‘Glee’ Joins PaleyFest2011 Lineup

Updated 2/17/11 with panelist and moderator info from Deadline.

What: PaleyFest2011. Every year, the Paley Center for Media hosts a celebration of the year’s best in TV, as well as a look back. The panels typically include a screening followed by moderated discussion and audience Q&A.

When: March 4–18, 2011

Where: Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, CA

How: Individual tickets and festival passes are now on sale via TicketWeb. Prices range depending on where you’d like to sit and whether you’re a member or not. More info can be found at paleycenter.org.

Who: All panelists are subject to change. All panels start at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

3/4 – The Walking Dead

Moderator: Mike Schneider, LA Bureau Chief, TV Guide Magazine

Frank Darabont: Writer / Director / Executive Producer
Gale Ann Hurd: Executive Producer
Robert Kirkman: Executive Producer/Creator of comic book
Andrew Lincoln: “Rick Grimes”
Sarah Wayne Callies: “Lori Grimes”
Jon Bernthal: “Shane Walsh”
Laurie Holden: “Andrea“
Jeffrey DeMunn:  “Dale”
Steven Yeun: “Glenn”
Emma Bell: “Amy”

10 Things I Learned at ‘Archer’s’ Paley Panel

1. Tonight’s season premiere, “Swiss Miss,” is hilarious and so raunchy. The episode, which finds Archer charged with protecting a spoiled, nymphomaniac heiress in Switzerland, is easily one of the show’s best episodes. Nudity, an injured penis and snowmobiles are involved. Also, listen up for George Coe (Woodhouse) as the voice of said spoiled brat’s German father. Catch a preview of the episode, airing tonight at 10 p.m. on FX, below:

2. Nobody thought Archer would actually get on TV. “I thought it was so naughty that nothing would come of it because they could never put this on television,” said Judy Greer (Cheryl/Carol) of the pilot script.

3. Well, FX put it on TV and wants to make it weirder! Says creator Adam Reed, “There have been times, which I think is probably really rare, when the creative notes come back from FX and they say, ‘Can you make this edgier? Can this be a little darker and creepier?’ Especially with the Cheryl character, they’re like, ‘How weird can you make her?’ I don’t know what the laws are… Let’s see. She already has a choke fetish.”

4. Greer saved the character of Cheryl/Carol. Originally in the pilot, her character got pregnant by Archer. In a running gag, Archer would dose his pregnant secretaries and dump them in front of a hospital, “leaving dozens of these girls with their memories erased, blathering at the mental hospital,” described Reed. When Greer was cast, they saved the character from mental insanity and decided to take advantage of Greer by making the character “crazy and weird.”

5. Woodhouse has a very dark past! Archer’s loyal, putupon manservant has done a lot of ass kicking himself, as an upcoming episode delving into his past will show. “He’s killed more people than cigarettes,” said Reed. Adds Coe: “He’s done some terrible things. I’m told much of this will come out.”

PaleyFest 2011: Vampires, Zombies and Geeks

Updated 2/4/11 — White Collar moderator and panelists for Freaks & Geeks/Undeclared reunion announced.

Updated 1/19/11 — The full lineup has been announced! Keep checking this post for more info on scheduled panelists and other announcements.

It seems like only yesterday I was covering PaleyFest 2010 night after night, but we already have our first PaleyFest 2011 announcement. Every year, the Paley Center for Media hosts a celebration of the year’s best in TV, as well as a look back. The panels typically include a screening followed by moderated discussion and audience Q&A. Here’s the when, where, who and how of PaleyFest 2011:

When: March 4–18, 2011

Where: Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, CA

What: All panels start at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

3/4 – The Walking Dead

3/5 – True Blood

3/7 – White Collar — @TedonTV announced on Twitter that David E. Kelley will moderate.

