Private Practice

I’m always amazed at how busy the actors from Private Practice are even when the show is in production. Now that it’s on a “hiatus” of sorts due to the writer’s strike, the actors have remained just as busy.

Taye Diggs has been doing some good deeds of the victims of Katrina of late, but that doesn’t stop him from using his acting muscles as well. According to a rumor in Vanity Fair, Diggs might just be be starring in the upcoming Chicago 7 directed by Steven Spielberg along with Sacha Baron Cohen and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Well, Mr. Speilberg… HELLO.

Roma Torre from NY1 News is praising Audra McDonald’s work in 110 in the Shade, calling it “phenomenal.” McDonald IS a talented actress. Even if she is the wrong Naomi.

But I digress!

Here’s her belting out “Simple Little Things” on The View a few months back. I think she’s talented, no doubt, but her performance on was a little too over the top. Yeah, yeah, I know Broadway IS over the top… but her voice is just too… much like watching an obnoxious kid sing “Silver Bells” on Christmas. (Like a certain cousin of mine who used to think she was Barbara Friggin Streisand. You know who you are.)

KaDee Strickland and Paul Adelstein, meanwhile, are supporting the striking writers by their participation in “Diversity Day.” Check out Adelstein’s bearded up face – the typical “I’m out of work” sign for any actor.

Speaking of which… when’s that writer’s strike gonna come to an end already?

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Happy Birthday, Taye Diggs!

The Private Practice hunk is 37 today.

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Love this story from New York Magazine about a waitress who received a $250 tip from Taye Diggs. In the article, the waitress (and also model, apparently) said:

“Taye Diggs used to literally make coffee at the Coffee Shop. He came in last year with a couple of his friends, Oliver Hudson and someone else. They gave me $250 on a $30 check!”

He used to LITERALLY make coffee. Who knew?

Seriously though, it’s good to know some Hollywood stars know how to give back to the regular folks once they hit the big time. Diggs is obviously a generous spirit.

The article also says Dave Chappelle’s been hanging out there as well, and that he gets French toast and is very nice even though he “doesn’t want to be bothered or talked to.”

Yes – sounds charming to me.

Speaking of Taye Diggs, there’s a hilarious rant on film.com about superheroes in movies. Now, being a tremendous geek myself, I actually kind of like that practice, although I do understand Sacha Howells take:

“How long ’til they rescue Aquaman from the purgatory of an Entourage punch line and rush it into preproduction, with Daniel Craig in the lead and Taye Diggs as Black Manta?”

Hmm…let’s see, Daniel Craig in the lead…

…with Taye Diggs at his side?

We like.

$250 tip from Taye Diggs, Dave Chappelle

Taye Diggs is making good use of his time off while the writer’s strike persists. Earlier this week he flew to New Orleans to join in a “good Tide - ings” event for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Tide created it’s “CleanStart” truck in 2005 to offer free laundry services to families after the hurricane. The manufacturer has been back four times and washed over 20,000 loads of laundry.

Diggs did his part by carrying laundry and by using his talented singing voice. He entertained the crowd with Christmas carols, sipped hot cocoa, and talked with people about their experience.

“Yesterday, I spent time visiting a number of families in New Orleans. They told me that this is the first time in two years that they will be able to enjoy the holidays in their own homes. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to help Tide support such a worthwhile cause,” said Diggs. “I encourage everyone to join them in doing everything possible to continue to help this city.”

Each family also received new washers and dryers, grocery store gift certificates, and a one-year supply of Tide detergent.

And see that awesome tee shirt Taye Diggs has on? You can help out in the effort simply by buying one of those tee shirts. They’re only $15 from the Tide website, and all proceeds will be donated to America’s Second Harvest to help families whose lives have been affected by disasters.

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Taye Diggs was voted one of the top ten “Most Beautiful Black Men Alive” by TV One Access.

All I want to know is: Why is he not number one?

Check out the rest of the list here.

On Friday talks for the writer’s strike came to a halt once again. Is it too much to ask that as an early Christmas present they could at least keep at it? Talks between the writers and the big exec’s started up November 26th and once again went to pieces over the income from the Internet point.

