Channel Knowledge

Actress Nicholle Tom, from IFC's The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, sent us this emai:

Just wanted to inform y'all that I have an extremely intense Cold Case coming up. It airs on CBS this Sunday at 8PM. I play a drug-addicted mother who is accused of killing her baby in a fire. Oh yeah, it's a happy one, and just in time for Mothers Day! But seriously, I learned so much on this show, it was an amazing experience for me, and a really great character. I worked really hard, and I'm very excited! So, please enjoy the show, or set your TiVo/DVR boxes! Love and Happiness to All!

Jackie Woodman Lightens Up

You already know that the WOW-produced The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, airing Sunday nights at 11:30 on IFC, is the Hollywood-set dark comedy series that creator and star Laura Kightlinger describes as two "hapless losers ... trying to make it in a business they’re not actually in." But you might have thought to yourself, "Is it just me, or does the show suddenly have a lighter, brighter, airier look this season?" Well, it's not just you; the show did indeed get an atmospheric makeover, starting with Jackie's almost-sunny new digs. But the much lighter look is thanks mostly to the show's second-season operating director of photography, Brandon Hickman. In a Videography magazine cover story, Hickman explains that he shoots standard-definition footage with a Panasonic AJ-SDX900 camera and a Fujinon HD zoom lens, keeping the lens at 2.8 or 4 for the shallow depth of field. Um, whatever. He also attributes some of the new look to the 25-foot ceilings and large windows of the World of Wonder offices where a lot of Jackie's scenes are shot. (There's more)

Late Night with Jackie Woodman

We sure hope you're watching The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman on IFC every Sunday night at 11:30, the series with comedy drier than chronic dry eye and just as incurable. We're mentioning it now because it's being praised by others and we don't have to tout our own horn. Last week, Michael Slezak at EW.com, imploring people to watch, said:

Series stars Laura Kightlinger, the show's creator, and Nicholle Tom do boozy, bawdy comedy with a zest not seen on the small screen since AbFab's Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley. And unlike their Sex and the City predecessors, Kightlinger's Jackie and Tom's Tara have moments of tragic un-hipness: They're mid-level Los Angeles wannabes, and their clothes, their apartments, and their cars (or lack thereof) reflect their lot in life with painfully delectable accuracy.

And this week, Slezak wrote, "I think I love Jackie because she's like my secret, hostile inner voice, only with the volume turned up. Thankfully, Tara is always there to cut the acidity with her sweet cluelessness."

Further Accomplishments

Tonight, on the latest episode of The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman (11:30PM, IFC), Tara gets Jackie a job writing 15-second "phonisodes" about a chimp – in return for no pay and an orchid allergy, don't ask.

Shameless Plug

The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman is spotlit on the IMDb homepage today, which we're told is a good thing. And clicking on it will take you here.

Shameless Plug

"It's the funny little non sequiturs that are this show's best minor accomplishment," says the Boston Globe's Matthew Gilbert in reviewing the second-season premiere of The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman. Citing similarities to Sarah Silverman, Kathy Griffin, and Sandra Bernhard, he says the IFC show "should inspire a small grin from those of us with a taste for Hollywood's twisted ladies of irony... women who relish revealing La-La Land in all its naked absurdity." That would be the series' stars, the absurdly droll comic team of Laura Kightlinger and Nicholle Tom, whom he likens to both Lucy and Ethel and the girls of Absolutely Fabulous. (Full review)

The Jackie Woodman Why LA Sucks Contest Winners

Thanks to everyone who entered. Congratulations and The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman collectible flasks to winners Harry Redlich and Phil Tarley, whose entries appear, respectively, after the jump.

Dykes Like Us

In tonight's second-season premiere of The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, Jackie (Laura Kightlinger) and sidekick Tara (Nicholle Tom) pretend they're dykes so Tara can get the super lesbian discount on a butch SUV. Tara necessarily turns diesel, and Jackie becomes a girl toy. 11:30 PM tonight on IFC.

Afterglow

Last Thursday night was the wrap party for The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, which has finished filming its second season, and cast and crew were treated to cocktails, crab cakes, and cigars. Jackie herself, comedienne and series creator Laura Kightlinger, was in fine spirits, dancing the night away with partner-in-crime Nicholle Tom, while the rest of the gang warmed up their vocal chords for the midnight live-band karaoke. I left at the party's peak, just as the grips got a bit gropey, and the best boys started to look less than their best. Shame really – we were curious to see how exactly one performs Madonna's "Ray of Light" with a live backing band. Catch Minor Accomplishments on IFC this August, and befriend Jackie on her MySpace for airing reminders and behind-the-scenes photos.

– Steven Corfe

Photos: WOW's Chanelle Bailey, Mary Kay Place (Minor episode director & plays Jackie's mom), Jonathan Becker (Minor's associate producer & location manager); inset, Steven Corfe and Nicholle Tom (plays Minor's Tara)

Ladies Sing the Bruise

Lovely Nicholle Tom (above), who costars as Tara Wentzel on The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, dramatically shows off some cosmetic damage during a break from shooting. Not to be outdone by a TV star, WOW's equally lovely office manager Liz Leister (below) proudly exhibits some real bruising she sustained after boozing. (Photos by Thairin Smothers)

Tyler Durden Was Here

When it comes to faking locations, the World of Wonder basement is a bit like Vancouver in that it can look like anywhere you need. As we may have mentioned, IFC's comedy series The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman is shooting its second season all over the building, and last week the script called for a mock Fight Club scene and the trusty basement, which used to be the legendarily awesome punk club The Masque in the 1970s, fit the bill nicely, as you can see. (Photos by Thairin Smothers)

Not So Minor

It's very exciting that one of our favorite TV shows, IFC's The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman, is shooting not only just outside the WOW building, but also in the hallway just outside the second-floor office where the WOW Report is manufactured. Today we saw the cast and crew eat lunch in what used to be the sex-accessories boutique, A Touch of Romance, on the ground floor, and just a few minutes ago we ran into pretty Jackie star Laura Kightlinger on the second-floor landing. Earlier today, Thairin Smothers took some photos while they were shooting one of those scenes from Jackie Woodman where her pal drives her to work, but the car is actually being pulled on a car mount, Hollywood style. Hey, there's Laura looking out the window at us.