Tag Archives: Starz

Party on

What a difference a year makes!

Last July, Starz canceled the brilliant comedy series Party Down, a tragic event I chronicled here with both protests and pleas for other networks to save the show.

That didn’t happen.

Fast-forward to 2011.  Last Friday the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas hosted a Party Down Marathon attended by series creator Rob Thomas and many of the cast members, including Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation), Megan Mullally and Lizzy Caplan.

During the Q&A portion of the evening, Thomas said that a Party Down movie is “pretty far down the deal-making process!”

My protests have been heard!  My pleas have been answered! 

Party Down is coming back! 

Sure, it’s not a TV show, but a movie works for me (and probably works better for many of the actors, who have gone on to other series).

But since this ‘process’ might take a little while — Rob Thomas is the same guy that keeps saying there will be a Veronica Mars movie, after all — here’s the Party Down online game to keep you entertained!

Yes, now you too can be a catering waiter and see first-hand how much talent it takes to ‘act like you care.

Adam and Adam

During the brief rain delay in Friday afternoon’s US Open tennis tournament coverage, I switched over and watched a bit of the Deutsche Bank golf tournament from Boston.

They were dealing with some weather issues of their own, and while the commentators discussed past winners, the name “Adam Scott”, the 2003 champion, jumped out at me.

Adam Scott…a professional golf player?  Adam Scott doesn’t play golf.  Adam Scott is an actor.  I knew him first as Henry in the exceptional Starz cater waiter comedy “Party Down,” but he made the leap to the NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation” last season.

(Good decision on his part, too, because Starz canceled the comedy, the bums.)

So, I checked Wikipedia — ’cause if it’s there, it’s gospel — and sure enough, Adam Scott is a golfer from Australia.  It’s funny, though — when you look at the promotional pics of Adam Scott the golfer and Adam Scott the actor, it’s not immediately obvious which is which (unless you already know).

Take a look yourself.

See what I mean?

If you don’t know, there are some clues.  Adam Scott the golfer [on the left] has a killer tan and a bit more muscle definition — he works outside, so it stands to reason.  (No offense intended, Adam Scott the actor.  Chances are, you are much, much funnier.)

An interesting side note — Adam Scott the golfer is no stranger to the movie biz, either; he dated actor Kate Hudson back in the day.

Man — don’t you love sports??

Falling Starz

Dear Major Network TV Exec’s:

Perhaps you’ve already begun your holiday weekend,  seated at centre court Wimbledon.  Or on a private island whose location you’ve only tweeted to the paparazzi.

Or maybe you’re one of the true working stiffs, stuck in a conference room, trying to resurrect your ratings.

I don’t really care where you are; I just care what you do.

Please save the brilliantly funny “Party Down”…’cause Starz is letting it die.

Executive VP of Programming Stephan Shelanski said Starz is ‘committed to aggressively expanding our original programming lineup’…but then they canceled their brand new suicide drama “Gravity,” too.

Sounds like what they really have is a commitment issue….or not enough money to back up their big plans.

Again, I don’t really care.

I just want “Party Down” to have a second chance…with a network that can afford to keep it on the air.  It’s a far better show than a lot of the shlock that’s out there now — we’re talking absurdly funny, with guest stars used in truly creative ways.

So, come on people — let’s work together and solve two problems at once.  Save “Party Down” and fill one of your slots with quality TV.

Okay?  Okay.

Now go out and play.  It’s a holiday, for cripes sake.

The hardest job

With coverage of the upcoming  Oscars seemingly everywhere, it may appear that winning awards is the most difficult job in show biz.

But for anyone who has tried to work on stage, TV or movies, you know that auditioning is the real work.  It is the only thing the actor can control, and they must be performance-level, regardless of the room, audience or questions still rolling around in their head.   Of course, it is at the same time totally outside of their control because of all the unknown factors that go into the final casting decision.

I was reminded of this yesterday while watching the documentary “Every Little Step” on Starz OnDemand.  It tells the story of the casting of the 2006 revival of “A Chorus Line” on Broadway, while giving insights into the original cast, workshop and production some 30 years earlier.

You sweat right along side the dancers as they go through the initial cattle call and months of callbacks after callbacks.  Most nervewrecking is the final callback — where the roles are down to two people — and seeing that final cut made.

Maybe they should give an award for Best Audition.  Goodness knows a lot of good actors — and performances — never get past that claustrophic little room.