'Bridesmaids' not just for the gals

Don’t be fooled by the title: “Bridesmaids” is NOT your typical chick-flick, rom-com special.

Yes, six of the main players are female. Yes, it does involve planning a wedding. And yes, you may only see the groom of said wedding for all of about 3 minutes during the entire 2-hour-plus movie. But “Bridesmaids” will have both the ladies and the gentlemen crying with laughter.

OK, maybe only the females will shed tears of laughter, but still, the boys will enjoy the raunchy and obscene take on a typical “Happily Ever After” storyline as well.

“Bridesmaids” was born from the comedic minds of Producer Judd Apatow (“Superbad,” “Knocked Up”) and current SNL leading lady Kristen Wiig, who co-wrote the script.

Wiig plays Annie, a thirty-something woman who’s going through a rough patch in life. Her self-owned bakery shut down due to the recession and her best friend from way-back-when, Lillian (former SNL cast mate Maya Rudolph), has accepted a marriage proposal that leaves Annie hating the fact that she’s still single — although some of the most memorable scenes in the movie involve Ted (the surprisingly funny Jon Hamm), a complete jerk of a boy-toy to Annie.

When Annie is asked to be the Maid of Honor at Lillian’s wedding, Annie is forced to live up to high expectations (with a low bank account) and compete with a new friend of Lillian’s, Helen (Rose Byrne), for the coveted job — all while pleasing three other bridesmaids (Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) — all while losing her apartment, her car and, perhaps, even her best friend along the way.

What makes “Bridesmaids” work so well is it blends the perfect amount of love-story — Annie undoubtedly finds the right man in the end, an Irish cop (Chris O’ Dowd) who can’t help running into her all the time (or pulling her over, for that matter) — with just the right amount of comedy, which may be extreme at times but not so over-the-top that it creates for dumb comedy.

“Bridesmaids” is a perfect ensemble movie and all six women hold their own. But it is Wiig who is perfect in her role as Annie. With a subtle look here or a minor comment made there, Wiig is a great actress even beyond comedy, and I think she has yet to realize just how good she is. Wiig makes you feel for Annie as her life crumbles bit by bit, but also makes it easy for you to laugh along with her, not at her.

Aside from Wiig, McCarthy takes the cake with her performance as a bridesmaid. Her character Megan is so out-of-the-ordinary, and McCarthy truly delved in full force to play her. Megan is the sister of the groom and a macho one at that, but McCarthy brings an intense-yet-lovable quality to her character. McCarthy is fortunate to have some of the funniest lines in the movie, along with some of the film’s best and most bizarre moments.

So yes, in the end “Bridesmaids” does tie all its loose ends up in a picture-perfect way. And yes, everyone gets what they wanted and are able to make nice with each other. But the difference between “Bridesmaids” and the typical rom-com is that “Bridesmaids” proves that six ladies can create a great comedic film that appeals to both genders without playing second-best to the men in the film. Wiig and company did well their first time out of the gate, and I hope that the success of “Bridesmaids” paves the way for more female-driven comedies to come.

Adapting a book for the big screen can be tough

Adapting a book to play out on the big screen can be quite a challenge, I’m sure. Imagine taking on the task of adapting a beloved book (not to mention an entire series such as “Harry Potter,” “The Lord of the Rings,” or even the “Twilight” Saga) — reading through pages and pages of text in order to translate it into a cohesive way onto the screen; all the while deciding which details, characters and key moments to keep alive and intact to please the fans. As we all know, you can’t please everyone.

Every year a slew of novels get adapted. More recently, some of the better reads — “Atonement,” “The Da Vinci Code” and even “The Notebook” — translated beautifully on screen. While others — “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” “The Cat in the Hat” and “The Lovely Bones,” for example — didn’t fare so well. All are wonderful books, so what went wrong with the latter three? Why didn’t they work on film?

It’s all in how broadly the screenwriter and the director define the word ‘adapted.’ Once the rights are snatched up, it’s no longer about the author’s vision, but how the screenwriter and director see it, which could be completely off track.

