Reel to Real

Re: Monk in Milwaukee

leanne — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:40:48 GMT

tony i love ur show i could watch reruns of you over and over and over again. you're just so hilarious even my two year old nephew loves you he wakes up in the morning singing it's a jungle out there

Re: High School Musical's Monique Coleman on her "Senior Year"

Chloe — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 06:59:17 GMT

Your so cool you rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Howard, Winkler, Griffith Hope Obama Brings Back ‘Happy Days’

The Fonz — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:22:46 GMT

As much as I enjoyed watching these shows was I was younger and I continued to watch on TVLand I think it strange that they think Barack Obama will bring them back. Times are changing and the older shows are being phased out. It's just the way it is.

Message Edited by TVLTheLink on 06-06-2009 07:00 PM

Re: Monk in Milwaukee

wilson dalton — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:58:14 GMT

i suscribed to an expensive two year contract ith a satillite compny, our cable companies changed all our channels and this is the only way i get to see my favorite show "monk" and it is very upsetting to hear that his 8th season will be his last. i've enjoyed popping some popcorn and sitting in front of the t.v. for each and every episode. and this show has it all, a brillant cast and excellent writers and great producers. tony please don't leave us we love you and your acting dearly, you will be dearly and greatly missed. i pray to the lord above that this spectacular show will continue to air with new episodes for many years to come. i've being watching you tony since the series "wings". and you have made me laugh for so many years and i plead you to continue from a very true and sincere fan ... wilson

Re: Monk in Milwaukee

aj — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:24:42 GMT

I'm going to miss Monk so much...it boggles my mind that they would end with only eight seasons - anyone who watches Monk knows he would require at least an even 10!!! :)

Re: Monk in Milwaukee

blanche rockhill — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 15:53:35 GMT

i am very unhappy to think we are going to lose the monk i watch all of the monk's shows can't wait

for the eighth season i love going on the computer and watch reruns and on t.v. i love your shows

i hope you will not make this your last season i don't watch much t.v. but the monk is the best i am

63 years old please do not leave us keep the monk going on we can never get enought of the monk

love to you tony keep the monk shows going

blanche

Re: Monk in Milwaukee

BOBBIE — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:24:58 GMT

I TOTALY AGREE WITH THE LAST GUY WE DONT WANT TO LOSE MONK. THANK GOD FOR

THE DVDS I HAVE . I CAN WATCH ALL THE EPISODES OVER AND OVER. IAM ASHAMED TO SAY

WHEN MONK FIRST AIRED I MISSED THE FIRST 4 MONTHS. THEN ONE NIGHT I DECIDED TO WATCH

AND I HAVE BEEN HOOCKED EVER SINCE. EVERY FRIDAY I HAVE TO GET MY MONK ( monk fix ).

we love you Tony .....please dont leave us..............

BOBBIE

Re: Monk in Milwaukee

LuAnn — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:45:22 GMT

Don't make this eighth season your last. We need your comedy now in this world. Thank you for all the

enjoyable l hour sessions on Friday nights. It has been great for me and our family. Take time off, enjoy

your life but continue with your great work. This is a character that could go on for a long time. Great

Writing and production. There are not to many shows to even compare with your excellence.

Thank you

Boy Toys

Tom_Johnson — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:12:06 GMT

Recently I drove out to Sideshow Collectibles in Westlake Village, CA, and toured their corporate headquarters which displayed – on just about every flat surface – licensed, limited edition toys, busts, prop reproductions, maquettes and miniatures from such film and television properties as Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Hogan's Heroes, The Terminator, Angel, Jurassic Park – the list is endless. Most are high-end toys that the company produces for discriminating collectors and they range in price from a few bucks to several thousand dollars (ex: a "Gandalf the Grey" bronze figure from The Lord of the Rings).

"Movies toys aren't the kind of thing you hide anymore; instead, you display them proudly," Brant Bridges, Sideshow's Operation Manager told me as I viewed a Buffy figurine (stake in hand) from the company's popular line of Buffy the Vampire Slayer collectibles.

"Funny thing about that doll," Bridges said. "We had protracted talks with Sarah Michelle Gellar about the doll's nose. She wanted a different one – in effect, a nose job on the figure. But that wouldn't have been accurate to the TV character she played, so we didn't do it."

Bridges told me that quite a few stars and directors are fans of Sideshow including Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) and Guillermo Del Toro (Mimic, Hellboy). "Guillermo is ecstatic about our toys," Bridges said. "He even took some of our Hellboy product home to role-play with them."

