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Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Take two for Studio 60?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On the fake writer’s desk on the set of “Studio 60” sat a bottle of aspirin. Creator Aaron Sorkin, best known as the man behind “West Wing,” probably needed to a pop a few before facing off against more than 40 TV critics surrounding him as he went into “grasping at straws” mode for his struggling TV show.
He noted that it’s the show most likely to be TiVoed, but groused that advertisers don’t count the extra 10 percent who catch the show up to a week later. He bragged about the high-end nature of his viewers and the fact NBC has given the show a full-season run despite the fact it has averaged fewer than 8 million viweers since its fifth episode.
After a relatively long break for Christmas, “Studio 60” returns this Monday with seven straight original episodes, its last chance to give NBC a true reason to bring it back for a second season. Sorkin interestingly seems to care about what critics say and bristled that the Los Angeles Times has been particularly harsh. He is especially annoyed when journalists quote random bloggers online to prove their point. And the focus on ratings, he says, perpetuates the perception among readers that the show isn’t worth sampling.
Another common criticism is the bits of comedy sketches viewers have seen on the show aren’t particularly funny. Sorkin said he understood the criticism but says they never show full sketches and that they are usually works in progress anyway and aren’t necessarily going to be a laugh riot.
Matthew Perry, who plays “Studio 60” writer Matt on the show, said he understood the challenges of the genre, that life behind a sketch comedy show might be too niche for Middle America. He hopes that the show in its second half will focus more on relationships.
Off-topic, I did manage to ask Perry for a few seconds about Atlanta educator Ron Clark, the man Perry played on the hit TNT film last summer “The Ron Clark Story.” “I haven’t had a chance to talk to him but I’ve been thinking about him lately,” Perry said. He also seemed glad to hear that Clark’s academy in South Atlanta is set to open its doors later this year.
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Rebecca Romijn, Tim Gunn on Ugly Betty
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The morning after winning the Golden Globes for best comedy, the members of “Ugly Betty” hosted more than 50 TV critics on the set. The publicists fed us some tidbits: Rebecca Romijn (fresh off the failed WB show “Pepper Dennis”) will be joining the show this Thursday but she refused to divulge any details on her character. And Tim Gunn, the “Project Runway” fashion guru, will be making a special two-episode appearance February 1 and 8.
Gunn will play a Fashion TV correspondent.
Eric Mabius, who plays Daniel Meade on the show, said he hadn’t slept a wink. “It was sleep or going to Prince’s party,” he said. “Prince won out.” He said Prince likes “Ugly Betty” -thus, the invite.
The Mode set itself seems smaller than it does in real life but is still impressive. It’s actuallly a light gray palette, which shows up as whtie on the screen.
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Ex-Fayetteville resident goes Legal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former Fayetteville resident Gary Anthony Williams, best known as Stevie’s dad on “Malcolm in the Middle,” is sometimes mistaken for another Atlantan Kenan Thompson or Cedric the Entertainer. And he has done his fair share of sketch comedy both in Atlanta’s local troupe Laughing Matters and on Jeff Foxworthy’s WB show “Blue Collar TV.”
But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. He nabbed a regular role on ABC’s “Boston Legal” this season as a saucy, but not terribly attractive, transvestite thanks partly to his experience playing drag roles on “Blue Collar.” Originally, his Clarence/Clarice role was offered to Cedric, who wasn’t available, he said earlier this week at a party for ABC talent and TV critics.
In his first appearance on “Legal,” he played Clarence, a shy man who as a woman fights to get maternity leave. Williams figured it was a nice one-off appearance but a few weeks later, out of the blue, he was offered a regular role on the show, joining the firm as a legal secretary. “I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ ” he said.
He’s also the outspoken Uncle Ruckus on the Adult Swim cartoon “The Boondocks,” whose second season may come out later this year but creator Aaron McGruder isn’t rushing. “It will be worth the wait,” Williams promised. “Whoever Aaron has a problem with, he uses Uncle Ruckus as his outlet. I get to light into people!”
Finally, he’s joining Adult Swim’s first live-action show set to debut next month “Saul of the Mole Men.” “It looks like an old Sid and Marty Croft show, purposelly cheap looking of this guy who goes to the center of the earth,” Williams said. “I’m one of the guys on the surface of the earth communicating with him. Then we have to save him. It’s crazy!”
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