Two more passings to report.
Judith Crist may be well known as a film critic, her reviews having appeared in the New York Herald Tribune & TV Guide, and Crist was a regular contributor to Today before Gene Shalit took over as their in-house film critic, if memory serves. Mrs. Crist passed away at 90, was still teaching classes on film, I believe, up to her passing. She is survived by her son, Steven, a handicapper for the Daily Racing Form.
Composer Marvin Hamlisch passed away suddenly over the weekend at 68. Hamlisch will be remembered for introducing Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" to a new generation of listeners in the 1973 movie, "The Sting", and followed that up with the title song to the 1974 film, "The Way We Were", the title song sung by Barbra Streisand. Hamlisch also co-wrote "Nobody Does It Better", which became a hit for Carly Simon, on the soundtrack to the James Bond adventure, "The Spy Who Loved Me".
Rest in peace.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Musical Interlude: You Were On My Mind (1965)
I was but a toddler when the San Francisco pop combo We Five emerged in 1965 with "You Were On My Mind", released on A & M Records. It was still garnering airplay on AM radio in the 70's as I was growing up, and one wonders what might've been had singer Beverly Bivens not left the group 2 years later to start a family.
Anyway, Rumandcocacola44 uploaded this clip from The Hollywood Palace, complete with introduction by host du jour Fred Astaire.
Anyway, Rumandcocacola44 uploaded this clip from The Hollywood Palace, complete with introduction by host du jour Fred Astaire.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Musical Interlude: Only One You (1982)
T. G. Sheppard scored a #1 hit on the country charts in the winter of 1982 with "Only One You". The only video I could find for the song was this live cut from around that same time. Uploaded by Johnrichnow to YouTube. It makes a great love song any time of the year.
In theatres: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Christopher Nolan meant it when he said he wanted to end his Batman story in "The Dark Knight Rises". We just didn't know just how far he'd go, and, to be honest, even though it has topped the box office chart for 3 weeks running, I don't believe it actually fulfilled all expectations.
Even though for us it has been four years between films, Nolan doubled the time in the story, making it 8 years since Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart, seen only in flashback and in photos) and Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhall in "Dark Knight") had died, and Batman (Christian Bale) had taken the blame for Dent's passing, resulting in a big lie that led the citizens of Gotham to believe Dent died a hero, turning the Dark Knight into an outlaw.
In the interim, Bruce Wayne has retired his alter-ego and settled into reclusive retirement at Wayne Manor, slowed by a litany of injuries that leads to the use of a cane to move about. He hosts a social gathering one night, and finds that one of the maids isn't who she seems to be, but rather a slippery burglar, one Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway, "Get Smart"), who makes off with not only a pearl necklace that belonged to Bruce's late mother, Martha, but also Wayne's fingerprints from the safe, meant for a business rival, John Daggett, who is looking to take advantage of Wayne's remaining in absentia and taking over Wayne Enterprises.
Meanwhile, there is Bane (Tom Hardy), a hulking mercenary supposedly excommunicated from the League of Shadows, Ra's Al Ghul's group. Bane intends to bring Gotham City to its knees, and carry out Al Ghul's mission, however twisted that is. As was the case when he was introduced in the comics nearly 20 years ago, Bane puts the Batman on the shelf after a brief comeback by breaking his back. However, he then takes Batman to the very same prison where Bane himself grew up.
When Bane was introduced in the books, he was dressed more like a pro wrestler, which would doubtlessly explain why Joel Schumacher cast the late grappler Robert "Jeep" Swenson as Bane in "Batman & Robin" 15 years ago. Obviously, Bane was treated much better this time-----most of the time.
Wayne is so out of touch with business matters, he leaves himself vulnerable to a Trojan Horse play by bringing in Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard), and putting her in charge of the company when the stolen fingerprints are used in a scam that leaves Bruce penniless. Everything then begins to crumble. Alfred (Michael Caine), fearing for Wayne's life, resigns. Bane appears to have won, after Selina had betrayed the Batman, and, as a result, learns his secret identity, though, in a clear case of poor continuity, this is forgotten later in the film.
