television

By FELICIA MAXWELL
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
Thursday, May 24, 2007

The Food Network is set to saute another season of its hit reality series "The Next Food Network Star" in June, when 11 contestants hit the road to cook for soldiers, basketball fans and others in the show's first traveling competition.

By TERRY MORROW
Scripps Howard News Service
Thursday, May 24, 2007

Fred Thompson will become president -- briefly -- on Sunday night.

He plays Ulysses Grant in the drama "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee," based on the best-selling book.

By MATTHEW BARROWS
Sacramento Bee
Tuesday, May 22, 2007

A 240-pound pro football player punches a woman in the eye. Another has more guns and ammunition in his home than a Nicaraguan arms dealer.

By TIM GOODMAN
San Francisco Chronicle
Friday, May 18, 2007

Only one of Fox's freshman series from last year lived to see a second season -- and that was an act of sweet charity on behalf of a network desperate for stability. The meritless and patently unfunny "'Til Death" returns to the network perhaps as a wounded messenger able to tell the 10 new series something eerie but important: Watch your back.

Fox is adding seven scripted series -- four dramas and three comedies. It will also air three reality series (two of them hoping to bolster Friday nights; in fact, Fox will be airing only unscripted series Thursday through Saturday, which may come in handy if the rumored writers strike hits Hollywood in October).

With only one rookie surviving, Fox had a lot of junk to unload. It's hard to keep track of all the dead, but the canceled series include "Drive," "The War At Home" (about two seasons too late on that one), "The Wedding Bells," "Vanished," "Justice," "Happy Hour" and, apparently, "The Winner," "Standoff," and two reality series, "Nanny 911" and "Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy." Four or five others may have been forgotten in all the bloodshed.

Fox is a strange network. Despite having one of the worst programming track records and some of the most unpleasant and boring shows on television in the past two seasons, it will still finish first in the young-adult demographic, riding the backs of its powerhouse hits "American Idol" and "House." (And, to a lesser extent, "24.")

Those late-season rallies, now a hallmark for a network saddled with a really good excuse for poor fall starts -- having its schedule upended by Major League Baseball playoffs -- has for a couple of seasons hidden a pretty clear fact: Fox is way off its game.

With only three of its seven scripted series premiering before midseason (not a bad strategy in that promotion can be split and reality series, if they're any good, are likely to do better against baseball than something more involved), Fox is hoping to have a more successful first half of the season, then launch the other shows in the second half where it's traditionally stronger.

The new Fox dramas are:

-- "K-Ville," a crime-and-punishment series set in New Orleans and dealing with post-Hurricane Katrina woes.

-- "Canterbury's Law," executive-produced by Denis Leary, Jim Serpico and director Mike Figgis, starring Julianna Margulies as a defense attorney.

-- "New Amsterdam," executive-produced and directed by Lasse Hallstrom, it's about a New York City detective who's immortal.

-- "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" is based on the character from the "Terminator" movies and essentially moves her and her son, John, to New York, where they prepare to stop running and fight back.

The new Fox comedies are:

-- "Back to You," starring Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton as two local news anchors in Pittsburgh. Grammer was the big shot who got a promotion to go national, but eventually one of his meltdown tirades gets captured and put on the Internet, dooming his career until he reunites with Heaton back on the local level. Fred Willard also stars.

-- "The Return of Jezebel James" is also the return of "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, who crafts this sister-act comedy starring Parker Posey and Lauren Ambrose ("Six Feet Under."). Says Fox: "Can two estranged sisters, polar opposites, live together when one agrees to carry the other's baby?"

-- "The Rules for Starting Over," from Bobby and Peter Farrelly, about four 30ish people in New York who recently find themselves divorced or dumped and must navigate singlehood. Starring Craig Bierko and Rashida Jones.

The new Fox reality series are:

-- "Kitchen Nightmares," another spin-off for chef Gordon Ramsay ("Hell's Kitchen"). This show is extremely popular in England because unlike "Hell's Kitchen," which is essentially a contest, in "Kitchen Nightmares" Ramsey roams the country trying to turn around flagging restaurants by getting into the kitchen and finding the problem -- and fixing it within a week. Explosions of temper occur. People get fired.

