+ + t PEOPLE 3 INSIDE: Eminem: Joins t TELEVISION 4 in VH1 hip-hop t BRIDGE 6 celebration PEEACHACH 3 toledoblade.com THE BLADE, TOLEDO, OHIO y FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2009 SECTION D

MOVIES PREMIERES

MIRAMAX Jason Bateman in ‘Extract.’

‘Extract’ By FRAZIER MOORE it giving viewers what they didn’t ASSOCIATED PRESS know they wanted: a chipper, NEW YORK — What can you say about a never-a-rerun alternative to fall TV season most distinguished by the leap sex, crime, blood and guts? too bland to prime-time by Jay Leno? Meanwhile, what kind of ad- Not exactly a fresh face after 17 years as vantage, if any, will NBC rivals By CHRISTY LEMIRE host of The Tonight Show, Leno has the most- enjoy going up against The Jay ASSOCIATED PRESS anticipated, most talked-about new show Leno Show (arriving Sept. 14 at 10 p.m.) with LOS ANGELES — Ten years ago, on the networks’ fall slate. Well, at least an- their sex-crime-blood-and-guts dramas, in- Mike Judge satirized the absurdi- ticipated and talked about within the media cluding newcomers The Good Wife on CBS and ties of the workplace experience sphere, where speculation rages over whether ABC’s Eastwick and The Forgotten? from the perspective of put-upon NBC can get away with stripping a talk-com- Those are a few of the talking points for the employees with Offi ce Space. It edy hour every weeknight — instead of more new season — among those who are talking. didn’t do much when it came out ambitious, pricey episodic fare — in those But do the networks have viewers talking but, as we all know by now, it be- fi ve prime-time hours. yet? Or even have their attention? Just how came a cult favorite on cable and Is NBC, which continues to struggle in home video, to the point where it fourth place among viewers, throwing in the See FALL, Page 2 changed the way you looked at towel as it hands Leno nearly one-quarter of its prime-time real estate? Jaime Ray Newman, left, Lindsay Price, the common stapler. Paul Gross, and Rebecca Romijn in Now, Judge is back to the daily As the network TV business implodes, is grind with Extract, but this time NBC being shrewd to make do with less? Is the new series ‘Eastwick’ on ABC. the writer-director tells his wacky working tales from the boss’ point of view: that of Jason Bateman’s Joel Reynold, owner of a fl avor extract factory. It’s doubtful that this comedy will grab its audience New series 8 90210 (CW) 8 America’s 8 The Vampire 10 20/20 (ABC) 8 Cops (Fox) 7 Football Night in the same way, though. Judge’s in bold 9 Melrose Next Top Diaries (CW) 9 America’s In America characters are so one-note and Place (CW) Model (CW) 9 Supernatural Most (NBC) their misadventures so ridicu- All times 8 So You Think (CW) Wanted 8:15 NBC Sunday lous that it’s hard to get attached Eastern p.m. You Can (Fox) Night Football to them or care about how they Dance (Fox) (NBC) turn out. 9 Glee (Fox) Pretty much everyone in Extract SEPTEMBER 8 9 10 11 12 13 is stupid, unlikable, self-destruc- 1415 16 17 20 tive, or all of the above — and so 8 One 8 The Biggest 9 The Beautiful 8 Survivor: there are no real surprises. They Tree Loser (NBC) Life: TBL Samoa (CBS) include: Hill (CW) Bones (Fox) Step (Clifton Collins Jr.), a doo- (CW) SNL Weekend fus who prides himself on being John Cho and the company’s fastest sorter but 9 Gossip Update Thurs. Girl Joseph Fiennes dreams of being promoted to (NBC) (CW) fl oor manager; in ABC’s 8:30 Parks and Cindy (Mila Kunis), a sexy but 10 The ‘Flash Recreation sociopathic con artist who wea- Jay Forward’ (NBC) Leno sels her way into Joel’s factory 9 Fringe (Fox) with a scheme to make money off Show Lea Michele (NBC) The Office and Chris a serious accident; (NBC) And Rory (T.J. Miller), a Colfer in ‘Glee’ 9:30 Community on Fox pierced-and-tatted goth rocker (NBC) who’s too busy handing out fl yers 18 19 for his latest show to do his job. 2122 23 24 25 26 27 As the person responsible for overseeing all these idiots and 8 Dancing with 8 NCIS (CBS) 8 The New 8 Dateline 7 Extreme incompetents, Bateman functions the Stars 9 NCIS: Los Adventures NBC (NBC) Makeover: (ABC) of Old Home Edition in his patented exasperated every- Angeles 8 Ghost 10 48 Hours How I Met (CBS) Christine Whisperer Mystery (ABC) man mode, similar to his Michael (CBS) Bluth character on Arrested Devel- Your Mother 10 The (CBS) (CBS) 60 Minutes (CBS) Mercy (NBC) (CBS) opment, only without the smart, Forgotten Rallo in Smallville surreal dialogue. Joel is proud House (Fox) (ABC) 8:30 Gary ‘The (CW) 8 The Amazing of the company he founded but Heroes (NBC) The Good Unmarried Brothers Race (CBS) (CBS) Cleveland fi nds himself unhappy at work and 8:30 Accidentally Wife (CBS) Show’ on Fox (Fox) The Simpsons thinking about selling to General on Purpose 9 Modern Law & (Fox) Mills. At the same time, his non- (CBS) Family (ABC) 8 FlashForward Order 8:30 The Cleveland (ABC) existent sex life with his frosty wife 9 Two and Criminal (NBC) Show (Fox) Suzie (a thoroughly underused a Half Minds (CBS) 9 Grey’s 9 Medium 9 Desperate Kristen Wiig) at his Texas McMan- Men (CBS) Law & Order: Anatomy (CBS) Housewives (ABC) sion has him pondering adulterous 9:30 The Big Bang Special Dollhouse (ABC) thoughts about the fl irty Cindy. Theory (CBS) Victims CSI: Crime (Fox) Family Guy His best friend Dean (Ben Af- Unit (NBC) Scene 10 Castle (ABC) Southland (Fox) fl eck), a suave bartender at a 9:30 Cougar Investigation CSI: Miami (NBC) 9:30 American generic hotel sports grill, suggests Town (ABC) (CBS) Katie Cassidy and (CBS) 10 Numb3rs Dad (Fox) that Joel hire a gigolo (Dustin Mil- 10 The Mentalist Stephanie Jacobsen 10 Eastwick (CBS) 10 Brothers ligan) to sleep with Suzie, thereby (ABC) (CBS) in ‘Melrose Place’ giving him license to cheat on Julianna on The CW & Sisters her with Cindy. With his Kenny Margulies is ‘The CSI: NY (ABC) (CBS) G haircut and canned mysti- Good Wife’ on CBS Cold Case cism, Dean is probably the most (CBS) outlandish character of all. But he provides just the latest example 2829 30 124 3 of Affl eck’s ability to breeze into a 9 Lie to 8 Hank 8:30 ‘Til 7 America’s movie in some fl ashy supporting Me (Fox) (ABC) Death Funniest part, steal the scenes he’s in, and Trauma 8:30 The Middle (Fox) Home Videos (ABC) breeze back out again. (NBC) (ABC) On the other end of the freak- 9 Three show spectrum is Nathan (David LATE PREMIERES Rivers (CBS) Koechner), Joel’s nerdy neighbor Friday, Oct. 9 from across the street who keeps 8 Ugly Betty Carl Weathers hounding him and Suzie about (ABC) and CCH attending the annual Rotary Club Friday, Oct. 16 Pounder in banquet with him. (“It’s just a real 8 Supernanny 8 Shark ‘Brothers’ on Fox loose bunch,” he insists.) Over- (ABC) Tank (ABC) OCTOBER the-top annoying as he is, Nathan feels more like a real person than SOURCES: ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox and NBC ASSOCIATED PRESS/THE BLADE pretty much everyone else in Ex- tract. We all know someone like him: a guy who drags people into painfully boring conversations, MOVIES hangs around too long, and can’t take a hint to go away. The scenes between Bateman Sandra Bullock speeds to career mistake and Koechner are unbelievably cringe-worthy but they also sug- By ROGER MOORE gest the kind of movie Extract ORLANDO SENTINEL All About Steve might have been if Judge had At times like this, it’s good to dared to throw in a little more Directed by Phil Traill. Written by Kim think positive. That’s what Sandra Barker. A Twentieth Century Fox Film fl avor throughout, and not just Corp. release, opening today at Cinemas relied on deadpan inanity. Bullock’s socially inept crossword puzzle “constructor” does in All De Lux Franklin Park and Maumee and Showcases Levis Commons and About Steve. Fallen Timbers. Rated PG-13 for sexual So remember that Ms. Bullock content, including innuendos. Running Extract staged a “comeback” with the time: 99 minutes. Directed and written by Mike summer smash The Proposal. Critic’s rating: o Judge. A Miramax release, opening Consider how good she looks. Mary Magdalene Horowitz ... Sandra Bullock today at Cinemas De Lux Franklin Steve ...... Bradley Cooper Park and Maumee and Showcases She can still weather big-screen Hartman Hughes...... Thomas Haden Church Levis Commons and Fallen Timbers. close ups and, at 45, can still pass Billy ...... Emile Hirsch Rated R for language, sexual for 35. references, and some drug use. Running time: 92 minutes. But she can’t pass for 30. And Critic’s rating: oo she’s never been that good in Wed and an unheralded director Joel Reynold ...... Jason Bateman dizzy, “out there” roles. She might with only a few forgettable TV Dean ...... Ben Affl eck have learned that lesson with sitcom credits serve up Bullock Nathan...... David Koechner 1999’s in Forces of Nature. Appar- as a lonely word-freak, a smart, ooooo Outstanding; ently not. pretty woman still living with her oooo Very Good; All About Steve, an unfunny, an- parents in Sacramento, fretting ooo Good; oo Fair; o Poor noying, badly written, badly acted over the once-a-week crossword comic fi asco, may be the worst puzzle she writes for the local TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX movie in Bullock’s career. Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper in ‘All About Steve.’ The screenwriter of License to See STEVE, Page 2 + +

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