Nolan had tried to keep the exact nature of Cotillard's role under wraps, but that's kind of hard to do when you have millions of comics geeks with access to the internet, coupled with their own instincts. They got around the attempted swerves thrown by Nolan & Cotillard, and, as it happens, when Miranda betrays Batman as well, it's because of who she really is----Talia Al Ghul, Ra's' daughter, seeking to avenge her father's death in the first film. Liam Neeson returns in a brief bit as a ghostly apparition, and, in another nod to "Batman Begins", Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy), aka the Scarecrow, is presiding over a twisted version of The People's Court. Crane ain't exactly Judge Wapner, not even Judge Roy Bean, but it doesn't last very long. If Nolan had chosen to be more direct with his use of Talia, fans would be more understanding and/or forgiving. There was a brief time in the comics back in the 80's when Batman was courted by both Talia and Selina, with a side order of Vicki Vale, and since Nolan was using comics from the 90's as a template, well, why not dig deeper?
But it's not just the comics that were a template. There was also the classic Batman: The Animated Series, marking its 20th anniversary this year. On that show, there was a criminal businessman named Roland Daggett who was a bit of a thorn in Batman's side.
I have to disagree with fellow blogger Sam Wilson over at Mondo 70 on one point, and that is the usage of John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, to be seen next in "Premium Rush" & "Looper"), who, like Bruce Wayne, was an orphan, and deduced Wayne's secret identity. We'd later learn that Nolan would use Blake as a means of fitting in one otherwise missing piece of the Bat-mythos that had been deliberately left out of the series. You can figure that one out.
I also disagree with Nolan's decision at the end of the film to seemingly kill off Batman/Bruce, having the world think that Wayne is dead, when instead, he's fulfilling a vision Alfred had, but only in a happier circumstance. Blake gains access to the Batcave as his "inheritance", leading one to believe Nolan, had he wanted to continue, would've had his own version of Batman Beyond if he wanted Blake to inherit the mantle of the Bat completely. Gordon-Levitt was terrific, as was Anne Hathaway as Selina (never referred to as Catwoman, though she'd don a costume that was in effect a homage to TV's original Felonious Feline, Julie Newmar). Tom Hardy, given the ridiculous gas-mask-like apparatus (and is it just me, or is that a bat-emblem around the mouth area?) he had to wear throughout the film (the script explains why), was serviceable, but not quite as menacing as you'd think. I read where Hardy had gained some weight for the role. Given what I said earlier about Bane being modeled after a wrestler, Hardy makes him appear to be more of a football player, which is appropriate given the scene in the football stadium, where newly retired Pittsburgh Steelers star Hines Ward runs the opening kickoff back for a touchdown despite the chaos behind him. Other Steelers, including Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu, appear in this segment as well.
Given the success of the movie, despite the flaws and the unfortunate, tragic episode in Colorado on opening night, I'd not be surprised if there was a call for a "Catwoman" spinoff as a solo vehicle for Anne Hathaway. Her portrayal of Selina strikes close to, again, the character's portrayal in her solo book in the 90's, more as a female version of Alexander Mundy (Robert Wagner in It Takes a Thief), though I'd imagine millions of boys wouldn't mind letting her break into their homes......!
Anyway, here's a trailer from WB's YouTube channel:
Pushing past 2 1/2 hours in length, "Dark Knight Rises" padded the story more than it needed to. Compacting it down would've made it a more enjoyable experience.
Rating: B+.
Even though for us it has been four years between films, Nolan doubled the time in the story, making it 8 years since Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart, seen only in flashback and in photos) and Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhall in "Dark Knight") had died, and Batman (Christian Bale) had taken the blame for Dent's passing, resulting in a big lie that led the citizens of Gotham to believe Dent died a hero, turning the Dark Knight into an outlaw.
In the interim, Bruce Wayne has retired his alter-ego and settled into reclusive retirement at Wayne Manor, slowed by a litany of injuries that leads to the use of a cane to move about. He hosts a social gathering one night, and finds that one of the maids isn't who she seems to be, but rather a slippery burglar, one Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway, "Get Smart"), who makes off with not only a pearl necklace that belonged to Bruce's late mother, Martha, but also Wayne's fingerprints from the safe, meant for a business rival, John Daggett, who is looking to take advantage of Wayne's remaining in absentia and taking over Wayne Enterprises.
Meanwhile, there is Bane (Tom Hardy), a hulking mercenary supposedly excommunicated from the League of Shadows, Ra's Al Ghul's group. Bane intends to bring Gotham City to its knees, and carry out Al Ghul's mission, however twisted that is. As was the case when he was introduced in the comics nearly 20 years ago, Bane puts the Batman on the shelf after a brief comeback by breaking his back. However, he then takes Batman to the very same prison where Bane himself grew up.
