Dear Arrested Development, Please Hurry the F*** Up.

Dear Arrested Development,

I've been obsessed with you since 2003. Many would say that's borderline pathological, but I say it's just good taste. For the most part my friends agree with me, so either we're all in some sort of weird symbiotic relationship (not out of the question), or my obsession is just good commonsense (let's go with that, shall we?).

When I found out that an Arrested Development movie might be happening I was as excited as the next fan. I was also as patient as the next fan, which is to say--not at all. When your creator Ron Howard repeatedly assured us that a movie was happening and nothing happened I began to lose faith with the rest of America.

But then in November of 2011 something magical happened. Netflix officially announced that Arrested Development was coming back. Nope, not back on our TVs, but back to our eyes in a way that was (to be frank) even better: a 13 episode order that would be released all at once directly on Netflix instant.

To recap your own history for you (because seriously its been so long it's doubtful even you remember), there will be a six year gap between the last time you aired on TV (2006) and your release date on Netflix (2013).

But don't worry. We'll be watching.

May 26th, 2013 please hurry the f*** up.

-A Fan

'Arrested Development': The Top 5 Episodes

In honor of this joyous day, aka the day that filming on 'Arrested Development' Season Four begins, let's look back at some of the most hilarious 'Arrested Development' episodes of all time. I know I often offer you mild suggestions about what to watch and why, but with 'Arrested Development' I can adamently say that if you don't find it funny we will never be friends. There, I've said it.

Now that that's out of the way, here are my picks for the funniest episodes ever.

'The Munsters', 'Mockingbird Lane', and New Cast

A revamp is heading your way. 'The Munsters', the famous series that focused on a family of monsters living in suburban America, is being remade by NBC.

The original starred Yvonne De Carlo as Lily Munster, the mother of the family, and Fred Gwynne as her husband Herman Munster. There is also a grandfather, a son, and a niece, who all live in the family's creepy home. The sitcom ran for 70 episodes in the 1960s, and can still be seen in syndication.

A spin-off series, 'The Munsters Today', ran for 72 episodes from 1988 until 1991.

The new show, currently titled 'Mockingbird Lane', is being developed for NBC. Bryan Fuller, who created 'Pushing Daisies', is attached.

Here is the current cast:

'Castle', Beckett, Stana Katic, and Mistaken Identity

New favorite show? 'Castle'.

(Thanks H for insisting that I would love it/needed to watch it immediately)

Of course I'm now utterly consumed by the four seasons that I missed. It's great. No really.

Most confusing thing I've seen so far on the show? No, it's not any of the murders.

I seriously cannot get over how much Beckett looks like a grown-up Marissa.

Apparently I'm not alone. During the 2010 SAG awards Stana Katic (who plays Beckett) got mistaken for Mischa Barton (Marissa). By the entertainment press.

The press.

Seriously, shouldn't they need to know who everyone famous is? It's like the Portia de Rossi incident all over again.

'Arrested Development' is coming back! New season announced.

Is 'Arrested Development' really coming back? Yes!

At a recent reunion of the cast and crew of the short-lived 'Arrested Development', which took place at the New Yorker Event today, producers announced a plan to film a shortened new season.

The fourth season of 'Arrested Development' will tentatively film next summer, and will only be a few episodes. It is five years since the third season of 'Arrested Development' ended due to low ratings. Since then the show has garnered tons of critical acclaim and a huge cult following.

Talk of an 'Arrested Development' movie has been around since the show was canceled, and creator Mitchell Hurwitz admits that the cast is still hoping to film a movie in the future. However, he felt that a movie would have to jump too far into the future of the Bluth family too quickly, and that a short television mini-series would be able to bridge the gap.

Anything that gives us more 'Arrested Development' is good in my book. The more the better!

Portia de Rossi's return to TV

Portia de Rossi is returning to television.

