Totally Tracey Online

This site is moving

2010-02-07T17:37:00.004-05:00

This site and this blog are moving to www.totallytraceyonline.com (www.totallytraceyonline.org also works). Content is in the process of being moved to the new site. Blog entries will now be made at the new site.

Changes coming to this site and this blog

2010-02-03T12:53:00.003-05:00

Due to changes taking place behind the scenes at Blogger, I will no longer be able to use Blogger software to operate the main page/blog of my site in the way that I wish. Within the next two months, I plan to revamp the site and relocate it to a different area on my site. It is possible that I may even give it its own domain name. Stay tuned, and keep watching State of the Union.

Preview of episode 3

2010-02-02T05:40:00.002-05:00

Right on the heels of last night's second episode of State of the Union season 3, Showtime has posted this preview of next week's third episode:

Busy week

2010-01-27T05:35:00.006-05:00

UPDATE (Jan. 28): Not only will Tracey be on the Rachel Maddow program this evening, she'll also be on Bravo's Watch What Happens: Live. For writeups on all of her talk show appearances this year, go to the 2010 page on my site.

It certainly has been a busy week for Tracey. It started with her appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last Friday night, the first time she's ever appeared on his program. Then there was Live with Regis & Kelly on Monday morning, although Regis was still out recuperating from his hip surgery (Mark Consuelos was sitting in). There was State of the Union premiering Monday night (more on that in a moment). Then on Tuesday, Tracey appeared on Joy Behar's program on Headline News (they're calling themselves HLN officially these days); that was an appearance I didn't know about until the last minute. And now there's word that she'll be appearing on Rachel Maddow's program on MSNBC this Thursday (Jan. 28). How will Rachel react to Tracey's impression of her, which we saw Monday night? Might we get to see Dueling Rachels at some point? I wouldn't mind seeing Dueling Ariannas.... Anyway, I've written up summaries for the first two shows so far and will get to the others shortly.

Well, State of the Union had its season premiere Monday night. In many ways, the subject matter and the humor/satire were the same as in previous seasons. One big difference this year is that Tracey herself is directing the episodes. One wonders if Tracey the director ever has problems with Tracey the performer on the set... Back to the premiere: it contained the first instance during the series where I started laughing so hard, I started to cough. It involved the work done at a factory to distress jeans so that the wearer will look like he or she has done some significant labor, when in reality they haven't. One item in particular cracked me up, and I'll say no more about it here. Bernie Madoff (played in a cameo by Tracey's husband Allan) got it in three segments; I may never think of "Bloomberg minute" in the same way again. And there was a marvelous and intricate segment in an MSNBC makeup room where she was portraying five characters: Rachel Maddow, Arianna Huffington, Meghan McCain, Barney Frank, and Christiane Amanpour. With all that interaction between the characters, it reminded me of the Tracey Takes On... sketches and episodes where her characters would interact with each other; those were always among my favorites. Coming up on next week's episode: the return of Padma Perkesh.

Late Night on January 22

2010-01-24T15:09:00.003-05:00

I've posted my summary of Tracey's appearance last Friday on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon; you can read it here. I've done a better job with summaries this year than last. Don't forget, she'll be appearing on Live with Regis and Kelly tomorrow morning, and State of the Union kicks off tomorrow night!

An episode preview, and a Late Night visit

2010-01-12T22:12:00.004-05:00

As we get closer to the Season 3 premiere of State of the Union, we're starting to see more promotion for it. Tracey will be appearing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Friday, January 22; it'll be her first time on Late Night since Letterman was the host, if I'm not mistaken. And Showtime has put up a preview of the first episode of Season 3 of SOTU. In this clip, Ruth Madoff, the wife of crooked financier Bernard Madoff, has experienced a major decline in her housing situation. As for Bernard, we see him in his prison cell, and we may never think of "Bloomberg minute" in the same way again....

New SOTU Behind-the-Scenes Promo

2010-01-06T20:48:00.002-05:00

Showtime has just posted a new behind-the-scenes promo for season 3 of State of the Union. When I first saw this, I was laughing most of the way through. That has me feeling good about season 3 (coming up January 25).

