Category: Television

Larry David on ‘Curb’: ‘I No Longer Feel a Need to Wrap Things Up’

Larry David admitted the odds are against another season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, telling Bill Simmons in a recent chat with Grantland the line is about “six to one.” While Simmons suggested one last 90-minute mockumentary to wrap up the beloved HBO series, David seemed unsure, recalling the negative reactions to the infamous Seinfeld finale.

“I got so much grief from the Seinfeld finale, which a lot of people intensely disliked, that I no longer feel a need to wrap things up,” David said. When asked if he was still mad about the reaction to the last episode, David added: “I wouldn’t say I’m mad about it, but it taught me a lesson that if I ever did another show, I wasn’t gonna wrap it up.”

While David didn’t remember any of the specific criticisms leveled against the Seinfeld finale — in which the four main characters end up in jail essentially for being terrible people — he said he was glad to hear Simmons had come around to it, adding he hoped it would start a groundswell.

As to why Seinfeld ended the way it did, with a cavalcade of past characters airing their grievances against Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer, David said neither he nor Jerry Seinfeld were interested in ending the show on a mushy, emotional note à la Cheers. “Let me toot my own horn for a second: I thought it was clever to bring back all those characters in a courtroom and testify against [the four] for what they did, and then show those clips,” David said.

Fittingly, David has skirted a Curb finale for a new endeavor: The comedian will make his Broadway debut when his new play, Fish in the Dark, opens next year. David wrote the comedy, about a death in the family, and will also star in it after producer Scott Rudin urged him to take on the role. He described his character, perhaps unsurprisingly, as “somebody very similar to Larry David — it might even be Larry David with a different name.”

Fish in the Dark also stars Rosie Perez, Jerry Adler, Jayne Houdyshell, Jonny Orsini and Jake Cannavale. It begins previews at the Cort Theater on February 2nd and opens on March 5th.

Stephen Colbert won’t launch his CBS show until late summer

Who is the real Stephen Colbert? He’ll have plenty of time to figure it out.

The new CBS late-night host will not start his new gig until late August or early September, according to an industry insider familiar with the situation.

The network announced Wednesday that David Letterman will host his final edition of “The Late Show” on May 20, 2015. With Colbert finishing his run on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” on Dec. 18, he will have an eight-month hiatus from a regular late-night TV platform.

While that seems like a lengthy break, Colbert will need that time to create a show and a new persona. Since 2005, viewers have known him as the wingnut TV pundit he plays with unwavering commitment on “The Colbert Report.” He will not be taking that character to CBS.

The hiatus will also be used to hire writers and a production staff. A new set will be built in the Ed Sullivan Theater, which will also be refurbished and receive some technical upgrades. CBS will want to mount some test shows with Colbert in front of an audience before the launch.

CBS is still deciding what to run in “The Late Show” slot between Letterman’s departure date and Colbert’s premiere.

A CBS spokesman declined to comment on when Colbert’s show will premiere. The date is expected to be announced in early January.

Dave Grohl reveals there are 1,300 hours of additional ‘Sonic Highways’ footage

Dave Grohl has revealed that there are 1,300 hours of additional Sonic Highways footage.

The recently broadcast eight part series accompanied the new Foo Fighters album of the same name. Each episode was an hour long, and saw the band recording in cities across North America and talking to local musicians and industry figures. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Grohl explained that there is a huge amount of footage which didn’t fit into the final series. “Dude, we have 1,300 hours of additional footage. We got a lot of shit,” he commented.

He explained that reducing the footage down to eight hour long episodes was “virtually impossible”. He commented: “…trying to reduce all this information from all of these people in each city to an hour-long episode. It’s virtually impossible. Just sitting down and watching one of these complete interviews is enough to change your life. Watching Chuck D’s interview from beginning to end, if that doesn’t make you want to start a group, I don’t know what to say.”

A whole host of artists were interviewed for the show, including Josh Homme, Rick Rubin, Dolly Parton, Ian MacKaye, Joan Jett, Slash, Pharrell Williams, The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and even US President Barack Obama.

Foo Fighters recently announced a headline gig for Slane Castle in Ireland next year. The 80,000-capacity show will take place on May 30, with support coming from Kaiser Chiefs and Hozier. The gig is in addition to a previously announced UK tour, which will see the band perform a string of dates in support of new album ‘Sonic Highways’, including two shows at Wembley Stadium.

Support at these shows will come from Iggy Pop and Royal Blood.

Guest subs to host ‘Late Late Show’ until Corden’s arrival

CBS is preparing for life after Craig Ferguson — and before James Corden.

The network on Wednesday announced its roster of guest hosts who will fill in on “The Late Late Show” (12:35 a.m.) after Ferguson leaves Dec. 19 and is succeeded in March by James Corden.

