Laura Linney's The Big C gets Showtime pickup
The title, actually, is altered from the original announcement. Instead of The C-Word, it's now The Big C. Linney's character is a wife and mother who is diagnosed with cancer and her life is dramatically altered.
That sounds like a simple -- perhaps obvious -- situation. However, cancer is something that has touched nearly everybody's life in some way and The Big C should have instant universal appeal.
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Best TV of the '00s: Comedic Actress
Since Lucille Ball, television has been a bastion of funny ladies, and the '00s were no exception. Like Lucy, many of the women on this list played second fiddle to no one. And those that weren't the stars of their own shows managed to steal the scene anyway the moment they got in front of the camera.
The '00s will probably go down in television history as one of those decades where the sitcom sputtered and almost died -- again! But it's alive and well now, with an amazing turn-around in 2009. But, as this list proves, it was never truly in danger. Throughout the decade these women provided plenty of laughs in both the hour and half-hour formats, proving that as long as we want to laugh, there will be brilliant actresses around to crack us up.
Here's our list of the top funny ladies of the decade:
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Review: Better Off Ted - The Lawyer, The Lemur, and The Listener
So, like Linda in this episode, forget about writing that children's book you've been talking about for years, because the company owns the rights to anything you create -- even stories about lemurs that look like unhappily married scientists. And, like Ted, don't bring your daughter to the company day care service. You'll just end up milking her for inside information about the latest round of layoffs. Oh, and like poor ol' Lem, never ever do it with a company lawyer on company time, unless you can afford $300 an hour.
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Ask TV Squad: Ghost Whisperer and more!
To submit questions to the "Ask TV Squad" column, you can post them below in comments or email them to asktvsquad@gmail.com.
This week, I answer questions about Ghost Whisperer, How to Make It in America and Better Off Ted.
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Weeds: All About My Mom
(S05E13) "Women are strong ... until they fall apart." - Nancy
It was zingers like the above quote that filled the season five finale of Weeds. I'm sure there were more, but I dozed off about three minutes into the show. Honestly, I'll check out the first few eps of next season, but at this point, I'm not committed to reviewing the entire season. It's no fun for me, and certainly no fun for you guys, if I'm covering a show I'm just not into. I really hope it improves enough to make me giddy, but I'm not holding my breath.
Nothing about this episode grabbed me, and for that, I'm sad. From the massage therapist that Pilar sent for Nancy ("Don't make me sit on you") to Doug's lame one-liners ("Wanna lick my crystal balls?"), it just wasn't there. I expect a season finale to be filled with eye openers, plot twists, and a fantastic ending that makes me cry that it's over and yearn until the day it starts again. Sorry, it simply wasn't there.
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Preview of the Weeds finale - Is it time for the series to end?
While I haven't been all that crazy about this season of Weeds, there have been a few standout episodes, and I'll miss the show. Something about the crazy life of Nancy Botwin and her clan continues to draw me in, even during what I consider the weaker seasons.
Throughout season five, TV Squad readers have been debating whether the show is still good, or whether it should take its final bow. After "Ducks & Tigers," Collin said, "It is time to cancel this disaster. Whoever thinks this is a comedy should have their head examined." After "Distinctive Horn," however, Matthew Fleigle noted, "So far this has been one of the best seasons of Weeds."
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Weeds: Glue
(S05E12) "I could use a little more snakebite on my lips." - Dean
Hmmm ... what to say about this episode? I kept waiting for something to jump out at me. Some fun witticism from Andy or Doug, or anything really. But it just wasn't there. At this point, I'm just glad there's only one episode left, and hopefully, they can do a major reboot and gain back a lot of the viewers who've left. As many of you have commented this season, what's really lacking is any sort of empathy for Nancy. She just seems lost and twisting in the wind.
Weeds: Ducks and Tigers
(S05E11) "If you don't climax, the terrorists win." - Andy to Audra, after the anti-abortionists start throwing stuff through her window
This is probably my least favorite episode of Weeds so far this season. I know some of you haven't been digging this season at all, but I've been hanging in there, holding out hope that it'll end on a high note, and even loving an episode here and there. But aside from a few Andy-isms, I wasn't really feeling this ep much.