2010-01-04T05:34:00.003-05:00

As part of the buildup to season 3 of State of the Union coming at the end of January, Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith have featured Tracey in their column again. "As one critic put it, she's been moving away from Carol Burnett territory and more toward Lenny Bruce," they say, and she agrees, pointing again to the freedom she feels now that she's a US citizen. But she's "not mean-spirited. I love this country and I love these people and what goes on" and credits collaborator Bruce Wagner for inspiring her to take this approach.

Don't expect to see either of the Obamas appear in SOTU this season, but pharmacist Padma Perkesh will be returning, and newswomen Christiane Amanpour and Rachel Maddow will be appearing.

Season 3 promo

2010-01-02T07:44:00.002-05:00

Here's a promo for season 3 of State of the Union. And while you're waiting for that, catch up on season 2 On Demand.

Preview of season 3 of SOTU

2009-12-27T21:10:00.005-05:00

TV Squad has run an article previewing some of the things we'll be seeing in season 3 of State of the Union, coming January 25 on Showtime in the US. Here are some of the things we can expect in the seven episodes of season 3: "An example includes showing a group taking a tour of a Holocaust Museum and speaking of those who have perpetrated horrible crimes against the Jews, then having a likeness of Bernie Madoff in the center of it [I cracked up when I read that one].... Highlights include Tracey playing Penélope Cruz playing Salma Hayak, Ruth Madoff (Bernie's wife) and one woman who can't live without being on the cell phone or Internet (and nearly causing several traffic accidents on the way)." These sound very promising!

UPDATE (Dec. 28): after I posted this entry, the I Am A TV Junkie blog posted its own preview of season 3. It fleshed out some details of sketches or vignettes we already knew would be appearing. For instance, for the scene set at MSNBC featuring Tracey as 5 characters, we now know who the characters will be: Rachel Maddow [makes sense for an MSNBC sketch], Arianna Huffington [hurray, she's back!], Meghan McCain, Barney Frank, and CNN's Christiane Amanpour showing up at the wrong studio by mistake. There will also be a sketch featuring airport security screener Chanel Monticello leading her workers in a tribute to Michael Jackson (as choreographed by Joe Malone).

Poster for State of the Union season 3

2009-12-20T22:14:00.003-05:00

The poster for season 3 of State of the Union is now out; see it at Daemonstv.

End of the year

2009-12-16T19:36:00.007-05:00

Well, we are nearing the end of another year. But think: in slightly more than one month, we will be treated to the first of seven new episodes of State of the Union. I wonder what will be different this year? We'll find out soon enough. We should start monitoring Showtime for previews of the new season. We should start watching the talk show lineups for her appearances.

And of course, the end of the year means another anniversary for Tracey and Allan (number 26, I think) and another birthday for Tracey -- and it's a big one this year: the big half-century mark. It seems hard to believe -- and it's even harder for me, for I'm not too far from that milestone myself (and that seems hard to believe).

SOTU Season 3 in January is CONFIRMED

2009-11-07T12:21:00.003-05:00

Last week, there was a report that the third season of State of the Union would air beginning in January rather than in the spring. Well, this week, Showtime confirmed that report. It will air on Monday nights, in conjunction with Secret Diary of a Call Girl and the new La La Land.

SOTU Season 3 in January

2009-10-29T17:06:00.003-04:00

Might we be getting the 3rd season of State of the Union in January rather than March or April? The State of Tracey blog is reporting that season 3 will kick off on January 25 (that happens to be a Monday). I hope there is a confirmation of this report, for I'd certainly welcome the earlier start to the season.

Some SOTU news

2009-10-06T17:52:00.003-04:00

Things have been very quiet lately, but I found some State of the Union news today. In the middle of an interview she gave to MovieWeb, Vonda Shepard of Ally McBeal fame said that she was about to film another appearance on SOTU. I wonder if she'll be appearing again as one of those singing FLDS cult women, or if she'll appear in another role. Regardless, it's welcome news.

And speaking of Ally McBeal, the first season set and the complete series set are now available on DVD in the US. No word on when the second season of SOTU will appear.

A few things during this summer season

2009-08-07T21:18:00.003-04:00

We're in a bit of a slow period now for news about Tracey, although it's probably not a slow period for her; she's undoubtedly hard at work on season 3 of State of the Union. Among the things I've been doing is watching the import DVD set of the first season of Mumbai Calling, executive-produced and sometimes directed by her husband Allan. It's set in a call center in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), and if you listen closely, you can hear her portray several callers.

