The Remote Island : ER

"The Unusuals": We're Hopeful, But CAN WE FORGIVE THIS??? [VIDEO]

Bryan Christian — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:34:00 GMT

OK, so we're naturally sort of partial to the idea of watching The Unusuals, ABC's new quirky cop show that's premiering tonight after Lost and has a bunch of actors that we'd like to see taking the piss out of all those cop shows.

But do you see what we see, Wire fans? It sure does seem like they ripping off one of Bunk Moreland's most infamous interrogation tactics. Can you ballee dat shi?

Further proof after the jump.

The NYTimes couldn't give them a pass on this one, so why should we?

No show is totally original, but “The Unusuals” lifts a scene from “The Wire” so blatantly that it’s practically plagiarism. Two of the more screwball detectives are questioning a suspect in a series of cat killings, and tell the man that the copier machine is the latest high-tech lie detector, before asking him questions and photocopying his hand with the word “true” on it. That ruse worked on “The Wire” because those detectives were questioning hardened teenagers from the ghetto who knew everything about drugs and weapons, but had no idea what even basic office or school equipment looked like. On this show the suspect is a well-spoken middle-class adult, and the prank makes no sense.

Practically? It just is. Really, we're asking here: is there a way to forgive this? 'Cause we're thinking "No." If someone says "I saw this on a TV show once," maybe. But will that happen? Prolly not. So, you know, no. Never mind the utter lack of originality; how are these cats ever gonna do this scene as good as Bunk?

The Wire-The bigger the lie, the more they believe
by Ridwan_Osman

Next thing you know, you'll tell us that Southland is gonna rip off ER or something. Oh wait. That's the other thing that NYTimes article is about.

PREVIOUSLY:

Will "The Unusuals" Deliver a New Girlcrush? [VIDEO]

Did "ER" Take A Final Swipe At "Grey's Anatomy" With That Fractured Penis Scene? [VIDEO]

Out Of The "ER": Maura Tierney Joins "Rescue Me"

Huge "ER" Finale Ratings Remind Us Of How Much Huger "ER" Used To Be

"ER" Finale Is Tonight; We're Not Sure What To Expect

"Gilmore Girls" Star Liza Weil Joins "Grey's Anatomy" Finale

Lindy Parker — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:00:00 GMT

We feel like with Liza Weil, best known for her work as Paris on Gilmore Girls, it's pretty much a love her or hate her situation. We fall on the side of love, and thus, couldn't be more thrilled to see her cast on the season finale of Grey's Anatomy...

Sources confirm to me exclusively that Rhimes has tapped...Gilmore Girls' Liza Weil, to guest star in the show's two-hour season finale on May 14...Weil will appear as a cancer patient who crosses paths with Izzie. (Ausiello Files)

We actually find this casting choice fitting for two reasons: First, it provides a nice Gilmore-Girls-slash-medical-drama symmetry since Rory Gilmore herself, Alexis Bledel played such a pivotal role in the ER series finale. Second, Weil's real-life husband Paul Adelstein plays Cooper on Private Practice. For those of you unfamiliar with the peculiar genius of Weil's run on Gilmore Girls, here's a little look back at one of our favorite scenes...

Previously:

"Gilmore Girl" Alexis Bledel Joins the "ER" Finale

Did "ER" Take a Final Swipe at "Grey's Anatomy" With The Fractured Penis Scene?

Friday Shades of "Grey's Anatomy": Wake Me Up Before You Kill Me

Out Of The "ER": Maura Tierney Joins "Rescue Me"

Jake Kalish — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:19:00 GMT

Yay! One of the truly great television actresses of the last fifteen years gets a gig on a good show. It's pouring here in New York, but this is a ray of sunshine.

After ER, it's nice to see Maura Tierney do something that'll almost certainly allow her to show the comic chops that made her so great on NewsRadio. (We're less sure about the Parenthood pilot she's doing with Peter Krause.) But we'll have to wait a while for Tierney on Rescue Me, because Tierney's character (a love interest for Denis Leary's Tommy Gavin) won't appear until late in this year's 22-ep arc.

It's no coincidence that Maura Tierney has had nonstop television work since she started Newsradio in 1994. She's really, really good. And in some ways, Rescue Me is like a loophole for her. She'd vowed not to do sitcoms anymore after Newsradio ended, but she's so appealing as a comic actress. By tackling a dramedy, she gets to give us what we loved in both ER and NewsRadio.

(Incidentally, if you're not that familiar with NewsRadio, get this - the first and second season on DVD. You'll be glad you did.)

PREVIOUSLY:

Peter Krause And Maura Tierney Move Into The New "Parenthood"

Catch Up With The "Rescue Me" Minisodes

Huge "ER" Finale Ratings Remind Us Of How Much Huger "ER" Used To Be

Did "ER" Take A Final Swipe At "Grey's Anatomy" With That Fractured Penis Scene?

Huge "ER" Finale Ratings Remind Us Of How Much Huger "ER" Used To Be

Jake Kalish — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:02:00 GMT

16.4 million people watched the ER finale - huge numbers, the biggest for a TV drama series finale since 1996, when Lansbury finally stopped writing on Murder She Wrote.

