Wichita Eagle: Television

Wichita police sergeant featured in History Channel’s ‘Top Shot’

Stan Finger — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:30 CST

Colin Gallagher is sworn to secrecy.

He spent weeks in a northern California desert last summer as a contestant on Season 4 of the History Channel program “Top Shot,” which pits top marksmen against each other in a “Survivor”-style reality show. The new season premieres Feb. 14, and he can’t tell anyone how it all turns out.

“When I watch it with the rest of America, it’s going to be the first time I’ve seen any of it,” said Gallagher, 35, who is a sergeant with the Wichita Police Department. “I hope my father’s proud of me. That’s my number one goal. I am pleased with how well I did.”

Spooky TV shows are here to stay

AARON SAGERS — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 23:12 CDT

It is a lively time for the haunting dead, the undead, the walking dead and the deadly things in the water, forests and outer space. Especially in the midst of Halloween season, all the creeping, crawling, shambling and stalking amounts to a lot of bumps in the night. And many of them are coming from the television.

There is a lot of paranormal activity on TV this fall, but instead of slipping away after Oct. 31, the entertainment of the unexplained is continuing year round. There are plenty of bogeyman for viewers to choose from. Ghosts, vampires, zombies, werewolves, witches, beasts and demons are currently haunting on reality TV and scripted fare every day of the week.

TV origins

The 'spiritual Beatle'

RANDY LEWIS — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:07 CDT

LOS ANGELES — When Martin Scorsese and Olivia Harrison first sat down about five years ago to strategize about a documentary on the life of George Harrison, both quickly zeroed in on a letter the young Beatle wrote to his family at the height of Beatlemania.

"It was a letter George had written when he was not more than 22," Harrison said of the man to whom she was married for 23 years before his death a decade ago. "It was in 1965, and the Beatles would have been really cresting at that point. He was writing home and told his family, 'I know that this isn't it. I knew I was going to be famous, but now I know I can reach the real top of what man can achieve, which is self-realization.' He knew then that (material reward) wasn't it."

That letter figures into a pivotal moment in Scorsese's film, "George Harrison: Living in the Material World," which premiered on HBO over two nights Wednesday and Thursday to accommodate its 3 1/2-hour length, and HBO will re-air the shows over the coming days.

TV specials, documentaries recount Sept. 11 tragedy

CHUCK BARNEY — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 07:03 CDT

Ten years ago, Americans gathered around their TV sets to witness the ghastly and incomprehensible images of 9/11. A decade later, television is marking the anniversary of the terrorist attacks with a massive outpouring of programs.

Network and cable outlets are airing dozens of specials and documentaries recounting the tragedy, gauging the fallout and detailing the changes that have occurred since Sept. 11, 2001. Along the way, nearly every conceivable angle will be covered.

Here's a look at some notable programs airing today.

For Williamson, teen TV is his territory

Yvonne Villarreal — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 00:07 CDT

Kevin Williamson, writer and producer of "Dawson's Creek," "The Vampire Diaries" and the forthcoming fall CW series "The Secret Circle," talks about the art of writing classic teen television.

Q: What do you find appealing about writing for young people?

A: It's weird. I don't think I'm some guy who connects with youth as much as I'm just this guy who never really, truly grew up. My whole game is writing teenage characters. The worst thing that you want to be is that middle-aged guy who's writing what he thinks a 16-year-old is thinking or feeling.

Producers tap into the '60s for new TV shows

Rick Bentley — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 00:07 CDT

LOS ANGELES — The late '50s and early '60s are popular this year with TV producers, who insist they're not just trying to capitalize on the success of "Mad Men."

BBC America's "The Hour" — the first of three new dramas set in the time period — launched this week, offering a look at the birth of serious television news journalism in the late '50s.

NBC's new drama "The Playboy Club" peeks under the bunny ears of the women who worked in the Chicago night club started by Hugh Hefner in the early '60s.

Prime time for women

Chuck Barney — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 00:07 CDT

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. —Promotional spots for NBC's 1960s-era drama "The Playboy Club" describe Hugh Hefner's glitzy hangout as a "place where men hold the key, but women run the show."

That just as easily could be the slogan for the upcoming broadcast-television season.

Of the 26 new network series arriving this fall, at least 14 are directly pegged to female stars and/or lean heavily toward female-centric themes. The trend is reflected in dramas such as "Ringer," a moody mystery starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, and "Prime Suspect," a remake of the iconic crime series featuring Maria Bello.

Distinction between film and TV acting fades away

STEVEN ZEITCHIK — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:33 CDT

LOS ANGELES — When the Emmy nominations were announced Thursday morning, viewers could be forgiven for thinking they were hearing about a different annual ritual: the Academy Awards.

A large group of Oscar winners turned up among the Emmy nominees, including Martin Scorsese, Kathy Bates, Kate Winslet and Curtis Hanson. Several Oscar nominees, including Laura Linney and Todd Haynes, wound up on television's most prestigious list as well.

Feature actors and filmmakers have been migrating to television for years, but it's reached critical mass in this year's Emmy nominations, underscoring how significant the trend has become. In the newly combined category of movie and miniseries, all but one of the nominees have directed acclaimed movies. In addition to Hanson and Haynes, nominated for "Too Big to Fail" and "Mildred Pierce," respectively, the list includes Olivier Assayas ("Carlos") and Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman ("Cinema Verite").

