Nice Boy of the Week: Ben McKenzie

With the premiere of SouthLAnd’s second season on TNT, how could we not vote for Ben McKenzie as our Nice Boy for this week? Ben plays Officer Ben Sherman on SouthLAnd, but he is best known for his role as Ryan Atwood on The O.C. He appeared in 88 Minutes in 2007 and in 2005 made his feature film debut in Junebug, with Amy Adams. Other television credits include JAG and The District.

Ben garnered multiple Teen Choice Awards for his role on The O.C., as well as the Amanda Award for Outstanding Performance in Feature Film: Junebug and BRAVO Gold Otto (Germany) for Best Male Actor: The O.C.

Although Ben majored in Economics and Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia, he got into acting during his first few years there. He moved to New York where acting opportunities were more numerous, and landed a role in the off-Broadway play Life Is A Dream. From there, Ben moved to L.A. and began his O.C. days. The rest is history.

Want to catch up on season one of “SouthLAnd”? Go here to see how!

Fox’s Winter TCA

Fox’s day at The Critics’ Association winter press tour found itself in an interesting position: being the day after NBC’s presentation and the kerfuffle of late night. By the end of the day, however, Fox had created some news of its own, and left many questions about some of its upcoming programs.

Bones

With Bones well into its fifth season, the show is once again raising the stakes for all of the characters involved with work at The Jeffersonian.

The 100th episode (set to air April 8, directed by David Boreanaz) finds Dr. Sweets about to publish his book, only to find out that some of his assumptions on how Brennan and Booth started to work together were wrong. What unfolds after that is a flashback about that first case to illustrate the point to Sweets. During the episode, there will also be a sea change in the relationship between Booth and Brennan, though no one would be specific about what that sort of change is going to be.

The other big Bones news involved a mysterious wedding (actually resulting in a marriage). No one was specific about who would be involved, though Boreanaz did suggest that it was someone in the family of the Jeffersonian (I assume Booth and Sweets are included in the family). Related to that point, creator Hart Hanson wouldn’t definitively say if Booth and Brennan would be together at the end, but he is well aware of the pull of fans, both for and against the couple.

By the end of the morning with the cast and crew, there was only one clear lesson learned: secrets are going to keep me interested in watching the rest of this season and into the sixth, just to try and understand what everyone was alluding to.

Human Target

After hearing about this back in the summer, the show seems to have found a pattern, though the use of both a plane and a train in the opening episodes shouldn’t scare anyone from those means of transportation.

In the wake of the foiled terror plot on Christmas, many critics were worried about the second episode being aboard a plane, though Executive Producer John Steinberg dismissed the connection, saying “we’re trying to do something different in every one of them [episode].” The show is also aiming for fun instead of a real depiction of any the situation the leads find themselves in.

As the show is based on a graphic novel, Steinbeck was quick to point out that the source material is still present, but that knowledge of either version of the novel won’t be necessary.

Chi McBride, in one of the moments that has come to define his public appearances, hoped that all of the critics would “like us, don’t love us” to insure that the show lasts.

Code 58

From Burn Notice creator Matt Nix, this show, airing in May and June, features Bradley Whitford (sporting a very 80s mustache) and Colin Hanks, as a pair of detectives routinely sent on inconsequential calls that turn intriguing as they investigate. Nix described the shows as an action comedy, and from the brief read of the pilot script, he’s not wrong.

On stage, Hanks and Whitford play off each other just as I imagine their characters will do, while their Lieutenant and the Assistant Distract Attorney (Diana Maria Riva and Jenny Wade, respectively) are players in the larger picture of each investigation.

Though the title of the show is likely to change, Code 58 refers to the police code in Dallas, Texas, for a routine investigation, described in the panel as what would happen should someone call on two kids making out in a parked car.

Executive Session

After what sounded like a brutal NBC Executive Session, Fox’s session featured many questions about trying late night content again (with Conan) and also saw the end of an era for American Idol, as Simon Cowell announced that he would be leaving the show to bring The X Factor to America in 2011.

No answer was given about any potential show with Conan, despite the plethora of questions on the topic.

Other news announced included Glee’s second season pick up, which will also feature a short reality program that follows some of the potentials on the audition process. As Kevin Reilly imagines, the three new cast members for season 2 will be revealed in the premiere of the series, while the reality program will potentially include watching all of the contestants filming scenes in the episode.

The network is also committed to programming “fresh, new” shows in the Summer – not leftovers that shouldn’t be considered.

Fox Closes Doors on “Dollhouse”

E!Online is announcing that Fox has officially shut down the Dollhouse. Insiders confirm to us that Fox has officially closed the book on the Friday-night sci-fi series. (Series producer and Joss Whedon sister-in-law Maurissa Tancharoen, who also guest stars in an upcoming episode as an active named Kilo, tweeted confirmation as well, saying, “Yes. Cancelled. Sad but true.”)

Series creator, Joss Whedon, will have time to pull together all the story lines for a nice finish. Says E!Online, “We’re hearing that episode 13 serves as a season finale ‘in a significant way and gives Joss enough time to wrap up the stories.’ ”

Go to E!Online for the entire story.

Glee’s “Wheels” Rolls into Your Wednesday Night

This week marks the return of Glee to our Wednesday nights on Fox and E!Online has gifted us with five sneak-peek clips from “Wheels”. Watch Kurt challenge Rachel to a sing-off of “Defying Gravity” from the musical smash Wicked. (O. M. G.) Then take a look as Artie goes “Dancing With Myself”.