But those numbers should be put in some perspective. Because for all the hype, the nonstop promos and buildup, those 16.4 million viewers represent about half of what ER regularly got during its Clooney/Edwards ratings peak - and less than a third of what a single second-season ER episode got. The ep where Doug Ross tries to save a boy from a storm drain was watched by almost 50 million people.

50 million. Think about that. Maybe it's a sign that ER stayed too long that we forget just how huge the show was back in the day.

PREVIOUSLY:

Did "ER" Take A Final Swipe At "Grey's Anatomy" With That Fractured Penis Scene?

"ER" Finale Is Tonight, We're Not Sure What To Expect

"ER": Doug Ross, Peter Benton, Carol Hathaway Show 'Em How It's Done

Did "ER" Take A Final Swipe At "Grey's Anatomy" With That Fractured Penis Scene? [VIDEO]

Bryan Christian — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:33:00 GMT

Not a bad final episode for ER, as far as those things go. We liked the callouts to the pilot episode, and the way the old cast and new were mostly cordoned off from each other. We were frankly worried that this would wind up being like Star Trek: Enterprise (Jesus, why does that show keep coming up?), which rather famously introduced characters from TNG in its final episode, and in the process either laid bare the prequel show's shortcomings or, if you were a fan, just plain disrespected it entirely.

None of that here. The old characters got most of the ceremonial stuff -- saying goodbye, being sad -- and the new characters went about their day/night, just like they would have in real life. So thumbs up to showrunner John Wells, for not writing an episode where County General closed and forced everyone to squeeze out a teary farewell. Pretty classy. (Oh, also: anyone else bummed that Alexis Bledel only got one episode? Someone get her back on TV, STAT!)

We do have one question, though, and it relates to something that wasn't classy, but was in fact -- if we are right about it -- fairly awesome. Wasn't it weird having a "fractured penis" gag in this episode, just weeks after Grey's Anatomy did the exact same thing?

Full video to compare and contrast after the jump.

For those of you who didn't see it, we're embedding here. Basically, an old guy comes into the ER and is all like "check out my penis, it hurts and also I have lots of septugenarian sex" and that Australian guy's all like "g'day, fractured penis" and then they schedule surgery. And that's it. Definitely not as soapy or acty as the scene in Grey's, which as you can see below, had a lot of "that character is a cad, isn't he?"-type emoting.

One final lesson from the old folks? If so: nice one, old folks.

PREVIOUSLY:

"ER" Finale Is Tonight; We're Not Sure What To Expect

Mekhi Phifer Jumps From "ER" To "Lie To Me"

Katherine Heigl Wants "Grey's Anatomy" If "Grey's Anatomy" Wants Her

Friday Shades of "Grey's Anatomy": Wake Me Up Before You Kill Me

The Inescapable Kookiness of John Stamos [VIDEO]

"ER" Finale Is Tonight; We're Not Sure What To Expect

Bryan Christian — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:51:00 GMT

You may remember that we thought that the episode a couple weeks back, where George Clooney, Julianna Marguiles, and Eriq La Salle all made their first (and in Clooney's case, possibly last) appearances in the ER finale parade would have served as a fine and lasting tombstone for the show. Our belief in this was confirmed a week ago, when we were treated to the depressing sight (and even more offensively, the sound) of Uncle Jessie and that red-haired guy whiteblacking to "I Feel Good". Maybe there was a push to have the penultimate episode perfect all the lousy impulses of the recent soapy era?: its struggles to be cool, its desire to be liked rather than admired...

Whatever the reason, we were reminded yet again that this was once a show that was unsentimental, obtuse, and filled with unintelligible jargon that the cast themselves didn't understand. The first three or four seasons of ER, with their uninflected and rigorous allegiance to the vagaries of real emergency medicine -- and the accompanying gore -- were compelling for many millions of people because of the ragged shapelessness that the current era of the show is so afraid of. In the mid '90's ER demonstrated, in a way that at the time was sort of revolutionary, that the way a story was told was as important as the story that was being told. What was the last successful TV show before ER to have such a distinctive form, style, and structure? Twin Peaks was not a success, so we'd have to say Miami Vice. They're polar opposites of course -- Miami Vice was largely style, dressing up standard TV crime stories, whereas ER's style was no style; ER's structure, no structure -- but deep down they displayed the same commitment to their mode of storytelling and made an art of that commitment.

And we don't think this aspect of the show has been fully appreciated yet. It's hard to imagine that Steven Spielberg would have attemped the first half-hour of Saving Private Ryan without his first being a partner in ER; before that movie redefined war movie violence, ER had already proven that an audience would gladly and willingly submit themselves to surprising degrees of relentless, unstructured gore if it could convincingly and totally convey a kind of realism. Likewise, it's just as hard to imagine the plane crash sequences of Lost's pilot would ever have been possible had not ER first explored a similarly uninflected strain of televised mayhem in its opening moments.

Those are just two examples, but they're biggies, right? Give us a little more time and we could prolly come up with more.

So, will the parade of mediocrity continue tonight, as (and this is just a guess) John Carter gets up off his bed, kisses Thandie Newton, and pretty much buys County General, naming it after... who? His dad, his grandma, himself? We think it'll be about 50-50. Looks like a lot of people from the show's past are going to be around to get their "Good job for being rich, Carter" line in, including La Salle, Marguiles, and Sherry Stringfield, and we can't imagine that they'll all get interesting stuff to do. Or, for that matter, that they'll be scrubbing in for one final cardial infarcasomething.

