Ah, yes, these are the delicious scalps I’ve been waiting for. Arizona Congressman Trent Franks has announced he is going to resign next month after the House Ethics Committee said they were launching an investigation into his behavior. Franks is claiming that the only story here is that he asked two staffers to be a surrogate for himself and his wife because of fertility issues. Somehow I don’t think this is the only story here. But even if it is — OUR CONGRESSMEN SHOULDN’T BE DOING HANDMAID’S TALE ROLE PLAY.
The Ethics Committee is also looking into oozing toad Blake Farenthold and whether he sexually harassed his employees. $84,000 of tax payer money he paid out in a settlement says that he most certainly did. He’s refusing to resign, though, because that’s the kind of toad he is. And so far, GOP Congresswoman Mia Love is the only one calling on hm to step down. Where you at, Republican Ladies?
I believe this is just the beginning of the Franken Effect. As noted yesterday, Al Franken resigned, somewhat petulantly and without actually apologizing to his accusers. And within hours, Franks announced his own resignation.
While I understand that a lot of Democrats and many many women are upset that Al Franken was forced to resign while President Pussy Grabber remains in office telling people to vote for the child-molesting Roy Moore, the fact of the matter is that 8 women have accused Franken of inappropriate behavior. And as long as the Democrats allowed him to remain in the Senate, they were opening the door to whataboutism any time they brought up Trump or Moore’s behavior. The only way to wear the white hat on this issue, the only way to force the GOP to take the matter seriously and begin examining their own members like Franks and Farenthold was to hold their members to a standard that they expect from everyone else.
But leaving the political machinations aside, AL FRANKEN GROPED AT LEAST 8 WOMEN, HE’S NOT SORRY, HE HAD TO GO. Is what he has been accused of so far as bad as what Trump admitted on tape or what Moore has been accused of by 9 women? No, of course not. BUT IT’S ALSO NOT GREAT, BOB. The bottom line is that Al Franken made at least 8 women feel uncomfortable and objectified and we should expect better than that from our leaders. Full stop.
Now fetch me more Congressional scalps.
Justin Baldoni of Jane the Virgin claims that a producer sexually harassed him when he was younger, and that powerful women have groped him.
Harold Ford, former Congressman and MSNBC contributor, has been fired from Morgan Stanley over harassment allegations. He has been suspended at MSNBC.
Bryan Singer is being sued for raping a 17-year-old boy. He’s denying the accusations. He also denies that The Usual Suspects was shut down because Kevin Spacey was gross.
The lawyers for the Girls writer, Murray Miller, who has been accused of rape have walked back their accusation that his accuser, Aurora Perrineau — who I just now realized is the daughter of Lost’s Harold Perrineau Jr. — demanded money before going to the police. This guy sounds like a real fucking treat.
Dylan Farrow has a question for Hollywood in a heartbreaking essay: Why has Woody Allen been spared? “It isn’t just power that allows men accused of sexual abuse to keep their careers and their secrets. It is also our collective choice to see simple situations as complicated and obvious conclusions as a matter of ‘who can say’? The system worked for Harvey Weinstein for decades. It works for Woody Allen still.” Go read it for yourself.
OH MY GOD, KATE WINSLET, SHUT THE FUCK UP AND GO READ DYLAN’S ESSAY.
NOT NOW, MIKA. DON’T BE AN ASSHOLE, MIKA. ALSO, ALSO, FRANKEN HAD MORE THAN ONE ACCUSER, MIKA, SO, YOU KNOW.
In TV News
Headline: ‘Supernatural’: Why the Time Is Right for Spinoff ‘Wayward Sisters’
Story: Just a woman gesturing at everything.
Late night musicians would like their monies, please.
Satin Dolls, the real-life Bada Bing, is being shut down by the New Jersey attorney general for all sorts of Sopranos-like shenanigans.
Uh-oh, Melissa Gorga. You know, I was wondering about this when the episode aired — that it was an awfully damning thing for Melissa to claim on camera. I’m guessing this will be mediated away, but still. Yikes.
Ajit Pai, the chair of the FCC who is determined to kill Net Neutrality, is a Parks and Rec fan and has a framed copy of Ron Swanson’s Pyramid of Greatness in his office. Nick Offerman had some thoughts about that:
The WGA has announced their nominees for TV writing.
