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Reaction Shots: Seeing Red After the Golden Globes

Another year, another awards show snafu. It's getting hard to keep track of the slights, overthrows, and sure things that have become sure fire also-rans. But one thing is for sure with this year's Golden Globes, while white may have been the color du jour for many of the ladies' attire, plenty were seeing red. The Golden Globes has always been a rare beast. Handed out to the US entertainment community by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, it's one of the few televised awards shows that's table, rather than theatre, seating, enabling stars the chance to stay in one's cups publicly, and combines film along with television awards in one single ceremony, allowing members of those rarefied worlds the opportunity to mingle and coalesce over a catered meal. It also manages at times to get it so right (Helen Mirren for The Queen ) and so wrong (no Steve Carell or The Office ), sometimes at the very same moment. While I thought that the TV nominations managed to

Live Together, Die Alone: "Lost" Executive Producers Want an Endgame for the Series

Maybe the castaways will get off that haunted island, after all. At least around Episode 100, anyway. At the Television Critics Association tour in Pasadena, Lost 's executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof made it clear that they are more than ready to nail down an end date for the series that launched a thousand theories, even if that means committing to another few seasons. "We're in discussions [with ABC] about picking an end point to the show,'' said Lindelof. ''The underlying anxiety is that this is not going to end well. None of us wants to be on the show that's the stalling show: 'We're building sand castles this week.'" Part of the problem is the series' particularly dense mythology which is currently being parcelled out to the audience in small doses. Many viewers have complained that they have no idea when (if ever) their questions will ever be answered. "If we had an endpoint," said Cuse, "then

That's What She Said: Dwight Thinks Long and Hard About Leaving "The Office"

Okay, I wasn't going to write about The Office today but I came home last night after a work-related dinner much, much later than normally and all I wanted to do was crash on my couch and catch up with the gang at Dunder-Mifflin. I wasn't quite sure how last night's episode would play out as Office episodes that take place outside the, er, office tend to be either hilarious ("Booze Cruise") or painful ("Initiation"). Fortunately for me, finally home after a few cocktails and way too much Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir, last night's episode of The Office ("Traveling Salesman") quickly became one of my favorites of the season so far. While it's only Part One of a two-parter (catch next week's episode "The Return" to find out what happens), this episode could have buckled under its own weight, giving the audience several subplots to follow, multiple locations, and pairs of Dunder-Mifflinites to keep track of. But it worked bri

Quick Takes: "24" in Action (Figures) and "Nobody's Watching" Jim

Just a few random thoughts this morning as I struggle to open my eyes, thankful that it's Friday and (for me any way), a three day weekend lays before me. But before I peel off for work (and the piles of pilot scripts awaiting me there), I thought I'd take a minute to discuss a few items of note. I'd be terribly remiss if I didn't mention the release of the new 24 Jack Bauer action figure from McFarlane toys. News of the toy was released yesterday, as manufacturer McFarlane Toys (responsible for the growing line of hyper-real Lost action figures ) announced that it had signed a deal with 20th Century Fox Licensing to create a line of 24 -based action figures that would feature the world-saving CTU agent in various scenes lifted directly from the award-winning series. Two sets of Jack Bauer figures are said to be in production and will be offered as part of a boxed set. The line is expected to hit store shelves in August, with the second batch of designs launching in

Mikey Doesn't Like It: The Mayo-Eating Chef is Cut on "Top Chef"

Wow. Last night's episode of Top Chef ("Unhappy Customers") was pure chaos, pretty much start to finish. And nothing was messier than the contestants themselves, many of whom continue to show their ugly sides down that the competition has been whittled down to a mere six contestants (five now after last night's show). There's the running vendetta between Ilan and Marcel, neither of whom can seem to let go of this petty feud that's been going at a full boil since the season's opening minutes, when Marcel asked to compare knives with Ilan. Both are being extremely petty, but it's brought out a weak character in Ilan especially, who seems completely unwilling to drop his fixation with putting Marcel in his place (i.e., the foam) and concentrate instead on his own food, his own dishes, and his own place in the competition. I like Ilan and I think he's a talented chef, but the past few episodes haven't exactly portrayed him in a positive light. Tha

Entertainment Weekly Confirms Televisionary Scoop: Joss Whedon IS Directing "The Office"

It's hard not to brag sometimes. Especially when you're the one who broke arguably one of the biggest TV geek stories in recent memory. For those of you not aware: Televisionary first broke the story in the wee hours of Monday morning that Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer , Angel , Firefly , and all things good and right with television) would be directing an upcoming episode of my comedy obsession The Office . Furthermore, I went on to recount that Joss would be directing the episode immediately preceding that directed by fellow TV god J.J. Abrams (of Lost , Alias , and Felicity fame, not to mention a little movie called Mission Impossible 3 ). Guess what, boys and girls? Entertainment Weekly has confirmed my original story (found here ) with this little doozy: "UPDATE: Awesome! NBC Universal has confirmed to EW's Dan Snierson that Whedon and Abrams are indeed both directing episodes of The Office . Watch for them to air around late February."

BBC America Sets Date for Jennifer Saunders' "Clatterford"

Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley are back... though they're not quite as absolutely fabulous this time around. Digital cabler BBC America has announced a launch date for its latest programming acquisition, Clatterford (which aired in the UK under the title Jam & Jerusalem ), from the fertile mind of Ab Fab creator Jennifer Saunders. Series, which reunites the Absolutely Fabulous pairing of Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley , will kick off on Friday, March 9th at 9 pm ET/10 pm PT. Saunders, who wrote and executive produces Clatterford , stars as Caroline, whom the BBC America press materials refer to as "a very busy lady of the countryside." (Just look at that jaunty hat sitting positively askew on her head; if she's not a busybody, then I'll eat that hat with HP sauce gladly.) However, it's nearly impossible to recognize the former Patsy Stone herself, Joanna Lumley, who plays a rather terrifying-looking eccentric old woman named Delilah prone to r