Fox has announced that screenwriter Billy Ray, (“Volcano,” “Shattered Glass”) has been hired as the scribe for the upcoming theatrical release of 24.

According to Variety, Ray sent a script to Kiefer Sutherland who got Ray a meeting with Fox executives. Insiders say that in Ray’s script, Jack Bauer takes his kick ass ways to Europe.

Whether or not Jack Bauer and friends will hit the big screen might depend on the ratings of this season.   If the show doesn’t return, the cast would be free to work on the movie. But doing the show and the movie at the same time wouldn’t be feasible.

There’s been talk of a “24” movie almost as long as the show as been on the air. I’ve always had a picture of how a movie would look and be set up. I don’t see the real-time force of the show being brought over, but I can see Jack in a series of adventures where he is just kicking butt all over the world, a la Jason Bourne or a more violent Indiana Jones. Jack is at his best when he’s racing against the clock to get the job done by any means necessary. A movie could be uncensored enough to get that done, many times over.

Billy Ray is an interesting screenwriter who can be completely hacky or really smart and write complex plots. We’ll see which Billy Ray shows up.

Share

Welcome to the new season of “24.” OK, I know that’s not exactly the truth, but doesn’t it seem like it? Since the near-assassination of Hassan, not much action has happened, which was OK, but not ideal. This episode, however, things ramped up and we moved into the second stage of this season.

Debrief

• Jack, aka Ernst, went to the warehouse to meet with Renee and Vlad. After meeting him, Vlad starts making calls about the nuclear rods. One of them is to Sergei, who poorly denies knowing anything about them. After all of his contacts deny knowing anything, Renee pushes Vlad harder. Things get violent and, reaching back six years of aggression since she was raped by him, Renee stabs Vlad. Jack walks in and she accidentally stabs him too. He takes the rest Vlad’s men out.

• Once Sergei gets the call from Vlad, he halts the transport of the nuclear rods and sends his men to Vlad’s warehouse. Jack decides that, since he is POSITIVE that CTU will be tracking him from the air, he will get captured and be taken to where the nuclear rods are. This seems like a great plan until…

• No one knows where Jack is nor are they tracking him at all. He is lost. Awesome.

• [Read more]

Share

It wasn’t that long ago that Tuesday was almost a throw away night for me. Maybe I’d be watching one or two shows bu that’s about it. Suddenly it’s filled to the bring with good TV.

Obviously I’m excited for the latest episode of LOST (if you were looking for my thoughts on last week’s premiere, I hope you checked out our “Two Idiots Talk Lost” podcast.

I’m really excited about AMERICAN IDOL too.  Tonight the contestants finally make it to Hollywood, and Ellen joins the judges for the first time. Finally we get to see what she’s all about.

Following IDOL is the series premiere of PAST LIFE on Fox. Sorry kids but this one didn’t grab me enough to get a spot on my already crowded Tuesday night schedule. But check it out if it looks interesting to you. You never know, you might like it.

What YOU are most excited to watch tonight.

American Idol | 8pm on Fox
“Welcome to Hollywood”
The Hollywood round begins with nation-spanning golden-ticket winners arriving in California. They struggle through punishing rehearsals and nerve-jangling auditions in the hopes of winning a slot in the Top 24. Ellen DeGeneres joins the judges’ table.

The Biggest Loser | 8pm on NBC
“Olympic Training”
The contestants head to Colorado to train at an Olympic training facility, where they learn the game is going from teams to singles; Olympic skiers help train the contestants; a biathlon challenge; two more players are sent home.

NCIS | 8pm on CBS
“Jack Knife”
Fornell, Gibbs and the team try to bust an illegal trucking operation after a driver, who is also a Marine, is found dead.

Lost | 9pm on ABC
“What Kate Does”
Kate’s on the run while Jack must do something that could jeopardize the life of a friend. Aldo: Rob McElhenney. [GMMR: The second hour of last week's season premiere will be airing at 8pm tonight if you want to play a little catch up.]
[Read more]

Share

PAST LIFE premiers tonight at 9pm on FOX. Trying to decide whether or not the show gets a precious spot on your Tuesday night schedule? Here’s what you need to know…

About PAST LIFE:

From Fox: Have you ever experienced déjà vu or met someone you thought seemed familiar? Do you believe in karma, fate or love at first sight? From writer David Hudgins (“Friday Night Lights”), and inspired by the book “The Reincarnationist” by M.J. Rose, comes PAST LIFE, a new drama series about an unlikely pair of past-life detectives who investigate whether what is happening to you today is the result of who you were before.

