Billy Joel’s Songs Are Being Turned Into Their Own TV Show
A bottle of red. A bottle of white. Whatever kind of mood you’re in tonight ... there will apparently be a Billy Joel TV show for it.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, MGM is working on an anthology television series inspired by the Piano Man’s library of songs titled Scenes From an Italian Restaurant. Essentially, each episode will focus on a different song...
The show, which takes its title from Joel's favorite song from his sizable catalog, will see each episode based on lyrics of his hits and populated by characters from his songs, including the Stranger, the Piano Man, Mamma Leone and Sgt. O'Leary. The tracks will be reimagined and rearranged by Joel's music team — with his input — and take his tunes in new directions.
Okay, as one of the world’s biggest Billy Joel fans, here are the episodes I want to see in the first season:
- “River of Dreams,” a surreal journey through a dreamlike aquatic setting, directed by David Lynch.
- “Sometimes a Fantasy,” a horror short about a loser who becomes obsessed with the woman he talks to a phone sex line.
- “Miami 2017,” a bleak sci-fi episode about life in the far-flung future of 2017.
- “Close to the Borderline,” a crime story set in a New York City blackout.
- “Rosalinda’s Eyes,” a mumblecore-y episode about a jazz musician who plays nights in the Spanish part of town.
- “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” basically just a remake of the 1991 film Backdraft.
Law & Order: SVU’s Kevin Fox is creating the series, the first time Joel’s entire song catalog is being licensed for a single show. I can’t wait for the “Sleeping With the Television On,” episode.
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