Feel that change of seasons? Hard not to notice on this Monday night, as two of cable's best summer series- TNT's popular signature drama The Closer and Showtime's quirky classic Weeds- sign off with life-or-death cliffhangers, a week before the official network season gets underway. ( The Closer's story will pick up again in the new year, with five episodes remaining in this split season.)
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Do we hear wedding bells for The Closer's Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick)and Fritz (Jon Tenney) this season? Indeed we do, executive producer James Duff tells TV Guide exclusively. "I will tell you that the first episode of this winter begins with Brenda trying on several wedding dresses," says Duff. "A date is set, but will that date be met? That's the question that we're asking."Although no one knows for certain whether Brenda will make the trip down the aisle, I'd say it’s looking pretty good, especially after Duff shared his thoughts on TV marriages. "Conventional wisdom has it that romance is over once you marry, on television. But I'm not a big fan of conventional wisdom so I can't really tell you exactly how it will happen or if, but this looks like a good relationship to me."Does it feel like a good relationship to you? Should Fritz and Brenda tie the knot? — Carita RizzoUse our Online Video Guide to see some of The Closer.More on The Closer:• Season premiere recap!&b...
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The Closer's Jon Tenney has joined the remake of 1987's The Stepfather. Tenney will play a dad trying to reconnect with his teen son (Gossip Girl's Penn Badgley) after a divorce. Oh, and Hidden Palms' dewy Amber Heard is now playing Badg's GF, a role previously eyed by FNL's Adrienne Palicki.... Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood) will star in and exec-produce Gigantic, an offbeat comedy about a mattress salesman and a woman he meets in his store. Zooey Deschanel will also star.... DreamWorks Animation has pushed the release of the 3-D How to Train Your Dragon to March 26, 2010, after realizing the original November '09 date was overcrowded with other 3-D flicks: A Christmas Carol (starring Jim Carrey) and James Cameron's Avatar. — Adam Bryant
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This week’s crackling finale of TNT's The Closer was a splendid reminder of why Kyra Sedgwick is so deserving of the best-actress Emmy this year (yes, she'll be getting it for last season, but the character was just as strong a year ago). Being on basic cable, it's possible she'll once again by upstaged in what is one of the more crowded categories — her five other nominees include Sally Field (my second pick), Minnie Driver and past winners (in order of preference) Edie Falco, Mariska Hargitay and Patricia Arquette. But if for whatever reason she fails to score, this season's finale once again puts her at the top of my list for next year's competition.It was a great two-parter, with Brenda really on the ropes both professionally and personally. First, her case is in tatters after she fails to get a confession from her suspect. Then, midway through the high-profile trial, the defendant’s alibi turns up out of nowhere with rock-solid video evidence that he couldn’...
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"We're trying to make it so you never know what kind of show you're tuning in to," says The Closer creator (and TVGuide.com celebrity blogger) James Duff. And his formula — unexpected moments of comedy, plucked heartstrings and a dash of gore — is working: The Closer is the top-rated basic-cable series ever.
For the two-part, two-night finale, the police procedural heads to the courtroom after a high-profile divorce attorney is found dead in his swimming pool and the crime-solving methods of LAPD deputy chief Brenda Johnson (Emmy-nominated Kyra Sedgwick) are called into question. Keep an eye out for real-life law-and-order pundits
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