Apple has released an official trailer for Schmigadoon!, a vibrant parody musical comedy series debuting this July on the streaming service and coming from the mind of Barry Sonnenfeld.
Described as a parody of iconic Golden Age musicals, the six-episode season of Schmigadoon! stars Emmy Award nominee Cecily Strong and Emmy Award winner Keegan-Michael Key as a couple on a backpacking trip designed to reinvigorate their relationship when they discover a magical town in which everyone is living in a studio musical from the 1940s. They then discover that they can’t leave until they find “true love.”
A lot of people remember Dax Shepard as being that guy who was famous for a little while in the mid 2000s and then sort of fell off the wagon as far as being famous goes. I really don’t know why though. He’s talented, funny, and actually a talented actor. I think that both Without a Paddle and Employee of the Month, and even Let’s Go To Prison are all completely underrated comedies that really showed Shepard’s range as a comedian.
Anyway, after taking some time off from the limelight, Shepard is back with a hilarious trailer for his writing and directing debut. The film is called Hit & Run and it follows a former getaway driver nicknamed Charlie Bronson, who’s in witness protection, and his girlfriend (and real-life fiance), the always lovely Kristen Bell. After landing a dream job in LA, the two plan to make a trip out there, but Charlie’s past gets in the way. An old accomplice played by Bradley Cooper swoops in looking for money that Charlie owes him, explaining that he spent 8 months in prison for this money.
Now, Charlie has to find a way to get the money before things go really bad. Also in search of Charlie is a federal agent played by Tom Arnold who is in charge of keeping him safe at all costs. The whole thing amounts to what looks to be a wild and hilarious ride from the mind of one of the most undervalued comedians in Hollywood. The trailer itself is frenetic and chaotically funny as it goes from one wild scenario to the next. From Tom Arnold accidentally catapulting a bowling ball from his car, to the gang busting in on a hotel room full of naked old people, to seeing Bradley Cooper in a believable set of dreads, Hit & Run seems to have it all and then some.
At this point in their careers, it is safe to say that the creators of Glee have turned everything they touch into gold. Glittery, shimmering gold. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, only 455,000 viewers tuned into Oxygen’s new show. The Glee Project premiered Sunday night at 9pm. This show begins by putting 12 people between the ages of 18-22 into a contest which includes vocals, acting, dancing, as well as taking direction. Every week the group has a guest judge. The first week’s guest judge was Darren Criss (Blaine Anderson). At the end of every week, the bottom three contestants are chosen to perform in front of the creator of Glee, Ryan Murphy.
I watched the premiere episode, and I have to say I liked it… but there were quite a few problems with it…
First off, I am not sure who was in charge of advertising for The Glee Project, but I have obsessively watched every single episode of Glee, not only at the time it was aired, but multiple times afterward. I can honestly say that I wasn’t quite sure what The Glee Project was when I was going to write this article. I had seen commercials about it, but they all said to go to a website, or download an app for more information. This show is much like American Idol, without seeing all of the embarrassing moments that everyone watches those types of elimination shows for. I think that if this show had been properly advertised, the premiere would’ve done better. In fact, I may have made an event of it. Hell, I would have auditioned.
Incognito
Secondly, the most interesting parts of the show were not drawn out as much as they should have been. They had a guest judge – one of the lovable gays from the show, and barely showed him when it aired. He worked with one of the contestants on his vocal, but you only see about a minute of them working together. I am not sure why they did that, but I would have wanted to see more Blaine…
The show needs a lot of work. As a Glee fan, I hope it does get better.
In my second piece of exciting news, Executive Producer Ian Brennan has said he wants to create an episode in Season 3 to feature Bruce Springsteen. It is rumored that The Boss might play Finn Hudson’s uncle on the show, which would be perfect!
Glee has already had fantastic guest appearances, such as Britney Spears, and a recurring role as a substitute teacher played by Gwyneth Paltrow. Not to mention Neil Patrick Harris, Kristin Chenoweth, and Uncle Jesse himself – John Stamos as a dentist.
I am very excited about my next order of Glee business. On June 13th, I attended a fantastic concert at the Palace of Auburn Hills (Home of the Detroit Pistons). One so fantastic, and full of so much talent (and so many 12-year-olds) that they must have made a fortune off of this show. I am, of course, talking about the Glee Concert. During this performance, all of the Glee cast members stay in character (Kurt is gay, Brittany is dumb, etc…).
This concert could not have been done better, in my opinion. The only critique is that it was a somewhat short show, but I understand that most of the fans had a long hard day of junior-high mathematics to attend the next morning. The cast pulled out all of the fans’ favorite show-stopping moments, including when Brittany was Britney Spears, when Kurt did the ‘Single Ladies’ dance, when normally disabled Artie gets out of his wheelchair and does the ‘Safety Dance’, and my personal favorite of the night, Amy Winehouse’s ‘Valerie’ sung by Santana Lopez (played by Naya Rivera). Of course, my favorite performer is always Finn Hudson (played by Cory Monteith). You should see him sing live. He has a permanent O-face. It is extraordinary. Overall, the show was very well put together, with very intricate dance moves, and even special video recorded appearances by Jane Lynch and Matthew Morison.
I am not the only person to have seen the show…not by any means. But according to the Chicago Sun Times, one journalist has lost her job for fabricating details about the Glee Live Show on June 3rd. Chicago Sun-Times TV critic Paige Wiser had gone to watch the concert with her son and daughter. According to Wiser, at one point in the concert her daughter threw up and her son fell off of a chair. Under the stress of her job, she made a snap decision to continue the writeup of the concert and fabricate some details, even though she did not stay for the entire show. A reader noticed inconsistencies in her report, which lead Editor in Chief Don Hayer to announce Wiser’s dismissal in a note posted online on June 9.
He wrote in that note: “Accuracy and honesty in reporting are essential parts of the promise we make to our readers. We regret the incident and apologize.” Wiser said that she is ashamed, and admitted responsibility. “I’m at fault. I do understand what a big deal this was. I am ashamed, and it’s just a matter of making bad decisions when you’re exhausted.”
For my final bit of information for you, I give you the host of this year’s Emmy Awards: Jane Lynch! I have to say, after seeing her on Saturday Night Live, I am looking forward to how she will put her spin on hosting an award show such as this.
Lynch won “Outstanding Supporting Actress” last year, and has been nominated for a Critics Choice TV Award“Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series”, which she would definitely deserve. The Emmys will air September 18 on FOX.
Grizzly Bomb 