The Closer

If We Had an Emmy Ballot: The Best TV of 2008 to 2009

BrianTT — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:57:05 -0600

CHICAGO – Ballots for the 61st Annual Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Emmy nominations are due on Friday, June 26th, 2009, and we’re here to offer some advice for all of you Emmy voters still holding a ballot in your hands and trying to make those tough TV decisions.

And, like the large majority of us, if you’re not a card-carrying Emmy voter, let this serve as your populist guide to who really SHOULD be winning Emmys this year. There’s sometime a disconnect between who actually wins the awards and who viewers KNOW should win the awards - i.e., the almost total lack of Emmy love for “Buffy,” “Battlestar Galactica,” etc. - so, in a fantasy world, our fantasy ballot hopes to heap some recognition on the shows and creative types who really, truly knocked our socks off in the 2008-2009 season. But, if you ARE an Emmy voter, be a pal and give some of these guys the nods they deserve.

(Note: While there are five nominees per category, voters nominate six per ballot, so that’s how many we suggest.)

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy

Jack McBrayer on 30 Rock
Photo credit: NBC

Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother”
Ed Helms, “The Office”
Justin Kirk, “Weeds”
Jack McBrayer, “30 Rock”
Jeremy Piven, “Entourage”
Ray Wise, “Reaper”

There are a number of very strong, mostly male ensembles in comedy television nowadays and it can be tough to pick a favorite. Would you nominate Tracy Morgan or Jack McBrayer from “30 Rock”? Kevin Dillon or Jeremy Piven for “Entourage”? Justin Kirk or Kevin Nealon from “Weeds”? And which of the guys from the criminally underrated “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” would you pick if you wanted to really take a chance on something new?

We picked our favorites, but they’re also representatives for the show’s supporting casts in general and, if Dillon makes it in over Piven or you want to choose Nealon over Kirk, it’s an understandable alternate. And any of the three guys on “Philadelphia” are deserving even if they don’t quite make our top six cut.

All we know for sure is that Emmy voters really need to take the last chance they’ll get to nominate the show-stealing Ray Wise from “Reaper” and Neil Patrick Harris had his best year to date as “How I Met You Mother” really started to click this season.

As for what “will” happen, Jon Cryer is likely to get in over several of our choices for the always-nominated “Two and a Half Men” and you can expect a nod for someone from “The Office”. If they do go with a Dunder Mifflin employee, here’s an idea - jump on the “Hangover” band wagon and nominate Ed Helms. We love Rainn Wilson as much as the next guy, but Helms was more inspired this year as he watched his doomed engagement to Angela fall apart.

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Jenna Fischer on The Office
Photo credit: NBC

Kristin Chenoweth, “Pushing Daisies”
Rosemarie DeWitt, “United States of Tara”
Jenna Fischer, “The Office”
Elizabeth Perkins, “Weeds”
Cobie Smulders, “How I Met Your Mother”
Kristin Wiig, “Saturday Night Live”

Last year was the first that the cast of “Saturday Night Live” was eligible in this category and, rightly so, they nominated the deserving Amy Poehler. Amy only worked half of this season, one of the best in many years for the show, so why not spread the wealth to one of the most talented comediennes in the history of the show - the sublime Kristin Wiig?

Like Ray Wise, there’s also a great opportunity here to nominate another amazing supporting star on a canceled show, the awesome Kristin Chenoweth for “Pushing Daisies”. She made the cut last year. Emmy voters - nominate her whenever you get the chance.

Meanwhile, Showtime continues to excel and should earn more nods this year than any before. While “Weeds” has gone downhill a bit, Elizabeth Perkins’ perfect and often episode-stealing arc last season in which she had to go to rehab earns her a spot. Showtime should earn a few nods for “United States of Tara” and the first should come for Rosemarie DeWitt (who deserved and was snubbed already this year for an Academy Award nod for “Rachel Getting Married”).

“The Office” is something of a boy’s club, but Jenna Fischer did her best work to date as she joined the ill-fated “Michael Scott Paper Company” on “The Office,” so just like Pam, it’s time that Jenna gets a little more recognition this year.

Finally, Alyson Hannigan turned her real-life pregnancy into something hysterical (and difficult to cover up) on “How I Met Your Mother,” but her lack of screen time in the second half of the season should allow room for her increasingly funny co-star Cobie Smulders to get a nod. Like most of the cast, she did her best work of the series to date this season.

Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Danny McBride on Eastbound and Down
Photo credit: HBO

Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
Steve Carell, “The Office”
Zachary Levi, “Chuck”
Danny McBride, “Eastbound and Down”
Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory”
Tony Shalhoub, “Monk”

There are a few nominees here that are virtually guaranteed and for good reason. Alec Baldwin, Steve Carell, and Tony Shalhoub continue to drive the success of their very well-liked shows and, while it may be predictable to suggest them, they deserve the nominations that they can almost count on.

