On last night’s Boardwalk Empire, the shifty Agent Sebso took part in what must have been the most disturbing baptism ever broadcast on TV. Sebso is played by actor and lyricist Eric Weiner (he co-authored the 2000 Off Broadway hit The Bomb-itty of Errors), who landed the role because of a one-line part on The Sopranos that he turned into an ingenious viral video. Here, in his own words, is the fantastically random story of Erik Weiner’s lucky break.
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How Erik Weiner Turned One Line on The Sopranos Into a Big Role on Boardwalk Empire With Just One Viral Video
By Gwynne WatkinsBoardwalk Empire’s Michael Shannon on Agent Van Alden’s Descent Into Violence and Drinking
By Willa PaskinWhen Boardwalk Empire began, Michael Shannon's stern, lockjawed agent Nelson Van Alden seemed like the prototypical heroic white knight, Elliot Ness type. But as the season progressed, it became clear that there was something twisted about this zealot's quest for justice, as he has veered from self-flagellation to revenge sex with Nucky's dumped girl, Lucy. And last night (SPOILER ALERT FOR DVR-ERS) he drowned the treacherous Agent Sebso because he killed a key witness and then had the gall to refuse to repent for it. We talked to Shannon about his complexly driven character, and discovered that he thinks Van Alden's slide into madness has been too much, too soon.
Dexter Recap: A Time to Kill
By Lizzy GoodmanPhoto: Randy Tepper/Showtime
“There is a first time for everything, a first step, a first word, a first kiss, a first kill,” Dexter says before Lumen plunges the knife into her Alex Tildon, her first ritualized, Dexter-sanctioned kill. “Somehow you know when the time is right.”
"I'm still shocked when confronted with the depth of evil that exists in this world."
Your Walking Dead Zombie Kill of the Week: Sister, Sister
By Emma BarkerLast night’s “Wildfire” episode of The Walking Dead gave us several gut-wrenching zombie kills and a little light at the end of the … CDC door. Carol memorably took a pickax to her husband’s head, but since he was technically already dead, we’ll award today's ZKotW to Andrea’s emotional good-bye to her zombified sister. Click through to see an animated gif, and don’t be ashamed to have a good cry.
Boardwalk Empire Recap: Dental Insurance
By Adam SternberghPhoto: Abbot Genser/HBO
Before we dive in on this week's installment, let's start with two simple words: "the dentist."
Harrow, our favorite half-faced assassin, who last week spent the episode charming Margaret's children, this week delivers perhaps the most chilling and thematically resonant 30 seconds of the whole season. The D'Alessios are in hiding. Their mother, sisters, and another brother, a dentist, are all in Philadelphia. Harrow offers to travel there. Jimmy asks what for. Harrow says, matter of factly, coldly, sadly: "I would kill the mother. The sisters. And the dentist. That would make them stick their heads up."
The Walking Dead Recap: Signs of Hope
By Logan HillPhoto: Scott Garfield/TWD Productions LLC./AMC
Last week, the redneck zombies opened up a whole can of whoop-ass on the humans, and the woods suddenly didn’t seem so safe. This week, the survivors carry on and we get the best episode since the premiere.
Eva Longoria, in the midst of a divorce from Tony Parker, is executive producing the Texan-style Romeo and Juliet you didn't know you were waiting for: Sendera. The ABC soap, currently in the works, centers around two wealthy families — one from Texas, the other from Mexico — locked in an age-old battle for "power, sex, land, and legacy." Cold Case's Kathryn Morris will also produce. No word on if Longoria will also star! But it would be a nice way to rebound. [Deadline]
Alexa Chung’s PBS Series Will Teach Americans How to Pillage Thrift Shops Like She Does
By Mike VilenskyAlexa Chung.
Alexa Chung gets the Times "Style" section treatment this weekend, and the paper reports that the British "It" girl (a label she denounces, of course) has landed her own PBS show, since her MTV show, It's On With Alexa Chung, was canceled. Hmmm. Yes:
"On Thrift America, scheduled to be broadcast on PBS next summer ... Chung will comb the country's consignment shops, garage sales and flea markets for old clothing and other potential treasures to use in creative endeavors. A few of the places [she will] visit include Detroit, Nashville, and Brooklyn (and, on a less populist note, fashion capitals like Paris and London). Think of it as Antiques Roadshow meets the foodie romp Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations."
Modern Family Recap: Hands-on Mom
By Rachael MadduxAfter two great episodes in a row following a wonky start, Modern Family looks like it finally might be returning to its first-season form. We're gonna give it a few more weeks to be totally sure, but right now, we're feeling better about the show than we have all fall. Like last week's episode, this one was pretty much spot-on (funny! sweet! kind of kooky!) all throughout. A big part of this sudden upswing seems to be the show's rediscovery of a really well-executed awkwardness — not the smug kind that's happy to use any little twinge of discomfort as a punchline or the kind that psychotically revels in making you squirm and groan in tortured empathy, but the kind that builds up and simmers over such low heat for most of the episode that you might not even realize its actually happening.
