Source: THR
True Blood Season Two Set for June 14th + First Photos March 31, 2009 1:41 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in HBO, Images/Photos, News, Television.Tags: True Blood
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HBO has set a June 14th date for the second season premiere of its hit vampire drama True Blood. The network has also released several new publicity photos from the second season. Click through the jump to see more. (more…)
Casting Bites: Amanda Seyfried, Anne Hathaway, Tom Selleck, Peter Krause and More March 24, 2009 12:52 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, Casting, CBS, HBO, Lionsgate, Movies, NBC, Summit Entertainment, Television, Warner Brothers, Warner Independent.Tags: Big Love, Canned, Five Killers, Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland, Parenthood, State of Romance, Sucker Punch, The Eastman's, The Rum Diary, The Twilight Saga's New Moon, This Little Piggy, V
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Here’s a round up of the latest casting related news for television and film.
- Amanda Seyfried won’t be able to take on the lead role in Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch because HBO won’t release her from her contract on Big Love. Snyder’s film begins shooting this fall, which would conflict with scheduled shooting on the fourth season of Big Love. [EW]
- Actors Chaske Spencer, Bronson Pelletier, Alex Meraz, Kiowa Gordon and Tyson Houseman have all signed on to star as members of the wolf pack in Summit Entertainment’s The Twilight Saga: New Moon. [STYD]
- Anne Hathaway has signed on to star as Judy Garland in the film and stage adaptations of Gerald Clarke’s biography Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland. [Weinstein Co.]
- Giovanni Ribisi has joined the cast of Hunter S. Thompson’s adaptation of The Rum Diary from Warner Independent. Ribisi will play a carousing journalist in the film, which stars Johnny Depp. [Variety]
- Amanda Bynes has landed the starring role in the ABC pilot Canned. The actress will play Sarabeth, a naive Midwesterner who’s being exploited by her boss – and doesn’t realize it. [Variety]
- Tom Selleck, Catherine O’Hara and Martin Mull have all joined the cast of Five Killers, a Lionsgate action comedy that also stars Ashton Kutcher (as a retiring hitman) and Katherine Heigl (his computer tech girlfriend). Selleck and O’Hara are playing Heigl’s overprotective father and doring mother, while Mull is playing Holbrook, Kutcher’s handler. Robert Luketic is directing the film which is scheduled for release on June 4, 2010 release. [THR]
More casting bites after the jump. (more…)
Seinfeld Cast to Guest on Curb Your Enthusiasm March 5, 2009 11:16 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in HBO, News, Television.Tags: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Jason Alexander, Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Larry David, Michael Richards, Seinfeld
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The cast of Seinfeld is returning to television. EW is reporting that the four stars of the nine-year NBC series Seinfeld — Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards — “will be featured in a multiple-episode story arc” the seventh season of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm this fall.
Larry David, creator of Curb Your Enthusiasm, co-created Seinfeld with Jerry Seinfeld. The re-uniting of the four main cast members marks the first time they’ve all appeared together in a scripted TV show since Seinfeld went off the air nearly 11 years ago.
HBO To Air Obama Opening Inaugural Ceremonies January 8, 2009 11:35 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in HBO, News, Television.add a comment
HBO will be broadcasting President-elect Barack Obama’s opening inaugural ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18th. The events leading up to the Inauguration on January 20th is being billed as a star-studded event with top performers from the music and entertainment fields. According to Obama’s Presidential Inaugural Committee, the ceremony will be free and open to the public, but HBO will get the exclusive rights to show it. HBO will make the 9o-minute event available for free to all consumers, regardless if they have a subscription to the premium network.
For those without cable or satellite subscriptions, Brent Colburn, a spokesman for Obama’s inaugural committee, said they “are working on details on how we can amplify the event beyond HBO.”
Entertainment for the event has yet to be announced, but sources have indicated that Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce and Stevie Wonder have been approached about performing some time during the four days of events planned for Obama’s inaugural.
It’s still unclear if the event will be carried live, or via tape delay.