So why not make the other nominees a little more out of left field instead of a safe (but more likely) choice like Charlie Sheen in “Two and a Half Men”? (Does anyone really gather around the watercooler to talk about how awesome the Ma-sheen was following a very special episode of “Men”?)

Zachary Levi has really developed a strong comic timing on the underrated “Chuck” and he’s the main reason the show has earned such a strong cult following (and won itself a last second cancellation reprieve). An unexpected Emmy nomination could do that show a world of good in its struggle for ratings and survival.

“The Big Bang Theory” is one of the funnier shows on television and the perfect performance by Jim Parsons as Sheldon is one of the main reasons. He might have had a better shot in supporting but he’s eligible in lead, so vote for him there. His comic timing is amazing.

And then there’s the performance for which it will be most difficult to find a clip that they can air on network TV - the hysterical work by Danny McBride on HBO’s “Eastbound and Down”. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should. If you have seen it, you know he deserves to be nominated.

Best Lead Actress in a Comedy

Toni Collette on United States of Tara
Photo credit: Showtime

Christina Applegate, “Samantha Who?”
Toni Collette, “United States of Tara”
Kaley Cuoco, “The Big Bang Theory”
Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
Anna Friel, “Pushing Daisies”
Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds”

We know this can be a tough category to fill but, please, let’s not resort to America Ferrera and Julia Louis-Dreyfus again. There are simply more deserving actresses out there.

Christina Applegate, Tina Fey, and Mary-Louise Parker deserve to return to the dance and duplicate their nominations from last year for “Samantha Who?,” “30 Rock,” and “Weeds,” respectively. They’ve all had better years but they’re still more than good enough to make the big six.

As for the other three, the lovely and charming Anna Friel deserves consideration for her pitch-perfect work on “Pushing Daisies” and Toni Collette is absolutely flawless on “United States of Tara”. We wouldn’t be surprised to hear either of their names on nomination morning.

More surprising but just as deserving would be a nod for the underrated Kaley Cuoco of “The Big Bang Theory”. In the show’s excellent second season, Cuoco really proved she could play with the boys in this very male-driven ensemble and more than held her own in multiple episodes.

Best Comedy

The Office
Photo credit: NBC

“30 Rock”
“The Big Bang Theory”
“Eastbound and Down”
“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”
“The Office”
“Pushing Daisies”

Last year it was “30 Rock,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Entourage,” “The Office,” and “Two and a Half Men”. The two NBC shows deserve to repeat and remain the best comedy hour on television.

As for the rest? “Curb” isn’t eligible (there hasn’t been a new episode since 2007), “Entourage” had a slightly down year (although it wouldn’t be that horrible if it was nominated), and we’ve never understood the massive acclaim for “Men,” a decent show but not an award-worthy one in the slightest.

What’s ironic is that there are two CBS sitcoms that DO deserve nomination although my jaw will drop if they both make the Emmy cut - “The Big Bang Theory” and “How I Met Your Mother” - an hour of television that often out-delivered NBC this past year for the funniest hour on television. “Mother” was a bit too hit-and-miss at times, so let’s go with “Big Bang Theory” if we have to pick only one.

“Pushing Daisies” is the most tragically canceled shows of the last several years and the Academy often jumps at a last chance to nominate a show that they will never be able to again. If you can, voting members of the Academy, please take this opportunity to give The Pie-Hole some well-deserved post-cancellation love.

Nothing was as sublimely ridiculous in 2008-2009 as HBO’s unbelievable “Eastbound and Down” with its spectacular direction by the great David Gordon Green (“Pineapple Express”) and Jody Best (“Observe and Report”). If you haven’t seen “Eastbound,” catch up with it on DVD next week (and watch for a full review soon).

Finally, very few shows make us laugh out loud like FX’s inspired “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”. It’s one of the top-rated shows on Hulu for a reason and is developing a growing following with every episode. Emmy voters, try and jump on a bandwagon before its come to a stop for a change.

Go on to the next page for the five drama categories…

TV Review: Kyra Sedgwick Continues to Shine on TNT’s ‘The Closer’

BrianTT — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:23:34 -0600

CHICAGO – One of the best shows on basic cable returns this week with the fifth season premiere of “The Closer,” a dark, gut-wrenching episode that hints at a potentially series-altering summer for the beloved mystery series.

Television Rating: 3.5/5.0

Headed by one of the best performances on television from the excellent Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer” has always been a show that has been unafraid to go below the surface of its darkest stories and the fifth season premiere is a brutal and riveting one. The show has always expertly segued between dark humor and grisly murder, but there’s barely a smile, much less a chuckle, in tonight’s debut.

