Creative Loafing presents Ed Loves Bacon

CoCo must have a lot of time (and money) on his hands because he just dropped some big news that will make his die hard fans pretty happy. Two hours ago, Conan O’Brien announced via Twitter that he’s packing up and taking his show on the road.

Hey Internet: I’m headed to your town on a half-assed comedy & music tour. Go to http://TeamCoco.com for tix. I repeat: It’s half-assed.

The “Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television” tour is scheduled for 30 cities across the U.S. and Canada next month. The tour kicks off in Eugene, Ore. April 12, and will end in Atlanta, Ga. at the Fox Theatre on June 14. Since the announcement earlier this morning, two new shows have already been added for the Chicago and New York show stop dates.

Conan has been flying under the radar since leaving his gig as the Tonight Show host in January. If you follow his posts on Twitter, you’d think he’s just been sitting around in his underwear (or sometimes naked) eating cereal and talking to squirrels in his backyard. Its good to know he’s put that big hairdo to good use and got a show together. According to the exit agreement with NBC, O’Brien cannot have another TV show until September so maybe let his fans know what his next steps will be on the final leg of his tour in Hotlanta.

Tickets for the tour went on sale on Ticketmaster this morning. According to the Ticketmaster’s website, price for the Atlanta, Ga. show range from $55 to $99 (price includes the Ticketmaster processing fees).

Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Holmes in the upcoming BBC series "Sherlock"

Okay, I have to admit I wasn’t a big fan of the new Sherlock Holmes film starring Robert Downey Jr. and Judd Law, so I was surprised to see this press release from the BBC announcing a new series entitled Sherlock is in the works. Just like the movie’s lead, this character just seems to get more breaks, jeez.

According to the release, BBC in a partnership with Masterpiece (yup the PBS one) plan to develop three new shows with one being an updated, modern spin on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s coke-toking super sleuth.

The thrilling new Sherlock series is a fast-paced, witty take on the legendary crime drama, now set in present day London and starring Benedict Cumberbatch (Atonement, The Last Enemy) as the eponymous detective. Martin Freeman (The Office UK, Hot Fuzz) plays his loyal friend, Doctor John Watson, and Rupert Graves (God on Trial, The Forsyte Saga) is Inspector Lestrade. Co-created by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who, Coupling, Jekyll) and Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentlemen, Crooked House), the iconic details from Arthur Conan Doyle’s original books remain: same address, same names-and somewhere out there, Moriarty is waiting.

The new series Sherlock was originally scripted and shot as a 60-minute drama. Late last year, BBC Drama optioned the series of three 90-minute episodes.

Mane Man: President Hassan (Anil Kapoor) survives a terrorist threat with hair intact this season on Fox’s 24.

I guess its safe to say Anil Kapoor has finally made his mark in America.  The 51 year old actor has been a leading man in his homeland of India for the past 30 years but he finally garnered the attention of American audiences as Prem Kumar, the charismatically slick host of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” in the Oscar winning film, Slumdog Millionaire back in 2008.

This season, Kapoor makes his American debut as well coiffed President Omar Hassan on the real time series, 24. This season’s timeline is set at the eve of a peace agreement between Hassan’s non-descript Middle Eastern country and the U.S.  Naturally someone wants to thwart the effort by assassinating a world leader, in this instance, Kapoor’s character, President Hassan. Recently, Kapoor discussed his Hollywood experience and his role on 24 with the press during a press conference.

24 airs on Monday nights at 9 p.m. on FOX.

I’ve seen in the episodes so far that Hassan’s a very standup guy.  Will we get to see over the course of the storyline what the problem is with his marriage and why he’s having an affair?

He is not exactly, actually it’s not an affair, but it’s a kind of relationship, which he feels is kind of like minor relationship and intellectually he believes that it’s more of a friendship, which there is possibility that might develop later on into a relationship, but it doesn’t.

Continue reading “Speakeasy with … Anil Kapoor” >>

As head coach Sue Sylvester on the hit show Glee, comedic actress Jane Lynch is the new queen of mean on prime time television. On the show, Lynch’s character is at war – set in an ongoing plot to put the cheerleader squad, the Cheerios back on top and squashing the upstart glee club squad and its advisor with extreme prejudice.

Last week , Lynch spoke with the press about teaching another type of lesson on a recent episode of The Cleveland Show. In the episode “Love Rollercoaster,” Lynch is substitute teacher Ms. Eck who plans to teach Roberta (Reagan Gomez-Preston) a valuable lesson about vanity and putting too much faith in outward appearances.

