The Remote Island : Big Love

"Big Love": That's Ginnifer Goodwin? [PHOTOS]

Jake Kalish — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:23:00 GMT

Ginnifer Goodwin of Big Love is in W Magazine this month, looking about as un-Mormon as one possibly can. It's like she went right from the Church of Latter-Day Saints to the Justify My Love video.

Here's Ginnifer Goodwin on Big Love:

And here's Ginnifer Goodwin in W Magazine:

What would Joseph Smith think? Whuzzat? A character? Shhhh. It seems clear that she's acting now, unless this is like when the Amish do Rumspringa.

Anyway, we expect this from Chloe Sevigny - she was in Kids and performed oral sex onscreen in The Brown Bunny - but it comes as a bit of a surprise from Margene Heffman. Just saying.

PREVIOUSLY:

Is HBO For Girls Now? [VIDEO]

HBO Is Sorry About "Big Love", Just Not That Sorry

HBO Greenlights Fourth Season Of "Big Love"

Is HBO For Girls Now? [VIDEO]

Jake Kalish — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:22:00 GMT

That's what a new article says. You know, in more grown-up words...

This from Mary McNulty of the LA Times:

Where once Tony Soprano, "Deadwood's" Al Swearengen and " The Wire's" Jimmy McNulty ruled their hellish fiefdoms with a righteous love of the f-word and a fistful of bullets, now a sweet-voiced Botswanan lady detective solves crimes without a cellphone much less a weapon, a sassy Southern gal explores the nature of love with a very sad and sensitive vampire and the once-rough-and-tumble hunk Gabriel Byrne sits around listening to a bunch of neurotic New Yorkers talk about their feelings.

Girly girl stuff, on the network that brought you this?

Can you get more masculine than two drunk policemen talking about shooting a mouse? Now HBO is this:

Very different detectives, huh? According to Miss McNulty (who is not married to Jimmy McNulty, because he is fictional) this is a good thing:

It's almost as if the gun-control lobby or women, to whom many of these new shows are clearly skewed (possibly because more women watch television than men), have secretly taken over television.

Except of course it isn't and they haven't. The pendulum swings one way and then it swings another, and the world in which "The Sopranos" and "The Wire" and "Deadwood" were revolutionary television has changed, mostly because of the existence of "The Sopranos," "The Wire" and "Deadwood."

Though no one can replicate the greatness of such shows, their tone and their envelope-pushing sex, violence and beyond black humor have been replicated over the years into nonexistence -- even the best photocopier will wind up with only shadows at a certain point.

So those looking to continue or reestablish their reputations as industry innovators are taking another tack -- the psychological over the physical, the lush over the gritty, the adult over the sophomoric, the feminine over the masculine.

It's a big gamble, particularly that last. Yes, women are still a slight majority, but conventional wisdom, buttressed by market analysis, has always held that though women will watch and read stories about both genders, most men limit themselves to stories about other men.

Guilty as charged. It's a good piece, one that makes your humble correspondent want to watch more of shows like In Treatment and The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency, despite my fears that these shows will turn me into a girl. You win, Mary McNulty and HBO. We will explore our feminine sides. Just as soon as we're done shooting that damn mouse.

PREVIOUSLY:

"No.1" Reason We Love Jill Scott [VIDEO]

"The Wire": David Simon's Original Pich To HBO

HBO Is Sorry About "Big Love", Just Not That Sorry

Sounds Like They're Freaking Out Over At HBO Original Programming

HBO Is Sorry About “Big Love,” Just Not That Sorry

Olivia Purnell — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:30:00 GMT

Did HBO apologize to the Mormon Church for an allegedly offensive scene that will air in this Sunday’s episode of Big Love? Yes.

Will HBO be scrapping, re-edttting, or changing said scene in any way?

No.

Big Love will air unchanged as planned on Sunday at 10pm. The scene in question goes a little something like this:

A character portrayed by the actress Jeanne Tripplehorn undergoing an endowment ceremony, a religious rite in which members recite religious teachings and reenact scenes from the Bible in preparation for their places in heaven.

The church was none-to-happy about this depiction because:

The church considers the rite sacred, and only members in good standing may participate in or view it

HBO was super understanding of the church’s concerns and issued an apology. But again, the Home Box Office will not be changing the scene. We too are very sorry for any offense, but are excited about a show that is willing to cross a few lines in order to (in their, and our estimation) write and shoot a show that portrays something truthful and raw. We’d be offended by provocation for provocation’s sake. But Big Love seems to be creating a thoughtful and interesting representation of polygamy, idealism, marriage, childhood, etc.

Are we wrong?

While you reflect, let’s watch a little clip of “The Happiest Girl”, shall we?

It’s just good. That’s all there is to it.

(nytimes.com)

Previously:

HBO Greenlights Fourth Season of "Big Love"

Joe Buck Replaces Bob Costas At HBO

Buscemi, Scorcese, HBO: What Could Go Wrong?

