Robert Loggia
Robert Loggia has joined the cast of TNT's new dramedy Men of a Certain Age, TVGuide.com has learned exclusively.
The Oscar- and Emmy-nominated actor will guest-star in a January episode as Artie, the father of Ray Romano's Joe. When Artie retires from running his hardware store, he spends all his time at home alone recovering from angioplasty. Joe takes it upon himself to bring back his dad's former spark.
Loggia, 79, made his big-screen debut in the 1957 Paul Newman boxing film Somebody Up There Likes Me and earned an Oscar nod for his work as Glenn Close's foul-mouthed investigator in the legal thriller Jagged Edge. Loggia also earned Emmy nominations for his work on Malcolm in the Middle and Mancuso, F.B.I. Loggia's other credits include ...
read more
Steven Spielberg, Ray Romano and Charles S. Dutton
Leverage and Raising the Bar return to TNT this summer for their sophomore seasons, while three new shows make their debut.
The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick, and Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter, are also among the cabler's returning original series.
As for new fare, TNT is rolling out this summer HawthoRNe, a medical drama fronted by Jada Pinkett Smith; Dark Blue, a police drama led by Dylan McDermott (The Practice); and Wedding Day, a reality series from Mark Burnett.
The cabler's development slate for the 2009-10 season and beyond, meawhile, is both out-of-this-world and down-to-earth.
The dramedy Men of a Certain Age — starring Ray Romano (also a creator on the series), Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula — has been greenlit and tabbed for ...
read more
Ray Romano
Ray Romano's return to TV is official.
After greenlighting new series from Jerry Bruckheimer and Jada Pinkett Smith last week, TNT is giving the go-ahead to Romano's character dramedy Men of a Certain Age, according to Variety.
The series, starring Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula ...
read more
George Clooney by Jim Spellman/WireImage.com
TNT on Wednesday held its upfronts presentation, unveiling a slate loaded with drama... and including the occasional Elvis impersonator.Having previously greenlit the series Raising the Bar (from Steven Bochco and starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Leverage (fronted by Timothy Hutton) and Truth in Advertising (Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh), and the pilot Men of a Certain Age (returning Ray Romano to TV), the cabler has a development slate that includes:• Delta Blues, exec-produced by George Clooney and revolving around a Memphis cop/Elvis impersonator who lives with his momma. (What is Kurt Russell up to...?)• Morse Code, tentatively starring Donnie Wahlberg as a war hero/DEA agent working his hometown of Bah-ston. I will go out on a limb and predict his last name is... Code.• Angel City, a "six cops/three cars" drama in the vein of Adam 12 and Hill Street Blues.• A fast-paced and gritty drama from 24's Joel Surnow and centered on a BATF agent.• A quirky, Lit...
read more
Ray Romano by Robert Mora/WireImage.com
Three years after the end of Everybody Loves Raymond, Ray Romano could be back on TV soon. The comedian is starring in Men of a Certain Age, a TNT pilot that he created with Raymond writer-producer Mike Royce, Variety says. In a bold development route, TNT is diving into the pilot straight from the script. Men will center on three fortysomethings in mid-life crises, offering what's described as a Sideways-ish tone as well as a dash of thirtysomething. At a recent movie premiere, Romano hinted at his new gig, and described his philosophy for the series as "write what you know, and write what you cry about."What's your take? Is this new concept a combo you'd want to see picked up, or a rehash of subjects well-trodden? Or, with Romano at the helm, does it even matter what it's about? — Anna DimondRelated:• Will Ray Romano Deal Us a New TV Series?
read more
Ray Romano at "The Grand" premiere by Mark Sullivan/WireImage.com
Some of television's most familiar faces were on hand in Hollywood Wednesday to promote their new poker-themed movie, The Grand. The heavily improvised film profiles six poker players who reach the world famous Grand Championship of Poker.Cheryl Hines, currently on break from Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Ray Romano play a married couple in the flick and had a very unusual way of preparing for their roles. "Well, we lived together for eight weeks before we started shooting," Hines said, jokingly. As for Curb coming back to television, Hines seemed positive. "Let's just say it's a good possibility," she said.Romano may also be coming back with his own TNT sitcom. Though he couldn't give many details, the show is "about men in mid-life. It's, 'Write what you know, and write what you cry about.' That's my philosophy," Romano said.Television funnywoman Estelle Harris, known mainly for her role as George's mom on Seinfeld, got to share some screen time with her former television son Jason Al...
