We Interrupt Programming for the Holidays

Sorry there haven’t been many updates on GMMR this week. With the holidays I haven’t been watching much TV and haven’t really been around a computer much (yes, the shakes from the withdrawal have set in). I’m off later tonight to celebrate Christmas part deux, this time down in Connecticut (with a stop off at Foxwoods tonight…wish me luck).

Anyway, just wanted to apologize for the lack of TV news. Things will be back on track soon enough and we’ll be talking about all the new shows and new episodes coming to TV in the new year, and there’s actually a lot to talk about…I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. And at the beginning of January I’m heading back to L.A. to get the scoop on a bunch of new shows straight from the stars themselves. So all good things in the coming weeks.

Six Degrees of TV Game…
In the meantime I thought we could play a little Six Degrees of TV. We’ve played this before so I think you know how it goes, but if not, here’s how we play.

I’m going to name 2 actors/actresses, and YOU have to connect the two using 6 movies/tv shows or less.

Rules:

• Since this is a TV blog I’ll allow you to use TV shows as connectors. BUT…you can only use a TV show if the actor/actress was a series regular. If they showed up as a guest star on Law & Order or had a 3 episode arc on JAG it doesn’t count.
• Both actors must be alive
• Let’s not make them too hard or it will be a bit too hard.

Here’s an example of how this works:Michael Vartan (Alias) to Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy)

Michael Vartan was on ALIAS with JENNIFER GARNER
Jennifer Garner was in 13 GOING ON 30 with MARK RUFFALO
Mark Ruffalo was in JUST LIKE HEAVEN with REESE WITHERSPOON
Reese Witherspoon was in SWEET HOME ALABAMA with PATRICK DEMPSEY

Once you’ve made your 6 degrees connection share it with everyone in the comments and then you get to choose the next actor pairing for others to try to figure out. Got it? And let’s not make them too hard or no one will want to play.

First up: Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy) to Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights)

TV and Holiday Catch Up

For those of you who celebrate, I hope you had a nice Christmas. For those of you who don’t, I hope you enjoyed a nice day off from work or school. I had a nice time with my family and can’t wait to use my brand new GPS system.  What did you do for the holidays?  Get any good presents from Santa?  Tell us about ’em in the comments below.

So let’s talk TV. Even without the WGA strike, this week is always kind of a bust when it comes to TV. But there are some reruns of my favorite shows, and if you only watch a few select shows, maybe now is the time to check out some newbies you haven’t seen yet. For me, it’s all about BUFFY.  I’ve just finished S1 and hoping that maybe Ducky will let me borrow subsequent season (pretty please)  But what about live network TV tonight? Want a few suggestions?

No DVR for me tonight, so that means only one show at a time – the horror!! What will YOU be watching?!

Pushing Daisies | 8pm on ABC
“Dummy”
Ned suspects foul play when an automotive expert dies in a mysterious traffic accident. Meanwhile, Chuck presses Ned about how he revived her.

Gossip Girl | 9pm on The CW
“Poison Ivy”
Dan and Nate compete for an usher position when Ivy League representatives visit their school. Meanwhile, Blair learns a secret about Serena; Jenny and Eric get acquainted; and Rufus asks Lily for a favor.

Dirty Sexy Money | 10pm on ABC
“The Lions”
Nick begins his quest to find his father’s killer; Juliet balks at a family-photo event with real lions; Tripp pressures Patrick to throw his hat into the senatorial ring; Jeremy’s latest fling is likely to incur his twin’s wrath.

Happy Holidays from GMMR

The Office Reacts: The Jim and Pam Saga

THE OFFICE fan, Bodaciousducks, created perhaps one of the best OFFICE fan vids I have seen in some time. Simply dawesome.

Thanks to Tanster at OfficeTally.com for posting the link. And a special congrats to OfficeTally.com for being named one of EW.com ‘essential fansites‘ – a well deserved honor!!

Ed Helms and McLovin Want You to Vote

Ok…will do.

