SOAP SYNOPSES By Beverly Foster Seinberg Tribune Media Services
JR assured Annie that they would go public with their relationship as soon as possible, but Annie continued to worry about his relationship with Marissa. Greenlee All My Children was worried about how After Liza showed Erica a Madison’s pregnancy would security camera snapshot of Kendall with a pillow near affect her relationship with Ryan. Damon tried to mend David’s face, Erica confessed to Caleb that Kendall Colby’s strained relationship was the one who shot David with her mother. The Bold and the and that she’d covered for her. Caleb and Erica kissed, Beautiful and he promised to keep it Liam told Bill that he between them, along with couldn’t live up to the perthe truth about Kendall. sona created for him and Kendall collapsed and was wasn’t going to give up on hospitalized with pneumoHope. After he told Hope nia. Madison changed her this, she agreed to give mind about Greenlee’s offer him a second chance but of a new start in New York. told him he had to prove
himself. Tawny continued trying to persuade Amber to pass her baby off as Liam’s. Brooke grilled Amber about what happened between her and Liam the night of the party. Jackie created some designs for a new collection at Jackie M. Owen asked Nick to be his best man at his and Jackie’s vow renewal, but Nick was planning to skip the ceremony. When a troubling phone call threatened to ruin the event, however, it was Nick who saved the day. Days of our Lives EJ gave Nicole an ultimatum: Brady or Sydney. She broke up with Brady and agreed to marry EJ, who outfitted her with a tracking device. Sami tried to fool EJ
into believing Nicole was continuing to see Brady, but she was found out. Unhappy about EJ and Nicole’s marriage, Johnny ran away. Melanie walked out on Philip after the revelation that he was Parker’s father, and Daniel ordered Chloe and Parker out of their home. Stephanie feared the worst when she learned that the truth had come out, but Kayla explained that her name was left out. General Hospital Carly and Jason raced off to rescue the bus crash victims. Morgan was missing, but Michael found him with a broken leg and carried him back to their makeshift camp. Olivia was taken by helicopter to General Hos-
pital in critical condition. At guard and called Dorian to the hospital, all the doctors try to explain his situation. banded together to help The Young and the the victims. Lulu arrived to Restless comfort Dante, who feared Chloe and Kevin were losing his mother. stunned when Jana showed One Life to Live up with a gash on her head After Marty’s arrival derailed and told them that Daisy John and Natalie’s wedding escaped. As Daisy was ceremony, Jessica suffered driving, she had another contraction. Kevin offered to abdominal pain, and John and Brody rushed her to the let Jana stay with him when hospital. Back at the hearing the doctors told her she shouldn’t be alone overroom, Natalie confronted night. After he told everyone Marty, who slipped and hit her head while trying to run that he’d changed his mind about the adoption, Jana off to the hospital. Natalie brought her to the Buchan- changed her story, telling an Lodge, where she began them that Daniel found to go into labor, and Marty Daisy giving birth in Jana’s car. As he was holding his left her there. In Morocco, David attempted to escape, daughter, Daisy knocked and Clint went to help. Da- him out and abandoned the baby at a church. vid got a phone from the
COVER STORY
New Showtime comedies are ‘Shameless’-ly good By John Crook © Zap2it Despite frequent attempts, many hit British TV series haven’t been able to make a successful transition across the big pond to American television. For every success like NBC’s “The Office,” there’s a bomb like the same network’s “Coupling.” Or, on a variety of channels, “Cracker,” “Cold Feed,” “Eleventh Hour,” “Life on Mars,” “Teachers,” “Viva Laughlin!” and “Touching Evil.” Which only compounds the ruddy miracle that is “Shameless,” the improbably excellent Americanization of a quirky British hit of the same title premiering Sunday, Jan. 9, on Showtime. Originally created by Paul Abbott and based on his own offkilter upbringing, the dark, rude and sidesplitting comedy - which executive producer John Wells (“ER”) has transplanted from Manchester, England, to Chicago for this new version - revolves around the large and raucous Gallagher family, a close-knit clan headed by booze- and drugaddled patriarch Frank (William H. Macy). Abandoned, somewhat understandably, by his wife after the births of six children (one of them of dubious paternity), Frank lives on his disability checks, which he squanders recklessly at a bar run by a neighbor, Kev (Steve Howey, “Reba”). Forced to become a surrogate parent, oldest daughter Fiona (Emmy Rossum of “Phantom of the Opera” in a breakout performance) selflessly cares for her five siblings, each of whom pitches in to help out with cashraising gambits that include the odd bit of petty larceny. Fiona’s stressed-out routine gets a much-needed boost