Real-Life Real World Victories Continue As the Miz Wins WWE Title
By Kyle BuchananForgive us for only just now getting to this news, but we needed time to process its far-reaching ramifications: Wrestling-obsessed The Real World: Back to New York alum Mike Mizanin was crowned the heavyweight champion of the WWE this week, triumphing over both Randy Orton and The Real World's occasionally career-dooming tendencies. When measured against Sean Duffy's recent election to Congress, Mizanin's victory may in fact be a bellwether of future Real World accomplishments to come; no longer can we say that the perfectly okay acting résumés of Jacinda Barrett and Jamie Chung are all the long-running show can boast in the way of notable post-reality careers. Excited? Or do you feel more like the grim little girl the WWE cameras cut to after the Miz's oiled-up, orange victory?
Party Lines: Vampires Paul Wesley and Denis O’Hare Swap Fan-Biting Stories at Elling Premiere
By Jada YuanIt turns out that people who play vampires on TV have a lot in common. At the opening night of his new play, Elling, in which he and Brendan Fraser play odd-couple roommates, Denis O'Hare told us that he gets an odd request from the fans waiting by the stage door. "I can't tell you how many pictures I've taken of me biting people on the neck," he said. The Vampire Diaries' Paul Wesley, there in a show of vampire solidarity, concurred. "People ask me to bite them. Like, often." Does he ever oblige? "Uh, I bit a girl on the arm once. She was really happy. Don't ask. People that ask me to bite them don’t quite exactly fit the category of normal to begin with." For more talk of vampires and bad roommates, see the Party Lines slideshow.
Glee vs. YouTube: Who Did ‘Sway’ Best?
Last night's Glee had two weddings (one extremely weird), two Bruno Mars songs, and no viral pop hits. What?! Thankfully, we had the mellow strains of "Sway" to console us. Written by Mexican bandleader Pablo Beltrán Ruiz, translated to English by "Girl From Ipanema" scribe Norman Gimbel, and popularized by Rat Packer Dean Martin, it's been covered by everyone from Rosemary Clooney to the Pussy Cat Dolls to Bosko & Honey's Ukulele Love-In. Can puny little Will Schuester compete?
Nussbaum: Giving Thanks for Parenthood
By Emily NussbaumKrause as Adam Braverman, with his son Max, who has Asperger's syndrome. Photo: NBC Universal
In honor of Thanksgiving, let us give thanks for Parenthood, network catnip with a brain. Last night’s episode was a typically satisfying feast of aspirational bickering, scored to a Starbucks soundtrack. The children of Zeek (Craig T. Nelson) and Camille (Bonnie Bedelia) Braverman gathered at the family table: Hipster-doofus son Crosby (Dax Shepherd) proved himself with a carving knife. Oldest son Adam (Peter Krause) objected when his single-mom sister Sarah (Lauren “Lorelei Gilmore” Graham) invited his boss to dinner. Younger sister Julia (Erika Christensen) went hardcore on Oreos. Adam's daughter Haddie sneaked off to see her boyfriend. There was flag football, there were confessions and bonding, there was an all-family boogie to “You Down With OPP.” It was no Big Chill, but it hit the spot, if you happen to have that spot, and I do.
CBS Lines Up Sitcoms From Two Comedy Scribes
By Josef AdalianIf you're a comedy writer with either The Daily Show or Saturday Night Live among your credits, there's a very good chance that at some point in your career, you'll get the chance to either write a really bad movie (It's Pat!) or create your own TV show (30 Rock, Parks and Recreation). So it seems quite logical that CBS has just closed separate deals with alumni of both fine New York-–based comedy institutions: Tim Carvell and Andy Breckman.
The Fashion Show Recap: In Which One Man Attempts to Sacrifice Himself So That a More Deserving Candidate Can Enjoy Further Reality-Television Humiliation
By Ashley HoffmanWhile the theme of last night’s episode of The Fashion Show was femme fatale, the hour also allowed designers to establish their various levels of drag queen–dom. Rolando models his own tulle skirt as though he has spent his adolescence preparing for the moment, and Calvin manages to stuff his feet into huge stilettos, limping around before correctly determining that the shoes are the wrong decision. Isaac tells Tamara, "I've never done drag in my whole life 'cause I think I'm such an ugly girl.” But back to the point of the show: The contestants arrive at Galapagos Art Space, where Iman reveals three muses to inspire their femme fatale nightlife looks: Mata Hari, Barbara Stanwyck, and the vampire. Iman adds a helping of shock, informing the designers that they have only 24 hours to finish their collections this time.
The Good Wife Recap: The Wire
By Jada YuanPhoto: CBS
How obvious is it that November sweeps are over? After weeks of dalliances with recycled-from-the-headlines plots and stunt guest stars, it feels like our lover The Good Wife has returned. And she has returned with plot advancement by way of basketball games, wiretaps, closed-door meetings, and intense conversations with drug lords.
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