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HBO bails on Lily Tomlin comedy

Posted by Vogt
at May 28, 2008

Lily TomlinHBO has decided not to air a new Lily Tomlin comedy series, even though six episodes are in the can. 12 Miles of Bad Road, created by Designing Women writer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, is a one-hour comedy about the Shakespeare family, a millionaire Texas clan whose real estate fortune is mixed up with their eccentric antics. Sounds vaguely like Dallas meets Arrested Development, but whatever the recipe, HBO has given it the thumbs down.

This is highly unusual, considering the high profile of the production. In January 2007, HBO ordered the series. Then in April, they showed a preview of 12 Miles after The Sopranos, presumably because they had faith in the show. Something’s changed, though, because now HBO is giving it up. Perhaps the exit of Carolyn Strauss as HBO president spelled the end of 12 Miles?

Whatever, it’s a blow for Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, who hasn’t had a certifiable hit since the glory days of Designing Women, Hearts Afire and Evening Shade all for CBS. She stumbled with the Designing Women spin-off, Women of the House, and the lame NBC sitcom for Emeril Lagasse, Emeril (2001).

And it’s a disappointment for an award-winning star like Lily, who’s conquered TV, theater and film. In 12 Miles, she plays the head of the family, the Miss Ellie if you will, and second in the cast is another superb comic actress, Mary Kay Place of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman fame. Other notables in the cast include Gary Cole (Harvey Birdman), Ivana Milicevic (Casino Royale), Leslie Jordan (Will & Grace), Katherine LaNasa (Boston Legal; she’s also French Stewart’s wife), David Andrews (JAG), among many others. This was not a shoestring production.

Executive producer Harry Thomason and his wife, Linda, are looking for another network to take on the series, including Lifetime.

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus Biography

Posted by Vogt
at May 9, 2008

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Biography.jpg

Though she may be forever remembered as Elaine Benes – she of the “big wall of hair,” nipple slip, and uncomfortable dancing – on the NBC sitcom, Seinfeld (1990-98), actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus allowed her comedic talents to shine in a variety of film and television projects ranging from “Saturday Night Live” (NBC, 1975- ) to the animated hit, “A Bug’s Life” (1998). And her return to network television with “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (2005-) appeared to have (for once) broken the “’Seinfeld’ curse” that plagued her co-stars’ subsequent projects.

Born Jan. 13, 1961 in Manhattan, NY, Louis-Dreyfus was one of two daughters born to businessman and lawyer William Louis-Dreyfus (the Louis-Dreyfus family included her grandfather, Leopold Louis-Dreyfus, who founded an international firm of the same name, and cousin Robert Louis-Dreyfus, former owner of Adidas) and Phyllis Louis-Dreyfus. Her parents separated when she was a year old, and Louis-Dreyfus relocated with her mother and sister to Washington, D.C., when she was eight (her mother eventually remarried to the dean of George Washington Medical School). Louis-Dreyfus studied theater at Northwest University, where she met her future husband, comedian Brad Hall.

Louis-Dreyfus honed her comedic craft at two of Chicago’s best-known improvisational theater groups – the Practical Theater Group (co-founded by Hall and future “SNL” alum Gary Kroeger) and later, with the renowned Second City, which trained talents ranging from John Belushi to Ed Asner. She continued performing at the Practical Theater while at Second City, and it was one of her performances at the former’s “Golden 50th Anniversary Jubilee” that led to her being asked to join the cast of “Saturday Night Live” (along with Hall and Kroeger) in 1982. Louis-Dreyfus’ three-year tenure on the show (which was undergoing a difficult transitional phase from its early heyday) included memorable imitations of Marie Osmond, Joan Mondale, and Nastassia Kinski, as well as several original characters, before she left the cast in 1985 (Hall departed the year prior).

