molly shannon
Good News for Gleeks

I think I have established in my previous columns that I don't like 'Glee.' But here's the thing: you do. Or at least a great many of you do. Oprah likes 'Glee,' Ellen likes 'Glee,' even Michelle Obama likes 'Glee.' I have decided this week, in honour of the show's return on Tuesday, to put aside my own distaste and bring you, my readers, as much good news about 'Glee' as I can.
1. More Music
According to the producers, the second half of the first season will be even more loaded with musical numbers, jumping from 3-5 numbers to at least 5 numbers per 1-hour episode (some episodes are closer to 10 songs).
What other 'Glee'-ful things are in store? Read more after the jump!
Spoilers Anonymous: 'Fringe,' 'Glee' and Much More!

This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by emailing us at tvsquad at gmail dot com, or call and leave a message at (775) 640-8479. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.
This week we have spoilers for: 'Bones,' Castle,' 'Chuck,' 'Desperate Housewives,' 'Fringe,' 'Glee,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'How I Met Your Mother,' 'Lost,' 'NCIS,' and 'The Big Bang Theory.'
Betty White May Host 'Saturday Night Live' Solo After All
Good news, bad news: The bad news is, while 'Saturday Night Live' will indeed have a "Women in Comedy" special in April, Betty White won't be part of it. The good news is, 'SNL' producers are still in talks with her about the solo hosting gig that her nearly half a million Facebook fans have been clamoring for.The news came from a panel discussion in New York on Tuesday night about 'SNL,' whose attendees included longtime 'SNL' executive producer Lorne Michaels and 'SNL' head writer/'Weekend Update' anchor Seth Meyers. "I think it's happening," Meyers told Jezebel.com, about a White hosting gig. "We would love to have her."
Looks Like Betty White Might Host 'Saturday Night Live' After All
Who says that internet campaigns don't work? Remember that Facebook campaign to get Betty White to host 'Saturday Night Live?' You thought it was just one of those goofy things that wouldn't lead anywhere, but it looks like it might happen after all (though there's a twist...).White has said she wants to do the show, and now Michael Ausliello over at Entertainment Weekly is reporting that negotiations are underway for White to host the show later this season. But she wouldn't host it alone. The episode would be a "Women of Comedy" episode, with people like Molly Shannon on board and possibly Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Seems like they might not want White - who is 88 years old - to have to host the entire live show herself.
This could still be a great show anyway. But if they're getting White, why not get some other classic female TV personalities? Wouldn't it be great to have, say, Mary Tyler Moore, Rue McClanahan, and Cloris Leachman join White on the show? I'm sure we could think of other women from TV history that could co-host with White.
Spoilers Anonymous: 'Glee,' 'NCIS' and more!