When Bane was introduced in the books, he was dressed more like a pro wrestler, which would doubtlessly explain why Joel Schumacher cast the late grappler Robert "Jeep" Swenson as Bane in "Batman & Robin" 15 years ago. Obviously, Bane was treated much better this time-----most of the time.
Wayne is so out of touch with business matters, he leaves himself vulnerable to a Trojan Horse play by bringing in Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard), and putting her in charge of the company when the stolen fingerprints are used in a scam that leaves Bruce penniless. Everything then begins to crumble. Alfred (Michael Caine), fearing for Wayne's life, resigns. Bane appears to have won, after Selina had betrayed the Batman, and, as a result, learns his secret identity, though, in a clear case of poor continuity, this is forgotten later in the film.
Nolan had tried to keep the exact nature of Cotillard's role under wraps, but that's kind of hard to do when you have millions of comics geeks with access to the internet, coupled with their own instincts. They got around the attempted swerves thrown by Nolan & Cotillard, and, as it happens, when Miranda betrays Batman as well, it's because of who she really is----Talia Al Ghul, Ra's' daughter, seeking to avenge her father's death in the first film. Liam Neeson returns in a brief bit as a ghostly apparition, and, in another nod to "Batman Begins", Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy), aka the Scarecrow, is presiding over a twisted version of The People's Court. Crane ain't exactly Judge Wapner, not even Judge Roy Bean, but it doesn't last very long. If Nolan had chosen to be more direct with his use of Talia, fans would be more understanding and/or forgiving. There was a brief time in the comics back in the 80's when Batman was courted by both Talia and Selina, with a side order of Vicki Vale, and since Nolan was using comics from the 90's as a template, well, why not dig deeper?
But it's not just the comics that were a template. There was also the classic Batman: The Animated Series, marking its 20th anniversary this year. On that show, there was a criminal businessman named Roland Daggett who was a bit of a thorn in Batman's side.
I have to disagree with fellow blogger Sam Wilson over at Mondo 70 on one point, and that is the usage of John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, to be seen next in "Premium Rush" & "Looper"), who, like Bruce Wayne, was an orphan, and deduced Wayne's secret identity. We'd later learn that Nolan would use Blake as a means of fitting in one otherwise missing piece of the Bat-mythos that had been deliberately left out of the series. You can figure that one out.
I also disagree with Nolan's decision at the end of the film to seemingly kill off Batman/Bruce, having the world think that Wayne is dead, when instead, he's fulfilling a vision Alfred had, but only in a happier circumstance. Blake gains access to the Batcave as his "inheritance", leading one to believe Nolan, had he wanted to continue, would've had his own version of Batman Beyond if he wanted Blake to inherit the mantle of the Bat completely. Gordon-Levitt was terrific, as was Anne Hathaway as Selina (never referred to as Catwoman, though she'd don a costume that was in effect a homage to TV's original Felonious Feline, Julie Newmar). Tom Hardy, given the ridiculous gas-mask-like apparatus (and is it just me, or is that a bat-emblem around the mouth area?) he had to wear throughout the film (the script explains why), was serviceable, but not quite as menacing as you'd think. I read where Hardy had gained some weight for the role. Given what I said earlier about Bane being modeled after a wrestler, Hardy makes him appear to be more of a football player, which is appropriate given the scene in the football stadium, where newly retired Pittsburgh Steelers star Hines Ward runs the opening kickoff back for a touchdown despite the chaos behind him. Other Steelers, including Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu, appear in this segment as well.
Given the success of the movie, despite the flaws and the unfortunate, tragic episode in Colorado on opening night, I'd not be surprised if there was a call for a "Catwoman" spinoff as a solo vehicle for Anne Hathaway. Her portrayal of Selina strikes close to, again, the character's portrayal in her solo book in the 90's, more as a female version of Alexander Mundy (Robert Wagner in It Takes a Thief), though I'd imagine millions of boys wouldn't mind letting her break into their homes......!
Anyway, here's a trailer from WB's YouTube channel:
Pushing past 2 1/2 hours in length, "Dark Knight Rises" padded the story more than it needed to. Compacting it down would've made it a more enjoyable experience.
Rating: B+.
Sometimes, the system needs fixing, even if they don't admit it....
NBC's new reality series, Stars Earn Stripes, is getting some bad publicity, just a week before the series begins, and the network may actually have itself to blame for some insensitivity toward one of the prospective stars, which has proven costly to another of their shows.