DR. KATE MCGINN (Kelli Giddish, “All My Children”) is not your typical psychologist. Confident, outspoken and highly educated, she works at The Talmadge Center for Behavioral Health in New York City, a world-renowned institute dedicated to the study of the science of the soul. After experiencing a past-life regression in her 20s, Kate became a believer in reincarnation. Using regression therapy and her natural gift for reading people, Kate helps solve the mysteries of her troubled clients who suffer from present-day problems caused by past-life traumas. She believes there are levels of consciousness and explanations for human behavior that science can’t begin to explain. Accustomed to skeptics, but not bothered by them, Kate is an unapologetic believer and a force of nature who marches to the beat of her own drummer.

Her partner, PRICE WHATLEY (Nicholas Bishop, “Home and Away”), is a different story. A former NYPD homicide detective, pragmatic and cynical, Price is a damaged soul who constantly battles grief and guilt over the accidental death of his wife. Price feels that Kate, though not certifiable, certainly operates on the fringes of science. It’s a volatile relationship, but with Price’s solid detective skills, and Kate’s penchant for out-of-the-box thinking, together they make a formidable, if somewhat dysfunctional, team.

A fast-paced emotional thrill ride, each episode finds Price and Kate working with their colleagues to unravel a new mystery involving the past-lives of their clients. DR. MALACHI TALMADGE (Richard Schiff, “The West Wing”) is Kate’s mentor and the center’s namesake, an avuncular but gruff elder statesman who is a legend in the field of cognitive research. DR. RISHI KARNA (Ravi Patel, “Scrubs”) is the rookie of the group, a baby-faced therapist from Calcutta who loves bad American TV, Cuban jazz and driving everyone crazy.

Share

I’m so spoiled. After being on the verge of cancellation, CHUCK fights its way back on to the network. Of course I was ecstatic. Then I was told my show wasn’t coming back until March and I was ready to storm the castle. NBC brings back CHUCK early and orders additional episodes, and once again I’m over the moon. But tonight, when the promo lady told me I have to wait three more weeks before another new episode. Why I oughta….

See? Spoiled.

Tonight’s episode didn’t end with a big reveal or a crazy cliffhanger, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a solid episode packed with important plot movement and strong character development. I dare say that this episode will be the launching pad for the rest of the season. New twosomes were formed, and Chuck is about to take another step closer, or should I say deeper, into spydom. Is this when I should mention that I don’t do well with change?

To say “Chuck vs. the Mask” punched an emotional wallop would be an understatement. I’ve seen every minute of CHUCK since the very first episode, and despite the show having some seriously devastating moments, I think tonight was the first time I ever full on cried. Tears streaming down my face. There was something so beautiful and heartbreaking in how Chuck and Sarah let each other go.

Chuck: If I had to see you with someone else, it might as well be a hero, right.
Sarah: What can I say, I have a type.

Gulp. Is it dusty in here again?

[Read more]

Share

Fans of LOST have waited years for resolutions to that show’s mysteries. In the opening minutes of “5 to 9,” House viewers were given firm answers to two burning questions. First, Dr. Lisa Cuddy’s day-to-day responsibilities are daunting, and do extend far beyond the occasional drop-in by the head of her Diagnostics department. Second, Cuddy does appear to make her wardrobe choices independently, with an emphasis on form-fitting chic.

All kidding aside, the biggest question entering this episode was whether Lisa Edelstein could shoulder the responsibility of carrying an hour of compelling television, righting the Princeton Plainsboro ship after weeks of inconsistent voyages. Not content with simply bridging the gap between House-centric episodes, Ms. Edelstein delivered an Emmy-worthy performance filled with smarts, sass, and vulnerability.