With “The Lovely Bones,” a young adult book about the rape and murder of a teenage girl in the ’70s who, in turn, tells her story from the afterlife, was a powerful read. When Peter Jackson, director of “The Lord of the Rings,” adapted the book for the screen, he brought it down to an early-teen level, dismissing the heart of the novel. Jackson took away the grit, leaving a void in the story line on screen.

I bring up the notion of adaptation in the first place because the most recent book to hit the big screen — “Something Borrowed” by Emily Giffin — debuted in theaters last weekend. And despite bringing in a modest $14 million against “Thor’s” $66 million, it still landed in fourth place for the week and most likely won’t last another two weeks in theaters. Does mega-hit “Thor” have something to do with it? Maybe, but if “Thor” and runner-up “Fast Five” are geared toward male audiences, shouldn’t “Something Borrowed” still have raked in a bit more from female movie-goers?

In addition to the poor intake of money, “Something Borrowed” also received awful reviews. Entertainment Weekly gave it a D+. On the Rotten Tomato scale, it only scored a 15 percent approval rating. And the Associated Press and Washington Post didn’t like it either. As for me, unfortunately, the Claremont Cinema decided not to release the movie in their theater, so I didn’t have the pleasure of seeing whether the critics were wrong or not.

But I have read the book. All of Giffin’s books actually. And I will campaign for those.

I suppose a brief plot synopsis should be given at this point, eh? Ok, stay with me here: “Something Borrowed” is told from the viewpoint of Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin), a low key, down-to-earth lawyer. Rachel is best friends with Darcy (Kate Hudson), an attention-seeking, loud, pretty-perfect-on-the-outside girl. Darcy is about to marry Dex (Colin Egglesfield) who Rachel actually introduced to Darcy back when Dex and Rachel were in law school together. Ever since that day, Rachel has been pining over why she didn’t set Dex up with herself rather than Darcy. Darcy, always outshining Rachel in popularity and love, doesn’t know how good of a thing she’s got. So on Rachel’s 30th birthday, Dex and Rachel hook up and quickly start falling in love with each other, as if Darcy never existed.

And so the book follows the tales of friendship and love and the complications that ensue when one is stronger than the other. Throw in longtime childhood friend Ethan (John Krasinski), and it’s the perfect recipe for a big screen rom-com adaptation. So what went wrong?

Perhaps it was the wrong choice in actors — Hudson, who plays Darcy, is the complete opposite in looks as compared to the book version of Darcy — or simply a bad weekend to open up on. Or maybe people are just tired of the usual chick-flick, rom-com fare. Either way, what makes a book successful on the big screen is still a mystery to me.

The moral of the story is: Always read the book first. You’ll be far more pleased with it than the movie, and it will satisfy your imagination to the fullest. And when it comes time to see the movie, go with an open mind. I think the viewer must look at the film as an entirely different entity from the book. If a reader picks apart each scene in the movie and gets caught up in the nitty-gritty of things, the viewer is simply setting themselves up for disappointment.

Upcoming Books Made Into Films

Priest (out in theaters today)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (July 15)
The Help (Aug. 12)
The Three Musketeers (Oct. 14)
Breaking Dawn: The Twilight Saga (Nov. 18)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Dec. 19)
The Descendants (Dec. 16)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Dec. 21)
The Hunger Games (March 23, 2012)

SUMMER MOVIES ARE ON THE WAY

Plenty of superheros, animated animals, heartfelt dramas, wizards, cowboys, aliens, pirates and crazy comedic antics are coming to theaters this season.

It may not feel like summer yet, with the never-ending dreary weather and the fact that the kids are still in school, but fear not: Summer is here, at least when it comes to the movies. This weekend begins the glorious four-month stretch we like to call summer movie season, and the agenda seems to be packed with plenty of blockbusters, encompassing every-which genre. To keep you on the edge of your seat, here’s a brief rundown of what’s coming to theaters this summer. Enjoy!

