Three weeks into the new TV season, and already I'm having fits recording my shows with all the changes.
All changes are effective immediately unless otherwise noted.
Smith was put on hiatus. Odds are it's not coming back.
How I Met Your Mother and The Class switiched timeslots.
Kidnapped is moving to Saturdays starting 10/21. NBC promised producers and critics that they'd stick with this show until its 13 episodes had aired. I'm not holding my breath, but NBC dumped the show to a night where there are NO expectations (and no original scripted programming during prime time), so who knows?
Justice moves to Mondays 10/23.
Vanished will do just that (vanish) on Fridays starting 10/27. The show did a ballsy/necessary plot move on its last episode, but I doubt it'll save the show-- especially on Fridays.
Standoff and House do the pre-arranged timeslot switch when they return 10/31.
The CW Sunday comedies (including the wonderful Everybody Hates Chris) move to Mondays, and Seventh Heaven and Runaway move to Sundays (assuming Runaways makes it another week or two).
And as I noted in an earlier post, The Knights of Prosperity's premiere is being delayed until mid-season.
Catch all that info plus Matt Roush's comments on the moves and survival odds at this link:
http://community.tvguide.com/forum.jspa?forumID=700000048
It's the 10/6/06 posting, so you may have to scroll down a little (as I write this, it is the top post).
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Monday, October 09, 2006
Shows going to the Dreaded Hiatus
What I had intended on posting about when I lost what I had written Thursday was about the changes in schedules of some new shows.
Kidnapped hasn't been cancelled, per se, but the producers were told to close up the story by Episode 13. Luckily, the producers had made contingency plans to do just that if needed (unlike last year's Reunion, which was nowhere close to resolving their story to make up for a shortened episode order). there's no promise that NBC will actually air all 13 episodes, though (it cancelled a rerun on Friday for last week's ep).
One of CBS's big hope series has been put on hiatus. Smith will be on the bench for the time being, starting immediately. Nothing's been set in stone yet, but I doubt we'll see it again (unless CBS decides to burn off the episodes already in the can).
Knights of Prosperity will have it's premiere delayed to give it a bigger marketing push. I don't know if that's good or bad. I'm looking forward to the show, but shows that keep getting pushed back usually have some problem.
The bloodbath begins...
Kidnapped hasn't been cancelled, per se, but the producers were told to close up the story by Episode 13. Luckily, the producers had made contingency plans to do just that if needed (unlike last year's Reunion, which was nowhere close to resolving their story to make up for a shortened episode order). there's no promise that NBC will actually air all 13 episodes, though (it cancelled a rerun on Friday for last week's ep).
One of CBS's big hope series has been put on hiatus. Smith will be on the bench for the time being, starting immediately. Nothing's been set in stone yet, but I doubt we'll see it again (unless CBS decides to burn off the episodes already in the can).
Knights of Prosperity will have it's premiere delayed to give it a bigger marketing push. I don't know if that's good or bad. I'm looking forward to the show, but shows that keep getting pushed back usually have some problem.
The bloodbath begins...
A PRISON BREAK Speculation
I better put a spoiler on here for those who didn't see last week's episode (and why haven't you seen it?)...
Last week, I had an e-mail exchange with my friend, Brian, and he mentioned that Sucre pulling a gun on the others must be a misdirection-- as Prison Break is known to have those. So that put a lightbulb over my head because I had just thought, "That's odd," when Sucre jumped the others in the episode (yeah, I'll admit that I sometimes let shows spoonfeed me).
Brian was right: something didn't seem right about the whole thing, and I had even thought "That's out of character," when he did it-- but I didn't think there was something more.
So, if we follow the previews for the next episode (10/23), Sucre will take the money and run. Schofield will confront him in a wooded area.
So we're to expect a confrontation and the two will have some sort of fight.
But what if it's not like that? What if Schofield confronts Sucre, and they hug or shake hands or something? What if it was planned all along that Sucre would take the money and then meet up with Schofield? The two would split the money and go their separate ways. So C-Note and T-Bag will be left with nothing (which is apropos since both of them horned their way into the escape let alone the search for the money), and they'll think Sucre has it all. Since Sucre never told anyone any plans for his post-escape life, they'll have nothing to go on and will have to abandon the thoughts that they could get the money.