door or “princess” roles, had to fight for the part of the gutsy Fiona, auditioning four times before she was hired. “Fiona steps in and takes care of everyone, including her father,” the 24-year-old actress says of her character. “You’d think there would be a lot of anger and resentment underneath, but she never shows that, especially not to her brothers and sisters, whom she loves more than anything. She is fiercely loyal to her family and even to her father, no matter how much he screws up. She may get angry and want to beat the (crap) out of him, but in the Stephen Mangan, Matt LeBlanc and Tamsin Greig (from left) star end, they are a family, a real kind in “Episodes,” premiering Sunday on Showtime. of modern American family. “We’re showing the struggles they go through, with the economy and everything else that is happening now. I just think it is when she catches the eye of “I am absolutely thrilled,” Macy very admirable that they don’t Steve (Justin Chatwin), a nice says of the Showtime series. “It’s give in to self-pity. They have a guy whose bankroll likewise not dissimilar to our British breth- very strong get-up-and-go atcomes from some shady dealren, but it is distinctly American, titude.” and the translation has been ings. Frank, meanwhile, begins Weirdly, the time-slot neighbor flawless. In some ways it’s deep- of “Shameless” and premiering to crash at the home of Sheila er, funnier, while in other ways it’s the same night is “Episodes,” Jackson (the sublime Joan Cuconsistent with what they were a new sitcom that chronicles sack), a local divorcee who sufdoing. We met Paul Abbott when the painful experience a pair of fers from profound agoraphobia we were working on the pilot, and married British comedy writers and assorted other mental and then he came by and hung out (Stephen Mangan, Tamsin Greig) emotional disorders but offers for a couple of weeks when we endure when they are brought to Frank shelter, gourmet cooking started episode two, so we all got Hollywood to Americanize their and more sexual kink than he to meet him and talk with him. hit Britcom “Lyman’s Boys” for can handle. It was very gratifying to see he a U.S. network run by a boorish Wells has taken an ensemble couldn’t have been happier. executive (John Pankow). While comedy that at first appearance “We’re sort of picking and they keep hearing assurances seems too distinctly British and choosing, so in the broadest that everyone loves “Lyman’s place-specific to be adapted and sense we are following the temBoys,” their show about an avunsomehow given it a very credible plate of the British series, and cular English headmaster, Sean American accent while retaining and Beverly Lincoln watch in the writers have written some the richness and emotional reso- new scenes that are specific to horror as their classy jewel of a nance of the original. Certainly it our episodes. They’ve mixed it up series is overhauled with a vulgar helps immensely that he was de- a bit and taken some great bits new title (“Pucks”) and a new veloping “Shameless” for Amerilead character, now a hockey from one episode and put into can TV at the same time that another. But by and large we are coach played by former “Friends” star Matt LeBlanc, starring as Macy, who played the kilt-wearing following the British show.” a vain, self-serving version of Dr. David Morgenstern on “ER,” Rossum, who previously usuhimself. ally had been cast in girl-nextwas looking for a TV series role.
CALL FOR RESERVATIONS. Must be 18 years of age. Call (218) 829-7523 or TOLL FREE 1-866-829-7523
Palace Casino Northern Lights Casino Overnight Trip: Mon.-Tues., January 17 - 18 Depart 8:30am • Return 4:30pm Benefits: Palace - 4 hour stay, receive $50 slot play, $3 food coupon. Overnight at Northern Lights - Receive $50 slot play & $3 food coupon
Room and Bus Cost per person: $75 single, $60 double, $55 triple Full Payment Due Prior To Trip Pick up: Nisswa – 8:50, Pequot Lakes – 9:00, 2 x 3" ad Pine River – 9:20, Hackensack 9:45 Future Trip: Monday-Tuesday, Feb. 7 & 8 ALL DEPARTURE TIMES FROM EAST BRAINERD MALL (South of Dollar Tree)
SOLUTION NOORD I NARY I AM B EV E R E I C O SMO E TUDE T M I KEH E CK L T ML TO E BOY E L F AL F R I N H E L WN U Y I C S I M I AM I THANK WOMA N M L O ANN HUR E DANADE LANY
Solution Matt Lauer JANUARY 9 - 15, 2011 – BRAINERD, MN/DISPATCH – 11