REINCARNATIONS

“Conan the Barbarian” (Aug. 19) — Conan returns in an updated version of the 1982 film staring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film tells the story of Conan (Jason Momoa), a man on a quest to avenge the murder of his father and the slaughter of his tribe. The only difference between this and the 1982 version: it’s in 3D.
“Fright Night” (Aug. 19) — A remake of the 1985 horror comedy classic, Collin Farrell plays a vampire who targets his next door neighbor (Anton Yelchin) after the neighbor has discovered that Farrell is responsible for a slew of recent murders.

COMIC BOOK ADAPTATIONS

“Thor” (May 6) — The Norse god of thunder (Chris Hemsworth) is cast into exile on Earth after defying his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Natalie Portman also stars as a physicist and mortal love interest.
“Green Lantern” (June 17) — Ryan Reynolds ends up the owner of a ring that gives those who wear it superhuman powers. In turn, Reynolds helps stop an evil force from destroying the universe. Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard also star.
“Captain American: The First Avenger” (July 22) — Chris Evans, most recognizable as another comic book hero, the Human Torch in the “Fantastic Four” series, snags the role of Captain America. After his character is deemed unfit for the military, he volunteers for a top secret project that turns him into Captain America.

ORIGIN FILMS

“X-Men: First Class” (June 3) — “X-Men: First Class” takes us back to when Professor X (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) were young, before they realized how much of an impact their super-human powers could have. Here they are allies, but as we all know, they end up enemies later in life.
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (Aug. 5) — Starring James Franco, “Rise” focuses on the experiments that lead to the mutation of the apes and the battle that ensues from it.

SCI-FI

“Cowboys and Aliens” (July 29) — Exactly that. Starring Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde, the film is directed by “Iron Man’s” Jon Favreau, so it’s bound to be good.
“Super 8” (June 10) — From “Lost” creator J.J. Abrams, “Super 8” is about a group of kids who witness a mysterious train crash. Soon after, strange things start to happen within their town and the kids take action.

SEQUELS, TRILOGIES, ETC.

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (July 1) — A third installment of battling Decepticons and Autobots, minus the horrible acting job from Megan Fox.
“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (May 20) — Jack Sparrow is back — with a whole new storyline — searching for the fountain of youth. “On Stranger Tides” co-stars Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane, along with Geoffrey Rush reviving his role of Barbossa.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” (July 15) — Oh, you know, only the biggest movie of the summer. Harry and friends conclude their eight-part adventure with a fight to the death against Lord Voldemort.
“The Hangover 2” (May 26) — Similar premise as the first film, only this time Stu is about to get hitched and the shenanigans take place in Thailand, rather than Vegas.
“Cars 2” (June 24) — It’s been five years since Lightning McQueen raced into our hearts. This time he and fellow cars Sally, Luigi, Mack and Mater head to the international race circuit, where Mater is mistaken as an undercover spy.
“Kung Fu Panda 2” (May 26) — Po the panda and his fellow pals are back, as they join forces to defend against Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), a peacock who has unleashed a new weapon that could destroy their home.

FOR THE KIDS

“Zookeeper” (July 8) — Kevin James listens to animals for love advice.
“Mr. Popper’s Penquins” (June 17) — Based on the beloved children’s book, Jim Carrey takes on the task of caring for penguins.
“Winnie the Pooh” (July 15) — Pooh and friends set out to find a missing Christopher Robin.
“The Smurfs” (July 29) — The Smurfs come to life in Manhattan after Gargamel exiles them from their village.

