NEWS - Mamma single ex alcolizzata e tossicodipendente con figli e madre a carico: non è un dramma, è la sit-com della stagione! Da domani "Mom" su Joi

Una mamma single ex alcolizzata e tossicodipendente con figli e madre a carico in salotto, con un posto da cameriera in un ristorante chic dove si mette a piangere quando serve ai tavoli di coppie felici o quando ordinano torte di compleanni…Ma non è un dramma: è la sit-com della stagione, firmata da quel Chuck Lorre di “The Big Bang Theory” (5 Emmy Awards e un Golden Globe). Dal 28 marzo, in anteprima assoluta approda su JOI (Mediaset Premium) “Mom”, ogni venerdì, alle ore 21.10.

Anna Faris, regina delle parodie americane al cinema, debutta in una sit-com su misura confezionata da Lorre, ideatore dell’ipercult “The Big Bang Theory” (altro titolo fiore all’occhiello di JOI).

La protagonista, Christy, è una madre single di due figli con un passato di abusi di alcol e droghe che tenta di rifarsi una vita come cameriera. Vista la crisi economica, la nostra si vede costretta, per dividere le spese, a ospitare la madre Bonnie (Allison Janney, vincitrice di 4 Emmy Awards per “West Wing”), anch’essa con un passato turbolento di droghe e alcol, sua compagna di banco nei rehab. Le risate in sottofondo sono ispirate da una scrittura a tratti cinica che sfocia nello sferzante all’interno di un microcosmo familiare non del tutto anomalo ai giorni nostri.

La sit-com è stata rinnovata in Usa per una seconda stagione. Jon Cryer di “Due Uomini e Mezzo” (in onda su JOI dal lunedì al venerdì alle ore 18.50), altra sit-com cult firmata da Chuck Lorre, compare nella puntata-pilota.

“E’ una sit-com che mette alla berlina i rancori tra madre e figlia – ha commentato ‘Variety’ – esorcizzando l’autodistruzione con più di una risata”.

NEWS - Emmy per Emmy! Per premiare Rossum e compagnia "Shameless" con una statuetta (meritatissima!), gli Emmy Awards s'inventano di spostare la serie dalla categoria "drama" a quella "comedy" (ma se fa più piangere che ridere!)

Post di Alan Sepiwall per "Hitfix"

For the last four years, "Shameless" star Emmy Rossum has been giving one of the best performances in all of television, and yet despite the quality of that work — and the name that would be a headline writer's best friend — neither she nor the show she's on has gotten more than a whiff of Emmy recognition. Joan Cusack has been nominated three years in a row for guest actress in a drama, and that's it. Nothing for Rossum. Nothing for William H. Macy, who in his non-Frank Gallagher life has won two Emmys and been nominated for seven more. None for Jeremy Allen White or Emma Kenney or any of the other superb young actors the show has discovered, none for the other guest stars or the writing or directing.

The fact that Cusack keeps appearing in the guest category shows you how easy it can be to game the TV Academy's system — and now "Shameless" producer John Wells is trying to make like a Gallagher himself and try to game the system on a bigger scale. Having submitted the show in the Emmy drama categories the previous three years, Wells and Showtime today announced that "Shameless" will compete as a comedy at the 2014 Emmys.

Now, on the one hand I cannot blame Wells for trying this. I don't know that the genre has been the issue for "Shameless." Emmy voters have often seemed allergic to shows about extremely poor people, especially when they're not the type who suffer poverty with quiet dignity, but with the kind of brazen, hustling vulgarity with which the Gallaghers go through life. But odds are that Rossum was never going to break through in the drama actress category, not after a year when there were actually seven nominees and still no room at the inn for her, or for Tatiana Maslany, or several others. At a minimum, the comedy actress category will have a few openings, since Laura Dern and Tina Fey aren't eligible again, and Macy should have a much easier time than trying to crack a drama field that includes Cranston, Hamm, Spacey, and possibly McConaughey.

On the other hand, this move is, well, shameless. Absurd might be an even better word for it.

Yes, "Shameless" is a show that blends comedy and drama, and this year has had room for the usual black humor, like Carl Gallagher aggressively seeking detention to spend more time with a troublemaking girl he has a crush on, or Kev discovering what a money pit the bar he inherited really is. I even had arguments with Showtime executives in the first season that "Shameless" belonged more in the comedy categories, and not just because it was an easier path to nominations.

Not this year, though. This has been the darkest, most serious season to date, and especially for Rossum's Fiona. Never the show's funniest character to begin with, Fiona's been in a deep, bad spiral all season that included cheating on her boyfriend, getting high and letting her toddler brother Liam ingest cocaine (nearly dying and possibly suffering brain damage as a result), becoming a convicted felon on probation, and in the most recent episode, hitting rock bottom when being abandoned by fellow junkies at a gas station in Sheboygan.