The Closer
Photo credit: Karen Neal

A woman and her children are gunned down in their own house. After the husband is interviewed and seems innocent, the Major Crimes unit and Brenda are lost for a suspect before stumbling on to something much darker than they ever expected.

Brenda won’t let a case, especially one with dead children, go unsolved. What separates “The Closer” is how expertly Sedgwick brings this character’s drive to life. She doesn’t just want to get the bad guys. She needs to get the bad guys.

The Closer
Photo credit: Andrew Eccles

Sedgwick brings every painful development of the case to life. She continues to give one of the best performances on television and if the season continues at the caliber of the premiere, it may be the BEST female performance all summer long.

And the end of the season premiere of “The Closer” is such a dark, foreboding epilogue to the episode that one has to wonder, especially given the TNT press release that says “it’s going to be a year of change,” if this isn’t the tone that the series will maintain all summer. It could be a dark one for Brenda and the Major Crimes Unit.

I have yet to make “The Closer” appointment television. As I wrote earlier this year, “What holds it back from jumping from a nice diversion when I happen to catch it to appointment programming is the lack of intriguing mysteries. I rarely find the actual crimes and their resolutions as intriguing as, say, “The Mentalist,” “Bones,” or “Life”. The characters on “The Closer” are fantastic, the mysteries are so-so.”

The premiere of season five is strong enough that I will definitely tune into the second episode and “The Closer” may finally become season pass material, as it is for so many other viewers. I’ve long thought that there was room and potential for “The Closer” to go from good to great. I think season five could be when that happens.

If you need to catch up with “The Closer” after tonight’s fifth season premiere, pick up the recently released “The Closer: The Complete Fourth Season” from Warner Brothers. Last year was certainly a season of change for the show as well as a journalist wrote a story about the Priority Homicide Division that brought Brenda’s group to a bitter end.

All fifteen episodes of season four (which aired last summer and returned earlier this year to finish out its run) are presented in widescreen with a Dolby Surround 5.1 track. Special feature include “Police Files: Unaired Scenes,” “To Catch a Lie: Observational Tips From an FBI Interrogator,” “A Day in the Life of a Homicide Detective: Series Star Corey Reynolds Rides Along With Retired LAPS Detective Mike Berchem,” and a gag reel.

‘The Closer,’ which airs on TNT, stars Kyra Sedgwick, Jon Tenney, J.K. Simmons, G.W. Bailey, Robert Gossett, Anthony John Denison, Michael Paul Chan, and Raymond Cruz. The fifth season premiere airs on Monday, June 8th, 2009 at 8PM CST.

‘The Closer: The Complete Fourth Season’ was released by Warner Brothers. The 4-disc set was released on June 2nd, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Kyra Sedgwick, Ensemble Cast Continue to Bring it Home on ‘The Closer’

BrianTT — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:25:12 -0700

Television Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – TNT’s “The Closer” has an easy-going charm that rarely gets the critical praise it deserves but has turned the show into one of the most highly rated scripted program on basic cable. “The Closer” beats most network programs and is, cable or not, one of the bigger hits on TV. The mid-season premiere, “Good Faith,” airing Monday, January 26th, 2009, makes it easy to see why.

Fritz and Brenda Leigh share a moment
Photo credit: Alan Markfeld

What separates “The Closer” from a lot of similar programming is the ease with which the writers smoothly segue between family humor and grisly murder. The kind of tonal juggling that can make a wedding cake tasting at a precinct while they discuss the latest case both believable and humorous is harder to pull off than it looks.

Brenda Leigh interviews Beth Gibson as Lt. Provenza and Det. Daniels look on
Photo credit: Alan Markfeld

“The Closer” is a program about a woman who can read and predict human behavior, a detective, and it’s a better-than-average crime drama because its creators work to create believable human behavior themselves. And it doesn’t hurt to have one of the best actresses on television in your lead role.

Kyra Sedgwick is simply perfect and her supporting cast, particularly the great J.K. Simmons and G.W. Bailey, never miss a beat. Sedgwick will always be the face of the show. Bailey himself once told me that the series will end when she wants it to. But the value of a supporting ensemble on a show like “The Closer” can sometimes be under-valued. Everyone on the show is good.

Having made my critical respect for the ensemble of “The Closer” and the skilled tone shifts by the writers, the mid-season premiere suffers from the same problem I usually have with the series. What holds it back from jumping from a nice diversion when I happen to catch it to appointment programming is the lack of intriguing mysteries. I rarely find the actual crimes and their resolutions as intriguing as, say, the ones on “The Mentalist,” “Bones,” or “Life”. The characters on “The Closer” are fantastic, the mysteries are so-so.