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Weeds: Perro Insano
(S05E10) "No one is fine around you." - Silas to Nancy
Well, at least Nancy is starting to have some feelings for her sons again. I guess. I'm not alone in my thought that she seems to have lost the motherly gene she had at the beginning of the series. I dunno ... maybe she never had it to begin with. But since hooking up with Esteban, it's gone out the window -- until it slapped her in the face when Shane took a bullet meant for her.
Now she's all hyped up about Silas getting out of dodge and backpacking around Europe. Except she doesn't realize that it's too late for Silas. He's already grown and running his own illegal enterprises -- a skill he picked up from her. I know it's a TV show, but after the childhood these kids have had, they're pretty much ruined as far as having any sort of normal life.
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Weeds: Suck n Spit
(S05E09) "Night farts happen, especially since I've been dieting." - Andy to Nancy, about sharing a bed
The THINGS you see on Weeds! Sometimes I don't know whether to be amused or shocked, so this week, I chose a little of both. The sight of Andy suckling Nancy to ease the pain of her swollen breasts ... well, that just never would have occurred to me after I had my babies and found myself in that situation.
And I'm standing by my feeling that Andy goes above and beyond what's called for in a brother-in-law. Then again, suckling the breast of the woman you love probably isn't that much of a stretch for him. But swallowing the milk is a whole other story.
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Weeds: A Distinctive Horn
First of all, for some reason, I find Alanis Morissette completely annoying as the doctor. I don't know if she's just boring or whether it's because she was mean to Andy: "You're unemployed, you're closer to 40 than 30, you drive a car from a TV show, and your greatest recent accomplishment was beating the upside-down kill screen in Ms. Pacman."
The only upside of her and Andy's date is that it got him to shave that ridiculous Geico caveman beard off. I really appreciate seeing his face again.
I also love the little vignettes at the beginning of each ep with the opening credits. Tonight's featured a file drawer with a "Weeds" file and a "Jenji Kohan" file. I also picked out a "Power of Attorney" file, which came into play later in the episode.
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Weeds: Where the Sidewalk Ends
(S05E07) "We have to get the fuck out of here right now. These people bludgeon innocent golfers for sport." - Shane to Nancy
Oh my gosh. There were so many funny scenes and quotes in this episode of Weeds, I don't even know where to begin. Let's start with Shane, who surely is the smartest kid on TV right now. When Nancy had him look up the mysterious woman (Zuzao) in Esteban's life on Wikipedia, Shane's translations were spot on:
- Sole heir to a vast telecommunications company: "media manipulator"
- On the Board of the Mexican Stock Exchange: "inside trader"
- Philanthropist: "tax evader"
I mean, really. I'm not sure how old Shane is -- I'm sure one of you will tell me -- but that's darn smart for a kid of any age.
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Emmy Wish List: Supporting Categories - Comedy
Last year's comedy winners, Jean Smart for Samantha Who? and Jeremy Piven for Entourage, were both multiple winners. In Jean's case, it wasn't all for the same role, but Jeremy has been pulling a John Larroquette/Don Knotts in this category. (Larroquette and Knotts dominated this category; the former winning for Night Court from 1985-88, while Knotts won five times for The Andy Griffith Show from 1961-67). My wish list would start by shaking things up.
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Emmy Wish List: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
I'd be happy to see any one of them go home with the gold on Emmy night. I'd also love to see some recognition for Christina Applegate's work in Samantha Who?, a great show that got the ax earlier this year.
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Poor Showtime: It looks like vampires are putting HBO back on top
Really, it was Dexter that started swinging the ship toward Showtime, and in so doing, brought attention to the rest of their lineup. With HBO floundering, Showtime saw an opportunity and took full advantage, offering bold new entries. Apparently there's an audience that looks almost exclusively for premium cable original programming. And everything was going so well ... until HBO managed to snag a piece of America's current fixation on vampires.
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