That rumored Ally McBeal DVD release is no longer rumor; it's a reality, says TVShowsOnDVD.com. Look for both a Complete Series box set and a Season 1 set on October 6; Tracey makes several appearances as an unconventional therapist. And even better news: all of the original music will be heard, which is very welcome news indeed. So you'll be able to see and hear Tracey singing "Tracy" and "Tainted Love".

Emmy Nominations are out (2009)

2009-07-17T12:03:00.003-04:00

This year's Emmy nominations are out, and once again, State of the Union was nominated in two technical categories, one for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup and one for Outstanding Hairstyling (this one is for the episode with the polygamist cult women). Congratulations!

Tavis Smiley repeat

2009-07-08T20:35:00.002-04:00

Did you miss Tracey's appearance on the Tavis Smiley show in April? Well, fret no more, for it's being repeated on Friday, July 17.

Tribute to Mel Brooks

2009-07-02T10:24:00.004-04:00

Tracey is scheduled to participate in a tribute to Mel Brooks being given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The tribute will be July 24 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. According to the press release from the Academy, Leonard Maltin will be the host and will feature many clips from Brooks's films and comments from the man himself, along with Richard Benjamin, Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Carl Reiner, Tracey and Lesley Ann Warren.

You'll recall Tracey's appearance as Latrine in Robin Hood: Men In Tights as well as his appearance in a fourth-season Tracey Ullman Show sketch.

Ally McBeal on DVD?

2009-06-21T09:08:00.005-04:00

Many of you will remember Ally McBeal, which aired for five seasons on Fox in the late '90s and early 2000's and made stars of Calista Flockhart and Jane Krakowski. You'll also remember Tracey in a memorable recurring role (an Emmy-winning role, if I recall correctly) as unconventional psychologist Tracy Clark, who had Ally as a patient.

If you've been waiting for the series to appear on DVD, you may be in luck. TVShowsOnDVD.com is reporting that sometime in 2009, there will be releases of the first season and of the complete series. And Amazon.com is taking pre-orders for both sets. Let's hope the rumors prove to be true.

Back -- with good news

2009-06-11T12:44:00.003-04:00

Well, I am back from my idle time. I was not specific about what I was doing, but now I can be: I had taken a trip to Uganda to visit my sister and her family, to see my oldest niece graduate from the International School there, and to go on a 3-day safari. Details will be posted elsewhere on my site in the future.

And my first post since my return bears good news: it appears that Showtime has decided to pick up a third season of State of the Union, according to C21 Media. I'm pleased with that; even though the series can be quite uneven, having uneven Tracey is better than having no Tracey. No word yet on how many episodes there will be.

Idle time

2009-05-24T20:48:00.003-04:00

I won't be posting anything for the next couple of weeks; with the season finale of State of the Union tonight, I don't expect any major news during this time.

Season Finale

2009-05-19T08:51:00.003-04:00

Well, season 2 of State of the Union is coming to an end. Season 3 is being written now, although I don't know if Showtime has said they'll want to air it. I hope they do. So here is this week's preview clip from episode 7 and final of season 2. Here, a young and attractive substitute teacher lures a student to the supply closet. The student thinks he's going to get lucky, but things are not as they seem...

KCRW's Guest DJ

2009-05-14T07:22:00.003-04:00

Well, Tracey's guest DJ podcast at KCRW has finally arrived. It's an 11+ minute sample of five songs she would pick to play. You can get the podcast at iTunes or directly from KCRW's site (you can read a transcript of her podcast as well).

And what did she pick to play? Let's see:

"That's the Way of the World" -- Earth, Wind and Fire
"A New England" -- Kirsty MacColl
"My Way" -- Sid Vicious
"One Leg Too Few" -- Peter Cook and Dudley Moore (a classic comedy sketch)
"America the Beautiful" -- Ray Charles

Listen to the podcast or read the transcript to find out why she picked them. She had great reasons. Four of the five were great picks, but I'm sorry, there is just no way I can support Sid Vicious's "rendition" of "My Way".

Lots of little things

2009-05-12T21:17:00.002-04:00

Well, only two more episodes left for State of the Union this season. But season 3 is being written now and goes before the cameras in the fall, and season 2 comes out on DVD in October. Meanwhile, check out this clip for Sunday night's episode 6 featuring a dog walker to the stars: