Uh oh! Bob Saget riled up by new CW neighbors
July 23rd, 2008 | Posted in Surviving Suburbia
Bob Saget spent eight easygoing seasons raising the Olsen twins on Full House, and another seven hosting the family-friendly America’s Funniest Home Videos. And ever since, he’s had a blast poking fun at the lovable TV persona. See, Bob is much more comfortable on the stand-up comedy circuit, where his act is way, way out on the edge. Which could spill over—at least a bit—into his role on the CW fall comedy, Surviving Suburbia. We’re told that Bob’s tranquil life is turned upside down by new next-door neighbors, including a distracting bombshell daughter and parents who file a frivolous lawsuit against Bob’s wife. Meanwhile, his son is smitten with the twice-pregnant teen down the street, and his daughter believes she’s an Indian princess. Early reports liken this series to a male-centric Roseanne. With Saget in the mix, the results could be raucous. During a screening of the 2005 hit March of the Penguins, for instance, he was immediately inspired to write and produce the outrageous mockumentary Farce of the Penguins. So putting a twisted spin on his “Danny Tanner” fatherly reputation is something Saget would clearly relish. Casting continues on the comedy, which will join In Harm’s Way, Valentine and Easy Money Sundays on WBNX.
It’s not uncommon for America’s Next Top Model viewers to choose a favorite contestant. But it is rare for so many fans to have a rooting interest in one particular girl—in this case, Heather Kuzmich. She’s the lanky brunette we first met last fall, a 22-year-old diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder seven years ago. A mild form of autism, Asperger’s has limited Heather’s social interaction and speech skills, yet she takes breathtaking 
One person who is not disappointed about Reaper’s delayed return at midseason is its star, Bret Harrison. “I wanted it to be out there that I’m not. In fact, I’m excited,” he writes in his blog. “The way I see it, midseason is better than no-season.” The 26-year-old pro knows how the biz works, and while on a break from shooting his Mardi Gras film in New Orleans, he explains the difference between TV and movie production: “When you shoot a television show, it’s all about speed. You have to get it done as quickly as possible because there’s never an end in sight. Every day the goal is 8-9 pages of script (or about 8-9 minutes of screen time). It’s a lot to tackle from a writing, directing, producing, crew and acting perspective,” he says. “But with a big studio film like Mardi Gras, we get to take our time…shooting 2-4 pages a day. The biggest positive to this is that the actors get to really play around with the scenes. It’s a comedy, so there’s no harm in doing a scene over and over, with the actors constantly trying new deliveries or reactions or even lines. If the crew doesn’t laugh on the first take, change it up for the second and see if that works. Not only does this result in funnier takes, but, as an actor, it really keeps it fresh as we do shot after shot of the same line readings.” As naturally funny as Bret is, we doubt he needs many extra takes. Look for 13 new episodes of Reaper in early 2009 on WBNX.
She’s listed as one of the most beautiful women in the world, credited with single-handedly revitalizing the final two seasons of The O.C., and played every teen boy’s “groovy chick” dream, Marcia, in the second big-screen Brady Bunch film. All of which prepared Autumn Reeser to star as Phoebe, the Goddess of the Oracle at Delphi, in the new CW Sunday night dramedy, Valentine, premiering this fall. The series is a fun, innovative spin on the criminal procedural format, but instead of solving crimes, the private investigator mends broken hearts and reconnects soul mates. Business takes an unusual turn after the hiring of a mysterious, seductive woman as office manager—presumably Autumn. Kristoffer Polaha (from Miss/Guided) and Robert Baker have also joined the cast as Eros and Hercules, Greek gods secretly living among us. Fans of The O.C. remember Autumn as erratic “Taylor Townsend,” who paired up with Ryan after Marissa’s death. Earlier this year, the 27-year-old hottie was part of another CW pilot, The World According to Barnes, which didn’t get picked up. It’s too early to know exactly how Valentine will unfold. How strongly will mythology play into each episode, for instance? But things are off to a great start with Autumn in a lead role. 
Arguably the most-memorable episode of One Tree Hill almost didn’t happen. The season three story of outcast teen “Jimmy Edwards” holding students hostage at gunpoint before committing suicide was met with strong resistance from the cast, according to a new interview with Hilarie Burton (Peyton). “None of the actors were into it, none of us wanted to do it,” she tells Fanvasion. “We got the script and were very upset about it. We were like, ‘This hasn’t happened in so long. Why would we bring this up? We don’t want to encourage or give attention to that kind of behavior.’” The Columbine tragedy had occurred seven years earlier, when Hilarie was still in high school. “Then literally while we’re having this conversation with our creator and our bosses, two (shooting) incidents happened. It was heartbreaking to know that stuff was still going on, it just wasn’t receiving the media attention that it used to.” A year after the One Tree Hill episode aired, Hilarie said, her brother’s homecoming date was shot in the hand trying to keep a classroom door closed during the Virginia Tech massacre, so the subject hits very close to home. The popular actress made her comments during an interview about her next film project, The Sacrifice, based on the inspirational novel by Robert Whitlow, which includes a school shooting.
For a guy who’s only appeared in eleven episodes of a three-year-old series, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is getting a lot of literary mileage from his Supernatural character, John Winchester. Sam and Dean’s father, John, you may recall, traded his own life to save his dying son in the powerful Season Two premiere. His presence has hung over the boys’ lives since then, as they carry on his mysterious war with the underworld. For those who’d like more insight into their enemies—vampires, witches, reapers, bloody clowns and more—or the family’s demon-hunting backstory, there’s plenty available in print. Prolific sci-fi author Alex Irvine recently issued The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Demons, Spirits and Ghouls in paperback, and you can pre-order his next project, Supernatural: John Winchester’s Journal. The graphic novel prequel, Supernatural: Origins, hit bookshelves in May, giving fans an exclusive look into events surrounding Sam and Dean’s childhood nightmare and John’s journey into dark battle. Three fictional adventures have also been penned: Bone Key, Witch’s Canyon, and Nevermore. So if you need some fresh spook tales before new episodes return in September, fire up your Chevy Impala for a trip to the bookstore, library…or amazon.com.
Nestled among yesterday’s New York Times front page headlines about the mortgage crisis, battlefields and executive power shifts is a story about a rookie TV show whose “profound” clout is being felt by retailers everywhere: Gossip Girl. In stylistic terms, the CW drama “may well be the biggest influence in the youth culture market,” says trendspotter Stylesight. Teenagers and young women are taking note of the fashions worn by the prep schoolers and adult socialites, and many show up with magazine tear-sheets asking to buy the exact outfits. “I like that whole upscale collegiate feeling,” notes one NY designer, who has watched her sales double in the year since Gossip Girl premiered. The show’s relative sophistication is “a move away from a Hollywood look that was very casual and improvised, to something more polished, more big-city chic,” praised an Intermix exec. Teen Vogue says we should expect fall runway collections to reflect the GG influence, as well. Crested blazers, oversized cardigans, ruffled plaid shirts…sound familiar? Fans of the show can click 
Joey. Dirt. The Comeback. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Sex & the City. Otherwise known as Four Bombs and a $300-Million Blockbuster. Reports from LaLa Land say TV’s caffeinated cronies will take Friends to the big-screen within the next 18 months. And why not? Sex & the City ran four fewer seasons than the Central Perk gang, yet continues to rack up huge box-office receipts in theatres worldwide. Is there anyone who wouldn’t be equally anxious to reunite with Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Monica, Chandler and Joey more than five years after the megahit comedy ended? Four of the stars tried to recapture television magic on the aforementioned series, but none lasted more than two years. Jennifer Aniston has forged a solid movie career, and she and best bud Courtney Cox Arquette—each with their own production company—are said to be spearheading this Friends venture. There are so many fun directions the writers could take with a film script, and audiences would love to see cameos by recurring favorites Gunther, Janice, Mr. and Mrs. Gellar, Rachel’s sister (the hilarious Christina Applegate), and more. Sex & the City proved to Hollywood that there’s a wide market for quality TV shows translating to the cinema. With its built-in devoted fanbase, a Friends flick is a no-brainer.
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