This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by emailing us at tvsquad at gmail dot com, or call and leave a message at (775) 640-8479. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.
This week we have spoilers for: 'Bones,' 'Castle,' 'Chuck,' 'Glee,' 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'Lost,' 'NCIS,' 'The Mentalist,' and 'The Office.'
Molly Shannon Latest Star Cast on 'Glee'
Look, I'm not saying that 'Glee' can do no wrong (the fake pregnancy storyline obviously refutes that), but they sure do a lot of things right. Not only do they have Kristin Chenoweth returning, Idina Menzel joining the cast, but now Molly Shannon is coming to wreak havoc at McKinley High. According to Michael Ausiello, Shannon is playing Brenda Castle, McKinley's newest astronomy teacher/ badminton coach (did your high school have either of these things? Mine sure didn't). Not only that, but she's set to become Sue Sylvester's arch-nemesis, which is brilliant for several reasons.
One, because if Sue Sylvester has another arch nemesis besides Will, then that means more screen time for Jane Lynch, which improves any show by at least 65% (FACT).
TV Casting: Molly Shannon Joins 'Glee'; Gabrielle Carteris Lands 'Criminal' Role
Superstar Molly Shannon will reportedly play Sue Sylvester's (Jane Lynch) new pill-popping nemesis on the award-winning Fox comedy 'Glee.' The role -- astronomy teacher/badminton coach Brenda Castle -- is said to be recurring, and will make its debut in time for May sweeps. As if Gleeks needed more to sing about. [Ausiello Files]More casting news after the jump.
Why isn't Jan Hooks famous?
Suffice it to say, the number of women who became famous on Saturday Night Live before graduating to solo success is few and far between. Sure, Gilda Radner can be considered a pioneer in the art of sketch comedy. And Julia Louis-Dreyfus undoubtedly honed her comedic skills before becoming a sitcom icon on Seinfeld. And, yes, Tina Fey can easily be considered a heroine to comedy nerds everywhere who have witnessed her climb from Weekend Update anchor to Mean Girls scribe to single-handedly decimating the vice presidential chances of one certain gun-wieldin', six-pack-totin' Alaskan governor. But, sadly, the number of men who left Studio 8 for the superstardom of Planet Hollywood (not the theme restaurant) easily outnumbers the ladies. For every Amy Poehler, there's a Will Ferrell. And a Bill Murray. And a Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler (although, to be fair, there's also a
Jeannie Darcy: SNL's most underrated character? - VIDEO
It seems that there has never been a period of time when critics (and the masses) didn't chide Saturday Night Live, claiming the show to be in a "creative slump," or even going as far as calling it - get this - "Saturday Night Dead."But for stalwart fans like myself who tend to consider every nuance and minor detail of the show's sketches, the sentiment is either only partially true or not true at all. Sure, the show saw a spike in viewership thanks to Tina Fey's Sarah Palin impression, leading critics to praise SNL's "creative resurgence." But the buzz was just as strong when Will Ferrell played George W. Bush nine years ago. (And, furthermore, it wasn't as if the show didn't have its culturally resonant hits in recent years, not limited to Maya Rudolph's Donatella Versace impression or Andy Samberg's fusion of Internet humor into the mix).
So to those who say SNL is back, I say, have you ever seen Molly Shannon's Jeannie Darcy? Because it is, by far, one of the most brilliantly executed, underrated characters to ever appear on the show. (Or maybe I just have a thing for mullets and bolo ties. Same difference.) See what I mean in the video after the jump.
Kath & Kim: Pilot (series premiere)
(S01E01) We're friends here, aren't we? So, I can be honest with you. I mean, some of you have been utterly, brutally honest with me to the point I cry into my pillow at nights. The least you can let me do is allow some truthiness spill over to you. Okay? Okay.
I went in blind to the premiere of Kath & Kim. Not blind in the sense that I didn't know who the stars were. My late 20s and early 30s were spent watching Molly Shannon on Saturday Night Live and I had knowledge of Selma Blair's work over the last few years. What I'm talking about is that I knew nothing about this NBC comedy or the Australian hit it was based on. The upside to this was that I was coming into the show like any other viewer. The downside was that I was coming into the show like any other viewer.
I probably should have come in a little more knowledgeable.
NBC wrap-up: Slater's split personality, and Selma Blair's a wise-ass - TCA Report

