Television Archive

MSN struck a deal with Fox to syndicate the comedy Arrested Development on the MSN portal.  It will be interesting to see if more shows eventually end up with a (legit) home on the internet.

The brilliant and short-lived comedy Arrested Development received an Emmy nomination (it was nominated all three years and won in 2004) this morning.  If there were any question that the execs at FOX don't know jack squat this should end any doubt. 

In other Emmy news the still kicking The Office and Steve Carell were both nominated as well. Huzzah! One interesting note about the comedy category this year... only one nominated show had a laugh track (Two and a Half Men). Sleep well, lovers of good comedy: there is hope. 

Complete list of 2006 Emmy Nominees can be found here.

An odd website has people submit pictures of Conan O'Brien in some sort of conflict with a bear.  Who will be the first to submit pixel art?

http://www.conanvsbear.com/

Dang,  I always find out about these cool Los Angeles events after the fact.   Apparently, there was an "estate sale" for Arrested Development where you could buy props used on the show last week.  I'll always wonder how much Gob's puppet Franklin fetched at auction (or if it was even up for bidding).

Two of the finest voice actors ever playing off each other in a terrific Conan O'Brien interview.  A must see. 

I just watched Serenity last night to wrap up my Firefly journey and I happened to stumble upon this MSN list of the top 10 cancelled TV shows (here's E! Online's list.).  It got me thinking... a lot of my favorite shows seem to get cancelled right quick.  In fact, I have enough favorite dead shows to make my own top 10 list. How sad.

10) Playmakers - Way too melodramatic and I'm not really a football fan, but entertaining nonetheless.
9) Action - Jay Mohr always comes off as a colossal prick so watching him play a super-sleaze producer (thx Manko Jinko) exposing the seamy underbelly of Hollywood seemed perfectly natural.
8) The State - The 90s MTV sketch comedy show had an unbelievably funny cast.  The excellent Reno 911 is loaded with State alum.  
7) Twin Peaks -  Weird, sad, funny and just freaking creepy.  Good stuff.  
6) Firefly - Genuinely funny and fun Sci-Fi with a great cast and a unique take on the future.

Read the full post...

Pop on over to the A.V. Club to read an interview with Matt Groening and Simpsons Quotes For Everyday Use.

This is a week late, but if you don't read The Onion you don't know any better anyway.

The UK produced live action opening of The Simpsons will be appearing on this Sunday's episode on Fox.  Another worthy note and UK connection is that Ricky Gervais (the genius behind The Office) wrote and lends his voice for the episode.  Bless them red coats.

Billy West, voice of Fry and a zillion others on Futurama, posted on his forum that they are working on a deal to make new Futurama episodes. 

Goody goody gum drops.

What a brilliant contest. Sci Fi Channel is looking for people to dress up as their own original super hero characters for a new TV show. The winner gets fame and glory as well as getting to have their own comic book produced by Marvel Comics under Stan Lee.

"Finalists will leave their former lives behind and live as their brainchild heroes 24/7, all under Stan Lee’s watchful eye.  Each week, our aspiring heroes will be challenged with competitions designed to test their true Superhero abilities. "

If only I lived in America. I'd be able to dress up as my own hero Black Hole (plug intended).

Old news perhaps, but this little website is a delight for anyone who's a fan of the comedy of Ricky Gervais aka David Brent from award winning British comedy The Office.

Read all about Gervais' 80's new romantic band 'Seona Dancing' and listen to a couple of sample tunes. It's great just to see the photo comparison. Ricky looks more like David Bowie than David Brent! 

Borat's "home" country is getting sick and tired of their portrayal on Da Ali G Show apparently.  I'm sure their booming tourism industry is really suffering from Borat's pranks.

Here's a link directly to the Kazakhstan suit article.

Bah, decent TV can't seem to stay on the air.  Arrested Development is getting the shaft from Fox (the network that cancelled Family Guy prematurely).  It's worth checking out this Arrested Development Season 2 DVD rant by David Cross blasting Fox for not being able to market an Emmy award winning show.

Ricky Gervais, the comedic genius behind 'The Office', has another BBC show out and it's coming to HBO this Sunday (Sept. 25th). It's a show about extras (the background people in movies and TV shows) and you can see a few clips from season one on the Ricky Gervais website and the official Extras HBO site here.

Borat's certainly got a lot in store for us this upcoming season... first he gets thrown out of a rodeo and then he crashes Pamela Anderson's dog wedding?  Gotta love da Ali G.

Dog wedding info found on chrisdiclerico.com.

Charlie Murphy, one of the stars of the Chappelle Show says that the show is over.  A huge comedy hit flames out in just two seasons -- how the hell did that happen?  It's a damn shame.

Click here to find out more about the end and read a suprisingly apt comparison between Tupac and the show by Charlie Murphy.

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

For those who have been missing Family Guy since it's cancelation after only 3 seasons, buckle up... because it's coming back with a new season this Sunday 9/8c ON FOX! Immediately following will be the second episode of the all new American Dad (by the creators of Family Guy).

In the words of Quagmire: Giggidy-goo... allll right!

http://www.fox.com/familyguy/

http://www.fox.com/americandad/