We were afraid of this, and now it’s official. ABC has decided not to order any more episodes of “Pushing Daisies,” “Dirty Sexy Money” or “Eli Stone.”

Translation? All three of these terrific shows have been cancelled.

E! is reporting that ABC does plan to air the rest of the “Daisies” episodes that have been shot. We’ve only seen six of the 13 produced so far. But after that, Ned and a girl named Chuck will say bye-bye to TV viewers.

That doesn’t mean, however, that Ned will be sending Chuck back to the afterlife. Creator Bryan Fuller tells E! that he got plans to continue the fantasy/detective series in comic books and a big-screen movie.

As for “DSM” and “Eli Stone,” Entertainment Weekly says that ABC is allowing these series to finish production on their final episodes. Hopefully, the network will air them, too.

Not much more to say about this except …. sniff.

And that I can’t believe that we won’t be seeing more of these shows, yet somehow, we keep getting new installments of “According to Jim” and  “Scrubs.” (Sorry “Scrubs” fans, but this show isn’t that funny anymore, and I can’t believe ABC paid that much money to scoop it up from NBC just to extend its life by a half-season. As for “Jim,” there is just no explanation whatsoever.)

(Photos courtesy of ABC)

Me-YOW!

The catfight between Lisa and Karen was, without question, the highlight of the latest Darling family dinner.  But all things considered, it was a little hard to tell who exactly was the “injured party” of the episode’s title.

It, of course, referred to poor little Wrenn, the wide-eyed bicyclist mowed down by Letitia who was too drunk and busy belting out “Mr. Big Stuff” to pay attention to her driving.

Injured could also describe Karen, who seemed wounded but not surprised by Nick’s rejection. And Lisa, who found out about the lobby liaison (and relationship ultimatum) between Nick and Karen.

Then there was Nola (shocked that Letitia set up her affair with Jeremy), Brian and Andrea (upset about her dire odds at beating cancer) and Tripp (who got misty-eyed remembering his wife’s unfaithful ways).

I think the only one who wasn’t injured in this installment was Simon, but boy, he sure enjoys being the one to inflict pain. (On the other hand, that punch from Nick had to sting a little.)

So let’s break it down, DSMers, shall we? And tell me: Who would you have put money on if the fight between Lisa and Karen hadn’t been stopped?

Read more of this entry »

Sigh. It’s really not looking good for ABC’s “Pushing Daisies” or “Dirty Sexy Money.”

The sophomore shows, plus legal drama “Eli Stone,” are still officially waiting for word on a full season pickup.

But unofficially, especially in the case of “Daisies,” Death is on the doorstep. And it doesn’t look like even Ned’s secret powers will be able to bring the quirky fantasy/detective series back to life.

The facts are these: “Daisies” wrapped its 13th – and possibly final – episode yesterday.

Which means that even if ABC kicked the show back into production today, there would still be a major gap between new installments. (You know, scripts have to be written, parts cast, sets built, etc.) Not exactly the most supportive scenario for a struggling show.

As for the rumors? Here are a few:

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Yikes, “DSM” watchers! Smoke is coming is still coming out of my ears from all the double-crossing going on in last night’s episode.

Let me see if I’ve got it all straight. Nola and Simon teamed up to get Letitia convicted for Dutch’s murder. Letitia and Jeremy set up Nola. Nola blackmailed Patrick. And is Nick playing Karen?

Whew. Between all the misbehavior and the wardrobe department’s obsession with fuschia and lavender, I need to catch my breath.

That was seriously a whip-smart, head-snapping installment, possibly the best “DSM” to date. The show got off to a great start with its premiere, but the following episodes lacked a bit of sparkle. The last few, however, shows that ABC would do well to give this sudsy soap a full season’s run. Lately, the show’s been living up to its title: It’s been dirty, sexy and a whole lot of fun.

So let’s break it down by double-dealing, shall we?

Starting with Nola, Nola, Nola.

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Nick’s parental abandonment issues were front and center in this episode, except this time the angst wasn’t about his late, emotionally distant dad, Dutch.

Instead, he confronted his mom, Claire, whom he hadn’t seen in more than 30 years.