What most collectors don't know is that the current apogee of movie and television-related collectibles represented by companies like Sideshow began slowly and inauspiciously (and mainly in Germany) nearly 100 years ago. It was then that silent screen stars like Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton, and later Laurel and Hardy, began to be hammered, pressed and lithographed into mechanical tin toys.

Who'd have thought that this toy company offshoot would, in time, become big business and rate a huge standalone niche? In the ultimate case of one-upmanship, some movies provide the marketing platform for the toy product … and not the other way around! (Think Lucasfilm and its plethora of Star Wars character collectibles).

Boys and their toys, indeed!

Monk in Milwaukee

Dave_Fantle — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:30:30 GMT

It looked like a Hollywood opening, but it took place in a much more unlikely place, the Milwaukee suburb of St. Francis. With more then 500 people in attendance, guest of honor Tony Shalhoub cut the ribbon on Jan. 8 for the new RDI stages, a 27,000 square foot facility hoping to attract greater film and television production work to the area.

The opening comes at a time when Wisconsin just completed year-one of its tax incentive program and enjoyed the biggest financial year on record for film, television and video gaming work. The year was kicked-off with the Johnny Depp film Public Enemies, but also included several smaller independent films.

In attending the opening, the multiple Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning star of Monk announced that he would be coming to Door County, Wis. in February to shoot a new feature film, Feed the Fish.

It probably comes as a surprise to most people that Shalhoub is a “Cheesehead” who grew up in Green Bay.

At the studio opening, Shalhoub was besieged by fans who wanted him to pose for pictures with their children, sign their Monk bobbleheads and other memorabilia.

Shalhoub described the upcoming film as “an homage to Wisconsin, especially to rural Wisconsin." It will be the first time he has filmed in his home state, but with the new tax incentives, he said he’d like to return more often for work reasons. He comes home several times a year to see family.

Now in its seventh season, Shalhoub says when he goes in front of the cameras again in March for the eighth season, it will probably be his last.

His visit to Milwaukee was brief as he had to grab the next flight back to L.A. to attend the Golden Globes. What are your favorite episodes of Monk? Did you watch the Golden Globes?

Message Edited by MediaDweeb on 01-12-2009 10:00 PM

Re: Mary Ann vs. Ginger … Who's Hotter?

Masamba — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:57:45 GMT

No way. Dawn Wells was way hotter.

Re: A Couple of Good 'Ol Boys

EdmondFamily — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:49:11 GMT

This is my favorite video of 2008!

"True Blood's" Graham Shiels on Vamps, Fangbangers and being the "Scary Boyfriend" in Jim Carrey's New Movie …

Tom_Johnson — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:54:49 GMT

Vancouver transplant Graham Shiels has made a cottage industry out of leaving some nasty hickeys that only an industrial-strength base could hope to cover up. As an outlaw vampire who refused to cleave to the delicate détente established between the undead and humans on the hit TV series "True Blood," Shiels caused quite a bit of menace before he was finally dispatched.

When we talked, the rangy actor said that kind of mayhem is only prelude; he's just getting started.

TJ: Tell me about your four-episode arc as bloodsucking baddie, "Liam," on "True Blood."

GS: I was a vampire who was definitely not into "mainstreaming" (nomenclature on the show for trying to fit into society by living with humans and not feeding on them). Liam and his cohorts ("Malcolm" and "Diane" had absolutely no desire to live by the rules. We were happy killing random people; having sex with men and women alike. It was all about the bloodlust when we home-invaded the old Antebellum mansion where Bill lived. Malcolm was the brains, I was the brawn and Diane was a very fatal femme fatale.
I got a few people in trouble before I got "offed."

TJ: How do you prep for a role as a vampire on puncture patrol … I mean, c'mon, that's pretty off the beam!

GS: I met Alan Ball ("True Blood's" creator) and came in with my choices. He gave me his direction for the role. They called and said they wanted to see me again and gave me new direction over the phone to prepare. And then I went in again and got direction 180-degrees different in tone. By the time I was cast and got to the set, it wasn't a question of the last directional cue as being the right way. I think all of them were the right way. It was just a chance to go with my instincts. It's stressful for an actor to get so much different direction, but to Alan's credit, it also freed me up. It all comes down to playing a guy that doesn't judge himself and has no qualms about killing people.

TJ: Why do you think "True Blood" has become such a hit, spawning a cult of fans called fangbangers?

GS: It's all about Alan Ball and the tenor of the show. For example, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was tongue-in-cheek but "True Blood" isn't. However, in that seriousness, some humor is kind of embedded. That's just my opinion. Hey, the series is just … different. You don't see a lot of shows with vampires struggling to fit in. Vamps are usually content to kill and scare people while speaking in Transylvanian accents.

