hollywood q&a
Late laughs
By Adam Thomlison
TV Media
A Little Late
With Lilly
Singh
Q: Do you know when the
next series of “The Blacklist”
will be airing? Also do you
think this will be the last sea-
son? It’s kind of lost its edge
for me.
A: “The Blacklist” returns
from its winter hiatus in March,
but what happens after that, we
don’t know.
There’s been no word yet on
a renewal for what would be the
show’s eighth season. We don’t
even know for sure how long
the current season will be.
The seventh-season renewal
came last March, but there
was no official release of an
episode count. Given that the
midseason break came after the
10th episode, it seems likely the
show will get a full order (that is,
22 episodes), as it has since its
beginning back in 2013.
However, your question raises
the specter that always stalks
shows at around this point in
their lifespans: fan fatigue. The
show has aired nearly 150 epi-
sodes, with so many twists, turns
and rug pulls along the way that
there’s always a chance fans will
either stop caring about the cen-
tral mystery or give up hope that
they’ll get an answer. In a serial-
ized story like this one, that’s the
kiss of death.
On “The Blacklist,” the cen-
tral mystery is the true identity
of Raymond Reddington (played
by James Spader). The show’s
writers have been surpris-
ingly honest in saying that fans
shouldn’t expect to find out
anytime soon.
“Are we going to answer it
immediately? Absolutely not,”
creator Jon Bokenkamp said in
an interview with The Wrap.
Q: The theme song for
“Hotel Hell” seems to ring
a bell. Was it written just for
the series?
A: “Hotel Hell,” the ump-
teenth reality show based
around celebrity chef Gordon
Ramsay fixing other people’s
problems, gets a lot of guff for
its “weird” and “cheesy” theme
song. One TV writer pointed out
that “it seems like every word
that ends with an -el or -ell
sound was used in the lyrics of
this song,” and another simply
12 | Screentime
I’m not a fan
of the New
Year’s kiss,
mostly because I usually
spend New Year’s with my
family, and I’m not trying
to be Cersei Lannister.
The Tonight Show
Starring Jimmy
Fallon
James Spader stars in “The Blacklist”
called it the “worst theme song
can you?) things look somewhat
ever.”
promising.
It would be pretty awkward
Capt. Jack Harkness, played
if this all gets back to Australian
by John Barrowman, popped up
glam-rock band Skyhooks,
frequently in the early seasons
because they’re the ones who
of the “Doctor Who” revival and
released it back in 1978, as a
also starred in his own spinoff
serious song.
series, “Torchwood,” which ran
Skyhooks were a major pop
from 2006 to 2011. And “Torch-
phenomenon in Australia. The
wood” was created and written
song is (not surprisingly) also
by Chris Chibnall, who now hap-
titled “Hotel Hell” and was re-
pens to be “Doctor Who’s” new
leased on the band’s fifth album, showrunner.
“Guilty Until Proven Insane.”
Barrowman is hopeful that
Australian music journalist and
this means a return of Capt.
historian Ian McFarlane called it
Jack, either on “Doctor Who” or
their “classic” album and listed
on a revival of “Torchwood.”
“Hotel Hell” as one of its best
“Chris is the one who can
tracks, thanks to its exploration
make the decision, because
of “themes of alienation” and its it’s always the decision of the
“blistering hard rock firepower.” showrunner of ‘Doctor Who,’”
All that is to say that context
Barrowman told Radio Times
is everything: Skyhooks’ “Hotel
magazine.
Hell” works as a glam-rock
But there’s bad news, too. In
song, but it doesn’t necessarily
the premiere of the most recent
work as a TV theme.
season [spoiler alert], the Doctor
However, the issue of context
was told that Torchwood and
makes it a strangely good choice the related Unified Intelligence
for the show at the same time.
