NBC Is Bringing Back “The Donald” Instead of The Donnellys?

In May 2007, Donald Trump’s reality series, “The Apprentice” was just one of many shows eliminated from NBC’s 2007-2008 schedule due to low ratings. However, NBC recently announced that it had reconsidered its earlier decision and was bringing back the cancelled show in a slightly different format Instead of talented people seeking a job with the Trump organization, the new season will feature celebrities competing for charity.

While donating money to charity is always a good thing, another season of “The Donald” is not. The show has clearly taken a dive in recent years. This past season, we lost both Carolyn and George, who were often the only people worth listening to. In fact, the show was trying so hard to attract viewers that the losing team had to sleep in tents and the biggest thing to happen all season was a soap-opera romance between two of the contestants. Now this year, the show needs celebrities to command audience attention.

What I can’t understand is why NBC decided to bring back “The Donald” (who is clearly better off sticking to real-estate than entertainment) instead of “The Black Donnellys.” It can’t be because television is lacking for reality TV shows. It isn’t because the “fans” (and I use this term loosely) fought to get “The Apprentice” back on television. It certainly isn’t because the drowning reality series is going to move NBC from fourth to first place in the network wars.

I do have a few favorite theories. For example, maybe it’s because it’s safer to beat a dead horse (“The Apprentice”) than to try to ride a wild one (“The Black Donnellys”). Maybe it’s because NBC more often than not stands for “Never Be Creative.” Maybe it’s because Ben Silverman is itching to hear the words “You’re fired.” Whatever the reason, it’s a bad choice.

“The Black Donnellys” had drama, romance, humor and action. It had a young and fresh cast and award-winning creators. The plot and characters drew you in slowly but once they had you, you didn’t want them to ever let you go. There was something for every viewer and it’s too bad that so few got the opportunity to experience “The Black Donnellys”.

**To help us bring back The Black Donnellys visit or join us at the Firecracker Lounge.

The girl at the diner: Jenny Reilly

Jenny Reilly is played by actress Olivia Wilde. Jenny, a quiet Irish
Catholic tomboy, grew up alongside the Donnelly brothers. Jenny is
unselfish when it comes to her own family which is comprised of just
her father and herself as she has no mother around. She works at her
father's diner and cares for him and has no other aspirations as she
is not given that opportunity. Jenny, after only a year of marriage,
becomes the widow of an estranged husband. Her husband is rumored to
be (and mostly likely is) dead due to his own debts which are unknown to Jenny.

There is a lovelorn romance that exists between Tommy Donnelly
and Jenny as there is with most dramatic storylines. Tommy is viewed as the
protagonist and Jenny the love interest in the series. Tommy tries
his best to protect Jenny and the Reilly family in any way that he
can even though Mr. Reilly despises the Donnelly family. Jenny
constantly struggles with her feelings for Tommy and feels the need
to understand herself before she can pursue her own desires. As
Olivia Wilde stated in an interview, "I
think when we enter into their story, she's just learning about how
it's impossible to ignore your own innermost needs and desires."

This is something that we see predominantly in the episode entitled
"Lies", where Jenny makes a terrible mistake by misleading a local delivery man named Samson who we find out later has an obsession with Jenny that turns into
rage and resentment. After her encounter with Samson, Jenny visits the church and is unable to find a resolution to her problems but decides to start fresh in the best way she can. Jenny is a character who has pride and rarely
asks for help. In the season finale, you'll see she is violated by Samson and later takes matters into her own hands when she forced to defend herself against him. After taking such action, it will now be increasingly difficult for her to find her identity and fresh start.

While Olivia Wilde has been recently cast in a recurring role on FOX's "House", we will best remember her as portraying one of The Black Donnellys complex and loved characters, Jenny Reilly.

Joey Ice Cream

I Always Wanted Brothers Like That . . .

So goes the famous line uttered by one of The Black Donnellys’ most controversial characters, Joey Ice Cream.

Joey Ice Cream, portrayed by Keith Nobbs , is the fifth-wheel kid from down the block who idolizes the Donnelly brothers and tags along after them like man's best friend on a leash. Joey is there when the Donnellys are celebrating and he’s there when the Donnellys are in trouble. In fact, Joey’s there so often that sometimes the viewers forget all about him—that is, until the cops remind us that Joey’s in jail and he’s the reason we know so much about the Donnelly brothers. Because Joey knows everything there is to know about the Donnellys. And for some viewers, that’s just too much. However, for others, Joey Ice Cream’s all-knowing storytelling is just one more thing that makes The Black Donnellys the most underrated show of this past television season.