TJ: Along that same line, how did a graduate from the Yale School of Drama come to be cast as "The Scary Boyfriend" in Jim Carrey's new comedy, "Yes Man"?

GS: I'm 6 ft. 2 in., 195 lbs. which, for an average guy, is pretty big. But when there's a casting call for a large, intimidating character, usually I'm up against beefy ex-pro wrestlers from the WWF. So, I was in this waiting room with all these guys who were just enormous – the kinds of guys you'd never want to meet in a dark alley. There was one who was so tall he had to duck through the doorway when he entered the room. I was beginning to get psyched out when I remembered on the casting sheet they didn't call him "Large Boyfriend" or "Muscular Boyfriend," they called him "Scary Boyfriend." And that's when I realized size doesn't matter. They just wanted a guy that was freakin' nuts! And hey, that I can do!

Look for Shiels in the season finale of "Nip/Tuck" as a guy who this time just thinks he's a vampire (typecasting anyone?). And he'll play more cannon fodder (fangless this time) in an upcoming episode of "Burn Notice" (Upon first meeting him, series star Bruce Campbell called Shiels the "chump of the week".)

"It must be my eyes or teeth or something, why I'm getting all these vamp roles," Shiels says. Whatever the reason, he's ready to ride that bloody wave for as long as it lasts.

Message Edited by TVLTheLink on 12-19-2008 04:21 AM

Heaven's Brighter With These Stars

Dave_Fantle — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:53:07 GMT

This was no easy exercise – select my top 10 entertainment personalities that passed away this past year based on their impact to the film and television world. No doubt readers of this blog may agree to disagree with some of my choices, so I welcome your thoughts.

Perhaps the biggest debate in my mind was the inclusion of Heath Ledger. Yes, his premature death continues to generate news, but I was really debating if his limited body of work qualified him for my top 10. After a fair amount of internal debate, I did decide to include him for the reason you’ll see below.

The work and impact of the following will live on for generations:

• Bernie Brillstein – one of two “behind-the-scenes” people that made my top 10. A producer and super agent whose company Brillstein-Grey Entertainment was responsible for such shows as “The Sopranos” and “The Larry Sanders Show.” Brillstein, before teaming with Brad Grey, produced “Hee Haw,” “The Muppet Show” and “Saturday Night Live,” among others.

• Charlton Heston – he parted the sea in “The Ten Commandments,” battled primates in “Planet of the Apes,” and was one of the most underrated American Shakespearean actors.

• George Carlin – yes, he made headlines decades ago when he was arrested in Milwaukee for performing his landmark, “10 Words You Can Never Say on Television” routine, but for more then 40 years he used his comedic stand-up routines to make us laugh and think.

• Jim McKay – a legendary sportscaster for ABC who brought the 1972 Olympic Munich tragedy into our homes and will forever be associated with ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” and the “agony of defeat.”

• Paul Newman – much more then the king of condiments whose “Newman’s Own” brand has raised millions for charities, the blue-eyed star with the classic good looks left us dozens of memorable films – think “Cat On a Hot Tin Roof,” “The Hustler, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Sting.”

• Tim Russert – his unexpected death resulted in a public outpouring from news junkies who lamented the loss of a true “old school” journalist.

• Warren Cowan – not a household name, but a legendary publicist who guided the careers of such Golden Age stars as Paul Newman, Kirk Douglas, Elizabeth Taylor, Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Tony Curtis.

• Sydney Pollack – a character actor in more then 30 films, Pollack made his biggest mark as a director of such hit films as “The Way We Were,” “Out of Africa” and “Tootsie.”

• Heath Ledger – perhaps my hardest inclusion on the list. While his film credentials are few due to his untimely death at age 28, his performances in “Brokeback Mountain” and “The Dark Knight” have given him almost a James Dean-type of mystique.

• Estelle Getty – the only female actress to make the list, she deserves inclusion for her plucky performance as Sophia on the long-running sitcom, “The Golden Girls.”

Honorable mention: Harvey Korman, Van Johnson and Richard Widmark.

Message Edited by Dave_Fantle on 12-16-2008 03:03 PM

Message Edited by Dave_Fantle on 12-16-2008 03:04 PM

Message Edited by TVLTheLink on 12-17-2008 03:36 AM

A Familiar Ring

Dave_Fantle — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:37:11 GMT

Jay Livingston and Ray Evans were two of the last surviving songwriters from Hollywood’s “golden age.” Now both deceased, when Johnson and I interviewed them about a decade ago, we couldn’t help but notice the three Oscar statuettes for best song resting on Livingston’s grand piano in his Bel Air home. The awards were bestowed on the duo for “Buttons and Bows,” “Mona Lisa” and “Que, Sera, Sera.”