The mid-season premiere, “Good Faith,” is another episode about Brenda juggling a personal life - this time getting ready for a marriage - with solving a new case, a suicide that doesn’t add up. The Medical Examiner believes it’s a cut-and-dry suicide but Brenda and her team know better. In another case of bad timing, Brenda’s hysterical parents continue to take her away from the case as they try to plan their daughter’s wedding.

The mystery is never that interesting and the ending is abrupt. Far more interesting is a shocking and painful personal twist in Brenda’s life. “The Closer” needs to work to make the cases in Brenda’s life as interesting as the character herself.

Well, to be fair, “The Closer” doesn’t need to do anything. They’re doing everything right for legions of fans. I think there’s still room for the show to go from good to great, but it’s hard to even find series as consistently entertaining as this one. And nothing has changed significantly between last summer and the mid-season premiere. No, the only bad news we have for fans is that there are only six episodes left in the fourth season.

‘The Closer,’ which airs on TNT, stars Kyra Sedgwick, Jon Tenney, J.K. Simmons, G.W. Bailey, Robert Gossett, Anthony John Denison, Michael Paul Chan, and Raymond Cruz. The mid-season premiere airs on Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 8PM CST.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Excellent Ensemble, Quality Writing Click on TNT’s ‘Trust Me’

BrianTT — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 11:35:17 -0700

Television Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – We have good news for fans of “Will & Grace” and “Ed”. The stars of those two shows have been lucky enough to have lightning strike their careers again with TNT’s “Trust Me”.

Gimmicks and concepts may get an audience to tune in for a premiere episode, but television is still primarily a medium that lives and dies on the quality of its writing. Even the best ensembles will find themselves looking for other work if the writing doesn’t click. And it’s often difficult for TV stars who find success once to land another project with the same caliber of writing (ask Jason Alexander, Brad Garrett, or the cast of Fox’s “Back to You”.)

Tom Cavanagh, Monica Potter, Eric McCormack
Photo credit: Art Streiber

Referred to by its own leads as “Madder Men,” “Trust Me” is a modern take on the world of advertising, more concerned with the inter-office politics of the modern industry than AMC’s incredibly dense and riveting program. “Trust Me” focuses on Mason (“Eric McCormack of “Will & Grace” fame) and his creative partner Conner (“Tom Cavanagh from “Ed”). The two work at the ad firm Rothman, Greene, & Mohr and have formed a successful team over the years with Mason being the more intellectual of the two and Conner the emotional partner who can sweet-talk a client and close a sale.

Eric McCormack, Tom Cavanagh
Photo credit: Karen Neal

Mason, the art director, is a responsible family man with a beautiful wife named Erin (Sarah Clarke), while Conner is the impulsive, emotional, single guy. In the first episode, after the death of the creative director for the firm, Mason gets the job over Conner, creating a rift between the two. The second episode focuses on trying to satisfy a testy client.

Meanwhile, a new hire, the award-winning Sarah Krajicek-Hunter (Monica Potter) joins the team and shakes things up in her own way. It’s interesting to see creative people respond to new blood as a double-edged sword. Sarah will clearly make the company better but also take some spotlight away from Mason and Conner. That kind of conflicted dynamic happens in creative industries every day.

Rounding out the team at Rothman, Green & Mohr is the junior creative team (meaning comic relief) of Hector (Geoffrey Arend) and Tom (Mike Damus) and their often-tough supervisor Tony Mink (Griffin Dunne).

Two things stand out in the first two episodes of “Trust Me” and should allow most viewers to answer affirmatively to the ultimate question for a new series - will you keep watching?

First, McCormack and Cavanagh are surprisingly good. They’ve been underrated on television before but their chemistry here is believable and witty. Most shockingly, I had let go of “Ed” and “Will” within minutes. It can often be tough for actors to shake their previous characters but McCormack and Cavanagh do so without going too far from the kind of material that they are best at delivering. As for Potter, it looks like she’ll be allowed to develop an interesting character (and show a sense of humor she hasn’t often been able to do) and every series could do a lot worse than having talented actors like Dunne and Clarke in small roles.

Eric McCormack
Photo credit: Karen Neal

Second, the team behind “Trust Me” understands that for a show like this to work it needs to be clever, witty, and quickly paced. Created by Hunt Baldwin and John Coveny, two of the co-executive producers behind the underrated writing on “The Closer,” the first two scripts for “Trust Me” are two of the best of the massive slate of mid-season programs.