We all want the strike to end, for various reasons… we disklike reruns… we have some new shows that have just gotten off the ground (Private Practice, Pushing Daisies)… we think strikes of any type should be mediated by Jimmy Carter so they can be resolved tout de suite.

And here’s another reason for the writer’s to end the strike: Celebrities will have more time on their hands to campaign for their favorite presidential candidates.

Case in point:

Jessica Biel, Ryan Reynolds, Scarlett Johansson, Kate Walsh and Taye Diggs are all backing Democratic presidential primary candidate Barack Obama, and coming together for the “Los Angeles Generation Obama Concert” next week in Los Angeles, US Weekly reports.

Ah… ugh. Here’s the thing, I love these celebs. Really. Love cute goofy Ryan Reynolds…

… love gorgeous Scarlet Johansson…

… and especially love our own Kate Walsh….

… and Taye Diggs.

Still, celebs getting press because of how they vote bore me. Why do I care? I don’t even care how my neighbor is going to vote, why would I care how the likes of Jessica freakin Biel is going to vote. She’s purdy…

… but that’s about it.

On a related note, Marti Noxon (an executive producer of Private Practice) is putting together a comedy concert sponsored by the Writer’s Guild. Eddie Izzard, Sarah Silverman, and Jack Black will play at Royce Hall (UCLA campus) at 8:00 p.m.

Noxon (pictured here) told the LA Times that the writers on Private Practice (and it’s daddy, Grey’s Anatomy) will pay their assistants (who aren’t in the union) out of their own pockets. Said Noxon:

“Everyone needs to feel writers aren’t just out here on our own fighting for our own issues. Members of all unions are affected by the strike.”

Well said, Marti Noxon, well said.

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Interesting article on a “Woodstock rock star-turned linquist” character from Kathy Reichs’ book Bones to Ashes. The guy is based on a real life person (and friend of the author) named Robert Leonard. Leonard was a co-founding member of the band Sha Na Na and also played at Woodstock. But he quit the rock biz early (still in his early 20s), went to Columbia, and has worked on some high-profile high crime cases where letters and writing are involved. He worked with Private Practice’s own Taye Diggs a few years ago when he and his wife (both pictured) were getting threatening letters, and most recently he worked on the JonBenet case when that teacher (John Karr) claimed he killed the little girl.

Speaking of Taye Diggs, his old show Day Break is getting a second life. (Of sorts.) You guys remember Day Break? It like a cross between Ground Hog Day and NYPD Blue, with a little of that new show Life thrown in for good measure. The synopsis was this: Diggs was a detective who got framed for murder, and as a result gets caught in a weird time blip where he lives the same day over and over again. In this same repeated day he is trying to find clues to help get him out of hot water.

Yah…the show only ran for six episodes and was pulled. Anyway… TV One has acquired the rights to the show and will begin airing it along with other shows like Eddie Murphy’s claymation deal The PJs, and Doug E. Doug’s Where I Live.

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Well… I’m back from the Thanksgiving holiday, and have some thoughts Wednesday’s Private Practice episode. First of all, I loved how the show started. Everyone is avoiding each other, and the only one not in on the joke is Dell. I also liked how the women all went into one office and the guys went into another – then they nervously looking at each other and wondered what they were talking about.

While I love how Shonda Rhimes has written these characters, I do think Taye Diggs’ character is a little off the mark. I DON’T think Sam would come in by Naomi and want to work on things again. Especially because he’s the one that left. (And let’s face it – the extremely hot one of the pair.) He wouldn’t ask for clarification on their roll in the hay (or on the boardroom table, as it were) because that’s NOT WHAT GUYS DO. Women do that. I’m not saying guys don’t ponder things, it’s just that they generally don’t do it aloud. Plus, Naomi is clearly the one wanting after Sam. It’ll be interesting to see where these two characters end up going, because right now it’s a bit confusing.