When film scoring dried up, Livingston and Evans made a living penning the themes to such TV classics as “Bonanza” and “Mr. Ed.”

Ironically, their biggest song hit, “Silver Bells,” written in 1951 for the Bob Hope film, “The Lemon Drop Kid,” provided them both with a life-time annuity in lucrative royalties. The holiday classic came about quite by accident.

“We were told to write a Christmas song for Hope’s film,” said Livingston. “We both thought that a Christmas song was doomed to fail, but the studio brass was intractable.”

Fortunately, sitting on Evans’ desk at the time was a small silver bell that provided inspiration for the song.

“Ray and I stared at the bell and write a song we titled ‘Tinkle Bell.’ We thought we’d insert it into the film and never hear it played again.”

If they had kept their title, their prophesy would have most likely come true. Livingston’s wife questioned the choice of the title. “She thought we were crazy,” he said. “She pointed out the fact that tinkle has a bathroom connotation. It was a revelation to us!”

Evans continued, “The next day Jay came into the office and said we have to change the title. Our eyes finally focused on the silver bell on my desk, and we changed the title. We never changed a word of the song except that “Tinkle Bell’ became ‘Silver Bells.’ “

We know the rest of the story! “Silver Bells” is definitely a holiday song classic.

What are your favorite holiday songs and what special memories do they invoke?

Message Edited by Dave_Fantle on 12-16-2008 01:38 PM

Message Edited by Dave_Fantle on 12-16-2008 03:05 PM

The Mother of All Mothers

Dave_Fantle — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:32:38 GMT

Jane Kaczmarek has never forgotten her Midwestern roots. A Milwaukee native, Jane returns home regularly to visit her family and while in town, rarely misses a chance to make appearances for local non-profits. Giving back is part of her DNA, as it is with her husband, West Wing actor and Madison, Wis. native, Bradley Whitford.

Such was the case this past weekend when Jane made a trip home to visit with family and attend fund-raising events for FUEL Milwaukee (the local young professionals organization) and the Park People, a non-profit dedicated to preserving Milwaukee area parks.

When she was in town, she also had an opportunity to take her father and brother on a tour of the USS Freedom, a new first-of-class warship that was commissioned by the U.S. Navy in Milwaukee on Nov. 8. She told me the tour was "unforgettable."

Philanthropy is nothing new for Jane. A few years back, Jane and Brad established the Clothes off Our Back charity, which auctions off celebrity attire and donates the proceeds to children's charities

While Jane, 52, won critical praise for her role as the tyrannical mother on the long-running hit FOX series Malcolm in the Middle, she is shining in the completely different role of Judge Trudy Kessler in the Steven Bochco drama, Raising the Bar. The legal drama's debut broke a basic cable record for a series premiere with 7.7 million viewers and averaged 5.5 million viewers per episode.

Being both socially and politically active, I asked Jane what would she like to see happen to make this a better world as the holiday season approaches?

"I would like to see people buy Christmas presents for people who really need them. We are the richest people living in the wealthiest country in the history of the world. Millions and millions of people go to bed hungry and cold every night. I wish more people would give charitable donations in people's names. Brad and I support Heifer International, which provides struggling families a way to become self-reliant for food and income."

While her politics may tilt left, she says when it comes to raising her three children, she's all conservative.

"We live in Pasadena, which is very 'unHollywood'-- in large part to get our kids out of that community. We don't watch television, which is paradoxical. We watch videos and we're big on classic musicals. The greatest thing I got from Malcolm is the reminder that I'm the parent, I'm in charge, I have the right to say no. I'm amazed by how many parents have abdicated that ability."

Good advice from a good mother. Jane's Malcolm character is a true TV classic. Who are some of your favorite TV moms and why?

Photo credits (top to bottom): Dave Fantle; James Sheaver/WireImage; Michael Tran/Film Magic

Some photos courtesy Getty Images

Discuss the careers of Jane and Bradley on the Actors/Actresses board
Discuss Malcolm in the Middle on the Other Networks and Their Shows board
Discuss charitable causes and activities on the Cause Change board

Message Edited by TVLTheLink on 11-18-2008 11:14 PM

High School Musical's Monique Coleman on her "Senior Year"

Tom_Johnson — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:24:53 GMT

Is there life after high school?

If you're one of the cast members of High School Musical 3: Senior Year, just pick up your diploma and find a spot on the riser... you've graduated! During its opening weekend, the frothy dancefest toplined by Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens (two teens now 'tweens with killer profiles) set a box-office record for the most money ever earned by a musical film.