Yahoo! is reporting that Sharon Osbourne has resigned as a judge on America's Got Talent, making her the last of the original four stars to leave the show, but the reason she's leaving has more to do with the perception of discrimination toward her son, Jack, who is currently hosting SyFy's Haunted Highway, and was to participate in Stars Earn Stripes, a collaboration between reality mogul Mark Burnett (Survivor) and veteran producer Dick Wolf (Law & Order and its family of series).
A while back, Jack Osbourne was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and, according to Sharon, was looking forward to doing Stripes as a means of showing other MS patients that it's not the end of the world. In an interview with the New York Post, Sharon accused NBC suits of discriminating against Jack because of his condition. I am not sure if it was intentional, considering that Jack already was a part of the NBC-Universal-Comcast family thanks to Highway. No contract was ever signed, though Sharon claims Jack had a verbal agreement with the producers, and was let go 2 days before tapings began.
So, who's at fault? All Jack Osbourne wants to do is be a positive role model for other MS patients, and be as active as possible. There's nothing wrong with that, is there? As far as NBC suits are concerned, apparently, there is, but they're afraid of saying the wrong thing to escalate matters.
Commercials have begun airing for Stars Earn Stripes, and the only celebrity in the ad I've seen is Dean Cain (ex-Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman), who's no stranger to reality TV, having hosted a revival of Ripley's Believe It Or Not for TBS a few years back (and the reruns of which air presently on Chiller, another NBC-Universal network), but it is known that the WWE"s Eve Torres is also taking part, which means WWE would have a bit of difficulty scheduling her to be on Raw for the duration beginning August 13.
I don't know who exactly to assign blame to on this matter, but eventually, someone's headed for the Candyass Cafe.......
Yahoo! is reporting that Sharon Osbourne has resigned as a judge on America's Got Talent, making her the last of the original four stars to leave the show, but the reason she's leaving has more to do with the perception of discrimination toward her son, Jack, who is currently hosting SyFy's Haunted Highway, and was to participate in Stars Earn Stripes, a collaboration between reality mogul Mark Burnett (Survivor) and veteran producer Dick Wolf (Law & Order and its family of series).
A while back, Jack Osbourne was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and, according to Sharon, was looking forward to doing Stripes as a means of showing other MS patients that it's not the end of the world. In an interview with the New York Post, Sharon accused NBC suits of discriminating against Jack because of his condition. I am not sure if it was intentional, considering that Jack already was a part of the NBC-Universal-Comcast family thanks to Highway. No contract was ever signed, though Sharon claims Jack had a verbal agreement with the producers, and was let go 2 days before tapings began.
So, who's at fault? All Jack Osbourne wants to do is be a positive role model for other MS patients, and be as active as possible. There's nothing wrong with that, is there? As far as NBC suits are concerned, apparently, there is, but they're afraid of saying the wrong thing to escalate matters.
Commercials have begun airing for Stars Earn Stripes, and the only celebrity in the ad I've seen is Dean Cain (ex-Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman), who's no stranger to reality TV, having hosted a revival of Ripley's Believe It Or Not for TBS a few years back (and the reruns of which air presently on Chiller, another NBC-Universal network), but it is known that the WWE"s Eve Torres is also taking part, which means WWE would have a bit of difficulty scheduling her to be on Raw for the duration beginning August 13.
I don't know who exactly to assign blame to on this matter, but eventually, someone's headed for the Candyass Cafe.......
Friday, August 3, 2012
Classic TV: The Brady Bunch (1969)
"Here's the story/Of a man named Brady......"
Two years had passed since Gilligan's Island had ended its run on CBS, but creator Sherwood Schwartz switched studios, from United Artists to Paramount, and networks, from CBS to ABC, for his next, and arguably, his most successful franchise, The Brady Bunch.
The series has both fans and detractors who are legion, which, honestly, I don't quite fathom. On the surface, it took the usual sitcom conventions and turned them on their ear. The basic premise, two families coming together as one, was borrowed, sort of, from a 1968 movie, "Yours, Mine, & Ours", with Henry Fonda & Lucille Ball, but proved to be far more successful than that film.
Brady Bunch lasted five seasons, the last two concurrent with the first spinoff, the animated Brady Kids, which in turn was borne as the result of the Kids' turn to pop music, beginning in season 3, and including their taking over the vocals on the seminal theme song. However, if you thought the story was over when both series ended in 1974, you'd be sadly mistaken.
