We’ve all heard TV shows described as being “on the bubble” when it comes to this time of year, but what is it like for the cast of one of these series? We talk to Eliza Coupe and Elisha Cuthbert on how the cast of HAPPY ENDINGS is handing the waiting game for a renewal from ABC. Plus rumors on the JLA movie, a speed up on the FF movie and why eBay has decided that RACHEL RISING is the next WALKING DEAD.
ABC’sHAPPY ENDINGS has always been the “little show that could”. Surviving a first season cancellation, and now ending a third with an uncertain future. We talk to stars Elisha Cuthbert and Eliza Coupe about how things are on the set – with two new episodes airing tonight (8pm ET) on ABC. Plus more on the unorthodox methods of the guys on DEEP SPACE PARANORMAL, and can it be true? HEROES coming back to TV?
Hauntings aren’t contained to just spooky castles or forests. SyFy has added a new member to their ghost-hunting line up of shows with DEEP SOUTH PARANORMAL, looking at the scary part of Dixie. Jonathan Hodges and Keith Ramsey explain their unique method to the art of ghost-busting, plus more with David Goyer and Tom Riley on what we can expect from DAVINCI’S DEMONS in the weeks to come, and here comes CUJO again.
I was something of an odd kid growing up so it may have made sense that I liked odd comedians. My memory was that I was the only person in our household who liked Ernie Kovacs; I must have been about 7 or 8 when his TV show was on. I thought he was funny and just so damn strange.
The same must be said as well for Jonathan Winters who died Thursday at the age of 87. A remarkable improviser, he could become anyone or anything. Hand him a prop or a hat and he could do four or five characters one after the other, morphing from one to the next in a heartbeat. Famously, Jack Paar just gave him a stick and Winters turned in character after character , including a terrific imitation of Bing Crosby.
I have a memory of Winters on The Jack Parr Show simply taking it over. Parr couldn’t get him to shut up or get off the stage. Parr was one of many many comedians or entertainers who were huge Winters’ fans. Robin Williams really owes his career to him. He pops in on this interview that 60 Minutes did with Winters and it’s fun not only to see the two riffing together but also for some of the serious insights that Winters gave on comedy and being a comedian.
What may be interesting to ComicMix readers is that he studied cartooning at Dayton Art Institute, meeting Eileen Schauder who would become his wife. Makes sense to me; his act often had him becoming a living cartoon.
He was also upfront about his stays in a private psychiatric hospital for manic depression which was brave and may have cost him. You could dismiss his act as that of someone too wired and a bit crazy instead of as the comedic genius it was.
There’s so many ways you may have encountered Jonathan Winters. He was an actor as well as a comedian. One of my favorite films that he made was The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming playing as police deputy that may have been related to Barney Fife. More manic but not more competent. He was also one of the few things that was watchable in the comedic gang bang, It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. He was the white suited garbage man on Heft commercials who had a refined accent and pronounced garbage as “gahrbaj” – which I still use myself on occasion.
Winters, being a cartoon himself, also voiced cartoons, voicing Grandpa Smurf. Among the others were Tiny Toons Adventures (where he once voiced Superman!) and Fish Police – based on the comic book – doing Mayor Cod.
One of the most surreal (and with Jonathan Winters, that’s saying a lot) series of appearances was on Mork and Mindy where Winters was the son to Robin William’s Mork. As you may recall, Mork was an alien and his race aged backwards. It gave Williams a chance to work with his idol. It must have been easy to script; just point the two of them in a general direction and turn them loose.
One of Winters’ best known characters was Maudie Frickert who looked a bit like Whistler’s Mother and talked like Mae West. Maudie appeared everywhere, on all the variety shows, on the Tonight Show (Johnny Carson’s Aunt Blabby was, shall we say, a “direct descendent” of Maudie), and any place on TV that you can think. She had a career of her own. Maudie was just one of several recurring characters that Winters created.
When Jonathan Winters died this last week, all those characters, all those voices, died with him. They still live on videos and I encourage you to check YouTube and other places on the webby-web for them. He was an original, an antic mind, and with his death the world is a little less funny at a time when we need a few more real laughs.
Television has been blessed with the reinvention of two icons. Carlton Cuse (LOST) talks about the choices he made in rebooting PSYCHO as BATES MOTEL, plus David Goyer (DARK KNIGHT, MAN OF STEEL) and his cast share the challenges faced on reintroducing the masses to Leonardo Da Vinci in DA VINCI’S DEMONS (premiering tonight at 10pm ET on Starz). Also, Robyn Schneider (@robinschneider) talks the latest DOCTOR WHO and the CW bails on THE CULT.
The buzz on the massive third-person shooter video game and TV show, DEFIANCE, has been generating for almost a year. Now with the premiere days away (Monday 4/15 on SyFy), we get more details from the set, by way of actress Julie Benz (“Amanda”) . Also 42 THE TRUE STORY OF AN AMERICAN LEGEND opens in theaters this week, and breakout star, Chadwick Boseman along with Harrison Ford, talk about how they helped bring Jackie Robinson back to life. Oh yeah, and another good month in the comic stores – thanks to Marvel!
It’s not quite the way Stan would write it. Super Villain vs Super Hero and the result – somebody gets pregnant. Meet Jourdan Gibson (aka “DarkStar”) star of SUPER KNOCKED-UP, a red hot web series already in its second season. Plus more with Brian Fuller on bringing HANNIBAL to network TV, and Robyn Schneider returns to start Talking Dr Who again.
The much anticipated HANNIBAL has finally made it to NBC, but fans are wondering how this version differs from the books and movies that we all know. Executive Producer Brian Filler and actor Hugh Dancy (“Will”) tackle that topic and more. Plus The Rocketeer meets The Spirit, cable ratings have a great weekend and we finally get to see the original STAR WARS.
Here’s a new image from Disney’s forthcoming Planes feature. Details, for those not yet in the know, below:
Genre: Animation/Adventure
Rating: TBD
Release Date: August 9, 2013
Voice Cast: Dane Cook
Director: Klay Hall
Producer: Traci Balthazor-Flynn
From above the world of “Cars” comes “Disney’s Planes,” an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure featuring Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), a plane with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer. But Dusty’s not exactly built for racing—and he happens to be afraid of heights. So he turns to a seasoned naval aviator who helps Dusty qualify to take on the defending champ of the race circuit. Dusty’s courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights he never dreamed possible, giving a spellbound world the inspiration to soar. “Disney’s Planes” takes off in theaters on Aug. 9, 2013.
From above the world of “Cars,” “Disney’s Planes” is an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure about Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), a plane whose high-flying dream gives a spellbound world the inspiration to soar.
OFFICIAL BOILERPLATE:
From above the world of “Cars” comes “Disney’s Planes,” an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure featuring Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), a plane with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer. But Dusty’s not exactly built for racing—and he happens to be afraid of heights. So he turns to a seasoned naval aviator who helps Dusty qualify to take on the defending champ of the race circuit. Dusty’s courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights he never dreamed possible, giving a spellbound world the inspiration to soar. “Disney’s Planes” takes off in theaters on Aug. 9, 2013. For more information, check out Disney.com/Planes, like us on Facebook: facebook.com/DisneyPlanes and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/DisneyPictures.
This weekend a new indy comedy open is several major U.S. cities. FAMILY WEEKEND stare Kristen Chenoweth, Matthew Modine plus producer/co-star Adam Russo who gives us an exclusive look at the new film. Plus there’s a lot more than gold in those hills! Meet Steve Brancato and Amanda Adkins from PROSPECTORS, a new series on The Weather Channel about digging for real riches – and DC’s Bad Guys get their own documentary.
