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Music mogul and Midas-esque businessman Dr. Dre has recently struck a script deal with cable network FX for a potential show pilot. Details are currently scarce, but according to THR the show would be a one-hour drama set in the present-day Los Angeles, and would explore not just the music business but the crime business as well.

Relatively fresh writer Sidney Quashi will be billed as both the creator and executive producer of the show along with Dr. Dre. Daniel Schnider (Backwash) will act as co-executive producer with Brad Bertner (The Cellar). The deal will involve Dr. Dre’s Crucial Films/Crucial TV company, which was originally launched in 2007 with New Line Cinema, and currently rests under Warner Bros.

As the fledgling project is currently in the early stages development there’s no word on any casting decisions, but ...

Click to continue reading Dr. Dre & FX Developing Music Industry Crime...

The ever-versatile (and ever-buff) rapper/businessman Dr. Dre and FX have recently signed a script deal for a possible show pilot. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show would be a one-hour drama set in present-day Los Angeles, and it would explore the music business as well as the crime business. Writer Sidney Quashie (“The Boston College Fix”) will be billed as both the creator and executive producer of the show, and Dr. Dre will also serve as an executive producer. Daniel Schnider (“Backwash”) of Dr. Dre’s Crucial TV will act as co-executive producer with Brad Bertner (“The Cellar”). Dr. Dre has had a long and successful career. He started as [ Read More ]...

I first met Joshua Malina, an actor I came to adore thanks to his role on Aaron Sorkin's still-genius 1998 series Sports Night, for an interview in support of his wickedly warped 2010 webseries, Backwash. So it's only appropriate that our second chat also be in support of a webseries I adore, Leap Year.

Josh is the third amazing actor I've profiled to cameo on the tech savvy series this season, and one equally enamored of the cast and crew that have ushered Leap Year to the small screen. And while Josh will be spending most of 2012 working on a slightly larger screen now that he's been upped to series regular on ABC's addictive Scandal, he eventually hopes to return to the world wide web since it's creativity's ultimate playground!

TheInsider.com: Both Eliza Dushku and Emma Caulfield told me they got involved with Leap Year through co-star/producer Wilson Cleveland. Same for you...

Six years after walking away from what was perhaps the top comedy on TV, fleeing to Africa and leaving a mass of confusion -- and dearth of laughter -- in his wake, a new report says that Dave Chappelle is working on a new show for a subscription entertainment service.

Chappelle, whose two+ season run on Comedy Central's "Chapelle Show" remains some of the most cutting edge and popular comedy of the past decade, is working to create a show for a service such as Netflix or Crackle, The Daily reports.

Netflix has already plunked down $100 million for Kevin Spacey's "House of Cards," while Crackle, owned by Sony, has a show called "Backwash," starring Jon Hamm.

Chapelle left his show in 2005, upset creatively and personally.

"I want to make sure I'm dancing and not shuffling," he told Time Magazine in 2005 about his frustration with the show. "What ever...

Earlier we shared the 2011-2012 NBC lineup of shows, and now we have some clips of the new comedies for you to check out. The shows include Whitney, Up All Night,Free Agents, Are You There Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea, Best Friends Forever, and Bent. I am interested in seeing Up All Night the most because of the cast. Check ou the clips below and share your thoughts!

Whitney:

Whitney’ -- A hilarious look at modern love, “Whitney” is a new multi-camera comedy series about Whitney (Whitney Cummings, “Chelsea Lately”) and Alex (Chris D’Elia, “Glory Daze”), a happily unmarried couple. Together for five years, the duo is in no rush to get hitched. However, after attending yet another one of their friends’ weddings, Whitney realizes that she and Alex are dangerously close to relationship boredom. Determined not to let that happen, Whitney consults her close circle of opinionated...

It's that time again, and NBC has revealed it's 2011-2012 schedule. A couple of things have been kicked to the curb, and a host of new shows are coming to fill things in. I have a preview of the new fall shows, and the full schedule for you. There are a few surprises on the cut and not cut side of things, and the new shows have a bit of something for everyone. As usual, some of the ones that look the best to me are reserved for mid-season. And, NBC has apparently given up on Saturday altogether.

It's a whole lot of info, so let's just jump in.

NBC has introduced its 2011-12 primetime schedule, showcasing six new dramas and six new comedies from a roster of renowned hit-makers that includes Steven Spielberg, Lorne Michaels, Brian Grazer, Tom Werner, John Grisham and Peter Berg, among many others.

The season’s new dramas are “Smash,...

NBC announced their Prime Time slate for 2011-2012 today. Chuck has been moved to Friday night for it's final season. I am really looking forward to seeing how The Playboy Club turns out. It will also be interesting to see how Free Agents and Up All Night do on Thursdays. For a full overview of NBC's method to it's madness click Here.

