The Duplass Brothers are Coming to HBO...Again

Kieran, here. Those who were saddened by the cancellation of the Jay and Mark Duplass-helmed HBO series "Togetherness" (if you haven't seen it, get thee to on demand and join in the mourning) may be at least a little bit heartened to learned that the writer-director sibling duo is returning to HBO. Their new project is an anthology series currently titled "Room 104" about a hotel and the different characters who occupy the room at different times. As if reacting to the now wide array of anthology series both on premium and basic cable (some excellent, others...not so much), the Duplass brothers will inject their brand of low-concept, observational human drama and comedy into the format. “We’ve all seen stories set in seedy motels and high-class international resorts, but for years we’ve been fascinated by the funny, weird, sad, scary, absurd things going down in that corporate chain hotel near the airport. That’s what ‘Room 104’ is after… finding some magic in the seemingly mundane," stated the brothers in a recent statement.

With the announcement of this new Duplass brothers outing as well as the upcoming "Divorce" (starring and executive produced by Sarah Jessica Parker) and "Insecure" (created by and starring Issa Rae, creator of the very funny webseries "The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl") it seems that HBO is trying to make a narratively bold statement with their programming choices. Despite the fact that the network's arguable flagship show is a high-concept genre series, they're not making the mistake of many feature film executives, which is to do lowest common denominator versions of what they think is successful. Yes, television and movies are two different industries and the latter relies much more heavily on mercurial but instant and quantifiable financial success. HBO isn't just looking at the success of "Game of Thrones" and saying "More of this and ONLY more of this." This is not meant to denigrate the quality of "Game of Thrones," so fans please retire your torches and pitchforks. Even "Game of Thrones" fans can agree that we don't need a watered-down version that's simply trying to capitalize on the show's popularity. While our excitement about "Room 104," "Insecure" and "Divorce" may vary, it's heartening to see a major cable network making a concerted effort at this particular kind of storytelling. 

Melanie Lynskey and Mark Duplass on HBO's "Togetherness"

No cast information has been released for "Room 104" which is slated to air in 2017. This leaves the door open for the fun game of casting expectations and wishlists. The plot of the series is so open-ended, one can easily imagine a wide array of actors inhabiting this new Duplass universe. 

Which actors would you like to see pass through "Room 104"? 

Drag Race All Stars Begins Aug. 25!

Get ready for the return of your favorite drag queens because later this month RuPaul's Drag Race is giving us another All Stars season. Can you believe we are already getting more eleganza when it feels like season 8 just ended?

In case you haven't seen the cast, here's our returning queens:

• Adore Delano (Season 6)
• Alaska (Season 5)
• Alyssa Edwards (Season 5)
• Coco Montrese (Season 5)
• Detox (Season 5)
• Ginger Minj (Season 7)
• Katya Zamolodchikova (Season 7)
• Phi Phi O'Hara (Season 4)
• Roxxxy Andrews (Season 5)
• Tatianna (Season 2)

That is an overload of season five realness, but if it means the return of Rolaskatox, we are perfectly okay with that. Tatianna is the only returning early season competitor and maybe the season's underdog - don't forget she was the original Snatch Game winner with her Britney Spears ("I got lost!"). Overall this cast is heavy with strong performers ready to bring the drama. This round is forgoing the first All Stars season's drama-undercutting teams concept in favor of a new twist:

You heard that right: the best performers will lipsync against one another and the lipsync winner will choose the queen that sashays away. Could it lead to another Rolaskatox domination? Does it stack the deck against lipsync assassins like Alyssa Edwards and Coco Montrese that were never strong performers in actual challenges?

Season 2 of Rupaul's Drag Race All Stars begins Thursday, August 25th. Whose return has you most excited and what queen do you wish was in the cast?

