September 2007 News Archive (Page 3)

It's the ultimate motivational push from the ultimate leader. With Dillon getting drubbed in the championship game, it's up to Coach Taylor to give them a reason to fight back. With his impassioned halftime speech in the season finale, "State," he does all that and more. Check it out ...

With the return of Friday Night Lights less than three weeks away, various fan sites and news sources alike have been quick to post spoilers and speculation about what fans can expect to see in the sophomore season.

One interesting rumor involves the troubled Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly) and her possible reconciliation with one of the other principal characters on the show - as well as her renewed interest in her Christian faith.

However, a lot remains up in the air. There's the spoiler we reported earlier (she could be doing a lot more than reconciling, we hear), and fans hoping for Lyla to get back together with Jason (Scott Porter) may end up disappointed.

There are, however, reports that Lyla Garrity and Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) will repair their fractured friendship with the help of the church.

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If last year's memorable TV phrase was Heroes' "Save the cheerleader, save the world," this year's to be "Save the show," writes Bill Simmons of ESPN.

NBC is damned close to burying Friday Night Lights, the popular columnist writes, which would be a shame on a number of levels, but none more serious than this one: It's the greatest sports-related show ever made.

Every nuance is nailed, every hug seems genuine, every fight makes sense, every sarcastic barb and flustered reaction ring true.

If there are better TV actors than Kyle Chandler (Coach) and Connie Britton (Mrs. Coach), well, he sure as heck hasn't TiVoed them.

Returning for its second season on October 5, it's a fair bet that Friday Night Lights will be canceled for good by Christmas.

And when it is, it's going to be because of people like you.

Bill Simmons, a sports and TV fanatic whose defense and passionate plea to save Friday Night Lights appears in the new edition of ESPN the Magazine, feels confident about making the following three generalizations:

No. 1: You're reading this magazine because you like sports.

Okay, maybe you're killing time in a doctor's office, or stumbled across this in an airplane seat pouch, sandwiched between a barf bag and a catalog. But I'm going with the odds: If you're reading ESPN The Mag right now, there's a 96 percent chance you like sports, a 3 percent chance you're killing time - and a 1 percent chance you're stoned and think you're reading Rolling Stone.

No. 2: If you like TV, you wouldn't knowingly turn your back on a great show.

I know, that sounds like a quote from Joe Theismann. But most rational TV fans will cave once a show generates enough buzz, either because their curiosity is piqued or because it's on cable with an "N" or an "SSC" in the ratings. Hey, I've been there myself: I held out on The Sopranos and The Wire.

No. 3: If Nos. 1 and 2 are true, there's an overwhelming chance you'd love Friday Night Lights and a decent chance you aren't watching it.

And if that's the case, don't you owe it to yourself to rent Season 1, Disc 1, and try the first four episodes? Look, if Friday Night Lights doesn't make it, we're just going to get more Grey's Anatomy spin-offs (Private Practice), a CSI for every city and 20 Deal or No Deal clones.

You shouldn't feel guilty about jumping on this bandwagon. I watched the pilot when it originally aired, but I didn't love it: too much puke-cam (the camera stopped moving so much in later episodes) and an sports inconsistencies (Dillon wins via a Hail Mary that could happen only on a 140-yard field).

Continue reading Bill Simmons' column ...

As Friday Night Lights spoilers go, this one from Michael Auisello of TV Guide is (gulp) juicy. We don't want to ruin this one for anyone unless you're the type who really likes to read spoilers, so follow the jump for the details...

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In anticipation of Season Two of Friday Night Lights, we're taking a close look at each of its primary stars, many of whom you likely don't know all that much about. You should, too. They're very cool!

Friday, we profiled Scott Porter, who has won widespread acclaim for his portrayal of the embattled Jason Street. Today, we'll tell you more about the cute, talented actress who plays his love interest, Minka Kelly.

Minka Kelly was born on June 24, 1980 in Los Angeles, California, and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As the daughter of Rick Dufay, a member of the band Aerosmith, and Maureen Kelly, a Las Vegas showgirl, there was no doubting Minka Kelly's pedigree in the entertainment business from the start.

From a very young age, her talent was soon discovered. Minka made her TV debut on Nickelodeon's hit TV show Drake and Josh. As she grew older, Kelly learned to further appreciate acting, and planned to pursue it as a career.

Minka attended school in Albuquerque, N.M, where she focused on her career from an early age by enrolling in acting classes. Her goal was to land good roles, but more importantly, to play them correctly. She credits this drive for success and attention to detail as what opened doors for her.