I came very close to calling the whole Charlotte and… someone… rolling in the hay thing. I had actually thought they might do it with her and Pete. But now that I think about it… of course it would happen with Cooper – who just can’t seem to have an emotional relationship AND sex with the same woman. Sure, he’s got the emotional thing happening with Violet… and then he’s got the sex part now with Charlotte. Violet is sure to go off the deep end upon finding out about this one. I can’t say as I blame her. Violet and Coop are just so perfect for each other. Speaking of which, here’s a cute video that highlights their relationship:

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Thoughts on last night’s episode. Well, first of all, I think the whole Violet and Coop getting undressed thing was hilarious. Did you love how Cooper says, “You’re naked. You always have clothing on at work.” And Violet says, “I try to be professional.”

I did NOT see the whole Sam and Naomi having sex thing coming, tho! I still have a hard time believing that women would attract Taye Diggs! But then I’ve more than made myself clear on why that is.

Another six degree of separation thing was the whole birthing in a pool scene. ESPECIALLY when Addison gets in the pool with the pregnant girl! Know where I last saw that? None other than Judging Amy… when Maxine gets in the pool with Donna. (My Judging Amy circle is once again complete.)

Couldn’t you just hear the “Dar-leeeeen” from Roseanne somewhere off in the background during Sara Gilbert’s scenes? Like, if we were to peak in on Darlene Conner today I bet she’d be knocked up and robbing a convenience store. So… good casting there. I did think the whole storyline between her and the store clerk was kind of tired, though. I mean, she robs the joint because she needs money for the baby… and he takes the job there because he needs MONEY FOR THE BABY. So very Gift of the Magi.

Couldn’t you just see the disappointment on Addison’s face when the cop asks her out and she had to turn him down? You could just see that, “DOH!” look on her face… but she couldn’t very well cancel with Pete, could she? It didn’t surprise me at all that Pete blew her off. It was a cute twist that Pete showed up at Violet’s door while Coop showed up at Addy’s. Loved that.

Plus, I’m not buying the emotion that Pete is going through. He’s like a blank slate. He’s got no intensity… not for the grieving husband deal, or for the smarmy womanizer. Tim Daly’s really gotta work on that or I’m going to have to start yelling at the TV. (Cuz they can hear you when you do that. You knew that, right?)

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Most of you probably came to Private Practice by watching Grey’s Anatomy.

Not me. For me, it all started with an episode of Judging Amy and a lunch break. As a freelance writer I usually don’t stop for lunch, opting instead to grab a bowl of cereal or a Zone bar and keep working (or reading blogs, whichever the case may be.) But one day I popped on the TV while microwaving my leftover spaghetti (a nice change from cereal) and here was Tyne Daly yelling at a curly-haired actress. The actress played a judge, and …. oh… I remember reading something about this show…and about Tyne Daly winning an Emmy for it:

Judging Amy was airing twice daily on TNT and the episode I happened to catch was the pilot. I hit “record series” and went back to work.

Later my husband was going through our taped shows and lamented, “Judging Amy? Since when do we watch this?” He rolled his eyes… but watched it with me anyways. (I’m proud to say he became even more addicted to the show than I was.)

And then… twice daily airings suddenly became once daily. And then… nothing. (I never even found out how the show ended. AND DON’T TELL ME. I’ll get around to ordering it off Netflix one of these days.) I was left with wondering what happened to Amy and Maxine (Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly). A quick search on my favorite IMDB found that Brenneman was now starring a new show.

So without knowing anything about Grey’s, I tuned in to the first episode of its spin-off: Private Practice. And I see…. Taye Diggs. Hmmm… nice. Tim Daly. Daly first stole my TV lover’s heart when he starred on Wings. But you know what else he is? Take a moment… think about it…

He’s Tyne Daly’s little brother. (In real life, not on TV.)

Tyne Daly was Maxine Gray on Judging Amy and Tim Daly is Dr. Pete on Private Practice. So here my Judging Amy circle is complete.

Which brings me to Private Practice… my new TV addiction. If any of you came to the Addison Montgomery character after Grey’s, like me, this clip will help you get a persepctive on her last few years:

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