COMEDIES

“Bad Teacher” (June 24) — Cameron Diaz plays a bad teacher who hits on fellow colleague Justin Timberlake. Wait, didn’t this happen in real life?
“Horrible Bosses” (July 8) — Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell and Kevin Spacey play horrible bosses to Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day. The latter devise a plan to get rid of the former.
“Friends with Benefits” (July 22) — Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake travel down the friends-with-benefits road, only to find that it only complicates matters more.
“Bridesmaids” (May 13) — Aiming to diminish the chick-flick stereotype, SNL folk Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph take on a girly topic, in a not-so-girly manner.
“Something Borrowed” (May 6) — Based on the popular book by Emily Giffin, Ginnifer Goodwin and her best friend’s (Kate Hudson) fiancé (Colin Egglesfield) fall in love. “The Office’s” John Krasinski plays their longtime pal Ethan.
“The Change Up” (Aug. 5) — A “Freaky Friday”-eske premise with funnier actors: Ryan Reynolds and Jason Batemen switch bodies.

DRAMA

“The Help” (Aug. 12) — “The Help” — a hugely-popular book by Kathryn Stockett — delves into the lives of black maids in the 1960s, when aspiring writer Skeeter (Emma Stone) decides to write a novel on the subject.
“Larry Crowe” (July 1) — Tom Hanks goes back to school after losing his job and falls in love with one of his teachers (Julia Roberts).
“Beginners” (June 3) — Christopher Plummer embraces life after coming out of the closet at the age of 75. Ewan McGregor co-stars.
“Midnight in Paris” (May 20) — Woody Allen casts Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams as a couple who learn on a trip to Paris that their life may be better apart from one another.

DRAMA / COMEDY

"Crazy, Stupid, Love” (July 29) — Ryan Gosling takes Steve Carrell under his wing, as Carrell attempts to get back in the dating scene after his wife kicks him out.
“Our Idiot Brother” (Aug. 26) — Paul Rudd is forced to live with each of his three sisters, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer, while each goes through a struggle of their own.
“Everything Must Go” (May 13) — Will Ferrell gets kicked out from his house and loses his job, so he decides to live on his lawn and have a massive yard sale to get rid of his painful past.

It’s all about 'The Voice' in new reality singing show

Crazy. That’s what most people thought about Executive Producer Mark Burnett when he announced he’d launch another singing competition to take on the “American Idol.” juggernaut. Only fittingly was it then, when the coaches, not judges, of NBC’s “The Voice” — pop stars Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and country star Blake Shelton — decided to open the premier show with a rendition of a song all in the same. The foursome performed “Crazy” by Gnarles Barkley — of which Cee Lo is one half — to show contestants “just how it’s done.” The performance also seemed somewhat symbolic, as if the coaches were saying “Hey, we can have a successful singing show too. We’re not crazy for trying.”

The premise and format of “The Voice” is different from “Idol.” There are three rounds: the Blind Auditions Round, the Battle Round and the Live Round. In the first round, which will air over the next month, the judges sit with their backs to the performers while the contestants perform behind them. If the judges like what they hear, they hit a button and spin around to view their potential teammate. If more than one judge turns around, it’s their job to sell the contestant on who would make a better coach for them, to fit their particular singing style.

There are some obvious pairings, such as folksy husband-wife duo Elenowen choosing Blake over Cee Lo; or Frenchie Davis (who was actually on “Idol” eight years ago, but was disqualified), the big girl with the pipes picking Christina over Adam. Then there are also some surprises, such as shy 16-year-old Xenia picking Blake over any of the pop stars for which her peers would go crazy; or the forty-something rock chic, Beverly, who chose Christina over Adam. So it will be interesting to see how the coaches and the contestants ultimately work together and collaborate their ideas.

Eventually, each coach carries a team of eight people into the battle round, where two people from the same team sing the same song and the coaches themselves have to decide who is eliminated from their own team.

Once each coach has only four players left, the viewers get to vote during the Live Round, where the 16 finalists compete against each other. Viewers will vote for one contestant from each team to be safe, leaving the coach to decide who they want to save from their team and who they will eliminate. In the end, the best contestant from each team — the final four — will compete against each other for a $100,000 recording contract.

Sounds intriguing, but what makes “The Voice” better than the competition? For one, the judges are relevant and still making hits. They’re fresher, hipper and funnier than the “Idol” panel. The banter between Queen Bee Christina and Salesman-like Adam is great — heck the banter between all four coaches is great, especially when they’re all vying for the same contestant. It shows that they can all get along, set ego aside and are really there to make someone into a great star.