Today was the very last day of the press tour here in Beverly Hills. It was "TCA Day," with members of the association (including me) going to the Warner Brothers lot to visit the sets of ER, Pushing Daisies, and Chuck, where we spoke to cast members and producers (Oh, we went to the set of America's Best Dance Crew, but let's just forget I mentioned that one). Then we bused it over to the Fox lot, where Joss Whedon showed us around the set of Dollhouse, and the entire cast of King of the Hill gave a table read of their 250th episode. All this fun will be in upcoming posts later this summer.
Despite some of the griping you may have seen from me, it's been lots of fun. It's just a very tiring experience. Case in point: On Monday, NBC decided to close out the press conference portion of the tour by having us sit through ten panels, five of them after lunch. Here's a wrap-up post that goes over some of what went on yesterday that I haven't already covered.
NBC shows confidence in Kath & Kim
It looks like NBC thinks they have something worth giving a little more love to. Already airing in the cushy post-The Office slot when it premieres October 9th, now NBC has upped the order to thirteen on Molly Shannon and Selma Blair's Kath & Kim. In an era where shows can be yanked after one airing and episode commitments can never grow beyond six, this is a good sign for a new series.K&K just finished filming their first episode, which tells me that someone must have liked what they saw. Personally, I think Molly Shannon is incredibly funny, in the right situation. Some of her bits on Saturday Night Live were classically brilliant while others were not so much. But her turn on Pushing Daisies last season was nothing short of brilliant. Blair, however, has a more limited TV resume, though she's done some awesome work in film. I'm guessing, based on her more dramatic background, that she's being set up as the straight (wo)man to Shannon's wackiness.
Molly Shannon and Selma Blair are Kath & Kim
With casting finally complete, NBC can begin to think about how nice it would be to start work on Kath & Kim if they had any writers. Based on an Australian hit by the same name, the series focuses on the relationship problems between a mother (Molly Shannon as "Kath") and her daughter (Selma Blair as "Kim"). The series was originally picked up a year ago but languished due to casting concerns. It was deemed that the main characters had to be cast perfectly for this to work.Meanwhile, Molly Shannon has stayed busy with a brilliant turn on Pushing Daisies while Selma Blair wowed geeks across the world as Liz Sherman in Hellboy, a role she will reprise in the sequel. Now they'll be able to come together and try to be the most delightfully dysfunctional mother-daughter duo since Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. Hell, if it can get half the critical acclaim that Gilmore Girls did, Kath & Kim will be off to a great start.
Pushing Daisies: Corpsicle

(S01E09) "There is an unpleasant chill in the air." - The Narrator
And we have arrived: this week's episode was the last completed-before-the-strike episode of ABC's Pushing Daisies. The quote I put under the picture may not have been the most important one said in the episode (the bombshell quote is a tad too shocking to put up front) but it does highlight the mood and tone of the episode: chilly. "Corpsicle" is not my favorite Pushing Daisies episode but it offered good reveals, some fantastic lines from Emerson and Olive, and it finally gave the aunts (at least one of them) a real purpose in the series.
%Gallery-8460%
Pushing Daisies: Bitter Sweets

(S01E08) "Am I your boyfriend?" - Ned
"Yes." - Chuck
It was announced about two months ago that Molly Shannon would guest star on ABC's Pushing Daisies and the day, err... evening, has come. I've read a lot of comments from fans saying that they were somewhat scared after hearing she would guest star mostly because they thought her acting wasn't good enough for the show. In retrospect, her acting wasn't that great but it wasn't that bad either since Daisies is over the top at times.
%Gallery-8460%
TV Squad Hot Topics
Most Popular Articles
From Our Partners
- 'Burn Notice' Season 7 Premiere Photos: Michael Suffers from the Deal He Made
- 10 Former Contestants Who Should Be 'American Idol' Judges
- 20 TV Characters To Have a Summer Fling With
- 'The Bachelorette' Season 9: First Impressions of Desiree's 25 Men
- 13 Fresh Faces of Summer 2013: Who to Watch in Television and Movies
- More From BuddyTV
- 'Modern Family' Season 4 finale: 'Goodnight, Gracie' ends with a Dunphy funeral
- Farrah Abraham's new show a 'reality docu-soap' with Spinboi Films
- The 'Arrow' cast says goodbye to Tommy Merlyn: Emily Bett Rickards, Colton Haynes, and more weigh in on Colin Donnell
- Will @RobbieAmell & @amellywood get competitive on The CW? Watch the vid!
- 'Arrow' star Stephen Amell talks finale death: 'I had panic attacks and nightmares about that scene'
- More From Zap2it
- Idology: Cheering Candice Glover's Season 12 Win, Debating Finale Highs and Lows, Envisioning Changes for a Brighter Idol Future!
- Law & Order: SVU Season Finale Shocker: Is [Spoiler] Leaving the Show?!
- Rookie Blue: Missy Peregrym on Andy and Nick's 'Connection,' Working With Sam's New Squeeze
- Video: Arrested Development Cast on the Brazen, 'Banged-Up' and Possibly Blue-d Bluths
- Fall TV Scoop: CBS Orders Bad Teacher to Series
- More From TVLine