It's been an impressive arc, and Rossum has again been amazing. I would gladly see her nominated for any and all awards for what she's doing this year, and what she's done throughout the show. And it is insane that she would be competing against performances by Amy Poehler and Melissa McCarthy. It's weird enough when Edie Falco is up for these things (and won one for the first year of "Nurse Jackie"), but that's at least a more overtly comic show and performance, and there's always the half-hour defense.

The rules are the rules, and if Wells can work within them and convince the Academy to allow "Shameless" to hop categories, then I suppose more power to him. It's a great show that deserves more recognition than it's gotten. But I don't know if it'll get substantially more this way, and it'll feel very strange if it does, all things considered.

That said, new episode Sunday at 9! I expect Fiona to suffer some more!

The fact that Cusack keeps appearing in the guest category shows you how easy it can be to game the TV Academy's system — and now "Shameless" producer John Wells is trying to make like a Gallagher himself and try to game the system on a bigger scale. Having submitted the show in the Emmy drama categories the previous three years, Wells and Showtime today announced that "Shameless" will compete as a comedy at the 2014 Emmys.

Now, on the one hand I cannot blame Wells for trying this. I don't know that the genre has been the issue for "Shameless." Emmy voters have often seemed allergic to shows about extremely poor people, especially when they're not the type who suffer poverty with quiet dignity, but with the kind of brazen, hustling vulgarity with which the Gallaghers go through life. But odds are that Rossum was never going to break through in the drama actress category, not after a year when there were actually seven nominees and still no room at the inn for her, or for Tatiana Maslany, or several others. At a minimum, the comedy actress category will have a few openings, since Laura Dern and Tina Fey aren't eligible again, and Macy should have a much easier time than trying to crack a drama field that includes Cranston, Hamm, Spacey, and possibly McConaughey.

On the other hand, this move is, well, shameless. Absurd might be an even better word for it.

Yes, "Shameless" is a show that blends comedy and drama, and this year has had room for the usual black humor, like Carl Gallagher aggressively seeking detention to spend more time with a troublemaking girl he has a crush on, or Kev discovering what a money pit the bar he inherited really is. I even had arguments with Showtime executives in the first season that "Shameless" belonged more in the comedy categories, and not just because it was an easier path to nominations.

Not this year, though. This has been the darkest, most serious season to date, and especially for Rossum's Fiona. Never the show's funniest character to begin with, Fiona's been in a deep, bad spiral all season that included cheating on her boyfriend, getting high and letting her toddler brother Liam ingest cocaine (nearly dying and possibly suffering brain damage as a result), becoming a convicted felon on probation, and in the most recent episode, hitting rock bottom when being abandoned by fellow junkies at a gas station in Sheboygan.

It's been an impressive arc, and Rossum has again been amazing. I would gladly see her nominated for any and all awards for what she's doing this year, and what she's done throughout the show. And it is insane that she would be competing against performances by Amy Poehler and Melissa McCarthy. It's weird enough when Edie Falco is up for these things (and won one for the first year of "Nurse Jackie"), but that's at least a more overtly comic show and performance, and there's always the half-hour defense.

The rules are the rules, and if Wells can work within them and convince the Academy to allow "Shameless" to hop categories, then I suppose more power to him. It's a great show that deserves more recognition than it's gotten. But I don't know if it'll get substantially more this way, and it'll feel very strange if it does, all things considered.

That said, new episode Sunday at 9! I expect Fiona to suffer some more!

What does everybody else think? Is the move to comedy fair or foul?
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/shameless-to-hop-emmy-categories-from-drama-to-comedy#Ru6WvlY2ZhQq5Yym.99

For the last four years, "Shameless" star Emmy Rossum has been giving one of the best performances in all of television, and yet despite the quality of that work — and the name that would be a headline writer's best friend — neither she nor the show she's on has gotten more than a whiff of Emmy recognition. Joan Cusack has been nominated three years in a row for guest actress in a drama, and that's it. Nothing for Rossum. Nothing for William H. Macy, who in his non-Frank Gallagher life has won two Emmys and been nominated for seven more. None for Jeremy Allen White or Emma Kenney or any of the other superb young actors the show has discovered, none for the other guest stars or the writing or directing.

The fact that Cusack keeps appearing in the guest category shows you how easy it can be to game the TV Academy's system — and now "Shameless" producer John Wells is trying to make like a Gallagher himself and try to game the system on a bigger scale. Having submitted the show in the Emmy drama categories the previous three years, Wells and Showtime today announced that "Shameless" will compete as a comedy at the 2014 Emmys.

Now, on the one hand I cannot blame Wells for trying this. I don't know that the genre has been the issue for "Shameless." Emmy voters have often seemed allergic to shows about extremely poor people, especially when they're not the type who suffer poverty with quiet dignity, but with the kind of brazen, hustling vulgarity with which the Gallaghers go through life. But odds are that Rossum was never going to break through in the drama actress category, not after a year when there were actually seven nominees and still no room at the inn for her, or for Tatiana Maslany, or several others. At a minimum, the comedy actress category will have a few openings, since Laura Dern and Tina Fey aren't eligible again, and Macy should have a much easier time than trying to crack a drama field that includes Cranston, Hamm, Spacey, and possibly McConaughey.

