Showtime's New Tudors: The Borgias.

Last evening I had the privilege to screen the first two episodes of Showtime's THE BORGIAS.  This period piece about The Borgias family (basically the inspiration for THE GODFATHER'S Corleon family).  As we see the evil and manipulative Cardinal Borgias rise to the role of the papacy, we see that the world of the Church is not as clean as it appears.

With some truly fine acting by lead Jeremy Irons and his clan (Francois Arnaud, David Oakes, and Holliday Grainger) the series soars like it's predecessor, THE TUDORS.  Clearly Showtime is attempting to rein in the same demographic from the other successful period piece.  After THE TUDORS concluded, this was the next major historical piece for the cable network.  And while the writer and executive producers are new to Showtime, the directors for subsequent episodes are all in the Showtime family and fresh off their successful run with THE TUDORS.  And with that "all in the family" vibe, comes a docu-drama all about the family.

The story begins with a pope on his death bed (foreshadowing how the series will end, perhaps?) and the two would-be popes are chomping at the bit.  With some clever manipulation (which is historically accurate) Cardinal Borgia places bribes in cooked meats for the other Cardinals to insure that his votes will come in as planned.  And soon, he rises to the top creating some enemies (one of which is murdered by the new pope's son's lackey) and some confidants.  The air in the Vatican is tense as we see the Cardinals falling in line to insure their own safety, regardless of what this will do to the Church.  And for those who fear this may be too pope-y for you, don't worry, cause apparently even the pope and his underlings (bishops and cardinals) had sex.  And quite a bit, apparently.

And just like THE TUDORS, Showtime presents historical accuracy right down to the costumes and the sets.  While it was filmed in Budapest on a backlot of a studio, the effect is seamless.  And while some may complain that the Showtime "look" is too flashy, at least there is thought put in to it.  Each scene and every action sequence has been modified to give a cohesive look and feel to the show.  And while each scene may be to "pretty" to be realistic, it serves well as historical narrative and particularly well as entertainment.


See this if you...
-Love THE TUDORS
-Watch Showtime
-Like historical fiction
-Enjoy watching controversial moments of the Church's history

What Are Your (boy) FRIENDS Up To?

                             

So, since our FRIENDS have all been up to such interesting projects since their time at Central Perk, I thought a friendly check-in was due.  

THE ONE WITH TWO PARTS: PART TWO: THE BOYS.

MATT LeBLANC: While his other FRIENDS were heading off pursuing non-FRIENDS related careers, LeBlanc chose to continue playing his famed-role, Joey in the ill-advised JOEY.  This premise was about FRIENDS character Joey Tribbiani spinning off into La La Land to pursue his acting career.  However, JOEY just proved that without the support of the full ensemble cast of FRIENDS, Joey was not viable.  So, after this went south, he remained low profile (understandably if you ever saw JOEY).  However, recently he has graced the small screen with a new role: himself.  Yes, he actually plays Matt LeBlanc in Showtime's EPISODES.  With its premier in early 2011, the show has been received well.  Similar to Kirstie Alley's FAT ACTRESS the show chronicles LeBlanc's love/hate relationship with fame.  However, unlike FAT ACTRESS (also on Showtime), EPISODES is not solely about LeBlanc.  It's really about this British couple (played by Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig) who have a hit comedic television show in the UK and are convinced to adapt it for American audiences in Los Angeles (basically what Gervais's THE OFFICE did).  However, (like THE OFFICE), the UK version is superior to the American counterpart in almost every way.  And when the studio forces lead actor Matt LeBlanc onto the writers, the show within a show goes from bad to worse.  Soon its about a hockey coach's one-liners and a librarian with short skirts.  EPISODES really soars and LeBlanc is actually funny without resorting to Joey-esque humor.  Bravo, LeBlanc, for playing a non-FRIENDly role.  The show is certainly a better bet than JOEY ever was and will have a larger arc than FAT ACTRESS (which literally only focused on her weight).  I would highly recommend watching LeBlanc's new show: EPISODES.  

MATTHEW PERRY: Matthew Perry was always my favorite male cast member of FRIENDS because of his dry, sarcastic wit.  So when I heard his latest project MR. SUNSHINE was airing on ABC (in the timeslot of FRIENDS friend Courtney Cox), I was excited.  His previous television series post-FRIENDS was STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP.  A show that was definitely much better than it was given credit for.  But with the ratings subpar, the show was cancelled.  But now with MR. SUNSHINE, our sarcastic bestie is back.  However, despite the fact that the cast is promising (hilarious Allison Janney leads the group), the pilot and second episode were mediocre.  And I really wanted to love this show.  You see, the premise explains that Matthew Perry's character is the general manager of the Sunshine Center (sort of like the Staples Center) where sports and entertainment are supplied to the masses.  However, since no outside life is established for our funny lead, it becomes a work-place comedy complete with nepotistic assistants, crazy bosses, and little substance.  Sure, it has it's comedic moments, but is not my bet for best comedy of the year.  That probably goes to MODERN FAMILY and while this hilarious show leads into MR. SUNSHINE, it's not enough to make it a hit.  Plus, like a lot of his FRIENDS are trying to avoid, Perry still keeps Chandler-esque humor alive and well, which may be his downfall.  

DAVID SCHWIMMER:  Schwimmer's post-FRIENDS life has been fairly underwraps.  Known for wanting to direct more (he directed a few episodes on FRIENDS), he's done a few projects, but nothing really well-known besides his HBO series LITTLE BRITAIN USA.  However, he has been the voice of Melman in MADAGASCAR the animated feature films and shorts.  Onto his third feature for this animated family series, Schwimmer keeps busy, but remains quiet.  But with his one-episode role on 30 ROCK, Schwimmer proves he doesn't need a Ross-and-Rachel role to keep it interesting.  Yet with this, he has been active in his somewhat native Chicago (he attended Northwestern University) with Lookingglass Theatre.  As a co-founder of this theatre company he has acted and directed numerous shows and guides the company.   Schwimmer is quoted to have said: "I've made a good amount of money. I'm very happy that I can now support my theatre company and support friends and family, and I'm ready to maybe go back to school and change careers."  So, who knows what will come next for Schwimmer, but we are looking forward to it.