“Trust Me” is proof that knowledge of the subject matter can never be underestimated. Baldwin worked at J. Walter Thompson in Chicago on major campaigns in the ’90s and John Coveny was at Leo Burnett at nearly the same time. They both jumped from advertising to TV writing but the old axiom of “write what you know” has clearly served them well.

The first two episodes display both a knowledge about how the world of advertising works and an understanding that “Trust Me” will only succeed if we believe that these are the type of intelligent, quick-witted people who could become superstars in their industry. It is easy to do so because of the caliber of the writing.

TNT has found hit after hit with shows like “The Closer,” “Saving Grace,” and “Leverage,” but “Trust Me” has the potential to break out to an even wider audience. It doesn’t have the gravity of a show like “Mad Men,” so I don’t expect critics or award-giving groups to jump all over it, but it is something that not a lot of television is in this lackluster 2008-2009 season - consistently entertaining.

“Trust Me,” which airs on TNT, stars Eric McCormack, Tom Cavanagh, Monica Potter, Griffin Dunne, Geoffrey Arend, Mike Damus and Sarah Clarke. The premiere airs on Monday, Jan. 26, 2009 at 9 p.m. CST.

Note: HollywoodChicago.com editor-in-chief Adam Fendelman will be interviewing “Trust Me” star Monica Potter. Stay tuned to HollywoodChicago.com for that interview.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

‘Lie to Me’ With Tim Roth Mistakes Concept For Content

BrianTT — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:23:08 -0700

Television Rating: 1.5/5.0

CHICAGO – “The Mentalist” is the only significant new hit for the 2008-2009 season and the number one rule in TV is that if something works once, try and replicate it. Viewers can expect to see dozens of clones of the Simon Baker series in the next few years. It is into this atmosphere that Fox hopes their newest crime series, “Lie To Me,” can find a loyal audience.

Network TV ratings may be sliding across the board, but there is one genre that seems more resilient to the erosion than others - the crime drama. From network staples like “CSI” to cable shows like “The Closer,” every network head is looking for the next procedural with a twist, the show that they can keep on the air for years, preferably with a revolving door cast and very little effort on their part.

The Lightman Group is a private agency hired to expose the truth behind the lies in the new series Lie To Me premiering Wednesday, Jan. 21 (9:03-10:06 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Pictured L-R: Kelli Williams, Tim Roth, Brendan Hines and Monica Raymund.
Photo credit: ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Frank Ockenfels/FOX

Fox’s “Lie To Me” is not a straight-up clone of “The Mentalist” (and, of course, it was in production before that show took off) but it certainly shares some character traits with CBS’ massively entertaining program in that it’s about a man who sees things in human behavior that the average crime fighter does not. Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) can not only tell if a suspect is lying, but can often take it a step further and tell you why someone is being deceptive. “Lie To Me” is based on the true discoveries of Dr. Paul Ekman, an expert in reading clues in the human face, body, and voice, often brought in to investigate criminal investigations.

As the foremost deception expert in the country, Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth, R) knows when someone is lying. He oversees The Lightman Group, a private agency hired to expose the truth behind the lies in the new series Lie To Me premiering Wednesday, Jan. 21 (9:03-10:06 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Photo credit: ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Mike Yarish/FOX

The Lightman Group, headed by Tim Roth’s character, assists government agencies, police detectives, and federal law enforcement with issues of deception. Dr. Lightman’s right-hand woman is Dr. Gillian Foster (Kelli Williams of “The Practice”), a psychologist more interested in the general picture than her partner’s detail-oriented approach. Their chemistry is the highlight of the premiere and what the writers will need to focus on if “Lie To Me” is going to improve.

Drs. Lightman and Foster are assisted by a lead researcher named Eli Loker (Brendan Hines) and a new-hire named Ria Torres (Monica Raymund). The former gets to play comic relief with his practice of “radical honesty” and the latter is the “natural,” the rare person who can pick up on all the physical tics and verbal cues without much training.

The team behind “Lie To Me,” including writer Samuel Baum (“The Evidence”) and the executive producers of “24” and “Arrested Development,” clutter their first episode with two cases, character introductions, and even jabs at real-life personalities to the point that the whole thing sinks under the weight of its concept. It feels forced.

Religiously overprotected kids, a dead teacher, a philandering politician, hookers, and references to every famous liar from Kato Kaelin to George Bush is too much for one episode of any program. Cluttered TV scripts reek of desperation and “Lie To Me” is just not well-written. Roth is good and Williams isn’t bad, but TV has always been and will always be about the writing and the pilot for “Lie To Me” is a mess. The cases, the dialogue, the supporting characters - none of it works

I could look Dr. Ekman and his fictional counterpart in the face and they would know I was not lying when I told them that their show is going to be a hit this year but it needs to get better quickly if it wants to survive after Simon, Paula, Randy, and the new girl leave the air. “Lie To Me” has the safest time slot on TV - post “American Idol”.