I really gotta start thinking of this as the show is airing instead of being reminded that something's not right by someone else.
I'm such a sheep...
Last week, I had an e-mail exchange with my friend, Brian, and he mentioned that Sucre pulling a gun on the others must be a misdirection-- as Prison Break is known to have those. So that put a lightbulb over my head because I had just thought, "That's odd," when Sucre jumped the others in the episode (yeah, I'll admit that I sometimes let shows spoonfeed me).
Brian was right: something didn't seem right about the whole thing, and I had even thought "That's out of character," when he did it-- but I didn't think there was something more.
So, if we follow the previews for the next episode (10/23), Sucre will take the money and run. Schofield will confront him in a wooded area.
So we're to expect a confrontation and the two will have some sort of fight.
But what if it's not like that? What if Schofield confronts Sucre, and they hug or shake hands or something? What if it was planned all along that Sucre would take the money and then meet up with Schofield? The two would split the money and go their separate ways. So C-Note and T-Bag will be left with nothing (which is apropos since both of them horned their way into the escape let alone the search for the money), and they'll think Sucre has it all. Since Sucre never told anyone any plans for his post-escape life, they'll have nothing to go on and will have to abandon the thoughts that they could get the money.
I really gotta start thinking of this as the show is airing instead of being reminded that something's not right by someone else.
I'm such a sheep...
This week's premieres: 10/9-10/15
Sorry it’s been so long. I wrote one post on Thursday before I went away for the weekend, but ever since I added a feature to post from Microsoft Word, every time I don’t save what I wrote before I post, I lose it. And I didn’t save before I posted last time.
Let’s get into it: more premieres. As always, the times are CST.
Monday, 10/9/06
Off the Leash; Lifetime, 7 pm & 7:30 pm. Series Premiere.
Reality series about an L.A. animal-talent agency. Seriously…
Engineering an Empire; History, 8 pm. Series Premiere.
One of the biggest downfalls of my getting a DVR is that I’ve stopped flipping through channels to watch shows (since I’ve always got prerecorded shows right at my fingertips with the DVR). The channel that has suffered from it the most is the one I find most interesting: the History Channel. This series focuses on the constructs of great civilizations, beginning this episode with the Egyptians.
What About Brian?; ABC. 9 pm. Season Premiere.
The WTF moment of this spring’s network upfronts had to be the renewal of this show. It’s coming back with a little tweaking (one character isn’t back). It’s an okay-enough show.
Wednesday, 10/11/06
30 Rock; NBC. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
The most eagerly awaited comedy of the season. Tina Fey created, writes, and stars in this comedy about a Saturday Night Live sketch comedy. Must Watch
Twenty Good Years; NBC. 7:30 pm. Series Premiere.
I’ve heard this is one of the worst comedies of the year. I’ll check it out, but I’m not planning on sticking with it if it’s as bad as I’ve heard.
Ghost Hunters; Sci Fi. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Sci Fi Investigates; Sci Fi. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
I Pity The Fool; TV Land. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Yes, we needed another advice-dispensing show. And this one boasts Mr. T.
Friday, 10/13/06
1 vs. 100; NBC. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Crossing Jordan fans; let loose your wrath: this game show is the reason for Jordan’s no-show this fall.
Saxondale; BBC America. 10 pm. Series Premiere.
From TV Guide: “An embittered rock-band-roadie-turned-exterminator takes out his frustrations on pests of every stripe.” If it’s on BBC America, it’s got to be pretty good. I’m gonna check it out.
Sunday, 10/15/06
Sex Talk with Sue Johanson; Oxygen. 10 pm. Season Premiere.
I’ve never seen it, but it sounds interesting. (
Frisky Dingo; Cartoon Netowork’s [adult swim]. 11:30 pm. Series Premiere.
Lazy villain Killface tries to muster up the motivation and money to destroy the Earth.
Let’s get into it: more premieres. As always, the times are CST.
Monday, 10/9/06
Off the Leash; Lifetime, 7 pm & 7:30 pm. Series Premiere.
Reality series about an L.A. animal-talent agency. Seriously…
Engineering an Empire; History, 8 pm. Series Premiere.
