Mercy's Jamie Lee Kirchner takes Mr. Media for a hospital tour, stat!

By BOB ANDELMAN

Reports of the death of the TV hospital drama—foretold by the end of "ER" last season after 27 years on the air—were apparently premature.

Showtime has "Nurse Jackie"; TNT has "HawthoRNe" and NBC is back with a new one that adds an "M," a "C" and a "Y" to "E" and "R" and that gives us "Mercy." (Oh, stop groaning—you saw that one coming a mile away.) ("Mercy" Website)

But alert Nurse Hathaway! In this network show, the nurses—not the doctors—are running the asylum. Starring Taylor Schilling, Michelle Tractenberg and my guest today, Jamie Lee Kirchner, "Mercy" lets viewers know who's really in charge on the floors.

"Mercy" airs every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. on NBC.

AUDIO EXCERPT: "It's a friendship show. It's like 'Sex and the City' with cheaper footwear. There's a lot of comedy; just when you think you know who these people are, they make a hard left turn." 

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You can LISTEN to this interview with JAMIE LEE KIRCHNER, co-star of NBC's MERCY, by clicking the audio player above!

Copyright 2010 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

‘Weeds’ star Justin Kirk (Andy Botwin) takes Mr. Media to school in ‘University of Andy’ webisodes

Last night, my wife and I engaged in one of those perception vs. reality recaps. In it, I recalled my perception of the Showtime sitcom “Weeds” was that there couldn’t possibly a show in which I could have even less interest.

I’ve never been a drug guy. No smoky, no snortie, no pills, hell, I don’t even drink. Never been an interest of mine. So why the hell would I watch a show about a widow who becomes a pot dealer to support her two boys—and it’s played for laughs?

Okay, I was wrong. Last fall, I was laid up for several weeks and going out of my mind with boredom. I became well acquainted with the “On Demand” function of our cable service and caught up with a lot of TV shows I had previously missed. And when those ran out, I watched a random episode of “Weeds.”

I laughed so hard it hurt.

Could I have been so wrong? Yes.

I watched every episode I could find. Several of them, I watched over and over. This summer, I hooked my wife and we rented the series from Netflix, starting with season one. She’s almost caught up and we hope to start on season 5, which began airing new episodes this month, shortly.

If you’ve never seen the show on grounds similar to my original view, I urge you to reconsider. The cast includes Mary Louise Parker, Elizabeth Perkins, the insane Kevin Nealon and the show’s gooey center, my guest today, Justin Kirk, who plays Andy Botwin.

If you’re easily offended, don't click the "play" button below. This show is intended for adults.
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You can LISTEN to this interview with WEEDS star JUSTIN KIRK by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player above!


Copyright 2009 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!

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Joey Luthman, WEEDS, AN AMERICAN CAROL actor: Mr. Media Interview

Image via WikipediaI hate it when people confuse actors with the characters they play. For example, just because 11-year-old Joey Luthman appears on the Showtime sitcom “Weeds” doesn’t mean he’s a pothead.

At least I hope not!

And just because he has a role in the new movie An American Carol alongside Kelsey Grammer, Leslie Nielsen, Dennis Hopper and James Woods doesn’t mean he’s a conservative right-winger.

Not that there’s anything wrong with it.

You can LISTEN to this interview with WEEDS and AN AMERICAN CAROL actor JOEY LUTHMAN by clicking the BlogTalkRadio.com audio player below!

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Copyright 2008 Bob Andelman. Click here for copyright permissions!