See, Mommy George up and left the family when Nick was a kid, which meant he was prone to wandering the cavernous hallways of Darling Manor feeling unwanted and unloved. (Although he was apparently good friends with a briefcase on wheels.)

So imagine Nick’s surprise when Nola announced that the surprise witness in her case against Letitia—for Nick’s dad’s murder, no less—just happens to be Claire George.

She’s been living in a fancy France chateau all these years, courtesy of Letitia and a $350,000 annual “stipend.” Seems Claire was the last person Dutch called before he boarded the plane that would take him to his death.

Nick stormed over to France, determined to prove Letitia wrong when she said it was Claire’s choice to leave New York. Nick is convinced the affair between Letitia and Dutch drove her away.

But in some of the rawest scenes “DSM” has had so far, Nick learns that Letitia was right.

Claire’s reasons for abandoning her son—that she didn’t fit in with the Darlings and New York society—was pretty flimsy. And then she continued to pretend to her French hubby that Nick is some trust fund lawyer instead of her son, even after Nick shows them photos of her granddaughter? Cold.

Yet I’m still confused about why Nick is so convinced that Letitia is innocent.

That story Claire told him, about how Dutch phoned her the day he died, to say he was leaving Letitia and wanted to start over again with her? Seemed to give Letitia a motive for murder to me! And that vicious hissing of Letitia’s when she was discussing Dutch’s relationship with Claire showed she’s got some serious anger bottled up inside.

So has Nick just become so smitten with the Darlings again that he’s willing to believe anything? Especially now that he’s vice chair of Darling Enterprises? I can’t believe Nick would be that gullible, especially since it seems like SOMEONE murdered his dad, and if it’s not Letitia, it’s probably another Darling. And to those who say, maybe he’s staying on to find the real killer, the show hasn’t done a very good job of setting up that possibility.

Anyway, while Nick was having Mommy issues, Patrick and Brian were having Daddy issues.

Read more of this entry »

At the start of “DSM” last night, I remember thinking that the show was definitely breezier and brassier this season.

The show started out with a news segment about the Darlings’ latest troubles on a fictional entertainment program called “VIP Insider”—a pretty inspired way of recapping Letitia’s arrest and Ellen’s death for the viewer.

But that’s about all that was inspired. Because by the end of the hour, I was wondering if the show’s need to get dirtier and sexier has gone to its head.

“DSM” is a melodrama, of course, so I’m willing to give it a lot of leeway. But after seeing this episode’s tendency towards the ridiculous, it definitely needs to pull it back a few notches.

What am I talking about?

Let’s break it down starting with Jill Clayburgh’s near hysteria…

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Sure, that massive yacht was a hell of a birthday present for Nick George.

But it’s not nearly big enough to make up for all the agita that the Darling family puts him through, right?

“Dirty Sexy Money” roared back for its second season last night, as as I hinted a few weeks ago, it’s dirtier and sexier than ever. (Some of which can be attributed to Lucy Liu, who seems like a racy addition to the cast!)

So let’s dive in and hit all the high points, shall we? And of course, stop reading NOW if this episode is still wasting away on your TiVo…

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So fans of “Dirty Sexy Money” will be happy to hear that I got a sneak peek at the Oct. 1 premiere, and it looks like this show is finally trying to live up to its name.

Don’t read on if you want to remain spoiler-free, but the second season definitely looks sexy.

There’s a hot romp in a limo with new cast member Lucy Liu—not to mention a Darling who gets buck nekked.

And it’s certainly a wee bit dirty.

One very married character is caught in a compromising position … and another one dies.

That’s right, we’re definitely saying bye-bye to someone!  And it’s not Juliet Darling: That’s not how they’re getting rid of Samaire Armstrong, who won’t be returning as a series regular this season.

Plus, by the time the hour is up, someone will be arrested for Dutch’s murder. (Remember that little mystery? It’s the whole reason Nick got involved with The Family in the first place.) And boy, it certainly wasn’t who I thought it would be.

Sigh. It’s not easy being stinking rich, is it?

Can’t remember why you loved “DSM” so much? Refresh your memory when SOAPnet reruns the entire first season on Sept. 27, just in time for the premiere.

Set your TiVos, everyone!

(Photos courtesy of ABC) 

Despite the fact that so many of the shows we follow on this blog involve killing people and blowing things up, many of our favorite actors and actresses are vegetarians.

