TvMovies
10 November News Headlines That Ought to Be TV Movies
It's no secret that there are little to no original ideas left in Hollywood, as we're overrun week after week with sequels and seemingly endless remakes. The question is: Why? Don't movie executives and screenwriters read the news? The everyday world is filled with strange and bizarre occurrences that are a thousand times more original -- and entertaining -- than a lot of what Hollywood is churning out these days, from a hopeful reality TV star crashing a White House dinner to a seven-day search in the woods for an engagement ring that fell from a hot air balloon.
Here are 10 news headlines from November 2009 that would make great TV movies, complete with our ideal casts. Don't be surprised if you see some of these show up on Lifetime, Hallmark or even HBO sometime in the near future.
Winona Ryder, Barry Pepper to Star in Hallmark's 'The Lois Wilson Story'
Want to avoid going straight to cable? Go straight to network. Winona Ryder's movie career has been up and down (high: 'Star Trek'; low: 'The Informers'), so the actress has signed with CBS's Hallmark Hall of Fame franchise.Variety reports she'll star in an Emmy-friendly tale of riches to rags to redemption called "When Love is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story." Ryder will play the wife of "Bill W." -- the legendary co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (played by Barry Pepper). Mrs. Wilson was also a formidable figure in the annals of recovery, having founded Al-Anon in the 1950s.
TV Squad Ten: Shows I'd like to see come back as a TV movie - VIDEOS

When TV shows have made the leap to the big screen, the results have not always been great, except when they keep the same cast and come up with a good story that builds on the series, like Sex and the City and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. The same is true of some TV movies that have built on a show's lingering appeal even after it's been canceled. James Garner came back for a couple of Rockford Files movies, for instance, and The Return of The Man from UNCLE with David McCallum and Robert Vaughn was excellent. Of course, it doesn't always work -- the Rhoda and Mary reunion was painful to watch -- but I'm still a fan of the follow-up TV movie.
Here's my ideas for ten TV shows I'd like to see as TV movies.
Twin Peaks coming back?
Twin Peaks happened too soon for me. I believe I was in junior high around the time the series aired, and while I was certainly of the mindset to enjoy it, I simply had yet to discover the macabre surrealism of Lynch's vision. By the time I realized what I had been missing, well, I missed it. There may still be hope, however, as there are (somewhat unfounded) rumors that Lynch might consider bringing Twin Peaks back to the TV screen for a series of made-for-TV movies. Nothing official has been announced, yet, though.
Who had July in the Pope movie pool?
CBS will produce a four-hour TV movie on the life of Pope John Paul II after reportedly receiving the blessing of The Vatican. The biopic will follow the Polish-born pontiff from his early days through his 26 year reign as the head of the Catholic church. No doubt CBS sees a Pope flick as a safe bet for airing during an upcoming sweeps period and the movie will likely get some heavy promotion in the run-up to airing. While no casting has yet been done I can envision some people as being good fits for the lead role. I'm thinking Kelsey Grammer for some reason. Anyone else want to speculate?
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