The Wire

'Friday Night Lights' Gets Feuding East Dillon Stars

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:00:50 GMT

Make that two new faces when four familiar ones bid farewell to Dillon.

Friday Night Lights have cast Matt Lauria and Michael B. Jordan to play two new characters when the show returns to DirecTV in October, and to NBC in the summer.

And yes, as an aside, it's pretty funny that both actors' names are similar to two other celebrities. Yep, Michael Jordan and... Matt Lauer. He counts, right?

Idris Elba Talks About His 'Office' Experience

editor@buddytv.com — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Idris Elba has a lot on his plate nowadays. He's now starring in the new thriller called Obsessed, in which he finds himself being fought over by Beyonc?? Knowles (as his wife) and Ali Larter (as her psychotic rival). He has also been cast in the action crime movie Takers, and the action film The Finest, as well as the adventure drama The Losers.

Most recently, however, Elba took a stab at the small screen as The Office's new boss, Charles Miner - a role he wasn't expecting to book at all.

Amy Poehler Non-Spin-Off Details Revealed, Elba joins 'The Office'

editor@buddytv.com — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:58:10 GMT

The Office producer Greg Daniels has finally revealed the premise of NBC's upcoming sitcom starring Amy Poehler. Originally set to be a spin-off of The Office, the series premise changed after Poehler came on board. The show will instead follow the office of Leslie Knope (Poehler), a mid-level bureaucrat in the department of Parks and Recreations in Pawnee, Indiana. Daniels and fellow Office producer Mike Schur are both on board to steer the untitled show, which Schur currently refers to as “The Untitled Amy Poehler Project.”

'The Wire' Actors Say Hello to New Orleans for New Drama

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMT

The stars of critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire are beefing up the cast of an upcoming drama called Treme, with the likes of Wendell Pierce and Clarke Peters joining the latter's roster. Not a few days back, it was reported that CSI: Miami's favorite coroner Khandi Alexander will also be heading to New Orleans.

This comes as no surprise, however, as the producer of The Wire David Simon created Treme, a post-Katrina drama that looks at the iconic New Orleans neighborhood that has produced a lot of famed musicians.

Live from the TCA Press Tour: '30 Rock,' 'Mad Men' Win Big at TCA Awards

editor@buddytv.com — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:40:06 GMT

While accepting the Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Miniseries for John Adams, executive producer Tom Hanks was thankful that the TCA Awards are not televised due to his random, somewhat dirty humor. After attending Saturday night's ceremony, I feel just the opposite, because the awards themselves and particularly the acceptance speeches were so hilarious that it's a shame more people don't get to see them,

The TCA Awards recognize the best in television, and this year the awards were divided among three shows: 30 Rock, Mad Men and the HBO miniseries John Adams. In an odd moment of mutual adoration from critics and the industry, those just happen to be the three most nominated programs at this year's Emmys.

'The Wire' Dominates TV Critics Nominations

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:00:01 GMT

The Television Critics Association (TCA), one of the few organizations that dole out pats on the backs to people in Hollywood, has announced the nominations for its TCA Awards, and as expected, the turf is full of familiar names.

Leading all networks with nominations is perpetual award winner HBO, which earned at least 10 nods. The closing chapters of The Wire takes the lead for all shows with four nominations, including Program of the Year, Achievement in Drama, Individual Achievement in Drama (for creator David Simon), and the annual Heritage Award, which is granted to the show that has displayed worthy social impact beyond the screen.

'The Wire' Actor Heads to 'Beverly Hills' Plus Updates on Pilot Castings

editor@buddytv.com — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:00:00 GMT

Recently, reports about a spin-off for the 1990's most popular teen soap, Beverly Hills 90210 circulated. Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas was hired to write the pilot for the spin-off, which would hopefully be picked up by one of the major networks. In fact, as the pilot is currently in the works, casting rumors and announcements have circulated, bringing into discussion names such as Tristan Wilds, Michael Steger and teenybopper Hilary Duff. One thing's for sure though, The Wire actor is certainly taking the lead on the newest remake of all time.

