Quote Of The Day: Ricky Gervais Might Take Crack
“I’m used to having to write or direct or come up with ideas, but nobody needs me to do that on this movie. So I think I might start taking crack.”
-Ricky Gervais on his latest movie, Ghost Town
Emmy Still Laughing at Jenna, Vanessa, But Jaime’s Name Is Mud
This is shaping up to be not much of a year for Emmy repeats (unless James Spader runs away with it again).
My Name Is Earl star Jaime Pressly, who was named Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy in 2007, has been left off the shortlist of female laugh-inducers who stand a chance of hearing their names announced July 17, when the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences reveals all the nominees for the 59th Prime-Time Emmy Awards.
Meanwhile, the competition Pressly beat out last year has made the cut, according to another top-secret list obtained by the L.A. Times’ Gold Derby blog.
But Pressly’s in good company. Also in no danger of repeating last year’s glory is Lost’s Terry O’Quinn, Grey’s Anatomy’s Katherine Heigl and Extras’ Ricky Gervais, who apparently can’t stand to do more than two seasons of a critically acclaimed series.
Whether the writers’ strike left Pressly without a golden moment this season is a valid question, but Emmy voters obviously found enough to like in scenes belonging to 10 other actressesall of whom (minus Weeds’ Elizabeth Perkins), it should be noted, honed their craft on broadcast networks, while all of the other major acting categories have ventured almost equally into the nether regions of cable.
Returning to the list are Perkins, Two and a Half Men’s Conchata Ferrell and Holland Taylor, Ugly Betty’s Vanessa Williams and The Office’s Jenna Fischer.
Other familiar faces being considered include 30 Rock’s Jane Krakowski (who seemingly had a lot less to do in season two, but whatever), Ugly Betty’s Judith Light and Saturday Night Live’s Amy Poehler (sketch show performers have been moved form the variety/musical mix to the sitcom crowd).
Pushing Daisies’ Kristin Chenoweth and Samantha Who?’s Jean Smart round out the list.
Meaning, no Emmy love (again) for Desperate Housewives’ Nicollette Sheridan or (surprisingly) her new neighbor, Dana Delany; no change of fortune for Ugly Betty’s Ashley Jensen (who at least should have been nominated for Extras last year); no extra recognition for Pushing Daisies’ eccentric, aquatic aunts, Swoosie Kurtz and Ellen Greene; and another thankless season for Monk’s girl Friday Traylor Howard.
Speaking of dipping into the cable pot, check out this list of contenders for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama:
- Keith Carradine, Dexter (Showtime)
- Charles Durning, Rescue Me (FX)
- Danny Glover, Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
- Robert Morse, Mad Men (AMC)
- Peter O’Toole, The Tudors (Showtime)
- Oliver Platt, Nip-Tuck (FX)
- Peter Riegert, Damages (FX)
- Stanley Tucci, ER (NBC)
- Glynn Turmann, In Treatment(HBO)
- Robin Williams, Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
Casting Couch: Special Guest for Stiller, Roth Hits Small Screen, Gillian Anderson Has Write Stuff
As if Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams and Ricky Gervais didn’t provide enough kid-friendly comic power the first time around, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is turning the funny all the way up to 11.
The thinking man’s funnyman, Christopher Guest, is bringing his comedy chops to the blockbuster sequel, signing on to star as Ivan the Terrible.
The original’s stars are all back, as is new addition Bill Hader, who will play Gen. George Custer.
Reno 911 short-short wearer Thomas Lennon, who copenned the first film as well as the sequel, will also take a turn in front of the camera this time around, playing one of the Wright brothers alongside his cowriter and fellow member of Reno’s small-screen finest, Robert Ben Garant.
Shooting will take place in Vancouver and at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.
In other casting news:
- Hulk nemesis Tim Roth is making his inaugural jump to the boob tube to star in Lie to Me, a Fox series the network has already picked up for a 13-episode run to premiere in early 2009. Roth will play Dr. Cal Lightman, a human lie detector who specializes in the art of “deception detection.” Bad guys beware.
- Get a load of this: Six Feet Under’s Frances Conroy has joined the cast of Manure. Conroy will play the longtime secretary to the head of a troubled manure company. Billy Bob Thornton, Téa Leoni and Kyle MacLachlan also star in the comedy-satire being filmed in Santa Clarita.
- War, what is it good for? Some epic movies, if nothing else. Gillian Anderson is set to star in and produce a biopic of trailblazing female war journalist Martha Gellhorn, who, among her professional travails, also suffered through a failed marriage to Ernest Hemingway. The film will be based on Caroline Moorehead’s 2004 bio of the writer, Gellhorn: A Twentieth-Century Life, and will be written by The Edge of Love scribe (and Keira Knightley’s mother) Sharman Macdonald.
- English Patient star Kristin Scott Thomas will make her Broadway debut in this fall’s revival of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull. She’ll play the troubled actress Arkandina opposite Peter Sarsgaard. Previews begin Sept. 16 and the curtain goes up Oct. 1 at the Walter Kerr Theatre.
Steve Carell is the boss for three more seasons
The title says it all. According to the blog of The Office co-creator Ricky Gervais, Steve Carell has signed on to play Michael Scott for three more seasons.
Gervais follows up the announcement by saying “He is the hardest working man in Hollywood and the harder he works the better it is for me. I mean… well done Steve you are wonderful.”
Gervais also mentions “We are also working on a spinoff series of The American Office but I can’t tell you anything about that yet.”
Mr. Carell victoriously performed the herculean task of taking someone else’s role and making it his own (well, the original character was named David Brent, but you know what I mean). Given the success of his movie efforts, he could easily ditch his television show and go full-time into film roles. Bravo to him for remembering where he came from and not taking Michael Scott away from his adoring fans.
[via themovingpicture.net]