumpy Dow. Look, here we all are, alive and well, the four horsemen of the Apocalypse nowhere in sight, despite all the rumors to the contrary during that horrible week in August when the Dow bounced around and all the business pundits seriously lost their minds. Did none of you ever hear about Orson Welles and his “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast?

For more, here's an essay on TV in 2011.

RELATED:

Mary McNamara's Best of 2011 in TV

Year in Review: Robert Lloyd's Top New TV of 2011

— Mary McNamara

Photo: Jason Momoa and Emilia Clarke in "Game of Thrones. Credit: Helen Sloan/HBO.

SAG Awards: TV surprises and snubs

Melissa McCarthy of "Mike and Molly" and the Showtime drama "Homeland" were among the huge raves of the TV season, but both were surprisingly among the missing when the TV nominees for the 18th Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced.

McCarthy scored an upset in September when she won an Emmy for lead actress in a comedy series for the CBS sitcom, but on Wednesday she was left out of SAG Awards' outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series category (though she did get a movie nod for "Bridesmaids"). Those nominees include Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara ("Modern Family"), Edie Falco ("Nurse Jackie"), Tina Fey ("30 Rock") and Betty White ("Hot in Cleveland").

Other prominent actresses that were omitted included Amy Poehler ("Parks and Recreation"), Zooey Deschanel ("New Girl"), Laura Linney ("The Big C"), Laura Dern ("Enlightened") and Christina Applegate ("Up All Night").

 PHOTOS: SAG Awards top nominees

Meanwhile, Ed O'Neill and Jesse Tyler Ferguson were the only adult cast members of "Modern Family" who did not score an individual SAG nod. In addition to Bowen's and Vergara's nods, Eric Stonestreet and Ty Burrell were nominated for outstanding performance by a male actor in a comedy series. O'Neill and Ferguson were included in the comedy ensemble nomination for "Modern Family."

Also missing among major actors in the comedy categories were Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory"), Neil Patrick Harris ("How I Met Your Mother") and Louis C.K. ("Louie").

"Homeland," starring Claire Danes ("Temple Grandin"), Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin, has been one of the critical highlights of the season, but the show and its performers were left out of the nominations.

A major surprise in the drama category was the nomination of Patrick J. Adams in USA's "Suits." Lewis beat out more well-known performers, such as Hugh Laurie ("House") and Kelsey Grammer ("Boss").

Who do you think should have been nominated? Vote in the poll below or let us know in the comments.

RELATED:

The complete list of nominees

Complete list of TV nominations

 PHOTOS: SAG Awards top nominees

-- Greg Braxton 

Photo: Damien Lewis and Claire Danes in "Homeland." Credit: Kent Smith / Showtime

'The X Factor' strikes sour notes with stars of scripted shows

 
Stars and producers of several scripted series appeared to take pleasure in the disappointing ratings of the highly touted "The X Factor," which premiered Wednesday on Fox.

"Modern Family" executive producer Steve Levitan and star Eric Stonestreet both took shots via Twitter at the talent competition series. The ABC series, which just won its second consecutive Emmy for outstanding comedy, scored higher ratings in its one-hour season premiere against "The X Factor."

Tweeted Levitan: "It's extremely gratifying that a scripted comedy finally beat an overhyped karaoke contest. Thank you, #Modern Family fans!"

Stonestreet, who plays Cameron Tucker on the series, tweeted, "Thank you modern family fans for watching our show(s) last night. We did great against the XYZ factor."

"Community" star Joel McHale also weighed in. The season premiere of the NBC comedy is pitted against the second installment of "The X Factor" Thursday.

"I hear the Emmyngtons are on X-Factor tonight," tweeted McHale in a reference to his singing group,  which performed during Sunday's Emmys. He asked viewers to tune in to "Community" instead.

"Parks and Recreation" executive producer Michael Schur, who tweets under the name Ken Tremendous, also tweeted that viewers should turn in to the season premieres of the NBC comedies "The Office" and "Parks" rather than "The X Factor."

"Hey goofballs, you should watch #The Office too," he tweeted. "Just don't watch people singing at Simon Cowell. Seriously, what's the point in that?"

ALSO

Fox gives series order to Kiefer Sutherland drama

Lifetime cancels "Roseanne's Nuts"

— Greg Braxton

Photo: L.A. Reid, left, Nicole Scherzinger, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell of "The X Factor." Credit: Ray Mickshaw / Fox.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tweeted Levithan:

Live Chat with 'Parks and Recreation's' Nick Offerman on Thursday

In a cluster of comedic middle managers on prime time T.V., Nick Offerman has become the mustachioed secret weapon of NBC’s Thursday night lineup. Inhabiting the character of Ron Swanson on "Parks and Recreation," Offerman’s dry wit and burly machismo have helped stir up the show’s swelling popularity over three seasons.  Acting alongside a buzz-worthy comedic cast spearheaded by Amy Poehler, Offerman’s character plays the deadpan director of the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department.

Ironically, it took a long journey through obscurity to get his dream job as a government hack. Before picking up a role on "Parks," the Illinois-born actor honed a wide array of acting chops, starring in a cluster of comedic and dramatic roles in Chicago theater, network shows “24,” “The George Lopez Show” and a barrage of independent films. Offerman has also been featured in the Adult Swim series “Children’s Hospital” with Rob Corddry and Rob Huebel.

