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.

Downton Abbey Stars McGovern & Bonneville on Sundance in BBC's Freezing

You love them in Downton Abbey. Wanna see them try to make you laugh? BBC Two's Freezing stars your Downton stars Elizabeth McGovern (the only celebrity I've ever seen at the mall -- the mall was the Beverly Center in West Hollywood but it was still a mall) and Hugh Bonneville, he of the "aye, matey" on this last series of Doctor Who.

From the Sundance Channel Website:

Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern star in this three-part British comedy that some UK critics dubbed a "home-grown Curb Your Enthusiasm." Orbiting London's media whorl, Matt (Bonneville), a laid-off book editor, and wife Elizabeth (McGovern), an American actress who finds work scarce in the UK, try to maintain their dignity and lifestyle, while contending with the abrasive and needy intrusions of Leon (Tom Hollander), Elizabeth's agent. In this episode, Elizabeth auditions for a Vincent Gallo film. Simon Curtis directs.

Set your DVR for this Thursday starting at 5:30 eastern for all three parts in a row. I've seen one of these half hours and really enjoyed it, happy that I'll have seen them all now.

Also airs on Jan 21 and Jan 29.

The douchiest tweet ever, and of course it's from Piers Morgan

Massive thank you to @chelseahandler - you know why, you naughty little minx.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 7, 2012

Five "Seasons" in Two Years and a Month

Something to point out today on the occasion of the fifth season premiere of Jersey Shore Thursday at 10 pm: the show premiered in December 2009. That's five "seasons" in 25 months.

Meanwhile, Arrested Development fans will have to subscribe to Netflix to see new episodes of that show, the first since it was canceled in February 2006.


Just sayin'.

Work It on ABC -- A Kind Word About Its Lead, Ben Koldyke

Okay everyone, just stop piling on.

Before you write off everyone involved, remember how much you enjoyed Benjamin Koldyke on Big Love and How I Met Your Mother.

He's solid in both comedy and drama, he writes and directs comedy shorts, he's not bad to look at ... what I'm saying here is don't write off Ben Koldyke.

I kinda get why he took this gig. First of all I'm sure he thought it wouldn't get picked up and a lead role is a lead role. I don't know what else he had on his plate this pilot season but this was a lead and one lead leads to another and I'm sure a payday is a payday no matter where it comes from.

Acting is hard. Getting acting jobs is even harder.

You Big Love fans know what I means about Ben's talent ... you saw that scene where Dale goes to his LDS Church counseling appointment and broke down over his love for Alby. It was heartbreaking to watch. Very moving, a TV moment I will never forget.

I don't think this gig will taint him for long, he's just too talented a guy.

This is for you, Ben Koldyke, and for all the actors on TV we love who every now and then have to take a gig they would rather have not. And so that they know, Ben, here are a couple of your comedy shorts posted below. Cheers, dude.

Movies on Cable You'll Love -- Super, Cedar Rapids, Four Lions

My DVR bounty has shriveled down to almost nothing (thank you network schedules) so I'm scouring the program listings to find stuff to watch and came upon three films that I really enjoyed. And here they are.

Super (Dir. James Gunn, 2010) --  Plays again this Mon night/Tues morning on Showtime, check this link for more airdates. Rainn Wilson is a guy married to Liv Tyler, a former drug addict who ends up being drawn back into that life by the local smarmy heroin dealer played to a T by Kevin Bacon. Wilson's character decides that the bold action he needs to take to get his wife back includes becoming a local superhero; he gets help with that from a comic book store employee (Ellen Page) becoming that Crimson Bolt. She eventually talks him into letting her by his sidekick, Boltie. Not gonna tell you any more about the plot. It is executed very well, surprised me at a few turns and I'm still thinking about how it ended more than two weeks later.

Cedar Rapids (Dir. Miguel Arteta, 2011) -- Plays again tomorrow (1/3) at 12:30 pm on Cinemax, check this link for more airdates. Ed Helms, who also produces on this stars as a small town Iowa insurance salesman whose world is opened wide by a trip to the big city for an annual convention. Ironically, every convention he holds dear is challenged in this film with help from John C. Reilly, Anne Heche and a particularly funny Isiah Whitlock Jr. riffing on his favorite show:

It has so much heart, this film, it's just about beating off the screen by the time it all ends. Helms is pitch perfect.

Four Lions (Dir. Chris Morris, 2010) -- I think I might have caught the last play of this on TV for a while but I imagine it will be back. I didn't think writers Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain (Peep Show) could make me laugh about four inept jihadists in London but they totally did. Read an interview with Morris here to get inside how that got done.

I don't wanna say too much about this one, but I will say there's an Osama Bin Laden joke in here that our President rendered moot. That made me smile. And I laughed a lot.

Here's the trailer.

Catch one of these movies. I would bet one or more of them are also available to Netflix instant, but you can check that yourself.

Happy New Year 2012!

My favorite annual fireworks show, the first big New Year's celebration always comes from Sydney.

Enjoy.