But hey, if Kubiak gets in a good line, we'll be happy enough, we guess.

PREVIOUSLY

Mekhi Phifer Jumps From "ER" To "Lie To Me"

"ER": Doug Ross, Peter Benton, Carol Hathaway Show 'Em How It's Done

"Gilmore Girl" Alexis Bledel Joins The ER Finale

Mekhi Phifer Jumps From "ER" To "Lie To Me"

Lindy Parker — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:01:00 GMT

Just in case you were losing sleep at night, wondering what Mekhi Phifer plans to do after the ER series finale, worry no more. First off, his ER character died at the beginning of the season, so shame on you for not keeping up. OK, who knows if he'll show up tonight; they brought Dr. Greene back, for crying out loud. Anyway... second: Mekhi's gonna go hang out with Tim Roth and Jennifer Beals on Lie to Me, which sounds pretty good to us.

Mekhi Phifer, who for six seasons walked the halls of County General as Dr. Gregory Pratt, has booked a multiple-episode appointment on Fox's Lie to Me.
Phifer will appear on the freshman drama series as Ben Reynolds, an FBI agent who partners with Dr. Lightman (Tim Roth) to track a serial rapist terrorizing the D.C. area. (Yahoo TV)

We have a better (read: funnier) idea: how about instead of casting the actual Mekhi Phifer, they just hire Remote Island boyfriend, Neil Patrick Harris to impersonate Mekhi Phifer...

Previously:

"Lie To Me", Jennifer Beals

U2 Week on David Letterman: Top Ten Guests We Wouldn't Get Tired Of

Neil Patrick Harris Loves "American Idol" and Possibly, "Cheers"

Three Cheers for Doogie: Neil Patrick Harris Did a Pretty Good Job on SNL

Neil Patrick Harris Has Soft Lips

Can Jon Hamm Succeed In Films By Just Staying Classy?

Chenda Ngak — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:02:00 GMT

Ridiculously handsome Mad Men star, Jon Hamm, has been cast as a lawyer in the indie flick Howl. The film will focus on the obscenity trial on Allen Ginsberg's famous poem. Lawyer? Really?

Hamm will star as defense attorney Jake Ehrlich, whose life was the inspiration for the TV series "Perry Mason." (variety.com)

We know, we know, Hamm's playing the humble "I just really love acting, glad to be part of an ensemble" guy, and we're dying to see him become the next actor to successfully jump from TV to films. And yeah, we want to see him become the next George Clooney.

But note to Mr. Hamm: Clooney's first movie after his success with ER wasn't Good Night and Good Luck. It was From Dusk Til Dawn, which was most notable for Salma Hayek as a vampire stripper. And gave Clooney a chance to show a darker, funnier side. So, Jon: we just want to see what's beneath the suit. And maybe a chance to daydream about a vampire bite. Yowza.

(Just don't go Caruso on us? Don Draper must stay on Mad Men for many more seasons or there will be hell to pay!)

The Inescapable Kookiness of John Stamos [VIDEO]

Lindy Parker — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:00:00 GMT

We're just going to put this out there: We feel like there's a distinct possibility that John Stamos does every interview drunk. Case in point: yesterday's interview with Ellen Degeneres during which his weirdly defensive attempt to justify his relationship with Paula Abdul by citing the enormity of her past fame made both us and Ellen uncomfortable...

Ellen decided an activity was needed to minimize the rambling anecdotes...

Tampon mumps? Tell us this manic pictionary game isn't vaguely reminiscent of the drunken Australian morning show incident...

It's as if that clip gets worse every time we see it, particularly the moment when Stamos pressing the large glass bust to his own groin.

Previously:

Mary-Kate Olsen Gets Her Full House Fix

South Park Creator Matt Stone Dishes on How's Your News?

Imaginary TV Fights: Stamos vs. Stamos

How Rude! Bob Saget Roast Full of Olsen Twin Sex Jokes

Peter Krause and Maura Tierney Move Into The New "Parenthood"

Olivia Purnell — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:01:00 GMT

Peter, sweet cheeks, we are not so sure that joining the cast of NBC’s pilot Parenthood is a good idea. (Maura, this goes for you too, girl)

Here’s why:

You, both of you, are very good at what you do. Maura we liked you on ER. Peter, you were in Six Feet Under for goodness sakes. Don’t you think a show in the HBO/Showtime neighborhood might be more appropriate for you? Something along the lines of a Weeds, or a United States of Peter or something? Find a show with cursing and sex and depth. Maura, wouldn’t you like to cuss on TV for once? It sounds nice doesn’t it?

Peter, your Parenthood character Adam Braverman is “a married man with two children who is a lunatic beneath the surface.” We hope that the Parenthood script allows for true lunacy, but lets be honest, you’re probably going to be working with aw shucks family comedy. Semi-disgruntled dad isn’t for you Peter. Go back to playing truly disturbed characters with a healthy dose of self-loathing. That’s your bread and butter. Six Feet? We Don’t Live Here Anymore? Bread. And. Butter.

Maura, you just know you’ll be wearing dowdy pleated slacks on this show. Don't let them give you a F.U.P.A. Can’t you get a guest spot on Californication?