On the other hand, this move is, well, shameless. Absurd might be an even better word for it.

Yes, "Shameless" is a show that blends comedy and drama, and this year has had room for the usual black humor, like Carl Gallagher aggressively seeking detention to spend more time with a troublemaking girl he has a crush on, or Kev discovering what a money pit the bar he inherited really is. I even had arguments with Showtime executives in the first season that "Shameless" belonged more in the comedy categories, and not just because it was an easier path to nominations.

Not this year, though. This has been the darkest, most serious season to date, and especially for Rossum's Fiona. Never the show's funniest character to begin with, Fiona's been in a deep, bad spiral all season that included cheating on her boyfriend, getting high and letting her toddler brother Liam ingest cocaine (nearly dying and possibly suffering brain damage as a result), becoming a convicted felon on probation, and in the most recent episode, hitting rock bottom when being abandoned by fellow junkies at a gas station in Sheboygan.

It's been an impressive arc, and Rossum has again been amazing. I would gladly see her nominated for any and all awards for what she's doing this year, and what she's done throughout the show. And it is insane that she would be competing against performances by Amy Poehler and Melissa McCarthy. It's weird enough when Edie Falco is up for these things (and won one for the first year of "Nurse Jackie"), but that's at least a more overtly comic show and performance, and there's always the half-hour defense.

The rules are the rules, and if Wells can work within them and convince the Academy to allow "Shameless" to hop categories, then I suppose more power to him. It's a great show that deserves more recognition than it's gotten. But I don't know if it'll get substantially more this way, and it'll feel very strange if it does, all things considered.

That said, new episode Sunday at 9! I expect Fiona to suffer some more!

What does everybody else think? Is the move to comedy fair or foul?
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/shameless-to-hop-emmy-categories-from-drama-to-comedy#Ru6WvlY2ZhQq5Yym.99

For the last four years, "Shameless" star Emmy Rossum has been giving one of the best performances in all of television, and yet despite the quality of that work — and the name that would be a headline writer's best friend — neither she nor the show she's on has gotten more than a whiff of Emmy recognition. Joan Cusack has been nominated three years in a row for guest actress in a drama, and that's it. Nothing for Rossum. Nothing for William H. Macy, who in his non-Frank Gallagher life has won two Emmys and been nominated for seven more. None for Jeremy Allen White or Emma Kenney or any of the other superb young actors the show has discovered, none for the other guest stars or the writing or directing.

The fact that Cusack keeps appearing in the guest category shows you how easy it can be to game the TV Academy's system — and now "Shameless" producer John Wells is trying to make like a Gallagher himself and try to game the system on a bigger scale. Having submitted the show in the Emmy drama categories the previous three years, Wells and Showtime today announced that "Shameless" will compete as a comedy at the 2014 Emmys.

Now, on the one hand I cannot blame Wells for trying this. I don't know that the genre has been the issue for "Shameless." Emmy voters have often seemed allergic to shows about extremely poor people, especially when they're not the type who suffer poverty with quiet dignity, but with the kind of brazen, hustling vulgarity with which the Gallaghers go through life. But odds are that Rossum was never going to break through in the drama actress category, not after a year when there were actually seven nominees and still no room at the inn for her, or for Tatiana Maslany, or several others. At a minimum, the comedy actress category will have a few openings, since Laura Dern and Tina Fey aren't eligible again, and Macy should have a much easier time than trying to crack a drama field that includes Cranston, Hamm, Spacey, and possibly McConaughey.

On the other hand, this move is, well, shameless. Absurd might be an even better word for it.

Yes, "Shameless" is a show that blends comedy and drama, and this year has had room for the usual black humor, like Carl Gallagher aggressively seeking detention to spend more time with a troublemaking girl he has a crush on, or Kev discovering what a money pit the bar he inherited really is. I even had arguments with Showtime executives in the first season that "Shameless" belonged more in the comedy categories, and not just because it was an easier path to nominations. Not this year, though. This has been the darkest, most serious season to date, and especially for Rossum's Fiona. Never the show's funniest character to begin with, Fiona's been in a deep, bad spiral all season that included cheating on her boyfriend, getting high and letting her toddler brother Liam ingest cocaine (nearly dying and possibly suffering brain damage as a result), becoming a convicted felon on probation, and in the most recent episode, hitting rock bottom when being abandoned by fellow junkies at a gas station in Sheboygan.

It's been an impressive arc, and Rossum has again been amazing. I would gladly see her nominated for any and all awards for what she's doing this year, and what she's done throughout the show. And it is insane that she would be competing against performances by Amy Poehler and Melissa McCarthy. It's weird enough when Edie Falco is up for these things (and won one for the first year of "Nurse Jackie"), but that's at least a more overtly comic show and performance, and there's always the half-hour defense.

