Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here. Well, as I sort through the literal mountain of e-mail that arrived in response to yesterday's RUMBLINGS FROM THE LAB, I want to take a moment to post the latest story from Coax God HERCULES THE STRONG. He's going to try on a new name for his frequent miscellaneous tidbits, this time calling them "HERCULES' STRONG BOX." I once knew a woman with a strong box, but this is neither the time nor the place for that story. I'll turn you over to the bad boy of Olympus... oh, and Herc? Look for me and Mongo at GLADIATOR tonight. He'll be in the leash and straitjacket rig. I can't imagine the mood that little monkey's going to be in after he sees Maximus in action. Until then...
CANCELLATION WATCH
The networks traditionally (and wisely) announce their fall schedules in the middle of May sweeps, when we’re feeling so happy to have fresh episodes we’re willing to forgive virtually any bad news. Here’s when you’ll officially learn which of your favorite shows got the ax:
MONDAY, MAY 15: NBC: Among the shows said to be in question: “Friends,” “The Pretender,” “The Others,” “Twenty-One.”
TUESDAY, MAY 16: ABC: Among the shows said to be in question: “SportsNight.”
TUESDAY, MAY 16: WB: Among the shows said to be in question: “Roswell,” “Jack & Jill,” “The Jamie Foxx Show.”
WESDNESDAY, MAY 17: CBS: Among the shows said to be in question: “Now & Again,” “Chicago Hope,” “Early Edition,” “City of Angels,” “Martial Law,” “Ladies Man.”
THURSDAY, MAY 18: FOX: Among the shows said to be in question: ”The X-Files,” “Family Guy,” “The PJs.”
THURSDAY, MAY 18: UPN: Among the shows said to be in question: “The Beat,” “Grown-Ups,” “Malcolm & Eddie.”
Watch this space.
GOING… GOING… GEEKS!
Speaking of cancellations, hopes of reviving “Freaks and Geeks” on, say, Fox or MTV would seem to grow dimmer by the minute. The Hollywood Reporter mentioned Tuesday that 15-year-old John Daley, who essayed central geek Sam Weir, has already signed to play Peter Horton’s son on Geena Davis’ untitled comedy project for ABC.
KATZ MAY GO LIVE-ACTION
One of the shows CBS may announce on May 17 as joining its fall schedule is “From Where I Sit,” from Comedy Central staple Jonathan Katz. Its enticing cast includes Jane Adams, Marcia Gay Harden, Peter Falk, David Paymer, and Robert Klein.
BUFFING THE STONE
“Buffy”/”Angel” fans who somehow missed last night’s return episodes might be excited to learn that Seth Green’s Oz returns to “Buffy” next week -- while the Buffster herself helps Angel deal with Faith on the next “Angel.” The new Rolling Stone has an exceptional cover story on Joss Whedon’s TV universe. The first ten paragraphs of the article can be found here.
CORE BREACH!
We got some bad intelligence from Section 17 on “Voyager” last week. Tonight, in fact, we'll see the first of FIVE new episodes. Here’s the rundown:
April 25: “Role Call” (Torres serves as muse to an alien director-playwright.)
May 3: “Fury” (former crew member Kes pays a visit.)
May 10 “Life Line” (The Alpha Quadrant's “Next Generation” crewmates Deanna Troi and Reg Barclay make their second tandem “Voyager” visit.)
May 17: “The Haunting of Deck Twelve”
May 24: “Unimatrix Zero” (the Borg-heavy seaon finale).
(Thanks to Peter Miller at Pete’s Movie Page.)
THE FUTURE, CONAN?
Cool people on the chatshows TONIGHT:
Pop icons THE SMASHING PUMPKINS (Letterman), “Rushmore” creator LUKE WILSON (Conan), “28 Days” babe ELIZABETH PERKINS, eye candy ALLIYAH and "teen" witch MELISSA JOAN HART (Leno), Hercules role model (and peerless L.A. Times TV critic) HOWARD ROSENBERG (Later).
Cool people on the chatshows THURSDAY:
“Time Code” diva SALMA HAYEK (Letterman), statuesque hottie KRISTEN JOHNSON (Conan), rock stars BUSH and difficult-to-spell “U-571” XO MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY (Leno).
Defy ME?