Recently, I spoke to Monique Coleman – "Taylor McKessie" in all three High School Musical installments – as she was exiting a Hollywood spinning class -- about the stratospheric success of the musical trilogy as well as the comments her former Dancing with the Stars partner Louis Van Amstel has made recently about fandango-ing with chunky co-stars.

"The thing I like the most about the whole High School Musical experience has been watching our progress of getting better as dancers and singers and actors," Monique says. "Also, the relationships between all our characters, I feel, got strengthened as we progressed through the films."

Monique also says that she and her costars developed strong personal bonds. "We got to have an experience that a lot of people don't have," she says. "Even though actors do trilogies, it's rare that you all stay in the same state at the same hotel; work with the same crew, cast, dancers, everything. It really was like a family. Sometimes I felt like I went to East High School. I have to remind myself that I didn't."

According to Monique, the big difference in the HSM trilogy is the size of the budget for the third installment – a real movie as opposed to the two previous made-for-television iterations of the franchise. "High School Musical 3 was my first feature film," Monique says. "To make the transition to the big screen seemed like a natural progression. It took the pressure off because it felt like I was in very comfortable territory with people that I knew would really help me out.

"The sets were so much more elaborate than they were before," Monique continues. "We were performing on Broadway-sized sets. Everything was more elevated, but the energy we put into it was identical. And that was solely based on our director, Kenny Ortega, who made sure that we understood that this was about maintaining the magic of High School Musical and not doing something bigger or better."

Monique says that her popular stint on the third season of Dancing with the Stars was a valuable primer for the dancing she's done in the HSM. "Dancing taught me that I'm not as competitive as I thought I was," she says. "Being on that show really toughened me up. At the same time, with HSM, I feel like it's about having fun, being yourself and doing your best and not trying to beat everyone else out. HSM is really about co-existing which, in a way, mirrors real life in high school."

As far as Monique's ex-dancing partner's harsh comments that a couple of the professional dancing ladies on Stars need to lose a few stone, she stops short of calling Louis Van Amstel … light!

"I will say that in this industry it is very sad to me that women are asked to live within an unrealistic physical shape," she says. "A size double-0 is becoming the standard sample size. It's scary because who wants to be less than nothing! We have to stop perpetuating this problem."

For the first time in a long time Monique says she doesn't know what she'll do next. She admits that can be a scary place, nonetheless, like any newly minted high-school graduate, she's excited about what the future will bring and what possibilities lay ahead.

"After being featured on a huge billboard in Times Square, I think its OK to take a moment to make the next choice something I really want to do."

Photo credits: Dimitros Mambouris/WireImage; Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic; none; Vince Boucci

Credited photos courtesy Getty Images

Discuss Zac Efron, Vaness Hudgens, Monique Coleman and the rest of the cast of High School Reunion 3: Senior Year on the Actors/Actresses board.
Discuss High School Reunion 3: Senior Year on the Movie Land board.
Discuss Dancing with the Stars on the Other Networks and Their Shows board.

Message Edited by TVLTheLink on 11-18-2008 11:23 PM

Re: Howard, Winkler, Griffith Hope Obama Brings Back ‘Happy Days’

Stark Granger — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:56:35 GMT

I watch the Andy Griffith show every night (my son who is 16 also enjoys it). I am not amused with this attempt to use characters I enjoy to promote things I do not agree with. Change is not neccessarly good and only time will tell if Obama brings good change. I would encourage Ron to stay out of the political arena or risk alienating some fans. There are a number of entertainers that I refuse to watch or listen to becuase of their extreme outspoken views. I don't want to add the Andy Griffith Show to that.

Re: Howard, Winkler, Griffith Hope Obama Brings Back ‘Happy Days’

Lois Surmi — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:21:51 GMT

This commercial was just a bunch of *&^%$#. If I wanted Ron Howard's opinion I guess I could have listened to all the other Hollywood liberals that have been giving their opinions. I was really disappointment to listen to Andy Griffith and the Fonz too. Geez is nothing sacred that we can't watch a channel like TV land to escape from all the political junk being thrown at us over the past 2 years. I won't watch TV land anymore, sorry, that's just how I feel. You shouldn't have done that. That's not the venue for it. Now you are just like every other channel. Bummer for all of us.

Re: Howard, Winkler, Griffith Hope Obama Brings Back ‘Happy Days’

zena — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:04:20 GMT

I could not believe my eyes when I first saw that horrible political announcement. I, too, am VERY disappointed with Andy and Ron for their unsolicited political endorsement, and even though I'll still watch all their re-runs, it'll never be quite the same. This endorsement was NOT humorous at all.