The rules are the rules, and if Wells can work within them and convince the Academy to allow "Shameless" to hop categories, then I suppose more power to him. It's a great show that deserves more recognition than it's gotten. But I don't know if it'll get substantially more this way, and it'll feel very strange if it does, all things considered.

That said, new episode Sunday at 9! I expect Fiona to suffer some more!

What does everybody else think? Is the move to comedy fair or foul?
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/shameless-to-hop-emmy-categories-from-drama-to-comedy#Ru6WvlY2ZhQq5Yym.99

L'EDICOLA DI LOU - Stralci, cover e commenti sui telefilm dai media italiani e stranieri 

UPROXX
10 motivi (meno uno) per non perdere "The Americans"
"The Americans is three episodes into its second season on FX, and so far, the series has only improved upon an already stellar first season. It’s dark, it’s stylistic, it’s emotionally complicated, and it is riveting drama. Unfortunately, despite being an incredibly sexy show at times, The Americans often doesn’t get the kind of buzz that The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones or True Detective gets, even if it is often as good as those other dramas. I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe because it’s not a Sunday night show. Or maybe because there isn’t a fantasy element involved, or zombies, or sneering douchebag villains.

I wish that The Americans were more talked about on the Internet. I wish it was appointment viewing. I wish that it got the appreciation that it deserves. I wish that I could convince people that haven’t given it a chance yet to tune in, catch up (the first season is on Amazon), and make memes and mash-ups and GIFs and develop theories so that the Internet will jump on board, so that it can become one of the most discussed shows every Wednesday night and Thursday morning, and so that we can all share it together. Here’s the best 9 reasons why.
1. Because It Involves Anti-Villains — If you’re tired of the glut of anti-hero dramas on television, The Americans offers a nice twist: The Anti-Villain. Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings are Commie spies, and as capitalist Americans, we shouldn’t be rooting for them. But we do. Why? Because The Americans isn’t about the interest or the motivations of the character, it’s about the characters themselves, who we become intensely invested in.
2. Because It’s the Show Homeland Wanted to Be — Homeland was at its best in the first season, when we found ourselves rooting for Nicholas Brody, even though we knew he was probably a terrorist. The Americans is the Cold War equivalent of that, only the daughter in this equation is much less annoying than Dana Brody, and the writers don’t have any intention of flipping the script by turning The Jennings into FBI informants. In fact, one of the most compelling conflicts in The Americans is the tension between the Jennings’ duty to Mother Russia and their obligation to their American children, who essentially embody American suburban values.
3. Because It’s a Great History Lesson — I happen to know a writer on this show, and I happen to know that she spent a lot of time studying the period, which not only helps the writing staff get the details right, but they manage to work in bits and pieces of actual Cold War history into the show. It’s a fascinating examination of a period most of us were too young to experience, and that the television and film world barely explores outside of stereotypical Communist villains. The Americans humanizes the bad guys.
4. Because of the Wigs — There are so many fantastic wigs in this show. Does it actually disguise the Jennings? Not particularly, but they are ridiculously fun.
5. Because of the Soundtrack — So much of television and film that goes back to the 80s often focuses on the cheesy music of the era, but The Americans tends to include the darker, heavier songs of the early 80s in its soundtrack. In other words, the good stuff. There’s quite a bit of early Peter Gabriel, there’s The Cure, the Squeeze, Pete Townshend, and Roberta Flack. It’s fantastic, period-perfect, moody and often haunting music that’s not a bunch of Cyndi Lauper or a series of one-hit wonders (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
6. Because of the Writing — As great as the first season was, the writing is even better in the second season. It’s a show that takes its time. It doesn’t aim for huge, shocking episodes. It doesn’t throw in a lot of huge twists. It creates tension, then it slowly turns the screws, and it doesn’t release that tension every other episode with a killing spree designed to provide relief. Deaths are matter of fact, a sometimes necessary evil, but all they do is ratchet the tension, increasing the likelihood that the Jennings will be caught.
7. Because Sexy — The Americans is a very stylistic, and sometimes, dead sexy drama. Think Jennifer Garner in Alias, only with a more frequent (and more graphic) sex scenes (ironically, when J.J. Abrams cast Alias, his prototype was a kick-ass Felicity). Other times, that sexiness is awkward. For instance, when the daughter walks in on her parents in full-on 69 mode, a first for television (which happened in the same episode that Keri Russell’s character was also involved in a threesome).
8. Because Keri Russell is Seriously Bad Ass — If you only know Keri Russell from Felicity and other similar roles, you may be surprised by how adept she is in the action scenes. What’s perhaps even more remarkable is how sly she is about it: She doesn’t walk into a room and punch out three guards. She’ll sneak up on someone one in some nice lingerie and then, at their most vulnerable, she will SLASH THEIR F***KING THROAT. And maybe sometimes, she’ll just KICK SOMEONE’S HEAD THROUGH A WALL. She’s ruthless and cold.