Joey Ice Cream’s character is what is known in literary terms as an unreliable narrator or a narrator whose version of events just doesn’t fully ring true for the audience. In Joey’s case, most of the time the viewers don’t know whether the story he’s telling is the truth or whether he is intentionally misleading the cops (and the audience). For instance, in the pilot episode when he’s explaining his unusual nickname, Joey states that he was given the nickname Joey “Ice Cream” because he’s like “ice” under pressure. However, later in the episode we learn that Joey was, in fact, given his nickname simply because he liked ice cream so much. Moments like this make the viewers wonder how much they can really rely on the information they’re receiving from Joey and whether or not there’s some hidden meaning yet to be disclosed.

Interestingly, even though we know from the first moment of the pilot episode that Joey Ice Cream is in jail, we have no idea how he got there. Likewise, even though we’re pretty sure that Joey is stretching the truth (a lot!), we have no idea why he’s making up stories and lying to the police. Is he a pathological liar? Maybe. Does he overestimate his own importance or have a need to be the center of attention? Probably. Is he protecting the Donnelly brothers? Most definitely.

In the end, we are left with more questions than answers when it comes to Joey Ice Cream and, by the time we reach the season finale, only one thing is certain—Joey loves the Donnelly brothers and would do anything to be part of their family. To understand any more than that, we need a second season of The Black Donnellys.

Now that’s the truth according to Joey Ice Cream . . . for what it’s worth.

**For more information about the Save The Black Donnellys campaign, visit www.savetheblackdonnellys.net.

Meet Sean Donnelly

Over the past few days you have been introduced to Tommy, Kevin and Jimmy Donnelly. Today you will meet the last Donnelly brother, Sean Donnelly.


Sean Donnelly, portrayed by Michael Stahl-David , is the baby of the Donnelly clan and he is the ladies man! The brothers don't want any of their soon to be girlfriends to meet Sean because Sean would be off with them in a heartbeat. I don't want to paint the wrong picture of Sean...he isn't necessarily a player, he has a sweet heart and disposition.

Sean also wants to be involved in what his brothers are doing but they will not let their baby brother get mixed up in their dealings—especially after he was beaten-up by the Italians. Sean resents his brothers for protecting him from the family problems and only allowing him to be the “beverage manager” at the bar. But Sean soon forgets all about the family troubles when he meets a girl at the Jukebox store.

We are not really sure what Sean wants to do with his life other than hang with a girl or involve himself in his brothers activities. Ma Donnelly pushes Sean to go back to school but he doesn’t seem too interested…that is until he finds out that Jukebox girl is in school and decides that going back to school would be a great way to impress her!


We don't get to know Sean as in depth as we do the other brothers...so stay tuned, and fight for The Black Donnellys season two because we know there is much more to come!!!!

**Don’t forget to pre-order The Black Donnellys on DVD at Amazon.

The Black Donnellys – the brothers continued….

We gave you two days to learn more about The Black Donnellys' lead character, Tommy Donnelly. Today you will get a chance to understand an equally complex brother, Jimmy Donnelly.

Jimmy Donnelly, portrayed by Tom Guiry , is the eldest Donnelly but is far from the wisest brother. He can best be described as a loaded gun and is always looking for the next opportunity to self-destruct. Jimmy's erratic behavior is further fueled by his alcoholism and drug abuse. However, we learn over time that Jimmy's behavior is more of a front that he puts on in attempt to camouflage the guilt and insecurity that he's carried with him since he was a child. While Jimmy is seen as physically weak due to his crippled leg, he desires to be stronger by other means and wants the respect that his younger brother Tommy has. Thus Jimmy tries to make up for what he lacks physically with his headstrong emotions and irrational and blunt behavior. Though it's hard to feel sympathy for Jimmy sometimes, he certainly is not a monster. Instead, he's just a lost soul who blames himself for his father's death and for his youngest brother Sean's severe beating--a beating that was the result of Jimmy's own misdeeds.

One thing is clear from the outset though--Jimmy doesn't think anything through, he just reacts. A great example is his involvement in Louie “Downtown”'s murder. By kidnapping Louie Downtown, Jimmy causes his brother Sean's beating which in turn leads to Jimmy killing Louie Downtown which eventually leads to repercussions for the entire Donnelly family. Tommy, as the second oldest, continues to pick up the pieces and Jimmy, while he loves his brothers, continues to lead them deeper and deeper into the life they never wanted.