Source: Variety
Flight of the Conchords Draws 250,000 Viewers For Online Premiere December 29, 2008 6:34 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Flight of the Conchords, FunnyOrDie, HBO, News, Television.add a comment
The second season premiere of HBO’s comedy Flight of the Conchords has been streamed 250,000 times in its first 10 days at FunnyOrDie. That’s in addition to the tens of thousands of views on HBO.com, which his also showing the episode. That’s a pretty good start for the series, which drew just 950,000 viewers for its first season finale last year on HBO, and much better than the 100,000 views the first season premiere drew when it premiered in a similar fashion last season on MySpace.
This was HBO’s first colloboration with FunnyOrDie after HBO took an ownership stake in the Internet venture from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay this past June.
Flight of the Conchords makes its season two debut on HBO, January 18, 2009.
Source: THR
Will Ferrell’s ‘Bush’ Show to Air on HBO December 11, 2008 6:21 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadway, HBO, Television, You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George. W. Bush.1 comment so far
HBO will be airing a live telecast of Will Ferrell’s Broadway show You’re Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush next spring. The cable special will be directed by Marty Callner, who has directed prior HBO comedy specials including those for Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams and George Carlin.
An exact date hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it’ll likely air sometime near the end of ‘You’re Welcome America’ on broadway (the limited run ends March 15th).
Source: Variety
HBO’s Rome Could Get Film Treatment December 2, 2008 12:47 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Cable TV, HBO, Movies, News, Rome, Television.add a comment
HBO’s two-year drama series Rome may be getting a wrap-up courtesy a feature-length film. Creator Bruno Heller, who is also the creator of CBS’s successful series The Mentalist, says that he wants to produce such a feature for the canceled series: “There is talk of doing a movie version,” he said. “It’s moving along. It’s not there until it is there. I would love to round that show off.”
Although the second season of Rome was lower rated than the first, the show did well without a Sopranos lead-in and HBO executives now admit that it was a mistake to cancel the show.
“I discovered halfway through writing the second season the show was going to end,” Heller said. “The second was going to end with death of Brutus. Third and fourth season would be set in Egypt. Fifth was going to be the rise of the messiah in Palestine. But because we got the heads-up that the second season would be it, I telescoped the third and fourth season into the second one, which accounts for the blazing speed we go through history near the end. There’s certainly more than enough history to go around.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
HBO Picks Up Rights to Barack Obama Documentary November 11, 2008 2:30 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Barack Obama, Documentaries, HBO, News, Television.add a comment
HBO has acquired the rights–paying in the low seven figures–to an untitled Barack Obama documentary from producer Edward Norton. According to THR, Norton’s Class 5 Films approached the Obama campaign in early 2006 about a documentary chronicling the President-elect’s history in politics. Directors Amy Rice and Alicia Sams were granted extensive access to film Obama before he launched his run in 2007 and will continue through inauguration on January 20, 2009.
The documentary, which includes interviews with Obama, his senior campaign staff, family, friends and volunteers, willl air sometime next year.
“Senator Obama’s history-making race for the White House has given our film a perfect framework to explore the pulse of the country at this vital moment in our history,” said Norton, who produced the project with Stuart Blumberg and Bill Migliore. “We believe this film will capture a tipping point in American history when a new generation of leadership emerged and old prejudices were finally vaulted over.”
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” Continues in December October 27, 2008 12:17 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO, News, Television.add a comment
Finally. After being off the air for nearly a year (the last episode aired on November 11, 2007) HBO’s has announced that Curb Your Enthusiasm will resume production on 10 all-new episodes this December. The new episodes will premiere sometime in 2009.
I guess HBO gets a kick out of extremely long hiatuses.
Source: Variety
HBO Announces Abraham Lincoln Miniseries “Manhunt” September 18, 2008 8:27 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in HBO, Manhunt, News, Television.1 comment so far
The premium cable network HBO has just announced that they are developing a new mini series based on the assassination of the America’s 16th president Abraham Lincoln. The series, entitled Manhunt, will deal with the 12 days after Lincoln was shot, focusing on the the manhunt for assassin, John Wilkes Booth. The network has tapped acclaimed TV producers David Simon (The Wire on HBO) and Tom Fontana (Homicide: Life on the Streets on NBC). ‘Homicide’ was an adaptation of David Simon’s novel of the same name.
“The chance to put another project on the boards with [Fontana],” Simon told B&C, “there’s something psychically cool about that.”