9. Because of the moral ambiguity — There are no good guys or bad guys in The Americans. There are simply people doing their jobs, serving the interests of their own countries. The interests aren’t always good — on either the American or the Russian side — but the intentions of the characters are pure. We’re exploring the lives of bit players in a huge, decades long war. There are no individuals attempting to build empires or gain the throne. In fact, for the Jennings, it’s just the opposite: They want to serve their country with as little disruption to their suburban lives as possible. Their aspirations are nationalistic, not individual.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY SEASON FOUR: pic.twitter.com/6OHYzGjPMd

— Ryan Murphy (@MrRPMurphy) 24 Marzo 2014

L'EDICOLA DI LOU - Stralci, cover e commenti sui telefilm dai media italiani e stranieri

www.telefilmcult.tumblr.com

 

GOSSIP - Sophia nella rete! La Bush di "OTH" (e "Chicago PD") è la nuova "Maxim" girl
Sophia Bush looks quite arresting on the April 2014 cover of Maxim.
The Chicago P.D. actress strips down for the men's magazine, wearing a mesh corset and, well, not too much else. But Bush is more than just a pretty face—she's a talented actress and an outspoken activist.
Bush, 31, uses social media to highlight a variety of causes and social issues. "I realized I could have a dinner party conversation with 15 people, and I could use Twitter to have that same conversation with a million," says the California native, who volunteers for Pencils of Promise and charity: water.
Given that she's consistently been on TV screens since 2003, the actress has amassed quite an online following. "Well, it's funny. It's not often that someone gets a job at 20 and then does it for a decade. Those are the years you're supposed to be growing and exploring new things," Bush says of her One Tree Hill days. "But this show [Chicago P.D.]? It feels like the job I was supposed to be doing."
To prepare for her role as detective Erin Lindsay, a former confidential informant, Bush brushed up on creator Dick Wolf's other TV shows. "Well, I've watched his whole library, but I didn't sit and cram or anything. Although I did spend my Super Bowl Sunday watching a True Detective marathon on HBO."
The NBC drama shoots on location in the Windy City, which suits Bush just fine. "The restaurant scene is fantastic, and there a lot of great little bars," she says, noting that she hangs out with her co-stars regularly. "Our adventures are mostly about finding rare whiskeys and then dancing our faces off."

NEWS - #terminus is the new hashtag!

www.telefilmcult.tumblr.com

NEWS - In America capita che l'ideatore di una serie cult come "Mad Men" prenda carta e penna per scrivere ai giornalisti pregandoli di evitare spoiler...(tanto per gradire)

www.telefilmcult.tumblr.com

GOSSIP - Maggie Q(uanto è bello andar in giro senza mutande)!
La "Nikita" Maggie Q si è presentata ieri senza biancheria intima alla prima del film "Divergent" che la vede tra i protagonisti. L'attrice è apparsa fiera della scelta, posando per i fotografi dalla parte del nude-look. Vedi il video.

NEWS - Fermi tutti! Obama va da Ellen (DeGeneres) e parla di "House of Cards" e "Scandal" (a quando che da noi Napolitano va dalla D'Urso per parlare di Nonno Libero?)
President Barack Obama makes his first appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show since being elected into office for the episode airing Thursday (March 20). During the interview, which was done via satellite, Ellen asked the president if he watches Scandal and House of Cards, both of which take place in the political world. “You know, I watch House of Cards. I haven’t seen Scandal yet, but Michelle has watched Scandal. I have to tell ya, life in Washington is a little more boring than displayed on the screen,” Barack said. “You know the truth of the matter is, if you followed me, most of my day is sitting in a room listening to a bunch of folks in grey suits talking about a whole bunch of stuff that wouldn’t make very good television.”

L'EDICOLA DI LOU - Stralci, cover e commenti sui telefilm dai media italiani e stranieri

GLAMOUR
Lena Dunham shock! "Non so se ho voglia di continuare a recitare"

Lena Dunham is all about her tattoos on the cover of Glamour magazine’s April 2014 issue, on newsstands March 18.
Here’s what the 27-year-old Girls actress had to share with the mag:
On beginning to date her boyfriend Jack Antonoff: “The dialogue around [Girls] already existed, so it was sort of clear to him what the baggage of dating me was going to be. I remember talking with him on our first date and him being like, ‘God, all the articles about your nudity on the show are such bullsh-t.’ It’s funny, ’cause in some ways that’s the conversation we still have when I’m upset [about stuff I read].”

On if she will continue acting after Girls: “I don’t know if I’m going to want to act anymore. I’m always relieved on the days I don’t have to. I’d rather give parts to other women than be the woman having the parts.”
On her beauty point of view: “I feel prettier with a naked face and ChapStick. But a good haircut makes a huge difference.”
For more from Lena, visit Glamour.com.
FYI: Lena is wearing a rag & bone dress on the cover.