Louis-Dreyfus’ landed her first screen role in a low-budget comedy/horror feature, “Troll” (1986), co-starring Michael Moriarty and Sonny Bono, in which she played an apartment dweller who is transformed into a scantily-clad woodland nymph. She followed this inauspicious debut with small roles in Woody Allen’s “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986) and the C. Thomas Howell comedy, “Soul Man” (1986) before returning to television in the short-lived “Family Ties” (NBC, 1982-89) spin-off, “The Art of Being Nick” (1986) and “Day By Day” (NBC, 1988-89) from “Family Ties” creator Gary David Goldberg. She made one more big screen appearance in the 1989 comedy “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” before joining the cast of comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s sitcom, which had been created by former “SNL” writer Larry David.

For her work as Elaine Benes, the soul female in television’s most famous comedy quartet, Louis-Dreyfus was honored with a Golden Globe in 1994, an Emmy in 1996, and three Screen Actors’ Guild Awards in 1994, 1996 and 1997. A phenomenally popular series with both fans and critics, “Seinfeld” ran for eight seasons before coming to a highly publicized end in 1998. Louis-Dreyfus also gave birth to both of her children during its network run (in 1992 and 1997), lending herself to wearing baggier-than-usual Elaine dresses and sending her on unexplained trips to Europe.

While on “Seinfeld,” Louis-Dreyfus appeared sporadically in feature films, most of which were far beneath her talents; these included the dire family film “Jack the Bear” (1993) and the comedies “North” (1994) and “Fathers’ Day” (1997). The two non-“Seinfeld” high points during this time were the Neil Simon-penned TV movie “London Suite” (1996), with “Seinfeld” co-star Michael Richards, and a reunion with Woody Allen in “Deconstructing Harry” (1997).

Following the conclusion of “Seinfeld,” Louis-Dreyfus stepped away from onscreen appearances (though she did continue as the commercial spokesperson for Clairol) to spend time with her family, and relegated her acting roles to a pair of vocal turns in “A Bug’s Life” (1998) and the 1999 TV adaptation of “Animal Farm.”

Louis-Dreyfus returned to on-screen appearances the following year as the Blue Fairy in Drew Carey’s charming “Pinocchio” musical, “Gepetto.” In 2002, she returned to series work in the highly publicized “Watching Ellie” (NBC, 2002), a somewhat novel take on sitcoms (the original premise had episodes unfolding in real time, with a stop clock ticking in the corner of the screen) created and co-produced by Hall and Louis-Dreyfus. But despite an excellent supporting cast – including Steve Carell and Peter Stormare – the show was pulled after limping into its second season. The failure of the program, along with the similar demise of series starring Jason Alexander and Michael Richards, gave rise to the notion of a “curse” visited upon the “Seinfeld” supporting cast – how that iconic show was so good, nothing they did alone could ever compare.

Louis-Dreyfus enjoyed a less stressful recurring role on “Arrested Development” (Fox, 2003-06) as a pathological liar who romanced Jason Bateman, before she took a deep breath and dove back into the supposedly cursed sitcom world with “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (CBS, 2006). Based on the life of creator Kari Lizer (an actress and writer on “Will and Grace” (NBC, 1998-2006)), Louis-Dreyfus played a divorced mother who, because of the son, must contend with her ex-husband and his younger girlfriend who just happens to share her first name.

In addition to her television work, Louis-Dreyfus and Hall occasionally contributed to political commentator Ariana Huffington’s blog, huffingtonpost.com.

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Nia Long Biography

Posted by Vogt
at May 9, 2008

Nia Long Biography.jpg

This stunningly beautiful, rising black actress first began her acting career as a teenager, appearing in several stage productions, including “227″, which was the basis for the NBC sitcom of the same name on which she made a guest appearance. She landed a role in “The B.R.A.T. Patrol” (ABC, 1986), a “Disney Sunday Movie” and appearances in music videos before breaking onto the big screen in “Buried Alive” (1990). In John Singleton’s acclaimed “Boyz N the Hood” (1991), Long played the marriage-minded girlfriend of Cuba Gooding Jr.’s Tre. Her three-year stint (1991-1994) as Kathryn ‘Kat’ Speakes on the CBS daytime drama “Guiding Light” garnered her attention and Long used the experience as a springboard to primetime and higher profile features. While still on the soap, she landed the role of Whoopi Goldberg’s daughter in the uneven comedy “Made in America”. Long fared slightly better the following year when she joined the cast of the hit NBC sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, playing the recurring role of Will’s girlfriend, but when the series returned for its final season, her role had been dropped.