read more
Katherine Heigl and Kevin Dillon by John Shearer/WireImage.com
And some people worried that getting Ryan Seacrest to host this year’s Emmy telecast was going to be the producers’ worst idea. That’s before we got a look at the set, an unwieldy and unappealing theater-in-the-round setup that looked more suitable for the new American Gladiators revival than for an awards show. The nominees, half of whom saw only the backs of the various presenters and performers, had a deer-in-the-headlights look every time Seacrest approached them or the cameras awkwardly cut to them. They appeared to be sitting in penalty boxes, not deluxe auditorium seats.Honestly, though, we poor schnooks at home were the ones suffering the penalty here: as in, confronted with one of the worst Emmy telecasts I can remember. As Emmy years go, I’m actually at peace with the majority of the winners, given who was and wasn’t nominated (and we’ve been over that frustrating ground plenty of times since the July nominations). Learning who won was a lot m...
read more
7:55: OK, I've got a bottle of bubbly on ice, so I can chug... I mean, make a heartfelt toast every time Ugly Betty and/or The Office win, and I've got three pairs of ratty sneakers to throw at the TV every time they don't. So I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be to ringlead my first-ever live Emmy blog. Hey, I just realized that makes me a virgin! Be gentle with me, will ya, folks?7:58: Yikes. Just read the preshow red-carpet coverage. Funny stuff. Now I'm nervous.8:00: A song and dance from Family Guy's Brian and Stewie Griffin. Never got that show. Must be "thrilling" in the auditorium. Yep, look at Jeremy Piven. He's bored already.8:01: Charlie Sheen and the tubby kid from Two and a Half Men liked being name-checked in the song. Some people are so easy to please.8:02: T.R. Knight looks irritated by a lyric about Isaiah Washington replacing Kramer on Seinfeld. 8:03: OK, that's over. Things are looking up. Oh, I spoke too soon. It's Ryan Seacrest. Please no jokes. 8:04: OK, maybe ...
read more
Somewhere in the television universe George Costanza is still yelping about how he always wanted to be an architect. Well, Art Vandelay, meet Oswald Montecristo. For me to equate anything with Seinfeld should be taken as a sign of the highest respect. And no, Mr. Montecristo, I am not just kissing your butt.How amazing was that video? Just the fact that they used “Mr. Roboto” to seem cutting edge was evidence of how far off the mark they were, and the “Directed by Peter Jackson” at the end was the icing on the cake. How much you want to bet Louis added that part in? He strikes me as the only one of that bunch who would have seen Lord of the Rings.Oh, Louis “I am their bitch! They are physically superior to me!” Plunk, what a sad, sad intern you are. If you hate dogs (hi, Dad!) that scene was your worst nightmare. If you love dogs, that scene was possibly the greatest thing since Best in Show. Of course, Louis received two conflicting pieces of advice: ...
read more
History is being made in the Ausiello Report this morning, folks. For the first time ever, I'm going to write a sentence that contains the words "'Til" and "Death" in it. But I think it's warranted since, well, it's a big ol' piece of prattle. A tipster with close ties to the Fox sitcom tells me that Brad Garrett has persuaded his former TV bro Ray Romano to make a guest appearance in an upcoming episode (airdate TBD). This would mark the duo's first on-screen reunion since Everybody Loves Raymond signed off in May '05. Garrett's no doubt hoping this bit of stunt casting will bring Death to life in the ratings, where it's been struggling pretty much since day one. The show is also expected to get a boost when it moves to Wednesdays after the American Idol results show beginning Feb. 27. Thoughts? Will a Romano cameo get you to watch 'Til Death? Do you think less of me for giving the show more press?
read more