Also, and this is key, kids. Parenthood, the TV show has already been done. Yes. Would we lie to you? In 1990 a television show called Parenthood was adapted from the 1989 Steve Martin flick. The show starred . . . wait for it: David Arquette, Leonardo Dicaprio, Ed Begley Jr., and Thora Birch. Joss Whedon even wrote a couple of episodes.

If it didn’t work then, Maura, Peter, why do we need to try it again now, 20 years later?

(yahoo.com)

Previously:

"ER": Doug Ross, Peter Benton, Carol Hathaway Show 'Em How It's Done

George Clooney Does A Mean Bathroom Andy Rooney Impression [Video]

Rebecca Romijn is a Witch

George Clooney Does a Mean Bathroom Andy Rooney Impression [VIDEO]

Olivia Purnell — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:27:00 GMT

Clooney might be getting his ass handed to him in our little 'Would You Rather: George Clooney or Jon Hamm' poll. But we still love him. He's unquestionalby hot (although apparently not as hot as Hamm). He was great on ER last week. And he's in Chad doing Brangelina-esque relief work. Maybe he'll bring back an adopted brood; this would make him even hotter. Hot Dads are great (remember Three Men and a Baby? Tom Selleck with the full handlebar stash? Awesome.)

Clooney sends dispatches from Chad, and from what we can see he doesn't have any babies yet. But he does have a thing for dirty bathrooms, and he does a mean Andy Rooney impression.

Check it out:

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Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Niiiiice.

(buzzfeed.com)

Previously:

Would You Rather: George Clooney or Jon Hamm

"ER": Doug Ross, Peter Benton, Carol Hathaway Show 'Em How It's Done

Friday Flashback: George Clooney on "The Facts of Life" [VIDEO]

"ER": Doug Ross, Peter Benton, Carol Hathaway Show 'Em How It's Done

Bryan Christian — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:32:00 GMT

Is it wrong to guess that more people will have watched last night's ER -- which featured the return of three of the show's most treasured characters -- than will eventually watch the series' April 2 finale? Well, we say: whatever. Better to be remembered for this brisk, artful, relatively unsentimental installment than whatever soapy mess they've cooked up as a final goodbye.

Do we need to go into how maudlin, overwrought, repetitive, or dra-ma-TIC! this show has become in the last few years? Probably not, but a reminder: We're guessing no matter how much you liked Parminder Nagra in Bend It Like Beckham, no matter how much you ever crushed on Uncle Jesse or Lisa Miller, you still couldn't get into any of their storylines on ER because, well, you'd basically seen it all before: the insecure foreigner, the dark scrapper with a chip on his shoulder, the brunette who can't admit how deeply she feels things. Compacting the problem, as median age of the cast dropped to well below 30, the gravity of the enterprise sort of disappeared. Whereas 15 years ago, Dr. Greene was in denial over an impending divorce and Dr. Benton was grappling with a deaf, unintended child, any dedicated ER viewer taking special note of the personal dramas in 2008-9's County General would have been treated largely to a series of whiny, scab-picking arguments in messy post-collegiate apartments. For all its past successes -- the chaotic, confounding forms of its pilot, the ratings bonanza that let it reiterate those forms almost into the new century -- it's lately seemed that the time and place for a show with such a young, TV-ready cast was an hour earlier, on a different network.

How wonderful, then, to see George Clooney, Julianna Marguiles, and Eriq La Salle -- along with Noah Wyle, who's return to the show has lasted for a few weeks now -- drop easily back into their roles, giving the show a chance to explore rhythms it hadn't seriously played with in years. So many elements from last night rang true to the show's former glory that they bear repeating: the way Peter Benton held up John Carter's bag of urine as a sign of Carter's transplant success, a secret claim to his own victory for saving the operation, and a loving, scatological taunt to an old friend; the subtle way that Doug Ross seduced (!) a bereaved grandmother (Susan Sarandon, excellent and weirdly beside the point) into donating her grandson's organs to transplant patients; and above all how the two plotlines crossed without one explicitly acknowledging the other, neither Doug and Carol, nor Sam and Neela ever grasping the personal significance of the Seattle/Chicago exchange.

Good stuff; if we somehow miss the series signoff, we'll be OK with that. What did you guys think?

PREVIOUSLY

Who Would You Rather: George Clooney Vs. Jon Hamm?

"Gilmore Girl" Alexis Bledel Joins The "ER" Finale

"ER": Dr. Ross And Nurse Hathaway To Get It On Again March 12 [SPOILERS]

Susan Sarandon Will Join George Clooney On "ER"

Who Would You Rather: George Clooney Vs. Jon Hamm?

Olivia Purnell — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Tonight, George Clooney and Jon Hamm are back-to-back in primetime. Clooney will be on re-rocking his old scrubs as ER gets ready to go out in a blaze of glory, and Jon Hamm finishes up his 3 episode run on 30 Rock as Liz Lemon’s sexy/geeky love interest. Both play doctors. Both are, to use the technical terminology, super-duper hot.

The idea of these two titans touching timeslots [UPDATE: Guess not, actually; thanks Chicago Tribune! Annnnnywayyyy...] brings up a very serious question for us, a question we will be passing on to you. Search your soul and answer carefully. Who would you rather: Clooney on ER or Hamm on 30 Rock?

Just to remind you, here’s what we’re working with:

George Clooney plays Dr. Doug Ross, a sultry silver fox doctorman presumably schooled and skilled in all things anatomical.

