The latest episode of the Firewall & Iceberg podcast has been posted, and now there are instructions on how to subscribe to a dedicated podcast RSS feed, whether in iTunes or not. Sound quality much better this week. Joke quality less so. I blame myself.
Weird. I put the RSS Url into Google Reader and it worked. But when I put the URL into iTunes, it won't show up properly.
ReplyDeleteI'm now experiencing this phenomenon myself. Not sure what the issue is, but we're working on it. It worked in iTunes earlier today, even.
ReplyDeleteWhen I listen through nj.com or my google reader the podcast stops at the 8:59 mark. Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteyour not booming! sweet!
ReplyDeleteYes!
ReplyDeleteAnother episode of The Sepinberg!
Yeah, I'm going to keep saying it until it happens.
Hahahah Alan I think this is the most emotional that I have ever heard you. Love the genuine horror at the casting of Dermot Mulroney. Also loved Feinberg's point about the implication of there being no Mulroney female equivalent. I giggled hysterically when you said Liv Tyler.
ReplyDeleteJust out of curiosity, which tv star (a la Mark Valley) would you have cast?
To clarify, I meant that it is kind of horrifying that they couldn't even find someone on the level of Dermot Mulroney to cast as the lead on Prime Suspect.
ReplyDeleteAlan,
ReplyDeleteAny thoughts on the end of Nip/Tuck and what historical impact if any the show had?
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ReplyDeleteSigh... anybody here have experience with iTunes, RSS feeds, etc.? The feed worked fine this morning, and now it's broken, at least to iTunes (it plays fine in Google Reader for me). We're at a loss.
ReplyDeleteLove how Alan sigh everytime Daniel says "stupid" things, you're like a real male version a Jan.
ReplyDeleteJosh Holloway as Jim Rockford
ReplyDeleteHe played laid-back pretty well on Lost, he has charisma, and he's now free to do another show.
At least he's better than Dermot Mulroney.
love love love this week's podcast. spirited, interesting debate on every topic; i even listened to the sections on shows i don't watch. your collective reaction to the (horrendous) "marriage ref" was brilliant, and i'll happily listen to thinly-cloaked digs on nikki finke any day of the week. awesome.
ReplyDeleteI know she's not considered 'bankable' for a pilot, but Jayne Atkinson would be perfect "Prime Suspect."
ReplyDeleteAlan,
ReplyDeleteI would run your feed through http://feedvalidator.org/ - I just ran it and encountered several errors.
http://feedvalidator.org/check.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hitfix.com%2Fpodcasts%2Ffien-print.rss
In general - I think there's maybe a little bit of hinky info in the feed. If you'd like, I might be able to re-format the RSS for you.
A Rockford Files remake??????? A pox upon the house of anyone involved in that.
ReplyDeleteI had no trouble with the streaming feed.
I just had a concept of who could work as Jim Rockford--Christian Slater. Odds are, he'll be available, and he can do the charming/creepy thing.
ReplyDeleteOff topic but what are your thoughts on Rob Lowe joining the cast of Parks and Rec?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.imdb.com/news/ni1689181/
Alan, love the podcast, as always. Just had to add my two cents re: Blair Underwood. They dude oozes awesome! He's sexy, he's charming and I would TOTALLY watch him as Jim Rockford. He give a good aside, he can throw a joke well and his smile will melt the polar ice caps. I feel better now. Looking forward to the next podcast.
ReplyDeleteAlan, here's your problem: this is the contents field on the first episode:
ReplyDeleteThe first installment of the Firewall & Iceberg podcast - and possibly the only one that will ever feature Dan & Alan in the same room with no audio problems - as we discuss the shows previewed at the January 2010 Television Critics Association press tour.
There's two unescaped ampersands in there. That's not legal in XML, you always, always have to convert ampersands to html-entities. That is, it should read like this:
The first installment of the Firewall & Iceberg podcast - and possibly the only one that will ever feature Dan & Alan in the same room with no audio problems - as we discuss the shows previewed at the January 2010 Television Critics Association press tour.
This is like the number one most common mistake when XML-documents fail to parse. Fix that, and it should be fine.
Sorry, that should be <itunes:summary> field on the first episode.
ReplyDeleteOskar -- You're my bloomin' HERO!
ReplyDeleteFixed! Or at least partially fixed.
All hail Oskar, y'all.
The feed is at least partially ALIVE!
-Daniel
stupid question, why does NBC need to cast a "name" actor for either of these shows? I understand that they would like great, big name actors to sell it better, but aren't some of network TV's biggest hits shows that you didn't really know the lead actor too well? Why not, I don't know, audition people and cast a really good actor that will be the next George Clooney?
ReplyDeleteAww, shucks, that's awful nice of you :).
