HBO went a long way toward getting its critical (and watercooler) mojo back at TV writers' fall-season press tour Thursday evening. The cabler presented a diversely ambitious slate ranging from showbiz sitcoms to sensitive sex, from saucy Shakespeare to the shattered limbs of Iraq war soldiers.
The impact of the session for September's "Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq," with five veterans sitting on stage missing various body parts, was so great that nobody asked the documentary's producer/interviewer, "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini, about his drama series' controversial blank ending last month. Critics wouldn't have gotten far if they'd tried. The always press-shy Gandolfini deflected questions about his personal reactions to the vets' tales by saying "It's not about me," instead shifting the spotlight to this war's unprecedented numbers of soldiers surviving catastrophic, used-to-be-fatal injuries.
"There are 12 functioning limbs among the five of us," noted Jonathan Bartlett, a 22-year-old former Army corporal missing both his lower legs. Even non-amputee Army staff sergeant Jay Wilkerson noted observers can't see the traumatic brain injury that forced him to relearn to talk.
Just as serious in a different "real" sense is HBO's fall drama series "Tell Me You Love Me," an exploration of interpersonal intimacy among three long-term committed couples that's raw both emotionally and sexually. The latter depiction dominated the press conference, as critics tried to ask tactfully about the 10 episodes' full-on portrayal of sexual activity. Some wondered whether computer imagery might have been used to create such apparently, uh, genuine lovemaking scenes.
"This is certainly turning out to get a lot more attention than I thought it would," said series creator Cynthia Mort. "The sex always was there in service of intimacy and in service of love." HBO's new co-president Richard Plepler said, "I've never seen intimacy dealt with that honestly and that bravely. It's quintessentially an HBO show."
The surprisingly graphic couplings are "integral to the storyline," said actress Michelle Borth. "We're not porn stars, we're actors, and you do the best you can to make it authentic." Agreed costar Ally Walker [in HBO photo with Tim DeKay], "It's an exploration of real intimacy that sex happens to be a part of." The emotional nakedness of the sex is actually what "does kind of upset some people," Walker believes. "It's not hot, steamy, grabbing the walls [sex]."
Larry David's panel for his self-portraying Hollywood comedy "Curb Your Enthusiasm" became a lighten-up relief. That show returns in September for its sixth season, even though the fifth seemed to wrap things up. It could indeed have been the end. "Every season is my last season," said the famously neurotic David ("Seinfeld" co-creator and George Costanza inspiration), explaining it's the only way he can get himself psyched to design and star in another 10 episodes. Also on the lighter side is Kenneth Branagh's August movie version of Shakespeare's romance "As You Like It," featuring Kevin Kline and Alfred Molina and set in modernizing 19th century Japan.
But it wouldn't be an HBO day at press tour without some project being delayed, as every season of "The Sopranos" seemed to be. "Deadwood" was the subject this time, with channel executives hedging on announced plans for movie(s) wrapping up David Milch's truncated adult western series. They promised to "revisit" the idea with Milch once they "know what the future of [Milch's current series] 'John From Cincinnati' is," according to new HBO west coast program president Michael Lombardo.
"We'd love to do it," added Plepler, but only if Milch is "fully motivated" and if the no-longer-under-contract cast can be gathered again. Execs refused to speculate on the odds of producing more "Deadwood." But critics wouldn't bet on seeing it.
Comments (2)
Sex sales- even commericals use sex to sell there products. I am a mother of four and I still believe in the birds and bees talk with my children but unfortunately they'll learn from television and radio. Sex is not just on HBO late night anymore, it's on local channels,(sitcoms) also!!!!
Thank you for letting me comment!
I've been watching HBO for years. The transition from network television to the now time tested HBO, has been ground breaking for the television industry, and fabulously entertaining for the viewer!
I am not surprised about HBO's current lineup for the fall of 2007! We the home viewer, can really look forward to these prize dramas, movies and comedy debuts!
And, to have the great Larry David returning to HBO for his sixth season is wonderful! Mr. David is undoubtably one creative and very funny man! The viewer wonders if the funny character he plays is really the true Larry David!
Having been a great "Seinfeld" fan, I wonder what the original Seinfeld Show would have been like, if Larry David's present character had been intertwined into the "Seinfeld" original series, as another dynamic neighbor, in the same building as Jerry, maybe playing his "kavetching Uncle Larry"! One could only imagine and wonder! Maybe Seinfeld would still be on major network, or HBO would have picked it up!
The Shakespeare production, "As you Like It", sounds absolutely wonderful, with the very talented Kevin Klein and the "golden touch" of the great Alfred Molino! Imagine, those two veteran Shakespearian actors together? I wonder who will play the lead woman actress? I certainly look forward the "As You Like It"!
The drama: "Tell Me That You Love Me" sounds positively riveting! When sexuality is combined with compassion and sensitivity, in a really great story line, the viewer can really look forward to a a worthwhile series! Leave it to the media to spoil it, by calling it pornography! Maybe that's just a ploy to interest more viewers, the curious and the adult who enjoys sexually explicit film. There are many of us! "Se la vi"!
The great American television standard NOW, has become HBO's "The Sopranos"! Undoubtably the first ground breaking dramatic series, with the most creative writers, who developed the most memorable characters that we all came to love, is the "flagship of drama of television". Many of us will never forget the anti-hero, the Mob Syndicate Godfather, our Tony! Tony Soprano was everyone's Godfather! We routed for him, week after week, no matter what a "monster" he truly was! Many of us wanted him to take Dr. Melfi in his arms, and do the "lovely" with her! Now that would have been a riveting scene, as memorable as Christopher's quiet, sublime murder or Big Pussy's inevitable big splash in the Atlantic Ocean! Will we ever see television or HBO as captivating and entertaining as "The Sopranos", again. One never knows!
I am looking forward to this HBO season of spectacular viewing! And, lastly, the Iraq documentary, sounds very patriotic and touchingly sensitve! If James Gandofini is producing it, we can expect a memorable and heartfelt docu-drama.
Thank you for the interesting article.
John Raymond Moccio, July 19, 2007