Or Jon Ham's funny Clark Kent-type Dr. Drew Baird who’s both chisled and slightly nerdy (an elusive combo that is oh so difficult to find in the wild).

Obviously this is not an easy choice. Ladies, gentlemen, vote with your hearts:

Previously:

WTF Happened to Jon Hamm?

Jon Hamm Protects Us From His Handsomeness

Jon Hamm And His Problem Hair

"ER": Dr. Ross And Nurse Hathaway To Get It On Again March 12 [SPOILERS]

Juliana Margulies Gives Us a Nasty Case of Nostalgia

Susan Sarandon Will Join George Clooney On "ER"

First Photos of George Clooney's New Scrubs

"Gilmore Girl" Alexis Bledel Joins The ER Finale

Lindy Parker — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:00:00 GMT

The parade of guest stars in the much-hyped final episode of ER continues with former Gilmore Girls star Alexis Bledel. We're okay with this news for two reasons: 1. If Stamos can do it, anyone's welcome, and 2. We LOVED Gilmore Girls. There, we said it. Anytime we get to hang out with Alexis Bledel or Lauren Graham again it's a good day. Plus, Alexis Bledel is so beautiful, no? It's like startling to us.

In celebration, let's revisit one of our favorite Gilmore Girls moments shall we?

No lie: we still say "Because I love you, you idiot!" to our boyfriend sometimes for no reason. He doesn't find it as amusing as we do.

Previously:

Lauren Graham is Back!

"ER": Dr. Ross And Nurse Hathaway To Get It On Again March 12 [SPOILERS]

Chenda Ngak — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:32:00 GMT

Julianna Margulies has confirmed that she will return to reprise her role as Carol Hathaway on ER. She stated that she was always open to return as along as her onscreen love interest, George Clooney as Doug Ross, did as well. Clever move, Jules. Now we want to add a Clooney clause into our contracts. Margulies tells US Weekly why the deal was on the down low.

She says she and Clooney wanted to keep their return "quiet because neither George nor I wanted to sit on talk shows, getting people to watch the final episode of ER. It's the last thing George needs." (US Weekly)

Here are some other things that we also heard about the pair's reunion...

"You pick up a slice of their life now," she says. "It's very satisfying."
Spoiler! The couple has twin girls, now in fourth grade.
Says Margulies, "That could be a whole other show." (US Weekly)

Oh Jules, don't let Ben Silverman hear that. He's probably writing a 12-episode contract right now.

PREVIOUSLY:

Juliana Margulies Gives Us a Nasty Case of Nostalgia

The Reunion Continues: Anthony Edwards and Juliana Margulies Return to "ER"

Susan Sarandon Will Join George Clooney On "ER"

First Photos of George Clooney's New Scrubs

George Clooney Goes Back To "ER"

Juliana Margulies Gives Us a Nasty Case of Nostalgia

Olivia Purnell — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Earlier today we found out J. Margulies will be returning to the ER cast. Oh, Juliana! You and George Clooney back together? Awesome. Just don’t let that handsome bastard leave you alone in County General again. Remember the first time? We do.

Click through to see old school George breaking hearts.

Yeah, we forgot to tell you to have the tissues ready. Our bad.

Previously:

The Reunion Continues: Anthony Edwards and Juliana Margulies Return to "ER"

Ellen Lands George Clooney

First Photos of George Clooney's New Scrubs

George Clooney Goes Back To "ER"

The Reunion Continues: Anthony Edwards and Juliana Margulies Return to "ER"

Lindy Parker — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:00:00 GMT

And the parade of original cast members continues in the final season of ER...

Original cast member Anthony Edwards tells Usmagazine.com that Julianna Margulies will likely return as well as the show films its final season.
"I'm happy for the show. Everybody who was there in the original cast has all come back and showed up, and it's nice thing," Edwards told Us. "I think it shows it's a group who are appreciative of what was given to them." Edwards -- who played Dr. Mark Greene -- didn't have to think twice about coming back. "I had such a great time," he said. "Who would say 'no?'" (Us Magazine)

Dr. Ross? Check. Dr. Carter? Check. Dr. Greene? Check. Nurse Carol? Check. Now if we could just bring Kellie Martin back from the dead...

Previously:

Ellen Lands George Clooney

First Photos of George Clooney's New Scrubs

George Clooney Goes Back To "ER"

Susan Sarandon Will Join George Clooney On "ER"

Jake Kalish — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:40:00 GMT

This show's really going out with a bang, huh? According to E! Online, Susan Sarandon just finished shooting scenes with George Clooney. Linda Cardellini apparently also filmed scenes with this generation's Clark Gable.

So just getting one of the biggest movie stars alive back on your show wasn't enough firepower, huh? Had to add Sarandon? This is like the big finale to one of those giant 4th of July fireworks shows, when the sky is all light and noise.

Question is, how many people will watch these last episodes? Will they be big numbers, or huge, ginormous last episode of M*A*S*H numbers? (The most-watched show of all time.) Curious to see...

PREVIOUSLY:

George Clooney Goes Back To "ER"

First Photos of George Clooney's New Scrubs

Lindy Parker — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:31:00 GMT

Even though earlier in the week, we mentioned George Clooney's plans to scrub back in for the final season of ER, we can appreciate that some of you didn't want to get your hopes up until you actually saw him wearing scrubs. Well, done and done...