What’s also great about the show is there is no age limit. On this week’s premier, a 56-year-old woman from New Jersey sang and I was outwardly surprised at her voice, which ties into the whole concept of simply hearing a voice just for the voice, and not judging someone for what they look like. That’s what I love about this show. We all know a lot of pop stars simply got their start because of their looks alone, but with the “The Voice” the focus is shifted to vocal ability alone. There’s no ‘Well, she’s pretty and can sing half-decently, so we’ll put her through.’ With “The Voice” it’s all about the talent, and that’s why contestants need to bring their ultimate A-game to the table.

Oh, and I can’t forget Carson Daly. He landed hosting duties, and I have to admit, I enjoy seeing him back doing what he does best. Daly knows his stuff, music-wise — after hosting MTV’s “TRL” for four years, and “Last Call with Carson Daly” for over nine years, Daly’s got the hosting gig down and comes across as a genuinely nice-guy when he’s interacting with the families of the contestants. His personality isn’t too overwhelming like a certain “Idol” host who seems to always turn the focus on himself rather than the contestants. Daly supports the contestants and wants to see them do well, and you can see that.

I have a gut feeling “The Voice” will slowly surpass “Idol” as the dominant singing show, despite the success that J-Lo and Steven Tyler are having with the revitalization of “Idol.” After all, Burnett has a track record penning such hits as “Survivor” and “The Apprentice.” So here’s hoping “The Voice” does well and, if so, the coaching panel sticks around for a few seasons.

They’d be crazy not to.

'Scream 4' keeps up with the original

“What’s your favorite scary movie?”

It’s been 15 years — and four “Scary Movie” spoofs later — since the first “Scream” installment posed the now-infamous question and redefined the slasher genre. It spawned two sequels, the last surfacing just 11 years ago. The year was 2000, and we were embedded in the new millennium. Technology was just coming to the forefront — cell phones were still in the hands of only a select few. Blogs and Webcasts were virtually unheard of. And Facebook and Twitter wouldn’t come about for at least another five years.

Unfortunately for all those involved with the newest installment — “Scream 4,” which came out last Friday — they’ll learn that a new decade and ever-changing world of technology mean new rules for horror films. And those rules mean that this time, all bets are off.

Especially for our protagonist, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), who has fought her way through three movies worth of Ghostfaces. Sidney is now a published author with a debut self-help book “Out of Darkness: A True Story of Survival.” She decides to return to Woodsboro — her hometown where the original “Scream” murders took place — to provide a fitting ending to her book tour. It is here that Ghostface decides to resurface for yet another slew of murders.

Joining her will be the other two parts to the movies’ survival trio, now-married Sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and retired anchor woman Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox). For the pair, it’s all about struggle this time around. Dewey struggles to keep his job and home lives separate, Gale struggles with writers block, and both struggle with their marriage (sounds like a bit of real-life foreshadowing, hmm). In the end, both must learn to put aside their differences and work together to survive and solve this round of Ghostface killings.

There are plenty of newbies to keep up with in “Scream 4.” Sidney’s return to Woodsboro has her staying at her aunt’s house with cousin, Jill (Emma Roberts), a high-schooler tagged for life with the fact that she is related to the one-and-only Sidney Prescott. Along with her BFFs, Kirby (Hayden Panettiere on her game) and Olivia (Marielle Jaffe), film club geeks Charlie (Rory Culkin) and Robbie (Erik Knudsen), and ex-boyfriend Trevor (Nico Tortorella), these kids provide a lot of the fresh meat for Ghostface.

For comic relief, there are also three new bumbling cops (Adam Brody, Marley Shelton and Anthony Anderson), a book publicist (Alison Brie), and Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell even make brief cameos. It seems everyone wanted a bit of the franchise.

So which of these fine folks is behind all the gruesome murders? And what is the reason behind the resurrection of Ghostface?

