Colbert appears on Russia TV & jokes about presidential run

‘Downward’ canceled by ABC

LOS ANGELES, June 24, (RTRS): Stephen Colbert made an appearance on Russian TV, where he appeared to jokingly mull a presidential run.

In a video released Friday, Colbert appeared on “Evening Urgant,” a late-night style talk show that airs on Russia’s Channel 1. The back and forth between Colbert and host Ivan Urgant took place partly in Russian, partly in English.

In the interview, Colbert and Urgant played a Russian roulette-style game.

Colbert said, “To the beautiful and friendly Russian people, I have no idea why no members of the Trump administration can remember meeting you.” Colbert then ate a pickle.

After Urgant took the game, Colbert asked, “By the way, can I announce something?” He then continued, “I’m here in Russia … I am here to announce that I am considering a run for president in 2020, and I thought it would be better to cut out the middle man and just tell the Russians myself. If anyone would like to work on my campaign in an unofficial capacity, please, just come let me know.”

Colbert and Urgant said “A strong America, a strong Russia.”

In today’s roundup, Heather Graham gets a part in “Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders,” and HBO Films releases a first look at Peter Dinklage in “My Dinner with Herve.”

Heather Graham, Elizabeth Reaser, and Larry Cedar have been cast in “Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders.” Graham will play Judalon Smyth, a sexy, emotionally fragile woman who is having an affair with Dr Oziel. Reaser will play Deputy District Attorney Pam Bozanich, who is assigned to the murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez. Cedar will play Milton Andersen, Kitty’s older brother. The series, which depicts the infamous murder trial of the infamous siblings, will air Tuesdays at 10 pm on NBC starting Sept 26. Edie Falco, Julianne Nicholson, Anthony Edwards, and Sam Jaeger have been previously cast in the show.

Emily Rudd is set to play the title role in “Olive Forever,” a pilot from Universal Cable Productions. Rudd’s character Olive is a high school student, con artist, cat burglar, and chameleon who deep down is just a foster kid looking for a home. “Olive Forever” is executive produced by Brian Duffield, Nicki Cortese, Brian Robbins, Matt Kaplan, and Brett Bouttier. Matt Shakman will direct and executive produce. Rudd is represented by CAA, Luber Roklin Entertainment and Jackoway Tyerman.

ABC has canceled half-hour comedy “Downward Dog.” Co-creator Samm Hodges tweeted news of the cancellation Friday.

“Got the very surprising news today that ABC is not moving forward with Downward Dog,” Hodges wrote. “They loved it creatively and really wanted to make more but couldn’t find a financial path to do so.”

Hodges added that producers are “committed to finding a new home” for the series and that the last two episodes of the show’s eight-episode run will air Tuesday, beginning at 10 pm.

A representative for ABC confirmed the cancellation.

“Downward Dog” starred Allison Tolman as Nan, a woman navigating relationship and professional changes. The show prominently featured Nan’s dog Martin talking to the camera and narrating the story from his perspective.

Tolman thanked fans for their support of the show, posting a message on Twitter saying, “To all #downwarddog fans, simply put — we wouldn’t be us without you. Thanks for getting us. Bark bark.”

In her review of the show for Variety, Sonia Saraiya wrote of the show’s talking-dog narrator, “‘Downward Dog’ grafts this schtick onto what is otherwise a mumblecore relationship comedy, with an apparent eye towards sincerity. And in giving Martin a personality, the show settles on a mopey, selfish little cretin who observes, matter-of-factly, that he really has to ‘dominate’ his owner, Nan (Tolman), to get what he wants out of their relationship. It becomes difficult to not root against Martin (voiced by Samm Hodges) just so that Nan can get a few minutes of peace.”

“Downward Dog” was produced by ABC Studios. Executive producers were Michael Killen, Hodges, Jimmy Miller, Sam Hansen, Kathy Dzubiek, Kat Likkel, and John Hoberg.

It’s been 12 years since Tom Cruise lectured Matt Lauer about antidepressants and psychiatry during a now-infamous interview. To commemorate that notorious interaction, Andy Cohen, host of “What Happens Live With Andy Cohen,” recreated the cringe-worthy scene with Lauer as the lead of Cruise.

Before recreating the scene for Clubhouse Playhouse, Lauer emphasized, “I like Tom Cruise. We have a good relationship. We have a good friendship. It was just one little moment, okay?”

Lauer wore a Tom Cruise wig and Cohen acted as the “Today” host as they took turns reading lines from the interview in front of a green screen: “Matt, Matt, Matt...you’re blig. That’s the opposite of glib,” Lauer faintly whispered.

Once again, “Killjoys” arrives in the nick of time.

This delightful summer series, which begins its third season June 30, completes one of my favorite 2017 programming blocks. For the next month or two, Friday nights on Syfy will consist of “Killjoys,” followed by “Dark Matter” and “Wynonna Earp.” All three are enjoyable in their own ways (check out my recent enthusiastic recommendation for all things “Earp”), and together they supply a whole lot of quip-intensive, well-crafted genre fun.

“Killjoys” tells the story of bounty hunters in a distant galaxy, and if you are my kind of person, in order to check it out, all you need to hear is this phrase: space bounty hunters.

Lucky for us, “Killjoys,” which is a coproduction with Canada’s SPACE, uses that premise to create believable worlds, give shading to solid characters and nuanced relationships, and tell smart stories that touch on matters of politics, culture, co-existence, and love.