Glee returns with new episodes on its new night starting Tues. April 13 at 9 PM on Fox. The Cleveland Show airs Sundays at 9:30 PM on Fox. Episodes of both shows are available at Fox’s website or on Hulu.

I can’t believe someone with as many credits as you have has never done animation, is that true?

It’s not technically my debut, I have done a Holly Hobby series, a guest spot on cartoons. What was that one with the monkeys that go into space? Space Chimps, and I’m doing Shrek 4 right now too.

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For eight seasons America has sat glued to their televisions each week as judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and late comer, Kara DioGuardi shape the fate of finalists on American Idol. Now in its ninth season, the show is hoping to endure a series of controversies, shake-ups and new additions.

Loyal fans were shocked and saddened when Abdul announced prior to the season eight finale that she was leaving the show. Weeks later, comedian Ellen Degeneres confirmed rumors that she’s taking over the fourth chair at the judge’s table. And just yesterday, Cowell announced that this will be his final season as he sets plans to bring his other global hit, X Factor to America next year. Last Friday, Randy Jackson spoke with the press about the new season and shared his opinion on the issues surrounding the show.

American Idol’s two-part season premiere kicks off tonight, Tuesday at 8:00 PM featuring guest judge, Victoria Beckham.  Part two of the season premiere airs Wednesday at 8:00 PM with guest judge, Mary J. Blige.

W Hotel – Midtown (188 14th St., Atlanta, GA) will host an American Idol premiere viewing party tomorrow night starting at 7:00 PM. The party is open to the public. The hotel will feature specialty drinks and complimentary appetizers from Spice Market between 7-8 PM.

(Photo courtesy of Fox Television)

So we’ve seen on the cover of Entertainment Weekly that Ellen is calling Simon mean.  Is he really mean or is he just a big teddy bear behind the scenes?  Is this going to be ongoing?

Look, he’s not really mean.  I love his phrase.  You can quote his phrase, “I don’t mean to be rude, but.”  He’s honest from his perspective.  Sometimes it’s maybe a bit harsh, but some people call that real.  I don’t know if he’s meaner than he’s ever been.  I’m not sure I would call it mean.  I would just call it very stern.

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Last year we saw a significant increase in the number of 3D movies released in theaters and now that immersive technology in migrating to smaller screens. Chomping on the heels of Cameron’s Avatar billion dollar box office success story, ESPN and Discovery announce their getting into the game.

ESPN reported today they are launching the industry’s first 3D network. According to the statement,  ESPN 3D will air over 85 sporting events in its first  year starting with the FIFA World Cup on June 11. Other sporting events scheduled for the fledgling network include the BCS championship game, the Summer X Games and a series of college (not pro) basketball and football games (to be determined.)

ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer thinks this is an idea who’s time has come:

ESPN’s commitment to 3-D is a win for fans and our business partners. ESPN 3D marries great content with new technology to enhance the fan’s viewing experience and puts ESPN at the forefront of the next big advance for TV viewing.

ESPN has been tinkering with 3D sport broadcast for two years now. Last year, they aired the San Diego Chargers-Los Angeles Raiders game in select theaters, inviting the sports press to evaluate the experience.  In January ESPN broadcasted the BCS college-football championship game to paying customers in over 80 3D-equipped theaters. Similarly, last February, Turner Sports partnered with the NBA to broadcast the live All-Star Saturday skills competition in 3D.

Sports isn’t the only arena for this new technology. Discovery announced today that they have partnered with IMAX and Sony to create a new 3D entertainment network. Discovery 3D is slated to launch in 2011 and will feature a mix of sports, entertainment and natural history programming.

All of these announcements coincide with the annual International Consumer Electrionics Showcase which starts Thursday, Jan. 7 in Las Vegas.  According to the official CES website over 50 exhibitors including Sony, Hyundai and Panasonic will be promoting showcasing new 3D technologies for the home. You can follow all the announcements and antics from CES on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube starting Thursday afternoon.

Marathons:

Who doesn’t like a good marathon?

If you like comedy:
Three Stooges (AMC)
South Park (Comedy Central)
Rosanne (TV Land)
The Nanny (NICK)

Remember back in the day when  there were only a few bowl games. You’d awaken from your hangover, eat breakfast watch parades and then saunter over to the sofa – snacks in hand, to spend the remainder of the day watching bowl games and getting re-drunk. Back then you only had four that mattered: the Orange Bowl (Miami, Fla.), the Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, La.), the Fiesta Bowl (Tempe, Ariz.) and the Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.). Nowadays you have a grand total of 34 different bowl games with corporate names like the Beef ‘O’ Brady St. Petersburg Bowl (seriously) to fill out the bowl-tourney season.

