ABCDE
Arts&Style
sunday, may 16, 2010
PHIL
KENNICOTT
Architect’s eye
Ballet sets designed by architects can produce a new look at an old art form. E3
BLOGS AND CHATS
washingtonpost.com/style
Interview For Common, a move to acting full time. E2 Art From a New York artist/couple, a rich, multi-venue exhibition E4
Celebrations, E11 Movie Guide, E9 Horoscope, E10 Lively Arts Guide, E4
ONLOVE
Road warriors
They met as fellow campaign staffers, and survived years of heavy election travel to get together. E10
AS
SEEN ON TV
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camera?
Whose is it, anyway
Ever wonder who’s fictitiously filming Dunder Mifflin or Phil Dunphy or the ‘Parks & Rec’ employees? You’re not alone.
ROBIN GIVHAN
On Fashion
A strong woman in ordinary clothes: How extraordinary
T
he fascinating thing about actress Khandi Alexander is that she can be simultaneously hard and soft, which is perhaps why she is able to play such a compelling character on the HBOseries “Treme.” Her portrayal of LaDonna
Batiste-Williams is full of the nuances and subtle brushstrokes that define people in the real world. She moves gracefully when at the helm of her New Orleans dive joint with its Katrina- damaged roof. She pops open beer bottles, spins around to pour drinks and slides plates of food — red beans, it looked like in one episode — across the bar and over to her ex-husband, a lovable lout of a trombone player by the name of Antoine Batiste (Wendell Pierce). In the deep shadows of Gigi’s bar, she comes across like a queen presiding over her empire. She evokes all the strength that traditionally has
givhan continued on E8
STRENGTH:
Khandi Alexander’s character on “Treme” is vibrant.
by Hank Stuever
W
hen he looks at the camera and expounds on his real estate prowess, or describes his delicate approach to marital diplomacy, to whom is “Modern Family’s” Phil Dunphy talking? ¶And who is on the other end
of the camera when Michael Scott, Dwight Schrute, Jimand PamHalpert, and the other employees of Dunder Mifflin confess their innermost thoughts on “The Office”? And what sort of fictional camera crew, making what sort of film, would find itself limitlessly interested in one Leslie Knope of the Pawnee, Ind., “Parks and Recreation” department? ¶ Because these TV comedies are doing their jobs right, we as viewers mostly don’t care to think it through. This is what defines mockumentary, a genius and altogether contemporary form of satire. The seeming authenticity of single-camera action combines with the deadpan extrapolation when characters answer one-on-one interview questions about what has just occurred. ¶ Though it had been used by humorists and filmmak- ers for many years, mockumentary comports nicely with the hyper-sardonic wit of the Internet era. There are countless online faux-documentary comedy bits at Funny or Die and other Web sites. Many of us first fell for mockumentary with director Rob Reiner’s 1984 film “This Is Spinal Tap.” Then came Christopher Guest’s 1996 ensemble comedy “Waiting for Guffman” (and follow-ups, such as “Best in Show” and “A Mighty Wind”). As the British version of “The Office” was making a crossover, mockumentary TV was perhaps best mastered in the un-
television continued on E6
like?
Some of that can be sensed in this season’s crit- ical standouts: “Modern Family”; “Glee”; “The Good Wife.” Some of it is made certain by bad shows that are hits nevertheless: “Undercover Boss”; “The Marriage Ref.” And there are always clues strewn along the slummier streets of cable, hiding within programs that barely register in ratings. Mostly it’s an elusive hunt for magic beans. But what if, out of the blue, a bunch of network executives wanted you to prepare a Power- Point presentation to show them what sort of programming they should be making more of? It’s one thing to have an opinion about what’s already on; it’s another thing to find those shows or situations or ac- tors that indicate a new “it,” whatever “it” is. Now, with the regular
television season end- ing, it’s time for the en- joyably weird summer season, which has gained a
INSIDE
Lots of TV shows are “on the bubble” for
survival next season. Which ones are likely to make it, and why? The TV Column’s Lisa de Moraes speculates. E6
ON THE WEB
To see a photo gallery and watch clips of shows mentioned in this issue, visit
washingtonpost.com/tv.
reputation as an experimental recess period. The stakes are a lit- tle bit lower and the concepts are slightly looser, resulting in edgier
future continued on E6
GLEE: Jane Lynch.
Wishful thinking about the shows and actors that look like TV’s future
by Hank Stuever
What (or who) does the future of TV most look
OWEN FREEMAN ILLUSTRATION FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
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