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Taxi Driver (The Funny One)
The must see interview is here.
Legendary sitcom director, creator, writer and producer James Burrows was given a 2-hour NBC special this past Sunday night. The shows we know and love were featured (Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Will & Grace, Friends, The Big Bang Theory, to name a few) through cast interviews (most of them, anyways). The trademark gestures and words of wisdom by Mr. Burrows were revealed through comedic ribbing, including his surprisingly distinctive voice. For a man made famous for his shadowy presence, former NBC stars impersonating their former boss was akin to an SNL alum impersonating another behind-the-scenes maestro: Lorne Michaels.
The vocal range between the two men is kind of striking.
James Burrows spoke for a few minutes at the end of his NBC special for directing his 1,000th sitcom episode, but there is still so many more stories to be told.
And advice to be given.
Cheers, James Burrows.
A Must-See Curtain Call
Cheers to Frasier, the show born out of a familiar name,
led Frasier, Niles, Marty, Eddie, Roz, Daphne, tossed salads and scrambled eggs to eternal fame
But before the beer and sherry can be drunk, everyone must get a ride to the show,
this is where taking a Taxi comes in handy, like a regular Joe
Mike & Molly will need a ride and be sure to cut them some slack,
news of being cancelled is sad, until they see…just Jack!
Then there’s this bang that’s pretty big, with science and comic books galore,
knock three times and you might be surprised at who opens that purple door…
The legendary sitcom director James Burrows is being celebrated by his extended, iconic NBC family later this month during a television special. James Burrows was the man behind the camera of some of the biggest and best sitcoms in television history. He framed some of the shows during NBC’s supreme, “Must See TV” era, including the famous yellow door frame from Friends.
Celebrating his storied legacy in television directing seems like a pretty good place to get together an incredible cast of favorite TV stars who are best known as cherished characters in our hearts. This gathering will, in fact, include renowned characters Ross, Rachel, Monica, Joey and Phoebe together, in one place, akin to a coffee house couch on NBC.
Chandler’s in England for a play…
and Boddingtons Pale Ale.
Saved by the Flashback
Jimmy Fallon did it again last night.
For those of us who grew-up in and still love ’90s nostalgia (the culture, clothes/style, movies, sitcoms, music, Saturday morning cartoons and shows, rafting trips, etc.), Fallon is the ideal entertainer for us. To put it as plainly as possible: he gets it. Not only did he clearly enjoy shows like Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Saved by the Bell, but, most importantly, he understands and appreciates the sensitivities/life lessons, humor and true greatness of these incomparable sitcoms from the days of high-top sneakers, faded blue and white jeans, cheesy (yet cool) conversations with friends and your high school principal and the power of the impromptu life “timeout.”
Bayside High, it feels like just yesterday…
“I’m so excited!”
Saved by the Bell Forever!
TGIM
Spoiler Alert: Some content from last night’s television show premieres are revealed below
The Big Bang Theory
Gotham
Dallas
The Blacklist
These are just a few of the television shows that premiered for the 2013-2014 season last night. The Big Bang Theory was literally a big bang in the ratings with 17.9 million viewers, despite being temporarily moved to a new night. In the age of convenience/DVR watching, that is a damn impressive figure.
Here’s what we learned from The Big Bang Theory:
Penny got a pixie haircut!
Stuart and Mrs. Wolowitz/Deb-Deb are forging a strange, yet hilarious relationship that really can’t be labeled at this point. However, the attempts to do so with the frazzled friend and son Howard will make for some great comedy in the future
Howard is going for his PhD, which is freaking Sheldon out because Pasadena’s most famous NASA engineer may soon be on the same intellectual level as the self-proclaimed genius Dr. Cooper. It’s safe to say that Howard now has Sheldon’s full attention
Bernadette got Penny a job interview with her pharmaceutical company, she freaks out her boss and she continues to be the sweetest bully of all-time
Penny got a job as a pharmaceutical sales representative!
Sheldon traveled across the continental United States on trains and never left the train stations (FYI-did you know mustard and ketchup are popular condiments in train stations?), got everything stolen from him, wound up in the Chuck Lorre sitcom comedy-driven tightie whities and was arrested in Arizona for badgering random train goers for help. It was crazy I mean funny. Once fully clothed and back in southern California, he discovered he was promoted to a junior professor at Caltech. He attempted to teach Howard graduate level physics, but an epic spitball ended that.
Amy is now the popular girl in high school and it’s fantastic!
Oh, and Leonard got a new hoodie (and is owed some serious gas money)
The much-hyped Gotham had a noteworthy 8 million viewers. Not bad for a series premiere. When it comes to drama and/or action shows like The Blacklist and Gotham, the reins for what is deemed acceptable for a network television audience continues to be loosened. Perhaps this is partly due to the reality of having to compete for viewers who watch popular, PG-13 to R-rated shows on HBO, Netflix, FX and AMC.
What does this mean?
Ultimately, studios translate this to mean that the public still has a healthy appetite for rich stories and clever writing all played out in dramatically stunning sets with dynamic, conflicted characters. Plus, unlike going to the movies, television has to work harder to keep an audience throughout a half-hour or one-hour run time. Commercial breaks can offer too many opportunities to change channels. Next day viewing with a DVR has partially dealt with this perceived inconvenience. However, people have a thirst for great storytelling. It’s a universal and timeless truth. And judging by the season/series premieres alone, the teams behind The Blacklist and Gotham have given its audiences high-quality, suspenseful dramas with plenty of grit and imagination to sustain and entertain its viewers for this upcoming television season.
Unfortunately, Dallas is currently hanging out on this writer’s DVR. But it actually aired its season finale last night. It will be fascinating to see where South Fork and its famous residents and guests are after a host of Texas-sized scandals, secrets and seductions.
Monday, welcome to the cool table.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 