Mary-Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin in the Showtime original series "Weeds."
Mainstream culture has long since caught on with certain, ahem, rituals associated with April 20th, aka 4/20. Cable’s G4, for example, dedicated an entire day’s worth of programming to spring’s tokin’ celebration. Sunday’s “Family Guy” episode was even titled “420,” and is highlighted by a musical number destined to become one of the series’ most memorable. (You can watch the entire episode on IMDb.com by clicking here.)
Not to be outdone — OK, either of those previous options surely outdoes Showtime’s announcement that the fifth season of “Weeds” kicks off June 8, but there it is. Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) is back in business in about seven weeks, or so we found out on 4/20. Before that, however, circulated reports that Parker might not be up for a seventh season (Showtime has committed to one more 13-episode season after this one) which is probably for the best. Better to let a series go while it’s still riding high instead of after it’s cashed. Right?
– While we’re on the topic of happy returns, Lifetime has set a go date for the sixth season of “Project Runway“: August 20. That means a year will have passed between the point at which the sixth season went into production and the season premiere, during which the finalists showed (albeit anonymously) at Fashion Week in New York. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but one wonders if spending this much time off the air, and under the direction of a different production team, might make some elements seem stale. Anyway, we’ll be tuning in.
– Lifetime also announced that “Army Wives” returns June 7 and its new dramedy “Drop Dead Diva” premieres July 12. The Lifetime comedy “Rita Rocks” returns in the fall.
– In the brain of the average IMDb user lies a node that just can’t get enough of Lorenzo Lamas. This is only a guess. Anyway, rejoice, o ye IMDb devotees, for E! announced yesterday that in addition to giving us a spinoff of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” called “Kourtney and Khloe in Miami,” the cable channel is introducing “The Lamas Family,” in which we’ll not only tail Lorenzo, but his sorta-famous “Bachelor“-bait daughter Shayne, sorta-famous son A.J., teenage daughter Dakota and ex-wife Michele Smith. That tingle at the base of your skull is nothing to worry about, its just those Lamas neural receptors springing back to life after being dormant for oh so long.
–Another thing: Hidden within Food Network’s new series press release was a potential gem called “What Would Brian Boitano Make?” That’s right, Brian Boitano, skating star, and “South Park” hero. The show premieres in August. Here’s the snippet taken directly from Food Network’s announcement.
“Everyone knows Brian Boitano won an Olympic gold medal in figure skating. What they don’t know: Brian is an accomplished cook who loves to entertain! In this new series, Brian takes viewers on a reality cooking adventure as he creates amazing food for a new event in each episode. Funny, knowledgeable and irresistible, Brian brings himself and so much more to ‘What Would Brian Boitano Make?’ ”
We bet he’ll kick an ass or two.
