Asshole speaks, shit comes out. Surprised? It's Matt Lauer, still surprised?

Ann and Matt. She's making a point, he's thinking smug thoughts.

This headline also could have been, "Dick explodes, toxic spew wiped away."

Matt Lauer to Esquire:

The way the media treated what happened with Ann Curry was a disappointing learning experience. I was disappointed by the laziness of the media, the willingness to read a rumor, repeat that rumor, and treat it as a fact. And yet, what were my options? Does anyone want to see a person who’s making the money that the newspapers say I’m making complaining, “Woe is me, my life is terrible, and people are being unfair”? No one would’ve had any patience for that. I wouldn’t have any patience for that. So you just shut up and go about doing your job and hope that people who know you well — your friends and your family — know what’s true.

Or, you just shut your fucking mouth at that moment when everyone has finally stopped talking about what an asshole you are instead of accepting the bait from that magazine that doesn't hold your interests or your shows ratings as a priority. Where's the publicist? Where's the person telling him to walk away?

And btw no one believes this. No one. NO ONE.

NO ONE!

UPDATED: NBC just bought a new Tina Fey/Robert Carlock pitch. Info is limited, this is what I think it is.

UPDATE BELOW, Scroll down.

I'm posting this photo because this is how I feel upon hearing the news that Tina Fey will be back in the sitcom business soon with NBC. The new show, a pitch with former 30 Rock writer/producers Robert Carlock and Colleen McGuinness (who created it) is described by Deadline.com:

Written and executive produced by McGuinness, the project, said to be in the vein of Cheers, is a character-driven workplace comedy where a young woman in search of reconnecting with her father finds a new home and family on Fire Island.

And then later is described by The Onion's AV Club:

What we do know for certain is that it’s about a young woman trying to reconnect with her estranged father, which leads her to discover “a new home and family on Fire Island.” Of course, given Fire Island’s long history as a comedic shorthand for the gay community, you can probably extrapolate what that means: That on this show, everything is constantly on fire. Can this young woman truly have it all, before it’s all reduced to cinder? 

Now, finally, here's what I think it's about. Of course I'm just spitballing, but ...

Lead is a 30ish woman who's just broken up with some asshole guy. She doesn't know what she'll do (complications about where to live result in her being homeless) and at the same time her bitch of a sister manages to impart that their gay dad who left them many years ago now owns a downtrodden resort on Fire Island and needs help. She goes there, hijinks ensue, Dad's maybe a drag queen in the show at the resort, cute guys abound ... and she starts to learn life lessons that will let her eventually find happiness but probably not a boyfriend because that kills shows. She has brown hair.

Whaddaya think? I'd watch my show. I'm sure what this group brings to the table will be just fine. And it's on broadcast television, which is free and not something a cable system can take away from you.

Unless you live in a rough geographic area that impedes that broadcast signal. Or your station is owned by the network that's having a problem with your cable or satellite company.

Or you could just wait till the whole first season hits Blu-ray or Netflix. Your call. Modulate your expectations accordingly.

Sigh. 

UPDATE: Stuff happened on Twitter, here's a screengrab. 

Community's PaleyFest panel from last night with table read now streaming here from Hulu

Great art, huh? It's from the Six Seasons and a Movie art show from last year. More on that at this link. More on this artist, Arica Houy, at her website.

Two clips after the jump, the entire PaleyFest panel from Tuesday night and then a preview of this week's episode of Community. You might wanna call some Nielsen box holding friends of yours and make them watch if you wanna see more of this show. (Things are dicey ratings-wise at best.)

Where I critique the Fall Sked NBC just released

Look, it's Matthew Perry and his new friends. Go On premieres this fall.

The schedule is as it appears in this Hollywood Reporter story. New shows in bold.

You can see trailers for every one of the new shows at this link.

And here we go ...

Sunday (post football):  Dateline, Fashion Star, Celebrity Apprentice, Do No Harm 

I don't really have any use for these returning shows.

Do No Harm is a modern take on Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. BBC One did a great one with James Nesbitt and Gina Bellman in 2007, do we need another? I guess that's up to lead Steven Pasquale (Rescue Me). The show will ride on his performance. I'll check it out, I got nothing going on Sunday nights at 10.

Monday: The Voice, Revolution

The network is pushing for two cycles of The Voice each year, using a different set of judges. I hope one of those judges catches fire and they call him or her up to the first show to replace that nasty drunk Christina Aguilera. I don't watch reality competition shows as a rule, there's way too much very compelling dramas and comedies for me to waste my time.