ReplyDeleteReally, it was nothing. Many painful experiences of XML-documents failing to parse have taught me to always check the ampersands first whenever there's a problem. It's always those damn ampersands!
Also, another small thing about the feed. The <itunes:duration> field is completely messed up. It says that the duration of the latest episode is 59072809. Yeah, that doesn't make much sense, and iTunes (not unreasonably) don't know what to do with it, so it thinks the episode is 900 hours long (which is strange in itself, since 59072809 seconds is actually about 16400 hours). Not a big thing, the feed works and everything, it just looks weird.
ReplyDeleteJosh Holloway, Nathan Fillion, David Boreanz, this is who you need for this to be anything but laughable. Of course they are all busy just now, maybe that's a sign they shouldn't be remaking the Rockford Files? What's next on the chopping block: Moonlighting, Magnum and Remington Steele? If the painful remake of Cupid taught us anything it is that magic cannot be recreated. And Sarah Paulson and Bobby Cannavale are light years ahead of Dermot Mulroney. If they were set on this travesty they should have gone ahead and cast Katee Sackhoff. I can see her living in a ramshackle trailer, getting beatup, and charming the pants off men and women. And she has a better jawline than Dermot Mulroney.
ReplyDelete"Randy Jackson math." ROFLMAO!
ReplyDeleteYes! It is working in iTunes now using the link Alan gave earlier. I am downloading all the back episodes as we speak.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyable, but, um, you are aware that parkour isn't a martial art, right?
ReplyDeleteTell that to the guys from "District 13," Antid. :)
ReplyDeleteLike Dan, I'm very grateful to Oskar. Firing on nearly all cylinders now, baby!
ReplyDeleteDan is right, Blair Underwood has undeniable charisma, especially if you're a woman. Try finding one who doesn't like Blair Underwood. She doesn't exist! :D
ReplyDeleteI don't think there should be a distinction between movie and tv actors - there should be a distinction between actors that fit the role and actors who don't. (Plus, great actors and movie actors aren't even mutually inclusive.) And frankly, all the suggestions I'm reading and hearing so far is a better fit for Rockford than Dermot "movie star" Mulroney.
That includes Sackhoff and Coach.
Sweet Angel Martin. What an effing disgrace. David Chase is rolling in his grave.
ReplyDeleteI guess I don't hate Mulroney in general, but those are Big Shoes, and he's nowhere close to filling them.
At least it's NBC, so they're ruin it 50 other ways and the casting won't matter.
Tom Selleck or Aaron Eckhart would make good Rockfords!
ReplyDeleteAnd the sound is great this time around, things are flowing well-you guys are getting better all the time!
Nathan Fillion is the only person I can think of who says Rockford to me. I don't really think Blair Underwood has the kind of charm you need for Rockford.
ReplyDeleteFor my money, Burn Notice is the current show closest to the spirit of Rockford (with some Magnum and Simon & Simon as well).
ReplyDeleteMight as well watch something clever, if derivative, than something redundant.
I know he's not a big enough name, but I think Jeffrey Dean Morgan could do a decent job as Rockford. (That was actually spurred by Dan's Kyle Chandler suggestion.)
ReplyDeleteActually I'm a little surprised Dan got through a movie-to-TV discussion without bashing Joseph Feinnes again. :)
NBC went with Dermit Mulroney they might as well have just gone with Taylor Hicks.
ReplyDeleteTom Selleck would have made a great Jim Rockford, were he 15-20 years younger; he's for too old for the role now. Bruce Campbell would have been an interesting choice, were he not committed to Burn Notice.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is just my own blinkered perception, but it seems to me like so many of the biggest TV hits have been surprises, and so many "sure things" have been flops, that it would make sense for TV execs to just hang up some of the supposed truisms about what you need for a successful show. Since someone already namechecked Boreanaz (and since even though I'm not a huge fan of the show I apparently only pop up to talk about Bones here), that's a show which has been, what, moderately successful? In its fifth season on a network that presumably has much higher expectations for ratings than NBC can justify at the moment, and I think Bones has actually picked up steam. And it's built on the charisma of the guy from Buffy and Angel, who doesn't have what most people would call a movie career, and Zooey Deschanel's sister, and I have to presume most of America, even the America that knew Zooey Deschanel, didn't know she had a sister. (And given how bad he was at the beginning of Buffy, Boreanaz's ascension to undeniably charismatic is pretty impressive, even if Booth is closer to home for him than Angel was.)
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind Dermot Mulroney as Rockford. James Garner seemed and did have a lot miles on him in the role so I don't know why the need to cast someone "pretty". I mean if they are doing a remake they get someone who looks tired all the time dresses badly and drives a leaded gas Camaro.
