Here is The CW’s best theme-song video ever
April 17th, 2008 | Posted in Farmer Wants a Wife
Maybe it’s the sunny spring weather that teased us last week, or a love for the simple country life. But I cannot wait for The CW’s campy new reality show, Farmer Wants a Wife, debuting in two weeks. Our advance publicity materials include the awesome program opening, and I can’t recall any show theme that’s made me smile like this one. It incorporates a female rap-crossover jingle, colorfully surreal backgrounds, a clear view of farmer Matt and his ten zany city gals, in a 30-second summary of the romantic competition. We’ve also posted web interviews with each contestant, and one face may look familiar to NE Ohio friends: Ashley is a native of Chagrin Falls! She’s a cutie with common sense, in contrast to delusional (and hilarious) Josie, who believes the laid-back world of a farmer’s wife involves eating breakfast cooked by a maid, delegating work to hired hands, and “maybe playing with the animals.” The series is a massive hit across Western Europe, and should strike a chord with our Midwest viewers. Can one of these concrete jungle bachelorettes find love in the barnyard? It’ll sure be fun to watch and see.
Talk to half a dozen people and they could offer six differing opinions about which character is most important on One Tree Hill. Lucas. Peyton. Nathan. Haley. Brooke. Dan. But folks behind-the-scenes realize the significant role of another major player: cutting-edge music. Whether it’s to set the mood or accentuate plot points, “nothing makes a scene come alive like the right piece of music,” says series creator Mark Schwahn. The Hollywood Reporter feels the drama “has been more of a friend to the recording industry than any other show on TV in years, maybe decades.” Cleveland’s Kate Voegele was the latest up-and-coming artist to receive a career boost thru exposure on One Tree Hill. Previously, vocalists Gavin DeGraw, Tyler Hilton, Michelle Branch and even co-star Bethany Joy Galeotti have been featured on-screen, though Schwahn is quick to note that in choosing background songs, “we haven’t gone for names. The only thing that matters is that a piece of music fits perfectly in a scene.” CW exec Dawn Ostroff agrees, insisting “They don’t just pick the safe choices. One Tree Hill is almost always ahead of the music curve.” As the drama returns for its 101st new episode Monday, with a 2007-08 full season renewal secured, WB Television president Peter Roth reflected on allowing Schwahn to bring the show back—four years into the future. “It turned out to be our best decision of the year.”
Tichina Arnold is synonymous with strong comedy roles, most notably on WBNX sitcoms Martin, One on One, and now Everybody Hates Chris, where she plays feisty mom “Rochelle.” But that could easily change after her compelling drama, The Lena Baker Story, sold out its world premiere Thursday night at the Atlanta Film Festival. Those who’ve screened the true story have left in tears, Tichina said recently, and fans are already stirring the buzz for a potential Academy Award nomination. The biopic recounts the life of the first and only woman to die in the Georgia electric chair. During the mid-1940s segregated South, Lena Baker was held captive by an abusive Caucasian employer—whom she shot and killed in her struggle to escape. The jury of 12 white men quickly found her guilty of murder, a conviction posthumously overturned some 60 years later. It’s fitting that the film debuted in the same week we observe the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination. Tichina’s powerful performance puts a face on the type of civil rights injustice that many Americans endured for decades and that King fought so hard to correct.
For sheer entertainment, it doesn’t get much better than last night’s episode of Beauty and The Geek. The highlight of each season is Geek Makeover Day, which entails a new wardrobe, oversized eyewear, and lots of hair removal—waxing chests, snipping backs, shaving faces. Each guy also gets a fresh hairstyle. All the nerds look better, although I don’t see much difference in poet Matt. Cowboy Joe displayed the biggest (and best) change, but doesn’t like it. “I feel like a sellout, it’s not me,” he whined. “My wardrobe was my identity, my façade.” The team challenge took place on the set of The Young & The Restless, with daytime stars Joshua Morrow and Michelle Stafford judging. Couples had to write and perform their own romantic prom scenes, which were so hilarious the judges were wiping tears. Typical crazy dialogue: “Remember the time you were abducted by pirates?” Shot on film with a soft lens, everyone actually looked like a soap star—especially Leticia, who should pursue acting. She and Matt won the contest, and chose Randi and Greg to accompany them to a Hollywood film premiere. The remaining four couples staged a bizarre cross-dressing fashion show, with Joe voted ugliest woman…sending the cowboy and Tara to the elimination room next week.