One of the biggest downfalls of my getting a DVR is that I’ve stopped flipping through channels to watch shows (since I’ve always got prerecorded shows right at my fingertips with the DVR). The channel that has suffered from it the most is the one I find most interesting: the History Channel. This series focuses on the constructs of great civilizations, beginning this episode with the Egyptians.
What About Brian?; ABC. 9 pm. Season Premiere.
The WTF moment of this spring’s network upfronts had to be the renewal of this show. It’s coming back with a little tweaking (one character isn’t back). It’s an okay-enough show.
Wednesday, 10/11/06
30 Rock; NBC. 7 pm. Series Premiere.
The most eagerly awaited comedy of the season. Tina Fey created, writes, and stars in this comedy about a Saturday Night Live sketch comedy. Must Watch
Twenty Good Years; NBC. 7:30 pm. Series Premiere.
I’ve heard this is one of the worst comedies of the year. I’ll check it out, but I’m not planning on sticking with it if it’s as bad as I’ve heard.
Ghost Hunters; Sci Fi. 8 pm. Season Premiere.
Sci Fi Investigates; Sci Fi. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
I Pity The Fool; TV Land. 9 pm. Series Premiere.
Yes, we needed another advice-dispensing show. And this one boasts Mr. T.
Friday, 10/13/06
1 vs. 100; NBC. 8 pm. Series Premiere.
Crossing Jordan fans; let loose your wrath: this game show is the reason for Jordan’s no-show this fall.
Saxondale; BBC America. 10 pm. Series Premiere.
From TV Guide: “An embittered rock-band-roadie-turned-exterminator takes out his frustrations on pests of every stripe.” If it’s on BBC America, it’s got to be pretty good. I’m gonna check it out.
Sunday, 10/15/06
Sex Talk with Sue Johanson; Oxygen. 10 pm. Season Premiere.
I’ve never seen it, but it sounds interesting. (
Frisky Dingo; Cartoon Netowork’s [adult swim]. 11:30 pm. Series Premiere.
Lazy villain Killface tries to muster up the motivation and money to destroy the Earth.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
A must watch series
I just finished watching the pilot episode of Friday Night Lights. It was unbelievable. Extremely high quality for a 7 pm show on a major network.
I’ll say it: it’s one of the best hours of television I’ve ever seen.
Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton were as exceptional as expected, but what’s shocking is how good the young actors are. Although the characters are standard for a sports drama (gifted yet humble leader, trash talking back, “damaged” teen, guy in over his head, loyal girlfriend, man-eating sexpot), the actors—along with the writing—are making them much more than the clichés they could easily have been.
Yes, the show is about a football team. And, yes, the pilot is about the first game of the season.
But what is at the show’s heart is much more. The last ten minutes of the episode should prove that to anyone who thinks this is “just a football show”.
Peter Berg has set the bar for what could be the best show of the season.
You owe to yourself to watch this show, and NBC is giving you plenty of chances to see it again. The pilot is re-airing three more times before next Tuesday’s new episode. All times are CST.
Thurs, 10/5 from 10-11 pm on USA
Sat, 10/7 from 8-9 pm on NBC
Tues, 10/10 from 6-7 pm on Bravo (right before episode #2 @ 7pm on NBC)
[I am not an employee of NBC. I did not receive anything for the above post. I just really like this show.]
I’ll say it: it’s one of the best hours of television I’ve ever seen.
Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton were as exceptional as expected, but what’s shocking is how good the young actors are. Although the characters are standard for a sports drama (gifted yet humble leader, trash talking back, “damaged” teen, guy in over his head, loyal girlfriend, man-eating sexpot), the actors—along with the writing—are making them much more than the clichés they could easily have been.
Yes, the show is about a football team. And, yes, the pilot is about the first game of the season.
But what is at the show’s heart is much more. The last ten minutes of the episode should prove that to anyone who thinks this is “just a football show”.
Peter Berg has set the bar for what could be the best show of the season.
You owe to yourself to watch this show, and NBC is giving you plenty of chances to see it again. The pilot is re-airing three more times before next Tuesday’s new episode. All times are CST.
Thurs, 10/5 from 10-11 pm on USA
Sat, 10/7 from 8-9 pm on NBC
Tues, 10/10 from 6-7 pm on Bravo (right before episode #2 @ 7pm on NBC)
[I am not an employee of NBC. I did not receive anything for the above post. I just really like this show.]
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Prison Break 10/2/06 "Buried"
Okay, I’m going to be talking about tonight’s Prison Break here, so if you haven’t seen it, you may not want to read this right now.
So, the last six episodes have led us to this—and left us a few cliffhangers we’ve got to wait three weeks for.
Lincoln left the others to go after L.J.—even though it stinks of a trap.
Haywire steals some equipment and gains a friend—a dog followed him because he had beef jerky. And he’s got a life plan: he’s going to sail the ocean (starting in Lake Michigan) to Holland, so he can live in a windmill. He just has to get started by building a raft from the driftwood on the lakeshore.
We get a great moment with the gang (digging again) where C-Note informs T-Bag that the Asian Black Market T-Bag intends to get a hand from won’t have white hands, so the racist slimeball will have an asian hand attached to him.
Governor Tancredi gets killed (even though it was made to look like a suicide).
Doctor Tancredi finds morphene and syringes on her coffee table—and a mysterious man waiting for her. Will Agent Kellerman get to her before she’s killed? Will Kellerman go against The Company?
Our boy, Sucre, turned the tables on the others. Gotta say I didn’t see that one coming. He’s the one I would have least expected to screw the others. Looks like he doesn’t get far as next ep’s previes show he and Schofield having a showdown.
Agent Mahone admits to Tweener that he found Shales—and killed him.
Tweener leads Mahone and the Feds to Debra Jean’s house to tell her that he’ll write to her instead of leading Mahone to the rest of the gang. His heroic (at least by not ratting) move upsets Mahone to no end, so he takes Tweener into the woods and shoots him, point blank.
And now we can see what kind of mental state Mahone is in.
Now, Tweener was on the short-list of people to be killed, so it wasn’t a big surprise. What was surprising was that Mahone’s so off his rocker that he killed a man in custody.
I’m not as obsessed with the show as much as I was last year, but three weeks is too long to have some of these things resolved…
R.I.P Tweener. Or Dave (nice moment he had with Debra Jean, where he tells her his real name).
So, the last six episodes have led us to this—and left us a few cliffhangers we’ve got to wait three weeks for.
Lincoln left the others to go after L.J.—even though it stinks of a trap.
Haywire steals some equipment and gains a friend—a dog followed him because he had beef jerky. And he’s got a life plan: he’s going to sail the ocean (starting in Lake Michigan) to Holland, so he can live in a windmill. He just has to get started by building a raft from the driftwood on the lakeshore.
We get a great moment with the gang (digging again) where C-Note informs T-Bag that the Asian Black Market T-Bag intends to get a hand from won’t have white hands, so the racist slimeball will have an asian hand attached to him.
Governor Tancredi gets killed (even though it was made to look like a suicide).
Doctor Tancredi finds morphene and syringes on her coffee table—and a mysterious man waiting for her. Will Agent Kellerman get to her before she’s killed? Will Kellerman go against The Company?
Our boy, Sucre, turned the tables on the others. Gotta say I didn’t see that one coming. He’s the one I would have least expected to screw the others. Looks like he doesn’t get far as next ep’s previes show he and Schofield having a showdown.
Agent Mahone admits to Tweener that he found Shales—and killed him.
Tweener leads Mahone and the Feds to Debra Jean’s house to tell her that he’ll write to her instead of leading Mahone to the rest of the gang. His heroic (at least by not ratting) move upsets Mahone to no end, so he takes Tweener into the woods and shoots him, point blank.
And now we can see what kind of mental state Mahone is in.
Now, Tweener was on the short-list of people to be killed, so it wasn’t a big surprise. What was surprising was that Mahone’s so off his rocker that he killed a man in custody.
I’m not as obsessed with the show as much as I was last year, but three weeks is too long to have some of these things resolved…
R.I.P Tweener. Or Dave (nice moment he had with Debra Jean, where he tells her his real name).
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Premieres 10-2 to 10/8
Sorry for the lateness (again). Time flies…
Monday, 10/2
The Bachelor: Rome; ABC, 8 pm CST (2 hr) Season Premiere.