On Thursday, Offerman will join us for a live chat at 11 a.m. PDT. Fans hoping to learn more about the man behind the mustache are free to ask him questions about anything from his farm boy upbringing, his real-life marriage to actress Megan Mullaly, who plays his volatile love interest “Tammy” on "Parks and Rec." Any questions referring to Offerman’s love of canoe building and sliced deli meats are also fair game.

 Photo: Nick Offerman  Credit: NBC

RELATED:

'Parks & Rec': Q&A with Nick Offerman, the man behind the mustache

Show Tracker: Parks and Recreation

Live chat with Morgan Spurlock on Friday

--Nate Jackson

Tweeters Digest: The week in tweets -- a royal wedding and retwitterment

In Tweeters Digest, we round up some of the events of the week as seen through the Twitter feeds of TV personalities. In previous editions, celebs have come together over some major issues -- Charlie Sheen and star feuds as well as April fools.

This week, stars deployed their 140-character tweets on subjects as varied as Passover, Donald Trump's political posturing and the impending royal wedding of William and Kate.

Meanwhile, Charlie Sheen (@charliesheen) continued to make his presence known. Anthony Bourdain (@NoReservations) got giddy with the cast of "The Wire" (including @WendellPierce), Martha Stewart (@MarthaStewart) rubbed elbows with Gene Simmons (@Genesimmons), and Paul Reiser (@paulreiser) expressed dismay at the swift cancellation of his show.

And Paris Hilton (@ParisHilton)? She went to Disneyland.

-- Joy Press
twitter.com/joypress

More tweets after the jump.

'Parks & Rec': Q&A with Nick Offerman, the man behind the mustache

Drawing comparisons between Nick Offerman and Ron Swanson, his character on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, may be a little too easy. After all, who better to play a brusque, outdoorsy parks director than an Illinois country boy with an affinity for canoe building, fishing and thick-sliced meats.

In a recent interview with the man behind the mustache, we talked to Offerman how his off-screen life animates one of the most entertaining middle managers on NBC’s Thursday night lineup.

How did your upbringing in the farm town of Minooka, Ill., inform the ruggedness of Ron Swanson?

I think a lot of people remark on Ron’s manliness, and I wouldn’t have called it manliness. I think what they’re mistaking is a sort of farmers temperament. My dad grew up on a dairy farm and my mom grew up on a pig farm a few miles from each other. My mom’s family is still farming. And farmers are long suffering. They have to see their year’s labor wiped out by locusts, crack a beer and say, ‘Well, I guess we’re eating our shoelaces this winter.’ And then I think I’ve run into enough public officials or high school principals. I always found it hilarious how guys in positions of middling authority take themselves really seriously.

What does 'Parks and Recreation' star Rashida Jones do in her spare time? She makes movies

Just because "Parks and Recreation" star Rashida Jones is the daughter of music legend Quincy Jones and actress Peggy Lipton doesn't mean she had roles handed to her on a silver platter.

"I see my parents' friends out now and they're sort of peers, and we go to the same parties, and they say, 'I'm so proud of you; I always knew you could do it.' But it's not like they were ever like 'Let me make this phone call for you.'" She says with a laugh, "I would have taken the handouts. But nobody gave them to me."

After graduating from Harvard and trying her luck for years as a struggling actress, she said she decided to pursue a graduate degree in public policy -- until she was offered the role of John Krasinski's love interest in "The Office," followed by the subtly charming role of Ann Perkins on "Parks and Recreation."

After "Parks" came the deluge: The 35-year old actress is set to appear in a slew of movies this year, including the newly released "Monogamy"  and the upcoming "Friends With Benefits" and "The Muppets."

Read more about Jones in this weekend's Calendar interview.

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The Sunday Conversation: Aziz Ansari

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Photo: Rashida Jones. Credit: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times

Tweeter's Digest: The week in TV tweets

What better way to look at the events of the week than through the eyes of TV personalities?

This week, Joe Jonas celebrates the Super Bowl, Keith Olbermann celebrates his new job, Howard Stern celebrates his new Twitter feed. Meanwhile, Dr. Drew defends Lindsay Lohan, reality stars collide -- and actors keep an eye on Egypt. See them tweet after the jump

— Joy Press
twitter.com/joypress

The 9 lives of Rob Lowe: a video tribute

Watching Rob Lowe this season in his new role on “Parks & Recreation,”  it’s obvious that he’s a great comic actor. But is Lowe himself a man with a sense of humor?

The producer and writers of "Parks & Rec" decided to test that concept recently when they asked Lowe to appear in a video in which he would play himself being a creepy diva. Lowe’s response? “We’re totally doing this. It’s hilarious.”

 "What can be limiting or get in the way of actors — and especially with handsome actors or beautiful actresses — is they just don’t want to look stupid,” “Parks and Recreation" colleague Amy Poehler told us for this LA Times profile of Lowe. “They let their vanity get in the way. From Day 1 Rob was down to go for it.”

Lowe is on a TV high these days, starring on “Parks and Rec” and guesting on “Californication” and coming off a four-year stint on “Sisters and Brothers.” But Lowe’s career has been anything but smooth — he has zigzagged through Hollywood for more than 25 years, racking up scandals (including an infamous sex tape and legal battles with former household employees) and comebacks with great regularity.

Here are nine of his many lives, in video form:

Rob Lowe cast as Sodapop Curtis in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Outsiders”

  Rob Lowe romances his sister (and a bear) in “Hotel New Hampshire”

Rob Lowe walks the '80s edge in "St. Elmo’s Fire"