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Channel Surfing: 2.14.06

"Girl" Talk:

CNN's Entertainment section dissects the fallout from the Lorelai/Rory split on Gilmore Girls (as discussed here) and interviews Lauren Graham about her reservations about the storyline ("I struggled with the idea that this character, being the parent, would go so far as to stop speaking to her daughter and not make more of an effort.") while showrunners Amy Sherman Palladino and Daniel Palladino defend the approach they took:

"To really rock Rory's world, we had to go to what the core of the show was and to really have them have a rift and explore what the show would be," Sherman-Palladino said. "I know there are two camps. Personally, for me, I've loved the psychological implications of this year more than any other year because we've really gotten to do some real mother-daughter stories."

Think deeply about the characters, and the silence rings true, she said. Lorelai has spent her life trying to do everything differently from her own mother. And if it was Lorelai taking time off from Yale, her mother would have personally dragged her back to school.

Not entirely sure I agree with Amy. I found the first half of the season a total bore (but that could have been the execution of the above rather than the intent... or the fact that they didn't actually write any of the episodes) but I wish that they could have mined the rift between the two to really get at the issues that both Rory and Lorelai have been denying existed for so many years. Lorelai has acted for the most part like a friend to Rory rather than her mother and for the first time really tried to put her foot down and discipline her daughter, but at age 20, it's really too late for her to assert that role.

CNN also asks the pair about the likelihood of them returning to do the show next season (possibly its last). While they are still staying mum, as it were, about them returning, they do say that the season finale will feature a cliffhanger ending (a wedding--but perhaps it's not Luke and Lorelai's?) and are making plans for the show to continue, even if they are not at the helm.

"Serenity" Now... and Later?:

E!'s resident gossiphound Kristin has scoop about the possibility of another small-screen incarnation of fan-favorite Firefly, whose twisted history includes the cult TV series of the same name on FOX and the recent Universal Pictures feature Serenity, may have found a new life back on television, this time with nascent network The CW. Says Kristin:

I've heard the CW is considering bringing it back as a series, miniseries or movie for next season. Hurrah! For you who missed my message board posting, on Tuesday, Nate Fillion, Summer Glau and Gina Torres were seen coming out of one of the exec buildings at Paramount, where they are putting together the new CW unit.
From your mouth to the TV gods' ears, Kristin.

"Drive" Shaft:

Speaking of Firefly, the show's former producer, Tim Minear, has a new show called Drive that just got picked up to pilot on Firefly's former berth FOX, according to today's Variety. The show is described as a drama revolving around an illegal cross-country road race, a la Amazing Race (a.k.a. the best reality show on TV), but "on acid." The pilot, from studio 20th Century Fox Television, is written by Minear and Ben Queen ("Century City," "100 Weddings").

No news if Race's host extraordinaire Phil Keoghan will be waiting at the finish line.

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