NBC Fall 2011-12 Schedule (New programs in Upper Case)

Monday

8-10 p.m. – The Sing-Off

10-11 p.m. – The Playboy Club

Tuesday

8-10 p.m. – The Biggest Loser

10-11 p.m. – Parenthood

Wednesday

8-8:30 p.m. – Up All Night

8:30-9 p.m. – Free Agents

9-10 p.m. -- Harry’s Law

10-11 p.m. -- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Thursday

8-8:30 p.m. – Community

8:30-9 p.m. -- Parks and Recreation

9-9:30 p.m. – The Office

9:30-10 p.m. – Whitney

10-11 p.

Chicago – The slow trickle of news regarding NBC cancellations and renewals has finally burst the dam and we have the entire Fall schedule to present along with descriptions of the new programs and time/day changes for several of your favorites.

Chuck

Photo credit: NBC

NBC will aggressively try to right a ratings-challenged ship by programming 12 new programs over the year — 6 new dramas and 6 new comedies. Many of them won’t premiere until mid-season and “30 Rock” won’t return until then either, running uninteruppted from that point (not unlike “Parks and Recreation” did this year). In other major news, the final, 13-episode season of “Chuck” will air on Friday nights.

The returning shows for the network include “Parenthood,” “Harry’s Law,” “Chuck,” “Community,” “Parks and Recreation,” “The Office,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “The Voice,” “The Sing-Off,” “The Celebrity Apprentice,” “The Biggest Loser,” “30 Rock,” and “Dateline NBC.”

Canceled programs for the network include “The Event,...

There’s not much to the debut trailer for Super 8, aside from several explosions, some pyrotechnics and a body snatch. However, it comes from J.J. Abrams, aka the man behind Lost, Fringe, Alias and Felicity. So, that alone makes me more than curious. After his surprise hit with Star Trek, Abrams has turned me into an even bigger fan of his work. I expect Super 8 to be more than a simple “the world’s coming to an end” or “invasion” film. The creepy Morgan Freeman / Chow Yun Fat inspired voice over alone hints at something more supernatural.

“Do not speak of this. If you do, they will find you.”

Can Abrams’ Super 8 do what Inception did in 2010, and become the surprise IMAX original hit of the year? I hope so. Don’t hate anti-Inception sticklers. 8 Oscar nominations and a WGA award say it all. Now, if...

There are a lot of very funny, very talented actors forced to take small, dumb paycheck roles on bad television shows and in seriously shitty movies because they are very funny, very talented actors and Hollywood has no use for them. This is the reason you see people like David Cross in Alvin and the Chipmunks, why Patton Oswalt was relegated to the weird neighbor role on "The King of Queens," and why you only see guys like Craig Bierko in guest spots and bad TV movies. They have to make a living, and in a town that often doesn't appreciate real wit and humor, some of our favorite television actors have to settle for roles beneath them. Have you seen what's become of Dave Foley's career?

This is why web series are great. It gives us an opportunity to see what some of these great actors are capable...

Today on LonsTV's I'm looking at the Crackle.com original comedy series Backwash from writer/creator/star Joshua Malina and Danny Leiner (director of the modern comedy classic Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle). The 3 lead characters in Backwash are on the run from the law in a stolen ice cream truck, with only their meager wits and $100,000 in stolen money to sustain them. But the show isn't so much about the driving forward momentum of plot than the bizarre, sophomoric, frequently non sequitur hijinks of man-child Jonesy (Michael Panes), fast-talking schemer Val (Malina) and their accomplice, ice cream truck driver Nick (Michael Ian Black of The State and Stella). Less sitcom than extended comedy sketch, each episode of Backwash opens with a well-known TV star narrating the boys' strange cross-country journey, in the style of Masterpiece Theater. (The ongoing joke is that it's based on a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray,...

Filed under: Reality-Free, Stay Tuned

This week's second 'Talking TV with Ryan and Ryan' podcast welcomes a special guest, actor/writer Joshua Malina.

You loved Malina on 'The West Wing' and 'Sports Night.' You enjoyed him in guest roles on 'House,' 'Psych,' 'In Plain Sight' and dozens of other shows. And, if you're like me, he's made you crack up more than once with his irreverent Twitter feed. I generally don't follow many actors or celebrities, because their Twitter feeds are quite often vapid, self-serving or both, but Malina's Twitter is pretty damn hilarious.

But the main thing Ryan McGee and I asked Malina about is his funny new Web series, 'Backwash,' which you can find here. It's a 13-part series starring Malina, Michael Ian Black and Michael Panes as the least competent bank robbers ever. Each segment is introduced by a different celebrity -- Jon Hamm,...

If there was any person who we'd follow from The White House in "The West Wing" to being on the lam in an ice cream truck, it's Josh Malina.