PETA is holding its annual Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity contest, and here’s the stars from Remote Access shows who are in the running (sorry if I missed anyone!) — and you can vote for one woman and one man, so you can choose your favorite two:

The women

Kristen Bell (Heroes)
Lisa Edelstein (House, M.D.)
Sheryl Lee (Dirty Sexy Money)
Hayden Panettiere (Heroes)
Elizabeth Reaser (Grey’s Anatomy)
Perry Reeves (Entourage)
Carrie Underwood (American Idol)

The men

Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes)
Ruben Studdard (American Idol)

Have you been keeping track of what Dan Rather’s been up to since leaving CBS News?

For the record, he’s been busy suing CBS and reporting for HDNet.

HD who, you say? I’m not surprised. I’m also guessing that’s why he’s got plenty of time to play himself on prime-time TV.

Michael Ausiello of TV Guide is reporting that Rather will return for another cameo on ABC’s “Dirty Sexy Money,” when the strike-shortened soap opera is back for its second season in the fall.

Last year, Rather played himself in a dinner party scene in the show’s pilot episode.

This time around, he’ll be interviewing Patrick Darling (Billy Baldwin) about a new book.

Could it be that the rising politician comes clean about his affair with Carmelita? (Hey, where is Carmelita anyway? Did you remember that she was missing?)

(Photos courtesy of ABC)

ABC unveiled its 2008-09 primetime schedule this morning, with few (okay, make that no) surprises.

In addition to hits like “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” the network brought back all of last year’s breakthrough—though not breakout—dramas, which had their freshman seasons cut short because of the writers’ strike.

They include: “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Eli Stone,” “Private Practice” and “Pushing Daisies.”

And as expected (or already announced), the network dumped “Women’s Murder Club,” “Men in Trees,” “October Road” and “Miss/Guided.”

ABC also announced one new drama, David E. Kelley’s “Life on Mars,” based on a British series about a modern-day police detective who is transported back to 1973 after a car crash.

The network also picked up a game show from producer Ashton Kutcher called “Opportunity Knocks,” which ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson called a cross between “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire.”

As for comedies,”According to Jim” will be back for its EIGHTH season. (Jim Belushi HAS to have naked photos of someone high up, right?) The worst kept secret in TV was announced, too: That “Scrubs” will move to ABC, now that NBC’s dropped it. Both of those sitcoms will be back mid-season.

Speaking of mid-season, other shows scheduled to air in early 2009 include: “Lost,” “The Bachelor,” “The Goode Family” (an animated series) and a untitled beauty pageant reality show produced Tyra Banks and (again!) Ashton Kutcher.

In other news, “Ugly Betty” is indeed moving production from L.A. to NYC.

And David E. Kelley is coming back to write most of what will be the final season of “Boston Legal.” (Thank goodness.)

So who made up the big winners and losers of the upfronts? Let’s see:

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Since ABC’s “Cashmere Mafia” (a.k.a the really terrible “Sex and the City” rip-off) has all but been cancelled, it looks like Lucy Liu’s in the market for another TV gig.

And E! is reporting that she’s in talks to join “Dirty Sexy Money” as a lawyer who faces off against Nick George (Peter Krause).

E! is also theorizing that she’ll be a romantic interest for Nick, too.

What is it with this guy? First Karen, now Lucy Liu?

Not to mention Nick’s married, though his wife was last seen toking up and smooching Jeremy Darling.

As for me, I think Lucy would be better paired with a far hotter “Dirty” star: Blair Underwood.

He’s involved with Karen at the moment, but since she’s double crossing him (we think), I’m guessing that won’t last long.

We’ll find out more this fall when “DSM” returns for its second season…

(Photos courtesy of ABC)

Samaire Armstrong hit the red carpet for a movie premiere this week and confirmed what TV Guide had already reported: Juliet Darling will no longer be in the “Dirty Sexy Money” house.

She agreed that it wasn’t exactly her idea to leave, though she didn’t give a reason why the producers decided to reduce her role.

She didn’t give a reason for her recent stint in rehab either, although she gave a pretty strong hint:

Surround yourself with good people who care about you and take a second to evaluate how you feel mentally, spiritually and health-wise when you’re not doing those bad things… To be able to exist without [those things]… to me, that is better than anything — better than success, better than being on drugs or being drunk. Just being happy inside…. I wouldn’t give that up for anything.