That I won’t spoil for you. I mean, that is what Director Wes Craven and Screenwriter Kevin Williamson are good at. Providing us with a didn’t-see-it-coming ending each and every time. And they managed to yet again provide us with a twist of an ending, despite how easily technology could have screwed that up for them. Both in the real world (Twitter provides instant spoiler alerts) and in the film (scary phone calls can now be easily tracked with Caller ID and GPS is imbedded in most cell phones). Which begs us to ask: Why is it so hard to catch this crazy stalker?

Well, technology also helps the killer, who can now broadcast his doings live on Webcasts for all the world to see. Or simply download an app to produce the infamous Ghostface voice. Thanks to technology, Ghostface could be anywhere at any time as anybody. Everything is way more elaborate and everyone is a suspect.

What also makes “Scream 4” work 15 years after the original is that it has no problem making fun of itself, while still being just as suspenseful and scary as the originals. Even the opening scene — typically a blood-bath of a murder to get the ball rolling — is a mockery of itself, but it still made me jump out of my seat.

Craven and Williamson are both aware that sequel after sequel after sequel could easily make for a laughing matter (ahem, SAW), which is why they waited as long as they did for the next installment, but they also know that if done well — and done right — a sequel could be more of a remake, if you will, and that’s exactly what they play off in “Scream 4.”

It’s all about doing it bigger and better than the original. And they sure did. Enough so that there is already talk about a “Scream 5” and “Scream 6.” As much I hate to see them overdo it, it’s always original, hip and provides for some good chuckles among all the gore, so I say keep ‘em comin’. After all, you gotta keep Neve Campbell employed somehow.

Comedy Awards: The new kids on the block

Just when you think awards season is about over — whether that be good or bad — a new award show crops up. Sunday night, Comedy Central presented the first-ever Comedy Awards to a house jam-packed with stars: Everyone from Will Ferrell and Ty Burrell to Alex Baldwin and Stephen Colbert were all there to commemorate the night’s festivities.

The awards were divvied out fairly evenly — among some of the more notable: “Modern Family” picked up Best Comedy Series; Kristin Wiig won Best Comedy Actress on TV for SNL; Best Stand-Up Special went to Louis C.K.; Best Comedy Film was for “The Other Guys” starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg; “South Park” won Best Animated Series; and Daniel Tosh won Best Breakthrough Performer.

Some speeches were funny: “It’s almost like being student of the month, and your mom’s the teacher,” said Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of Comedy Central’s “South Park,” when accepting their Best Animated Series award.

Others overdid it, such as when Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay of “The Other Guys” accepted their Best Comedic Film award, along with over 50 other writers, directors, etc, who “supposedly” worked on the film. A little over the top, and not at all amusing. Ferrell can do better than that.

There was no host for the show — which could have been for better or worse — yet Andy Richter held his own backstage as he announced the presenters throughout the night.

What worked best were the performances sandwiched in between the awards. Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone — members of the comedic group The Lonely Island — along with rapper Akon, filled the room with energy while performing their SNL digital short “I Just Had Sex” live onstage. The Lonely Island is a group known for their ridiculous songs/videos that go viral online in a matter of minutes — such as the Grammy-nominated “I’m on a Boat,” and “Lazy Sunday,” among other somewhat foul-mouthed- but-all-in-good-fun songs that get stuck in your head, no matter how hard you try.

Stephen Colbert took over the stage for a bit when Jon Stewart won the award for Best Late-Night Comedy Series. Colbert pretty much tossed Stewart offstage, stole his award and announced he was accepting the award in honor of “every person whose soul has been crushed by Jon Stewart over the past eight years” — this comment in reference to Stewart’s eight consecutive Emmy wins.

Jon Cryer worked out his “Two and Half Men” stress in a subtle jab at Charlie Sheen by showcasing how he now uses all of his free time — by practicing to be a rapper. His crew came on stage and performed his new single “Jon Cryer Will [explicet] You Up.”

