mickey.oconnor

Crusoe's Philip Winchester Previews NBC's New Island Adventure

Philip Winchester, who plays the title character on NBC's Crusoe (Friday, Oct. 17, 8 pm/ET), does a great American accent. That's because he's American — raised in Montana, in fact. But after hearing the British accent he sports to play the shipwrecked adventurer and checking out his plummy resume (including a stint with London's Royal Shakespeare Company), you wouldn't be at fault for thinking otherwise. Winchester regales us with tales of shooting the 13-episode action-fantasy series in South Africa, including the unwelcome arrival of a very big rainstorm, the prickly perils of the jungle and what the heck MacGyver's got to do with any of it.

Fri, Oct 17, 2008

Crusoe's Philip Winchester Previews NBC's New Island Adventure

Christian Slater Becomes His Own Worst Enemy

In My Own Worst Enemy (premieres Monday, Oct. 13, 10 pm/ET, NBC), Christian Slater plays two roles: Henry Spivey, a mild-mannered, suburban dad who travels a lot for work and wishes he had more time for his family, and Edward Albright, a dashing international operative who works for a top-secret intelligence agency. The catch: They share a body, and are unaware of the other's existence, initially anyway. In the pilot episode, titled "Breakdown," a malfunctioning computer chip inside Henry/Edward's head starts to "flip the switch" at inopportune moments, giving the two men unwelcome glimpses into the lives of their very different alter egos. Slater tells us why he decided to do a TV show, the difference between playing the two characters, and why people shouldn't worry about this show's resemblance to Joss Whedon's Dollhouse...

Mon, Oct 13, 2008

Christian Slater Becomes His Own Worst Enemy

Will Life on Mars Arrest American Audiences?

In Life on Mars (Thursday, Oct. 9, 10 pm/ET), ABC's remake of a BBC series, present-day NYPD officer Sam Tyler (Irish actor Jason O'Mara) gets hit by a car during a particular high-stakes case and wakes up in 1973. Just like that. His journey back to 2008 is hampered by a precinct full of rogue cops, including Harvey Keitel and The Sopranos' Michael Imperioli, and a capable though before-her-time policewoman Annie Norris (Gretchen Mol), who becomes Sam's closest ally. Plus, there's the tricky fact that nobody quite believes him. It's a nutty premise, but Hollywood has shown us that 1970s New York cop stories are rich with dramatic possibility. We talked to O'Mara and executive producer Josh Appelbaum — read on to see why they relocated the show from Manchester, England, how O'Mara mastered the local accent, and, well, what the heck this show is really about.

Thu, Oct 9, 2008

Will Life on Mars Arrest American Audiences?

The Women of SNL Bring the Funny

In their oral history of Saturday Night Live, Live from New York, Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller revealed an unfortunate legacy of sexism. Many of the show's female writers and cast members, chief among them Nora Dunn, told of difficulty in getting skits on the air and of generally being taken seriously by their male counterparts. That was then… and now six prominent alumnae will back on the tube this fall in five successful returning shows and one promising newcomer. (Also, a series of six special all-politics Thursday episodes of SNL begin October 9 at 9:30 pm/ET on NBC.) In the meantime, let's check in with these smart, talented women. After the jump, see who made our list of today's most successful female Saturday Night Live veterans...

Thu, Oct 9, 2008

Pushing Daisies' Lee Pace on Pieman Ned's Gentle Touch

"Poor Ned!" says Lee Pace, of the romantic piemaker he plays on ABC's fantastical Pushing Daisies (Wednesdays, 8 pm/ET, ABC). You think you have problems with your love life? Ned's current romantic entanglement is a doozy, boasting a very unusual obstacle. Because of his special gift (he can bring things back to life with just a touch, but if he touches them again, they die forever), his one true love, played by Anna Friel, is one big hands-off zone, due to having once been deceased. Can you imagine? Pace tells us how Season 2 will examine Ned's sexual frustration, his dysfunctional families— both literal and figurative— and Chuck's biggest secret of all.

Wed, Oct 8, 2008

Pushing Daisies' Lee Pace on Pieman Ned's Gentle Touch

Top 10 Shocking Scandals: From Anna Nicole to Heath - How Readers Reacted

It has been a busy week. Britney Spears was released from a psychiatric hospital. We finally got some answers from Heath Ledger's toxicology report. And today, Feb. 8, as it happens, is the anniversary of Anna Nicole Smith's death. Throughout this tumultuous year, our users’ opinions have often been as provocative as the news itself, so now we’re turning the spotlight on them. Here’s our list of some of the best user comments from the most shocking scandals of the last 12 months: 1. Anna Nicole Smith dies. (Feb. 8, 2007)"Anna Nicole certainly chose some very difficult paths in her life. I respe

Fri, Feb 8, 2008

Top 10 Shocking Scandals: From Anna Nicole to Heath - How Readers Reacted