The bowl series which previously kicked off on New Year’s Eve have now stretched from Dec., 19 through to the BCS Championship – Rose Bowl on Jan., 7. While some games have already been played, there’s still a butt load of tourneys for you to veg out over. Here’s a list of all bowl games including recently played games and upcoming scheduled match-ups.

After this tournament season, I hope the POTUS makes headway to change the way the BCS handles bowl games. I’ve grown tired of trying to figure out their alchemic methods for bowl pairings and ranking system.

Go [insert your school mascot name here] !!!

Schedule courtesy of ESPN.com

On Christmas Eve, The Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder announced that he has confirmed an airdate for his animated series to return to Adult Swim on Cartoon Network for its third season. The popular show has been on hiatus for over two years. McGruder posted the following message on Twitter Thursday afternoon:

Finally got an airdate for Season 3. Not sure if I’m allowed to put it out yet, so I’ll just say you got about three months! Merry Xmas!!

The Boondocks follows the misadventures of Huey Freeman (voiced by Regina King) his younger brother Riley (also voiced by Regina King) and grandfather Robert (John Witherspoon), a dysfunctional black family who move from urban Chicago to the upscale suburban neighborhood of Woodcrest, Maryland outside of Washington D.C. The controversial series has been nominated several awards and won the coveted Peabody Award for the episode “The Return of The King”, an alternate reality episode where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr awakens from a coma after a failed assassination attempt to discover the new world and the corruption of his efforts for civil rights.

I wish I could take credit for compiling this impressive list of mid-season television shows, but the busy interns at Entertainment Weekly helped to create it. EW published their version a few weeks ago on Michael Ausiello’s blog.

In case you’re lost (get it) on tv’s best bets, I’ve made it easy for you – all the good shows are in red. There’s a few new shows premiering early 2010 as well, I’ve listed them in blue. To bone up on useless television news, I’ve included a few tidbits on some of the shows as well, just look for the asterick (*).

Friday, Jan. 1
Star Wars: The Clone Wars returns (Cartoon Network), 8 PM
* The award-winning series returns with two back-to-back episodes, “Grievous Intrigue” and  “The Deserter”

Saturday, Jan. 2
New series Demons premieres (BBCA), 10 PM
* A young Rupert Galvin (Philip Glenister) discovers he’s the great-great grandson of legendary vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing of Dracula fame and sets out to reluctantly fulfill his destiny.

Sunday, Jan. 3
Desperate Housewives returns (ABC), 9 PM
Brothers and Sisters returns (ABC), 10 PM

Monday, Jan. 4
The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love premieres (ABC), 8 PM
The Secret Life of the American Teenager returns (ABC Family), 8 PM
Heroes returns (NBC), 8 pm (moves back to 9 PM on Jan. 11)
* Heroes moves on without central character Nathan Patrelli (Adrian Pasdar). Pasdar decided to leave the show, his character was killed off in the story line this year.
Make It or Break It returns (ABC Family), 9 PM

Tuesday, Jan. 5
NCIS returns (CBS), 8 PM
New season of The Biggest Loser premieres (NBC), 8 PM
NCIS: Los Angeles returns (CBS), 9 PM
The Good Wife returns (CBS), 10 PM

Wednesday, Jan. 6
Mercy returns (NBC), 8 PM
Law & Order: SVU (NBC), 9 PM
Modern Family returns (ABC), 9 PM
Friday Night Lights returns (DirecTV 101), 9 PM
* If you don’t have DirectTV, you can watch full episodes online at CastTV.com
Cougar Town returns (ABC), 9:30 PM
Ugly Betty returns (ABC), 10 PM (new night)
* This show has been bounced around as ABC tries to regain the shows audience. Audience numbers dropped off the deep end when the show was moved to Fridays.
Final season of Nip/Tuck premieres (FX), 10 PM
* Nip/Tuck will end their series with its 100th episode airing Mar. 3

Friday, Jan. 8
Ghost Whisperer returns (CBS), 8 PM
Medium returns (CBS), 9 PM
Numb3rs returns (CBS), 10 PM
* According to Entertainment Weekly, CBS only ordered six episodes of the series so expect these to be the show’s last.