In 1977, the franchise was licensed to Sid & Marty Krofft, who'd broken into primetime by producing the first two seasons of Donny & Marie. With the Osmond family taking over production of that series, which, oh by the way, was occupying the Bradys' former home on Fridays, the Kroffts unveiled The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, meant to anchor ABC's Sunday primetime package. However, they found out, as Bill Cosby did a year earlier, that going up against two other franchises in 60 Minutes & The Wonderful World of Disney was an arduous, near impossible task, and the series was cancelled after 1 season.
Four years later, the Bradys were back, but on a new network, NBC. The two oldest daughters, Marcia (Maureen McCormick) & Jan (Eve Plumb) were spun off into The Brady Brides, the result of a TV-movie that somehow ABC stupidly passed on. Schwartz had taken the Gilligan franchise to NBC as well, so a case can be made that maybe a new Brady series was part of the deal with the network. However, Brides bombed out, as NBC quickly discovered that moving the Bradys back to their old Friday night berth just wasn't the ticket, not when the competition included Dukes of Hazzard.
Seven years passed, and the Brady clan returned one more time, this time on CBS, in "A Very Brady Christmas", which led to 1990's short-lived The Bradys. During this time, Greg (Barry Williams) had gotten married, and, as outlined last time, Bobby (Mike Lookinland) tied the knot with his college sweetheart (MTV doll Martha Quinn) in the 2-hour Bradys opener. Unfortunately, this incarnation lasted just 5 weeks total.
After the franchise was resurrected in a pair of feature films starring Shelley Long (ex-Cheers) & Gary Cole (ex-Midnight Caller), you'd think it was finally over. No, it's not. As outlined on Wednesday, the franchise is reborn once more, as CBS has picked up an option on a new version of the classic series, with Vince Vaughn ("The Watch") & Peter Billingsley ("A Christmas Story") attached as producers, along with Lloyd Schwartz, and intended for a 2013 launch. We'll see if lightning can get caught again.
For now, let's turn back the clock to 1971, and the Kids performing "Sunshine Day".
Of the six Kids, only Maureen McCormick & Susan Olsen are still in the music business. Olsen, the last anyone knew, was a DJ in Los Angeles, and McCormick was last heard trying her hand as a country singer. The 2013 Bunch will almost certainly have a new cast, but they have some very large shoes to fill........
Rating: B.
Two years had passed since Gilligan's Island had ended its run on CBS, but creator Sherwood Schwartz switched studios, from United Artists to Paramount, and networks, from CBS to ABC, for his next, and arguably, his most successful franchise, The Brady Bunch.
The series has both fans and detractors who are legion, which, honestly, I don't quite fathom. On the surface, it took the usual sitcom conventions and turned them on their ear. The basic premise, two families coming together as one, was borrowed, sort of, from a 1968 movie, "Yours, Mine, & Ours", with Henry Fonda & Lucille Ball, but proved to be far more successful than that film.
Brady Bunch lasted five seasons, the last two concurrent with the first spinoff, the animated Brady Kids, which in turn was borne as the result of the Kids' turn to pop music, beginning in season 3, and including their taking over the vocals on the seminal theme song. However, if you thought the story was over when both series ended in 1974, you'd be sadly mistaken.
In 1977, the franchise was licensed to Sid & Marty Krofft, who'd broken into primetime by producing the first two seasons of Donny & Marie. With the Osmond family taking over production of that series, which, oh by the way, was occupying the Bradys' former home on Fridays, the Kroffts unveiled The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, meant to anchor ABC's Sunday primetime package. However, they found out, as Bill Cosby did a year earlier, that going up against two other franchises in 60 Minutes & The Wonderful World of Disney was an arduous, near impossible task, and the series was cancelled after 1 season.
Four years later, the Bradys were back, but on a new network, NBC. The two oldest daughters, Marcia (Maureen McCormick) & Jan (Eve Plumb) were spun off into The Brady Brides, the result of a TV-movie that somehow ABC stupidly passed on. Schwartz had taken the Gilligan franchise to NBC as well, so a case can be made that maybe a new Brady series was part of the deal with the network. However, Brides bombed out, as NBC quickly discovered that moving the Bradys back to their old Friday night berth just wasn't the ticket, not when the competition included Dukes of Hazzard.
Seven years passed, and the Brady clan returned one more time, this time on CBS, in "A Very Brady Christmas", which led to 1990's short-lived The Bradys. During this time, Greg (Barry Williams) had gotten married, and, as outlined last time, Bobby (Mike Lookinland) tied the knot with his college sweetheart (MTV doll Martha Quinn) in the 2-hour Bradys opener. Unfortunately, this incarnation lasted just 5 weeks total.