'Wire' Creator Gears Up for 'Generation Kill'

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Last Sunday The Wire, HBO's critically adored drama, ended its five-season run with a final blow that tied up loose ends instead of leaving its characters suspended in time a la Sopranos' smash-cut to black finale. Nevertheless, the ending of what many consider to be one of the greatest series on television could also mean the beginning of a new majestic drama that only show runner David Simon could deliver.

At present, Simon is in Los Angeles working on his upcoming project for HBO called Generation Kill, a seven-hour scripted miniseries based on the true story of Marines fighting in the Iraq war.

'The Wire' Comes to an End

editor@buddytv.com — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 19:33:18 GMT

The best show on TV signed off tonight as HBO's The Wire aired its series finale. The panoramic look at the city of Baltimore and the war on drugs went out with an impressive episode that wrapped up many loose ends, provided closure to the characters, and still showed us that the real story isn't even close to being done.

The epitaph was the end of a quote by H.L. Mencken, “…the life of kings.” The full quote appeared on the wall of The Baltimore Sun, and it serves as a mission statement for The Wire and its creator, David Simon: “I had more fun doing news reporting than in any other enterprise. It is really the life of kings.”

The Wire: Finale Preview

editor@buddytv.com — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:00:00 GMT

The end is near for HBO's The Wire, which will air its series finale on Sunday, March 9, following five critically acclaimed seasons of realistic portrayal of urban life and uncommonly deep exploration of sociological themes.

Read on to find out what's in store for the series finale.

'The Wire' Actress Likes Being Surprised

editor@buddytv.com — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Actress Amy Ryan doesn't have much to say about what viewers can expect to see in the upcoming episodes of The Wire's final season. This isn't because she wants to tease fans of the show by withholding juicy information. Rather, it's because she has chosen to keep herself out of the loop as well.

“I know the story because it was told to me by [series creator] David Simon, but I wouldn't read the scripts on purpose because I wanted to be surprised, too,” Ryan, who plays Officer “Beadie” Russell on the HBO drama, told TV Guide. “I did go snooping through one script, and I was like, 'Oh, no! I ruined one of the biggest things.' I was so bummed.”

'The Wire's' Viewership Drops

editor@buddytv.com — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 06:00:00 GMT

The current season of HBO's The Wire is its last, but apparently, this has not been enough to convince viewers to tune in to the show religiously. As per the Baltimore Sun, the show saw another decline in its viewership last week, down 339, 000 viewers from the previous week's audience of 1.185 million – a loss of 29 percent.

The network reasoned that the drop in show viewership was due to tough competition, namely the New York Giants/ Green Bay Packers football game on NBC's Sunday Night Football program. However, the total number of viewers for The Wire has also dropped this season – 23 percent from last year, as per the figures given by the cable network.

Snoop Talks About Landing 'The Wire' and Her New Autobiography

editor@buddytv.com — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Felicia “Snoop” Pearson may be a perfect fit for her role on HBO's The Wire, but the circumstances that landed her the part were purely coincidental.

“I met Michael K. Williams, [who plays Omar Little on the show] in a nightclub [called] Club One,” Pearson told Orlando Weekly. “He kept looking at me, so I asked my cousin, ‘Man, who is that guy that keep lookin' at me?' So my cousin was like ‘Who, Omar?' And I said, ‘Who the hell is that? You know him?' And he said, ‘Yeah, that's the one that play on The Wire.' So finally Omar came over and said, ‘Let me ask you a question, are you a girl or boy?'”

'Wire' Star Talks Money

editor@buddytv.com — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 05:00:00 GMT

HBO's The Wire returned to the screen last week, marking the beginning of the show's fifth and final run.

“I've had about four months to get used to it,” show star Clarke Peters told TV Guide when asked how he felt about The Wire, which is shot primarily in Baltimore, coming to end. “You're not seeing the crew anymore, you're not working on the stories, so Baltimore seems to be fading into the background, but I like Baltimore, so I'm here.”

