Breaking Glee News: The Producers Don't Know What They're Doing

So smug... you probably think this blog is about you, don't you?

I feel there might be a reason that Ryan Murphy may be the token spokesperson from the producer end of the show, and that reason is so he can be the one and only person to keep track of what he tells the media, so as to not backtrack or misrepresent the show. This happened during a Comic Con panel, when Brad Falchuk—the poor man’s Ryan Murphy—insisted that (contrary to what Murphy had said in an interview) Lea Michele, Cory Monteith and Chris Colfer were in fact NOT leaving the show. Silly us, for not realizing that graduation (as is typical on most television shows) didn’t in fact mean they were leaving the show. I guess they’ll just be those graduated high schoolers that stick around, visiting old teachers and attending talent shows as a means to “support the school” when really it’s just because they have nothing else going on in their life. That’ll be fun to watch…

This is just one of many examples where the producers, who feel necessary to share innate details of future plot lines, characters, and the like, go out of their way to share a spoilery bit of information, but then completely take it back or change what they had originally intended once met with an internet firestorm of judgment. A simple solution to this vicious cycle would be to stay close-lipped, as most television shows do so as to preserve some sense of mystery in the content, and reveal only vague story lines such as “we’re going to be jumping ahead 3 months”. Time and time again the producers of Glee reveal some life-or-death plotline they are planning for and either A) completely neglect to satisfy that plotline (anyone remember when Murphy revealed Mercedes would be getting a boyfriend?) or B) take back what they said. Now, coming up to their third season it has become obvious that the producers of Glee are like those kids in high school, desperate to be popular and willing to say and do anything to reach the same level of popularity as the rich kids.

This happened with the Chord Overstreet situation. Murphy and company announced that Overstreet would not be returning to the show, which was met by confusion from the critics and rage from the fangirls. A few days later, Murphy felt the need to clarify, insisting that he wasn’t ACTUALLY leaving the show, he just hadn’t been promoted to a series regular and could join season three if the actor wanetd to. But of course! How did I not see that in your original claim where you said he was not returning. Silly me. Now the producers are back on their original claim that Overstreet won’t be returning because he decided to pursue other projects. Curious but… couldn’t this toying-with-our-emotions have been completely avoided had they opted to deal with it all behind closed doors? Had they met with the actor, offered him a returning (albeit not series regular) role, and then have the actor turn it down—it would have been a completely different situation, a pill much easier to swallow.

It’s becoming clear that these insecurities, the desperate need to be liked and loved, are insecurities that the producers have projected on to the characters. Some of the worst plotlines have existed in the past when the characters go against their initial intentions—of coming together and forming a bond in an unlikely Glee club—and throw away everything to grasp as a shred of popularity. This happened in the weird, random episode where Rachel convinced herself she wanted a nose job.

What the producers need to do is stop handing out empty promises because they think it’s what we want. What we really want is good television, the quality stuff seen in the first half of the season. They have to stop caring about what we think, and just give us what they’ve created. It’s our job, as consumers, to judge the product they present but they shouldn’t offer the opportunity to include us in the pre-planning stages of that product. They need to seal their lips and prioritize: good story lines, developed characters, and the same sense of heart that this show started with. Stop caring so much about what we think, at least stop caring until 10:01PM when the show is over and we can then hash it out.

Why I Love Summer: Television Edition

Now that I am a college grad, I have come to appreciate what little time I have left to call: Summer Vacation. All those past summers will soon be just memories, forever haunting me as I clock in the nine to five for The Man. Of course, I’ll miss the general benefits of summer: having time off, going to the beach/pool/lake (and the subsequent gingerburn), not having to reserve space in my brain for innate particulars such as integrals and SAT prep words... But what I’m really going to miss is the free-of-judgment time I got to spend marathoning the television shows I never had time to watch in the school year. Yeah, yeah books are great, we love books, books gives u smartz. But if anyone has ever had any conversation with me, they’ve probably come to learn what a freak I am over television. Human sized test tubes are being manufactured for me right this second, so that professionals can diagnose just why I love it so. I can’t reason it, I’m sure a part of my brain is melting as I zone out watching “the tube”. But if I would be a martyr for anything, it would be for time spent watching television. Go on and judge me, I dare ya!