Photos: Popsugar

Previously:

George Clooney Goes Back To "ER"

Ellen Lands George Clooney

George Clooney Goes Back To "ER"

Lindy Parker — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:00:00 GMT

We should've seen this coming given that the final season of ER thus far has been essentially a parade of veteran cast members back for one last hurrah...

"Sources close to the series tell PEOPLE that ER co-creator John Wells has ordered a closed set to keep Clooney’s appearance under wraps. It’s not known how many episodes will feature Clooney as the show films its final season. Neither NBC nor Warner Bros. reps would comment, nor did Clooney’s publicist." (People.com)

Well, to George Clooney we say bless you for remembering where you came from -- although we're sure it wasn't a huge sacrifice given the mammoth incentive check they probably had to cut to get you to do it.

For old time's sake, how about a little vintage Doug Ross just because we're sentimental...

Previously:

Ellen Lands George Clooney

Dr. Greene Will Be There To Pronounce ER

How Are They Sneaking Anthony Edwards Back Onto ER Tonight?

5 Ways Real Doctors Can Be More Like TV Doctors

Jake Kalish — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 22:33:00 GMT

These suggestions will fix America's healthcare system.

1) Have sex with each other - Obviously, some doctors have sex with each other; they share a common interest. But you should all have sex with each other. Or, at least, if you're not actually having sex with each other, you should be consumed by a need to have sex with each other, to the point that you leave the emergency room operating table to express your feelings and act on your desire. I think I speak for all patients when I say: it's cool. We'll wait. We need that kind of passion in healthcare.

2) Bend the rules; Don't play by the book - Who says you should treat Adrenoleukodystrophy in a "conventional" way, or follow "standard" protocol? Squares, that's who. A doctor is half artist, half outlaw. Improvise, and don't let anyone mess with your creative mojo.

3) Lose the the forms and waiting rooms - You almost never see forms and waiting rooms on doctor shows, but that seems to be, like, 90% of one's time at the doctor. Lose all that stuff; it's not dramatic. Treat everything like an emergency, and rush us into an operating room while yelling directions to each other. Even if it's a routine checkup.

4) Work out more/Wear more makeup - A lot of you doctors are just not good-looking enough. Your humble correspondent's doc is smart, kind, and thorough. But he looks like Pete Seeger. That's not going to cut it. Now, no one's suggesting elective surgeries (although it's an idea) but you could hit the gym for, say, two hours a day and get really buff. And, especially if you're a female doctor (but also if you're male) make sure someone applies your makeup expertly. There's no more important time to look beautiful than when you're saving a life.

5) Don't let people die - You know how many people die in hospitals? When doctors are right there? It's ridiculous. Don't let people die, unless they're evil. Or have an important life lesson to tell us right before they expire, like "you don't know what you got 'til it's gone." If you don't have a life lesson, you don't die. That should be a rule.

Ellen Lands George Clooney

Lindy Parker — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 22:00:00 GMT

After spending most of 2008 in a relentless attempt to woo George Clooney to her show, it seems Ellen Degeneres' efforts have finally paid off. Her campaign included harassing Clooney's nearest and dearest for ideas about winning George's favor (Brad Pitt suggested male strippers), but it was former ER co-star, Noah Wyle, that came through with the winning advice...

It seems Noah Wyle knows best -- George Clooney stops by the Ellen set this Monday.

Are We Really Ready for More Duff?

Olivia Purnell — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:20:00 GMT

Yesterday we learned that Hilary Duff has some sort of a vague contractual relationship with NBC that will obligate us to see her on a regular basis via our television screens. This news brought up some old feelings for us . . .

Namely, irritation.

Homegirl recently released her second greatest hits compilation album entitled Best Of, after releasing her first greatest hits album, Most Wanted, in 2005. Doesn’t that seem extreme for someone with only 3 non-compilation albums to her credit?

That annoyed us a little bit. But, we (being the benevolent bloggers we are) will find it in our hearts to give her another chance. Especially since Ms. Duff will be getting back to her television roots (and perhaps her brunette roots as well; we like her in a darker hue) in the very near future. Variety.com says:

Under terms of the one-year talent and development deal, Peacock will develop a show starring Duff; thesp [sic] will also be tapped to guest star in various current NBC shows.

[. . .]

Duff will meet with writers and comb through the Peacock's development for the right project to star in.

Hmmm. Well as long as “the right project” doesn’t include a secret rockstar alter ego (å la Hannah Montana), a musical episode (å la Buffy the Vampire Slayer), or an after work karaoke bar (å la Ally McBeal), then we’re into this little television comeback.

And we look forward (sort of) to seeing Hilary guest spots across the network. One day she’ll be saving lives on ER. The next day she’ll be a guest spy on Chuck. Maybe they’ll even let her play a corpse on one of the Law & Orders! That’s a good one, cause there’s definitely no singing allowed.

Previously:

What's the Secret Behind Hilary Duff's Mysterious New NBC Development Deal?

How Are They Sneaking Anthony Edwards Back On To "ER" Tonight?

Bryan Christian — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:17:00 GMT

Everyone all together now: FLASHBACK! (Diddle-doodle, diddle-doodle...)

Video after the jump.