ReplyDeleteBasically if they do the remake then keep the premise - an ex-con PI with questionable ethics but a heart of gold - and don't call it the Rockford Files.
Although I wouldn't mind them keeping the theme music.
Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but I'm looking forward to it. But one small comment - is it possible to make the file sizes smaller. Over 1MB a minute is a lot for what is just two guys talking. I notice last week's podcast was 64kps, it was still perfectly good to listen to, and it was only 18MB rather than 55MB.
ReplyDeleteHey ladies, Blair Underwood has already been cast in the NBC pilot, The Event, joining Jason Ritter and Scott Patterson. Lots of potential here.
ReplyDeleteOh and the plot sounds interesting too. Something about a big government cover-up regarding the POTUS (Underwood).
I think you should call your podcast "Alan Is Off His Nut In Re: Blair Underwood."
ReplyDeleteBlair Underwood is all kinds of charming. And would be a great Rockford. You know how it pains me not to take your side, here, Alan, but an Underwoodian charm deficit is crazy talk.
Blair Underwood is all kinds of charming.
ReplyDeleteHe is very charming, which I concede to Dan. I just don't know that he's blue-collar charming in the way that Garner was as an ex-con who was constantly being punched in the face.
::sigh:: Blair Underwood ::sigh::
ReplyDeleteHe's dreamy *and* a good actor *and* oozes charisma. Anything he does is okay by me, so sign me up on the pro-Blair side of things. I'd watch him as Rockford. But, I'd watch a lot of people I can't stand before Mulroney. There's just nothing going on there. Total personality void, total charisma vacuum. I don't get what they're thinking. I'm still interested to see who they cast as Angel and Rocky (Unless they have and I missed it) but my interest in this show just plummeted with that news. Maybe next season David Shore can remake Magnum and cast Eric Balfour in the lead!!
Great podcast again (although I have to admit I skipped the Idol part. Just not interested in that).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, any chance you might talk about Caprica in one of the next podcasts? Reading your reviews, it seems you enjoy it too and I'd love to hear you two talk about that show.
While I do find Blair Underwood to be incredibly sexy and to have undeniable charisma, it's a more sohisticated sort of charm. Cary Grant sort of charm, really. They both are undeniably sexy, but give off a more urbane sort of feeling than necessary for Rockford. Maybe Underwood could play the grittier, down on his luck sort of charm if given the chance, but so far he exudes Mercedes more than Camaro to me.
ReplyDeleteI still think Aaron Eckhart could do it, but I may be blinded by my personal crush on him.
Not that I can see Chandler as Rockford... but he was not an uptight character in Homefront.
ReplyDeleteOh - so that's Dermot Mulroney. Had to look him up. Turns out I've seen a bunch of his movies but, you know, I can't picture him in any of em.
ReplyDeleteNot a good sign.
(also, to the posters above - as I was listening to the podcast the first guy I thought of was Josh Hollaway - he would be perfect)
To everyone mentioning the charms of Blair Underwood, HitFix has a story about a pilot that he was cast in. So while he won't be Rockford, he's getting work.
ReplyDeleteMost of the actors who would make a good Rockford are either too big for TV or are currently on other shows. But how about Josh Duhamel? He can do charming.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Helen Hunt would be so awful on Prime Suspect. I actually think I'd rather see her than Marissa Tomei who you said you'd watch. What about Catherine Keener? I've always liked her and would much rather see her on TV than her ex-husband, Dermot Mulroney!
You are totally right on Big Love, but I don't think it's just that the show is embracing what you disliked. What you disliked was the compound stuff. Now even when the show focuses on the family it's not really working. I am wondering, though, if between Margene's flirtation with Ben, Barb's relationship with Tom, and Nikki's relationship with her ex-boss if the show is working towards a finale where Bill ends up with NO wives.
So glad to hear you calling out Nikki Finke on that annoying "Toldja!" thing, btw!
I actually think Rob Lowe would make a good Rockford. (Though I'm biased b/c I've always loved him.) But I think that makes more sense than him joining Parks & Recreation. Or they could have used Justin Theroux since everyone knows how charming he is :)
ReplyDeleteI generally agree with what you said in the podcast about TV making stars and not the other way around, but I think there have been a couple of examples of B-list movies stars doing TV that have been very good, like Keifer Sutherland on 24 and Sarah Jessica Parker on Sex & the City. In fact, doing TV is what actually put them on the A list.
ReplyDeleteI just have to say that last night as I listened to the podcast, I thought "They're being needlessly mean to Dermot Mulroney. He was totally charming in My Best Friend's Wedding!" And then I realized that *I* was mixing him up with Rupert Everett, which adds yet another person that people can mix him up with.
ReplyDelete