Okay, we’ve got the “I Love TV” disclaimer outta the way. I wanna take a moment, now, to get all Mr. Rogers on you and drop a little knowledge. I have, after all, 21 years of summers under my belt spent of watching the best that television has to offer, so lets dive in, shall we?

Arrested Development

This show is first for a reason:

1. It is on Netflix Instant Watch. I give you permission to stop reading this blog and GET. ON. THAT. NOW.
2. Perhaps it’s because it was ~underrated and ~misunderstood during its time or perhaps it’s because it has an ensemble cast with no weak links. Whatever the reason, this show is one of the best comedy shows in television history. Get outta here Two and a Half Men fans! You got nothin’ on this show!

I’ll try and keep my fangirl to a minimum and make this short and sweet: Arrested Development is a show about a family o’ crazies, from the sane straight man played by Jason Bateman, to the Final-Countdown-As-An-Entrance-Song-Never-Gets-Old brother played by Will Arnett to the batshit crazy mom played by Jessica Walter to the so innocently stupid and loveable Buster played by Tony Hale (I could literally continue describing the phenomenal cast in this way but I’ll contain myself). In the way that many of its legendary comedy show predecessors did, Arrested Development is a character-driven comedy, each episode a ridiculous adventure warped around the different ways in which every character reacts to it. The writing is smart and the acting is better. Fox Execs were poppin’ dem crazy pills when they cancelled it after just three seasons, and now years later—with a cult-following and teases of a movie reboot—Arrested Development has become a classic that has set a comedy standard.

Freaks and Geeks

Breaking News! Before the Judd Apatow Crew was the JAC (when that becomes a thing, remember where you read it first!), they all worked together on a show so minuscule, if you blink you’d miss it. For those of you short on time, this show is perfect as it only lasted a mere season before succumbing to the sad demise of cancellation. Executive Produced by Apatow and Company, the creator was a guy, Paul Feig, who directed a handful of Arrested Development episodes (sensing a pattern here?) and was most recently the directorial genius behind Bridesmaids. Freaks and Geeks—with baby faced Jason Segel and the not-yet-over-achiever James Franco among others—is about a group of teenagers growing up in the 80s and dealing with the crap that plagues most teens: first-time drinking, bullying, teenage love (and the subsequent heartbreak), and yet still finding friendships among it all. All together now: Awwwwwww.

Degrassi

Maybe I’m alone in this pick but I will stand by this choice: Degrassi is a sickly sweet series, like a teenybopper soap opera, perfect for a marathon. I personally lost touch when (spoiler alert!) the producers had the balls to kill off JT but, if high school melodrama, Canadian accents (sorey!) and before-he-was-rapper-Drake Aubrey Graham in a wheelchair sounds like something of a good time to you, then I would urge you to check out this show ASAP. Donchaknoooow, eh?

Lost

WHAT IS IN THE HATCH?? is only the beginning of the mind trip a marathon that Lost ensures. This is one of those shows that from season one episode one to the series finale, you will not want to turn it off. So say goodbye to that social life of yours, because as soon as you turn it on, the drug-induced Lost coma begins.

Breaking Bad

The underdog of this list, really, Breaking Bad is revolutionary television. As the plot progresses the main character does something completely unknown of television tradition: he changes. Most typical shows strive to show character growth—the bachelor dude finds love, the archetypal bitch finds a softer side, etc—but Breaking Bad goes one step further. It tells the story of Middle America’s Man Walter White—a high school chemistry teacher, a father, a husband—who discovers he has inoperable lung cancer and becomes obsessed with the notion of leaving his family some financial footing for once he’s gone. Unlike the typical financial vices (the lottery, gambling, etc), White decides to utilize what he knows, chemistry, and make something with it. Literally. He approaches an old student of his and inquires about establishing a crystal meth drug partnership, and in a triumphant moment of the pilot exclaims: “You know the business, and I know the chemistry.”

Unlike the other shows on this list, Breaking Bad is still going on. With a crapload of Emmy’s under its belt (for Bryan Cranston’s portrayal of Walt, three times over, as well as newcomer to the Emmy scene, Aaron Paul, who plays conflicted yet good minded accomplice to Walt, Jesse Pinkman), the ever-anticipated fourth season begins this Sunday, July 17th on AMC. From its breathtakingly beautiful cinematography to its bone-chillingly perfect performances to its intelligent and intricate plot, Breaking Bad is in the process of making television history.