3/8 – Hot in Cleveland

3/9 – Parks and Recreation

3/10 – Eastbound & Down

3/11 – An Evening With Jimmy Fallon

3/12 – Freaks and Geeks/Undeclared Reunion — Panelists include:

Judd Apatow , Executive Producer Freaks & Geeks  ; Creator / Executive Producer Undeclared
Paul Feig, Creator / Executive Producer Freaks & Geeks / Director, Undeclared
Linda Cardellini, “Lindsay Weir” Freaks & Geeks
John Francis Daley, “Sam Weir” Freaks & Geeks
Martin Starr, “Bill Haverchuck” Freaks & Geeks
Samm Levine, “Neil Schweiber” Freaks & Geeks
Seth Rogen, “Ken Miller” Freaks & Geeks / “Ron Morgan” Undeclared
Busy Philipps, “Kim Kelly”, Freaks & Geeks
Jason Segel, “Nick Andopolis” Freaks & Geeks /  “Eric” Undeclared
Joe Flaherty “Harold Weir” Freaks & Geeks
Jake Kasdan, Director / Consulting Producer Freaks & Geeks
Jay Baruchel, “Steven Karp” Undeclared
Monica Keena, “Rachel Lindquist” Undeclared
Carla Gallo, “Lizzie Exley” Undeclared
Timm Sharp, “Marshall Nesbitt” Undeclared
Christina Payano, “Tina Ellroy” Undeclared
Jarrett Grode, “Perry” Undeclared
Kevin Rankin, “Lucien” Undeclared

3/13 – Supernatural (Note: This panel starts at 3 p.m.)

3/14 – American Idol

3/15 – Community

3/17 – Raising Hope

How: An all-inclusive Festival Pass is now available on ticketweb.com for $1200. If you’re just looking for individual tickets, they will go on sale to members on Jan. 21 and to the general public on Jan. 23. Additionally, PaleyFest 2011 Ticket Packages will be available on Jan. 19. One piece of advice: Popular panels often sell out to members before they go on sale to the public, so you may want to consider becoming a Paley Center member. More info can be found at paleycenter.org.

Paley Center Anounces Fall TV Preview Parties

For Los Angelenos with a passion for TV, the kickoff of the fall TV season is not complete without the PaleyFest: Fall TV Preview Parties. For one week in September, the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills (and New York) hosts free Q&A and screenings for the fall’s new shows. There’s even free food and drinks! But best of all, you get to check out the new TV season with fellow TV aficionados.

Each evening in LA, the party will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a short Q&A at 7 p.m. and then pilot screenings. There a few exceptions, so please read the lineup below carefully. I’ll be updating it as more info becomes available.

The event is free and open to the public, but you must RSVP at paleycenter.org.

Thursday, September 9 – NBC

Outsourced, The Event, Chase, Undercovers

6:00 pm Parties Begin
7:00 pm Outsourced screening
7:30 pm Panel with Outsourced stars in person
8:00 pm Screenings Continue

Friday, September 10 – CBS

The Defenders, Mike & Molly, $#*! My Dad Says

6:00 pm Parties Begin
7:00 pm Introductory Panel with CBS stars in person
7:30 pm Screenings Begin

Monday, September 13 – FOX

Lone Star, Running Wilde, Raising Hope

5:00 pm Parties Begin
6:00 pm Introductory Panel with Fox stars in person
6:30 pm Screenings Begin

Tuesday, September 14 – ABC

No Ordinary Family, Better With You, My Generation

Bonus: Season Premiere of The Middle

6:00 pm Parties Begin
7:00 pm Introductory Panel with ABC stars in person
7:30 pm Screenings Begin

Wednesday, September 15 – The CW

Nikita, Hellcats

Bonus: Premiere Screening of a CW Returning Favorite

6:00 pm Parties Begin
7:00 pm Introductory Panel with CW talent in person
7:30 pm Screenings Begin

‘Being Erica’s’ Sebastian Pigott Brings ‘Alien Like You’ to LA

Last week, SoapNet viewers of Being Erica got their first listen of “Alien Like You,” the song that Kai performs in the episode “Yes We Can.” It’s a beautiful song that speaks to Kai and Erica’s unusual friendship and plays a very important role in the show.