Nephew…or son? That’s the mystery for viewers to solve, when Evan Ellingson begins his 10-episode storyline Sunday night on 24. Jack Bauer’s latest nuclear crisis leads him to an unlikely terrorist source: his own father and brother. During the tense family reunion, we’re introduced to Jack’s nephew, Josh (aka Evan), who looks a lot more like Kiefer Sutherland than his oily papa. Jack and his sister-in-law exchange glances that seem to indicate there’s more to their past relationship than holiday dinners. Young Josh is used as a pawn throughout this intense season, and Jack’s unusually-obsessed with his safe rescue. So who is Evan Ellingson? A few months ago, Parade magazine cited the charismatic 19-year-old as the new face most likely to become a breakout star. He’s an extreme-sports fanatic who enjoys surfing, snowboarding, skating, mountain climbing and scuba-diving. In fact, Evan was actually “discovered” at a skate park nine years ago, and began racking up some impressive acting credits, including the role as long-lost son of criminologist Horatio Cane. Now, those who’ve followed the heroic exploits of Jack Bauer are savoring the possibility that Evan represents a secret offspring on 24.
Gnaw on this silver nugget: Over the last half-century, only ONE actor has played The Lone Ranger on television . . . The CW’s very own Chad Michael Murray. That surprising bit of trivia emerged this week, after a major film studio announced its plans for a big-screen remake. Original “masked man” Clayton Moore hung up his spurs and white hat in 1957. Then nearly five decades later, between his gigs on Gilmore Girls and One Tree Hill, Chad filmed a lavish two-hour drama tracing the mysterious western hero’s early life, similar to what Smallville has done with Clark Kent. 
Supernatural returns to the CW schedule tonight with a big reveal. For those who missed it earlier, Ruby will confess to why she became a demon, and also tell Dean exactly what she’s able to do regarding his “one year to live” soul deal. Katie Cassidy has brought a cunning new dimension to the show, usually showing up to rescue our boys from certain death. I’m anxious to see where her story goes over this season’s final four new episodes, which begin April 24. What are Ruby’s real motives? Prior to this underworld role, the 21-year-old hottie gave pop-stardom a brief try, recording a dance-mix of “I Think I Love You”, the 1970 hit made famous by her father, David Cassidy, and The Partridge Family. Clearly, acting is her forte. Katie’s recent film with Oscar-nominee Liam Neeson, Taken, just premiered in France and will debut in the U.S. later this year. She’s also ready to star as “Lucy Ewing” in the long-delayed big-screen epic, Dallas. Her Supernatural comrade, Jared Padalecki (Sam), will begin shooting the new Friday the 13th movie later this month in his home state of Texas. Can you believe it’s been 28 years since “Jason” terrorized the original Camp Crystal Lake visitors? Perhaps in three seasons alongside Jensen Ackles, Jared’s picked up a clue about vanquishing that hockey-masked menace.
Filming in Manhattan gives Gossip Girl access to lots of East Coast talent, and one of Broadway’s young hunks is about to make his television debut on the CW series.
Justin Hartley and Joanna Garcia just scored leading roles in two series pilots to be filmed in April for The CW. Both actors have been high-profile network favorites, Justin appearing as Oliver Queen on Smallville and Joanna co-starring as ditzy daughter Cheyenne on Reba. Now, Justin’s attire will include the green scrubs of a hospital emergency room, with the 31-year-old blonde the first cast member selected for Simon Fuller’s real-time medical drama, Austin Golden Hour. (I wouldn’t be shocked if that title changes.) “Doc Hartley” probably lays to rest any thoughts of a Green Arrow spinoff for this fall. Joanna made comedy look easy as a clueless teenage cheerleader-turned-mother. In a role-reversal, she’ll play a Yale-educated life coach trying to steer two heiresses down the proper paths in How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls. Lucy Hale (Bionic Woman) and Ashley Newbrough (The Best Years) are her charges—with looks and attitude to spare. These two shows will compete for a place on The CW’s 2008-09 lineup, which will be unveiled May 15.
What became of the Star Trek crew when their original five-year mission was short-circuited after three seasons? We’re about to find out, as one of the sci-fi classic’s top writers, 69-year-old D.C. Fontana, maps out the “missing years” in a new comic book series hitting the stands this week, Star Trek Year Four: The Enterprise Experiment. Though she began her career as a secretary to Gene Roddenberry, Ms. Fontana later wrote or story-consulted on nearly half of William Shatner’s 79 voyages. It would be hard to find anyone who knows the show’s characters and settings more intimately. The comic series kicks off with a sequel to one of Star Trek’s most-celebrated TV adventures, season three’s “The Enterprise Incident,” which happens to air next Saturday night (April 5) on WBNX. Fans will recall that Capt. Kirk disguised himself with Spock-like pointy ears to capture a new state-of-the-art Romulan cloaking device. Now, Federation attempts to use the technology go awry, with both the Romulans and the Klingon Empire closing in to cause havoc for our starship heroes—an intergalactic joyride for Trekkies.
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