As Tommy said, "Don't you care about anybody?" Jimmy's only reply is, "You're right. I forgot, Tommy. You're the big savior. I'm the scumbag!"

Jimmy does mean well and does place family above all. Why else would he have shot Louie “Downtown” if not to avenge Sean's near-death beating by the Italians?

Interestingly, one of Jimmy's greatest achievements so far has been refurbishing The Firecracker, the Donnelly's family bar. In fact, Jimmy is so proud of the bar that he purchased a new sign for it. The new sign, which features a “cracker” and a “flame,” represents a new beginning for the Donnelly brothers, according to Jimmy.

From the pilot to the finale, we learn more and more about Jimmy that explains why he is the way he is and we are left to wonder if Jimmy will change further as the show progresses. The season finale made us think that he might begin to change his ways but ultimately left us hanging . . . As of now, we can only speculate, but we can find out if you join us in the fight for season two!!!

Meet Tommy Donnelly

Lately, we have been focused on the campaign and the buzz around it but now we would like to take some time to reintroduce the Donnelly brothers. Yesterday, you were introduced to Kevin Donnelly portrayed by Billy Lush. Today we will introduce you to Tommy Donnelly.

Tommy Donnelly, the second oldest of the four Donnellys brothers, is portrayed by Jonathan Tucker . Tommy’s dream is to become an artist and he is the one brother who clearly has the talent and ability to be more than just another neighborhood thug. Unfortunately, Tommy is burdened by the fact that an impulsive decision made during his youth resulted in serious injury and a lasting disability for his older brother, Jimmy. Tommy’s guilt over his childhood mistake prevents him from escaping from Hell’s Kitchen and the crime and dangers that have become a way of life there. Instead, Tommy shoulders the burdens of those around him in vain effort to right the wrong that he has done.

Tommy bails out his brothers time and time again. Sometimes that means taking care of unpaid gambling debts and other times it means disposing of bodies. But Tommy’s responsibilities don’t end there. Tommy also looks out for his brothers’ tag-a-long friends and the other Irish families in the neighborhood and he makes a special effort to protect Jenny Reilly, his childhood sweetheart.

Throughout it all, Tommy demonstrates that he is a capable (though somewhat reluctant) leader adept at handling even the toughest problems. While this earns him the respect of both the Irish and Italians in the neighborhood (positioning him as the next leader of the Irish mafia), it creates a number of problems for Tommy personally. For instance, Tommy is forced to give up his dream of becoming an artist in order to look out for his brothers. In addition, Tommy’s relationships with his older brother and the woman he loves are seriously damaged as he becomes more and more involved in the life he tried to leave behind.

At the end of the day, Tommy’s intentions are good. His only goal is to make sure that the people around him are safe and happy. Unfortunately, Tommy is forced to do things that no one would want to do in order to protect those that he loves. As he encounters one impossible dilemma after another, Tommy is forced to choose the lesser of two evils in an often futile attempt to make the right choice and help someone else.

As Kevin, his younger brother, states, “Tommy, you got to stop helping people. It’s a bad thing.” While Tommy tries to do “right,” he quickly finds out that sometimes the “right” thing may turn out ‘wrong”.

Kevin Donnelly/Billy Lush

Kevin Donnelly is portrayed by Billy Lush . He is the second youngest Donnelly brother. Kevin won his dad a bet once when he was young and ever since then he thought he was lucky; however, he hasn’t won anything since then. If Kevin goes with his gut though, he is usually right and would probably be a millionaire. Thankfully his brothers are there to help him out! In the first episode Kevin’s gambling debt initiates a series of events that will forever change the lives of the Donnelly brothers.

Kevin is also a very loyal person and would do anything for his brothers, at any cost. His loyalty is first displayed in the pilot episode when he answers Tommy is about to step into the unimaginable to save his brother Jimmy from his demise. Tommy asks, “Where are you going?” and Kevin responds, “Wherever you are.” You knew that Kevin would put family above all and not let Tommy walk into anything without Kevin by his side.

Kevin’s character brings a comedic side to this dark drama with his famous one liners, which seem to be a fan favorite. He can be depended on to always have the best lines of the show that add a great deal of humor and color to The Black Donnellys.