-- "The Search for the Next Great American Band." From the producers of "American Idol." Same concept and self-explanatory.

-- "Nashville." Fox is calling this a "high-stakes, high-drama docu-soap." Uh, great. It's about trying to make it in the Nashville music scene. Part "Idol" and part, well, who knows. But it's got lots of young people in it.

(E-mail Tim Goodman at tgoodman@sfchronicle.com.)

By TERRY MORROW
Scripps Howard News Service
Thursday, May 17, 2007

"American Idol" is wraps up its latest edition (8 p.m. Wednesday, Fox) without one of its most popular contestants of all time.

Yes, the show had plenty of talent this time around -- the power singing of Melinda and the beat box of Blake -- but ousted contestant Sanjaya managed to overshadow them for most of the season.

Sanjaya may have lacked the chops, but he was able to manipulate the system long enough to be in the final 10, overcoming singers who, by most opinions, were flat out better.

The teen from Federal Way, Wash., got tongues wagging with his outrageous hairstyles and puppy-dog eyes. America fell in love with him for a little too long.

Forcing to choose between seeing Sanjaya's antics for another week or keep in singers with more deserving talent, America decide to bump him off.

So what does that say about "Idol"?

Well, for one, the smash hit may be showing signs of wear. Some armchair critics have declared this the worst season of "Idol" ever, that the show has lost its way and allowed gimmicks to override talent.

Of course, the ratings don't indicate there's anything wrong with that.

"Idol" still attracts more than 27 million viewers with each installment, making it the No. 1 show in primetime week in and week out.

But despite the breast beating to the contrary by the show's judges and producers, "Idol" is not a talent contest. It's a popularity poll of unknown singers. Heck, for that matter, the singers could already be professionals, but not very well known.

A few of this year's finalists did professional backup singing for major stars already.

In the end, who really cares? "Idol" still gets people to watch and people to talk. At the end of the day, that's all that really matters anyway.

Other highlights for the week of May 20-26 (all times are Eastern; listings are subject to change; check local listings):

SUNDAY

_ "The Simpsons" (8 p.m. Fox). It's the 400th episode. D'oh!

_ "Desperate Housewives" (9 p.m. ABC). There's a wedding or two in the works. Gaby may be a bride, and Susan may get there, too. Upstaging all this is the arrival of Lynette's mother (Polly Bergen), a whirlwind in her own right.

MONDAY

_ "Heroes" (9 p.m. NBC). Will Peter finally blow up already? The first-season finale is supposed to show us what happens when one guy goes nuclear.

TUESDAY

_ "Dancing with the Stars" (9 p.m. ABC). The dancing competition declares its latest winner. Who won't be surprised if Laila Ali doesn't make it to the final two?

WEDNESDAY

_ "Lost" (10 p.m. ABC). The lowest-rated season to date of this once-hot show comes to an end. The mystery will take nine months to return, with 16 new and consecutive episodes in early 2008.

THURSDAY

_ "So You Think You Can Dance" (8 p.m. Fox). The singers have sung, and now the dancers come along for the summer.

By TERRY MORROW
Scripps Howard News Service
Thursday, May 17, 2007

"American Idol" is wraps up its latest edition (8 p.m. Wednesday, Fox) without one of its most popular contestants of all time.

Yes, the show had plenty of talent this time around -- the power singing of Melinda and the beat box of Blake -- but ousted contestant Sanjaya managed to overshadow them for most of the season.

Sanjaya may have lacked the chops, but he was able to manipulate the system long enough to be in the final 10, overcoming singers who, by most opinions, were flat out better.

The teen from Federal Way, Wash., got tongues wagging with his outrageous hairstyles and puppy-dog eyes. America fell in love with him for a little too long.

Forcing to choose between seeing Sanjaya's antics for another week or keep in singers with more deserving talent, America decide to bump him off.

So what does that say about "Idol"?

Well, for one, the smash hit may be showing signs of wear. Some armchair critics have declared this the worst season of "Idol" ever, that the show has lost its way and allowed gimmicks to override talent.

Of course, the ratings don't indicate there's anything wrong with that.

"Idol" still attracts more than 27 million viewers with each installment, making it the No. 1 show in primetime week in and week out.