NEWS - Anteprima: "Fargo", il trailer!

GOSSIP - 100 di questi "Glee"! Lea Michele e Naya Rivera in gran spolvero per celebrare il centesimo episodio della serie di Murphy. Chi preferite?

Mandata email x nuova edizione all'assessore di Milano alla Cultura, Filippo Del Corno: attendiamo. #TF10

— Telefilm Festival (@TelefilmFest) 18 Marzo 2014

L'EDICOLA DI LOU - Stralci, cover e commenti sui telefilm dai media italiani e stranieri

UPROXX
10 motivi (meno uno) per non perdersi "The Americans"
The Americans is three episodes into its second season on FX, and so far, the series has only improved upon an already stellar first season. It’s dark, it’s stylistic, it’s emotionally complicated, and it is riveting drama. Unfortunately, despite being an incredibly sexy show at times, The Americans often doesn’t get the kind of buzz that The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones or True Detective gets, even if it is often as good as those other dramas. I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe because it’s not a Sunday night show. Or maybe because there isn’t a fantasy element involved, or zombies, or sneering douchebag villains.

I wish that The Americans were more talked about on the Internet. I wish it was appointment viewing. I wish that it got the appreciation that it deserves. I wish that I could convince people that haven’t given it a chance yet to tune in, catch up (the first season is on Amazon), and make memes and mash-ups and GIFs and develop theories so that the Internet will jump on board, so that it can become one of the most discussed shows every Wednesday night and Thursday morning, and so that we can all share it together. Here’s the best 9 reasons why.
1. Because It Involves Anti-Villains — If you’re tired of the glut of anti-hero dramas on television, The Americans offers a nice twist: The Anti-Villain. Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings are Commie spies, and as capitalist Americans, we shouldn’t be rooting for them. But we do. Why? Because The Americans isn’t about the interest or the motivations of the character, it’s about the characters themselves, who we become intensely invested in.
2. Because It’s the Show Homeland Wanted to Be — Homeland was at its best in the first season, when we found ourselves rooting for Nicholas Brody, even though we knew he was probably a terrorist. The Americans is the Cold War equivalent of that, only the daughter in this equation is much less annoying than Dana Brody, and the writers don’t have any intention of flipping the script by turning The Jennings into FBI informants. In fact, one of the most compelling conflicts in The Americans is the tension between the Jennings’ duty to Mother Russia and their obligation to their American children, who essentially embody American suburban values.
3. Because It’s a Great History Lesson — I happen to know a writer on this show, and I happen to know that she spent a lot of time studying the period, which not only helps the writing staff get the details right, but they manage to work in bits and pieces of actual Cold War history into the show. It’s a fascinating examination of a period most of us were too young to experience, and that the television and film world barely explores outside of stereotypical Communist villains. The Americans humanizes the bad guys.
4. Because of the Wigs — There are so many fantastic wigs in this show. Does it actually disguise the Jennings? Not particularly, but they are ridiculously fun.

5. Because of the Soundtrack — So much of television and film that goes back to the 80s often focuses on the cheesy music of the era, but The Americans tends to include the darker, heavier songs of the early 80s in its soundtrack. In other words, the good stuff. There’s quite a bit of early Peter Gabriel, there’s The Cure, the Squeeze, Pete Townshend, and Roberta Flack. It’s fantastic, period-perfect, moody and often haunting music that’s not a bunch of Cyndi Lauper or a series of one-hit wonders (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
6. Because of the Writing — As great as the first season was, the writing is even better in the second season. It’s a show that takes its time. It doesn’t aim for huge, shocking episodes. It doesn’t throw in a lot of huge twists. It creates tension, then it slowly turns the screws, and it doesn’t release that tension every other episode with a killing spree designed to provide relief. Deaths are matter of fact, a sometimes necessary evil, but all they do is ratchet the tension, increasing the likelihood that the Jennings will be caught.
7. Because Sexy — The Americans is a very stylistic, and sometimes, dead sexy drama. Think Jennifer Garner in Alias, only with a more frequent (and more graphic) sex scenes (ironically, when J.J. Abrams cast Alias, his prototype was a kick-ass Felicity). Other times, that sexiness is awkward. For instance, when the daughter walks in on her parents in full-on 69 mode, a first for television (which happened in the same episode that Keri Russell’s character was also involved in a threesome).

8. Because Keri Russell is Seriously Bad Ass — If you only know Keri Russell from Felicity and other similar roles, you may be surprised by how adept she is in the action scenes. What’s perhaps even more remarkable is how sly she is about it: She doesn’t walk into a room and punch out three guards. She’ll sneak up on someone one in some nice lingerie and then, at their most vulnerable, she will SLASH THEIR F***KING THROAT. And maybe sometimes, she’ll just KICK SOMEONE’S HEAD THROUGH A WALL. She’s ruthless and cold.

