When Movie Stars Retire, They Go to Television

As I was watching the travesty that was Rams-Seahawks last Sunday, one of the NBC commercials caught my eye, which isn't really hard because I use commercials as a way to vent my frustrations and point out the subtle hilarity of American consumerism. However, this wasn't a product advertisement, it was a promo for a new NBC show entitled "Harry's Law" starring Kathy Bates, Academy Award-winning Kathy Bates. It's a law drama, which between that and cop shows seems to be the only source of entertainment network TV believes the American public likes, but it made me wonder about the state of Hollywood at this present time. I understand the mantra, "Either you're hot or you're not", but have we become so obsessed with youth and image that even talented older people who still got game are pushed to the side like the nerdy kid that no one wants on their dodge ball team? I'm sure Kathy Bates didn't imagine she'd be doing network drama at this stage of life, she's only 62, and she has other movie roles, but it's not the same as it was even 5-10 years ago. Then I realized, that's been happening more and more with older or more seasoned actors. Think about this:

(Note: The "Now" portion of these Then and Now's are recent history, not presently. I'm making this clear so I don't get into a semantics debate with anyone who reads this.)

1. Richard Dreyfuss
Then: Featured in some of the most iconic movies of all time, such as Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Won an Oscar in '78 for The Goodbye Girl and was nominated for Mr. Holland's Opus in '95.

Now: Had roles in Poseidon and W. and a minor role in Red while most recently doing some voice work for "Family Guy" as himself. Age 63

2. James Caan
Then: Played Sonny in The Godfather and had feature roles in Brian's Song and more recently Elf.

Now: Spent 4 seasons on the TV show "Las Vegas" while doing some bit roles in other movies. Age 70

3. Denise Richards
Then: Had iconic roles in Starship Troopers, Wild Things, and was a Bond girl in The World is Not Enough.

Now: Did the reality thing with her series "Denise Richards: It's Complicated" and has recent multiple appearances on Spikes' "Blue Mountain State". Age 39

4. Chevy Chase
Then: Started as a regular cast member on "Saturday Night Live" before showing up in iconic roles in the Vacation movies and Caddyshack.

Now:  Is a featured cast member on the NBC show "Community". He also appears in various commercials for T-Mobile and Chase Commercial Bank. Age 67

5. Martin Sheen
Then: Starred in various cinematic favorites like Apocalypse Now, Wall Street, and Gettysburg.

Now: Is most notably recognized as the President from "The West Wing", which is a role he maintained for several seasons. He had a notable role in The Departed in '06 but will have to wait until the next edition of Spider-Man in 2012 for his next decent role. Age 70

6. Holly Hunter
Then: Was an accomplished movie actress with two Oscar nominations and one win in The Piano. Also had a starring role in Raising Arizona.

Now: Has not been in a film since 2005, with her last major role in the animated film The Incredibles. She has had a starring role on TNT's "Saving Grace" for the last four years. Age 52

7. Sally Field
Then: She also was an Academy Award-winning actress in the earlier part of her career, taking home two Oscars for Norma Rae and Places in the Heart. She also appeared in favorites like Mrs. Doubtfire and Forrest Gump.

Now: For the past five years, she has held the starring role in ABC's "Brothers and Sisters" but has not appeared in a recognizable role in a film since 2003 in Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde. Age 64

8. Glenn Close
Then: Of the list, she had the most Oscar nominations with 5, while also appearing in notable films like The Natural and 101 Dalmatians.

Now: She is presently the star of FX's "Damages" and was a regular on "The Shield" but hasn't been featured in movies since the 1990's. Age 63

9. Charlie Sheen
Then: He was one of the hottest actors in the 1980's and 1990's with major roles in hits like Platoon, Wall Street, and the Major League movies.

Now: He is more recognizable as a television actor, first winning an Emmy on "Spin City" and now in the process of completing his sixth season on "Two and a Half Men". He hasn't had a starring role in a film in over 10 years. Age 45

10. Bill Paxton
Then: Had memorable roles in films like Weird Science, Aliens, Apollo 13, Twister, and Titanic.

Now: He is starring on HBO's "Big Love" which is currently in its fourth season and has not been in a movie for about 6 years. Age 55

Kathy Bates storms into a courtroom Law and Order-style with her young staff in the new NBC series "Harry's Law"

I didn't even include actors who were more known for iconic television parts before they jumped into movies, such as Jimmy Smits on "NYPD Blue" who had a brief series this year called "Outlaw", or Tom Selleck who was Magnum P.I. and has recently had stints on "Las Vegas" and now "Blue Bloods". The relative similarity between all these actors I mentioned is their age. In the era where actors are bred from birth and if you haven't started out on the Disney Channel then you are behind the eight ball, the younger generations are pushing out the more experienced, veteran performers. This would be like the Vikings saying no to Brett Favre last year because they had Tarvaris Jackson on roster and were excited about his upside and physical tools (The craziest of crazy notions). We have become obsessed with youth, sex, action, gratuitous violence, and explosions as an audience, so Hollywood looks to satisfy our needs with younger actors. They seem more inclined to handle the rigors of action movies, even if they don't have the acting chops. (I'm looking at you Vin Diesel.) As such, movies are losing substance, plots are becoming stale and over-used, and CGI is pegged as a crutch (see what I did there) to assist directors who can't find the necessary talent to make a movie good on its own. So, where does the talent go? Television is a different beast, especially if it's live like SNL, and it gives actors freedoms they couldn't possess in cinema, like a potential cross-over into directing or producing. Also, the money isn't lacking. (Charlie Sheen makes almost $2 million an episode for "Two and a Half Men". Last season, they made 22 episodes, meaning he made about $44 million dollars doing probably 70% of the work he would do on set of a feature film.)