As a consequence of logistics, the challenges of being a working mother are rarely told effectively on network television. Babies, in particular, are rarely seen due to scheduling restrictions (and the unpredictable moods) of infant actors. Cuddy’s baby Rachel has been a footnote in story arcs since being adopted, and will likely follow the path of Ross & Rachel’s child in TV lore. Despite these challenges, I was moved by Lisa Edelstein’s ability to show a mother’s love despite a myriad of legitimate distractions. By telling this story in a single day, viewers witnessed the true impact of Rachel’s presence in Cuddy’s heart. By resisting the impulse to make this another round of the House/Cuddy/Lucas entanglement, the story ended authentically, with Cuddy’s eyes fixed on the most important person in her life.

[Read more]

Share

This has got to be one of the coolest stories I’ve come across in a long time and I just had to share.

Last weekend I was on Twitter when my friend Jen started tweeting about Ricky Gervais mentioning an old website of hers during his stand up special on HBO.  I knew immediately what she was talking about (a) because I love the Rickey Gervais special so much that I actually have the DVD and (b) because this particular bit had for awhile become part of the vernacular with friends of mine at work.  What I didn’t know that she was the “Jen” that he referenced in his act. Come to find out, she didn’t know about it either.

Here’s the story directly from Jen Godwin, an entertainment reporter for E!

So…back in the day (1995 to be exact), my best friend and I compiled a bunch of “useless facts” that we’d been posting on a white board in our college dorm hallway and put them on a newfangled thingy called the World Wide Web.

We submitted the site to Yahoo! and they added it to their directory with “cool” sunglasses and “Deb & Jen’s Land O’ Useless Facts” was eventually named a Cool Site of the Year in 1996. We got submissions of more useless facts from around the world and built the site out and it was all very exciting.

Eventually time passed, we moved the site to its own domain after they kicked us out of college, we moved on with our lives, and we mostly abandoned the site, leaving it to become one of those bits of quaint Internet detritus from ye olden times (like animated “under construction” gifs).

Fastforward to last weekend, when I stumble out of bed on my way in my usual groggy way and the husband goes, “Um, there’s something you need to see…” I assumed from his serious tone that the roof had caved in or that crickets that live under our floor finally ate something important. But no, it wasn’t a crisis, it was a Ricky Gervais HBO standup special (“Ricky Gervais Out of England”) from 2008, and as it turns out, his closing comedy bit is partially inspired by our old website, which he names onscreen as “Deb & Jen’s World of Knowledge.” I think I double-taked three or four times before I believed it. Anyway, this is mostly awesome because Ricky Gervais is awesome, but he cites two facts direct from the site (re: polar bears and elephants) and that’s pretty cool, so we pirated the clip and posted it on Vimeo for your edification and amusement.

Deb & Jen’s World of Knowledge – Deb & Jen’s Land O’ Useless Facts – Ricky Gervais: Out of England from Jennifer Godwin on Vimeo.

I know I geek out over a lot of stuff, but I that ranks very high on my cool scale.

Share

Are any of you still in the running to be America’s Next Top Model? Well are you at least a fan?  Ms. Tyra has a new friends joining her next season.

Today The CW announced that the next installment of AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL will features one of the most influential members of the fashion world, André Leon Talley, as a new judge

Talley will join Tyra Banks, photographer Nigel Barker and a weekly guest judge on the judges’ panel. Currently serving as the editor-at-large of Vogue, Talley is prominent in the world of designer fashion and has a front-row seat to runway shows all over the world.

Miss J. Alexander, long-time judge, breaks free from the judges’ desk to take on a mentoring role during challenges with the models. “After cycles of watching the girls not get it right, I thought they would benefit more from my ‘high heels’ and hands-on approach than my sitting in a chair judging their photos,” said Alexander. “And with Andre Leon Talley, this should be the best cycle yet.”

Cycle 14 welcomes a panel of rotating guest judges that include: Sally Hershberger (Salon Owner/Proprietor), Rachel Roy (Runway Fashion Designer), Sean Patterson (President of Wilhelmina Models), Dania Ramirez (CoverGirl Representative), Patricia Cleveland (First African American Supermodel), Ann Shoket (Editor in Chief of Seventeen Magazine), Whitney Port (Star of “The City,” Runway Fashion Designer), Sara Tetro (Owner of 62 Models), Sara McLeod (Actress from “Lord of the Rings”) and “Top Model” photo shoot director Jay Manuel.

Is this exciting news for fans of “Top Model”. Does this news add a little excitement to the reality show?

Share

Taking a break from the TV talk to share some exciting news! I’m officially a dog owner! Well, officially as in I’ve done the paperwork to make her mine, but my new little pup won’t be here until February 25th. That means we have just a few weeks to come up with a suitable name for the newest member of Team GMMR.

Many of my Twitter friends have suggested that I name her something with a little nod to my love for TV.  I like the idea but it needs to be the right name. She’s a little girl maltipoo so a name like Pacey or Jack Bauer just won’t suit her. But I’m open to suggestions. If you’ve got a TV-inspired name for my new puppy be sure to pass it along. (I’ll take non-TV names too…I need all the help I can get.)

(Just to save you the time, “Pam” is already out of the running.)

I’d love to hear your suggestions. Her name is Sissy right now, but it’s just not the right name for her.

Share

So last Monday night was a big bust for me. I didn’t drink enough caffeine to ensure that I would not only watch my Monday night shows but write about them as well. It really threw off my entire week.  No joke. I’ve learned my lesson. Tonight I’m throwing down Red Bull until I get my reviews written or my heart explodes, which ever comes first (although personally I prefer the former).

For those of you who did want to talk about last Monday’s episodes, check out our discussion of CHUCK, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, LIFE UNEXPECTED, THE BIG BANG THEORY, GREEK and DAMAGES in the latest TV Talk Podcast.

But now it’s time for tonight’s FULL lineup. Here are just a few of the highlights.

CAUTION: Tonight’s TV lineup is for real TV pros only. Don’t even attempt it if you don’t know what you’re doing.

How I Met Your Mother | 8pm on CBS
“Rabbit or Duck”
Lily and Marshall forget to fix Ted up on a blind date for Valentine’s Day; Robin’s obnoxious colleague invites her to a party at his apartment.[GMMR: Don't be jealous but yesterday I found out that I'm going to be meeting up with the one and only Barney Stinson! He finally asked me out. He left me a voice message, but really, it's Barney and I'm not in the position to hate. Our first date will be at McClaren's on October 12, 2016. Here, you can listen to the message for yourself. Dial 1-877-987-6401]

Chuck | 8pm on NBC
“Chuck vs. the Mask”
Chuck and Hannah unexpectedly become part of agent Shaw’s latest mission; Morgan and Ellie continue their mission to get to the bottom of Chuck’s strange behavior. [GMMR: If I'm not mistaken, this is the last episode of CHUCK before the Olympic break. Savor each moment my friends!]

The Bachelor | 8pm on ABC
“Hometown Visits”
Jake visits the hometowns of the final four contestants; one bachelorette, after making a surprise visit to Jake’s room, makes a shocking revelation that leaves him reeling [GMMR: I haven't watched this season, but based on the ep descriptions alone it seems like there is more drama than a daytime soap. There is NO way that this guy is going to be married to one of these girls.]

House | 8pm on Fox
“5 to 9″
A day at the hospital, as seen by Cuddy, who must deal with hospital issues and staff disputes while juggling personal issues. [GMMR: I've only seen half of this episode, but what I've seen looks good. Erik, our resident HOUSE expert has his review ready to go. It will post immediately after the episode airs. I hope you join in on this week's discussion.]

24 | 9pm on Fox
“Day 8: 10pm-11pm”
Jack goes undercover to retrieve the enriched uranium, and President Taylor’s agenda is called into question as delegates gather at the United Nations.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager | 8pm on ABC Family
“Let’s Try That Again”
Amy seeks advice from Ricky when Jimmy doesn’t call her; Anne attempts to sort out her relationship with George.

One Tree Hill | 8pm on The CW
“My Attendance is Bad but My Intentions are Good”
Brooke and Julian try to find a balance between work and their personal lives; Quinn faces unexpected news; Millicent struggles with temptation.

(the rest of tonight’s TV spotlight is after the jump)

[Read more]

Share

Next Page »