Just when I was wondering (while I sat on my couch re-watching 'Arrested Development' episodes) whether de Rossi had decided to 'retire' from acting, I got the news that she may be returning to our televisions as early as next Fall.

De Rossi's wife, Ellen Degeneres, is producing her newest show. The as yet unnamed show focuses on the escapades of two sisters (one played by de Rossi). The show recently went through a bidding war, and the lucky winner was NBC.

David Cross & Amber Tamblyn are Engaged!

Amber Tamblyn and David Cross Announce Engagement!

Does anyone else remember when news of Amber Tamblyn and David Cross' relationship first hit the blogosphere? It was wayyy back in 2009, and Tamblyn was 25 to Cross' 44. And there was just a little bit of an eww factor. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate them both as actors, and find them incredibly talented. I still remember Tamblyn fondly from her 'Joan of Arcadia' days, and her recent role on 'House' was well done. And since I am one of the hugest 'Arrested Development' fans on the planet, I obviously appreciate Cross' extreme talent. I suppose an age gap of 19 years really isn't that huge (Ellen and Portia are 15 years apart, and no one said anything about that). I think the real issue is that Tamblyn looks sooo young, while Cross looks, well...sooo old.
But she's now 28, and he's now 47, and somehow that age gap seems a little more reasonable (until you realize that she's not even thirty and he's almost fifty! But I digress). They are officially engaged. In fact, they've apparently been engaged for weeks, but (smartly I think!) wanted to enjoy the engagement in private for a while before letting the whole world know. And considering they've been dating for three years it seems like they are a successful couple who will hopefully have a successful marriage. Really, congratulations are in order. And I mean that!

Ellen & Portia come to Boston

Ellen Degeneres and Porti de Rossi Visit Boston. August 10, 2011.

Today, Ellen Degeneres and her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, visited Boston. First they went on a duck tour (see image below) of the city. Then they ended up at Quincy Market in the heart of the city for a quick photo-op with Boston's Mayor, Tom Menino. Crowds of people had gathered in the historic area, including one family who admitted that they had been waiting since "about 9 am".

Ellen and Portia finally pulled up (in the duck boat!) at about 1:30 pm. Unfortunately the podium mic was poor quality, but Ellen said that Boston was her favorite city and that she hoped everyone would still be able to watch her when she moves to her new 4 pm time slot (she even joked that loyal viewers would need to quit their jobs!). Her speech was sadly brief, but she did apologize for this stating that she had to go and do interviews/tape promos. Oh, and she danced a little.

After she briefly disappeared inside Faneuil Hall the majority of the crowd dispersed. I milled around with a few stragglers, and was glad I did! I happened to be standing right next to the door where Portia and Ellen exited to head back to their convoy. I snapped a brief photo of Portia (see above), but my phone's camera didn't recover quickly enough to get one of Ellen too. Of course, this was the one day when I left my real camera at home.

I spent the next 15 minutes being interviewed by ABC5 News, and explaining to an older member of the paparrazi which photos he had were ones of Portia (seriously, it might be good to know what the people your living depends on look like!).

Wednesday Blast from the Past

It's summer which means that I can't watch the first 5 minutes of the 'Ellen Degeneres Show' as I get ready for work.

(Yes, I start work at 10 am. Yes, you can judge me. Or just be jealous. Very, very jealous)

But it's all good, because I just found out that Ellen used to do vlogs from her house. And while it sort of feels like an intrusion into her life (I thought she lived on the studio lot!) at least it's a welcome one (assuming no one forced her to film them). Besides, the fact that they take place in her house make them even funnier.

Since Wednesday is traditionally Hump Day, I like to use it to reflect on the past...because who said going over the hump means going forward? So, lets go back to 2008.






p.s. there are even more vlogs on YouTube...

New Lifetime Cop Show 'Against the Wall' Stars Australian Actress

I don't really know what this show is about (okay, it's about a female cop who comes from a family of cops but decides to accept a job in Internal Affairs, so they all think she's no longer "protecting her own" or something). Regardless. That's completely unimportant. Because who cares about plot when it stars Rachael Carpani, who played Jodi in the Australian hit dramasoap 'McLeod's Daughters'. I would only be more excited if it was Bridie Carter instead.