Getting Back Up on 'The Wire'

editor@buddytv.com — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 21:50:21 GMT

For all its greatness, The Wire has never been an uplifting show. Policemen and politicians, educators and ex-cons all try to do good work, but drugs and corruption run too deep in the city of Baltimore. In the fourth season, a character said, “No one wins. One side just loses more slowly,” and though he was talking about football, the same could be said for the war on drugs.

'The Wire' Deluxe Edition Soundtrack Coming in January

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 05:00:00 GMT

Next year, Nonesuch and Warner Music Group is releasing a deluxe edition soundtrack for HBO's critically-acclaimed drama series, The Wire. The soundtrack, entitled “The Wire… ‘and all the pieces matter,'” contains music from the show's five years, including a number of tracks from underground hip hop and club artists in Baltimore, where the series is set.

Titles found in the The Wire deluxe soundtrack include “Efuge, Efuge” “Unfriendly Game,” “Fast Train,” “The Body of an American,” “Ayo,” “Analyze,” “What You Know About Baltimore,” “Projects,” “Jail Flick,” “I Feel Alright,” “The Life, The Hood, The Streetz,” “Dance My Pain Away,” and “I Walk on Guilded Splinters.”

HBO Releases Three Prequel Videos for 'The Wire'

editor@buddytv.com — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 16:13:10 GMT

HBO, to promote the January 6 premiere of The Wire's fifth and final season, has released three prequel videos involving characters from the highly acclaimed drama. The three short videos are already being streamed for free on Amazon.com on the page for The Wire: Season Four DVD. The videos will become available on HBO On Demand December 15. HBO has been a pioneer in the realm of On Demand content, creatively disseminating episodes of its original series along with original content, like these three Wire prequels. The Wire is one of the most popular On Demand shows for HBO, only trailing The Sopranos in On Demand viewing. Here's a look at each of the three videos:

The Wire: Season 5 to Premiere in January

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:00:00 GMT

HBO has finally set a date for the highly anticipated return its critically acclaimed series, The Wire. On Sunday, January 6, 2008 at 9/8c, the series created by David Simon will kickoff its fifth and final season, followed by the return of Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam at 10/9c.

Last year, the networked commissioned for a fifth season of The Wire consisting of 13 episodes but was eventually reduced to just 10 episodes. Filming of the new season officially started in April and wrapped its production in the first week of September.

What Are They Up To? J.D. Williams of The Wire

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 02:30:47 GMT

J.D. Williams was known as Preston "Bodie" Broadus, one of the soldiers in the Barksdale organization on HBO's The Wire. Loyal and willing to obey his superiors, he gradually rose through the ranks of the gang, proving himself worthy for the position of Crew Chief. Unfortunately, he got caught in the chaotic world of drug trade and became vulnerable to larger narcotic organizations, which resulted to his murder. In the coming months, the African-American actor will be featured in various movies that are all set for release this year.

What Are They Up To? Idris Elba of The Wire

editor@buddytv.com — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 02:05:29 GMT

As Russell “Stringer” Bell on the HBO series The Wire, Idris Elba portrayed a drug kingpin who was second in command in the Barksdale organization. An intelligent planner with a penchant for business and economics, he attempted to reform the narcotics circuit and make the transition from a criminal to a legitimate real estate developer. However, his efforts backfired and ultimately led to his ambush at the hands of Brother Mouzone (Michael Potts) and Omar Little (Michael Kenneth Williams). Although his stint on the show already ended, the 34-year-old actor remains active in the industry with his upcoming action and drama movies.

The Wire

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 01:28:46 GMT

The Wire is an action-drama series created by David Simon. It follows the long-term family business dealing illegal drugs and the actions of the Baltimore police to control their trade. Moreover, the show is told from both points of view and also brings light to the people underneath these organizations.