Armstrong was confident of two other things: She will appear in a few “DSM” episodes next season and Juliet WON’T be killed off.

Whew! Thank goodness.

That means “DSM” won’t have to pull a “Prison Break” when they need a ratings boost and have to bring a beloved character back – no matter how ridiculous the premise.

(Photo courtesy of ABC) 

More than a month ago, Rickey over at Riding With Rickey tagged yours truly with a meme. Revenge for a meme I’d tagged him with, I suppose.

Anywho, I kept meaning to hold up my end of the bargain, and I finally have. It’s the movie meme, and the idea is that I’m supposed to look up my 15 favorite movies on IMDB, choose quotes from them, list them here and make you figure out what movies they are.

Aha, but this is a TV blog, I hear you thinking! Never fear, I’ve got that all figured out. No worries, I didn’t choose a bunch of Lifetime women-as-victim movies. Rather, I started with actors from our favorite TV shows. Then, I found relatively well-known characters they played in movies, found quotes from them and posted them here.

So not only do you have to figure out what movie the line is from, but you also have to figure out which actor uttered it. To make things a weeeeeee bit easier, I’ll tell you the actors I selected, but they’re not in the same order as the quotes. I’ve alphabetized the actors, by last name:

Adam Baldwin (Chuck)
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)
Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles)
Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy)
Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Jim Krasinski (The Office)
Hugh Laurie (House)
Chi McBride (Pushing Daisies)
Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Galactica)
Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy)
Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica)
Donald Sutherland (Dirty Sexy Money)
Kiefer Sutherland (24)
Skeet Ulrich (Jericho)
Ray Wise (Reaper)

NO CHEATING. You may not look the quotes up on IMDB and then get all the answers correct. You must use your brain; you know, the part of your brain that stores all that useless movie trivia. You all have it; if you didn’t, you wouldn’t be reading a television blog now, would you?

After the break, the quote list:

Read more of this entry »

Wait, let me try that again.

Donald Sutherland almost played Kiefer Sutherland’s TV dad on 24, but had to turn down the part when he learned just how bad a father the writers wanted him to be, he told the BBC’s Newsbeat.

“We had a long dinner and he asked me to play his dad in 24,” he explained.

“I said OK but on one condition, the relationship has to be the same sort of relationship Sean Connery had with Harrison Ford (in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade).

“He said, ‘I’ll go back and see what the writers have in mind’. He came back and said, ‘No dad, they want you to try and kill me’. I said, ‘No way, that’s not going to work’. So they hired James Cromwell instead.”

He did offer to come in at the series’ end, though, and reveal that he’s Jack’s REAL father, that Phillip was merely Jack’s mother’s husband.

Donald Sutherland said he didn’t think they’d ever go for that, but did he watch last season? I mean, c’mon. That’s about all they didn’t do.

The good news he had for 24 fans was that Kiefer’s jail time made him determined to make the next two seasons “the best two years of television in the United States.”

It seems that Kiefer was in solitary 23 hours a day. Here, lemme let Dad tell us about it:

Jail was tough for him. He had 48 days inside, 23 hours a day in solitary. It was very, very cold. There were no windows. He had no community. I also made a deposit at the prison so he could call out. We were given 14 minutes for every call. When he would call, you weren’t prepared and when I got to speak to him I didn’t get to say everything I wanted to. I wrote to him every other day though.

I’ve gotta say, Kiefer showed some class in how he handled his sentence. He hasn’t gone all over the talk shows and talk about how he learned his lesson and will never drink again, he doesn’t bemoan his fate, he didn’t fight it, he doesn’t blame anyone else. He took his sentence, arranged to serve it to best accommodate those who worked with him (he not only spent Christmas in jail, but also his birthday, so it’s not like he chose a boring time of year to serve his time) and served it quietly.

Just makes me have that much more respect for him, so I’m going to believe that if he says the next two seasons are going to bring us the best television in the U.S., I’m going to believe him, dammit.

Donald Sutherland photo: Louis Lanzano/Associated Press; Kiefer Sutherland photo: Courtesy of Fox.

Boo!

Hiss!