But I think even the people making the series would need to practice self-deception to convince themselves that the series is anything but mediocre at best and borders on downright bad. It’s very difficult to judge a procedural show after one episode. Next week’s case(s) might be more interesting. But it feels like the problems with “Lie To Me” are deeper than a couple of cases with stupid twists. And that’s no lie.

‘Lie To Me,’ which airs on FOX, stars Tim Roth, Kelli Williams, Brendan Hines, and Monica Raymund. The premiere airs on January 21st, 2009 at 8:03PM CST.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Hookup: 20 Admit-Two VIP Passes to Chicago Premiere of TNT Series ‘Trust Me’ With Tom Cavanagh

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:13:35 -0700

CHICAGO – In a special edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: TV, we have 20 admit-two VIP passes up for grabs to the exclusive Chicago premiere of the new TNT drama “Trust Me” about a Chicago advertising agency. The series stars Eric McCormack (“Will & Grace”), Tom Cavanagh (“Scrubs,” “Ed”) and Monica Potter (“Boston Legal,” “Saw,” “Along Came a Spider,” “Patch Adams,” “Con Air”) from the producers of “Nip/Tuck” and “The Closer”.

Potter will be in attendance. You will also be treated to a special advance screening of “Trust Me,” complimentary hors d’oeuvres, soft drinks and prizes. To win your free pass to the VIP “Trust Me” event in Chicago courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, all you need to do is be one of the first 20 people to submit a comment in this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup. That’s it!

The premiere will be held on Jan. 22, 2008 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. Directions to enter this Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the “Trust Me” poster below.

“Trust Me” on TNT stars Eric McCormack, Tom Cavanagh and Monica Potter.
Image credit: TNT

Here is the “Trust Me” plot description:

Set against the backdrop of the high-pressure world of advertising, “Trust Me” focuses on Mason (Eric McCormack) and Conner (Tom Cavanagh): a pair of advertising men whose strong creative partnership has served the firm of Rothman Greene & Mohr extremely well over the years.

Mason (an art director) is a responsible, workaholic family man with a beautiful wife, Erin (Sarah Clarke, “24”), two children and an undying loyalty to the brands he helps sell.

By contrast, his writing partner, Conner, is a single, impulsive copywriter with the attention span of a teenager. Their yin-yang relationship is put to the test when Mason is named a creative director of the agency. He becomes Conner’s boss.

The series follows the changing dynamics between the two friends who are better together than they are apart.

To secure your free pass now to the “Trust Me” premiere in Chicago, make sure you’re logged into your HollywoodChicago.com account. If you don’t yet have one, you can quickly register here. Having an account with a valid e-mail address is required.

Then, add a new comment in the form below. In your comment, include an answer to this question:

What do you do at work and in life to sell yourself and get ahead?

Like all Hookups here, this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: TV is simple: The first 20 people to comment below win! We will be in touch with the 20 winners via e-mail to distribute your passes. “Trust me” premieres on TNT on Jan. 26, 2009 at 9 p.m. CST.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

2009 Mid-Season TV Preview: ‘Lost,’ ‘Damages,’ ‘Nip/Tuck,’ ‘24,’ More

BrianTT — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:08:01 -0700

CHICAGO – Be honest, TV fans. Fall 2008 was lackluster at best. The TV season really starts now.

With the strike delaying production on established series and the development of new ones, many more programs are returning or premiering in Jan. 2009 than the average mid-season. It couldn’t have come at a more important time for the medium, too.

To be blunt, the first 31 days of 2009 could be one of the most important months in the history of television. It comes down to this - If established hits like “24,” “Damages,” “Nip/Tuck,” “Monk,” “American Idol,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Lost,” and “The Closer” don’t meet expectations and if a new show like “United States of Tara,” “The Beast,” “Lie To Me,” or “Trust Me” can’t take off and become an established hit, television is likely to change forever.

Sound like an exaggeration? Consider this - NBC gave up on an hour of original, scripted programming every single night. They’re so disappointed in their slate of 10 pm dramas, including failures like “My Own Worst Enemy,” that they’re handing over an hour of TV every night to talk show host Jay Leno. It’s one of the most amazing programming decisions of the last few years and proof that original television on the big networks is changing for good. Does anyone think we’re that far off from all reality and talk on the major networks with original programming relegated to pay cable, basic cable, and the internet? I don’t.

And the Leno story is only one of the biggest headlines of a season that has seen far more failures than successes. Shows that took off the post-strike period, including “Pushing Daisies” and “Dirty Sexy Money,” saw ratings decline every week before their cancellations. It feels like people left during the strike and simply never came back.