Celebrate Father's Day with this pop quiz on celebrity pops

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 09:41 CDT

1. Who's Emilio Estevez's dad?

A. Antonio Banderas

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Designer offers her best tips for accessorizing on the go

Jan Schroder — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 00:06 CDT

I admit it. I obsessed a bit over what to wear for my interview with Cate Adair. After all, as the Emmy-nominated costume designer for "Desperate Housewives," she dresses some of the most beautiful women in the world.
I can barely pull myself together. What if I had to dress multiple people several times a day, all with distinct styles? That is what Cate does during the 10 months the show is filming.
"A good show is just four to five outfits for each housewife," she says. "A harder one is when I have to create eight to 12 for each character."
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'Idol' winner, runner-up play like a country duo

MESFIN FEKADU — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 06:21 CDT

NEW YORK — In their own style, Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina are the newest duo on the country scene.
Just a week following the season finale of "American Idol," the teenagers are together doing press like a team — and this team doesn't roll alone: They're equipped with publicists, security guards, managers, record label extras and their real bosses — their mothers.
McCreery beat Alaina to become the season 10 champ, but the fact that they are both young country singers with similar goals puts them on the same career track.
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Wednesday's best TV (June 1)

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:40 CDT

Reality TV
"America's Next Top Model"
Fashion designer Patricia Field is the guest judge for an episode that starts with a visit from Tyra, who tells the girls they are getting surprise makeovers. Unfortunately, there also will be a surprise elimination. 7 p.m., CW and KSCW, Channel 5/33.
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Traveler Apps: Hungry? Shake A Phone

ERIC GWINN — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:24 CDT

—UrbanSpoon (free; iPhone, Android, BlackBerry)
What it is: Still a great, dependable way to find restaurants in North America.
Why it's great: Feeling lucky? Shake your iPhone, and UrbanSpoon will dial up a choice and offer reviews and pricing information of restaurants nearby. See photos of dishes from restaurants to whet your appetite.
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Best TV bets (March 21)

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 06:55 CDT

Reality TV
"Dancing With the Stars"
Joining Emmy winner Kirstie Alley, radio host "Psycho" Mike Catherwood and actor Ralph Macchio in Season 12 are wrestler Chris Jericho, boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, Disney actress Chelsea Kane, model Petra Nemcova, musician Romeo, Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward, TV talk host Wendy Williams and reality star Kendra Wilkinson. 7 p.m., ABC and KAKE, Channel 10.
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Today's TV highlights

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 01:13 CDT

Movies
"Anywhere But Here"
Director Wayne Wang's 1999 comedy-drama boasts fine performances by Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman as a mother and daughter with a challenging relationship, to say the least. They set out on a cross-country trip to Los Angeles, where the elder woman hopes to establish a new life and career despite her offspring's strong doubts. 6 p.m., Lifetime, Channel 38.
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'Makeover' home to be done Thursday; fundraiser today

DENISE NEIL — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 00:36 CDT

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that a three-story house was being built and that spectators had to be at least 18 years old. The story has been corrected.
The house being built by the "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" crew for Carl Hall and family continued speeding toward completion on Monday.
The one-story ranch, which crews started building last Thursday afternoon on West Hollywood Court, is still on schedule to be finished by Thursday. The "Move That Bus" moment — when the family will see the new home for the first time — is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday.
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'Extreme' show picks ex-WSU player

ANNIE CALOVICH — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:45 CST

Former Shocker baseball star Carl Hall said he'd entered "kind of like a fairy tale" Thursday as the recipient of the next "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" house, being built from the ground up for him and his family near K-42 and Maize Road.
The television show surprised Hall and his family Thursday with an official announcement that they would be receiving the house, even though they'd been involved in preliminary plans for the show, and many of the hundreds of people who turned out to cheer them on at Wichita State University seemed to already know the news.
Hall, who starred on some of the strongest Shocker baseball teams in school history and was the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in 1994, was paralyzed from the neck down after a traffic crash in Kingman County in June. He, his wife and four children had to move out of their bi-level house in west Wichita because it wasn't suitable for a wheelchair and have been living in a rented two-bedroom duplex with a converted garage since.
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Best TV bets (Feb. 11)

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:23 CST

Specials
"Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown"
Poor Charlie Brown. All he wants is to be remembered on Valentine's Day. What he'd really like is a greeting from the Little Red-Haired Girl, but he'll settle for a card from anyone at all. 7 p.m., ABC and KAKE, Channel 10.
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Best TV bets (Feb. 10)

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 08:28 CST

Reality competition
"Wipeout"
Contestants including the Hockey Hottie, Ripped Rhino and Mr. Grinch get a decidedly frosty reception from the Snowplow Sweeper and try to avoid a chilling plunge off the Wipeout Ski Lift as they struggle to navigate the snow-laden course in a bid to win $50,000. John Anderson and John Henson are hosts for the new episode "Winter Wipeout: This Little Piggy Went to Wipeout." 7 p.m., ABC and KAKE, Channel 10.
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Best TV bets (Feb. 9)

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 07:52 CST

New show
"Mr. Sunshine"
Matthew Perry ("Friends") returns to network series TV in this new sitcom that casts him as Ben Donovan, the self-absorbed manager of a San Diego sports arena. In the pilot, Ben spends his 40th birthday trying to get rid of a hockey rink that won't melt so a circus can use it in a few hours, looking for a lost elephant and trying to fix a PR nightmare. 8:31 p.m., ABC and KAKE, Channel 10.
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