Consolation Prizes

• Friends (don’t think I’d ever go neglecting this show)
• Modern Family
• How I Met Your Mother
• Cougartown (fans of Scrubs - don’t underestimate it)
• Dexter
• Parks and Recreation (hits it stride halfway through Season 2, stick with it)
• and for da ladies: Sex and the City.

Guess who's back, back, back, back again

World's Worst Blogger Award goes tooooooo..... THIS GIRL!

In my defense though, the last time I blogged was the summer time. And now? Summer! I suspect a pattern arising here....

But real talk guys. I am back. to. business. All writing, all television, all the time. And I don't have a specific reason why I've all of a sudden had a (good) change of heart and and now willing to put the time that this blog deserves. But, what I do know is this: I keep waiting for it to start, for someone to force a gun to my head and tell me: "WRITE! WRITE YOUR LADY BALLS OFF!". I keep waiting for the inspiration, the reason to find me. But I'm done with all that.

This is what I know: I love writing. I love television. I have a very specific writing voice. And, whether I like it or not, I have to put the time in to explore that. I need to clock in the hours to really find out if this is something I could potentially do, potentially pay my bills with. I keep waiting for that clarity moment to find me. But of course! It all makes sense now! But I can't do that anymore. The less time I spend writing, the less I know if I could actually do this for the rest of my life.

I still haven't decided if I am in love with the title/format/site of this blog. But, each time I attempt to resurrect my blogging identity, I just feel more depressed when it fails. I've got so many shells of blogs, started with enthusiasm but killed with laziness, I don't think I've got it in me to sign off of another. So I might just stick with this guy and power through. Whatever happens, I can promise you this: I swear to keep you updated on all things television. News, castings, pilots, premieres, I'll do my best to write about it all, and in an entertaining way. I also swear to keep it as updated as possible. Good news for you is that I may be unemployed soon (yay?), but either way I am going to do my darnedest to give this blog the time it deserves.

So hold on tight! It's nearly the end of summer which means an end to our favorite Summer programming (True Blood, SYTYCD, etc), yes but also, Fall Premiere Season! Like hunting season, but less bloody.

Thank you for reading this far, and I hope you'll stay with me on my journey of finding the writer within [/cheesy].

Until next time! Stay Klassy like dem Kardashians!

Summer Television; Goodbye to this blog; Hello to a new one. Really a smorgasbord of things.

WOW so... fail on my front for my last blog entry being from the 14th of May. Even though the television season did end a few weeks ago, I want to take the time to shed some light on the upcoming summer season to my fellow readers (okay... I hesitated adding an 's' to pluralize the word 'readers' because lets be real people... beyond the fanbase that is my parents, this blog is probably getting one or two hits. SCORE!)

Anyways. My heart breaks a little when I think about how I'll be excommunicated from the television world for this summer.

(We interrupt this segment for BREAKING NEWS! In case you haven't been within a two mile earshot of me screaming the countdown until I leave... I am spending my summer in New York to work as a lifeguard at a sleep-away camp for two months (Think: The Parent Trap). Since this experience is going to be many firsts for me--first time on an airplane alone, first time lifeguarding a lake, first time to New York, first time living in a non-California state etc etc--I've decided to do what I do best and write about it.

And here! is the link: http://frantzinnewyork.blogspot.com/

I am not sure just how much I will be able to update, seeing as how I won't have a computer-THE HORROR!-but I am aiming for one post/week. Stay tuned!

So because I will be out of touch with television (hold for the tears) while I'm working at this camp, this current blog will be on a temporary hiatus. Once I am back in the golden state, I'll make like the Terminator be back to rock this blog back to full kick-ass writing force!)

So, back to the real heart of the matter: SUMMER TELEVISION! This season looks promising, so let's just dive in, shall we?