Malina wrote and stars in "Backwash," which premieres Monday (Nov. 15) on Crackle.com, Sony Pictures Entertainment's online video network. 

The 13 episode comedy series follows Jonesy (played by Michael Panes), Val (Malina) and their buddy, Fleming (Michael Ian Black) as they're on the run after Jonesy unintentionally robs a bank of $100,000. Their getaway car? Fleming's ice cream truck.

Malina may be playing at keeping secrets in "Backwash," but he agreed to give up some personal deets for Zap2it's Celeb Slam Book.

Find out why he'd trade places with Mel Gibson plus 18 other guilty confessions:

1.) Tell us one thing we don't know about you. Musical theatre overtures make me tear up.

2.) If you could change one thing about your face what would it be and why?...

Joshua Malina ("The West Wing," "SportsNight") was once just a guy with an idea.

"It's been noodling around for a very long time," he tells Zap2it, "Michael Panes is an old friend of mine. He is very old, I'm not. I've written this in various forms over the years. I wrote it as a movie. I wrote it as a pilot.

"I created these two main characters for Michael Panes and myself, and every few years, he'd say, 'Why don't you finish that thing?' I'm not big on completion."

At long last, the characters -- Val (Malina) and Jonesy (Panes) -- have found a home, and it's not in a movie or a TV show. On Monday, Nov. 15, Sony's Website for original video, Crackle.com, premieres "Backwash," a series of 13 episodes, each seven to nine minutes in length (and featuring some very salty language).

They tell the story...

A new comedy webbie, "Backwash" premieres on Crackle November 15. Joshua Malina, Michael Panes and Michael Ian Black are three slacker friends who hit the road in an ice cream truck, after one of them inadvertently robs $100K from a bank armed only with a large salami. Influenced by touch of Python, a smattering of Marx Brothers, "Backwash" is a slapstick look at the effects of sudden wealth on three American losers.Val (Joshua Malina), Jonesy (Michael Panes) and Fleming (Michael Ian Black), told through action, animation, surrealist humor, as well as song and dance. "Backwash" is directed by Danny Leiner, written by Joshua Malina, and executive produced by Daniel Schnider, Leiner and Malina. Cameos featured...

With Tsr Buzz, you’ll find links to articles, videos and other random things that will help you waste your time just a little bit more.

Last week on “Community” (one of the best shows on TV and currently in my Top 4) it appeared Abed didn’t have much to do. If you thought that as well, you’d be wrong. Check it out …

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tP0ubODOUQ

Whether it is The Dark Knight, The Hurt Locker or even hanging with Adolf Hilter, one thing is for certain — Leonardo DiCaprio likes to strut. “Backwash” is coming to the web. Joshua Malina, Michael Panes and Michael Ian Black are the stars and somehow they convinced the following names to go along for the ride — on Jon Hamm, Sarah Silverman, John Stamos, Allison Janney, Michael Vartan, Hank Azaria and Fred Willard. Though I think Willard will do anything you ask.

Plus Kevin Alejandro cheats on Lafayette, Nicholas Rodriguez goes to Oklahoma!, and why Jake Shears doesn't wear a lobster as a hat.

Actors Peter Kwong, Conrad Bachmann, Bryan Cranston, Kyra Sedwick, Aaron Paul, Kathryn Joosten, Julia Ormond, Fred Willard, Brenda Vaccaro and Chris Colfer

Above you can see Chris Colfer doing good deeds by visiting a retirement home. Seriously, he was at the Performers Peer Group Reception for the Emmy Awards, but I couldn't stop singing "One of these things is not like the others." This morning Ryan Murphy told listeners of Ryan Seacrest's radio program that Britney Spears will be appearing in the episode of Glee that uses her music, which makes more sense than her appearing in a episode that uses Michael Jackson's music, which Ryan Murphy says he doesn't think he can license, as much as he wants to. So the Super Bowl episode will...

Crackle had talent of some of their upcoming web projects in attendance during the Sony's Television Critics Association (TCA) event, Tuesday, August 3rd at the Beverly Hilton and Tubefilter was there to get the inside scoop. Interviewees included Michael Panes (Easy To Assemble, Jonathan Dore, and Randy and Jason Sklar (Back on Topps, ["(Layers)"]). The shows they were there to talk about are Backwash and Held-Up, respectfully; two witty, off-the-cuff comedies that show that Crackle seems to be treading farther from the slick, production-value heavy dramas of their recent web past such as The Bannen Way and Urban Wolf. Both series have impressive casts including some comedy and improv as well as television and film veterans. Related News:Standing in ‘The Line’ with Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio Michael Stahl-David is Crackle’s New Kid ‘Behind the Star’ ‘Star-ving’ Artist David Faustino Talks Up Premiere on Crackle...