What's next? In 15 years, will Tom Cruise be starring in an NBC drama as an over-protective pediatrician who sees fit to solve families' domestic issues on the side? Perhaps in 10 years Denzel Washington will play the father in the CBS re-make of "Good Times". Those ideas sound ridiculous, but the trends suggest the real future won't stray too far from those suggestions. How can movie stars rise up and not be pushed out? Jack Nicholson at the ripe age of 73 is still playing major roles in successful films. Is it just his talent (12 Oscar nominations and 3 wins)? Is it the level of icon he has become due to his persona and earlier roles like the Joker in Batman? I don't rightly know, but Nicholson hasn't made the jump to the short screen, or hasn't had to yet because directors still see him as viable, as a movie star. So, a lot of older movie stars are losing their bank-ability on the silver screen but are gaining credibility on television, which honestly is becoming more entertaining than movies at this current juncture due to HD TVs and DIRECTV packages; TV directors also seem to make more risks with their productions, which viewers respect and admire. As such, TV stars can get paid like box-office juggernauts and yet, they lost that tag of being "big".

 I don't plan on watching "Harry's Law" because I have enough courtroom drama in my life, but it probably will keep Kathy Bates out of movies for a while, unless it's not worth the trouble going back.

Hey Egg, I See You and the NFL's Face Met and Hooked Up!

Nobody likes to admit when they made a mistake, but when something goes wrong that could be considered an anomaly, a scenario plays out that is deemed to be near impossible; the fault, even if uncalled for, lands with the overseer. Whoever is in control, whoever facilitated the actions that caused the grand faux pas is the one picking up the pieces, and while the NFL never dreamed of a bad closing weekend to their 2010-11 regular season considering all these divisional, "rivalry" games, that dream spiked into a nightmare yesterday and the NFL is now holding the feces-stained bag.

First off, the level of drama and excitement that was supposed to be ratcheted up by the scheduling changes flat-lined big time, with AFC powers like the Steelers, Patriots, and Jets all obliterating their intra-divisional competition by at least four scores. Then, the playoff spots up for grabs fell almost as predicted, minus the misstep by Kansas City dropping to the 4th seed. Some games ended up close but overall, the games were terrible. Finally, due to some quirky, dark twist of fate, only one game was left that in itself decided a division title and a playoff berth, the not-often and hopefully never duplicated NFC West. The NFL was obligated to flex the SEA/STL game into a primetime spot, the last one available for the regular season, Sunday Night Football; the gameplay was marred with sloppy, inconsistent play, turnovers, incompetence, and over-conservative tendencies. Fans were treated to only one touchdown early in the game, and the rest of it was punctuated with field goals. This game was truly the icing on the cake of an interesting yet somewhat underwhelming regular season as the Seahawks became the first team to make the playoffs with a losing record at 7-9. Now, after benefiting from a supremely weak division, a football team who managed to lose every one of those nine games by 15+ points is hosting a playoff game on Saturday; the NFL really backed their way into the playoffs this time.

Where do we stand? Well, I'd bet the world on a few things: MTV will continue to produce lackluster programming that isn't music-related, Lindsay Lohan is going to skip out of rehab, and the NFL was hoping, may I say even praying that the Rams won that game to avoid the constant questioning and the scrutiny they now will indubitably have to endure. Is this a slap in the face to the other playoff teams and teams who didn't even make it with better records? Will you consider changing the playoff structure? Will re-seeding occur? On and on the tilt-a-whirl will go, and we don't know when it will stop, but it will probably make the NFL and its officials throw up when it's all said and done.

As we go into the playoffs, three Wild Card matchups feature teams with better records having to go on the road to play "inferior" teams who happened to win their divisions. This scenario validates the above questions. Also, should realignment be considered? Oakland manages to go 6-0 in the division and not make the playoffs, becoming the first team to ever do that. In that case, their advantage was a disadvantage because they don't get a high draft pick but don't make the playoffs, even though they technically were the best team in their division. Is that fair? Perhaps everyone should be quiet and worry about taking care of their own business, but it would appear that there are unfair benefits/losses to those who prey on the weak in their respective divisions. The NFL office could look into old-school baseball style, maybe just split the conferences up, construct the schedules, let everyone play everyone else, and take the top four teams from each conference. It's simple, but it would rub those teams supposedly on the cusp the wrong way who can't get beyond the chronic powerhouses, but if there's one theme that rings loud in the media, it's that fans care about juggernauts and dynasties and stars. It could work, and I'm hesitating, but these are just considerations. The NFL is going to have to spend a lot of time after this postseason wiping off the muck they stepped in and going to work to make sure that this particular can of worms doesn't open itself up again.