All kidding aside, two major awards were given out during the night. One to Eddie Murphy, who received the Legendary Comedian Award, and another to David Letterman, who received the Johnny Carson Award for Comedic Excellence.

Murphy, not exactly overly-enthused with the award, it seemed, made a short and sweet speech after a montage of his most memorable work was shown. He thanked his inspirations — Richard Pryor, Charlie Chaplin, Bill Cosby and George Carlin — and also revealed that he was about to turn 50 and has been trying to make people laugh for 35 years. Rightfully so, but the last 10 years or so have only been filled with “Shrek” laughs, or “Nutty Professor” reincarnations — so I’m not sure if this was the right time for him to be receiving this award.

Lettermen, more lively than Murphy, accepted his award from the one-and-only Bill Murray, who as Lettermen said himself, deserved the award more than the guy who actually got it. I agree. Lettermen has done a fine job with his “Late Night” show, delving into politics and issues more so than other late night hosts — but I must say, Murray is a lot funnier, no matter how you put it.

Comedy only gets better with time, and let’s hope for the sake of laughter, that the Comedy Awards return for another year.

'The Killing' pulls you right in

Right from the outset, AMC’s newest drama, “The Killing,” draws you in. We watch as a young girl is being chased down in the woods during the middle of the night. The last we see, her assailant catches up with her, shines a flashlight on her face and the girl seems left with no escape. Throughout the first half of Sunday night’s two-hour premiere, we were left to wonder whether this girl, Rosie Larson, got away.

In comes homicide detective Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos), a woman on the last day of her job — in the process of relocating her son and herself from a dreary Seattle setting to sunny California to be with her fiance. As a detective, Linden is a quiet force, always methodically thinking over every angle, never jumping to conclusions.

Taking over for Linden is Detective Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman), transferring from the narcotics unit. Holder is the complete opposite of Linden in terms of subtlety — he’s a bit rough around the edges, yet he’s a hard worker and eager to learn the ropes of a new field. He’ll work well with Linden, who as you may have guessed, gets rapped up in the case and never makes it to California.

So what makes this detective show different than any other? First off, it focuses on the people surrounding the case, not just in piecing the puzzle together each and every week. In “The Killing,” we get a core group of three people to whom the disappearance of Rosie Larson matters.
First, there’s Detective Linden. Working in the homicide unit, she sees the worst of the worst, day in and day out. Yet for some reason, Rosie’s case seems to hit her harder than usual.

Second, are Rosie’s parents (Michelle Forbes and Brent Sexton) and two younger brothers. Rosie is known to be an all-around good girl to most and her parents are dumfounded as to how she could have gone missing. After all, she was at her best friend’s house all weekend, right? In the premiere, bit by bit, we find out Rosie may not have been the good girl her parents knew and loved.

Third — and this is the most random connection — you have City Councilor Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell). He’s in the middle of a campaign for mayor, but Rosie’s connection to the councilor could disrupt the foundation on which his mayoral bid rests.

By dividing the script among these three sets of people, it offsets the slow pacing of the show in the same way that the producers of “24” did. In “The Killing” we are conveniently given one day of the case per episode, making for 12 consecutive days to match with 12 weekly episodes. There is no passage of time; therefore, we see just what the characters see. There’s always something new being disclosed about one of them, and it brings to light connections that make everyone a suspect. The writers of the show are very good at planting ideas in the viewers’ head with subtle looks or motions made by every character. The question is, do we, the viewers, catch all the subtle clues?

“The Killing” is a guessing game for sure, but it’s also a beautifully-crafted drama. The scenery alone adds much to the feel of the show. The plain, drab, literally chilling setting creates a tension that builds and builds, adding to the suspense. And the actors, none of whom are widely known, bring their A-game to the screen with a sense of passion and angst all wrapped up in one. Hopefully “The Killing” can continue at a pace where it leaves us wanting more, without feeling too unfulfilled and answerless as to “What happened to Rosie Larson?” Only time will tell.

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“The Killing” airs Sunday’s at 10 p.m. on AMC.