A royal bachelor this time. Thirty-four year old Prince Lorenzo Borghese from Italy (who’s lived in the U.S. since he was five—does that count?).
Tuesday, 10/3
Friday Night Lights; NBC, 7 pm. Series Premiere
One of the most critically acclaimed new shows this season. Peter Berg comes back to tell the story of the Texas High School football team that must win at all costs (Berg wrote the screenplay based on Buzz Bissinger’s book and directed the film as well as the pilot for the TV series). The movie was great, and while the TV series is missing Billy Bob Thornton and Lucas Black, it will have the underrated Kyle Chandler as the coach. Must Watch.
Veronica Mars; CW, 8 pm. Season Premiere
I’ve only watched the first six episodes of Season One, but fans of this show are incredibly devoted. You may want to check out this third season.
The Street; BBC America, 9 pm. Series Premiere
From TV Guide: “This drama focuses on the interlocking lives of a group of working-class neighbors in northern England.” That’s all I know. But seeing as how BBC America has some of the best shows on cable, it’s probably worth checking out.
Wednesday, 10/4
Lost; ABC, 8 pm. Season Premiere
The third season of a show I really need to start watching (I’ve got both season in my basement, just waiting to be watched).
The Nine; ABC, 9 pm. Series Premiere
Another critically-acclaimed new show with a killer cast. This series is about a group of nine people who survive a 52-hour bank robbery standoff, and how their lives change. Sounds boring, but I haven’t heard a bad thing about this show yet. Must Watch.
South Park; Comedy Central, 9 pm. Season Premiere
The best satire on TV right now, hands down, starts its tenth season.
Freak Show; Comedy Central, 9:30 pm. Series Premiere
David Cross cocreated this animated series about carnival freaks who work for the Pentagon.
Thursday, 10/5
This Old House Hour; PBS, 7 pm. Season Premiere
Joan Cusack’s Local Flavor; Travel, 8 pm. Series (?) Premiere
The funny-woman finds herself in France
Drawn Together; Comedy Central, 9:30 pm. Season Premiere
Somehow this show got a third season.
White Boyz in the Hood; Showtime, 10 pm. Series Premiere.
No idea what it’s about.
Friday, 10/6
Trading Spouses; FOX, 8 pm. Season Premiere
Hey! Look at that! Another series that somehow got a third season…
Battlestar Galactica; Sci Fi Channel; 8 pm. 2 hour Season Premiere
The other great show I just haven’t watched yet. Don’t miss out on what many, many critics call one of the best shows on TV.
Saturday, 10/7
Saturday Night Live has Jamie Pressly hosting. Normally, I wouldn’t mention it, but I haven’t watched SNL’s premiere from last night yet, so there’s a glimmer of hope the show may actually be good.
Sunday, 10/8
No premieres—thank God.
Monday, 10/2
The Bachelor: Rome; ABC, 8 pm CST (2 hr) Season Premiere.
A royal bachelor this time. Thirty-four year old Prince Lorenzo Borghese from Italy (who’s lived in the U.S. since he was five—does that count?).
Tuesday, 10/3
Friday Night Lights; NBC, 7 pm. Series Premiere
One of the most critically acclaimed new shows this season. Peter Berg comes back to tell the story of the Texas High School football team that must win at all costs (Berg wrote the screenplay based on Buzz Bissinger’s book and directed the film as well as the pilot for the TV series). The movie was great, and while the TV series is missing Billy Bob Thornton and Lucas Black, it will have the underrated Kyle Chandler as the coach. Must Watch.
Veronica Mars; CW, 8 pm. Season Premiere
I’ve only watched the first six episodes of Season One, but fans of this show are incredibly devoted. You may want to check out this third season.
The Street; BBC America, 9 pm. Series Premiere
From TV Guide: “This drama focuses on the interlocking lives of a group of working-class neighbors in northern England.” That’s all I know. But seeing as how BBC America has some of the best shows on cable, it’s probably worth checking out.
Wednesday, 10/4
Lost; ABC, 8 pm. Season Premiere
The third season of a show I really need to start watching (I’ve got both season in my basement, just waiting to be watched).
The Nine; ABC, 9 pm. Series Premiere
Another critically-acclaimed new show with a killer cast. This series is about a group of nine people who survive a 52-hour bank robbery standoff, and how their lives change. Sounds boring, but I haven’t heard a bad thing about this show yet. Must Watch.
South Park; Comedy Central, 9 pm. Season Premiere
The best satire on TV right now, hands down, starts its tenth season.
Freak Show; Comedy Central, 9:30 pm. Series Premiere
David Cross cocreated this animated series about carnival freaks who work for the Pentagon.
Thursday, 10/5
This Old House Hour; PBS, 7 pm. Season Premiere
Joan Cusack’s Local Flavor; Travel, 8 pm. Series (?) Premiere
The funny-woman finds herself in France
Drawn Together; Comedy Central, 9:30 pm. Season Premiere
Somehow this show got a third season.
White Boyz in the Hood; Showtime, 10 pm. Series Premiere.
No idea what it’s about.
Friday, 10/6
Trading Spouses; FOX, 8 pm. Season Premiere
Hey! Look at that! Another series that somehow got a third season…
Battlestar Galactica; Sci Fi Channel; 8 pm. 2 hour Season Premiere
The other great show I just haven’t watched yet. Don’t miss out on what many, many critics call one of the best shows on TV.
Saturday, 10/7
Saturday Night Live has Jamie Pressly hosting. Normally, I wouldn’t mention it, but I haven’t watched SNL’s premiere from last night yet, so there’s a glimmer of hope the show may actually be good.
Sunday, 10/8
No premieres—thank God.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Prison Break Spoilers
This week’s new Prison Break episode (2.7: “Buried”) will be the last for a few weeks to accommodate baseball.
The role of Sucre’s girlfriend Maricruz has been cast for a third time because actress Camille Guaty got a part on ABC’s The Nine. Guaty replaced Nadine Velazquez, who left to star in My Name is Earl. So Maricruz #3 is Six Feet Under’s Melissa Marsala.
Man, with the Maricruz actresses, Patricia Wettig, and John Billingsley all leaving to work on other shows, you’d wonder why Prison Break doesn’t have contracts for its smaller roles—even if it’s “we’ll need you to work on five episodes this season”. Ah, I don’t know how that works in the TV world—maybe it’s impossible. But it is annoying.
Fairly minor spoilers make up the rest of this post. Just warning you: turn back now if you want to know nothing.
The American Express Preview for this week’s ep:
Doctor Sarah finds out her father, Governor Tancredi, has his nomination to the Vice Presidency withdrawn. I’m expecting bad things to happen to him since he “caught” Kellerman in Washington.
Haywire appears again. He robs a convenience store.
Spoilers I gleaned from the internet about upcoming episodes. Since these are not “official” (like the Am Ex previews) and probably not sanctioned by the Prison Break team, they could change—and they could also be something more than they want us to know. Can’t say these spoilers are major, but they do show a pattern for the rest of the episodes this year:
I already posted that T-Bag isn’t one of the remaining seven who die this fall (it happens within the next two episodes), and it can be assumed that Sucre doesn’t as well as the Maricruz role needed to be recast (or, if you read the spoiler for episode 10, like I did, you’d know that Sucre is still alive and is trying to meet with Maricruz). So that leaves Schofield, Lincoln, C-Note, Tweener, and Haywire as the likely deaths (unless we’re completely being misled and it’s someone else—although I’ve been reading that it’s an escapee).
The policewoman who came to Janette’s house in Ep 6 is her daughter. My guess is she gets taken hostage because she was not preparing for trouble as we (of course) were expecting when she showed up last week.
L.J. is supposed to get a “menacing” visitor this week. It must have scared him as Lincoln is redoubling his efforts to break L.J. out, according to the notes on my DVR schedule.
When the show returns after baseball, a new Internal Affairs agent is put on the convict’s trail. “Agent” Richard Sullens will become a thorn in Mahone’s side when he asks questions like how a convict escaped after being handcuffed in his car (Tweener, anyone?).
And in the ninth episode, Schofield visits Mahone’s ex-wife (I guess that means Schofield doesn’t die, either) to get some dirt on him. Apparently even she doesn’t know what happened to her marriage—just that Mahone’s personality changed drastically during their marriage. The episode has a Mahone press conference about a dead convict interspersed through it. The conference could have been about a former convict he was hunting or Abruzzi, but my money’s on one of the remaining seven as I’ve read from more than once source that another escapee bites it soon.
And another odd thing I read (coming from a faxed page of script that was dated a long time ago, so who knows if this will happen—or when; but Lincoln is supposed to try to get to L.J. in the next episode):
Lincoln and L.J. escape from a smashed squad car and they start to run, but a van full of guards dressed in black catch them. Lincoln fights, but is stopped when one of the guards (Jane Farrow) says she is on their side and will take them to Lincoln’s father.
I’m not a fan of the whole conspiracy thing, but at least I know there’s something more going on after/while the others are digging for Westmoreland’s money (which is found).
The role of Sucre’s girlfriend Maricruz has been cast for a third time because actress Camille Guaty got a part on ABC’s The Nine. Guaty replaced Nadine Velazquez, who left to star in My Name is Earl. So Maricruz #3 is Six Feet Under’s Melissa Marsala.
Man, with the Maricruz actresses, Patricia Wettig, and John Billingsley all leaving to work on other shows, you’d wonder why Prison Break doesn’t have contracts for its smaller roles—even if it’s “we’ll need you to work on five episodes this season”. Ah, I don’t know how that works in the TV world—maybe it’s impossible. But it is annoying.
Fairly minor spoilers make up the rest of this post. Just warning you: turn back now if you want to know nothing.
The American Express Preview for this week’s ep:
Doctor Sarah finds out her father, Governor Tancredi, has his nomination to the Vice Presidency withdrawn. I’m expecting bad things to happen to him since he “caught” Kellerman in Washington.
Haywire appears again. He robs a convenience store.
Spoilers I gleaned from the internet about upcoming episodes. Since these are not “official” (like the Am Ex previews) and probably not sanctioned by the Prison Break team, they could change—and they could also be something more than they want us to know. Can’t say these spoilers are major, but they do show a pattern for the rest of the episodes this year:
I already posted that T-Bag isn’t one of the remaining seven who die this fall (it happens within the next two episodes), and it can be assumed that Sucre doesn’t as well as the Maricruz role needed to be recast (or, if you read the spoiler for episode 10, like I did, you’d know that Sucre is still alive and is trying to meet with Maricruz). So that leaves Schofield, Lincoln, C-Note, Tweener, and Haywire as the likely deaths (unless we’re completely being misled and it’s someone else—although I’ve been reading that it’s an escapee).
The policewoman who came to Janette’s house in Ep 6 is her daughter. My guess is she gets taken hostage because she was not preparing for trouble as we (of course) were expecting when she showed up last week.
L.J. is supposed to get a “menacing” visitor this week. It must have scared him as Lincoln is redoubling his efforts to break L.J. out, according to the notes on my DVR schedule.
When the show returns after baseball, a new Internal Affairs agent is put on the convict’s trail. “Agent” Richard Sullens will become a thorn in Mahone’s side when he asks questions like how a convict escaped after being handcuffed in his car (Tweener, anyone?).
And in the ninth episode, Schofield visits Mahone’s ex-wife (I guess that means Schofield doesn’t die, either) to get some dirt on him. Apparently even she doesn’t know what happened to her marriage—just that Mahone’s personality changed drastically during their marriage. The episode has a Mahone press conference about a dead convict interspersed through it. The conference could have been about a former convict he was hunting or Abruzzi, but my money’s on one of the remaining seven as I’ve read from more than once source that another escapee bites it soon.
And another odd thing I read (coming from a faxed page of script that was dated a long time ago, so who knows if this will happen—or when; but Lincoln is supposed to try to get to L.J. in the next episode):
Lincoln and L.J. escape from a smashed squad car and they start to run, but a van full of guards dressed in black catch them. Lincoln fights, but is stopped when one of the guards (Jane Farrow) says she is on their side and will take them to Lincoln’s father.
I’m not a fan of the whole conspiracy thing, but at least I know there’s something more going on after/while the others are digging for Westmoreland’s money (which is found).
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Bad Karma
I recently received the My Name is Earl Season One DVD set for my birthday (thanks, Moe!), and it had an interesting extra: a mini-episode titled “Bad Karma” about what would have happened had Earl watched Family Guy instead of Carson Daly while he was full of painkillers in the hospital. The episode is about 15 minutes long and loosely follows the “real” Earl pilot’s plot, but instead of Daly’s philosophy of karma, Earl decided to follow Stewie Griffith’s philosophy of revenge. Earl makes a list not of people he wronged, but of people who wronged him.
