PASADENA, Calif. _ Where can you plunder comedy and drama in the same place? Hospitals, workplaces and neighborhoods have all been tried in television, and so have hotels. TV has mined that ore hundreds of times, from the loony digs in "Fawlty Towers" to the ritzy clientele of "Hotel."
Bob Newhart hosted an inn in "Newhart." The mob explored the riches of Miami's hostels in "Magic City." Hawaii was the place to stay in "North Shore," and Jamie Foxx toiled at his aunt and uncle's hotel in "The Jamie Foxx Show." "Hot 1 Baltimore" was a rest haven that had seen better days, and the British "Hotel Babylon" explored the seamy side of the elevator.
So while the idea is not original, ABC is venturing a newer version this summer with "Grand Hotel."
Based on a Hispanic series, the show stars Demian Bichir as successful patriarch Santiago Mendoza, who is running the last family-owned hotel in Miami with his glamorous and determined second wife, played by Roselyn Sanchez.
The sun-drenched series is executive produced by Eva Longoria ("Desperate Housewives,"). "This was a format from Spain," she explains. "And it was a period piece, and we contemporized it to modern-day Miami ... It has a lot of themes of 'Upstairs, Downstairs,' but we thought it was very unique to have the upstairs be a Hispanic family and to show a different community.
"It's based in Miami, so we're authentic to that world," she says. "So nine of our 11 cast members are people of color. So we're really proud of the adaptation that we did."
Executive producer Brian Tanen continues: "So often you see those underrepresented groups playing the housekeeper, playing service industry jobs. And so it was special for us to be able to represent the 'upstairs' as people of color, which is very true to my hometown of Miami."
The Mexico-born Bichir, who's best known as the persistent cop in "The Bridge" and the chief of the drug cartel in "Weeds," says, "This is my third time on American TV. And basically I respond to the same thing ... I'm looking for strong material, whether it's on TV, films or theater. And that's what I found here," he says.
"And to me, it's about the human experience and who's in charge of it. And I love Eva ... No one can say 'no' to Eva. And a great, powerful captain can lead such a big ship into a happy port. And the beauty of that is that they can gather the best artists on every position, not only in the fantastic cast that we have, but in every department. So that, to me, is what I'm looking for as an artist. And I couldn't be happier and luckier to do my third TV project with this family."
Earlier in his career Bichir _ who is an important star in Mexico _ had tried his luck in Hollywood, only to return to his homeland when jobs didn't materialize. Today he says, "My mother called me 'pata de perro' (dog's leg). I could never stand in one place. I could never stand still. So I've been moving a lot. And my equation is really, really simple: I go where I'm loved. And wherever there's a good project for me, I will fight for it. I will try to open new avenues ...
"In my experience, the first period of the time that I spent here many years back, many years ago, there weren't many things for Latin American artists," he says.
"There are a lot of people responsible for now having this beautiful time that we're having. And Eva is one of them, without a doubt. She opened up a full, new opportunity for many Latin American actors. She has a great relationship with ABC, and she could have chosen any other show, any other story, any story she wants, because she can do anything she wants," he says.
"She's superwoman. She's not only a great actor and a great producer, but she was becoming a mother at the same time she was giving birth to this series."
It's true, the indomitable Longoria recalls, "When I started the show, I'd just had my baby. And I was breastfeeding, and I was directing the show while I was breastfeeding. I mean, I was crazy."
"And she was juggling all those pins at the same time," continues Bichir. "So she is one of them that is opening these opportunities to many of us. Without a doubt, this is a good time for us. And this is a great time for this story, because this is an immigrant family. This is a story of success of an immigrant family coming into the U.S., living this wonderful life."
Longoria herself will make several guest appearances, she says. "The first time you see me, I'm about 20 pounds heavier than the last time you see me, because five months had passed between those times. But you will see me, and I'm very excited about it."
JULIA STILES BACK ON THE 'RIVIERA'
Sundance Now, AMC's streaming service, will haunt the art market again as the second season of "Riviera" arrives on Thursday. The series about the high-moneyed art world stars Julia Stiles as an American art curator.
"The business of the art world I think is fascinating," she says. "After having started the show, I learned more about the black-market fraud that can be involved in the art world and also just how the way you price art is very subjective, which is something that we explore.
"I spoke to a few _ just because of my own curiosity _ I was able to, before we started filming, speak to a lot of curators and art dealers," she says.
"And I would watch some auctions on Sotheby's website and Christie's website. Sometimes you can watch live auctions, because I wasn't able to go there in person. But I think it's endlessly fascinating ... One of the things that my character discovers is that there was _ because her husband was buying and selling forgeries _ there was fraud in their marriage. But then also the artwork that she had so valued turns out that, because they're forgeries, they're worthless. And it changes her perspective on the masterpieces that she's collected."
ARCHAEOLOGIST UNEARTHS SHOCKING EVIDENCE
A British archaeologist believes she has found evidence of Nazi mass murders during World War II on British soil. The tale of her findings will be outlined on the Smithsonian Channel Sunday on its special "Adolf Island."
The Germans occupied England's Channel Islands during the war. And Caroline Sturdy Colls, professor of conflict archaeology and genocide investigation at Staffordshire University, believes Alderney Island hosted such a death camp.
"The story of what happened to the thousands of forced and slave laborers who were sent to Alderney during World War II needs to be told," she has said.
"For decades, many have tried to downplay the crimes committed by the SS and other Nazi groups on the island. Forensic investigation offers the possibility to uncover the truth about the fate of these victims, to tell their stories and finally offer a voice to those who suffered and died on Alderney so many years ago."
SHOW BIZ SURGEON HAD NEW GIG
Dr. Terry Dubrow is putting down his scalpel from "Botched" and hiking over to Oxygen, where he'll be hosting the new murder series, "License to Kill," premiering Sunday. Why do they need a guy with a stethoscope to host a TV show? Because it's about the folk who are charged with ministering to their fellow man but end up harming them.
Whether they're nurses or doctors or some other form of medical personnel, the guilty parties are often infamous and the cases difficult to solve.
As for Dubrow, the plastic surgeon who costars with Dr. Paul Nassif on "Botched," has done his lion's share of TV shows. You might have caught him on "Good Work," "Bridalplasty, "Real Housewives of Orange County," or "The Swan."
About "The Swan," he says, "'The Swan,' which is arguably the cheesiest reality show ever on television, I'll admit it. And that sends sort of a different message, but gave me an incredible experience very early on in my career doing plastic surgery."