Tracee Ellis Ross' Quiet Rise to Comedic Fame

Kieran, here. The annual roster of Emmy nominees (or any awards show celebrating acting, for that matter) is always a mixed bag. There are the familiar names who always seem to be there, as if immovably embedded in the consciousness of Emmy voters regardless of quality or staleness of the vehicle. Then there are the fresher, worthier names indicative of a certain segment of the Television Academy who are really paying attention—a segment that shouldn't feel novel, but unfortunately often does. Among these breath-of-fresh-air citations this year was Tracee Ellis Ross' Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nomination for “Black-ish”. Despite a career that spans two decades, this is the first nomination for Ross, for the series' sophomore season (“Black-ish” did quite well overall landing a coveted Outstanding Comedy Series nomination). It's quite satisfying to watch a performer who has put in years of great work that, for this reason or that, has gone largely ignored, be honored. 

A former supermodel and the daughter of Diana Ross, it may seem from the outset that Ross' path to fame had certain advantages. However, the actress, primarily working in comedy has definitely paid her dues. A little over a decade ago, yesterday's Emmy nomination seemed quite improbable...

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Emmy FYC: Best Supporting Actor (Drama) - Jeremy Allen White in Shameless

Emmy nomination voting begins Monday. For the next week we'll be sharing FYCs of some kind. Here's Kieran...

William H. Macy and Joan Cusack aside, “Shameless" has been criminally overlooked by the Television Academy for six years. No nominations for Emmy Rossum (praises sung here) who has been giving the best performance of her career. Nothing for Cameron Monaghan, who has given us one of the most raw and unvarnished portrayals of queer adolescence ever seen on television. Nothing for the series itself, whose balance of drama and comedy and depiction of what American poverty really looks like remain unmatched. In an age where it seems difficult to tell stories about family without a larger, high-concept twist, “Shameless” remains overlooked and underestimated, despite its aforementioned merits.

This past season, Jeremy Allen White’s portrayal of Lip, the genius eldest son of the Gallagher clan took a huge leap forward in what had already been five years of impressive work. Even amidst somewhat ridiculous plot points (Lip’s been evicted and must serve as a bartender/rentboy at a sorority house on his college campus. What’s a young, strapping cishet male to do?!) White managed to eke out his best work on the series to date as Lip’s arc slowly revealed itself in the latter half of the season. He manages to strike the perfect balance between wry and vulnerable as the character evolves and sees his brave face and defense mechanisms crashing around him...

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RuPaul's Drag Race is Back, Squirrelfriends

The wait is over, chickadees! Rupaul's Drag Race returns for its eighth season on March 7. Also the show is celebrating in centennial fashion: not only has it hit 100 episodes, but now the show has now ushered 100 drag queens to our tv screens

After an underwhelming seventh season that nevertheless brought new fan favorites like Katya, Trixie Mattel, and winner Violet Chachki, our favorite not-so-guilty pleasure is back with a new batch of queens to adore. And the new crew looks promising, from big names like Derrick Barry (the Britney Spears impersonator) to new blood like Naomi Smalls. Expect the hilarious Bob the Drag Queen to give good quote, with Robbie Turner (part of the same Seattle gang as Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme) the frontrunner for the all-important Snatch Game.

The brief glimpse so far is already more enticing than the drab presentation Logo gave the contestants last year - hopefully we have a true return to form.

This season's queens, from left to right:

• Dax Exclamationpoint (Savannah, GA)
• Acid Betty (New York, NY)
• Kim Chi (Chicago, IL)
• Thorgy Thor (Brooklyn, NY)
• Naomi Smalls (Redlands, CA)
• Derrick Barry (Las Vegas, NV)
• Robbie Turner (Seattle, WA)
• Cynthia Lee Fontaine (Austin, TX)
• Naysha Lopez (Chicago, IL)
• Laila McQueen (seated) (Gloucester, NH)
• Chi Chi DeVayne (Shreveport, LA)
• Bob the Drag Queen (New York, NY)

Check out the first look below! Has anyone seen any of these gals live?