But despite the breast beating to the contrary by the show's judges and producers, "Idol" is not a talent contest. It's a popularity poll of unknown singers. Heck, for that matter, the singers could already be professionals, but not very well known.

A few of this year's finalists did professional backup singing for major stars already.

In the end, who really cares? "Idol" still gets people to watch and people to talk. At the end of the day, that's all that really matters anyway.

Other highlights for the week of May 20-26 (all times are Eastern; listings are subject to change; check local listings):

SUNDAY

_ "The Simpsons" (8 p.m. Fox). It's the 400th episode. D'oh!

_ "Desperate Housewives" (9 p.m. ABC). There's a wedding or two in the works. Gaby may be a bride, and Susan may get there, too. Upstaging all this is the arrival of Lynette's mother (Polly Bergen), a whirlwind in her own right.

MONDAY

_ "Heroes" (9 p.m. NBC). Will Peter finally blow up already? The first-season finale is supposed to show us what happens when one guy goes nuclear.

TUESDAY

_ "Dancing with the Stars" (9 p.m. ABC). The dancing competition declares its latest winner. Who won't be surprised if Laila Ali doesn't make it to the final two?

WEDNESDAY

_ "Lost" (10 p.m. ABC). The lowest-rated season to date of this once-hot show comes to an end. The mystery will take nine months to return, with 16 new and consecutive episodes in early 2008.

THURSDAY

_ "So You Think You Can Dance" (8 p.m. Fox). The singers have sung, and now the dancers come along for the summer.

By TERRY MORROW
Scripps Howard News Service
Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Dan Castellaneta has learned a lesson from Homer Simpson after doing his voice for the past 18 years.

"There's a lot of leeway given for bad behavior," Castellaneta says as he reflects on "The Simpsons'" 400th episode, which airs Sunday.

D'oh!

Well, maybe Castellaneta has a point.

In the nearly two decades of "The Simpsons," Homer has stumbled a time or two. Oh, who are we kidding? Stumbling and bumbling are a way of life for the potbellied, yellow-skinned head of the Simpson household.

He has deceived his friends, blown up his town, divided his neighborhood -- and driven his wife, kids, pets, pastor, bar buddies, co-workers, bosses and more than one celebrity to distraction.

Homer might explain it another way. As he stated in one episode, "Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals, except the weasel."

But Castellaneta has a more prudent assessment: "He's done a lot of things. He's won a Grammy Award. He helped Mel Gibson re-cut a movie. He's had a very full life."

Week after week, all is forgiven, and Homer -- a seemingly unassuming nuclear plant employee from Springfield (state unknown) -- gets a clean slate.

And as the venerable cartoon hits a milestone episode, Homer continues getting into trouble.

This week, he accidentally causes a local anchorman to be fired.

But for all the messes that Homer gets into, Castellaneta says he has a soft spot for the character.

That could be why Homer has endeared himself through hundreds of episodes, plus syndication. He seemingly can't wear out his welcome.

"He enjoys life," Castellaneta says. "He enjoys his TV. He enjoys his food. He really has no ambition to go beyond his station. He doesn't really want anything to bother or shake up what he's got going."

Neither does Castellaneta. "The Simpsons" has been his career maker. The Chicago native, once a member of the prestigious Second City comedy group, has had stints as a writer, an actor and a standup comic.

But winning the role of Homer in the 1980s, when the character was introduced on Fox's "The Tracy Ullman Show," put him on the map. He has won three Emmys over the years for the performance.

Because Castellaneta alters his speaking voice for Homer and his real-life face is never seen on the show, few people realize he's the man who gives Homer his personality.

"I never get recognized, except, maybe, by a diehard fan," he says.

As a child, Castellaneta would mimic cartoon voices from television. "My dad was an amateur actor, and I liked to do the accents he would do," he says.

Castellaneta, 50, developed Homer's trademark speaking voice through inspiration. The tone is a slight amalgamation of Walter Matthau and Castellaneta's father, and he likes to stay in character while doing the voice work for Homer.

But unlike the slob lifestyle that Homer embraces, Castellaneta doesn't drink, and he's a vegetarian.

