Week(s) in TV: Miscellaneous Links

- Not really about TV, per se, but I liked the excerpt the New Yorker posted from Mindy Kaling's upcoming book.

- Called it!

- Normally, I try not to get too worked up about announcements of development deals for pilots - so many pilots get made that never make it onto the official TV schedule. But I couldn't help but let out a squeal at the news of Lee Daniels working on a series based on Valley of the Dolls. a) Valley of the Dolls is pure campy awesomeness, and while I haven't seen any of the adaptations besides the 1960s film version with Patty Duke and Sharon Tate, that movie doesn't touch on half of what's in the book; b) the book could easily serve as the basis for a television series - it spans a decade or so and actually paints an interesting portrait of postwar New York and the entertainment world, touching on theater, movies and television; if shows like Playboy Club and Pan Am are any indication, a central character like Anne is exactly what the networks are looking for; c) Daniels, at least in his first film Shadowboxer, has shown a distinct flair for bringing balls-out craziness to the screen, which I think is really key to adapting VotD faithfully.

- Another interesting announcement came in the buzz around producers working on pulling together a black-cast Steel Magnolias for Lifetime. It was clear fairly shortly into The Help's run in the theaters that it would be the kind of project studios would try to imitate or replicate for their own profit, and at least on its face, this seems like an inspired tack to take. If they can get the kind of cast they want for the project, it will get awards attention and could be a game-changer for Lifetime's image.

Week in TV: October 23-29

Boardwalk Empire, 2.5: "Gimcrack and Bunkum"

- In a media landscape that's often lacking in diversity, I feel like BE deserves props for making the cabal of Atlantic City elders backing the Commodore feel like the oldest, whitest group of old white men anywhere on television. Truly an accomplishment among stiff competition.

- Great interview with Jack Huston from The Daily Beast; the work he's been doing this season is mesmerizing, and really showcases BE at its best.

Revenge, 1.6: "Intrigue"

There are many things to enjoy about this show, but I'm currently really digging Ashton Holmes, Tyler's weird creepiness, and the fact that they've kept his motives fairly oblique; does he want to bang Daniel, replace him in the Grayson family, or murder him and wear his skin? (Maybe all three, not necessarily in that order?) Love it. I was kind of convinced that the shooting that opened the pilot is actually connected to the mentioned-infrequently-but-just-frequently-enough-to-clearly-be-relevant waitress relationship gone bad rather than Emily's revenge plot, but I'm willing to give a percentage of that theorizing over to "Tyler finally snaps." Good stuff.

American Horror Story, 1.4: "Halloween, Part 1"

I think this week really highlighted a central flaw in the show, particularly if the plot heads where it appears to be heading: the most interesting people in any given episode tend to be the former residents/current ghosts. If the seemingly inevitable horrific murder (murder-suicide?) of the Harmons comes to pass, they aren't currently compelling enough for their potential future haunting to seem like an interesting prospect. At the end of the episode, I wasn't concerned about the ostensible protagonists. I was thinking, "Damn, I hope we get some sort of cross-era ghost interaction so there are at least a few scenes of Zachary Quinto and Lily Rabe going crazy on each other, over-the-top Tennessee Williams-style."

Once Upon a Time, "Pilot"

Grimm, "Pilot"

Two takes on fairy tales, neither of which grabbed me right out of the gate. I preferred Grimm's darker take on the material, just because it seemed to owe more to the gorier original stories as opposed to the more clearly Disney-influenced versions in Once Upon a Time (and, honestly, when you're introducing a show like this in 2011, I think you need at least a dash of that kind of self-awareness and to contend with your source material in as nuanced a manner as possible), but I don't think I'm up for what looks to be a more procedural structure in the less whimsical show. I'm more curious to see where Once Upon a Time goes for a while, particularly whether the flashback structure holds up, and whether a long-term strategy for sustaining compelling storytelling emerges. The stated goal of Emma ultimately defeating the Queen and breaking the curse seems like a decent endpoint, but only if there's as little wheel-spinning as possible in the journey to get there.

Random TV Love

How did I not realize sooner that Skins was on Hulu (now through the fourth series), and therefore available for me to excerpt and embed scenes like the following selection from the second episode that essentially marks the exact point where I became totally obsessed with the show?:

Look out, world. There's totally a "My 10 15 20 Favorite Things from Skins" post coming at you.

Mood Music LXII

Trailer Thoughts

I was excited about this movie anyway, but this trailer just kicked that excitement up tenfold. A significant part of that initial excitement came from my own pre-existing affection for Juno, but I like that the trailer doesn't oversell any commonalities this might have with any of Reitman or Cody's prior work. The use of "Queen Bitch" is just perfection. And there's something I absolutely love about that Diet Coke she's holding in the scene in the Macy's - like, that's the little touch that really says "full-tilt public breakdown."