David Bowie; Atlantis SquarePantis
The No. 1 animated program with kids ages 2-11 and with multiple showings each month tallying 64.5 million viewers, SpongeBob Squarepants (check local listings, Nick) shows no sign of losing its appeal. It's no surprise, then, that Nickelodeon is devoting almost an entire day of programming to the yellow sea creature and all of his Bikini Bottom pals. It begins at 9 am/ET with the 2007 theatrical movie, followed by a Sponge-tastic 12-hour marathon of old episodes, and it culminates with the premiere of the hour-long mini-movie Atlantis SquarePantis (airing tonight at 8 pm/ET). "[It's] an adventurous quest kind of a story," says Tommy Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob, "about SpongeBob and his friends journeying and discovering the lost continent of Atlantis, which is ruled by a character voiced by
read more
The best thing that can be said for Andy’s new show, When the Whistle Blows, is that it has a catchy theme song. It inspires weirdos to approach him and the elite to write lurid songs about him. What do you get when you mingle the description of a crappy show with the word "sitcom"? Wish I could write it here. Darren Lamb, par for the course, tries to make Andy feel better and only depresses him more. The only good review of his show is from the paper that didn’t bother to write about it; it was that bad. Did you know that Ashley Jenson, who plays Maggie, also has a recurring role on the American sitcom Ugly Betty? But it’s her naïveté here that makes her the more charming. She’s Andy’s only real friend, but she has an innocence about her that makes her quite unaware how much she hurts him. It happens quite often, to much comic relief. The scene with the homeless guy is priceless for so many reasons. One) because the homeless guy keeps abreast of a...
read more
David Bowie will lend his voice to a character named Lord Royal Highness in an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants to air next year, the Associated Press reports. Noting that his 6-year-old daughter, Alexandria, is a huge SpongeBob fan, Bowie wrote in his online blog that he has "hit the Holy Grail of animation gigs," adding, "We, the family, are thrilled. Nothing else need happen this year. Well, this week, anyway."
read more
There’s no taking vacation from summer TV. Used to be everything went mostly dark between May and September. No longer. This off-season’s deluge of shows includes the usual glut of reality TV, much of it disposable — though some, like Bravo’s delicious Project Runway, are must-sees. Meanwhile cable networks deliver signature dramas and comedies nearly every night of the week. Even in normally sleepy late July, there are plenty of fresh and compelling choices. Here’s a sampler of the new series and specials, rated by whether they’re worth coming inside for.
Work Out Tuesdays, 9 pm/ET, BravoReason to stay in: To see how the rich and famous get in shape, as cameras follow the buff trainers at an exclusive Beverly Hills penthouse gym.Worth watching? I’ve met barbells with more personality. Too little sweat, too much attitude fr
read more
Question: I'm delighted to see that BBC America will be showing Life on Mars later this month, but I heard that ABC wanted a U.S. remake. I know most U.S. versions of scripted U.K. shows haven't been too successful recently (The Office is the only nonreality show I can think of that has), but given the differences in policing in the U.K. and the U.S. in the '70s, I think this one could stand a chance of being different but good in its own right, rather than a pale imitation. What do you think? Have you heard anything more about the U.S. version?
Answer: All I know is what the trades originally reported, that David E. Kelley was interested in developing this provocative premise for American TV. Backing up for those unfamiliar with the show, which premieres on BBC America July 24: Despite the title, Mars isn't a sci-fi show, though it does have a heavy fantasy element. It's about a detective who is hit by a car and wakes up back in 1973, where he's still a cop, but now operating in a
...
read more
Former Walt Disney Co. chief Michael Eisner will host Conversations with Michael Eisner, an hourlong interview program for CNBC, the network announced on Tuesday.... David Bowie, blues pioneer Robert Johnson and the late Richard Pryor will be honored with lifetime achievement awards at next month's Grammys.... FX has ponied up big bucks for the cable-TV rights to Superman Returns, six months before the film even hits theaters.... NBC's hot new game show, Deal or No Deal, is looking for contestants in Universal City (today), San Francisco (Jan. 14) and Philadelphia (Jan. 19). For places and times, visit NBC.com.
read more
Jessica Simpson is in talks to star opposite Dane Cook in Employee of the Month, a comedy in which the Dukes of Hazzard short-shorts model would play a discount-store cashier who makes the men act like, well, men.... Rock star David Bowie may join Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale and Michael Caine in Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan's adaptation of The Prestige, a novel about rival magicians working in early-20th-century London.
read more