"Dan eats pretty healthy," says his wife, Deb Lacusta. "He walks a lot so he gets in his exercise. He is not like Homer in that sense at all."

But, occasionally, over dinner, Castellaneta will savor a good meal with a Homer-like sigh, Lacusta admits with a laugh.

Now, with a "Simpsons" movie arriving this summer and more episodes on tap for TV, Castellaneta can't imagine his life without Homer.

"I am sure he will always be part of my life," he says.

By TERRY MORROW
Scripps Howard News Service
Wednesday, May 16, 2007

In 400 episodes and nearly two decades on "The Simpsons," Homer Simpson has never been accused of being a man of few words.

In fact, he's quite quotable. Here are some of his best lines:

_ "Fame was like a drug, but what was even more like a drug were the drugs."

_ "Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals, except the weasel."

_ "Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try."

_ "Here's to alcohol, the cause of -- and solution to -- all life's problems."

_ "I'm normally not a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me Superman."

_ "What's a wedding? Webster's dictionary describes it as the act of removing weeds from one's garden."

_ "I saw this in a movie about a bus that had to speed around a city, keeping its speed over fifty and if its speed dropped, it would explode! I think it was called 'The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down.'"

_ "Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!"

_ "Son, when you participate in sporting events, it's not whether you win or lose: it's how drunk you get."

_ "Oh, so they have Internet on computers now!"

_ "With $10,000, we'd be millionaires! We could buy all kinds of useful things like love!"

By ROB OWEN
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Movie-making gets the "American Idol" treatment in Fox's "On the Lot," a new reality competition that debuts next with audition episodes at 9 p.m. Tuesday and 9:30 p.m. Thursday (May 22). The show is executive produced by the grand poobahs of movies (Steven Spielberg) and reality TV (Mark Burnett, "Survivor," "The Apprentice") and aims to do what "Project Greenlight" did not: Make the moviemaking process palatable to a mainstream TV audience.

It's also squarely aimed at the YouTube generation. Where "Greenlight" featured a competition among writers and directors to make a single film, "On the Lot" takes the "Idol"/"Apprentice" approach: Each week, teams of aspiring filmmakers turn in YouTube-length (2-3 minute) mini-movies. America watches and votes to send the worst one straight to DVD. That thumbs-down film's director will be sent packing.

Like "Idol," two "Lot" episodes will air weekly. The "Film Premiere" episodes (8 p.m. Monday starting June 4) will showcase the movies with three judges from inside the entertainment industry offering their critiques. Then America votes and the results are revealed in the "Box Office" results show (8 p.m. Tuesday starting June 5).

For this week's audition episodes, 50 competing wannabe Spielbergs (out of 12,000 who submitted tapes) will have their short films judged by "Star Wars" actress/author Carrie Fisher (above, left), producer/director Brett Ratner (above, right), producer/director Jon Avnet and producer/director Garry Marshall.

"This really is about allowing anybody and everybody to make films," said Justin Falvey, co-executive producer of "On the Lot" and president of DreamWorks TV, the show's production company. "It's about giving somebody a break that otherwise wouldn't present itself, whether they don't have the money or the wherewithal. This gives them access."

After starting with 50 contestants this week, the field will quickly narrow to 18 and continue to dwindle throughout this 13-week series. Once the narrowing begins, teams of filmmakers will each create a short movie every week in a different genre (horror, romantic comedy, thriller, etc.). An ensemble of professional actors _ including Reginald VelJohnson ("Die Hard," "Family Matters") _ will perform in the mini-movies.

"Part of the challenge for filmmakers will be to emphasize their ability to tell a story with a linear beginning, middle and end and not just a montage of some fantastic-looking images stuck together," Falvey said.

For viewers at home, "On the Lot" will aim to show all aspects of the movie-making process.

"You'll see us putting them through the paces on fundamentals, whether it's the early part of being able to tell a story on your feet with no props and no actors or shooting on a real Hollywood set with a cast and crew," said executive producer David Goffin. "The public will grasp onto the world of filmmaking which everybody can't get enough of. Everyone wants to know what's happening in Hollywood and how they do it."

Although Spielberg executive produces "On the Lot," he won't be judging the films. He is expected to appear in the final episode when the winner is given a development deal with DreamWorks, Spielberg's company.