Anyway, apparently when 'McLeod's Daughters' ended she moved to LA to try her hand at acting in American television. I haven't seen her in any of the bit parts she's had, so it looks like this starring role in a Lifetime show could be her big break. My one concern is that her accent in the previews doesn't sound quite as "Portia de Rossi can successfully drop her Australian accent and act American" as I would like. Guess we'll see, because you can be sure I'll be watching!

It's Summer...What Are You Going to Watch?

What You Should Be Watching This Summer:

Now that summer's fully upon us (official June 21st!) what are you planning on watching while your favorite shows are on hiatus? Find some of my recommendations for live TV viewing and Netflix browsing below:



Mondays

1) Rizzoli & Isles. Premieres July 11th. Mondays 10/9 c on TNT.

Harmon (from 'Desperate Housewives') as a homicide detective. Alexander (from 'Dawson's Creek' and 'NCIS') as a medical examiner. They solve cases. They're best friends. There's homoerotic tension if you want to look for it.

2) Weeds. Premieres June 27th. Mondays 10/9 c on Showtime.
Marie-Louise Parker. Marijuana dealer. Mother to three. If you're going to watch this you have to play catch up first.

Tuesdays

2) Covert Affairs. Tuesdays 10/9 C on USA.

CIA. Hot female spy. Sexy James Bond lite. Enough said.

Wednesdays

3) Toddlers & Tiaras. Wednesday 10/9 c on TLC.

Ridiculous pageant moms and their children. Watch them 'train'. Watch them 'compete'. Watch the horror of child beauty pageants while sitting on the edge of your seat.

4) Damages. Wednesdays 10/9 c on DIRECTV.
Reality TV not really your thing? Watch Glen Close as a manipulative lawyer, and Rose Byne as her equally devious, slightly more genuine, younger counterpart.

Netflix It Anytime

5) Better Off Ted. Netflix.
If you missed this when it was on the air catch up with it right away. Crazy R&D firm. Portia de Rossi as an insensitive yet hilarious boss. Science nerds, children, and love interests.

6) Arrested Development. Netflix.
I know, I'm really pushing de Rossi's work. But this is pure genius. Watch it at least 3 times to get all the hidden subtext. Zany family, criminal charges, Michael Cera, and the most ridiculous plot you've ever seen. Plus, it has four characters all named some combination of George/Michael. How can you not love it?

7) Wonderfalls. DVD.
Recent Brown graduate works retail. Inanimate animals talk to her. They help her solve people's problems. Add a hot bartender/potential boyfriend and a hilarious closeted lesbian sister and you've got a must-watch.

8) Bones. Netflix.
Rewatch seasons 1-4 (all available on Netflix) and then somehow get your hands on season 5 and 6. Rewatch before November premiere date of season 7. Find the subtext. Reevaluate the writers...maybe they're not all crazy?

9) Law and Order: SVU. Netflix.
Crime, Benson, Stabler. It's all there. With 248 episodes you can really keep summer boredom at bay.

10) Parks and Recreation. Netflix.
Amy Poehler. Ridiculous local government. Rashida Jones. Oh, and did I mention Amy Poehler?

11) 30 Rock. Netflix.
Tina Fey. Alec Baldwin. Behind the scenes of an SNL-like show. Plus Jane Krakowski. Oh, and did I mention Tina Fey?

12) Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the series). Netflix.
Because it's a cultural milestone. With a spunky ex-cheerleader and her quirky friends. Oh and said ex-cheerleader kills demons. Plus, early (note: hot) David Boreanaz.