For all you SYTYCD fans (are there more than one of you?! I think we're a dying breed), this season is shaking up things a little bit. In what I'm sure is an attempt to move as far away from the epic fail of ratings that was last season, the producers have opted for a "All Star" Season. So far, the first few weeks of auditions and Vegas callbacks have been extremely entertaining. A few favorites I have so far are: the adorable Billy Bell (if he does not get into the top 10, SHIT. IS. GOING. DOWN.), salsa dancer from Miami (can they really be from anywhere else?) Cristina Santana, contemporary dancer Alexie Agdeppa who almost made it to Season 6 last year, and Kent Boyd (the cutest small town boy I ever saw), among others.



TRUE BLOOD!
Oh boy, this one literally pains me to leave. It's been awhile since we were introduced to Sookeh, Beel and the mancandy that is Eric. I would smuggle something illegal across some border in order to watch what I'm sure is going be a sex and action filled Season 3. But alas, I have chosen instead to spend my summer living with little kids and fighting skin cancer. Winner?



Jersey Shore
At my little sister's graduation, the guest speaker gave the munchkins advice for life after college, one of which was to NOT follow these East Coast peeps in their drunken endeavors. This teacher said it best: "These STD-riddled miscreants are not real Italians! Hrumph." Still, if douchy guys punching slutty girls in the face is your kinda thing, the second season of this show is premiring in Miami on July 29th.

--

If you've been following along with my blog, you've come to learn of my inability to stop writing. So, in an attempt to NOT be the writing enegizer bunny, here's a link to a favorite blog of mine, of an article about the other television to look forward to this summer: http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/05/28/summer-tv-guide/


Okay folks! All good things must come to an end. Come back in Fall for the rebirth of this blog. Expect over-excitement in season premieres, reviews of series premieres, and (because I wouldn't be myself without it) a strange obsession with all things Glee.

THANKS FOR READING!

Can you smell it in the air? It's pilot season!

For those who don't incessantly follow television timelines like me (nerd alert), the lifeline of a pilot television show is actually quite formulaic and interesting. It all begins when some mid-20s hipster college grad (who is from a fancy prestigious film school, no doubt, and therefore believes he is awesome) pens a script that end up being about 3% of what the pilot episode turns into.

Next, a producer hotshot comes across said script [not personally though. production assistants, aka the bottom of the food chain in television, read tons and tons of pitches for television shows. the producer hotshot, on the other hand, spends their valuable time reading one or two] and engages in a conversation with another tv biz hotshot that no doubt goes something like this:

Hotshot 1: Instead of this cop show taking place in Detroit..... it'll take place in MIAMI! Instead of cops.... the main characters are going to be dancers who also spotlight as models! Opening scene? BIKINIS! HOT GUYS! FANCY CARS!
Hotshot 2: I'll get (insert name of overrated yet outrageously popular actor here) on the phone!
Hotshot 1: Make sure to tell him he'll be paired alongside (insert name of over-sexed flavor of the week actress here)!
Hottest 2: It can be called (insert 2-3 worded title that sounds more like a bumper sticker slogan here)!
Hotshot 1: This is sure to be Fall's HOTTEST new drama!
Hotshot 2: Rich guy fist bump!

After this high in testosterone conversation comes to a close, each hotshot gets in their fancy convertible, making sure to stare at their reflection while exiting the parking lot, and begin to spread the word about this pilot to other producer hotshots.

Now, the next step in the birth of a pilot involves the actors. They don't get any more credit than the hotshots; they care about a one line synopsis of the show and the character they'll be playing, followed by the six-digit number they would be earning.

Once the actors have signed the dotted line and the bank accounts are flushed out so said actors have incentive to show up, the next step involves logistics. Television ain't cheap so any cost-effective method of production is used. It's a tricky balancing game because while the producers of the pilot want to create the best possible work so as to ensure a pick up by a network (i.e. Fox or ABC), they have to stay on budget as well as convince the network head honcho (a la Jeff Zucker at NBC) that their show is not a total money pit (lookin' at you, Lost).

These cost-effective methods include hiring the cheapest, yet talented, crew team. From grippers to directors of photography, pilots look for no-names who have yet to really hone the method of bargaining their worth the way actors do. Finally, after all preparations are complete, shooting takes place. Depending on the length of the show, shooting can take any where from 5 days to 14 days, each day racking in at least 15 hours on set.

