Forget biopics and The Theater: Viral videos are the new frontier for actors who want to prove they're not run-of-the-mill thespians stuck in an ensemble world. Jim Parsons, the pop-eyed star of The Big Bang Theory, plays over 30 different characters in this cancer awareness PSA called "Up2 You + Me," whose title alone makes me want to rave un2 the year 2000. Caution: The level of acting here is somewhere between Peter Sellers and Eddie Murphy, but I can't say for sure where.
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While David Letterman's fast-and-loose broadcast Monday night ("Where's Drew Brees? Oh? The Lincoln Tunnel? What are we doing now? Top-10 list, ladies and gentlemen!") paid only glancing tribute to his already legendary Super Bowl commercial, his friend-turned-rival-turned-collaborator Jay Leno wasn't quite as coy in recalling the top-secret behind-the-scenes details. In a short aside during his penultimate 10 p.m. broadcast, Leno walked viewers through the strategy, subterfuge and image-salvaging dynamics of his stunning reunion with his "old friend."
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· Fox executives are in the preliminary stages of planning Jack Bauer's feature film crossover, but before they push forward, they are waiting to see how 24 performs the next few weeks. Based on those ratings, the network will either extend the series into a ninth season or hit the gas on the 24 movie with the help of Flightplan scribe Billy Ray. The rumored setting of Jack Bauer's film foray: Europe. There's no word yet on how filmgoers will respond to a 24-hour movie; test results are expected sometime soon. [EW]
Paul Reiser returns to NBC, another Friday Night Lights alum finds work, and more TV Bites after the jump.
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After 29 years, MTV has finally slashed the "Music Television" from its name. The change was long overdue, considering that by 2008, the network was only playing three hours of music videos per day, a number that plunged even further once Total Request Live went off the air. MTV also altered their logo slightly (at left) while their sister network, VH1, is sticking by its slogan "Very Humiliating." [THR]
"How great was Undercover Boss last night?" -- what absolutely no one in America said today.
After four hours of football, new commercials, and sodium-based snacks, Americans can stomach anything, which explains Undercover Boss's gargantuan audience last night. At 38.6 million viewers, it became the most-watched Super Bowl lead-out since 2001. While that's certainly a feat for any new series, CBS shouldn't let that figure go to its head. Undercover Boss may have provided adequate thrills for the bloated and drunk couch-surfers last night, but it's not something that self-respecting viewers will be returning to anytime soon. Here are four reasons why:
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This morning, Howard Stern sent shivers through the parents of tweens nationwide with confirmation that he is considering replacing Simon Cowell as head judge on American Idol. Stern, whose five-year, $500 million contract with Sirius Radio expires at the end of this year, seemed excited at the prospect of leaving radio, declaring, "There's not a better job on the planet than judging that f***ing karaoke contest." After deciding on-air that he would probably take the job for $100 million (for four months of taping), the King of All Media discussed how he would bulldoze the franchise many viewers have grown to love and resurrect a new, Stern-friendly version in its place (beware, Ellen and Ryan). Click through for the the complete audio, as well as Stern's desired changes.
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If you happened to watch last night's explosively rated football explosion, you undoubtedly caught on to a motif that permeated the night's 50+ commercials: manliness. Dudes did everything in the new Super Bowl ads, from playing football to ogling Megan Fox to pitying their own lives, and luckily, where there are one-sided representations of gender roles, there are lessons to be had. Tear open your shirt and drive hard with us through five of the night's machismo-exalting ads.
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Last night's Super Bowl may have been a sentimental victory for New Orleans, but let's take a moment to honor the other disaster survivors who celebrated a win: David Letterman and Jay Leno. Both parties, recovering from a year of scandal and weeks of monologue warfare, shocked viewers by appearing side-by-side (well, with Oprah lodged in between) for a spot promoting the Late Show with David Letterman. The commercial, which easily trumped anything starring a Simpsons character or even a mud-soaked Betty White, "wasn't done to help Dave or to help Jay" but "to entertain people," maintained Late Show producer Rob Burnett, shortly after the commercial aired last night. Regardless of Burnett's statement, the ad was obviously a boon for both Letterman and Leno -- but which host came out on top of this PR goldmine? Movieline analyzes the power plays after the jump.
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In an era of splintered viewership and hundreds of channels, the Super Bowl has managed something remarkable -- it's actually set all-time records each of the last two years. Yesterday's game pulled in a 46.4 households rating and 68 share, up 10% from last year's game and, potentially, the only entertainment program other than the M.A.S.H. finale to win over 100 million viewers. (UPDATE: It surpassed even that!) Let me break it down for you: This country has now seen enough talking babies in advertisements that if you laid them end to end, you could reach Saturn. Bravo. [THR]
This is precisely the kind of shameless thing celebrities say to get pullquoted on Web sites, so I guess consider January Jones's mission accomplished in foretelling the imminent end of Mad Men. "It may be the last one," Jones was quoted as saying about the series' upcoming fourth season, which begins shooting in April. "I'm a firm believer in quitting while it's hot. Besides, it can't go on for ever: I don't want to see Betty in Spandex in the 1980s." Fine -- but what about seeing Joan Holloway Harris in Spandex? Eh? Now who's hoping for season 28? [Stella via ONTD]
· Congratulations to Daniel Dae Kim for being the first Lost star to book a new series. The actor will continue his island living with a leading role in the Tiffany network's Hawaii Five-O remake. Kim will play Detective Chin Ho Kelly, the sidekick role originally filled by Kam Fong. Three Rivers star Alex O'Loughlin is said to be in talks for the part of Detective Steve McGarrett. The remake hails from Fringe co-creators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. [Reuters]
Michael Chiklis exercises his superpowers, Sheryl Crow visits Cougar Town, and more TV Bites after the jump.
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I'm playing by the rules this week, sympathizing with our readers who haven't watched last night's episode yet, and not posting the name of the eliminated Project Runway contestant until after the jump. In our interview, learn how the newest castoff feels about Tim Gunn, the contestant he/she believes should've gone home, and the Runway legend he/she currently lives with!
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It may not be the full-blown Sunshine Cab Company reunion that they've been praying for, but tonight's episode of Numb3rs might be the closest Taxi fans come to realizing their dream since those strange Man in the Moon scenes. Tune in tonight as Alex and Elaine, er, Judd Hirsch and Marilu Henner, pair up for a glitzy episode of CBS's math drama.
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Project Runway took a near-philanthropic turn this week, staging a challenge that honored women affected by heart disease, and a runway show that shamed them to the nation. Shiny red dresses? Tacky Campbell's Soup iconography? The honorary models looked like reject Ace-flippers from Card Sharks, and I'm talking about the seizure-appropriate Bob Eubanks edition. Also, amid all the heart disease awareness, someone forgot to tell Bunim-Murray that this episode had an acute case of This Is Goddamn Boring. Time to tear it up!
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Remember back in the fall when TLC fired Jon Gosselin from Jon & Kate Plus Eight and Gosselin retaliated by shutting down production, citing child exploitation? And then TLC retaliated by suing Gosselin for breach of contract? Well, now it seems as though the Ed Hardy has fully seeped into Gosselin's blood stream because he is offering to return his kids to the cameras if TLC drops their charges. [Radar]