9. Because of the moral ambiguity — There are no good guys or bad guys in The Americans. There are simply people doing their jobs, serving the interests of their own countries. The interests aren’t always good — on either the American or the Russian side — but the intentions of the characters are pure. We’re exploring the lives of bit players in a huge, decades long war. There are no individuals attempting to build empires or gain the throne. In fact, for the Jennings, it’s just the opposite: They want to serve their country with as little disruption to their suburban lives as possible. Their aspirations are nationalistic, not individual.

NEWS - La "Nymphomaniac" Connie Nielsen fa parlare italiano "The Following"! 
Nonostante sia danese di nascita, Connie Nielsen – interprete dell’inquietante/psicopatica Lily Gray nella 2° stagione inedita di “The Following” (in anteprima esclusiva su Premium Crime ogni lunedì) – vanta trascorsi italiani non da poco. Dopo il debutto a 18 anni da modella, si è spostata in Italia, dove ha vissuto alcuni anni tra Roma e Milano. Nel capoluogo lombardo ha conseguito un master class con Lydia Styx al Piccolo Teatro e ha allacciato una relazione con l’attore italiano Fabio Sartor, conosciuto sul set della serie tv “Colletti bianchi” del 1988 alla quale l’attrice ha partecipato; dall’unione dei due è nato poi il figlio Sebastian prima di trasferirsi definitivamente negli Stati Uniti, tra New York e San Francisco. Qui ha trovato fortuna al cinema in pellicole mainstream come “Il Gladiatore” (Oscar come “miglior film” nel 2001), opere europee (francesi in primis), cineasti DOC (come Brian De Palma che l’ha voluta in “Mission to Mars”),  festival internazionali (“miglior attrice” nel 2004 a San Sebastian per “Non desiderare la donna d’altri”) o ultimamente nello scandaloso “Nymphomaniac” di Lars Von Trier.

NEWS - E' uno Scanda-Lohan! Appena uscita fresca fresca dal rehab Lindsay si prende (in giro: in un cameo in "2 Broke Girls") e si riprende (in un docu-reality sulla sua vita spericolata) 
La vita e la carriera all’insegna degli scandali di Lindsay Lohan segnano un nuovo capitolo. L’attrice che ultimamente ha fatto parlare i gossip per i suoi stravizi ha interpretato sé stessa in una docu-reality intitolato per l’appunto “Lindsay” che ha acceso i riflettori a partire dalla sua uscita dal recentissimo rehab annunciato tra l’altro nel salotto di Oprah Winfrey. Per le 8 puntate, Lohan ha percepito un compenso di 8 milioni di dollari. La prima puntata, in onda sul neonato canale via cavo OWN, ha registrato 693.000 spettatori (per il network si è registrato un incremento di audience del 231%). Nel corso della prima puntata, l’attrice ha raccontato di sentirsi “prigioniera dei paparazzi” e di aver “trovato una calma interiore”, di “aver provato qualsiasi esperienza” e di sapere che “questa è l’ultima possibilità, l’ultima chance per dimostare chi sia e cosa sappia fare”. Nel frattempo Lindsay Lohan si prenderà in giro partecipando da guest-star nell'episodio della 3° stagione di “2 Broke Girls” in onda in America il 14 aprile (a seguire, in Italia, su Joi che trasmette la sit-com a poche settimane di distanza al martedì). L’attrice interpreterà Claire Guinness, una futura sposa che chiede alle protagoniste Max (Kat Dennings) e Caroline (Beth Behrs) di preparare la torta matrimoniale ma che denota un’indecisione fuori dal comune. Si tratta dell’atteso ritorno in scena da attrice di Lohan dopo il chiaccherato “The Canyons” di Paul Schrader al cinema nel 2013 al fianco del pornoattore James Deen (quest’ultimo ha definito la partner di set, con la quale ha intrapreso roventi scene di sesso, “una bambina capricciosa”) . Prossimamente l’attrice sarà impegnata a tutto tondo nel film “Inconceivable”, opera che la vedrà in prima fila sia da protagonista che da produttrice, come ha annunciato lei stessa all’ultimo Sundance Film Festival.

L'EDICOLA DI LOU - Stralci, cover e commenti sui telefilm dai media italiani e stranieri

NEW YORK TIMES
Vince Gilligan, dopo aver ideato "Breaking Bad", si concede cameo in "Community"

After bringing his AMC series “Breaking Bad” to its highly praised conclusion and earning an Emmy Award for outstanding drama, creator Vince Gilligan probably could have done anything he wanted for his next act.

Unexpectedly, he opted for a cameo role in the NBC comedy “Community.” At the invitation of that show’s creator, Dan Harmon, Mr. Gilligan will make his professional on-camera acting debut in  Thursday’s episode, playing the host of a vintage VCR game with an Old West theme and some deeply confusing rules. (It spoils nothing to add that Mr. Gilligan’s character also appears, in a slightly different capacity, in a closing-credits scene with Gina

Gershon.)