Last Monday, I had the chance to see Sebastian Pigott (Kai) and his brother Oliver, who were both Canadian Idol season 6 finalists, perform live. Known as the Pigott Brothers, the duo did a show at Molly Malone’s in Los Angeles and let me tell you, “Alien Like You” sounds just as lovely live. Both Sebastian and Oliver have great voices, which were on showcase during the acoustic set.

Also on showcase: Sebastian’s incredible laugh, which brought a smile to my face every time. It’s not something that’s heard very often on Being Erica, so it took me by surprise at first. Afterward, I got to introduce myself to Sebastian, who could not have been nicer and asked what I thought of season two. If all goes according to plan, I’ll be interviewing him Wednesday, so feel free to submit questions in the comments. But please be respectful of U.S. viewers who have not seen all of season 2 yet and put a spoiler warning at the top of your comment if you’re asking about something that happens after the episode “Yes We Can.”

In the meantime, check out some videos of the Pigott Brothers performing at Molly Malone’s below.

“Alien”

‘Being Erica’s’ Singing Time Traveler Sebastian Pigott Comes to LA

Have you fallen for Being Erica‘s adorable, singing time traveler Kai? There’s good news if you’re a Los Angeles-based fan. Sebastian Pigott, who plays Kai and performs with his brother Oliver as The Pigott Brothers, will be doing a show at Molly Malone’s on Monday, Feb. 15. Depending on if you believe the band’s MySpace page or the pub’s site, the show is at 7:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. Thanks to Mike of Mike’s Bloggity Blog for the heads up!

Check out a clip below of Pigott singing on the next new episode of Being Erica, airing Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 10 p.m. on SoapNet. Star Erin Karpluk told me the episode, titled “Yes We Can,” is her “favorite episode we’ve ever done.” The official episode description from SoapNet follows:

Dr. Tom grants Erica a do-over day, where she gets to wildly relive her entire day consequence-free. No matter what she says and does during that time, no one will remember and it won’t “count.” But Erica soon realizes that all choices—even those in an alternate reality—have repercussions for a reason. Also, Erica begins to recognize some of the differences with Ethan as her relationship with Kai becomes a little more complicated.

PaleyFest 2010 Lineup High on Newbies

The complete PaleyFest 2010 lineup is here! The annual event, which gathers the cast and creative teams behind some of television most popular shows for a screening and Q&A session, will be moving to the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.

The lineup this year includes a lot of breakout freshmen series. Take a look:

Feb. 26 – Modern Family
Feb. 27 – Lost
March 1 – NCIS
March 3 – Community
March 4 – Dexter
March 5 – Cougar Town
March 6 – The Vampire Diaries
March 9 – Seth MacFarlane and Friends
March 10 – Breaking Bad
March 11 – FlashForward
March 12 – Men of a Certain Age
March 13 – Glee
March 14 – Curb Your Enthusiasm

All the evenings will start at 7 p.m.

Premium packages are currently sale. Individual tickets will go on sale to members on Friday, Jan. 22, while non-member individual tickets will go on sale Jan. 24. Individual ticket prices will be tiered: $60/$35/$25/$15 per event for members and $75/$45/$35/$25 per event for non-members. Go to PaleyCenter.org for more ticket information.

Which events will you be attending?

Vampires, Glee Clubs Come to PaleyFest 2010

Updated 1/6/10 – As expected, ABC’s hit comedy Modern Family has been added to the PaleyFest lineup. Variety reports that the show will open the festival, which will also honor Showtime’s Dexter, HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and ABC’s Lost, which will be signing off this year.

Change is good, right?

The Paley Center for Media made its first PaleyFest announcement this morning and things are looking a little different.

The event, which brings together the casts and creatives teams of popular TV shows for a night with their fans, is moving from the ArcLight Cinerama Dome in Hollywood to the larger Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. The two week screening and Q&A fest will also be a little earlier in the year — February 26 – March 14, 2010.