PREVIOUSLY:
Dr. Greene Will Be There To Pronounce "ER"

[via TV Squad]

Wake Up And Smile: World Officially Upside Down As Fox News Calls Out Racist Ralph Nader

Bryan Christian — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:37:00 GMT

Could it be? Yes, it could, ladies and gents -- Campaign 2008 is truly over and we've got the apeshit to prove it: Ralph Nader going fullblown asshole and Tina Fey retiring her Sarah Palin outfit. What more could you want? Well, how about the latest on who won the ratings battle election night, Jaime Pressley breaking up with her real-life Crabman, ABC breaking up with Alyssa Milano's new show, how Transformers 2 is totally ripping off Battlestar Galactica, CNN's election night holograms being total crap, and yet another former ER cast member is returning to County General.

-- The video of Ralph Nader calling Obama an "Uncle Tom" is up there. Watch it if you don't have anything to be infuriated about in the next ten minutes.

-- Tina Fey has declared she is through playing Sarah Palin now that, well, there's not much need to. Sarah Palin, on the other hand, is working on some great Tina Fey material, and hopes to become a regular on Fox's MadTV if there's an opening.

-- My Name Is Earl's Jaime Pressley has split from her DJ baby daddy. Apparently they were just pals and gave in to temptation for a few years! Wow, isn't it great when famous people make the same mistakes we do?

-- ABC has taken a pass on Alyssa Milano's sitcom owing to creative differences with the show's creator. Guess that's showing them which one is the boss! Oh wait, can we do that one again?

-- In other ABC news, ABC News got the highest ratings on Election Night. This despite being utterly without holograms, Will.i.am, and senseless racism... which we're sure will somehow mean that next time around, we'll get a double helping of all that crap.

-- Speaking of those holograms, um, yeah... about that.

-- Lest you think that Anthony Edwards was gonna have the fun, Eriq La Salle will also return for a spin around ER before they leave the air. One significant difference: La Salle'll be behind the camera. George Clooney will spend the same week counting his millions on a bed of Italian supermodels.

-- The Michael Bay Transformers franchise is getting way more Cylon-y with their "robots hidden in sexy lady costume" plotline. Except for that one sexy lady costume that's got a penis; that's ripping off something else entirely.

Wake Up And Smile: If The Ladies Of The View Smoked Meth, There’d Be Some Stabbing

Bryan Christian — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:35:00 GMT

Member when Elisabeth Hasselbeck said she wasn’t leaving The View anytime soon? Well, if the rumors about backstage at today’s episode are any indication, you can file that under “Maybe” in the FiloFax of your mind. In the 1970’s desk of your soul.

Plus: NBC's surprising plans for Thursday nights, Little Britain's gay divorce shocker, a show that combines the talents of both It's Always Sunny... and Arrested Development (in space!) and the happy ending to Billie Piper's day-long labour. (Notice how we used the 'u'? Classy, right?)

-- Things are rapidly deteriorating for kind-of-cute right-winger Elisabeth Hasselbeck on The View, where she has been booed by the audience two days in a row – and been threatened with being “burned down” by Joy Behar. Jesus, does everyone on that show think of people as trees?

-- How underperformy are ABC and CBS’s Thursday evening efforts (and the season as a whole)? So much so that after years of trying to shake it loose, NBC might want to keep ER around a little while longer.

-- Little Britain genius (and Little Britain USA perpetrator) Matt Lucas said “No, but yeah, but no, but yeah, but no, BUT NO” to his 18-month-long same sex marriage, making him the first and probably only gay divorced celebrity in his village. Um… I’m a lady!

-- Lest you think that there’s no hope for TV in the midst of this, the most crummy fall season season since man first remoted upright, think again: Buster Bluth is going to be starring in the It’s Always Sunny... guys’ work/space comedy.

-- And we finish today with best wishes to Billie Piper, star of Doctor Who and Secret Diary of a Call Girl, who underwent an emergency c-section Tuesday morning in London after a day-long labor. Mother, husband Laurence, and son Winston are all apparently doing fine. All the best, everyone, and Billie, we expect to see you in another season of Call Girl... scars be damned!

Wake Up And Smile: Palin Not A Lock For "SNL" (Says Someone We've Never Heard Of)

Bryan Christian — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:29:00 GMT

Image via E! Online

Normally, we wouldn't print anything that had only one source, but considering supposedly adored hockey mom Sarah Palin got booed at a hockey game over the weekend, it's entirely possible that she's looking to get out of that rumored Saturday Night Live appearance. Not to worry, though: we've got much more thoroughly backed-up news on ER, Life on Mars, Eleventh Hour, South Park's Indiana Jones controversy, Star Trek, Star Wars, and the distinct possibility that a certain human-masked lizard alien miniseries is gonna get a remake.

-- Someone we've never heard of says that those rumors of Sarah Palin getting a chance to turn the SNL tables on Tina Fey in their 10/25 Jon Hamm-hosted episode are just that: rumors. Hey Jezebel, do you know something about "Bill Lucey" that we don't?

-- So... the second episode of outgoing medical drama ER beat the premieres of both Life on Mars and Eleventh Hour last Thursday in the all-important 18-49 demo. What's more, in the overall ratings, ER came in third with the other two shows basically tied. Yes, we believe we have identified the most interesting timeslot of the year.