Synopsis: When Artie’s chances of traveling with the group to Regionals are in question, Will challenges the kids to step out of their comfort zones and experience life from a different point of view. Meanwhile, the Glee Club hosts its first “diva-off” between Kurt and Rachel, and Sue reveals a softer side.

Fair warning to all my friends and family, fellow Tweeters, Nice Girls and bloggers: as the biggest fan of Wicked, I will be glued to my television during this episode. Crying will definitely be involved and I may need oxygen when it’s all over, because I won’t be breathing until then. But do not call/tweet/ping/text during this time because I will rudely ignore you.

Glee returns Wednesday, Nov. 11 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

(Photo credit: Fox)

Why Isn’t Dollhouse A Bigger Hit?

Fox decided to pull Dollhouse from the schedule during November sweeps, choosing to air reruns of House in that timeslot instead. What does Fox see as a result? A 62% increase in ratings. With a rerun. (The rerun also trumped ratings for new episodes of Brothers and ‘Til Death, but I don’t watch them so I don’t really care.)

I really like Dollhouse and think this season has been promising so far with some excellent guest casting and intriguing stories. The timeslot is a problem for me, but I DVR it and watch it over the weekend along with my other Friday night shows like Psych and Ugly Betty. Fox seems to be one of the few networks who thinks DVRing is a good thing, and I’m not a Nielsen family, so I don’t feel guilty about it. I’ve had the opportunity to sit in on conference calls with Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku, saw them and other show folks at Comic Con, and they all seem like nice people with loads of talent. So what’s the deal? Why isn’t the show a bigger hit? I don’t have the answers, but I have some possibilities.

1. The Fox/Whedon Combo: are fans of Firefly scared to trust Fox with Joss Whedon’s new creation? Fox gave Dollhouse a second season in a move that even surprised Whedon considering season 1’s low ratings. With a vote of confidence like that, shouldn’t Whedon’s fans be willing to have faith in Fox?

2. Darker Content: Dollhouse is arguably Whedon’s darkest series yet, although every series he’s created is rooted in a disturbing foundation (vampires and demons abound, The Man wants to experiment on anyone with special aiblities, aliens want to wear your skin, etc.). Dollhouse does have the least amount of humor, however. Do we need that levity to make the show accessible?

3. The Fan Campaign: months before Dollhouse premiered on Fox, a fan campaign to save the show sprouted up online. It was an innovative idea, attempting to rally the fans before the show was actually in danger, but did it have the reverse affect? If the idea is already planted that the show is in danger, will potential viewers simply decide not to waste their time and opt not to tune in at all?

What do you think? Is it the network? The content? The fans? What gives?

“The Vampire Diaries” and “Fringe” Surge in Ratings

THR is reporting that Fringe and The Vampire Diaries are among the shows that produced an increase in ratings after DVR totals came in for the week of Sept. 20th.

Granted, this was before all the fall shows premiered; however, both shows are still holding their own for their respective networks. “The CW again this year is showing significant gains. “Vampire Dairies” (2.1 adults 18-49 rating) was the largest gainer of the week, rising 31%. “Melrose Place” (1.3) and Fox’s “Fringe” (3.9) both rose 30%. NBC’s “The Office” (5.2) went up 27%. Fox’s “Bones” (3.9) climbed 26%.”

The fact that most of these shows are on at the same time couldn’t possibly have anything to do with DVR numbers, right?

Nice Boy of the Week: Matthew Morrison

As Glee continues to make us hum, get up and dance and all around delight us, the Nice Girls have been completely taken in by Will Schuester, played by the fabulous Matthew Morrison. So, while we still have “Maybe This Time” roaming around in our brains, we are adding Matthew to our Nice Boys Wall of Fame.

Oddly enough, Matthew has had a dose of Nice Girls, in a very round-about way, when he played ‘Brody’ in the very short-lived, Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office. Before this, however, Matthew began his career on the stage in broadway musicals such as Footloose and a revival of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Dear God, please let there be a Timewarp scene on Glee! Matthew got his break, though, when he landed the part of Link Larkin in Broadway’s Hairspray.

His television credits include Hack, Sex and the City and As the World Turns. He landed small parts in films such as Marci X, Encino Man, Primary Colors, and Simply Funk, finally appearing in Once Upon A Mattress, with Carol Burnett and Tracey Ullman, Dan In Real Life and Music and Lyrics.

Just before coming to do the pilot for Glee, Matthew was playing Lt. Cable in the Lincoln Center’s production of South Pacific. Glee exploded on our televisions screens and we can’t get enough. Oh, and we kind of like Matthew as well.

Fox Announces Full Season for “Glee”

Obviously Fox see’s what we see – that Glee is their new break-out hit series. Kevin Reilly, President, Entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company, announced today that they’ve ordered the full season pick up for Glee. “The response we’ve received to ‘Glee’ has been remarkable,” said Reilly. “It’s already got the makings of a cultural phenomenon. I’ve seen all 13 episodes, and Ryan Murphy, his team and the talented ‘Glee’ cast have knocked our socks off with their incredible work. We’re happy to pick up this gem of a show, and can’t wait to see what they’ll do with the rest of the season.”

I can’t wait either. Who would have thought we’d be ready for a weekly musical show again? I had no idea there were so many fans of musicals like me out there. Have we all missed Fame that much? I guess so, and it thrills me.

Watch Glee Wednesday, Sept. 23 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), on Fox.