Premieres and Notables, Dec. 31, 2007- Jan. 6, 2008

I'm back! Sorry for the extended absence, but I needed a little computer break.

Good news: the Fantasy Football season is over (and I not-so-humbly boast I am the League Champ for both leagues I play in), so I should have some more time to post. Let's hope I actually type something as opposed to just writing them in my head (my current actual output to ideas is about 1:8).

Okay, on to the last day of the year, and the end of the easy weeks as networks now scramble to fill their slots with something other than scripted fare.


Monday, 12/31

Lots of New Years Eve specials starting around 10 pm CST-- and if you like college football, you should be able to find something to watch with the ludicrous number of ridiculously titled Bowl games being played the next two days.

Sci Fi runs its annual Twilight Zone marathon from 7 am today to 9 pm Tuesday night-- Eighty-Four episodes of classic Zone goodness!

HBO airs the last twenty episodes of Entourage, beginning at 6 pm (with a break at 11:05 for an ep of Cathouse).

TBS gears up for the Jan. 15th premiere of the second season of 10 Items or Less by airing the first five episodes of the series, beginning at 10 pm.


Tuesday, 1/1

Desperate Spaces; HGTV. 12 noon. Series Premiere.
Two designers visit three homes who each need a room makeover, plans are drawn up, and only one house gets the makeover. Niiiice. May be worth watching to see two couples' dreams shattered each episode. Cruelty know no bounds in reality TV.

The Biggest Loser; NBC. 7 pm. Season Premiere.
Is it too late to use the "No, this isn't an MTV/VH1 reality show featuring old reality TV 'stars'"? You know what this is; the rub this time is that contestants are partnered-up, Amazing Race style.

Ocean Force: Huntington Beach, OC; Tru TV (formerly Court TV). 7 & 7:30 pm. Series Premiere.
A real-life Baywatch.

The Music of Seal on Ice; NBC. 3 pm. Special.
Seal's Music + Figure Skating = Something to watch other than college football...


Wednesday, 1/2

Power of 10; CBS. 7 pm. Season premiere.

Whacked Out Videos; MNT. 7 & 7:30 pm. Series Premiere.
Yet another TV show that broadcasts video clips YouTube-style.

Futurama begins a run on Comedy Central at 7 pm (and, most assuredly, many, many reairings after that). Com Central has the rights to all 72 episodes as well as the direct-to-DVD-movies.

Pioneers of Television; PBS. 7 pm (check local listings). Mini-series.
This four-part series looks at early television.

Law & Order; NBC. 8 & 9 pm. 18th Season Premiere.


Thursday, 1/3

Celebrity Apprentice; NBC. 8 pm. 7th season premiere.
I got nothin' to say. Every time I think of this show, I get horrible stomach pains...


Friday, 1/4

Goodbye Zoey; Nickelodeon. 7 pm. Movie.
I betcha Nick is happy as Hell this series finale is all they have left to air of the show. I suppose they would have liked star Jamie Lynn Spears to have gotten knocked up just a few months later, though...

1 vs. 100; NBC. 7 pm. Season premiere.
See what gets to come back when there is a writer's strike?

Ugliest House on the Block; WE. 7 & 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Residents vote on which house in the area is the ugliest-- and then they-- wait for it...-- give it a makeover!

DogTown; National Geographic. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
A look at Utah's DogTown animal sanctuary.

Matched in Manhattan; Lifetime. 8:30. Series Premiere.
A real-life Hitch, except without the witty Will Smith as the matchmaker.


Saturday, 1/5

Alien Abductions: True Confessions; WE. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
Women talk about their alien abductions. I need to throw up...


Sunday, 1/6

American Gladiators; NBC. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Beefed up athletes try to crush their "average" opponents in this remake of the '90s show. This time around, Hulk Hogan is brought in to add some class to the show.

The Wire; HBO. 8 pm. 5th season premiere.
What many, many critics call the best show on television begins its final season.

Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam; HBO. 9 pm. Season Premiere.
After a two-year hiatus, the show returns.

The L Word; Showtime. 8 pm. 5th season premiere.

Premieres and Notables: December 24-30, 2007

Monday, 12/24

TBS' annual A Christmas Story marathon runs for the next 24 hours starting at 7pm.

A great How I Met Your Mother episode from last year finds Ted calling Lily a bad, bad word in this Christmas episode. How they skirt the censors is great-- no bleeps here. (CBS, 7 pm).

More marathons: Sci Fi is airing a 20-episode block of Stargate Atlantis, starting at 7 am. TNT airs nine Christmas episodes of ER, beginning at 9 am. And TV Land airs 24 hours of Christmas episodes of various series beginning at 4 pm. And the most bizarre "marathon": Sprout is airing 11 straight hours of host Nina and puppet Star sleeping-- awaiting Santa Claus-- beginning at 6 pm.


Tuesday, 12/25

The Best of Youth; Sundance. 8 pm. Mini-series
A four-part series taken from the (apparently long) film that won the Jury Prize at Cannes.

Sci Fi airs a 21-episode block of Stargate SG-1 at 7 am.

The Discovery Channel airs all 15 hours of Planet Earth starting at 8 am. I've only seen (so far) three episodes, but they were amazing. This series has made many Best of 2007 lists, so check it out.

And there's lots and lots of Christmas-themed specials and movies airing all day on many channels.


Wednesday, 12/26

Lots of college football bowl games. If you care, you'll know where to find them.

Kennedy Center Honors; CBS. 8 pm. Special
Martin Scorsese, Diana Ross, Leon Fleischer, Brian Wilson, and Steve Martin are honored.


Thursday, 12/27

Biography (Bio, 8 pm) looks at U2 front man and activist Bono.


Sunday, 12/30

A very King of the Hill-ish episode of King of the Hill finds Cotton dying in this repeat (FOX, 7:30 pm). It proves that this decade-old series has a big heart-- yet still won't give into schmaltz. I miss that shin-less bastard...

And Dale's act at the end is great...

DARK KNIGHT Trailer

Here's a trailer for the upcoming Batman movie The Dark Knight. Lots of Heath Ledger as the Joker (and, Thank God, he was the Joker, not Jack Nicholson in face paint like the first movie).

Scary as Hell. And lots and lots of shit blowing up. I don't judge movies by their trailers (especially ones I'm really forward to), but this one looks good.

http://atasteforthetheatrical.com/deathtrap/default.htm

Premieres and Notables, December 17-23, 2007

Monday, 12/17

Clash of the Choirs; NBC. 7 pm CST. "Mini-Series"
Six choirs coached by "name" musicians (Patti LaBelle, Michael Bolton, Blake Shelton, Kelly Rowland, and Nick Lachey) compete the next four nights.

Duel; ABC. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
And another game show... Twenty-four contestants answer trivia questions-- and try to manipulate each other.

Monday Night Football; ESPN. 7:30 pm. Special (Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears).
I'm in the Championship Game in one of my Fantasy Football Leagues, and I need everyone to think "Adrian Peterson needs to blow up". I'll settle for nothing less than 3 TDs by the guy. And if the Vikings DEF has a great game, that will be icing on the cake for both leagues I'm in.


Wednesday, 12/19

What could be the season (or series) finale for Journeyman airs tonight on NBC at 9 pm.


Friday, 12/21

The Next Great American Band (FOX, 8 pm) picks a winner. Seriously, I had no idea this show was still airing...


Saturday, 12/22

Saturday Night Live; NBC. 8:30 pm. Special
The Best of the 2006-2007 season. Do you think they had enough good (funny) sketches to fill the entire 90 minutes (60, if you take out time for commercials)?


Sunday, 12/23

Masterpiece Theatre; PBS. 8 pm (check local listings). Special
An encore airing of of the Prime Suspect finale "The Final Act". I've never seen the show, but I've read from more than one critic that this was an exceptional "movie" that closed out the series. Since there is so little else to watch, this is definitely something that deserves to be on the radar.

Elmo's Christmas Countdown; ABC. 6 pm. Special.
The Sesame Street gang (and more celebs than I'm willing to type here) help Elmo and Abby Cadabby save Christmas.

HIMYM Slaptastic vids

I've written before about the best comedy on network TV (that'd be How I Met Your Mother for those who have forgotten) and have explained the Slap Bet. But in case you're forgotten, here are some video links:

Here's a video primer from the first episode: The Slap Bet

And here is Barney's reaction to the mind games Marshall has played on him: Slapsgiving

And I just ran across the "music video" to the song Marshall sang in celebration for slapping Barney at Slapsgiving: You Just Got Slapped

Legen--wait for it-- dary.

Premieres and Notables December 10-16, 2007

Monday, 12/10

Paranormal State; A&E. 9 and 9:30 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Penn State University's Paranormal Research Society members go looking for ghosts.
Yep, folks, "A & E" stands for "Arts & Entertainment"...


Tuesday, 12/11

Twister Sisters; WE. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
A pair of Minnesota women chase storms.

Life on Mars; BBC America. 7:00 and 8:00 pm. 2nd Season premiere.
Yet another show I have on tape but haven't gotten to yet. I hear it's good. This begins the final season of the show that finds a cop who was in a hit-and-run waking up in the year 1973. He doesn't know how he got there or what he's trying to accomplish.


Wednesday, 12/12

Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants; CW. 8 pm. Series premiere.
Mothers and daughters team up in this beauty contest. Who wants to take bets there will be a season 2?

Party Mamas; WE. 9 pm. Series premiere.
Mothers throw lavish parties for their children.
I'm not the praying type, but I'm gonna give it a shot: "Dear God, please let this unholy writers strike end soon, so we can keep the stench of shit reality shows off the airwaves. Amen."


Friday, 12/14

2007 World Magic Awards; MyNetworkTV. 7 pm. Special.
Roger Moore hosts this award show (that features appearances by Neil Patrick Harris and Penn & Teller).


Sunday, 12/16

24/24 Rule; Court TV. 9 pm. Series premiere.
A show that looks at the last 24 hours of a murder victim's life, and then the first 24 hours of the investigation.

Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale; HBO. 8 pm. Special.
Just as he did with The Office, Ricky Gervais closes out his latest series (which he created 2 six-episode seasons for) with a special episode. I'm pretty bummed. I wasn't REALLY into the first season (although it had great moments), but I got more into the show during the second season. And now it's gone...

Premieres and Notables; Dec 3-9, 2007

Has it been a week already? Yeesh! The tapes and have been building up, so I can't say I'm upset that repeat season is in full swing.

But the strike talks didn't pan out, so maybe I'll be itching for new episodes in a month or so. Okay, probably not. I have a lot of tapes (and DVDs) to watch. The world could end, and all I'd need is a generator and a TV, and I'd be set with "new" episodes for a few years.

Oh yeah-- this week's new stuff:

Monday, 12/3

The Closer (TNT; 7-9 pm CST) and Saving Grace (TNT; 9 pm CST) return with new episodes.

And repeat season is a great time to try something you missed earlier. The funniest new show of the year, Aliens in America, repeats its pilot tonight (CW; 7:30). The scene between the two bullies and Justin when they're talking about his sister is priceless.

And my favorite comedy, How I Met Your Mother, repeats a great episode from last season where Marshall's beloved Fiero dies on him just short of hitting 200,000 miles (CBS; 7:00).

Life (NBC; 9 pm) begins a 2-parter that will be concluded this week in the show's normal timeslot (Wed @ 9).


Tuesday, 12/4

Bad Girls Club; Oxygen. 9 pm. 2nd season premiere.

Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency; Oxygen. 9:30. 3rd season premiere.

Everest: After the Climb; Discovery. 10 pm. (4-part) mini-series.
Phil Keoghan talks to hikers about their adventures.


Wednesday, 12/5

Julia Roberts Tribute; AMC. 7 pm. Special.
The America Cinematheque presents the award to Roberts. Last year's tribute to George Clooney was a hoot (yeah, I said "hoot", so what?), so it's probably a safe bet this one will be funny as well.

Million Dollar Christmas; TLC. 6 pm. Series premiere.
A series that looks at lottery jackpot winners and their first Christmases with the cha-ching.


Thursday, 12/6

Sand and Sorrow; HBO. 7 pm. Special.
A documentary that looks at the plight of the residents of Darfur.

Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2007; ABC. 9:02. Special.
Walters gives us her yearly look who she feels are fascinating. Let's take a look: Bill Clinton (hmmm... maybe it's a repeat from ten years ago), David and Victoria Beckham (fascinating because they are, or fascinating because everyone in the media wants us to believe they are?), Justin Timberlake (maybe), Katherine Heigl (ABC does air the special), Jennifer Hudson (okay, props for Babs for going all the way back to the beginning of the year), Hugo Chavez (okay, here we go; I'm fascinated to know what kind of bottles he's got in this medicine cabinet), and MySpace founders Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe (wasn't YouTube the big web site this year?-- maybe I'm behind). And, of course, the mystery "most fascinating person" (I wonder if she'll consider Rosie O' Donnell for ratings; a 10 round match between the two would be fun).



Friday, 12/7

Christmas Out of the Box; National Geographic. 9 pm. Special.
The secrets of the season. Like: how Santa got the image he has, how stores entice shoppers, and the story behind the Star of Bethlehem.

And I'm not sure if I missed their returns the past few weeks, but I see Monk (USA, 8 pm) and Psych (USA, 9 pm) have new episodes tonight.

Movies Rock! A Celebration of Music and Film; CBS. 8 pm. Special.
Film's most memorable songs are celebrated in this concert performed by popular artists such as Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Fergie, Elton John, Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Lopez, Nelly, Carrie Underwood, and LeAnn Rimes. I normally wouldn't list them all, but doesn't it seem a little odd that all these really memorable songs will be performed by people who probably weren't alive when many of them were written? I mean, you got Elton, who just turned 60, and I was surprised to see J-Lo and Mary J. Blige are older than my 35 years, and then everyone else is younger than me. I guess I don't really have a point...


Sunday, 12/9

Dino Autopsy; National Geographic. 8 pm. Special.
Sounds Alien Autopsy fake, but I'm guessing Nat Geo's look at an especially well-preserved dinosaur fossil will be the real deal.

Robot Chicken's Half-Assed Christmas Special; Cartoon Network/[adult swim]. 10:30-10:45 pm. Special.
The Chicken crew eviscerate the Holiday Season's movies and specials.

Odds and Ends

Rumors are the writer's stike may be ending soon. Don't hold your breath as no one's willing to say it on the record, but we can always hope.

Here's an updated link to Michael Ausiello's blog post with the number of new episodes some (many more than last time) shows have left. It's getting close for some...
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Strike-Chart-Long/800026937

And-- maybe it's just high hopes the strike will end soon-- NBC has given Chuck and Life full-season orders. Who's gonna write the episodes? I don't know.

Premieres and Notables Nov. 26- Dec 2, 2007

Not many premieres and an odd amount of finales this week.

Monday, 11/26

Nimrod Nation; Sundance. 8:00 & 8:30 pm CST. Mini-series (4 week run).
A documentary about the residents of Waterstreet, MI. [The "Nimrods" of the title are the local high-school basketball team.]

Notes From the Underbelly; ABC. 8:30. 2nd season premiere.
Another surprise renewal by ABC. I dropped it after two painful episodes last year, but I may try it again...

October Road; ABC. 9 pm. New regular timeslot.


Tuesday, 11/27

A Charlie Brown Christmas; ABC. 7 pm. Special.
The classic is back.

Dancing With the Stars season finale on ABC at 8:00 pm.

And House finally finalizes his staff on House (FOX; 8 pm).


Wednesday, 11/28

Eric Clapton gets some of the greatest guitarists alive to join him in this performance from July on Great Performances (PBS; 8 pm-- check local listings). Guests include: B.B. King, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, and John Mayer.

Shrek the Halls; ABC. 7 pm. Special.
If you didn't get enough of the green one from his third movie (and countless advertising) this summer, here's a little more from the same people as the feature films (meaning no lame attempts at replicating voices).

How the Grinch Stole Christmas; ABC. 7:30. Special.
The classic 1966 cartoon I watch a few times every year. Genius...

Christmas in Rockefeller Center; NBC. 7 pm. Special.
The 75th annual lighting of the tree.


Thursday, 11/29

Iconoclasts (Sundance, 9 pm) has its finale with a pairing between actress (and activist) Ashley Judd and former secretary of state Madeleine Albright.


Friday, 11/30

Class of 3000 Christmas Special; Cartoon Network. 7 pm. Special.
Probably not destined to be a classic-- but it's got Santa voiced by Lil Jon. Wish it were Dave Chappelle doing Lil Jon as Santa-- YAY-Yeah!

Two Lifetime finales: Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead (8 pm) and America's Psychic Challenge (9 pm).


Saturday, 12/1

Radio City Music Hall's 75th Anniversary Special ; NBC. 7 pm. Special

Torchwood (BBC America; 8 pm) ends its first season.

And Mad TV repeats the season opener with a look at their most outrageous skits from the past 13 years. It's awesome. We have everything from from "What Can Brown Do For You?" to the classic "Shake-powered Flashlight" bits. Highly Recommended.


Sunday, 12/2

Last Laugh '07 Starring Lewis Black; Comedy Central. 9 pm. Special
Don't you hate it when networks run "best of the year" shows with an entire month left of the year?

Tin Man; Sci Fi. 8 pm. Mini-series (three nights).
A modern take on The Wizard of Oz.

Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project; HBO. 7 pm. Special
Profile of the comedian directed by John Landis.

Desperate Housewives (ABC; 8 pm) airs its big sweeps episode in December. A tornado blows through town and leaves at least two regular characters dead.

And Brotherhood (Showtime; 9 pm) ends its second season.

Premieres and Notables, November 19-25, 2007

[Note: just going with what TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly printed. Can't promise all these are correct due to network changes due to the strike.]

Monday, 11/19

First Frisky Dingo, then It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, then The Office (even though it had an off year), and now Weeds has its season-ender (Showtime; 9 pm CST). TV is getting less funny by the week.
Odd bit of coincidence: the Weeds season finale features a wildfire that threatens Agresta/Majestic-- and Nancy's grow house. But losing her crop may not be the worst thing in the world as the Feds are about to investigate the house because they used heat sensors and found the gigantic cross Doug stole and then used to help the crop grow.


Tuesday, 11/20

Frank TV; TBS. 10 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Frank Caliendo impersonates/mimics famous people.


Wednesday, 11/21

Ben 10: Race Against Time; Cartoon Network. 7 pm. Movie
Cartoon network takes yet another step away from its name and airs this live action movie based on its popular cartoon series.

Rise of the Videogame; Discovery. 7 pm. Mini-series.
A five week look at videogames, beginning in the 1970's.

Paul "Pee Wee" Reubens guest stars on Pushing Daisies (ABC, 7 pm).


Thursday, 11/22

Countless specials and Thanksgiving episodes.

October Road; ABC. 9:02 pm. 2nd Season Premiere.
I have no idea how this show got renewed... Ratings were decent, but it sucked. Maybe it'll be better, but I'm not going to try it to find out for myself.


Friday, 11/23

Star Trek: Enterprise Marathon; Sci Fi Channel. 7 am-12:30 am.
Seventeen episode block from Season 3 & 4 (the last-- and best-- seasons).

SpongeBob SquarePants Marathon; Nickelodeon. 6 am-9 pm.
Fifteen hours of the bizarre one. Great for kids and stoners!

Fashionably Late With Stacy London; TLC. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
What Not to Wear's co-host gets her own show.


Saturday, 11/24

Battlestar Galactica: Razor; Sci Fi. 8 pm. Movie.
I haven't gotten around to watching the series yet, but I know this made-for-TV movie has been eagerly awaited by fans for a while now.


Sunday, 11/25

John Mahoney joins David Hyde Pierce and Kelsey Grammer as guests on The Simpsons (FOX; 7 pm).

Legendary Hagar

A few weeks ago, I wrote about seeing The Mighty Van Halen in Minneapolis. Well, last week, I got to catch Sammy Hagar and Wabos (along with Michael Anthony's Mad Anthony Express) in Green Bay at the Oneida Bingo and Casino.