-- No one will be going after Matt Stone & Trey Parker for South Park's angry (if reiterative) depiction of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas raping Indiana Jones. According to Nikki Finke, Viacom and Paramount, parent companies to Comedy Central and occasional partners to Dreamworks, just want the situation to go away. Not likely.

-- Someone may finally be following through on the often-rumored remake of V, the 1983 alien invasion miniseries that inspired a sequel series and weekly show that introduced us to Michael Ironside. Hey, any of you kids bothered to watch V recently? Wa bought a copy a while back; it's got way more WWII stuff in it that we'd remembered. Imagine Vichy France where the Nazis ate birds!

-- So let's get this straight: right when the Star Wars franchise is making the shift to TV, Paramount execs have decreed that Star Trek has to be more Wars-y -- which (from what we can tell, and what io9 suggests) means making it more movie-ish and, it seems, decoupling it from abject slavery to the TV franchises?

Imaginary TV Fights: Stamos vs. Stamos

Bryan Christian — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:30:00 GMT

We know, we know: it's Thursday again, and we're all bummed that ER is ending right when John Stamos got there! But when you get right down to it, is it really John Stamos? After filling the medical booties of both George Clooney and Goran Visnjic, is he really the lovable galoot we all knew and loved on Full House, or is he just another close cropped, sensitive swarther? We bet Uncle Jesse, with his brawny musician arms and whiplash smile could totally kick ER guy's ass. Hey...

Great idea! So here he is: Jake Kalish, author of Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights, with the latest in our own series of imaginary fights. This week: Stamos vs. Stamos!

JESSE KATSOPOLIS OF FULL HOUSE	TONY GATES OF ER
Occupations: Lead Singer of Jesse and the Rippers / Exterminator / Advertising Executive / Radio Host / Nightclub Owner / Occasional Beach Boy	Occupations: Paramedic/ER Intern/ER Resident
Overshadowed by: Those precious Olsen twins	Overshadowed by: Those precious gunshot victims
Trademark Fighting Move: The cringe-inducing life lesson	Trademark Fighting Move: "Accidental" misdiagnosis

THE FIGHT

Fiery rebel Tony Gates is the favorite against softhearted rebel Uncle Jesse, but upon entering the ring, finds he himself helplessly drawn to Jesse's dynamic Grecian beauty. Jesse gazes back into the deep, masculine pools that are Tony's eyes, and, with a passion that shakes Mount Olympus... the two Stamoses become as one. Unfortunately, Tony is so overcome by eros that he forgets about the scalpel in his hand, and accidentally castrates Jesse.

WINNER: TONY GATES

JAKE KALISH is a freelance journalist and humorist whose work has appeared in Details, Maxim, Stuff, New York Press, Blender, Men’s Fitness, and Playboy, among other publications. He could totally kick your ass.

Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights is published by Three Rivers Press

PREVIOUSLY:
Imaginary TV Fights: "Dexter" vs. Everybody From "C.S.I."
Imaginary TV Fights: Old "90210" vs. New "90210"
Imaginary TV Fights: Shatner vs. Shatner vs. Shatner

TV Orgy Tonight!

Ben Kallen — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:20:00 GMT

Er, we mean an orgy of TV, not an orgy on TV. But a huge number of new episodes and season premieres will be happening this evening. Here's what's in store for you, your couch and your TiVo:

ABC: Ugly Betty She'll have to decide between her two boyfriends, and maybe find out how many more years those braces need to stay on.

ABC: Grey's Anatomy Now that Dr. McDreamy and Dr. McSkinny are back together, Nurse McNobody turns out to be... well, it's kind of a spoiler, even though it's been in every ad for the past three weeks. Hope all the talking about it won't distract them from their complicated medical procedures, like always!

CBS: Survivor: Gabon Host Jeff Probst is worried about how he'll look now that the show's going high-def. Dude, you're not the one who's going to end up 30 pounds lighter and covered in filth. As for the contestants, we hope they've read this.

NBC: My Name Is Earl Seth Green alert! This show may not seem so new and fresh anymore, but it sure gets good guest stars. Plotwise, we think Earl's still working on that list or something.

NBC: The Office Woo-hoo! Amy Ryan's back, Michael's still nuts, Jim and Pam still can't put together a decent PB&J, and we can't wait.

NBC: ER Bad stuff happens! It's the last season! We haven't watched this show in years!

CW: Smallville Last week, Clark applied for a job at a major metropolitan newspaper and they made him a reporter, just like that! Did he even finish college? Don't they know blogs are where it's at these days? And when did Chloe become the hottest character on this show?

CW: Supernatural Spooky! (That's all we got.)

Fox: Kitchen Nightmares Our nightmare is that some jerkwad chef came over to our place and screamed for an hour, but that's just us.

PBS: American Masters: The Warner Brothers These guys went to Hollywood, and 100 years later they made The Matrix. Good times.

Actress Upskirt Shot: Do Not Want

Ben Kallen — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:55:00 GMT

There's a photo floating around the Internet of very nice Canterbury's Law star and former ER actress Julianna Margulies sitting at a fashion show, wearing a short dress that's come open at the bottom, and apparently lacking underwear. We're not linking to it. If you searched for it, you could probably find it, but we're warning you: Don't. You will feel very, very bad about yourself afterward.

Previously:
Get Ready, People: Britney's Opening the VMAs Again