News

Last year Amy Sherman-Palladino, creator of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” made Emmy history with wins for both comedy writing and directing, becoming the first woman to achieve that double. On July 16, her show, a ’50s period piece starring Rachel Brosnahan as an up-and-coming comedian in New York, was nominated for 20 Emmys, including outstanding comedy series. Sherman-Palladino also created the hit comedy-drama “Gilmore Girls,” which, despite winning just one Emmy, was a fan favorite for its depiction of a young single mother raising a daughter; its rapid-fire dialogue was filled with pop culture references, a Sherman-Palladino signature.

Her big break came in 1990 on “Roseanne.” There, she co-wrote the episode “A Bitter Pill to Swallow,” which tackled the issue of birth control and earned Sherman-Palladino her first Emmy nomination — the only writing nod “Roseanne” received in its 10-season run. For Sherman-Palladino, it was a sign of things to come.

You took the...

Amy Sherman-Palladino has largely been ignored by the TV academy except for a lone 1992 Emmy nomination shared with co-writer Jennifer Heath for the original “Roseanne” episode “A Bitter Pill to Swallow,” considered controversial since its subject was birth control. She then served for six seasons as the showrunner of “Gilmore Girls” before the WB series moved to the CW for its seventh and final season, but that popular series about a single mother and her daughter had to make do with a lone Emmy nomination and win for Best Makeup for a Series (2004).

You would think a show with dialogue that could give Aaron Sorkin a run for his money would have at least received a Best Comedy Writing nomination — but no, it wasn’t to be. Then there was poor “Bunheads,” a quirky charmer about a Las Vegas showgirl who becomes a small-town dance teacher, which barely got a...

Amy Sherman-Palladino is best known for creating “Gilmore Girls” and her current hit show, Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” But did you know she actually got one of her first big breaks writing during the original run of “Roseanne” for six seasons (1990-1994)? Sherman-Palladino (with Jennifer Heath) earned her first and currently only Emmy nomination in 1992 for Best Comedy Writing for the episode “A Bitter Pill to Swallow.” Coming full circle, Sherman-Palladino 26 years later will now have to compete against the “Roseanne” revival at the 2018 Emmys.

Sherman-Palladino earned the original “Roseanne” its Only Best Comedy Writing nomination. “A Bitter Pill to Swallow” deals with Becky (Alicia Goranson) asking Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) to take her to get birth control and her less than excited reaction. It was as funny as it was insightful, giving audiences a glimpse of the lightening quick and hilarious dialogue which would become “Roseanne’s” signature.

For Roseanne Barr, the road to Emmy glory for her eponymous television series was a long one. Though leading man John Goodman earned Emmy nominations for each of the first seven seasons of “Roseanne,” it took Barr four seasons to make her first appearance in Best Comedy Actress. While she lost her bid that year, she did win for season five. Like Goodman and co-star Laurie Metcalf, Barr would receive nominations through the seventh season of “Roseanne.”

This year, with the much-anticipated revival of “Roseanne,” Barr may make a grand return to the Emmys, 23 years since her last nomination for portraying Roseanne Conner on the highly-rated ABC series. Though Barr only triumphed once on Emmy night, she was a master at selecting episodes for voters’ consideration. On each of her four nominations, Barr submitted showcases that stand among her best work from the show’s first nine-season run.

See ‘Roseanne...

Opens

April 9

Nothing un-beguiles a fairy tale more than forced whimsy and labored magic, which is precisely what plagues "Ella Enchanted". The film, designed to add a modern kick to the fairy tale by introducing contemporary references and attitudes along with golden-oldie rock songs, never fully achieves the lighthearted tone it so desperately seeks. The Miramax film, directed by Tommy O'Haver ("Get Over It"), does attain moments of charm largely because of the talented and energetic Anne Hathaway ("The Princess Diaries"). Adding singing and dancing to her movie portfolio, Hathaway is very much the star of this movie, and she is a real delight. But with the audience limited to adolescents and younger children, and mostly girls at that, boxoffice potential here is equally as limited.

Ella plays the title character, who at birth is given a gift -- which is really a curse -- of "perfect obedience" by an out-of-control fairy godmother (Vivica A. Fox). This forces her to obey any and every command no matter how ridiculous or demeaning. When her widowed dad (Patrick Bergin) remarries, this brings to the household a wicked stepmother ("Absolutely Fabulous'" Joanna Lumley) and two nasty stepsisters, Hattie (Lucy Punch), who lives to scheme, and Olive (Jennifer Higham), who mentally is several goblets short of a medieval table setting.

The sisters are smitten by Prince Char (Hugh Dancy), but Ella loathes him because his uncle, Sir Edgar (Cary Elwes), acting as regent until Char takes over for his late father, has segregated the kingdom. Sir Edgar has banished the peaceful ogres to the forest and sentenced the gentle giants to forced labor while restricting elves to jobs as entertainers and clowns. Ella, a civil rights activist, unfurls a banner denouncing these restrictions when the prince appears at the opening of the Frell Galleria mall.

The prince, of course, is captivated by Ella, but the curse gets between the two. Encouraged by her former nursemaid Mandy (Minnie Driver), Ella journeys through the kingdom to search for her partying godmother to demand she rid Ella of the curse. Accompanying her are Slannen (Aidan McArdle), an elf who wants to be a lawyer, and Benny (Jimi Mistry), a talking book that can guide her to her godmother.

Unfortunately, Ella's adventures generally lack inspiration, acting more as plot devices than sequences of enchantment or moments of magic. Revisionist fairly tales such as this probably work better in animation, but nobody is doing fairly tale cartoon these days other than "Shrek". Five writers came up with a few amusing anachronisms, but many more, such as references to the O.J. Simpson trial or Rodney King, are more likely to elicit groans rather than chuckles. The fairy tale land itself is a mix of overly bright colors and a bit of CGI but mostly cheesy effects that seem to take pride in their low-tech grunge.

In the acting department, Hathaway shines as a heroine with spunk and sass. She plays this fluff with such disarming ease that it will be fun to see how she handles sterner stuff. Elwes delivers a daft bit of villainy as the dastardly uncle, clearly relishing the chance to revisit the world of his breakout hit, "The Princess Bride", from the dark side. Dancy and McArdle are both appealing young heroes, but Lumley hasn't been given nearly enough interesting bad things to do. Driver and Fox must have owed somebody a favor to get stuck in such lackluster roles.

The film's soundtrack contains several catchy covers of pop/rock classics that should stimulate sales for the Hollywood Records album.

ELLA ENCHANTED

Miramax Pictures

A Jane Startz production

Credits:

Director: Tommy O'Haver

Screenwriters: Laurie Craig, Karen McCullah Lutz, Kirsten Smith, Jennifer Heath, Michele J. Wolff

Based on the novel by: Gail Carson Levine

Producer: Jane Startz

Executive producers: Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Julie Goldstein, Su Armstrong

Director of photography: John De Borman

Production designer: Norman Garwood

Music: Nick Glennie-Smith

Co-producer: Susan Miller Lazar

Costume designer: Ruth Myers

Editor: Masahiro Hirakubo

Cast:

Ella: Anne Hathaway

Char: Hugh Darcy

Sir Edgar: Cary Elwes

Slannen: Aidan McArdle

Dame Olga: Joanna Lumley

Hattie: Lucy Punch

Olive: Jennifer Higham

Mandy: Minnie Driver

Narrator: Eric Idle

Heston: Steve Coogan

Benny: Jimi Mistry

Lucinda: Vivica A. Fox

Running time -- 100 minutes

MPAA rating: PG...