I cut and edited an e-mail I sent my friend Brian about it. Apologies if I didn't edit it well enough:

There are a number of things that can "make" a show great: the energy of the place, the song list, how well the band seems to be gelling. Van Halen in Minneapolis was historic, legendary, tight. A must-see.

But Hagar last week was special. Green Bay is becoming one of those "must stops" for him. It's quickly becoming like St. Louis or California's Bay Area for him. He said as much when he said he HAS to stop in Green Bay because he loves the place and the fans. It was not the usual artist B.S. they say on stage to get a big pop. He took the time between the end of the show and the encore to just say how much he loves coming here and gave a number of singular reasons why.

The show began with a 10-15 minute video piece put together for his birthday with best wishes from friends and fans (ZZ Top, James Hetfield, David Hasselhoff, Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus, and many more). Nothing groundbreaking, but had a few laughs-- and it also helped pass the time before the show started.

Then The Mad Anthony Express (consisting of Michael Anthony, Victor Johnson, and J.D.) played a few songs. Mostly old VH but a ZZ TOP and a Zepplin one as well. New Wabos percussionist J.D. is still kind of an enigma to me, but he was POUNDING the skins during the set. Vic showed he's grown as a showman by sharing vocals on "Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers" (good voice for that song, BTW) as well as rapping with Mike between songs. Mikey is no Roth in the singing department, but he chose songs that he didn't need to reach too much on. And you gotta appreciate the hard work the members of a "power trio" do for a show.

After that was the 10 or so minute video piece from Cabo he had last year. Again-- nice to have something to do other than look at a dark stage and wait.

Then Hagar and The Wabos came out. I don't remember them all, but here's a little taste: Started with "Sam I Am" and then kicked into "One Way To Rock" and just took it from there. Sang "Piece of My Heart", "I'll Fall in Love Again" (one of my favorite songs), "The Girl Gets Around", "Open", "Serious Juju" (another favorite-- but unlike the Ten13 tour where it didn't work so well, this time it REALLY cooked).

Then he asked Mona to go potty and to send Mike in, and they did "Good Enough" (not a classic song, but one that has major history for me), "Why Can't This Be Love?", and "Poundcake" (Vic didn't have a drill for the opening, but he got a very similar effect from just his fingers). Can't remember off-hand what else. Maybe another song or two-- wasn't a long set for The Other Half.

Then back to the Wabos with "I Can't Drive 55" and "Heavy Metal" followed by "Mas Tequila" and "Three Lock Box". He did a lot more playing around with the waitresses . There was a great moment when he had one pour water on his hands (to get some spilled margarita cleaned off), and he pulled out his waistband to his capri pants (why, oh God why, do these old rockers wear those ridiculous things?) for her to pour on his junk, which she did, and he got surprised when the water came from the one she was holding for him to drink-- and it was really cold.

Then he closed out the show with the thank yous. And improvised a little (Mona had to switch gear) and they played a song ("When the Sun Don't Shine") he wrote for this tour because it's not during the summer time (his usual tour time), but the weather has been so nice, he's only played it in Detroit before Green Bay. Doesn't sound like it'll be a song that'll be on the next disc; he kept saying it was just a tour song. It had a pretty heavy country bent with Vic and his twangy guitar.

And then he stopped and rapped about how sometimes how he feels about a song can change over the years. He wrote this song 20 years ago but it means something different to him now, so he decided to change it up. Then Vic and Mona started on the acoustic guitars (yep, bassist Mona had a six-string), Mike had his electric bass (which he didn't touch until half-way through the song), and David and J.D. played softer drums. Sammy started singing this slow, soft tune, and the words were from "Dreams". It was great. He took a song that I've all heard hundreds of times, and made it fresh again. I really wish that could go on a disc, but I doubt it.

Sam was as youthful as ever. Wore sunglasses the entire show. Vic was all over his part as usual, and like I said, he seems to be stepping out a little and becoming more of a showman. Mona was as solid as ever. Played bass for her parts and played percussion with J.D. here and there and even picked up a six-string for the finale. Still have no idea how someone with hair that long can handle being that warm (it was cozy in that room-- I had on jeans, a T-shirt, and my Cabo beach shirt, and I was sweating). Lauser was the backbone of the group as always. I like the rapport he and J.D. have. I find it amazing that those two can keep in time with each other; there were a few songs when both were smashing their kits exactly the same. I guess I don't understand music well enough, so I find it amazing. Even more amazing: J.D. was chewing gum (with a bubble once in a while) while he was drumming-- I can't get my hands and feet to work together on a drum kit, and he's doing both AND chewing gum!

And, finally, Michael Anthony was Mike. I thought Wolfgang did an admirable job during the VH show, but Mike knows how to work a crowd (something Wolfie will pick up with experience, I'm sure). When he's crankin' on the bass, it's as if every note is like firing a gun for him. The guy puts on a show. More than once he and Sammy looked at each other and you knew neither had anywhere else they wanted to be.

So: great energy from the crowd the band fed off and gave back; tight setlist with some surprising songs (he seems to be rotating out some-- no Montrose, no Capitol/70's stuff-- and working others in-- never heard him sing "Piece of My Heart" before that I recall); great place to play-- nice and cozy but still had room.

It truly ranks up there as one of the best shows I've seen. The guy just turned sixty years old, and he rocks just as much as he ever did. He's been with the Wabos for ten years now, and they just get better and better. I highly recommend anyone check out his show. He's not in it for the money ($25 tickets, for cryin' out loud), and I don't think he'd have it any other way.

Premieres and Notables, November 12-18, 2007

Monday, 11/12

SpongeBob SquarePants; Nickelodeon. 7 pm CST. Special.
An eleven-hour marathon beginning at 8 am culminates in a new one-hour "movie" called "Atlantis SquarePantis".


Thursday, 11/15

A great season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX, 9 pm) ends. Try to catch it in repeats or on DVD.


Wednesday, 11/14

Project Runway; Bravo. 9 pm. 4th Season premiere.
I can't get myself to watch this show, but many critics I respect seem to like it.



Friday, 11/16

Frank Caliendo: All Over the Place; TBS. 9 pm. Special.
The comic gives a stand-up special on the home of his new show Frank TV (premiering 11/20).


Sunday, 11/18

Kenny vs. Spenny; Comedy Central. 10:30 pm. Series Premiere.
TV Guide calls this the premiere, Entertainment Weekly says it's 11:30 pm on Wednesday (11/14). This Canadian import (brought to us through Trey Parker and Matt Stone) pits two friends against each other in ridiculous competitions (who can eat the most meat?, who can produce the biggest fart?).
I don't have high hopes for this, but the spin-off called Ed vs. Spencer BBC America aired last year was pretty entertaining, so maybe this one will be good, too.

Possible Strike Questions Answered

TVGuide.com has had pretty good coverage of the WGA strike. Check it out.

Here are a few links to good Q&A posts:

Network Plans

How Many New Episodes Are Left?

Overall, late night chatfests have already been airing repeats, but also will, most likely, come back without writers if the strike goes on too long. I don't remember the last strike, but I read that even Johnny Carson suffered when he did shows without writers.

Dramas mostly have enough episodes in the can to air new episodes until Year's End, but comedies are mostly produced closer to their air date, and have fewer in the can (except Everybody Hates Chris, which has a full season already produced).

New shows that don't have great ratings (Bionic Woman, Life, Journeyman, et al) will probably have a tough time coming back if there is too long before new episodes. And don't expect them to return at all if the season is lost.

And comic book writer and TV writer Brian K. Vaughn does a Q&A-type blog post of his own. In it, he explains that writers want their four cent payment per DVD to increase to eight cents! Oh, those greedy bastards! He also echoed what I've read in a number of other blogs-- the news outlets we see on TV or hear on the radio are usually owned by the companies the writers are striking against, so take that into account.

Check it out here:
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=135331

I also found it interesting that the actors and directors guild contracts are up next summer, so this strike will probably play a large part in those negotiations.

Premieres and Notables November 5-11, 2007

NBC's "Green Week" begins. Most shows will have some sort of ecological "message" in them. I think it's a great concept just to remind people about the issue, but usually these theme weeks bomb in a bad way (and NBC has been involved with most of those failures).


Monday, 11/5

Murder by the Book; Court TV. 9 pm CST. 2nd season premiere.

Prison Break airs for 2 hours (FOX, 7-9 pm).


Tuesday, 11/6

Frontline/World; PBS. 8 pm CST (check local listings). Season Premiere.

Real Housewives of Orange County; Bravo. 9 pm. 3rd Season Premiere.

Sports Unfiltered With Dennis Miller; Vs. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Miller gives monologues, interviews, and checks headlines in this sports-based show.


Wednesday, 11/7

Swinging; Sundance. 10 pm. 2nd season premiere.
I liked BBC America's similar sketch comedy, Spoons, better, but the plot to one of the sketches in this premiere is a woman brings her dad to a porn film audition. Could be funny.

Clean House; Style. 9 pm. 6th season premiere.

And there's The 41st Annual CMA Awards is you're jonesing for awards shows (CBS, 7 pm).


Thursday, 11/8

NBC comedy highlights: Craig T. Nelson's warden makes a return appearance in My Name is Earl (7 pm); David Schwimmer makes a guest appearance on 30 Rock (7:30); Micheal is barred from the wilderness retreat, but goes into the forest on his own anyway on The Office (8:00); and Tom Cavanaugh returns as J.D.'s brother on Scrubs (8:30). Should be a good night.

And CBS airs a case that has CSI (8 pm) crossing over with Without a Trace (9 pm).

Friday, 11/9

Band of Bloggers; History. 7 pm. Special
A look at how blogging has given soldiers a chance to give the public a first-hand account of the war in Iraq.

Man vs. Wild; Discovery. 8 pm. 2nd season premiere.

And in sad news, Real Time With Bill Maher's (HBO, 10 pm) season concludes-- but he's got guests George Carlin (who should be better than last week's Martin Short) and Tom Brokaw to send him off.


Saturday, 11/10

C.O.P.S. airs its 7ooth episode at 7 pm (FOX). Let's say that number again: seven hundred!


Sunday, 11/11

Fearless Planet; Discovery. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Six-part look at some of the world's most awe-inspiring wonders. The premiere looks at Hawaii's geological history.

Cotton might be headed to the grave on King of the Hill (FOX, 7:30) and the American Idol judges make an appearance on Family Guy (FOX, 8 pm).

Curb Your Enthusiasm and Tell Me You Love Me (HBO, 9 pm & 8 pm) end their current seasons.


And keep in mind the WGA strike, so expect lots of repeats of the live shows you may be looking for. Saturday Night Live is a definite for airing repeats until the strike is resolved. Most late-night shows will also go into immediate repeats starting Monday (I know that Jay Leno is supporting the strike by not offering new eps); I've read that Jimmy Kimmel's show may still offer new eps for a time (not sure how; could be that he's the main/sole writer himself). I would imagine The Daily Show and The Colbert Report will also be unable to air new episodes.

So take the time to catch up on shows you've previously recorded when other shows you watch are in repeat mode. (I'd recommend DVD box sets, but since that's the big sticking point for the WGA, it'd be kinda ironic if I sent you in that direction.)

You Fool!

Ran across this link to a funny Hollywood Squares show that no one wanted to win.

Every square was filled except Gilbert Gottfried's, and it went back and forth because each player kept getting it wrong (prompting Gottfried to yell: "You Fool!" after each incorrect answer).

Not LOL hilarious, but enough to get a few chuckles.

The clip is six minutes long, and the video quality sucks, but if you're bored...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=FkkMkefwa8k

Writers Go On Strike

Yesterday, the Writer's Guild (WGA) elected to go on strike on Monday.

What that means is no new scripts will be written for television or motion pictures until the strike is over. Studios have been expecting this for some time and have ordered a more-than-usual amount of movie scripts in preparation, so the motion picture industry probably won't be affected too much in the short-term. But the television industry will be adversely affected if the strike goes on for longer than a few weeks just due to the nature of television production.

If the strike goes on a while (at least a month, but assuredly by year's end), there will be long-term effects to this year's TV season. Shows are already bracing for the impact of having no new scripts. The "arc" finale of Heroes that is due to air on Dec. 3 will also have an alternate ending shot soon that will allow the ep to be a season finale if the strike isn't ended in time for more scripts. It's unknown what will happen to shows like Lost and 24, that work in season-long arcs and haven't premiered yet.

So, what's the strike about? Basically, the writers believe that they should benefit from the alternate media outlets that weren't prevalent when their current contract was written, namely through DVD and Internet. They haven't seen the money that comes from DVDs or iTunes.

Here is a link to WGA member Mark Evanier's (a sometimes comic book writer, and a great columnist) take on the situation:

http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2007_10_31.html#014277

And here's another post from him that tries to eliminate some of the myths surrounding the situation and the union:

http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2007_11_03.html#014294

I'm a nobody (from an industry perspective), but the writers have my full support on the strike, and I hope the producers loosen the strings to the purses they've kept the DVD and iTunes money for themselves thus far.

And let's get this worked out sooner rather than later because no one wants a bunch of the shit reality shows the networks are gearing up for if they don't get new scripted fare.

The Mighty Van Halen is Back

Due to the generosity of a friend (shout out to Brian), I was able to check out Van Halen's concert in Minneapolis this past Wednesday.

It was the fifth time I'd seen the band-- but the first with David Lee Roth singing. I've been a Van Halen fan for about twenty years, so I just missed the original Roth Days, but I have heard numerous stories about the legendary shows the band put on at that time.

I'm not sure if I experienced one of those "legendary" shows, but I did see a great one. They went way back-- nothing was played that was newer than 1984-- but it seemed new. I'd heard some of the songs before when Sammy Hagar or Gary Cherone sang them, but this time, we got the guy who wrote the words singing. There was a big difference. Yeah, Dave's voice isn't what it was. He can't hit those high notes or sustain the ones he used to carry a while, but, let's face it, the dude is 53 years old. It got kinda annoying that he went "lounge act" on a more than a few songs (to cover the voice), but if that's how we can hear the songs, I could deal with it.

And while Dave didn't rap too much during the show (the band was all about the music), one of the highlights of the night for me was a story that he told during his solo that had nothing to do with anything, but he just told it in such a way that I was hooked. The guy has the gift of gab for sure. And I could tell he just loves what he's doing.

Edward was amazing. I've seen him live before and I've watched the live-show DVDs and videos, so I shouldn't be surprised by what he can do, but I was. The guy can cook-- and he hasn't lost a step. If anything, he has perfected himself even more. I was enthralled by him the whole night, but one of my usually least favorite parts of a show-- the guitar solo-- blew me away. In the past, Ed worked in a lot of the "classic" riffs in his solo, but since the rest of the show was of the "classic" songs, he was unleashed. [I half-joked to Brian that it'd be cool if he did the Hagar-era riffs during the solo, but I knew that wouldn't happen.] Ed punished his guitar during the solo; just crazy stuff.

So: Dave and Ed? They looked like they were having the times of their lives. I've seen Ed fake it with Hagar before , but I really think he was loving doing what he was doing up on stage-- with Dave right next to him. More than once, they seemed almost playful with each other. They did a pretty wild motorcycle impersonation "contest" that freaked me out (Dave would use his mouth and the mic to sound like a starting engine-- and Ed would then counter with the same sounds using the guitar).

Alex was in a little "cage" of drums, pushed back by the second level of the stage, so it was hard to see what he was up to, but being a drummer for a rock band... he was pretty busy. And, unfortunately, the rhythm section is a bit of the mystery to me, so it's hard for me to say how effective he was. I'm going to guess he too, hasn't lost a step.

And the newest and most controversial member: Wolfgang Van Halen. He's no Michael Anthony, but he held his own. Mike was not only an essential member of the band vocal-wise, but he put on a show just as much as the others did. Wolfgang didn't stand out, but, let's face it, this tour is the "Dave and Ed Show", so anyone that band would have tapped to replace Mike would have been in the shadows. The kid can play (as much as I can tell), and he's only sixteen, so I can only imagine he'll get better at working the crowd over time. For now, he was happy (and effective) moving a little outside his area and otherwise standing with legs together in front of his microphone. Considering he was playing with a group that has over twice his age in the business, he did well.

And what is probably Wolf's most important contribution: his beamingly proud father on the other end of the stage.

It's a travesty how Van Halen has handled their business as it pertains to Mike, but I'm trying to come to terms with it. The band definitely needs to get a better P.R. firm to handle what's been going on. Here's the best way to deal with it: VH says they're happy Mike has been playing with Hagar the past few years-- and that they know he has a steady gig-- because Ed wants nothing more than to play with his son while he can. Done deal. Ed & Al-- if you need someone to handle your business, e-mail me.

And one last side note: since Wolfgang is such a new entity to not only Van Halen, but the industry, some loathsome people out there have reviewed him by making jokes that he's overweight. It's despicable. For those lazy writers out there: try doing your jobs. The kid is not (that) overweight-- and he's sixteen. How would you have felt reading something like that-- that has NOTHING to do with your job-- in a paper or online? Grow up.

So all I've got left is: try to see if this show if you can. It may not be what is was in 1984, but it's still damn good.

And, knowing the track history of this band, you may not get the chance ever again.

Australia-- Where Even the Women are Manly

Check out this link to a woman who crushes beer cans in an unusual way:
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22651127-5001021,00.html

Premieres and Notables October 29-November 4, 2007

Monday, 10/29

Runnin' Down a Dream: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers; Sundance. 6 pm CST. Special.
Director Peter Bogdanovich's four-hour documentary of the artist.

American Masters (PBS. 8 pm CST-- check local listings) takes a 90-minute look at Charles Schultz.


Wednesday, 10/31

MonsterQuest; History. 9 pm. Series premiere.
A look at the world's most legendary creatures. You know, like Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and tonight's creature: "Champ".


Thursday, 11/1

Some special episodes on NBC: The hour-long My Name is Earl (7 pm) sees the Cops reality series visit town again and Rashida "Karen" Jones returns for a brief visit on The Office (8 pm), but it's not Jim she's after, and Kim goes into labor on Scrubs (8:30).

And Smallville (CW, 7 pm) keeps paying homage to the Superman past when Helen Slater (Supergirl of the Supergirl movie) begins a two-episode arc as Clark's Kryptonian mother, Lara.


Friday, 11/2

Orangutan Island; Animal Planet. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Thirty-five orphaned orangutans are moved to a protected island sanctuary in Borneo. Think Meerkat Manor but with apes.


Sunday, 11/4

FOX has some special episodes tonight: The Treehouse of Horror XVIII airs tonight on The Simpsons (7 pm) and Family Guy (7:30) celebrates its 100th episode.

Premieres and Notables; October 22-28, 2007

Monday, 10/22

No premieres (of note), but Prison Break (FOX, 7 pm CST) and K-Ville (FOX, 8 pm CST) air new episodes after last week's postponement and fanboy dreamgirl Kristen Bell joins the cast of Heroes (NBC, 8 pm).


Wednesday, 10/24

Marriage Camp; TLC. 6 pm CST. Series premiere.
Couples go to a camp in Texas to work on their marriages. Ugh...

Phenomenon; NBC. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
Criss Angel and Uri Geller mentor ten mentalists in this reality (*snicker*) competition.


Thursday, 10/25

Iconoclasts; Sundance. 9 pm. 3rd season premiere.
Novelist Jon Krakauer and Sean Penn discuss Penn's film Into the Wild while they travel to Alaska. This show is up and down for me, but the ups are very good; you aren't going to get the insight to people this show gives you nearly anywhere else.


Sunday, 10/28

Nature; PBS. 7 pm (check local listings). 26th season premiere.
The premiere looks at the bee epidemic that I first heard about on Real Time With Bill Maher last spring but have heard a lot more often of late.

VH Toon

My friend Brian sent me this link to a short (3 min) cartoon about the latest Van Halen tour. Yeah, the jokes are cheap/expected, but still funny.

(Doesn't discourage me at all about seeing them. Just three more days...)

http://videos.newsobserver.com:80/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=1515880

More Full-Season Pickups

Seems early, but the networks aren't messing around about giving full-season orders to some of their shows (could have to do with the possible strike looming).

The Big Bang Theory, Private Practice, and The Unit have all received full-season pickups.

Tara Reid Keepin' It Real

Once in a while, I run across a quote that I just need to pass on. Here's one from Tara Reid:

"I think the reason I never ended up in as much trouble as Paris (Hilton) or Lindsay (Lohan) is that I'm not stupid, so I'd never do a lot of the things those girls do."

Classic.

Premieres and Notables, October 15-21, 2007

Monday, 10/15

Samantha Who?; ABC. 8:32 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Christina Applegate stars as a victim of a hit-and-run who suffers amnesia. As she tries to piece her life back together, she realizes she wasn't a very nice person before the head trauma.

Little People, Big World; TLC. 7:00 & 7:30 pm. 3rd season premiere.

FOX has baseball, so the new episodes of Prison Break and K-Ville scheduled for tonight will air next week.

And Drew Carey begins his stint on The Price Is Right this morning. Check local listings for time.


Tuesday, 10/16

Frontline; PBS. 8 pm (check local listings). 26th Season premiere.
This episode is called "Cheney's Law" and looks at how Darth Cheney as worked to expand the powers of the presidency.

2 Dudes Catering; Food Network. 9:30 pm. Series premiere.
The title says it all. Does anyone else think these cable channels are just starting to phone it in? I mean, it's like they grab any Joe off the street and start filming them...

E:60; ESPN. 6 pm. Series Premiere.
An hour-long magazine devoted to sports, or, as the first four weeks focus on: the sports journalists at work.


Thursday, 10/18

Vive Laughlin; CBS. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
This U.S. import of a BBC series (Viva Blackpool, which was supposed to be good) follows a casino entrepreneur as he attempts to build a casino in Laughlin, NV and gets caught up in a murder mystery. Oh yeah-- some of the characters spontaneously burst into song. It pretty much has gained universal disdain from critics, and if Cavemen wasn't so bad, it'd be the most loathed new show of the year. If you want to catch it before it gets cancelled, watch the pilot and then follow it as it moves to its regular day and time (Sundays at 7 pm).


Friday, 10/19

The Next Great American Band; FOX. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
FOX dips into the American Idol well yet again. This time, they're looking for a band. Judges are: Sheila E., Johnny Rzeznik, and Ian Dickson. I expect a failure.

Celebrity Rides: Burt Builds a Bandit; DIY. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Burt Reynolds joins a team of auto designers to restore some Trans Ams. Yeah, like I said "phoning it in".
If you're brave enough to try this drek, fully expect to have to take a Hollywood-esque "post-rape" shower while you're curled up in the fetal position after it.
I won't be watching it; I'd rather drink bleach...
I swear, TV executives are trying to make Americans even more stupid than they already are (I'm taking "average American" here; no one that actually reads this blog...).


Sunday, 10/21

Masterpiece Theatre; PBS. 8 pm (check local listings). 37th season premiere.
The first five episodes are for an adaptation of "Amazing Mrs. Pritchard".

Mini Pick-ups

In what is usually a precusor to a full-season pick-up, NBC and CBS ordered more scripts of some shows.

CBS ordered a surprising (given the ratings) four more Cane scripts.

The CW ordered three more Aliens in America scripts (great show).

NBC ordered three more scripts of the brutally scheduled Chuck, slipping Bionic Woman, and the struggling Journeyman and Life.

Good to see NBC and CBS not giving up on some of their highest-promoted new shows; all of which really need some time to grow.

The FIrst Full-Season Pick-up

The first new show to get picked up for a full season this year is:

Gossip Girl ???

Hmmm. Congrats I guess.

You can't say NBC isn't trying

Friday Night Lights was one of the most critically-acclaimed and beloved (by a small group of fans) shows of last year. When NBC moved it to Friday nights this season, many thought it meant NBC had lost faith in it (not me, but, you know, I'm a genius).

In a brilliant move, NBC pared down the Season One DVD set (just a few deleted scenes as extras) to keep the price low in the hopes that people would pick it up. It retails for about $25-- an extremely cheap price for a brand new hour-long DVD season, and sales can be had (I picked it up on sale at Best Buy for $15 this week).

And if having the price so low isn't enough, NBC is also offering a money-back guarantee. If you don't like the series, send it back with a receipt and a form you can get online, and they'll refund your money.

Awesome move. Check the show out if you haven't (I have heard nothing but good about it), and pick up the DVD set.

PRISON BREAK shocker-- and explanation

I haven't seen last night's episode, but I do know something huge went down (fans are already going apeshit).

But, as true with everything, there was a reason. And then things tried to get worked out and couldn't be, so the "big thing" had to happen.

If you've seen the episode and want to know what led to it, read out the link to TV Guide's Michael Ausiello below.

That's all I'm going to say as I haven't watched the episode yet-- and I'd hate to have it spoiled for any of you.

http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Prison-Break-Exclusive/800024014

TIME Top 100 TV Shows

Click here for a list of Time magazine's list of Top 100 TV shows of all time.

I can't argue with it, although my favorites aren't really represented (but "favorite" and "best" can often be two different things).

Premieres and Notables, October 8-14, 2007

Monday, 10/8

Boondocks; Cartoon Network/[adult swim]. 10:30 pm CST. 2nd season premiere.
It's on [adult swim], but it's not bat-sh** crazy. This adaptation of the newspaper comic strip can drag at times, but when it's good (like the "Return of the King" episode), it's really, really good. When it's not really, really good, it's still better than at least half the comedies the networks air.


Thursday, 10/11

Tattoo Wars; TLC. 7 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Yet another tattoo show. This one has two artists competing against each other. I'm sure finding artists to compete isn't that hard, but what person would allow a competition to happen on their skin?

And a show you've probably passed over is really hitting on all cylinders this season. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX; 9:00 & 9:32) is worth a try if you're looking for something painfully funny. The operative word is "painful"; these characters are despicable. But if you can handle mean-spirited comedy, this is a great show.


Friday, 10/12

Woman's Murder Club; ABC. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Angie Harmon leads a posse of women who solve murder mysteries in this "adaptation" of the James Patterson book series.

Men in Trees; ABC. 9 pm. 2nd season premiere.
This show got off to a slow start (it didn't get good until the third or four episode), and then ABC put it on hiatus (to keep the BRUTAL October Road on the air) before it finished it's season, and then it had to wait until two weeks after the major premieres this season... This funny, sweet show deserves much better than what's it's gotten so far. Check it out.

Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead; Lifetime. 8 pm. Season premiere.

America's Psychic Challenge; Lifetime. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Sixteen clairvoyants compete to see whose "powers" are the greatest. TV Guide asked the question, but I will repeat it here, too: why did the fifteen who aren't going to win continue to participate when they should have foreseen their loss?

Say Yes to the Dress; TLC. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Brides look for the perfect wedding dress in this reality series.
Are you f-bombing kidding me!??? People watch this?


Sunday, 10/14

The Gourmet Next Door; Food. 12 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Props to the Food Network for actually following through with a premise: the 2007 Next Food Network Star winner, Amy Finley, gets her own show. Nice.

Keeping Up with the Kardashians; E!. 9:30. Series Premiere.
This reality show follows the life and family of Hollywood party girl Kim Kardashian. UN-f-bombing-BELIEVABLE! Listen to me, people: stop watching this crap, and they'll stop airing it.

TRAVELER Wrap-up

For those of you who became fans of the ABC burn-off Traveler this summer, you may want to check out this link with a TV Guide blog post by David DiGilio that outlines the plans for season two (which will never happen) as well as how he envisioned the finale.

I thought it was a cool move for the fans to write this, so if you were one of those fans, check it out:

http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/Celebrity-Blogs/Davids-Traveler-Blog/Closure/800023249

Premieres and Notables, October 3-7, 2007

And we continue...





Wednesday, 10/3



South Park; Comedy Central. 9 pm CST. 11th (12th) Season Premiere.
I'm pretty sure the new season starts tonight. How could TV Guide neglect to mention the premiere of the best satire on television? I don't know.



The Sarah Silverman Program; Comedy Central. 9:30. 2nd Season premiere.
Yeah, Silverman resorts to juvenile comedy too often, but the show is otherwise very excellent.



Better Half; Bravo. 10 pm. Series Premiere.
Spouses are challenged to learn their significant others' jobs and then compete against others for $20,000.



Pushing Daisies; ABC. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
The top choice of new shows for the critics I follow as best new show of the season. Lee Pace stars as a pie-maker who can bring back the dead with a touch. A second touch makes them die for good. It's a funny/quirky show that has everyone buzzing. Highly recommended.

Also, the TV Guide Channel's Infanity series looks at Prison Break at 7 pm (and probably repeats a dozen times in the next week). You just may catch a glimpse of good stuff by watching it.



Thursday, 10/4



30 Rock; NBC. 7:30. 2nd season premiere.
The most over-rated comedy of last year (yes, it did get better from a horrible start, but it's not the best comedy EVER like many people are saying) with an appearance by Jerry Seinfeld.



Law & Order: Criminal Intent; USA. 9 pm. 7th season premiere.
The former NBC show moves to USA to keep (creator) Dick Wolf happy.



Supernatural; CW. 8 pm. 3rd season premiere.

Carter Can; HGTV. 7:30. Series Premiere.
Carter Oostehouse helps homeowners with home renovation projects.



Last One Standing; Discovery. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Six athletes travel the world to learn ancient sparring techniques. Might be a good one to try out if you like the History Channel's excellent Human Weapon series.



And Clark's cousin, Kara, is introduced on Smallville (CW, 7 pm). Kara has also been known to call herself "Supergirl", so you can see why that's a big deal. And while the outfit is little weird, you can't say she doesn't look super in this pic from TV Guide:

Damn...

Friday, 10/5

Degrassi: The Next Generation; The N. 7 pm. 7th Season Premiere.

About a Girl; The N. 8 pm. Series Premiere.

Friday Night Lights; NBC. 8 pm. 2nd season premiere.
The critic's darling from last year either gets saved by moving it to the less-competitive Fridays or gets thrown under the bus by going to the less money-making Fridays.

Saturday, 10/6

Hammer Heads; HGTV. 9:30 am. Series Premiere.
Yet another show about stalled home renovation projects.

Sunday, 10/7

Life is Wild; CW. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
A family-friendly program about a man who brings his blended family to South Africa, so he can care for endangered animals.

Captured; Oxygen. 9:30. Series Premiere.
This show focuses on mysteries solved primarily by women.

Next Iron Chef; Food. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
A contest show to find the next Iron Chef.

Premieres and Notables October 1-2, 2007

Lots of new stuff-- and most of the summer shows that haven't ended yet are ending this week.
Sorry, but time's at a premium, so I have to break the week up again. Here's Monday and Tuesday:


Monday, 10/1

Everybody Hates Chris; CW. 7 pm CST. 3rd season premiere.
The most underrated comedy out there. It may not be the best or the funniest, but it is extremely consistent and doesn't use teasing humor at all. It's a well-done throwback to the innocent comedies of the 1980's. Check it out if you haven't yet.

Aliens in America; CW. 7:30. Series Premiere.
This is, unanimously, the critics' favorite new comedy of the season. I have heard nothing bad at all about it. Normally, that would mean a short life for the show. But it is on The CW, which needs all the critical acclaim it can get, so this show should last a while. Anyway, it's about a young man who doesn't fit into the norms of his high school (he's a "dweeb", "geek", whatever), and finds a common bond with a Pakistani exchange student who lives with his family, who's even more "out of touch" with the other kids. Highly recommended.

Girlfriends; CW. 8 pm. (4th, 5th, ?) Season premiere.

The Game; CW. 8:30. 2nd (3rd?) season premiere.

Celebrity Expose; MNT (My Network Television). 7 pm. Series Premiere.
Because there just aren't any shows about stars and their foibles... The premiere focuses on Lindsey Lohan, so it must be a 2 or 3-parter...

Control Room Presents; MNT. 8 pm CST. Series Premiere.
Live (on tape) shows by popular musicians. The premiere has Maroon 5 in Montreal.

Dr. Steve-O; USA. 10:05. Series Premiere.
Jackass star Steve-O challenges guys to participate in crazy stunts. I had heard that the real goal was to get timid men to become more manly. While I've never watched Steve-O's work, I did see him use a staple gun to pin his scrotum to his thigh on some late-nite talk show, so I guess there's no better person out there to give guys a shot of manliness.


Tuesday, 10/2

Cavemen; ABC. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
This is the show every single critic I've read has said is the worst of the new season. I haven't heard a single good thing about it. It uses the Caveman character (times three) from the Geico commercials to show how there is intolerance in the human race. Great concept as I believe we have a lot of "growing up" to do as a species, but, if everything I've read is any clue, the execution of the concept is horrendous.

Carpoolers; ABC. 7:30 pm. Series Premiere.
Four guys discuss their lives and problems during their daily commute. Would be considered the worst new show of the year if Cavemen hadn't beaten it.

Queer Eye; Bravo. 8 & 9 pm. 5th season premiere.
Catch the last bit of tips from the Fab 5 while you can as this is the final season.

Jon & Kate Plus 8; Discovery. 9 & 9:30. 2nd season premiere.

Five Days; HBO. 7 pm. 5-part miniseries.
This mini hits on the five most important days in a search for a missing woman. This is a co-production with BBC, so you know it will be gutwrenching-- and fantastic. Recommended.

Drunk Driving

This, truly, is one of the wrongest things I've ever read, but since it was done for The Onion, it's frickin' hilarious.

No Police Report Can Truly Capture My Love Of Drunk Driving

Premieres & Notables Sept 29-30, 2007

Okay, I'll finish this week here. Promise.

Saturday, 9/29

(Supposedly) CBS will reair this week's Moonlight (7pm) and Cane (8 pm) and NBC will reair Heroes (7 pm) and Bionic Woman (8 pm).

Saturday Night Live; NBC. 10:19 pm CST. 33rd (about 10 too many) season premiere.
Hosted by LeBron James, who I'm sure is s great guy, but how bad is it if NBC can't even get one of its own stars to host this show at the beginning of a new television season???

Blogger Perez Hilton hosts the third MadTV compilation (FOX, 10 pm), which focuses on pop culture parodies. Cross your fingers the classic Jessica Alba/Ike Berenholtz take-off on the Jessica Simpson/Nick Lachey show Newlyweds is there. The line "She's dumber than a box of hammers," is one I use in my everyday life.

48 Hours Mystery; CBS. 9 pm. 4th Season Premiere.

Back in the Barnyard; Nickelodeon. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
New series based on the Barnyard film of last year.

The Shopping Detective; Fine Living. 10 pm. Series Premiere.
My favorite shows are ones where I get to watch others shop. Seriously. Watching grass grow, paint dry, and other people f-bombing shopping! "Fine Living" indeed.

The Victory Garden; PBS. 10:30 (check local listings). 33rd season premiere.
With new host Jamie Durie.


Sunday, 9/30

Pellet returns:
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition; ABC. 6 & 7 pm. 5th season premiere.
Desperate Housewives; ABC. 8 pm. 4th season premiere.
(with new cast members Dana Delany and Nathan Fillion)
Dexter; Showtime. 8 pm. 2nd season premiere.
I hope to catch this while I've got Showtime-- got a good deal three weeks ago and added it.
Brotherhood; Showtime. 9 pm. 2nd season premiere.
American Dad; FOX. 8:30 pm. 4th season premiere.
Brothers and Sisters; ABC. 9:01 pm. 2nd season premiere.
(now, with even more angst; it's a wonder these guys haven't participated in a suicide pact. [I do like the show; it's just a bit much sometimes.]).

That's it for this week. Next week should be a little easier.

Premieres and Notables, Sept 27-28

Hopefully for the last time this week:

Thursday, 9/27

My Name Is Earl; NBC. 7 pm. 3rd season premiere.

Who saw last season's finale coming? I certainly didn't. Earl got his life together, then he ended up taking the fall for Joy's crime (so she wouldn't get her "third strike") and landed in jail. Producers say Earl will be in jail a while. They also said we'll find out why Crab Man (Darnell) is in Witness Protection. Oh yeah-- there will be an hour-long Cops-themed episode this season focusing on the gang like last year. Cool.

The Office; NBC. 8 pm. 4th season premiere.
This begins the four hour-long episode run for the show. Producers say they won't be padding the show for extra time, but will keep them very tight. We'll see what happens when Jan moves into Michael's condo; what happened on Jim & Pam's date; and the fall-out of Jim and Karen's breakup. Oh yeah-- Creed, Andy, and Darrell's actors become series regulars, so we should see more of them. Extra cool.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; CBS. 8 pm. 8th season premiere.

Grey's Anatomy; ABC. 8 pm. 4th season premiere.

Big Shots; ABC. 9:01. Series Premiere.
Another great cast; but this Sex in the City-esque show about men doesn't excite me too much. I'll check it out; we'll see how long I last.

Without a Trace; CBS. 9 pm. 6th season premiere.

ER; NBC. 9 pm. 13th season premiere.
Who would have thought the show would make it this long? Everyone was writing it off at this time last year, and now it looks to have reinvigorated itself.

Ugly Betty; ABC. 7 pm. 2nd season premiere.
This is a great show. If you're not watching, try it. It's a little cartoony, but it works.

Smallville; CW. 7 pm. 7th season premiere.
And who would have thought that an "UnSuperman" Superman show would last this long?


Friday, 9/28

Las Vegas; NBC. 8 pm. 5th season premiere.
Five years? Wow.

Fun Shui; HGTV. 8:30. Series Premiere.
Oh, I see HGTV got some stones; trying to horn in on the networks.

Ghost Whisperer; CBS. 7 pm. 3rd season premiere.
Jennifer Love Hewitt and her boobs are back.
[I'm not sure what that means, but every parody of the show I've seen focuses on her boobs.]

HA!!! Check this out: The National Geographic channel has a documentary about bras (The Secret History of the Bra) at 9 pm. Get revved up watching Ghost Whisperer and then learn about the device used to contain Miss Hewitt's assets an hour later...

Moonlight; CBS. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
I'm not gonna be a hater because this show focuses on a vampire who becomes a private eye in L.A., but c'mon! I'll tell you what-- I'll watch this show (which I am not expecting to like much), and you go and watch the brilliant series Angel (about a vampire private eye in L.A.) on DVD or FX. Trust me...

Numb3rs; BCS. 9 pm. 4th season premiere.
This series with the stupid "3" for "e" in the title has Val Kilmer as a criminal mastermind.

Stargate Atlantis; Sci Fi. 9 pm. 4th season premiere.

Nope-- not gonna finish the week with this post. Sorry-- I'm fried...

Premieres and Notables, Sept 25-26, 2007

Okay, picking up where I left off...

Tuesday, 9/25

Bones; FOX. 7 pm CST. 3rd season premiere.

NCIS; CBS. 7 pm. 5th season premiere.

House; FOX. 8 pm. 4th season premiere.
I just started watching this show a month ago (I'm through most of the first season), and I found it interesting, if a bit routine (every plot is roughly the same). This season shakes things up a bit. In the finale last season, House lost his team, and now he has to make a new one. And he goes about it only as House would: by making a "reality show" of it (he snuffs out bunsen burners a la Survivor and hands out roses like on The Bachelor). Sounds funny-- and there are few minor "name" guest stars who act as the people trying to get the job.

The Unit; CBS. 8 pm. 3rd season premiere.

Boston Legal; ABC. 8:30 pm. 4th season premiere.
I know this show draws snickers because it does well at the Emmys even though it's not, really, the highest-quality show out there. But I like it. I'm a little pissed that Constance Zimmer, Mark Valley, and (the worst blow) Julie Bowen were left packing, but they're trying to mix it up. Adding John Larroquette (who was amazing in guest stints on The Practice) should help ease the pain.

Singing Bee; NBC. 8:30. 2nd season premiere.


Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; NBC. 9 pm. 9th season premiere.

Hey-- NEW SHOWS:

Cane; CBS. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Jimmy Smits leads a pretty darn good cast in this drama about the family business: rum and sugar. I think it'll be good. Recommended.

And, for my other of my two most-anticipated new shows of the season:
Reaper; CW. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
One of my favorite young actors, Bret Harrison, plays a slacker who finds out that his parents sold his soul to Satan (Ray Wise-- perfect). And, on his 21st birthday, Satan comes to collect. Sam can stay out of Hell if he becomes the Devil's bounty hunter and retrieves souls that have escaped Hell.

This looks great. If you need any more incentive, Kevin Smith directed the pilot. Yes, "Silent Bob" Kevin Smith. Highly recommended.


Wednesday, 9/26

Bionic Woman; NBC. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
I wrote about this reimagining of the '70s show. Scroll down a little on the blog (sorry-- running out of time). I didn't have great things to say, but I think this show will find itself after a few episodes. It was good-- I'm just hoping for better. Recommended.

Life; NBC. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
I wrote about this show below, too-- not as far as Bionic Woman. You can't miss it... Recommended.

Private Practice; ABC. Series Premiere.
This Grey's Anatomy spin-off finds Kate Walsh's Addison moving to L.A. and hooking up with an amazing cast (Taye Diggs, Tim Daly, Amy Brenneman-- are you freakin' kidding me with this cast?). My "don't drop after the pilot" theory I wrote about earlier applies here. I've read that the pilot is weak, but the second episode is worlds better. And we can only assume it'll just keep getting better after that. Recommended.

CSI: NY; 9 pm. 4th season premiere.

Dirty Sexy Money; ABC. 9:01. Series Prmeiere.
Another great cast, but this one is about a wealthy, dysfunctional family. I'll check it out, but I have a feeling I won't be watching long.

Criminal Minds; CBS. 8 pm. 3rd season premiere.
Patinkin is out (he just up and left the show), and his "replacement" Joe Mantegna debuts on 10/31.

Gotta run-- Frisky Dingo's on. Best line this season so far goes to Xander, when told Killface has a documentary. "What's it called? 'Check This Out I Suck'? Glug glug."

JOURNEYMAN and LIFE quickies

Yesterday, I checked out the Journeyman and Life pilots.

Journeyman stars Kevin McKidd as Dan Vassar, a newspaperman who finds himself traveling through time. In the pilot, he traveled between eight and ten years back in time. While he's away in the past, time keeps moving, so he, essentially, disappears from the present. It seems he had a bit of a drug problem in his past, so his friends and family think he's using again when he drops of the earth for days at a time.

I had a few "problems" with the plot; namely, how is he going to convince his family he's not insane or using during the run of this series when they thought both within fifteen minutes of the pilot? Also, when he travelled in his past, he bumped into the "love of his life", so there was also that little bit of drama/complication that could get annoying.

But I'm happy to say there are a few twists in the second half that ease those problems. And the ending, while sappy, had a beautiful moment with his wife that hooked me.

It's a show that I hope has some sort of pay-off for people. (I don't see this becoming a big hit because it can be complicated).

Journeyman premieres Monday, 9/24 at 9 pm CST.


Life finds Damian Lewis as Charlie Crews, a former detective who might have been framed for murder and spent 12 years in jail before being released when new evidence came to light. He scored a big settlement and decided to go back to the force and solve crimes. His time in prison has given him a Zen-like approach to life and the crimes.

The premise sounds pretty simple, but there are a whole crew of people who roam within and without Charlie's life. His partner got him as a punishment for "screwing up" and now has to report to their superior officer about any misdeeds by Charlie. His financial advisor (played by Adam Arkin) lives in a room about Charlie's garage. And Charlie's old partner seems to not believe he really was innocent.

Oh, yeah, Charlie is also trying to secretly find out who framed him.

Life's pilot was funny. I, actually, hadn't intended on watching the series at first, but I liked what I saw in the promos and also liked this pilot. I hope the show can maintain the balance between the fish out of water Charlie (imagine the technology that has arisen in the past dozen years-- a camera in a phone for one) as well as his outlook on life and the crimes that he and his partner will solve (I'm kinda "done" with procedurals).

This will probably be another tough one to break big for NBC. But I give the network props for trying something different.

Life premieres Wednesday at 9 pm CST.

Both these shows are above average and deserve a look.

PRISON BREAK love songs

The Michael/Sara "love story" that runs in and out of Prison Break isn't one I usually look for, but some fans are way into it (which is okay-- if that's what keeps some coming back week after week).

Check out some of the videos of the show that this 16 year old from Iceland made using clips from the show and love songs. Very impressive.

Here's the link to her YouTube page:
http://youtube.com/user/martajohanns

Premieres and Notables; Sept 24, 2007

Crap! Ran out of time. Here's tomorrow's premieres. I'll keep the others coming.

Big, big week... All times are in CST as always.

I didn't mention this last week, but always try to keep an open mind when watching a series pilot. I have a policy to never "drop" a show I didn't like after just the pilot (yes, there have been rare exceptions). Most shows take a good 6-8 episodes to get running and obtain the look and feel it will have during its run (some shows you just know in 2-3 though).

Don't give up too early-- especially the ones I recommend. :)
I'm a "professional"...


Monday, 9/24

How I Met Your Mother; CBS. 7 pm. 3rd season premiere.
My favorite network show of last year returns. Robin has a new beau, and that prompts Ted to "out-Barney" Barney and find a rebound partner of his own. Rumor has it that we may actually find out who the "mother" in the title is this season. Usually I save this for new shows, but I have to give it here: Highly recommended.

Big Bang Theory; CBS. 7:30. Series Premiere.
Two nerdy guys get a hot neighbor. Hilarity ensues. If the promos are any indication, this show has limited laughs. I'm a fan of Johnny Galecki from Roseanne and his hilarious appearances on My Boys, so I hope the show is better than it looks-- for his sake. I'll be checking it out.

Two and a Half Men; CBS. 8 pm. 5th season premiere.
I've tried this show three times and never got hooked. I think I'm in the minority, though. Maybe I'll try it again...

Rules of Engagement; CBS. 8:30. 2nd season premiere.
This hit-and-miss show gets brought back before The New Adventures of Old Christine? Hopefully it will improve. I like Patrick Warburton, David Spade, and Megyn Price, so it'd be nice to see them have a nice run on this show. It does need to be more creative; I thought it hit a rut in a (shortened) first season.

Chuck; NBC. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
This and Reaper are the two shows I'm most excited about, and if the pilot I saw is any indication, then I'll have made the right choice again. I wrote more here. Highly recommended.

Heroes; NBC. 8 pm. 2nd season premiere.
The new season picks up four months after last season's finale, and the first few episodes explore what happened in those four months.

Journeyman; NBC. 9 pm. Series premiere.
Kevin McKidd plays a newspaper reporter who inexplicably begins to travel through time. I hope to have time to give a review of the pilot (which was much better than I expected-- the end had a moment that "got" to me). It may be a tough one for some people, but I will give it a recommended based on the pilot ep.

CSI: Miami; CBS. 9 pm. 6th season premiere.
Horatio comes across a young man he believes to be his son.

Dancing With the Stars; ABC. 7 pm. Season premiere.
Results show on Wed @ 7 pm.

The Bachelor; ABC. 8:30. Season Premiere.
How is this show still on the air?

Quick BIONIC WOMAN Review

After I checked out the Chuck pilot, I watched the Bionic Woman pilot. Although both shows are "genre" shows, they couldn't be more different.

Where Chuck had rough edges to the plot and effects, Bionic was slick and polished. Where Chuck was light, Bionic was dark. Where many Chuck characters were likable, Bionic's characters didn't make me care about them at all.

I have to give the edge to Chuck.

That's not to say Bionic Woman wasn't good. It's perfectly suitable for watching (it'll get recommended on the Premieres post), but it's going to have to stop taking itself so seriously before I'll ache to go a week without watching it.

The tone is dark; very dark. The scenes were mostly in the dark. The voices were often hard to hear because many characters talk softly as to seem more mysterious. Speaking of mystery, the show also used the "let's throw lots of crap out there" philosophy in order to get the more rabid fans on the Internet to talk about it-- and trying to lure viewers back the next week. That's all well and good, but you also need to establish your characters and the tone of the series in the first few episodes. I think the show is trying to create its mythology before anyone cares.

I guess I was just hoping for something more fun and relatable. I have NOTHING against dark shows, but this one just seemed too pretentious for me. As if we were supposed to care because they told us to.

But you should never judge a series solely on its pilot. I think the show will work out its kinks and get us to know the characters (the main character seems much too undeveloped) somewhere around the middle of this season and then it can take off. I hope so. The show is well-done (just a few oddball camera tricks in the pilot) and it's got a good pedigree.

I just hope the pilot won't turn off too many people before the show gets a chance.

Bionic Woman premieres on Wed, 9/26 at 8 pm on NBC.

Premieres and Notables, Sunday, Sept 23, 2007

And here's Sunday (9/23)

The Simpsons; FOX. 7:00 pm CST. 19th season premiere.

The King of the Hill; FOX. 7:30. 12th season premiere.

The Family Guy; FOX. 8-9 pm. 6th season premiere.
Featuring a Lucas-approved Star Wars spoof.

Cold Case; CBS. 8 pm. 5th season premiere.

Shark; CBS. 9 pm. 2nd season premiere.

60 Minutes; CBS. 6 pm. 40th-mother grabbin'- season premiere.

CW Now; CW. 6 pm. Series Premiere.
Hot trends and fashion are the focus this show. Tonight's pilot features Halo 3 and 24-karat gold facials.

Online Nation; CW. 6:30. Series Premiere.
This show explores the hottest web-based content.

Property Virgins; HGTV. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Nice how HGTV "sexed up" the title, hunh? Don't get your hopes up-- this show follows first-time home buyers.