The AFI awards have announced their honorees, and honestly, it’s as good a top 10 list as any:
Big Little Lies, HBO
The Crown, Netflix
Feud: Bette and Joan, FX
Game of Thrones, HBO
The Good Place, NBC
The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu
Insecure, HBO
Master of None, Netflix
Stranger Things 2, Netflix
This Is Us, NBC
Renewals
In Development
- CBS is developing a dad/step-dad comedy from Workaholic’s Blake Anderson and David Hornsby.
- Fox is developing Breadwinners, a comedy from Kyle Bornheimer.
- Paradise Lost, a magical murder mystery, is being developed for The CW.
- Legendary Locations has been greenlit by the Travel Channel.
- Netflix has picked up Siempre Bruja (which, fun fact, is my Spanish nickname).
- Michelle Ashford, the creator of Masters of Sex has signed an overall deal with FX.
- YouTube Red has given action comedy Wayne a pilot order.
Casting News
- Sandra Bernhard and Estelle Parsons are both returning to Roseanne.
- Lena Waithe will be joining the second season of Dear White People.
- Mya Taylor is joining the cast of Dietland.
Mark Your Calendar
- The second season of One Day at a Time returns on Netflix on January 26.
- America’s Next Top Model returns on VH1 on January 9.
- The Terror will premiere on AMC on March 26.
- A Tale of Two Coreys will air on Lifetime on January 6.
- Tesla will debut on Discovery on January 2.
- Chopped Gold Medal Games begins airing on Food Network on January 2.
WATCH THIS
FRIDAY
The Crown: Season premiere, even though I was pretty sure it had already debuted months ago. Shows what I know. Netflix
The Grand Tour: My teenage son will be so excited. Season premiere. Amazon
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Paula confronts his past in the winter finale. 7 p.m., The CW
SATURDAY
Saturday Night Live: James Franco & SZA 10:30 p.m., NBC
Logan: I have sworn off superhero movies, but I hear this one is good? Ugh, does this mean I have to watch it? 7 p.m., HBO
Mary Poppins: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. 7 p.m., ABC
SUNDAY
Outlander: The Frasers take Jamaica. Season finale. 7 p.m., Starz
Counterpart: J.K. Simmons stars in this new sci-fi thriller. It has a sneak preview tonight, before premiering in January. Series premiere. 8 p.m., Starz
Frozen: Let it go, etc. 7 p.m., ABC
Star Wars marathon: Watch the first six movies, even the not great ones, in preparation for the premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi which is happening SO SOON. 3:20 a.m. TBS
The Walking Dead: Mid-season finale. SOMEONE GONNA DIE. 8 p.m., AMC
Late Night: Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (Friday): Hugh Jackman, Luke Bryan The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: (Friday): Mark Hamill Watch What Happens Live (Sunday): Tiffany Haddish, Cynthia Bailey
| FRI. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | Once Upon a Time (new) |
Marvel’s Inhumans (new) |
20/20 |
| CBS | MacGyver (new) |
Hawaii Five-0 (new) |
Blue Bloods (new) |
| CW | Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (new) |
Jane the Virgin (new) |
Local |
| FOX | Hell’s Kitchen (new) |
The Exorcist (new) |
Local |
| NBC | Blindspot (new) |
Dateline NBC (new) |
—
| SAT. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | 11:00 | 11:30 |
| ABC | Mary Poppins | News/Local |
| CBS | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer | Frosty the Snowman | Frosty Returns | 48 Hours | News/Local |
| FOX | The Gifted (repeat) |
Lethal Weapon (repeat) |
News/Local |
| NBC | Will & Grace (repeat) |
Superstore (repeat) |
Dateline NBC (repeat) |
News/Local | Saturday Night Live (James Franco & SZA) |
—
| SUN. | 6:00 | 6:30 | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | America’s Funniest Home Videos (new) |
Frozen | Encore! |
| CBS | 60 Minutes (new) |
Widom of the Crowd (new) |
NCIS: Los Angeles (new) |
Madam Secretary (new) |
| FOX | Football (repeat) |
The OT (repeat) |
The Simpsons (new) |
Bob’s Burgers (new) |
Family Guy (new) |
| NBC | NFL Football (live) |