Murphy Brown
Four years after trying to revive Murphy Brown as a platform to chime in on the heated 2008 Clinton/Obama/McCain presidential campaign, the sitcom's creator, Diane English, is again talking to CBS and Warner Bros. about a series of political-commentary specials with Candice Bergen back in character as the tough-talking TV journalist.
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Sue Mengers
Sue Mengers, one of the most influential Hollywood agents during the 1960s, '70s and '80s, died following several small strokes, Vanity Fair reports. She claimed to be 78 years old, but some sources said she was 81.
According to Vanity Fair Editor Graydon Carter, Mengers died Saturday at her Beverly Hills home surrounded by close friends, Ali MacGraw, Joanna Poitier (wife of Sidney) and Boaty Boatwright.
Remember other celebrities we lost this year
Mengers was born in Germany and...
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Mary Tyler Moore
The more things change, the more they sound the same. And so it was as American Idol returned this week — with shiny new judges, a flashy new opening, but the formula pretty much intact from before. (Delusional tone-deaf losers? Check. Precocious talents? Check. Inspirational sob stories? Name that tune, repeatedly.) One essential ingredient is, of course, missing: the curmudgeonly and biting snark, but also the tang of weary boredom, that was the hallmark of Simon Cowell. In his place, two charismatic supernovas who represent flip sides of the Paula coin: the ditsy loose cannon (an electrifying Steven Tyler) who blurts things like "I think you got the what-is-it-ness" when he's not leering at a parade of nubile Disney Channel refugees or drumming along to the groove of the better talents; and the beatific cheerleader (a luminous Jennifer Lopez) who's quick with the goosebumps and moist eyes and hates to say no. "I'm not in the business of crushing spirits," says J-Lo, who goes on to protest too much: "This is awful. I hate this! Why did I sign up for this?"
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American Idol
Our top moments this week:
11. Worst Undercover Job: On Undercover Boss, Sheldon Yellen, CEO of disaster recovery company Belfor, does some immediate disaster recovery himself after hearing lowly employee ...
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Being Human
Does no one have an original idea in TV land anymore? Judging from tonight's latest batch of mid-season offerings, it hardly appears so. Programmers have either gone to England for inspiration, rarely improving on the source material, or back to the drawing board of tried-and-true formats like the courtroom drama, resulting in an unhappy epidemic of deja view viewing.
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The best of tonight's premieres is Syfy's remake of Being Human (9/8c), and even it is a pale imitation of the provocative British original. Given the relatively limited reach of BBC America...
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House
When Dr. House meets Arlene Cuddy (Candice Bergen) on House's January 17 episode, he thinks he's treating just another hypochondriac — unaware that his patient is the mother of his girlfriend, Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein).
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Candice Bergen
Murphy Brown's headed to Princeton-Plainsboro.
Candice Bergen will guest-star on the upcoming season of House — but not as one of the "patients of the week." Instead, Bergen will play ...
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Christina Applegate by Bob D'Amico/ABC
Christina Applegate will present at the Emmy Awards next weekend, ABC has announced.The actress, who underwent a double mastectomy last month to treat breast cancer and is now cancer-free, will hope to grace the NOKIA Theatre stage twice that night. Applegate is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her ABC sitcom Samantha Who?.Other big-namers tapped to present are five-time Emmy champion Candice Bergen, David Boreanaz, Wayne Brady, Jimmy Kimmel, Kiefer Sutherland and Hills star/author/Emmy gown designer Lauren Conrad.The 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards airs Sept. 21 at 8 pm/ET. — Joyce EngUse our Online Video Guide to watch interviews with Applegate.Related:• Oprah Slated to Appear on Emmys• Kathy Griffin Goes from D-Lister to Emmy Presenter• 2008 Emmy Nominations• Housewives, Baby Mamas to Present at Emmys• More Stars Added to Emmy Presenters List
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Question: According to the SAG Awards, Boston Legal is a comedy. James Spader, William Shatner, Candice Bergen and the show itself all received nominations in the comedy category. The show is hilarious at times, don't get me wrong. But after all these episodes and all those Emmy/Golden Globe wins in the drama category, I never knew it was a comedy series. What gives?
Answer: Excellent question, and it comes with an interesting answer. David E. Kelley's company submitted Boston Legal to the SAG Awards as a comedy, feeling that the show has evolved this year into a hybrid that's more comedic than dramatic, regardless of the drama awards the show has reaped previously at the Emmys and at the Globes (which ignored the show this year). Last time I checked, Kelley's camp hadn't yet decided how to enter the show when the time comes for Emmy consideration. The debate goes like this: Given the past wins in the drama category, why fix what isn't broken? But given that the show itself isn't likely
...
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Boston Legal bested the rest of the TV pack with four SAG nominations in the Comedy category — William Shatner, James Spader and Candice Bergen included — while Grey's Anatomy was a close second with three Drama contenders, including lead nods for Patrick Dempsey and Sandra Oh. In the Drama Series Ensemble contest, it's The Closer versus Grey's, Lost, Six Feet Under and The West Wing, while the Comedy Ensemble category pits Arrested Development against Boston, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Desperate Housewives, Everybody Loves Raymond and (catch breath) newbie My Name Is Earl. Lastly, a catfight alert: Felicity Huffman is Housewives' lone individual acting nominee. Someone tie down the blenders.
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