But that's at the end. In the beginning, the focus will be on getting to know the contestants.

"It's important in reality television to let people in on the casting of the show and take our time to get to know these characters," Goffin said. "We want to make sure people come into our world and get to know our characters and give a sense of how far they've come to get to this stage."

(Rob Owen can be reached at rowen(at)post-gazette.com)

By ALEX MARVEZ
Scripps Howard News Service
Thursday, May 10, 2007

All Jacqueline Moore wants for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Sacrifice pay-per-view show Sunday are her two front teeth.

Well, at least some new ones.

Moore will appear on the card with replacement dentistry after having some choppers knocked out during a "street fight" match with Gail Kim on last week's episode of TNA Impact (9 p.m. Eastern, Thursdays, Spike TV). Moore was wedged inside a metal garbage can when Kim began whacking it with a broomstick and accidentally struck her in the mouth.

"Instead of freaking out, I kind of looked down and saw my teeth on the mat," said Moore, who received dental implants and a root canal Tuesday because of nerve damage. "I just continued to wrestle instead of rolling out of the ring and saying I can't continue."

The fact that Moore finished the bout without skipping a beat further bolstered her reputation as the industry's toughest female performer.

"A lot of people have told me that if it would have been them, they would have just quit and started crying in the corner somewhere," Moore said. "I couldn't do that."

Despite her smallish standing, the 5-foot-3, 130-pound Moore has regularly wrestled both women and men during an 18-year grappling career that began in her hometown of Dallas. A childhood fan of the Von Erich clan, Moore was able to break into the business after meeting acclaimed manager Skandar Akbar at a local gym.

"I was the only student in our group that made it out of there," Moore said. "A lot of them quit, and I was the only female out there."

After cutting her teeth in small promotions in Texas and Memphis for almost eight years, Moore received her big break as Kevin Sullivan's valet in World Championship Wrestling. Moore quickly established herself by body-slamming Sullivan's hapless opponents after they were tossed outside the ring.

Even bigger stardom followed in 1998 when she jumped to World Wrestling Entertainment and defeated Rena "Sable" Mero to become the first black women's world champion.

"I was shocked it took that long," said Moore, 42. "I didn't even know that was the case until someone told me about it. It's an honor and I'm so happy I made history."

Moore enjoyed two title reigns with the women's title and one as cruiserweight champion by defeating male opponent Chavo Guerrero before being released by WWE in June 2004. Moore landed full-time with TNA in January when the promotion began featuring more female performers with in-ring skill while WWE focused on pushing the looks of its "Divas."

"We've got better talent," said Moore, who has formed an alliance with "Cowboy" James Storm in a feud against Kim and "Wildcat" Chris Harris. "TNA lets the women wrestle and get (physically) involved. And we get a lot of TV time over here."

Sting vs. Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage headlines TNA's Sacrifice, which will emanate from Orlando. For more information, visit www.tnawrestling.com.

INJURY NEWS: The injury bug continues to plague top WWE performers, with Ken Kennedy (triceps) now sidelined along with the Undertaker (biceps), Paul "Triple H" Levesque (quadriceps), Rey Mysterio (knee) and Booker T (knee). The injuries prompted WWE to switch Adam "Edge" Copeland from its Raw roster to Smackdown, where he became world champion Tuesday night by defeating The Undertaker in the latter's last match before surgery to repair a torn biceps.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q: Where is Bob Geigel? _ Don Roach, Denver.

A: Retired for almost two decades, the 82-year-old Geigel received a lifetime achievement award last month from the Las Vegas-based Cauliflower Alley Club, which is a non-profit group comprised primarily of retired wrestlers. Geigel became a top talent after debuting in the 1950s but is better known for being a former National Wrestling Alliance president and part owner of the Kansas City-based Central States Wrestling promotion that he ran from 1958 to 1986.

More of the Jacqueline Moore interview can be found at www.wrestlingobserver.com. Questions can be sent to Alex Marvez c/o the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33301, or e-mailed to amarvez@sun-sentinel.com. Please include your full name and city of residence. Because of volume, no phone calls will be accepted and letters will not receive a written reply.