Revolution is about a world where all the methods of creating energy are rendered useless. How'd it happen? Is it the end of the world? Who would have the ability to pull this off? Are they from here? Somewhere else? Will someone create a perpetual motion machine? It's from J.J. Abrams and action begins 15 years after this has happened. Apocalyptic aspects assured. Features Giancarlo Esposito who is coming off some great TV roles on Breaking Bad and Once Upon A Time. I'll check it out.

Tuesday: The Voice, Go On, The New Normal, Parenthood

Why can't reality competition shows just happen on one night? Rand Corporation, work on this, okay?

Go On. Okay I will. Stars Matthew Perry as a sportscaster of some sort. I thought he was playing a sports radio call in show host. I can't get an answer so I tweeted the source. There's just one other guy in the core cast which I thought was strange but I'm good with it. Perry's character Ryan Nolastnameatthistime has just lost his wife and these (photo top of post) I guess are the people who help him with that. There's also a grief group component. Scott Silveri from Friends wrote the pilot and exec produces with Todd Holland.

Bryan and David are a couple. They hire a surrogate to have a child for them. Ellen Barkin is someone's mom. And it's a comedy. Justin Bartha and Andrew Rannells (The Book of Mormon on Broadway) star in this comedy from Ryan Murphy. Nene Leakes is in this. I guess Nene as actress is gonna happen . I can't imagine how the throngs of black actresses waiting to be on TV feel about that. I imagine not so great. This and Perry's shows definitely make my own personal schedule.

Parenthood's back. I find I don't connect to this and Modern Family the way other people of my age do. Great cast, I'm sure they knock it out of the park. It's just not for me.

Click past the break for Wednesday through Saturday.

NBC's Smash pilot episode free at iTunes, here's some kinda non-spoilery comments

Here's the link if you just wanna go watch it yourself. If you don't have iTunes on your typeylooky machine you'll have to download it.

Totes worth it, though. Fun show. Great music. Great musical performances from Megan Hilty (my Glinda from the LA company of Wicked) and Katharine McPhee (don't get me started on the whole "introducing" thing they're doing in the marketing and she's no Streep with the acting but it'll do for now).

Of course much of the show is about the two of them competing for this lead role in the Marilyn Monroe musical written by Debra Messing's and Christian Borle's characters, but frankly I don't care so much about them as I do the two competing for the role. They also both have relationships (husband, new assistant that will probably get slept with my someone soon) and blah blah blah and then there's Anjelica Huston of all things as half of a fictionally divorcing Barry and Fran Weissler with Michael Christofer. Their job seems to be to advance the plot with monetary complications for the principals, kinda like a Broadway version of the McCourts from the LA Dodgers.

If you have any interest at all in sex with men you'll probably wanna do Jack Davenport. The years have been wonderful to the Coupling star (you saw him most recently here in FlashForward two years ago). It's as if they've drenched him in hotness and pushed him out in front of the camera.

I liked it but will it play in Peoria? Dunno. This link will show they haven't reviewed it yet.

See what I did there?

Smash premieres on Monday Feb 6 at 10 pm.

NBC sitcom Bent: What will they call it in England?

You know, because of the movie called Bent about the two gay concentration camp residents and that bent is a pejorative for gay in the UK.

So, that's a problem for NBC.

Also, they have a guy fronting this show, David Walton, who has be prominent in two other recent failed romantic comedies for the network, 100 Questions and Perfect Couples and they have him playing basically the same character again, a manchild with a marathon pelvis, constant stubble and poor work ethic.

This time, they've at least given him very solid co-stars, Amanda Peet (who was last Jordan McDeere from the failed Aaron Sorkin Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) and Jeffrey Tambor (who will juggle this job with those Arrested Development episodes for Netflix).

If you watch the "trailer" above you see they have nice chemistry and the cast is filled out well with people I don't know (which is great, gives you a chance to suspend that sense of disbelief a little more). It's a good looking show (single camera) and it shows potential.

What I'd love to know is how Walton keeps getting his chance at the plate. I would say he has compromising photos of NBC execs but they're not the same execs as they were for previous shows.

One thing to look forward to here is Joey King (Ramona and Beezus) as the daughter of single mom Peet. Cute kid, not too cute, good li'l actress.

No premiere date yet. Sometime this year, maybe? Let's remember what happened with Walton's other  shows and how they languished on the shelf and take our cues from that.