One of my favorite Darlings won’t be seen too often when “Dirty Sexy Money” returns to ABC’s lineup in the fall.

TV Guide’s Michael Ausiello is reporting that actress Samaire Armstrong—who plays the fabulously ditzy twin, Juliet—has been downgraded from a series regular to a recurring guest star.

Ausiello says that the producers decided not to pick up Armstrong’s contract option, but would like her to stop by the show as her schedule permits.

No word on whether Samaire’s demotion had to do with the undisclosed issues that led her to enter a treatment facility last year (though she only missed a single episode last year).

The move also might have to do with trimming an already large ensemble cast. In other words: Cutting a salary would save some dolla-dolla bills, which is ironic when you’re talking about a show about billionaires.

And creatively, Juliet didn’t get a lot of play last year, and if they were ditching a Darling babe, it’s not like it was going to be Karen. (Perish the thought! I love that girl’s booze-soaked heart, too.)

Still, it seemed that the character of Juliet had a lot of potential. (Come on, don’t you want to know why the Paris wanna-be is still a virgin?)

Oh well. Perhaps she’ll skip off to the Seychelles with her island boyfriend, promising to return in time for Christmas and another Darling Nutcracker performance…

(Photo courtesy of ABC)

If the writers’ strike hadn’t happened, would “Pushing Daisies” have been cancelled?

Who knows, but when a new show is over budget, behind schedule and has okay ratings, that’s never a good thing.

So when ABC made a post-strike announcement to bring back “Daisies” in the fall—instead of for a handful of new episodes this spring, like established series “Desperate Housewives” and “Ugly Betty” —creator Bryan Fuller saw it as sort of a blessing.

Fuller tells Variety that the extra time gave him a chance to completely rethink the direction of the show, which was in danger of careening off course, and plan the production more carefully.

Read more of this entry »

Dear CBS,

I heard from a little bird that another fan movement was afoot to, once again, save Jericho, because it’s not clear at all that it might get a third season, based on relatively low Nielsen ratings.

So I figured I’d stick my two cents in. Don’t worry; I’ve been assured there’s no plan to send snakes (real or fake) to CBS hq. But don’t be surprised if you get more than a few letters and postcards with the following, 100 percent American, image:

Schumi’s post starts out:

Don’t trend on my love of Jericho. Don’t forget I’m here and I’m tuning in.

Count me…. and count on me!!!!!!!!!!!

Count on me to watch on tv sure.

But…..

Count on me more:
to watch online
to watch onDemand, and
to download your show from iTunes or Amazon
because that is where I’m watching my TV, like millions of others.

I’m a TV independent and I’m damn proud of it.

What she’s saying, simply (and eloquently, read her entire letter to CBS), is: People don’t watch television the same way anymore. We just don’t. And there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.

Read more of this entry »

ABC named nine of its series that will return for sure in the fall:
Brothers & Sisters
Desperate Housewives
Dirty Sexy Money
Grey’s Anatomy
Lost
Private Practice
Pushing Daisies
Samantha Who?
Ugly Betty

Here’s what I want to know:

Read more of this entry »

With the writers’ strike nearing an end—YAhoo!—it looks like many of our favorite shows will be back on the air by spring.

“The Office,” “30 Rock,” “Gossip Girl,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Desperate Housewives” and more will likely be able to churn out a handful of new episodes by April.

But others—mostly newbies like “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Pushing Daisies” and “Chuck”—  probably won’t be back until the fall.

Then there’s “24,” which won’t return until January 2009, returning to the show’s standard winter premiere strategy—but leaving fans without their Jack Bauer fix for nearly TWO years.

As for serialized dramas like “Heroes” and “Lost,” the decision is a bit more difficult.

Networks and producers are trying to figure out if it’s worth the trouble to produce just a few episodes for the rest of this season, leaving viewers hanging in the middle of convoluted storylines until September.

“Lost” exec producer Damon Lindelof seems to think the island drama can crank out more than the 8 episodes we’ve been promised this season—but then again, it’s all up to ABC as to when they’d air.

E!’s Kristin Dos Santos got the scoop from show runners for some of Remote Access’ faves, including all of the above mentioned shows.  Check it out here!

(Photos courtesy of ABC, FOX and NBC)