The first two panels announced for PaleyFest 2010 are — no surprise, here — freshmen breakout hits Glee and The Vampire Diaries. The full schedule will be released Jan. 20. Ticket packages will go on sale the same day on ticketweb.com, with individual tickets available to members on Jan. 22 and non-members on Jan. 24. For those with spare cash, a Premium Festival Pass is currently available for purchase on ticketweb.com for $1,200. It includes:

– One (1) guaranteed admission ticket to each star-studded PaleyFest2010 event
– Premium seating for each festival event
– Priority admission to each festival event
– Exclusive invitation for one (1) person to attend select PaleyFest2010 after-parties with surprise guests in attendance
– Free parking voucher for one (1) vehicle for each festival event
– Voucher for concessions for each festival event
– Limited edition PaleyFest2010 Premium Festival Pass Souvenir Lanyard
– Deluxe PaleyFest2010 Souvenir Program
– Complimentary General Membership for one year to The Paley Center for Media including free admission to our LA and NY facilities discounts on tickets to Paley Center public programs and more!

I understand not having $1,200 right now, but I recommend buying a Paley Center membership, which starts at $50, because PaleyFest events often sell out to members.

‘How I Met Your Mother’ Celebrates 100 Episodes at Paley Center

How I Met Your Mother is turning 100 and to celebrate, the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills is hosting a panel for the show.

Mother‘s 100th episode is scheduled to air Jan. 11, but fans can get a sneak preview at the event on Jan. 7. The episode features guest spots from Rachel Bilson, Tim Gunn and Stacy Keibler.

Tickets are $15 for members and $20 for the general public. I hope you got your tickets already because the event is sold out! More details from the Paley Center’s site follow:

How I Met Your Mother: 100th Episode Celebration

Thursday, January 7, 2010
6:30 pm PT
Los Angeles
In Person

Scheduled to Appear:
Josh Radnor, “Ted Mosby”
Jason Segel, “Marshall Eriksen”
Neil Patrick Harris, “Barney Stinson”
Cobie Smulders, “Robin Scherbatsky”
Alyson Hannigan, “Lily Aldrin”
Carter Bays, Creator/Executive Producer
Craig Thomas, Creator/Executive Producer
Pamela Fryman, Executive Producer/Director

Let’s go to the mall! Actually, let’s go to the Paley Center’s celebratory screening of the 100th episode of How I Met Your Mother, featuring the endlessly inventive comedy’s cast and creative team. Don’t make a slap-bet on this not being a great time; that is a bet you will lose. Dare we say it will be… legendary?

‘Friday Night Lights’ Actors on the Big Screen

I don’t often post about movies here, but I thought it was worth making an exception for some much loved Friday Night Lights actors.

This Friday, Nov. 13, brings the limited release of two new films featuring Connie Britton, Adrianne Palicki and Zach Gilford. If you’re in Los Angeles, you even have the chance to see one of those actors in person.

Women In Trouble, written and directed by Sebastian Gutierrez, is a series of vignette-like stories following ten different women during one day. It stars a bevy of familiar TV faces, including Britton, Palicki, Carla Gugino (Out of Sight), Marley Shelton (The Eleventh Hour), Cameron Richardson (Harper’s Island), Garcelle Beauvais (Eyes), Emmanuelle Chriqui (Entourage), Sarah Clarke (24) and Simon Baker (The Mentalist), in addition to current indie favorite Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Josh Brolin.

The Arclight Theater in Hollywood will host Q&As following the 7:30 p.m. shows this Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 14. Gutierrez and Shelton will be on hand Friday, while Gugino and Baker will join Gutierrez on Saturday.

Also opening this Friday in LA and New York is Gilford’s new film. He stars alongside Emmy Rossum, Ashley Springer, Ana Gasteyer, Alan Cumming and Sandra Bernhard in director Adam Salky’s Dare. The film centers around three high school teenagers who form a complicated relationship.

Gilford and Salky will participate in a Q&A after the 7:45 p.m. screening at the Laemmle Sunset 5 theater this Friday. Salky will also do a Q&A after the 7:45 p.m. show on Saturday.

Check out trailers for both films behind the cut. And don’t forget, the Paley Center is hosting a Parks and Recreation panel this Saturday, as well. It’s going to be a busy night.