After the franchise was resurrected in a pair of feature films starring Shelley Long (ex-Cheers) & Gary Cole (ex-Midnight Caller), you'd think it was finally over. No, it's not. As outlined on Wednesday, the franchise is reborn once more, as CBS has picked up an option on a new version of the classic series, with Vince Vaughn ("The Watch") & Peter Billingsley ("A Christmas Story") attached as producers, along with Lloyd Schwartz, and intended for a 2013 launch. We'll see if lightning can get caught again.
For now, let's turn back the clock to 1971, and the Kids performing "Sunshine Day".
Of the six Kids, only Maureen McCormick & Susan Olsen are still in the music business. Olsen, the last anyone knew, was a DJ in Los Angeles, and McCormick was last heard trying her hand as a country singer. The 2013 Bunch will almost certainly have a new cast, but they have some very large shoes to fill........
Rating: B.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
The story of a man named Brady continues....?
More proof that Hollywood is creatively spent comes in a report I read online earlier this morning.
Sometime next year, CBS plans on bringing back The Brady Bunch, updated for the 21st century. It's being billed as a reboot, but based on what I've read, I don't think it really is. Rather, it may be a continuation of the decades-long saga that began all the way back in 1969. Plus, it's the first Brady project without the supervision of series creator Sherwood Schwartz, who passed away several months back.
Linked to the new Brady Bunch, at least from a creative standpoint, is actor Vince Vaughn, currently in "The Watch" with Ben Stiller. However, it isn't Vaughn's first go as a TV producer. He currently has a series airing on TBS, Sullivan & Son, which has gotten off to a good start. Former child actor Peter Billingsley ("A Christmas Story") is also attached as a producer, along with Lloyd Schwartz, Sherwood's son and former producing partner.
The idea here is that youngest son Bobby would now be the focus of the show, divorced, remarried, and with 3 kids of his own. The remaining question is whether or not the new series does indeed carry over from 1990's The Bradys, which saw Bobby (Mike Lookinland) become paralyzed after a racing accident. When that series ended, he was making strides toward walking again and casting aside his wheelchair. We'll just have to wait and see how that all plays. CBS was home to The Bradys for its all-too-brief 5-week run in February & March 1990, and since CBS, having absorbed Paramount's television division, owns the rights to the Brady franchise, well, it makes sense for the new show to air there. The only question is what the right date would be. The Bradys aired on Fridays, as the original series did, but bombed. A different night would help, under the right circumstances.
Later this month, I'll be taking a look back through Brady history, though the animated Brady Kids has already been dealt with over on my other blog, Saturday Morning Archives. Maybe by then, we'll all learn more about the new Bunch.
Sometime next year, CBS plans on bringing back The Brady Bunch, updated for the 21st century. It's being billed as a reboot, but based on what I've read, I don't think it really is. Rather, it may be a continuation of the decades-long saga that began all the way back in 1969. Plus, it's the first Brady project without the supervision of series creator Sherwood Schwartz, who passed away several months back.
Linked to the new Brady Bunch, at least from a creative standpoint, is actor Vince Vaughn, currently in "The Watch" with Ben Stiller. However, it isn't Vaughn's first go as a TV producer. He currently has a series airing on TBS, Sullivan & Son, which has gotten off to a good start. Former child actor Peter Billingsley ("A Christmas Story") is also attached as a producer, along with Lloyd Schwartz, Sherwood's son and former producing partner.
The idea here is that youngest son Bobby would now be the focus of the show, divorced, remarried, and with 3 kids of his own. The remaining question is whether or not the new series does indeed carry over from 1990's The Bradys, which saw Bobby (Mike Lookinland) become paralyzed after a racing accident. When that series ended, he was making strides toward walking again and casting aside his wheelchair. We'll just have to wait and see how that all plays. CBS was home to The Bradys for its all-too-brief 5-week run in February & March 1990, and since CBS, having absorbed Paramount's television division, owns the rights to the Brady franchise, well, it makes sense for the new show to air there. The only question is what the right date would be. The Bradys aired on Fridays, as the original series did, but bombed. A different night would help, under the right circumstances.
Later this month, I'll be taking a look back through Brady history, though the animated Brady Kids has already been dealt with over on my other blog, Saturday Morning Archives. Maybe by then, we'll all learn more about the new Bunch.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)