The mini series is based on James L. Swanson’s best-selling novel. Simon and Fontana will write the miniseries script and if HBO Films gives the project a greenlight, the duo will serve as executive producers alongside Lawrence Bender and Kevin Brown and Walden Media (publisher of the novel).
Source: Broadcasting & Cable
HBO Renews “True Blood” September 17, 2008 10:15 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in HBO, News, Renewals, Television, True Blood.add a comment
Confident in its quality, and impressed by its cumulative audience viewings when repeats are counted, HBO has given an early second season renewal to the Alan Ball vampire drama True Blood. True Blood premiered on September 7th to just 1.4 million viewers, but HBO says that when all the repeat airings were added in, the premiere attracted a total audience of 4 million viewers. The network also noted that the second episode grew by 24%.
“We’re in a business where we have to believe in the show — and the show is fantastic,” said Michael Lombardo, president of HBO’s programming group and West Coast operations. “It gets better in every episode. The show deserves a second year whatever the ratings.”
The network also announced that season two will roll air much sooner than expected, airing next summer as part of HBO’s plan to air year-round programming on Sunday nights.
“Last couple years our volume of Sunday night series went down, and we’re hoping to have a distinctive night of series on for 52 weeks a year next year,” Lombardo said. “Our intention is not to have periods where we’re not delivering originals.”
True Blood airs Sunday nights at 9pm on HBO.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Season Two Will Be Last for “Flight of the Conchords” September 2, 2008 12:59 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Cancellations, Flight of the Conchords, HBO, News, Television.add a comment
It looks like the upcoming second season of the HBO series Flight of the Conchords will be its last. Stars Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement have revealed that they’re struggling with “a difficult second series” because they’ve “got a lot of half-songs,” Clement said. “We’ve got an album’s worth of beginnings of songs.”
McKenzie added that this season, made up of 10 new episodes, would likely be its last: “The second series seems to me like it would be a good end to the show. I feel like another 10… that will be enough.”
Source: The New Zealand Herald
“Entourage” Season Five Promo August 6, 2008 8:49 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Entourage, HBO, Television.add a comment
HBO has released a promo for the upcoming fifth season of Entourage. Check it out below. Entourage begins its new season on September 7, 2008 at 10pm.
“Tell Me You Love Me” Canceled By HBO July 27, 2008 12:12 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Cancellations, HBO, News, Television, Tell Me You Love Me.1 comment so far
HBO’s sex-infused drama Tell Me You Love Me has been canceled by the network, according to THR.
Creator/executive producer Cynthia Mort released the following statement about the show’s cancellation: “Given the considerable amount of time that has passed and despite the best efforts of everyone involved, we were unable to find the direction of the show for the second season. There are so many other stories to tell and many other ways to tell them. I look forward to doing that with HBO in the future.”
Comic-Con 2008: HBO’s “True Blood” Panel [UPDATE] July 24, 2008 11:55 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comic-Con, Comic-Con 2008, HBO, News, Television, True Blood.1 comment so far
UPDATED 7/25/2008 AT 12:00PM: /Film has put up their report on the panel for this series, and they’ve also added a few photos from the presentation and other misc. promotional material on the show at Comic-Con. Read the report at this link.
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HBO held a panel discussion on their upcoming vampire drama True Blood (premieres September 7th at 9pm). Cast and crew in attendance were Alan Ball, Charlaine Harris, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten, Rutina Wesley, Sam Trammell and Nelsan Ellis. Here are the highlights courtesy TVSquad.com.
- A trailer was shown.
- Harris is working on the 9th book in the series right now.
- Alan Ball said the show will be true to the book as much as possible without making Paquin work every single day on the set.
- Lafayette runs a gay porn website in the show, unlike in the books, and to that Harris said: “I’m good with it.” That got a laugh out of the crowd.
- The casting of Quinn. Harris said he’s her “personal homage to Vin Diesel.”
- Alan Ball said he didn’t want to give away whether Bubba would be on the show.
- Only three days of shooting are left and then the season is wrapped.
- Alan Ball said he doesn’t have time to check up on what fans are saying online. All he can do is try to be as strue to Harris’ vision and he takes fans of the books seriously.
- The first season will basically be book one and at least for the most part not show anything from the second book.
You can read the full report at this link.