HBO Greenlights Fourth Season of "Big Love"

Lindy Parker — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Here's the thing, we have a couple of problems with Big Love: 1) It never seems to be quite as intriguing in practice as it is in theory, and 2) Bill Paxton is always the same. In everything. That said, there does seem to be quite a fierce contingent of BL followers who will be thrilled with the news of a fourth season. Show creators Will Scheffer and Mark V. Olsen certainly are...

We couldn't be happier. We love making this show and we love our collaboration with HBO. They've truly been maligned in the press this year. If you show me a better network to work with I'll eat our DVD collections.

Mark and I want to tell our fans we're still truly sorry for the long wait last year. We promise two things. As season three continues they'll forget about the time they waited and get caught up in our best season ever. And we also swear we won't make them wait as long next year. Mark and I insist on making a better show each year, so we won't ever stint on quality, but we're trying to be better faster. (E! Online)

Sweet, no? Their exuberance almost makes us want to give Big Love another try.

It's Business Time: "Battlestar," "Conchords," "L Word," "Secret Diary," "Big Love" Back This Weekend

Bryan Christian — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:36:00 GMT

Our rundown, after the jump.

While we are still heartsick over our total lack of the being-rich-ness required to light our next cigar with an Adama family heirloom, we are nonetheless insanely excited that Battlestar's 4.5th and final season starts tonight. Will we learn the identity of the final Cylon? Will we get confirmation that our intrepid heroes in fact landed in the ruins of Brooklyn Heights? Will we get to see some Number Six skin even though her budding relationship with Saul Tigh is, by Michael Hogan's own account, a relatively chaste one? Most importantly, will one of you lend us 6 grand so that we can buy that lighter we mentioned earlier? We're guessing none of these questions will be answered tonight, but except for the last one, we're fine with that.

But Battlestar's not the only TV show coming back to our DVR's this weekend. Sunday night, Showtime's bringing back The L Word for its swan song, wrapping things up with the whole "Who Killed Jenny" plotline and, presumably, paving the way for a new ladyjail-set spinoff, which, you know, just, wow. And Belle, our favorite British prosty, is back for another quick turn in Secret Diary of a Call Girl, a show that took a while to grow on us, but grow on us it did. This year, Belle is, well, still a working girl and all that, but Billie Piper, the former Who-mate who plays her, got pregnant during filming, meaning, you can expect an even more acute glow -- and deeper cleavage -- from this already appealing actress.

And over on HBO the same night, Bret and Jemaine are back with another season of Flight of the Conchords, which is awesome even though you've probably already seen the season premiere online. IOHO, it's the best premiere of the year, so don't miss it. Also returning: Big Love, a show that has some pretty fervent followers -- and, this year, some excellent promos -- but has always struck us as a little muddled. Will it break wide or break down this year? Fans -- let us know what you think!

PREVIOUSLY:
The "Battlestar Galactica" Prop Auction Catalog Is Awesome And Thoroughly Depressing
Caught Up On "Battlestar"? So, You Know That Gaeta Is [SPOILER], Right?
Watch The "Flight Of The Conchords" Season Two Premiere! Right Here! Right Now!
FOTC News: Conchords Songs Will Be On ITunes The Day After Broadcasts, And Coco's Got An Album Coming Out
The Cowboy From The Village People Will Appear On "Flight Of The Conchords"
"The L Word" Spinoff Will Be Set In A Women's Prison
"The L Word": Who KIlled Jenny? Was It Xena The Warrior Princess?
Jennifer Beals: Hotter Now Than Before?
We Officially Like "Secret Diary Of A Call Girl"
Liked The "Secret Diary Of A Call Girl" Premiere? Double Your Pleasure!

Why Are The "HSM" Girls Dressed Like Thrift Store Brides?

Lindy Parker — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:20:00 GMT

Okay, we're just going to say it: we're a lot weirded out by this picture. Why are V. Hudge and T.Dale perched on Zac Efron, looking like a trio of Disney Channel polygamists? Or possibly like oversized toddlers festooned to re-enact scenes from Big Love. Perhaps it's the ill-fitting nature of both of these bride-y garments that puts us in mind of a dress up box. A dress up box in Utah. We are perplexed.

CBS Brings Swingers, Tupperware Back in “Swingtown”

Nicole Ankowski — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:03:00 GMT

The sex! Those styles! Tupperware!

First Dexter went prime-time, and now this: tomorrow night CBS (!) premieres its new show, Swingtown. No surprise that it’s brought to us by the creators of Big Love, but what a shock that HBO turned down the series, while CBS snatched it up.

The show “traces two generations of friends and neighbors as they forge intimate connections and explore new freedoms during the culturally transformative decade of the 1970s.” CBS’ promo copy proclaims the “swing” refers to “the ever-shifting ‘swing’ of the pendulum that reflected the change in America's collective value system -- morally, politically and socially."

Um, sure. But check out this little sneak-peak of what the neighbors do with their new super 8 video camera. Kids, this looks hotter than The Ice Storm…

Here's hoping it's not all-tease and no-action....

God, we love orange Tupperware...