David Gregory Gets His Groove On

NBC’s White House Correspondent and sometime TODAY SHOW co-host, David Gregory, showed everyone that white men can dance (just not well) when he got his groove on during Mary J. Blige’s TODAY SHOW in studio concert yesterday. I can’t fault the man because he looked like he was having one hell of a time. Go David!!

As the adage says, “dance like no one is watching” and David did, except there were millions watching, and even more now that it’s been caught on YouTube. The quality of the video might be great but it’s still worth checking out.

CHUCK’s Zachary Levi….Just Because

While I wish the following Q&A with CHUCK star Zach Levi was conducted by yours truly, sadly it wasn’t. But the folks over at EW.com have the hookup and recently chatted with Zachary about his life now that CHUCK has become a bona fide hit. He really is precious this guy.

Here’s a little bit for you, but fans of Chuck and Zach should head over to EW to read the full interview.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So how has this year been for you, being thrust into the spotlight and all?
ZACHARY LEVI: You know, Less Than Perfect, even after four years, never really opened any doors in my career or built that big of a fan base, at least not one that I know of — they might be in the Midwest or [exist] internationally. But with Chuck, it’s definitely been this kind of overnight change in my life, where everyone recognizes you. I [also] don’t have a life. That’s probably the biggest thing: I don’t have any time to do anything. With Less Than Perfect, with a sitcom, you can still hold down a regular life, but with Chuck, [I’m] working all day every day trying to figure out how to get everything else done.

But Chuck‘s full-season pickup shows that the network has faith in the show.
The problem is the strike. It’s nice to have a back nine, but you don’t really know what that means at the end of the day. You don’t know when you can go back to work. If they were to resolve the strike today, then they’d have to start writing, and the writing would take them through the rest of January, and we stop production in February. But I don’t know if they’re going to resolve the strike before the holidays. So [even though] we have a back nine, we don’t know when we’re going to shoot, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the network says [those] nine episodes will be the beginning of the second season. (continue reading at EW.com)

Even more from CHUCK…

If you’re like me and are already in CHUCK withdrawal, then head over to Ramblings of a TV Whore and read Spadada’s account of the day she recently spent with CHUCK stars – Zachary Levi, Adam Baldwin, and Yvonne Strahovski. Lucky girl, I am jealous. (Part I and II)

Josh Jackson is Speechless

By now many of you have probably seen the “Speechless” videos featuring some of today’s best actors in their support of the WGA. Stars like Sean Penn, Laura Linney, Jason & Justine Bateman, Susan Sarandon, Tina Fey and more have all lend their star power in support. If you haven’t seen the vids, check out www.speechlesswithoutwriters.com now.

Selfishly, I’ve been checking every few days for one particular “Speechless” video to appear, and today it was there. And the video in question features none other than my long time love, Joshua Jackson. Watch how he stares right through the camera and directly into my soul.

JJ and I go way back. He’s been on the top of the TV boyfriend list for nearly a decade (damn) and he remains probably the TV star that I am most anxious to meet. You can imagine my joy when it was revealed earlier this year that Josh would be starring in a guest arc on Grey’s Anatomy. Sadly due to the strike, those plans have been put on hold indefinitely.

So if I didn’t already have a laundry list of reasons I want the strike to end, you can put Josh Jackson’s return to TV right near the top.

Rainn Wilson to Host Independent Spirit Awards

Looks like TV stars are finding ways to keep busy during the WGA strike. It’s been announced that Rainn Wilson will be the host of this year’s Independent Spirit Awards. The WGA has granted a waiver to the Spirit Awards that will allow the indie ceremony to go forward as planned on Feb. 23. Since the WGA has not granted a waiver to the Academy Awards, which are scheduled for the night after, the Spirit Awards could be the biggest award event of the season.

Zach Braff & David Denman are SAINTS OF CIRCUMSTANCE

In the category of ‘news that makes my day brighter’, according to The Hollywood Reporter,  Zach Braff (Scrubs) and David Denman (The Office) are working together on a new pilot for Fox tentatively titled SAINTS OF CIRCUMSTANCE.  Braff is looking to Executive Produce and direct the pilot which stars David Denman as a man going through a midlife crisis who quits his dead-end office job to be a paramedic on the night shift. The pilot was written by Zach’s brother Adam.