Bret Michaels asks that last girl to "rock his world" on Rock of Love (VH1, 8 pm) and they ride off into the sunset together-- until season 2 comes out.

The War; PBS. 7 pm (check local listings). Miniseries.
Ken Burns' latest (fifteen hour) documentary looks at World War II. Check it out; it's bound to win tons of awards. Airs Sun-Wed this week and Sun-Tues next week.

Finally, Metalocalypse; Cartoon Network {adult swim]. 10:45 CST. 2nd season premiere.
The heaviest band in the world is also the biggest band in the world. People literally live and die by this band. And they are f-bombing morons...

This is a hard one to describe, but if you love metal music, you should get something out of it. If you love violence, then you should get something out of it. If you love laughing hysterically at things you'd never thought you'd see, then you should get something from this.

Season One had some funny moments and lines, but the one that stands out to me right now is when the guys told Murderface he didn't have to wear underwear; he could go "commando". And Murderface fell in love with the concept because "Now, when I look down, I see a distinguished older gentleman sitting on two duffel bags."

Check out Metalocalypse (or the band of the show: Dethklok) on the Internet, and you will see way more sites than possible for an [adult swim] show. On 9/25, there's even an album coming out with expanded songs from the "band". Here's the link. There's no video or audio, but check out some of the song titles:

http://tviv.org/Metalocalypse/The_Dethalbum

Premieres and Notables, Sept 17-23, 2007

Well, the Fall Season looks to be hitting full-swing already. For me, fall premiere season is like birthday, Christmas, and President's Day all rolled into one.

Monday, 9/17

Between the Lions; PBS. 5:30 am CST (check local listings). 7th season premiere.

Barney & Friends; PBS. 1 pm. (check listings). 11th season premiere.

Deal or No Deal; NBC. 7 pm. 3rd season premiere.
This is a "special" ep as Donald Trump sits in for the Banker. Who does Trump have pictures of over at NBC? They should have cut that jackass loose a long time ago.

Truth About Food; Discovery Health. 7 & 8 pm. Mini-Series Premiere.
This 6-episode series (2 eps a night, Mon-Wed) follows nine volunteers who eat a half-ton of vegetables in 12 days in an effort to explore nutrition.

Prison Break; FOX. 7 pm. 3rd season premiere.
After a rocky 2nd season, I think the show is back on track. Schofield is in a Panamanian prison where the prisoners run the show. Mahone and a beaten Bellick are with him-- but they are not immediately working together. Lincoln is working on the outside to get him out, but he has an "adventure" of his own searching for the missing Sarah. T-Bag is not on the scene as of yet, but its presumed he's still in prison. He does have a storyline this season.

K-Ville; FOX. 8 pm. Series premiere.
Anthony Anderson and Cole Hauser are two cops who are trying to put a post-Katrina New Orleans together. Something interesting about this is show is they're actually filming in the city. I've heard good things. Recommended.


Tuesday, 9/18

Big Brother 8 (8 pm, CBS) has its season finale tonight. One of the two Donatos will win. Hopefully, when everyone is reunited, the evicted guests will put a beating on them. One can dream...

Beauty and the Geek; CW. 7 pm-9pm. 4th season premiere.
Wow, a fourth season? This year they mix it up when a geeky girl and a hunky guy compete. My goodness, those producers are wacky...

The Contender; ESPN. 9 pm. 3rd season premiere.


Wednesday, 9/19

Back to You; FOX. 7 pm. Series premiere.
Kelsey Grammer's L.A. newsman gets fired, so he returns to Pittsburgh and his coachor (played by Patricia Heaton). I'm hesitant about it, but I have heard some good things-- and I think both actors know a little something about comedies (I believe Grammer-- if not both he and Heaton-- is a producer). Recommended.

'Til Death; FOX. 7:30. 2nd season premiere.
This show actually got better as the first season went on. Should be worth watching.

America's Next Top Model; CW. 7 pm. 9th season premiere.
Maybe we'll actually get America's Next Top Model this season. Inhale... Exhale... (That's me not holding my breath).

Gossip Girl; CW. 8 pm. Series premiere.
The O.C. creator, Josh Schwartz, adapts the book series. It sounds decent-- I know some industry fans are looking forward to it-- but rich, too good looking teenagers and their problems? Not my world.

Kid Nation; CBS. 7 pm. Series premiere.
This show sounds promising-- 40 children (aged 8 to 15) try to make an abandoned New Mexico town work . The experiment appealed to me, but now the show is all about the controversy (which I don't think is that controversial), so CBS should be doing something about it other than sitting back and trying to get publicity from it. I don't have high hopes it'll last the season-- too much damage-- and I don't see CBS picking it up for a second.

Kitchen Nightmares; FOX. 8 pm. Series premiere.
A Brit import that finds Gordon Ramsey helping restaurants solve their problems. I'm sure that classy FOX network will make it helpful as opposed to mean...

Ultimate Fighter: Team Serra vs. Team Hughes; Spike. 10 pm. 6th season premiere.


Thursday, 9/20

Survivor: China; CBS. 7 pm. 15th "season" premiere.
The show makes history as being the first American series to film in the country. I don't know if that's enough to get me watching again...

Burn Notice (USA, 8 pm) ends its first season.


Friday, 9/21

Avatar: The Last Airbender; Nickelodeon. 7:30 pm. 3rd season premiere.

And Real Time With Bill Maher (HBO, 10 pm) has Salman Rushdie. I hope Bill gets to the real issue: how Rushdie scored that hot (ex-)wife.


Saturday, 9/22

The Kid's WB on CW (beginning at 6am) all premiere today. I watch Legion of Super-Heroes (which gets a neat addition in a future Superman to go with the Superman of the past).


Sorry-- there are a lot of premieres on Sunday. I'll have to write that day up later because I am out of time...

CHUCK Premiere

In the spring of 2005, I knew The Office was gonna be hot. In the Fall of 2005, I knew Prison Break was gonna be hot. In 2006, I was looking forward to Friday Night Lights and Heroes (both of which I haven't watched beyond the pilot, but they got buzz from critics and fans for being high quality shows). I watched most everything new in each of those seasons, but I targeted those shows as the ones I knew I'd like.

This fall, I'm looking forward to two shows: CW's Reaper and NBC's Chuck.

My cable company's On Demand feature has some of NBC's pilot episodes, and I was able to check out Chuck tonight.

I think I got it "right" again-- this is a show I'll be watching all season.

Zachary Levi (formerly the great "Kipp Steadman" in the not-so-great Less Than Perfect) plays Chuck. He's a nerd; in fact, he's a member of the Best Buy-esque's "Nerd Herd" tech department. Chuck's old college roommate, who went on to be a CIA agent, sent Chuck an e-mail that contained all of the CIA and NSA's secrets. Chuck opened the e-mail and was flooded with the information that worked its way into his brain. Now the CIA and NSA both want him for what is contained in his mind.

The pilot had a great mix of humor, drama, and action. My only quibble is that the camerawork was sometimes disorienting (which didn't seem to have a purpose). But all in all, this pilot was a great start to the show.

I'm a bit tired of how being a tech/comic/scifi/fantasy "geek" is played for laughs the last few years, but Levi plays Chuck a little more "normal" than Hollywood usually lets its "geeks" get. That is a welcome change. And while I loved his Kipp Steadman, I can see myself growing to like his Chuck just as much.

And I can't go without mentioning Yvonne Strzechowski as the CIA agent who saves Chuck's life. She has the incredibly rare traits of both (extreme) beauty and talent. I checked her out on imdb.com. and she didn't have many entries at all, which made her all the more impressive to me. The chemistry she has with Levi is great. She's definitely got "it", and I'll be looking forward to watching her career.

Rounding out the main players are Joshua Gomez as Chuck's geekier friend Morgan (who had some good parts and some bad parts), Sarah Lancaster (playing another doctor) as Chuck's sister Ellie, and Adam Baldwin as NSA agent John Casey (who seems to be playing ally and antagonist to Chuck).

And I do have to mention one of the funnier parts of the pilot: Ellie's boyfriend, who Chuck has dubbed with an appropriate nickname. One that I'm not going to spoil here.

If you want to know the joke, you've gotta watch the pilot.

Chuck premieres on my birthday, Sept 24, on NBC at 7 pm CST. Nice present for me.

If you didn't get the hint, this show is highly recommended.

Premieres and Notables Pt 2-- Sept 13-16, 2007

And here's the rest of the week...

Thursday, 9/13

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia; FX. 9 & 9:30 CST. 3rd Season Premiere.
It's mean-spirited-- and funny. If you gave up during Season One, check it out because Season Two was much improved. Recommended.


Friday 9/14

Out of Jimmy's Head; Cartoon. 6 pm. Series Premiere.
Cartoon Network has been hyping this like crazy as "the network's first live-action show". Why? Your network is called the freakin' CARTOON Network. [adult swim] went live action for a couple horseshit shows, so let's learn from that, and keep live action off this network.

Nashville; FOX. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
And the fall season has begun (I'm not counting gameshows that premiered earlier-- why should I?). Laguna Beach producers follow singers trying to catch a break in Nashville. Snore...


Saturday, 9/15

Mad TV; FOX. 10 pm. 13th Season premiere.
The new season begins with a clip show spotlighting the most memorable skits. I so hope the Jessica Alba/Ike Berinholtz as Brit & K-Fed skit is included. I still use the phrase "dumber than a box of hammers" in casual conversation. Anyway, check it out. Like SNL, it kinda has boring moments, but I think the cast is stellar.

Talkshow With Spike Feresten; FOX. 11 pm. 2nd season premiere.
This show got renewed?


Sunday, 9/16

The 59th Annual Emmy Awards; FOX. 7 pm. Special.
I'll DVR it, and then FF through most of it. Meh...

Finales:
Design Star, The 4400, The Dead Zone.

And don't forget, Curb Your Enthusiasm is back. Last night's premiere was awesome. Check it out. Buy/rent the DVDs.

And I can't go without mentioning Frisky Dingo. Last night's ep had me roaring, especially when Xander humiliates his girlfriend during a press conference: "That's how she sounds when I'm bangin' her."

It's much funnier than it looks on paper...