The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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STRIKING Fashion Police writers recently released a video taking the show's host Joan Rivers to task for not standing up for them in their battle to join the Writers Guild.

The two-minute, 35-second video is titled "Dear Joan: Can We Talk?" and features several of the nine writers telling of their good relationship with Rivers prior to the dispute, and how disappointed they are that she hasn't backed them in their dispute with the E! Network.

"The fact that she's not just a star, but she's a member of the Writers Guild, and she won't support fellow Writers Guild members is just astonishing," Ned Rice says in the video. "It's just a basic fairness issue."

The writers have been on strike since April 17, after expressing a desire to organise and join the Writers Guild of America West. The writers want the network to recognise the WGA as their bargaining representative, while the network is insisting that a National Labor Relations Board election be held first.

The E! Network, which is owned by Comcast, issued a statement in response: "Joan Rivers has been and remains emphatically supportive of the writers. Her company does not produce Fashion Police nor set the compensation of E! Networks Productions' writers. The personal attacks on Joan are grossly unfair and inaccurate."

The writers maintain that demanding an election before negotiating is a stalling tactic, since they've made their desire to be in the guild clear by signing union cards. "Requiring an NLRB administered election is a fair and important part of the process," the network has said in earlier statements.

The network reiterated earlier statements, which said it was not anti-WGA, and noted that it airs others shows (The Soup and Chelsea Lately) that employ WGA workers that participated in NLRB elections.

Weeks before going on strike, the writers filed US$1.5mil (RM4.8mil) in wage and hour claims with the California Division of Labor Standard Enforcement against the network and Rivers' production company, Rugby Productions. They are seeking payment for unpaid regular and overtime hours worked.

That dispute is moving forward separately from the representation issue. A settlement meeting held at the behest of the state failed to result break the impasse, so both sides are awaiting a date for a hearing on the writers' claims. – Reuters

Joan Rivers with her 'Fashion Police' co-hosts (from left) Giuliana Rancic, George Kostiopolous and Kelly Osbourne.

Espionage at its best

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The Americans is an intriguing new show that blends covert with a little bit of crass, ultimately having you hooked.

THE year is 1981. Tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union are at a high, and having anything to do with Mother Russia can get you arrested, interrogated (possibly tortured) and thrown into jail.

This setting is what makes the premise for The Americans such a tantalising offering – two KGB agents played by Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys are in deep cover in Washington, DC, trying to be as ordinary and all-American as possible, while carrying out missions for the motherland.

Shown in flashbacks, couple Elizabeth (Russell) and Philip Jennings (Rhys) spend years in training prior to their big move to the United States, learning the language, going through gruelling physical training (an early scene reveals the extent of suffering Elizabeth goes through as a young cadet) and basically, embracing all things American, while maintaining their hatred for the country and culture.

Now seasoned spies, they have spent the last 15 years blending into American culture and trying to remain as stereotypically regular as possible, never even speaking their native language to each other, drinking beer instead of vodka, and indulging in American sports.

A fake marriage, fake jobs, fake (but convincing) accents and two blissfully unaware kids (played by Holly Taylor and Keidrich Sellati) – now that's some job commitment, and so far, the Jennings have managed to fool everyone they've come across.

Juggling this double life gets a little tricky when FBI agent Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich) moves in next door with his wife and son.

The Jennings are friendly enough in their welcome, but Beeman can't shake his suspicions of the seemingly perfect all-American family.

The story is made more interesting with additional plotlines – Beeman's blackmailing of Soviet embassy clark Nina (Annet Mahendru) to spy for the FBI, revelations of other KGB agents and their double lives, and the Jennings' espionage network, contacts the couple have collected over the years.

Later on, the series gives the kids some screen time, an interesting part of the show that definitely demands further exploration.

The Americans starts off so serious and dark you wonder if these people have had any fun at all in the past 15 years. Elizabeth hardly ever smiles, even in the presence of the kids, and she's always brushing off Philip's attempts at humour and intimacy (you wonder how these people ever got down to having the kids in the first place).

When there's work to be done, this duo are cold, calculated and sometimes downright vicious, making it hard for the audience to root for them, a delicate balance the show has yet to master three episodes in.

Russell and Rhys' portrayals of the Jennings are excellent. They're obviously very well trained, focused on the mission and they love the motherland (and miss their caviar and vodka), but there are indications that Philip "likes it here too much" and may consider defecting.

It's a tricky situation, since there is this underlying mistrust between the agents that surfaces every now and then – suspicion, even of each other, keeps them on their toes, with eyes on the bigger picture.

While the premise is engaging and the characters complex and interesting enough to keep you hooked, I do hope the show starts getting just a little more light-hearted – all this scheming and violence does get a little tiring, and it would be nice to see how this grumpy duo managed to make it this far in the always-positive, overly enthusiastic society that is America.

So far, the only things that have made me chuckle have been the costumes and prosthetics, used in abundance throughout the show. We know the 1980s were not known for great style, but sometimes, the disguises are laugh-out-loud hilarious. The hairpieces (especially Philip's) are so unconvincing you wonder how they have anyone fooled, especially when the mission has seduction involved (or maybe government officials just had super low standards back then).

The Americans is an exciting new show and it will be interesting to see how it progresses – will Elizabeth and Philip fully embrace America? Will they fall in love? And ultimately, will they be discovered? What about the kids? So many questions!

The Americans airs every Tuesday at 9.50pm on FOX (Astro Ch 710). The writer can be contacted at entertainment@thestar.com.my.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Rabu, 10 Julai 2013