Sunday, Jan. 10
New season of Big Love premieres (HBO), 10 PM
* Don’t have HBO, watch full episodes of the series on TVDuck.com
New season of Chuck premieres (NBC), 9 PM

Monday, Jan. 11
Chuck settles into regular 8 pm timeslot
House returns (FOX), 8 pm
How I Met Your Mother returns (CBS), 8 PM
Accidentally on Purpose returns (CBS), 8:30 PM
Two and a Half Men returns (CBS), 9 PM
The Big Bang Theory returns (CBS), 9:30 PM
CSI: Miami returns (CBS), 10 PM
Castle returns (ABC), 10 pm

Tuesday, Jan. 12
New season of American Idol premieres (FOX), 8 PM
* Out with the old and in with the new. New Idol judge Ellen Degeneres joins the table replacing Paula Abdul after she left the show when contract negotiations broke down.
Southland returns to television (TNT), 10 PM
* After a quick stint on NBC, the critically-acclaimed, but overlooked show has moved to “We Know Drama” TNT.

Wednesday, Jan. 13
The New Adventures of Old Christine returns (CBS), 8 p.m.
Gary Unmarried returns (CBS), 8:30 p.m.
Criminal Minds returns (CBS), 9 p.m.
CSI: NY returns (CBS), 10 p.m.
Leverage returns (TNT), 10 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 14
Bones returns (FOX), 8 PM
Community returns (NBC), 8 PM
Parks and Recreation returns (NBC), 8:30 PM
30 Rock returns with back-to-back episodes (NBC), 9 PM
CSI returns (CBS), 9 PM
Fringe returns (Fox), 9 PM
Grey’s Anatomy returns (ABC), 9 PM
Private Practice returns (ABC), 10 PM
New season of Project Runway premieres (Lifetime), 10 PM
The Mentalist returns (CBS), 10 PM

Sunday, Jan. 17
24 four-hour, two-night premiere part 1 (FOX), 9 PM

Monday, Jan. 18
One Tree Hill returns (The CW), 8 PM
Life UneXpected (The CW), 9 PM
24 four-hour, two-night premiere part 2 (FOX), 8 PM

Tuesday, Jan. 19
White Collar returns (USA), 10 PM

Wednesday, Jan. 20
New season of Being Erica premieres (SOAPnet), 10 PM

Thursday, Jan. 21
The Vampire Diaries (The CW), 8 PM
Supernatural returns (The CW), 9 PM
The Office returns (NBC), 9 PM
Burn Notice returns (USA), 10 PM

Friday, Jan. 22
Smallville returns (The CW), 8 PM
New series Caprica premieres (Syfy), 9 PM
* Now that Syfy’s critically acclaimed series Battlestar Galactica is over, they’re taking fans back to the beginning with a prequel series to explain how they got there in the first place by exposing the birth of the cylons.

Monday, Jan. 25
Damages returns (FX), 10 PM
Greek returns (ABC Family), 10 PM

Wednesday, Jan. 27
Psych returns (USA), 10 PM

Tuesday, Feb. 2
Final season of Lost premieres (ABC), 9 PM
* Look for analysis of the final season in CL’s Televangelist column online.

Monday, March 1
Parenthood premieres (NBC), 9 PM
* Craig T. Nelson returns to the small screen in this dramedy based on the movie of same name from 1989. Could this be NBCs answer to Modern Family, we’ll see.

Thursday, March 4
FlashForward returns (ABC), 8 PM

Monday, March 8
Gossip Girl returns (The CW), 8 PM

Tuesday, March 9
90210 returns (The CW), 8 PM
Melrose Place returns (The CW), 9 PM

Monday, March 22
New season of Nurse Jackie premieres (Showtime), 10 PM
* Don’t have Showtime, watch full episodes of the show online at watchnursejackie.com.
New season of United States of Tara premieres (Showtime), 10:30 PM
* Don’t have Showtime, watch full episodes of the show online at Yidio.

Tuesday, March 30
V returns (ABC), 10 PM
* According to numerous reports, this show was taken back to the drawing board and given a major overhaul.

Monday, April 12
Final season of The Tudors premieres (Showtime), 9 PM
* Don’t have Showtime, watch full episodes of the show online at Watchthetudors.com

Tuesday, April 13
Glee returns (FOX), 9 PM
* You’ve downloaded the songs and purchased the soundtrack now Glee Vol. One: Road to the Sectionals is available on DVD (12/29). If that’s not enough, keep on the lookup for the upcoming Glee tour some time in 2010.

Special Events
The Simpsons 20^th Anniversary Special: in 3-D! on Ice! (FOX), Jan. 10. at 8:30 PM
The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards (NBC), on Jan. 17
Dollhouse series finale (FOX), Jan. 22 at 9 PM
16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (TNT/TBS), Jan. 23
Smallville: Absolute Justice TV movie (CW), Feb. 5 at 8 PM
Superbowl XLIV (CBS), Feb. 7 at 7 PM
Winter Olympics (NBC), Feb. 12-28