COMEBACK KIDS

This week, we begin by turning to the world of country music and news of the latest comeback attempt. John Michael Montgomery, the brother of the highly successful Eddie Montgomery (Montgomery Gentry), was once an A list country star in the ’90s with 15 #1 hit singles including I Swear, Life’s a Dance and Sold. John Michael, along with Garth Brooks and others, was part of the new regime that pumped life into the country genre just when many thought it would be going away once and for all. In 1994, John Michael was even named one of People Magazine’s most beautiful people. But times change, beauty fades and John’s career took a dive. Earlier this year, he was one of a long list of celebrities to check into rehab and in years past has had arrests for drug, alcohol and weapons charges.

This month, he’s releasing his first new album in four years called “Time Flies” on his own label (Swingtime Records). So the question is, does John Michael Montgomery still have what it takes to pull off a successful country album? I can say that after the initial uptempo fun and silly track What Did I Do, it’s for the most part an mellow and introspective collection of tracks that you feel were written and performed while in rehab touching on subjects from his heftier appearance (With My Shirt On) to making amends for his past sins (Drunkard’s Prayer). Will any fans remember and seek this one out? It’s doubtful, but I thought I’d be sure to do my part and pass the word. Look for this one to hit the stores on October 14.

In the world of network television, we have the premiere of the new ABC series Life On Mars to look forward to. Jason O’Mara, the charismatic actor I’ve had a crush on since his short-lived series The Agency and In Justice, may just have what it takes this time around to have his first hit show. His latest can best be described as a supernatural procedural show that’s more heavily focused on the more human elements of the characters. ABC, best known for its shows that specialize in character development, is not straying from that concept here. As a police detective suddenly thrust back into the early ’70s, the show has all the look and feel of the old time Quinn Martin productions such as The Streets of San Francisco and The F.B.I. Ironically, one of the shows on in the background was Cannon, another Quinn Martin series.

Complete with excellent ’70s rock tracks to help thrust us back into that world (Little Willy by Sweet!), I was completely sold on this show. Like the CBS’ ’70s nostalgia experiment series Swingtown, I enjoyed going back in time and having a better understanding of what things were really like back then. Life On Mars had more of its share of problems and practically the entire supporting cast was replaced. The end result however, was excellent cast additions such as Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos) and Harvey Keitel, who is doing his first-ever TV series. While this could at first be dismissed as yet another procedural show, it has enough unique elements and a first-rate supporting cast (something most shows fail to do) to make one a success. Life On Mars premieres in a plum timeslot following Grey’s Anatomy on October 9.

Finally, we turn to the world of cable television for the return of The Starter Wife on the USA network. The show was a surprise success for star Debra Messing and was originally only conceived for a short-run limited series. Again, thanks to a solid cast of supporting characters and a 2007 Emmy win, the show is finally coming back for another run. All of the original cast is intact with the exception of the role of the ex-husband, who originally was played by Peter Jacobson and now is replaced with the much more handsome, David Alan Basche.

But the better news is that the gay best friend character of Rodney (Chris Dimantopoulus) is going to have a fun new plotline in the form of a new relationship with a male major action movie star Felix Soel (James Black) who also happens to be African-American. They have to keep this one a secret of course because it is Hollywood after all and we’re talking about a major action star. I’ll have to admit, I’ve seen this done before including on Will & Grace to a degree when Will was dating a closeted sportswriter. I’ve been privy to a few of these scenes between Rodney and Felix and I didn’t feel if any new groundbreaking barriers were being met, but then again, this show always has and always will be a guilty pleasure, and I expect to watch all of the ten episodes this time around. Debra Messing does seem to attract a lot of gay best friends, doesn’t she? Look for The Starter Wife to return beginning on Friday October 10.