Mr. Gilligan, who is now preparing the “Breaking Bad” spinoff “Better Call Saul” for a November debut, spoke recently about his visit to “Community.” In these edited excerpts from that conversation, he talks about what he’s learned from his introduction to acting.

Q.

Is this the beginning of your transition into acting?

A.

Yes. It’s a steppingstone to porn, which is actually my first true love. [Laughs] Everybody in their heart of hearts wishes they could be Errol Flynn or Harrison Ford, swashbuckling away in a big movie. I always knew I couldn’t act and I couldn’t sing, so I never really tried either. But out of the blue, Dan Harmon called up and said, would you like to do a guest shot on “Community”? And it was irresistible. I couldn’t say no.

 

Q.

How well did you know Dan when he asked you to do this?

A.

Not well. We had met at an Emmy party, probably two years before.  He’s a great storyteller and a fun guy to hang around with. But he’s busy, I was busy finishing up “Breaking Bad.” And that’s the way the business is. You have a great time talking to someone and then you don’t see them again for five years.

 

Q.

What was he like to work with on your “Community” scenes?

A.

As one would expect, “Community” being his brainchild, he’s a hilariously funny guy.  Exactly as I was on the set on of “Breaking Bad,” he looked pretty tired the day I saw him on “Community,” but he was a wonderful host.

 

Q.

Did this turn out to be a deceptively challenging assignment?

A.

I was so nervous because – not that it needs to be stressed for anyone who will watch the episode – I am no actor. I studied my lines. I tried to picture how Bryan Cranston or Aaron Paul would do it. But I got there and I said to Dan, “Are you sure about this? There’s a very good possibility I may be unwatchably terrible.” And he said, “We know that, too. [Laughs] The whole point of the character you’re playing is that he’s a bad actor. So the worse you are, perhaps the funnier it would be.”

 

Q.

You play the character with a deliberately silly Southern accent. Was this a skill you’ve always had, or one you developed specifically for the role?

A.

I swear to God, I did do my homework, however it comes across. I’d watch Gabby Hayes videos and I’d watch Walter Huston in “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” I’d be trying to imitate their voices. I’m not much of a mimic, unfortunately, but I had my upbringing in Virginia to fall back on. I used to have much more of a Southern accent than I do now — it seems to have gone away inadvertently after having lived here in Los Angeles for 20 years. I had to dig deep and pull it out from wherever it was hiding.

 

Q.

So there’s an element of self-mockery in the performance?

A.

[Laughs] Oh yeah. Even in the South, there’s different substrates of hillbillies and white trash.

 

Q.

Were you bummed that you didn’t get to share a scene with your former “Breaking Bad” co-star Jonathan Banks, who’s now on “Community”?

A.

He is such a sweetheart. He’s so crusty on the outside but he’s like a marshmallow on the inside. He knew how nervous I was and that I had never acted. And when he wrapped for the day, instead of driving home, which I’m sure he would have preferred to do, he hung around to run lines with me off camera. That made me more comfortable.

 

Q.

Did you learn anything from your acting experience that made you see your work as a producer or a director in a new light?

A.

I learned viscerally what I already knew intellectually. I know acting is a hard gig, but actually  having 30 or 40 union crew members standing around, staring at you — they’re professionals and they’re expecting you to  know your lines and not make them go home a half-hour or an hour or two hours later than they normally would. So you feel that pressure of getting it right in the first take.

 

Q.

Was it any more difficult in the scene you share with Gina Gershon?

A.

Gina Gershon’s an excellent actress, and man, just smoking hot. And just a very sweet, nice person. She very handily grasped the fact that I had not done this before. [Laughs] And I got to hug her over and over again, take after take, which was very enjoyable. I’m glad my girlfriend, Holly, was not there. That would have put a damper on things. [Laughs]

 

Q.

After this experience, are you thinking about how you might more substantially re-enter the world of scripted entertainment, or are you still kicking back and considering your options?

A.

I definitely am not giving up my job. We’re plugging away on “Better Call Saul,” I’m here in the writers’ offices as we speak, and we’re breaking our third episode out of our 10-episode first season. Peter Gould and I, we’re running it together, and we’re having a really good partnership.

 

Q.

So you were eager to re-immerse yourself in the world of “Breaking Bad”?

A.

Oh, yeah. I hadn’t written a “Breaking Bad” episode since the final episode about a year ago, and then we had to shoot it and edit it all, then there was the victory lap. It didn’t take long for me to start to miss the world of “Breaking Bad,” and I very much want “Better Call Saul” to get off on the best foot possible. I’ll be here every day, and directing the first episode and co-writing the first episode with Peter. I’ll be as helpful as I can at the beginning of Season 2, putting in a couple weeks full-time with Peter, and then gradually pulling back from it. Because Peter is more than ready to run his own show. And then I’ll look for a movie to do or create another TV show.

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TELEFILM ART - I nuovi poster di "Mad Men" e "Fargo"!

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NEWS - La "Bad" Reunion!

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