Taskforce (UNIT) had been dis-
The show’s central conflict
banded.
comes from the context clash of
This information was dropped
a Scottish celebrity coming to
pretty casually and not referred
intensely local American busi-
to again in the episode, which
nesses and telling them how
could either indicate that Chib-
to do things. The owners often
nall wants nothing to do with
push back, despite the fact that
Torchwood anymore, or else
hotels are in fact supposed to be the opposite, that he has much
appealing to outsiders. Amid all
bigger plans for it down the
this outsider-insider, American-
road. Torchwood and UNIT are
European conflict, throwing in
big pieces of the “Doctor Who”
an Australian pop song suddenly universe, so it’s unlikely they’re
doesn’t seem so weird.
gone forever. And, of course, the
show has always loved bringing
Q: Is Capt. Jack ever com-
back characters from the dead.
ing back to “Doctor Who”?
Have a question? Email us
A: There are certainly no plans
at questions@tvtabloid.com.
to bring back Capt. Jack. But if
Please include your name and
we were to move into the realm
town. Personal replies will not
of speculation (and if you can’t
be provided.
do it for “Doctor Who,” when
January 29, 2020 | East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald
I saw that for 2020, a lot of
people are making the
resolution to drink more
water. That’s why, for the
last [few] days, college kids
have woken up next to a
pile of empty Coors Lights.
According to a new poll,
Republican’s top choices
for president in 2024
include Ivanka and Donald
Trump Jr. Meanwhile, Eric
just got his tongue unstuck
from a pole he
licked at
Christmas.
Tonight was
the season
premiere of
“The Bachelor.” The new
bachelor is Peter, and he’s
actually a pilot for Delta.
When he was sitting by the
fire on a date, and the girl
asked for a blanket, he was
like, “That’ll be $9.”
Trump is busy. Earlier today,
at the White House, he met
with the leader of Greece.
Trump was confused
because he thought the
leader of Greece was John
Travolta.
Iran fired 22 missiles at
two American military
bases in Iraq. One soldier
said he hadn’t seen a bomb
that big since the movie
“Cats.”
The Late Show With
Stephen Colbert
Harry and Meghan are
stepping down as senior
members of the Royal
Family! Do you have any
idea what that means?
Because I have no idea!
There are senior levels of
royal? I thought it just
went like: King, Queen,
Prince, Princess, Jack of
Spades, boy wizard, Dukes
of Hazard and
then cartoon
mouse that
sews
Cinderella’s
dress.
The Late Late Show
with James Corden
It’s like the old saying goes:
“Work with a foreign
government to undermine
a democratic election once,
shame on you. Do it twice
and we’re going to inquire
about the possibility of
maybe doing something
this time. Maybe. We’ll see.
Possibly. I
don’t know.”
Uber is
launching a
new service
that will let users find rides
that allow animals. At least
when you get into one of
these ubers there’s a
reason it’s covered in hair
and smells disgusting.
Jimmy Kimmel Live
“All is well” and “So far so
good” are not statements
from a president after a
strike on U.S. forces. They
are the messages written
on candy hearts for
Valentine’s Day. At this
point, all he’s missing is
“Luv u!” He’s saving that
one for Vladdy
Putin.
Prince Harry
and Meghan
Markle
announced today
that they don’t want to be
royals anymore. They are
taking a “step back” from
their royal duties. What
does that mean, stepping
back from their royal
duties? They’ll be waving
less?
Late Night
With Seth
Meyers
Today was
Nicholas
Cage’s 56th
birthday. Directions to his
party can be found on the
back of the Declaration of
Independence!
A man in Florida was
arrested over the weekend
after he allegedly bit a
police dog while naked and
high on crystal meth. On
the plus side, as a Florida
Man, he already achieved
his 2020 resolution.
According to the latest
numbers, former vice-
president Joe Biden spent
11 days in Iowa last month.
It was only supposed to be
a weekend, but he got lost
in a corn maze.
Prince Harry and Duchess
Meghan Markle announced
on Instagram this
afternoon that they are
stepping away from the
Royal Family and moving to
Canada. Or, as it was
reported in British tabloids,
“Meghan kidnaps Harry.”
After laying off her entire
campaign staff last week,
wellness guru Marianne
Williamson said today
that she is considering
ending her presidential
run. She’ll return to her
previous job: appearing in
the stars during your
ayahuasca trip.
Weekend Update
The parents of a toddler in
Great Britain say he’s
obsessed with a hairstyling
mannequin head, and he
carries it everywhere. It’s
an adorable habit that his
parents will look back on
wistfully when they’re
watching him be sentenced
for multiple murders.