While Minka Kelly trained to become a surgical technician in case her dreams of acting stardom didn't pan out, she decided to move to Los Angeles with her father in order to give it this dream her best shot. There, she was able to land a role in her debut movie Devil's Highway in 2005.

This performance got the attention of talent scouts and got her roles in American Dreams, What I Like About You, The Pumpkin Karver and State's Evidence.

She is best known, of course, for her breakthrough role as head cheerleader and vixen Lyla Garrity on the NBC series Friday Night Lights. She recently finished shooting The Kingdom alongside Jamie Foxx and Chris Cooper.

On a personal note, Minka used to date Fantastic Four star Chris Evans, but they are no longer seeing each other. She was also dating Donald Faison of Scrubs for awhile. Recent reports have linked Kelly to Harry Morton, the young heir to the Morton's Steak House chain and also CEO of the Pink Taco chain.

Her acting talents may be formidable, but it's impossible to talk about Minka Kelly without at least mentioning her amazing good looks - which landed her at #42 on the Maxim magazine's Hot 100 of 2007 list.

In the first game of the season, Jason Street went down, making Matt Saracen QB-1 of the Dillon Panthers. But is he ready to accept that challenge? He's got no choice, and in this scene from "Eyes Wide Open," Coach Eric Taylor does everything he can to inspire confidence and motivate the reluctant leader.

Sprrrrrring Breeeeeeeak!!!!

Well, not really. But a Friday Night Lights film production unit was in Brownsville and popular party spot (and natural wonder) South Padre Island, Texas, last week to shoot scenes for the series, according to news reports.

Cast and crew spent a fews days filming in Cameron County parks on the Island, said assistant county parks director Joe Vega, who took in some of the action.

"We're glad they are going to feature our beautiful beaches on their show, even though (this episode) is supposed to be set in Mexico," he said.

This is for the episode in which Tim Riggins, Lyla Garrity and Jason Street decide to take a road trip south of the border. While South Padre is still in Texas, it's remote and about as close (geographically) to Mexico as one can get.

Austinite John Patterson, locations manager for the series, said his group includes more than 80 people. Three of the show's stars - the three who take the trip - came with the crew: Taylor Kitch, Scott Porter and Minka Kelly.

"Ninety-five percent of our crew are Texans," said Patterson, a graduate of the University of Texas in Austin, where the show films the majority of its footage. "It's possible we may shoot more sequences here in Texas."

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Despite being snubbed in the Best Actor category, Friday Night Lights star Kyle Chandler joined Katherine Heigl Sunday to present at the Emmy Awards.

Kyle Chandler, of course, had a memorable guest starring turn as Dylan Young, an ill-fated bomb squad member, on Grey's Anatomy, the show which Katherine Heigl stars on - and won Best Supporting Actress for later in the evening!

In anticipation of Season Two of Friday Night Lights, we're taking a deeper look at each of the primary stars, most of whom you probably don't know all that much about - and should! They're awesome!

Yesterday, we profiled the amazing Connie Britton, one half of one of the most realistic TV marriages in history. Today we're profiling Scott Porter, who has garnered much praise in the dynamic role of Jason Street.

Matthew Scott Porter was born on July 14, 1979, in Omaha, Nebraska. He went to Lake Howell High School in Winter Park, Florida, where he was a standout football player and named All-Central Florida at wide receiver.

His talents extended well beyond the athletic arena, however. Porter made a living as a professional beat-boxer - a unique musical style popularized by American Idol runner-up Blake Lewis - while trying to break into acting.

After moving to New York City in 2005, Porter played Matthew in the cast of the Off-Broadway hit "Altar Boyz." He can be heard on the cast recording. He also plays the role of Colin Thompson, the more visible part of the duo that fronts the fictional band PoP! in the movie Music and Lyrics.

Scott Porter is scheduled to play Bobby in the remake of Prom Night and Rex Racer in Speed Racer (2008). Other TV credits of his include The Bedford Diaries, All My Children and As the World Turns.

On Friday Night Lights, Scott Porter has won wide acclaim for his portrayal of the star quarterback, Jason, who feels the weight of the world on his shoulders at the beginning of the first season, but then suffers a severe injury.

By the end of the year, all he wants is a life that makes some sense. We all feel for Jason and appreciate the incredible job Scott does. Can't wait for more!

Here's a collection of clips from Episode 19 ("Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes") of Season One of Friday Night Lights featuring Tim Riggins and his new, enthusiastic young neighbor, Bo. There's also Bo's mother, who takes to a liking to Tim, even if in her mind, she knows it's probably not a good idea.