New hits? There aren’t any outside of CBS, the only network that has anything to be happy about this year with the massive success of “The Mentalist” and the continued growth of “The Big Bang Theory” and “How I Met Your Mother”. More than ever, the buzz in 2008 went from the big networks to the cable box with HBO launching new hits, Showtime developing their own, and even AMC developing a reputation for quality.

We’ll get into what worked and what didn’t in our TV year in review next week at HollywoodChicago.com, but let’s look ahead before we look back. Is it too late for the broadcast networks to save this sinking ship? Are NBC, Fox, and ABC done? Will there be another “Mad Men” in the bunch of shows premiering this month? Can a series actually improve on last year’s ratings for once? Let’s hope so.

Stay tuned to HollywoodChicago.com for reviews and coverage of all the upcoming series and mark your calendar with the highlights of the coming month on the following page, in chronological order.

Interview: After Three Decades of Acting, G.W. Bailey Finds Home in Kyra Sedgwick’s ‘The Closer’ on TNT

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:49:49 -0600

CHICAGO – After being born and bred in Texas, G.W. Bailey scoffs at the notion of “humidity” in Chicago.

Bailey – who has a renowned career in film, TV and the stage that spans three decades – has been seen in seminal roles in “M.A.S.H.,” “Police Academy,” “Short Circuit,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “St. Elsewhere,” “The Jeff Foxworthy Show,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Mannequin,” “Happy Days,” “CHiPs,” “Newhart,” “Benson” and many more.

G.W. Bailey in “The Closer” on TNT.
Photo credit: TNT

He recently spoke with HollywoodChicago.com about his “three families”. Bailey was in Chicago on July 9, 2008 for a VIP party where the first episode of season four for acclaimed TV show “The Closer,” which stars Golden Globe winner Kyra Sedgwick, was broadcast early to Chicagoans. The inaugural episode of the new season of “The Closer” aired tonight.

Following the party, Bailey described in our interview how his personal family comes first, his non-profit work for children with cancer comes second and his “The Closer” family rounds out the trio. The show is Bailey’s longest-running TV appearance. He is currently credited with 43 episodes as Det. Lt. Provenza.

In “The Closer,” Sedgwick plays a deputy police chief who runs the Priority Homicide Division of the Los Angeles Police Department with an “unorthodox style”. The series says: “Her ability to read people and obtain confessions helps her and her team solve the city’s toughest, most sensitive cases.”

“The Closer” is currently in its fourth season. Bailey describes what we will see in the fourth season in contrast to the third.

“James Duff (the creator and runner of the writing room) likes to have a theme or arc of some concept. It’s not always that obvious. When the writers are working on a script or scene, it’s not that they have to that word in mind. Last season was ‘family,’ but that takes a lot of guises. Kyra’s effort to save my hide a couple times was ultimately to make sure the family stayed together. The family happened to be our squad.

“This season, the overall word they’re working with is ‘power’. Again, that takes on many guises. For the opening episode [of season four], there’s a villain who has returned and exercises a power over her that’s very interesting. There’s a lot of tension.”

Bailey also describes his theory of why “The Closer” – and shows like it today – are addictive and made for TV.

“It’s ultimately about writing, but people love mysteries. There’s an interesting murder or secret that she’s after. People like to follow that trail. It’s also because it’s character driven. These people come off as real people. They’re very diverse racially in their experiences and in their ages. The writers go to great lengths to give us people and not just cop No. 6 or cop No. 3.

The poster for “The Closer” on TNT.
Image credit: TNT

“I could mention some very famous shows where you can interchange one cast from another and you wouldn’t know the difference. Our folks are very specific and interesting people.

“There’s the brilliance and brain of Det. Lt. Mike Tau (Michael Paul Chan), the violence of Det. Julio Sanchez (Raymond Cruz) and the curmudgeon of Det. Lt. Provenza (Bailey) who has seen it and done it all.”

But even though Bailey has seemingly done it all over an illustrious career in acting, he’s still humbled by one person in particular on “The Closer”: J.K. Simmons (“Juno,” “Burn After Reading,” “Jennifer’s Body,” “Rendition,” “Postal,” “Spider-Man 3,” “Thank You For Smoking,” “Law & Order,” “Spider-Man 2,” “Oz,” “Spider-Man”).

“With J.K., your confidence level goes up. He’s like playing tennis with somebody. If you want to get better at tennis, you play with better tennis players.

“[Working with] J.K. is like playing with a better tennis player. You really have to be prepared and focused because he is. He doesn’t fumble through his lines. He has done his work. When he walks on that stage, he’s ready to go. Some of the best work I’ve done on ‘The Closer’ in 3.5 years I did the other day because I was in a scene with him. There’s no question about it.”

While Bailey currently calls “The Closer” home, though, he still keeps the stage close to his heart. He doesn’t often find time for it, though, and when he does he is reminded of its double-edged sword.

“I have the attention span of about a 9-year-old. I love doing different things. I love the diversity. When it has been a long time since I’ve been on the stage, I miss it desperately. If I find the time to do it, then after one week I think: ‘What in the hell did I miss about this? This is so hard and the money is so little.’ But I still miss it. There’s really nothing like it.”

Bailey describes the benefits afforded by TV work and why Sedgwick is the star of this show.

“I enjoy working for the camera. I love TV because it’s fast. You tell your story and you’re out. But I could never do what Kyra does. I’ve never, ever seen a human being do what she does on this show – just the sheer volume of work every day and on every scene. It ain’t called ‘The Provenza Show’. It’s called ‘The Closer’ and she’s the closer.

J.K. Simmons (left), Kyra Sedgwick (second from left) and G.W. Bailey (front) in “The Closer” on TNT.
Image credit: TNT

“There’s the volume of lines and not only learning them but being prepared with what to do with them.”

Bailey added: “It’s about having the confidence to arrive at 5:30 a.m. and still bring energy and focus and excitement and truth in a scene at 7 p.m. That’s enormous. If I show up at 5:30 a.m., I’m about done by lunch. But I love my guy. I get to say a few funny lines and then go to my trailer. I get to get in and get out.”

Beyond Bailey’s professional life, his non-profit work stands on its own with incomparable importance.

“I’ve been doing work with kids for cancer for 23 years. It’s certainly the important part of my life – not that entertaining people isn’t important. It is. I’m very proud of my profession. I always have have been. It’s just important in a different way.

“I have three areas of my life. The most important is my family, then there’s The Sunshine Kids family for kids with cancer and then there’s my professional family.” Bailey concluded about ‘The Closer’ by jesting: “You know, we call Kyra ‘mama’ as a nickname. I like having a good-looking, younger mama.”

Prior to his work with “The Closer,” Bailey names two particular projects as those standing the test of time with the most professional pride.

“One of the major products in TV used to be TV movies and the mini-series programs. For all practical purposes, though, those are dead now. They just don’t exist. But when they were flourishing, I was lucky enough to get to do a bunch of them. Out of those, I did one called “Doublecrossed” for HBO with Dennis Hopper. I’m certainly proud of that entire film.

“In terms of being part of creating a recurring character, though, that would be Army Sgt. Luther Rizzo in ‘M.A.S.H.’. I love that guy. I wasn’t a regular, but even as a recurring character, I loved being in arguably the greatest show in the history of television.”

“The Closer,” which stars Kyra Sedgwick, J.K. Simmons, G.W. Bailey, Corey Reynolds, Robert Gossett, Jon Tenney, Anthony John Denison, Phillip P. Keene, Michael Paul Chan, Raymond Cruz and Gina Ravera, aired episode one of its fourth season on July 14, 2008 on TNT.
“The Closer” airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. CST.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Hookup: 25 Admit-Two Passes to VIP Chicago Party, Screening For Kyra Sedgwick’s ‘The Closer’ on TNT

HollywoodChicago.com — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:05:48 -0600

CHICAGO – In this unique HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: TV, 25 admit-two VIP passes will be given away to an exclusive Chicago screening party kicking off season four of the hit TNT television show “The Closer,” which stars Golden Globe winner Kyra Sedgwick.

To win your free VIP pass, all you need to do is be one of the first 25 people to respond. That’s it! Winners will be treated to complimentary appetizers, desserts, goody bags and an advance screening of the first episode of season four of “The Closer”.

The party will be on July 9, 2008 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Chi Bar, which is located inside the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers at 301 E. North Water St. You will also have the chance to meet one of the stars of “The Closer”: G.W. Bailey!

Directions to enter this giveaway and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.

Click the image above for an even larger version.

Here’s “The Closer” plotline, according to IMDb: “Deputy police chief Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) runs the priority homicide division of the LAPD with an unorthodox style. Her innate ability to read people and obtain confessions helps her and her team solve the city’s toughest, most sensitive cases.”

To secure your VIP tickets now, make sure you’re logged into your HollywoodChicago.com account. If you don’t yet have one, you can quickly register here. Having an account with a valid e-mail address is required. Then, simply add a new comment in the form below. In your comment, include an answer to this simple question:

What was the last “deal” you closed?

This HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: TV is simple: The first 25 people to comment below win! We will be in touch with the 25 winners to confirm your passes.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com