HBO Releases “True Blood” Poster July 23, 2008 1:51 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in HBO, News, Posters, Television, True Blood.add a comment
HBO has released a poster for Alan Ball’s (Six Feet Under) upcoming original vampire drama True Blood. Check it out after the jump. The series is set to premiere on the premium cable network on September 7th at 9pm.
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” Returning for a Seventh Season July 13, 2008 7:30 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO, News, Renewals, Television.5 comments
HBO announced on Thursday that they’ve given the go-ahead on a seventh season of the comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm and Larry David is returning. The network plans to premiere the new season sometime in the beginning of 2009, a gap of more than one year since the sixth season ended in November 2007. David is quoted by HBO West Coast president Michael Lombardo as being “excited about it”.
Source: Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
“Fat Sells” Greenlit at HBO July 10, 2008 5:40 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Fat Sells, HBO, New Show Orders, News, Television.add a comment
We’re about to find out if the American public, who annually dishes out billions upon billions of dollars in weight loss programs, are interested in watching a series revolving around the industry. HBO has greenlit a pilot called Fat Sells. The show is centered on a head of a weight loss company, who’s life starts to go down hill after he gets investigated by the FDA for his company’s weight loss claims. Forest Whitaker is attached to executive producer alongside Dave Broome (executive producer of The Biggest Loser). Whitaker may also direct the pilot.
Source: Variety
Jerry Ferarra and Kevin Connolly Talk Season Five of Entourage July 6, 2008 1:11 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Entourage, HBO, News, Television.add a comment
Jerry Ferarra and Kevin Connolly, who play Turtle and E, respectively, on the HBO half-hour drama/comedy Entourage, recently were coaxed by OK! Magazine into spilling some previously unknown details about the upcoming season of the show (September 7th). Check out the highlights after the jump.
HBO Renews In Treatment June 23, 2008 3:40 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in HBO, In Treatment, News, Renewals, Television.add a comment
HBO has given an official greenlight for a second season of new drama In Treatment. The series, which stars Gabriel Byrne as a psychotherapist, revolves around his character’s (Paul Weston) sessions with his patients and his own therapy appointments with fellow therapist Gina Toll (Dianne Wiest).
The show is based on an Israeli TV series of the same name. It debuted on HBO in January with 43 half-hour episodes on a Monday-Friday basis. Because of lower than expected ratings, HBO is expected to order 35 episodes for season two.
Weinstein Co. to make Fraggle Rock Musical May 14, 2008 2:51 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Fraggle Rock, HBO, Movies, NBC, News, Television.add a comment
The Weinstein Co. is turning the much loved Jim Henson series Fraggle Rock into a live-action musical feature film, reports Variety. Cory Edwards, who directed the animated film Hoodwinked!, will helm the film and write the screen play. The Jim Henson Co. will produce and The Weinstein Co. will distribute. Fraggle Rock premiered on HBO in 1993 and ran for five seasons.
HBO shows may be coming soon to iTunes May 12, 2008 6:30 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in HBO, iTunes, News, Television.add a comment
You may soon be able to purchase your favorite HBO shows on iTunes. Portfolio is reporting that Time Warner (parent company of HBO) is close to announcing a deal to sell their shows on Apple’s iTunes service, with flexible pricing. The deal marks the first time that Apple has agreed to a separate price structure.
“John Adams” Off To A Solid Start March 18, 2008 7:29 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Cable TV, Cable TV Ratings, HBO, John Adams, News, Television.add a comment
The first two episodes of HBO’s seven-part John Adams miniseries got off to a a solid start on Sunday night, averaging 2.66 million viewers (peaking at 2.8 million for the second episode).
HBO Cancels “Inside the NFL”, Show Will Move to New Network February 7, 2008 1:10 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Cable TV, HBO, Inside the NFL, News, Television.2 comments
After it began its run on HBO more than 30 years ago, HBO is ending their relationship with the NFL’s Inside the NFL.
HBO’s New Series “In Treatment” To Be Streamed For Free February 7, 2008 12:11 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in HBO, In Treatment, News, Television.1 comment so far
In an effort to generate an larger following for its new show, HBO will be streaming the first 15 episodes (of an ordered 43) online for free. Though the network has aired free episodes before, this is the first time they’ll air so many.
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