Sarah Drew, "Grey's Anatomy", "Glee", and Typecasting

Sarah Drew probably isn't someone you've heard of before. She's certainly not a household name. But she is someone who you'll be seeing a lot of this year. She's Dr. April Kepner on "Grey's Anatomy". Dr. Kepner is slightly nerdy, slightly childish, slightly whiny, and apparently a virgin. All of this is probably why I immediately recognized her when I was re-watching "Glee" last night. Sarah Drew (the actress who plays Kepner) was playing a nerdy, childish, whiny, definitely-a-virgin character named Suzy Pepper. Suzy was a student who had a massive crush on the teacher Will Schuster, and was competing with Rachel for his attention ("Glee" S1E10).

Drew is interesting because she graduated from a university (in my hometown!), and then almost immediately started doing voice-work and acting. In 2004, just two years after she graduated, she was in a 38 episode arc of "Everwood". She was also in 4 episodes of "Mad Men" and 2 episodes of "Private Practice". Her role on "Private Practice" is the most confusing, considering that the show often does crossover episodes with "Grey's", yet Drew plays different characters on the two shows.

All I can say is that Shonda Rhimes must really like Drew a lot. After her role on "Private Practice" Rhimes cast her in a new pilot ("Inside the Box") which never got the green light.

Another interesting tidbit is that Kepner's love interest on "Grey's" is played by Peter MacNicol. MacNicol appeared on the incredibly successful "Ally McBeal" as a character much like the one he plays on "Grey's": socially awkward and apparently appealing to attractive women (de Rossi played his love interest on "Ally").

So, are Kepner and MacNicol typecast at all? Possibly. But they're both appealing to watch, and so I don't think anyone will really care.

They have accents?

Wait, What Accents?

There are a shocking number of foreign actors and actresses who appear on American television using American accents.


Often we know who these people are, but occasionally it's shocking.


For instance, did you know that Kevin McKidd (who plays Owen on "Grey's Anatomy") is Scottish? Well, I had no idea...until I saw him being interviewed for the "Greys" musical episode.



Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who played Vivian Johnson on "Without a Trace" for 8 seasons, is also British. I discovered that (with a great deal of shock) when I watched the special features on the series DVD.







Oh, and lets not forget "House". Hugh Laurie is also a Brit. But they're not the only ones invading.

"Without a Trace" barely qualifies as an American television show. Poppy Montgomery and Anthony LaPaglia, the shows other two leads, are both Australian. But you wouldn't know it.






"Fringe", currently airing on Fox, has an Australian lead (Anna Torv), and so does "The Mentalist" (Simon Baker).





And, Portia de Rossi, who I've previously mentioned for her roles on "Ally McBeal", "Arrested Development", and "Nip/Tuck", is yet another Australian.







Here are the following shows that have foreign actors playing American leads different television stations:
1) "Fringe" and "House" on Fox
2) "The Mentalist" on CBS
3) "Grey's Anatomy" on ABC
So, that's the two out of the Big Three plus the 'newcomer' network!

I guess I really can't complain about an Australian/British invasion on "our" television. After all, I have British citizenship too, and I'm not planning on moving out of the U.S. anytime soon.

Check out this fun story about foreigners playing Americans that was first heard on NPR in 2008.

Arrested Development did it first...

(Left) Cera & de Rossi sing on "Arrested Development"
(Right) Mays & Michele sing on "Glee"

Dear Glee,
Yes, "Afternoon Delight" is a surprisingly sexual song. You know who made this joke first? "Arrested Development". Back in 2004 (28th episode). Seven Years ago. Just thought you'd like to know...

Shawkat & Bateman sing on "Arrested Development"

Here's the hilarious clip from "Arrested Development".

As 'E! Online' states, "During last week's show, Emma performed "Afternoon Delight" with members of her abstinence club. But when substitute sex ed teacher Holly Holliday tells her that that the song is actually about having sex, a flustered Emma explains she thought it was about enjoying a piece of pie".

Glee, this whole thing would have been a lot funnier if you'd done it first...