Long wasn’t out of work for long. First time director F. Gary Gray offered her a strong comedic role as Debbie, the foxy neighbor who becomes the object of Ice T’s affection, in the sassy comedy “Friday” (1995). Another novice, Theodore Wicher, gave the actress her first real lead in “Love Jones” (1997), as a photographer who has an on-again, off-again relationship with a writer (Larenz Tate). Long and Tate generated real screen heat and both earned high marks from critics. The actress followed with the sleeper hit “Soul Food” (also 1997), playing the youngest of a trio of sisters, a newlywed struggling with her career as a hair stylist and the demands of her marriage to an ex-con (Mekhi Phifer) trying to go straight. After appearing in a pair of urban-oriented action-thrillers, “Butter” (1998) and “In Too Deep” (1999), Long appeared in the predominantly African American ensemble of writer-director Malcolm Lee’s “The Best Man” as the one-that-got-away old flame who reunites with her otherwise committed ex (Taye Diggs) at the wedding of a mutual friend, played the club hopping best friend of Patricia Arquette in the horror-thriller “Stigmata,” starred opposite Jamie Foxx in the hostage comedy “Held Up” and appeared opposite Colin Firth in the low-profile indie “The Secret Laughter of Women” (all 1999). Long next appeared as Mary McCormack’s lesbian girlfriend in the gay-themed ensemble drama “The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy”; as a empathetic receptionist who shares a bond with Giovanni Ribisi in “Boiler Room”; played a member of a protective circle of lesbians in the HBO telepic “If These Walls Could Talk 2″; and played Martin Lawrence’s love interest/faux granddaughter in the comedy “Big Momma’s House” (all 2000).

After the middling haunted house film “Sightings: Heartland Ghost” (2002) and joining the cast of the NBC drama “Third Watch” in 2003, she scored as Melvin Van Peebles lover Sandra in “Baadasssss!” (2004) writer-director Mario van Peebles’ well-received account of the making of his father’s breakthrough film. She was also enticing in her supporting role in the 2004 remake of “Alfie,” playing the should-be-forbidden girlfriend of Alfie’s (Jude Law) best friend (Omar Epps) who proves too great a temptation. In the family-friendly “Are We There Yet?” (2005), she had a small, thankless role as a devoted mother of two children taken on a road trip by a smooth operator (Ice Cube) intent on getting a date with her. Long’s considerable talents were wasted in a role giving her little to do. And despite being panned by critics, “Are We There Yet?” opened number one at the box office and subsequently filled the coffers at Sony Pictures.

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Lisa Kudrow Biography

Posted by Vogt
at May 9, 2008

Lisa Kudrow Biography.jpg

While Lisa Kudrow has made her name portraying slightly ditsy, even flaky characters on the small screen, she has also proven to be a strong actress in features. While capable of projecting the quintessential “Valley girl” persona (in fact she was raised in the San Fernando Valley), this intelligent woman holds a degree in biology from Vassar. Although she had initially harbored dreams of a medical career (following in her father’s wake), Kudrow turned to show business partly at the urging of her brother’s friend Jon Lovitz. Lovitz encouraged her to audition for the famed L.A. improv group The Groundlings and while she did not make the cut on her first try, Kudrow was impressive enough to be referred to acting teacher Christine Szigeti. Eventually, the then-brunette actress was accepted as a member of the troupe where she honed her impeccable deadpan delivery and comic timing.