After about a week and a half of shooting, pilots only get about a week to finish everything else. That includes: editing the pilot for a network honcho's viewing pleasuring, creating trailers and teasers, submitting storyboards or sample scripts for future episodes, including itemized budgets, etc.

The next couple of weeks are completely out of the hands of the creators of the pilot. The potential for a pilot to get picked up has to do with a lot of factors (i.e. actor chemistry, interesting plot, longevity etc) but what the network guys REALLY care about is that damn little thing that makes the world go round: money.

Tons and tons of meetings occur to discuss not only the pilot episodes they are reviewing but also, planning for the future of the network. It is the network dudes' jobs to understand their audience, therefore it is there job to understand what type of television show will be well received. Because if a show has potential to be well received, that means it is in their interest to funnel money and trust into this infant of a show, because it will lead to economic profitability for the network.

Of course this isn't the timeline for all pilots. For example, spin off shows from an already successful television producer (i.e. Norman Lear, Shondra Rimes, Joss Whedon etc) are handled differently. Similarly, reality television shows require less production planning. BUT all in all, when it comes to the life story of a pilot television show, most follow this model. And although very few are the lucky ones to be picked up (each network picks up 10-12 pilots each year), most of the journeys for pilot episodes end when the camera stops rolling. Even of those few that DO get picked up, the odds of renewal for a second season are very, very slim. Essentially, the key to creating a wonderful television show, with longevity and the support from a network, is to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right network. Other than that, most shows survive out of sheer dumb luck, an ideology that explains the hype behind shows such as Friends, The Office, and even a personal favorite, Glee.

Why You Need To Be Watching Breaking Bad

I don’t want to sound all high and mighty when I say this, because I’m no television expert, but I’ve watch enough shows to know when something is legendary. And that, my friends, is exactly what Breaking Bad is.

For those who don’t know, this outrageously underrated television show plays on Sunday nights at 10PM on AMC (aka the same channel that its more heard about counterpart – Mad Men – is on). The cast is relatively unheard of, besides Bryan Cranston who, prior to this role, was the dad on Malcolm in the Middle. Although he was on MITM for seven years, Breaking Bad will absolutely go down in history as Cranston’s best work ever; he has won not one but TWO Emmys for his role on this show.

The premise of the show deals with a high school chemistry teacher from New Mexico, Walter White (Cranston), who is the quintessential working man, struggling to make ends meet for his expectant wife and teenage son with cerebral palsy (played by real life CP victim and actor RJ Mitte). I realize that first sentence sounds like something out of a Lifetime movie, but stick with me! It gets good, I promise.

In the pilot episode, Walter learns he has stage three inoperable cancer. Rather than cope with this unbearable news with his family, Walter keeps it a secret and instead seeks out the help of one of his past students. Played by actor Aaron Paul, Jesse Pinkman is the twenty-something dropout who now makes a living by cooking and selling crystal meth. Walter approaches Jesse in hopes of joining the crystal meth forces, proclaiming: “You know the business. I know the chemistry.” It is this partnership that begins to produce the best crystal meth in New Mexico as well as some of the best comedic and dramatic moments on this television show in general.

Unlike nearly all other television shows (especially sitcoms) on the airwaves right now, Breaking Bad is a newly individualistic experience in that it always always ALWAYS puts artistic integrity before anything else. What I mean by this is simple: many television shows have the nasty habit to say fuck it! to continuity, relying instead on cheap laughs and stereotypical gimmicks. Basically crap that is an easy laugh but beyond that, do not produce much of a reaction (lookin’ at you, Two and A Half Men).

To make a long story short, Breaking Bad is 44 minutes of intense characters, beautiful imagery, and all around fantastic and wildly entertaining television.

Thanks to the creative genius that is Vince Gilligan, Breaking Bad is easily (in my opinion) the best show on television right now. Now in its third season, with two Emmys under its belt, Breaking Bad is becoming a television show that is sure to make history.

You can judge me for any of the other television shows that I watch and rave about (see entry below) but I dare you to watch the pilot of this show and NOT want to keep on watching. At least watch this trailer, that much you can do for me!

Glee - Laryngitis Recap

Ah yes, it’s nice to be home. After the first couple of episodes from the back nine seriously struggled to be that show that I fell in love with back in fall… Glee’s back.