Read more from E!:
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/marc_malkin/b230858_glees_jayma_mays_really_didnt_know.html#ixzz1GsOhiM7X

p.s. Another fun connection: "Glee" was created by Ryan Murphy who also created..."Nip/Tuck".

why didn't you watch it? see what you did? now it's off the air...

"Arrested Development"
aka: why didn't you watch it? see what you did? now it's off the air...

"Arrested Development" is one of the smartest shows of all time, and if these guys ever get their documentary released I will definitely watch it. Let me just point out that it would be a GENIUS move on their part to release it right around the time that the "Arrested Development" movie comes out. You know, if that ever happens.

Now, let me just point out another lovely connection: In Season 2 of "Arrested Development" (which began in 2003) they mention "Nip/Tuck" ('Hand to God').

George Michael: "And Anne's off with her religious group trying to get 'Nip/Tuck' taken off the air"
Michael: "They don't like 'Nip/Tuck'?"
George Michael: "Well, they don't like anything..."

And who was in "Nip/Tuck" in 2007 as a guest actor (come on, you know this, I've mentioned it before...)? One of the leading actors in "Arrested Development", Portia de Rossi. She discusses her first ever role as a lesbian HERE.

Portia de Rossi & Joely Richardson

is it just me, or do they look a little too similar?

Phyllis Smith
Please note: this image is perfectly related to the next post's discussion/rant about "Toddlers & Tiaras"

Phyllis Smith is now very well-known for "The Office". But her first ever part was actually on "Arrested Development". She didn't even have any lines, but she did get to sit in on a Bluth board meeting. And that's something.

all of these images were found on a basic Google search using the keywords "Arrested Development cast", "de Rossi Nip/Tuck" & "Phyllis Smith". I do not own copyright for any of these images.

The Ally McBeal Family Tree

I never watched "Ally McBeal" when it was on air, and instead stumbled across it in a semi-depressed state after the cancellation of "Better Off Ted".

After getting through the first couple of seasons, I realized that it was a melting pot of guest actors who later went on to success as supporting characters and leads on hit shows.

The Ally McBeal Family Tree:

Michael Weatherly~

Okay, to be honest, he was a series regular on "Significant Others" (1998), but considering that the show was canceled after the first season, I've decided that it doesn't count as a true success. Weatherly guest starred on "Ally McBeal" for one episode ('Sex, Lies, and Second Thoughts', 2000). What's he doing now? He's a lead on the hit series "NCIS".








Tate Donovan~

Again, he did have a role as a series regular before guest starring on "Ally McBeal"...he was on "Partners", also canceled after one season (1996). After his role on "Ally McBeal" (3 episodes as Ronald Cheanie, 1997), he went on to be a guest star on "Friends", and main characters in both "The O.C." and "Damages".







Michael Vartan~


He really wasn't a series regular until after he played Jonathan Bassett on "Ally McBeal". He then went on to star in "Alias" (with Donovan's "Partners" cast member Jennifer Garner) and "Hawthorne".








John Ritter~

This was almost a freebie for me because, lets be honest, John Ritter was a guest actor in almost every successful show from 1972 until his death in 2003. And he was a series regular/leading man long before his guest role as George Madison in "Ally McBeal". Still the show certainly did nothing to hurt his reputation, so I think his inclusion in the family tree is warranted.





Roma Maffia~
Finally, a woman! Roma Maffia was a guest actor on "Ally McBeal" ('Fear of Flirting', 2001). She later became one of the lead characters on the successful "Nip/Tuck". I really left the best for last, because Maffia makes the circle complete. She guest starred on "Ally McBeal" during the show's fifth season when one of its leads was Portia de Rossi. De Rossi then guest starred during the fifth season of "Nip/Tuck". How's that for symmetry?




Can you think of any other guest actors on "Ally McBeal" who later made it big?


Images courtesy of: movieeyes.com, TopNews.in, trailershut.com, Hollywood Reporter, & BuddyTV.