By 1989, Kudrow had begun to make inroads as a guest actor on TV sitcoms, beginning with an appearance as a dizzy acting classmate of bartender Woody (Woody Harrelson) in an episode of “Cheers”. Roles on other shows such as the final episode of “Newhart”, “Coach” and a recurring part on “Bob” followed. The now bottle blonde Kudrow established her TV presence in the recurring role of the bumbling space cadet waitress Ursula on NBC’s “Mad About You”. After being fired from the role of radio producer Roz during the shooting of the pilot of “Frasier”, she bounced back by landing the star-making part of Phoebe Buffay, the loopy would-be folksinger and twin to Ursula, on the NBC sitcom “Friends” (1994-2004). Over the course of the show’s run, her character matured by seeking her birth mother and acting as surrogate mother to her brother. For her efforts, the actress received the Emmy Award as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1998 and earned additional nominations in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001.

Kudrow nearly made her big screen debut in Sandra Locke’s “Impulse” (1990) but her role ended on the proverbial cutting room floor. Her first released film was “The Unborn” (1991) and she subsequently appeared in a handful of largely forgettable features (e.g., “In the Heat of Passion” 1992). Kudrow landed her first important film role after her small screen success playing a pushy blind date to Albert Brooks in “Mother” (1996). The following year, “Clockwatchers” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and cast her as a promiscuous aspiring thespian working as an office temp alongside Parker Posey, Alanna Urbach and Toni Collette. Reprising a favorite stage role, she undertook a variation of her TV persona as half of a pair of underachievers who attend a class reunion in the uneven comedy “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion” (also 1997).

1998 brought Kudrow one of her best role to date as the repressed spinster Lucia (pronounced LOO-sha) in the superb black comedy “The Opposite of Sex”. Downplaying her looks by wearing little make-up and unflattering hairstyles and adopting a more reserved tone, she offered a well-rounded portrait of a woman stung by life’s disappointments, nearly stealing the film from its superlative cast that included Christina Ricci, Martin Donovan, Lyle Lovett and Ivan Sergei. Continuing her hot streak, Kudrow was tapped to play the wife of psychiatrist (Billy Crystal) treating a mobster (Robert De Niro) in the comedy “Analyze This” (1999), a role she reprised for the 2002 sequel, “Analyze That.” Her subsequent film roles in “Hanging Up” and “Lucky Numbers” (both 2000) both were unworthy of her talents and her turn as a woman who suffers a nervous breakdown and becomes convinced she’s a dog in “Bark” (2002) did not raise expectations, nor did the long-shelved comedy “Marci X” (2003), a critically reviled film that barely saw the light of day that cast Kudrow as the spoiled daughter of a record industry titan who becomes involved in his ignored hip-hop clients’ culture. But as she headed into the final season of her sit-com, Kudrow demonstrated her potent dramatic chops when she appeared in the dizzying but ultimately unsatisfying “Wonderland” (2003), playing Sharon Holmes, the estranged wife of porn legend John Holmes (Val Kilmer), who became embroiled in the real-life 1981 drug murders on Los Angeles’ Wonderland Avenue.

As “Friends” wound down to its final episode in 2004, Kudrow was perhaps the cast member best positioned to continue her career on the big screen in roles both comedic and dramatic. To the comedic end, she inked a pact with HBO and teamed with “Sex in the City” writer-producer Michael Patrick King to co-create “The Comeback” (2005 - ), a single camera, 30-minute comedy that cast Kudrow as Valerie Cherish, a neurotic, fading one-time sitcom star desperately hoping to revive her career with a new series while also having her return to primetime documented by a reality TV crew. Kudrow multi-tasked on the show as star, co-writer and producer and provided a knowing glimpse into fragile Hollywood egos, and the series had its admirers, though at times the character’s self-centered, desperate bid to reclaim stardom was, however well observed, more painful than funny. On the dramatic–or at least seriocomic–end, she reteamed with writer-director Roos for the ensemble film “Happy Endings” (2005) to tackle a part written specifically for her: Mamie, a tightly controlled woman whose teen dalliance with her step-brother resulted in her giving away her child, only to be confronted by a young wannabe filmmaker who claims to know her son’s identity and drawn into a elaborate scheme to obtain the information. Exploring her character’s sometimes absurd course of self-discovery, Kudrow delivered another sharply etched performance.

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