Before tonight’s episode, the fourty four minutes of each Glee episode have been JAM PACKED with Will’s weird love life, Rachel Berry’s strange singing faces, Brittany’s one-liners, Finn’s inability to dance with both his arms and legs in coordination, and wildly over produced (yet crazy entertaining) musical numbers. In an attempt to take over the iTunes charts, Glee was swiftly becoming an outlet of musical performances, with a lacking amount of character development and story. This week’s episode the tables turned back to normalcy, and the story took the forefront with the musical numbers being weaved in appropriately for added bonus.

So let’s just dive in, shall we?

I have to say, I seriously love the Kurt/Burt relationship. Not ONLY do their names rhyme, but they are a breath of fresh air in that they step away from Glee’s tendency to be outrageously campy and portray a relationship that is seemingly realistic. Burt is easily one of the best dads on TV right now. Also, I can’t help but think that when writing this episode, Ryan Murphy (creator of the show) wrote this relationship as inspired by his experience of coming out to his parents in high school.

It was through this relationship, and the fantastic chemistry between actors Chris Colfer and Mike O’Malley, that we learn the moral of this week’s episode: “Don’t lose track of who you are just because it might be easier to be someone else.” Precious line from Mr. Schuster, but how he said that with a straight face is beyond me.

For Kurt, this “losing track of one’s self” manifested in his sexual orientation, something he accepted many episodes ago, but is still attempting to deal with when it comes to his father. It was this that introduced us to: John Mellencamp-lovin’, flannel-wearin’, and Brittany-kissin’ Straight Kurt. Although Straight Kurt gave it his best shot, in the end the nature of the character came through in the dramatic scene where Kurt is hurt (unintentionally) yet again by his father. It was this scene that showed Kurt’s self consciousness about his sexual orientation, a self consciousness that lead him to believe that he needed to change in order for his dad to accept him. All it took was the most fabulous rendition of Bette Midler’s “Rose’s Turn” for both parties of this relationship to realize that nothing defined their relationship other than the fact that they love each other. (All together now: awwww)

This theme of losing identity was evident not only in the Kurt/Burt relationship but in the Mercedes/Puck relationship as well, which by the way, is a paring I never would have expected. Prior to this episode, I was starting to worry that the thing I loved most about the character of Mercedes (obviously, her ferociousness) was beginning to fade away. It was only a mere fifteen or so episodes ago where Mercedes proclaimed: "Oh HALE NAH! I am Beyonce, I AIN'T no Kelly Rowland!" This attitude has been nowhere to be seen, especially with the recent move to air all of her self conscious tendencies (ie. her body image last episode, her need to be popular this episode). It seemed as if the character of Mercedes was losing her identity. Thankfully it was restored through the faux relationship with Puck that made her realize that her true identity lies in the less than popular participation in Glee Club, not the Cherrios.

Similarly, Puck learned his hair didn’t need to be the only thing that define him as Rachel the same with her voice. The last group number was U2’s “One” allowing the concept of individualism from this episode to come full circle.

I should have written a disclaimer when writing this blog entry that when it comes to writing, I can sometimes be like that man who doesn’t have the neuron to know when to stop and therefore never feels hungry and just eats everything in sight. In reality, I could write for days about a lot of the television shows I watch. And although I would love nothing more than to just write with no end in sight… I’ll try to wrap this up for those who do have social lives to get back to. (And by social lives I mean… procrastinating on Facebook. Let’s be real, people.)

FINAL NOTES!
- I usually cringe when Finn solos begin but his rendition of “Jessie’s Girl” was FANTASTIC! Whoever was the genius to name the character of Jesse St. James and thus allow this musical performance to be born, I applauded you. You, kind sir, are made of awesome.
- We finally learn where Quinn’s been living! I was feeling concerned but now that I know Puck’s mom won’t let her eat bacon, I’m feeling a little more reassured.
- Brittany-ism of the week: “Now I know what it’s like to date a baby!”
- Puck’s white boy dancing. Oh baby… you had me at “tramp” !
- Mercedes’ and Santana’s duet had me reminiscing like crazy. That song was my JAM in the eighth grade.
- NPH IS ON NEXT WEEK EPISODE! It’s going to be LEGEN – wait for it………..




DARY