No word on when this pilot would begin shooting as all is dependent on the WGA strike ending.

So thrilled for David…one of the good guys.

THE DAILY SHOW & THE COLBERT REPORT To Return to TV

Following the trend of other last night shows, Comedy Central has just announced that THE DAILY SHOW and THE COLBERT REPORT will be returning on January 7th with brand new shows.  Hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert will have to go it alone without their writers who are still on strike.This is going to be interesting.  I can see how Dave, Jay, Conan and Jimmy can get buy without writers because they can rely heavily on their celebrity interview components, but both The Daily Show and The Colbert Report have always relied more on their genius writing staffs.  Will Jon and Stephen just do their shows off the cuff?  If they write their own material will they be essentially crossing the WGA picket line?  So confused by all of this, but happy to have both shows back on the air.

The other late night talks show hosts including Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel and David Letterman (most likely) will be back with new shows starting on January 2nd.

GOSSIP GIRL Recap: Roman Holiday

Excuse my honesty here but Zzzzzz, snore, Zzzzzzz – that’s what I was feeling during last night’s holiday episode of GOSSIP GIRL. In a show that is rancid with scandal, deception, and sass I found last night’s episode to be a bit of a snoozefest. The most drama we saw all night was Blair acting out like a four year old whose toy was taken on the playground.

For those who missed it, here’s the Q&D on what went down (or didn’t): It’s Christmas time on the Upper East Side and our terrible teens are dealing with big issues like what to buy each other for Christmas and how to deal with Daddy’s new boyfriend.

S & Lonely Boy still haven’t figured out what to buy each other for Xmas. Dude, I thought I was a procrastinator – these two wait until Christmas Eve?! The pressure is on Serena after Ho-nessa and her ugly ass earrings manages to go behind Dan’s back and get one of his short stories published in the New Yorker for his Xmas gift. After much fretting and whining S thought she found the perfect gift in an uber-expensive watch, but Lonely Boy thought it was much and the two decided on a $50 present budget. Back to the drawing board, Serena.

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The Jeannie Tate Show: Rashida Jones, Bill Hader & Lonny Ross

For those of you who haven’t seen The JEANNIE TATE SHOW you are in for a real treat. Liz Cackowski stars as Jeannie Tate – the ultimate soccer mom, who just happens to have her own talk show…in her minivan.

I saw my first episode of THE JEANNINE TATE SHOW a few weeks back when her special guest was Rashida Jones (The Office and the upcoming Unhitched) and I laughed my ass off. Since then I’ve been obsessively checking out her site in hopes of finding new videos.

Check out Jeannie’s mini-interviews with Rashida Jones, 30 ROCK’s Lonny Ross, and SNL star Bill Hader. Good stuff.

SHUT IT ‘SHIDA!!!…”Pam’s better she could totally F you up” –  Ha ha ha

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL Trailer

More than a few familiar faces from the small screen are coming together on the big screen in FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. I’ve been hearing about this movie for quite some time, and I’m happy to report the trailer has just been released. I’ll be honest in saying that I didn’t find the trailer laugh out loud funny, but a friend of mine saw an early test screening in L.A. and said I was “going to pee myself laughing” – now that’s an endorsement!! I can’t wait.

After a devastating break-up with his girlfriend TV sitcom star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), a heartbroken and depressed Peter (Jason Segel) heads to Hawaii for a little vacation to try his best to forget every detail of his relationship with Sarah. But love laughs at Peter, because Sarah is vacationing in the same exclusive resort as Peter, along with her new boyfriend.

I think you all know by now that I worship Kristen Bell, but you know I kind of flipped out when I saw Liz Cackowski in the final scenes of the trailer. For those of you who don’t know Liz Cackowski, she’s the of THE JEANNIE TATE SHOW. I’ll post some Jeannie Tate Show vids in just a second so you can check her out!!

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