Drew Carey will sub the week of Jan. 5 and the week of March 2 leading into Corden’s debut.

Also on the slate of guest hosts are Judd Apatow, comedian Jim Gaffigan and musician John Mayer and a slew of CBS talent: Billy Gardell (“Mike and Molly”), Wayne Brady (“Let’s Make a Deal”), Will Arnett and Sean Hayes — both from the recently axed “The Millers” — and Kunal Nayyar (“The Big Bang Theory”).

Thomas Lennon, who will co-star with Matthew Perry in CBS’ reboot of “The Odd Couple,” will also guest-host.

In addition, CBS announced that its daytime show, “The Talk”—hosted by Julie Chen, Sharon Osbourne, Sara Gilbert, Aisha Tyler and Sheryl Underwood — will air for one week in the 12:35 a.m. timeslot (Jan. 12-16).
“The Talk” will also air in its regular timeslot that week with original shows (2 p.m. on Ch. 2).

‘True Detective’: Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, Kelly Reilly Confirmed for Season 2

HBO has rounded out the cast of “True Detective,” tapping Kelly Reilly for a key role as wife of the crime boss played by Vince Vaughn.

Reilly will play Jordan, described as a former D-list actress who is an active partner in the criminal enterprises run by her husband, Frank Semyon.

HBO has also confirmed at long last that Taylor Kitsch and Rachel McAdams are co-starring the sophomore season of “True Detective” opposite Vaughn and Colin Farrell. Production on the eight-episode season has begun in California, HBO said Monday.

Variety first reported that McAdams was in talks for the role in September. Taylor Kitsch also said himself last month that he was joining the cast.

Kitsch plays Paul Woodrugh, a war veteran and motorcycle officer for the California Highway Patrol on the run from a difficult past.

McAdams is Ani Bezzerides, a Ventura County Sheriff’s detective whose uncompromising ethics put her at odds with others and the system she serves. Presumably, she goes up against Farrell’s Ray Velcoro, who is described as a corrupt detective ruled by Semyon.

The casting on “True Detective’s” second installment have dribbled out over the summer and early fall amid feverish speculation about the show’s next incarnation. There’s no word yet on a premiere date.

Correction: A previous version of this post said the show had been set for January premiere. HBO has yet to formally announce a premiere date.

Hugh Laurie heading to ‘Veep’

Hugh Laurie is White House bound.

The British actor, best known for his two-time, Golden Globe-winning turn as the title character on House, is joining Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep.

The HBO political comedy left off with vice president Selina Meyer (Louis-Dreyfus) ascending to the oval office when POTUS resigned to take care of his wife. The show is now heading into its fourth season.

Details are unknown about Laurie’s role at this time, but with Meyer in charge, at least for the time being, someone might fill the role of vice president.

Woody Harrelson to host ‘Saturday Night Live’

May the odds be ever in his favor: During tonight’s episode, Saturday Night Live revealed that Hunger Games star (and Academy Award nominee) Woody Harrelson will host the show’s Nov. 15 episode. The True Detective will be joined by musical guest Kendrick Lamar.

Both men have appeared on NBC’s sketch program before. Harrelson has hosted SNL twice already, though never yet in the 21st century—his previous stints came in 1989 and 1992. Lamar, meanwhile, made his SNL debut as musical guest in 2013. Lamar is expected to release his third studio album this year; Harrelson’s next movie, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1 will hit theaters Nov. 21.

Prince will serve as SNL music guest on November 1st, alongside host Chris Rock

Prince’s wailing guitar will rain down on 30 Rockefeller Center on November 1st. The legendary musician has confirmed his third appearance on Saturday Night Live, and first since 2006. The episode will be hosted by comedian and former SNL cast member Chris Rock.

In announcing his appearance, Prince posted a photo of Rock dressed in Prince’s trademark purple regalia (taken from the film Grown Ups 2), along with the caption “@3RDEYEGIRL AND @CHRISROCK ON @NBCSNL.”

The appearance comes in support of Prince’s new solo album, ART OFFICIAL AGE, as well as the debut LP from his band 3rdEyeGirl, PLECTRUMELECTRUM.

Get ready for Bill Murray to sing you Christmas carols!!

Bill Murray is getting into the Christmas spirit — and we’re not talking Scrooged, either.

Variety reports that Murray will star in a television Christmas special that’ll be directed by Sofia Coppola, who steered Murray to a best-actor Oscar nomination in 2003’s Lost in Translation – and he’ll be singing carols.

“We’re going to do it like a little movie,” Murray tells Variety about the project, which is in its early stages. “It won’t have a format, but it’s going to have music. It will have texture. It will have threads through it that are writing. There will be prose.”

Sounds like there will be a lot of fun, too.