by Matt Raub, Jun 8 2010 // 3:00 PM
There are certainly a lot of new shows hitting both network and basic cable TV this Summer and Fall. Some that we’re pretty excited for, and some we can’t wait to miss (looking at you, The Cape). One of the shows that looks to have some promise is ABC’s upcoming half-hour comedy Mr. Sunshine.
The show stars Matthew Perry as Ben Donovan, a sports arena manager who goes through a mid-life crisis right after his 40th birthday, all while dealing with the oddball employees and demands that his job presents.
Helping out Perry is a pretty solid cast of TV regulars like West Wing favorite Allison Janney, Las Vegas’s Nate Torrence and James Lesure, Better Off Ted’s Andrea Anders, and even Portia Doubleday for good measure.
While the cast alone should be enough to get us excited, we’re more psyched by the fact that the show is being written by TV veteran Thomas Schlamme and Perry himself. Fans of Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip know that this team is quite impressive when at their peak, so we can’t wait to see more.
Check out two new clips and a sneak preview of the show after the jump, and stay with ABC this October, as Mr. Sunshine makes it’s debut.
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Posted in: ABC · Casting · Comedy · Drama · Fall Previews · News · Sony · TV · Video
Tagged: ABC, Allison Janney, Andrea Anders, Better Off Ted, James Lesure, Las Vegas, Matthew Perry, Mr. Sunshine, Nate Torrence, Portia Doubleday, Sony Studios, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Thomas Schlamme, West Wing
by Shannon Hood, Jan 8 2010 // 12:00 PM

Let’s face the facts: if you’ve already jumped off the Michael Cera bandwagon, this movie will probably not prompt you to jump back on. However, if you’re still straddling the fence, you might be pleased to see that his character in Youth in Revolt is a natural progression for Cera. It is not a full disengagement from the characteristics that made him so endearing to begin with, but it adds a welcome new layer.
Youth in Revolt is based on the first book in a series by C.D. Payne, published in 1993. Touted as a relatable new voice for teenagers, the book’s protagonist Nick Twisp became a popular “Holden Caulfield” type for their generation.
Nick is an old soul in a teenager’s body, preferring French cinema and the crooning of Frank Sinatra to typical high school shenanigans. Consequently, he has few friends, and in lieu of any actual relationships with girls, he studies a well-worn sex manual, bracing himself for the fateful day when sex might become a reality.
As is typical of most teenage comedies, the adults in Nick’s life are a bunch of buffoons. His trashy but well meaning mother (Jean Smart) has a loser boyfriend, Jerry (Zach Galifianakis), who lives with them. She spends her days in bathrobes and negligees, sporting a different fake hairpiece every day, while Jerry wears a “three-wolf moon t-shirt” without a trace of irony, making them a trailer park couple of dazzling mediocrity.
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Posted in: Comedy · Movies · Reviews · Romance · Weinstein Co.
Tagged: Comedy, Jean Smart, Justin Long, Mary Kay Place, Michael Cera, Portia Doubleday, Ray Liotta, Romance, Steve Buscemi, youth in revolt, zack galifianakis