And then enacts his plans for revenge.
It was pretty interesting (and funny) to see Earl in a completely different light, but it was even more interesting how the mini-episode felt like a “real” episode of Earl.
So, if you’ve got $35 or so laying around, the Season One DVD set gets a high recommendation from me. Not only do you get the first season episodes of the very smart and very funny series, but a little extra as well.
And then enacts his plans for revenge.
It was pretty interesting (and funny) to see Earl in a completely different light, but it was even more interesting how the mini-episode felt like a “real” episode of Earl.
So, if you’ve got $35 or so laying around, the Season One DVD set gets a high recommendation from me. Not only do you get the first season episodes of the very smart and very funny series, but a little extra as well.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
This and That
Odds and Ends (no spoilers contained within—except one, but it’s at the very end—and fair warning is given):
I watched the first episode of Heroes, and it didn’t grab me as I had hoped. But I know the pilot was meant to be seen as a two-hour movie that eventually was split in half, so I’m hoping the second episode next week pulls it all together (it’s supposed to). If the first episode was too slow and the previews didn’t convince you to stick around, I’ll ask you myself: just watch next Monday’s episode before you do anything rash. I hear it’s worth the wait. This show has potential, and I don’t want it to get the ax just yet.
Speaking of getting the ax: Happy Hour became the first casualty of the season (no surprise here—I’ve been voting for it on the TV “Death Pool” website). While the show is officially on an (unscheduled) hiatus until November, I’m going to bet we don’t see it again. I’m just mad it broke up with me before I could break up with it (I was giving it one more episode before I dumped it).
I watched the remaining episodes of Who Wants to Be a Super Hero?, and while it was cheesy, and a little self-important (while tongue was firmly in cheek), and a little “set up” in places, and the winner was a little too into it, it was all-around a good show. Any of the final three would make a great super hero, and it was nice to see. The heart they showed along with the love and respect they had for each other (and host Stan Lee) was very heart-warming. In a (reality) TV world where competitions are won through cheating, humiliation, lying, greed, and other lesser human qualities, it was nice to see that none of that was in play here. It proved that regular people can be better than human—and you don’t need super powers to be a hero. It was definitely a good experiment.
Finally, I’m excited that Prison Break is back to what made it great last year: twists and turns and “how the heck are they going to get out of this one” moments. It was great to see a “forgotten” character this week, and it looks as if the heat is turned way up on our boys. Rumor is: someone dies soon (I’m betting on next episode). I don’t know who will die, but I’ve heard who won’t. If you want to know, scroll down.
A little more:
A liiiiittle more:
You must really want to know who doesn’t die:
The one who makes it out alive: T-Bag.
I watched the first episode of Heroes, and it didn’t grab me as I had hoped. But I know the pilot was meant to be seen as a two-hour movie that eventually was split in half, so I’m hoping the second episode next week pulls it all together (it’s supposed to). If the first episode was too slow and the previews didn’t convince you to stick around, I’ll ask you myself: just watch next Monday’s episode before you do anything rash. I hear it’s worth the wait. This show has potential, and I don’t want it to get the ax just yet.
Speaking of getting the ax: Happy Hour became the first casualty of the season (no surprise here—I’ve been voting for it on the TV “Death Pool” website). While the show is officially on an (unscheduled) hiatus until November, I’m going to bet we don’t see it again. I’m just mad it broke up with me before I could break up with it (I was giving it one more episode before I dumped it).
I watched the remaining episodes of Who Wants to Be a Super Hero?, and while it was cheesy, and a little self-important (while tongue was firmly in cheek), and a little “set up” in places, and the winner was a little too into it, it was all-around a good show. Any of the final three would make a great super hero, and it was nice to see. The heart they showed along with the love and respect they had for each other (and host Stan Lee) was very heart-warming. In a (reality) TV world where competitions are won through cheating, humiliation, lying, greed, and other lesser human qualities, it was nice to see that none of that was in play here. It proved that regular people can be better than human—and you don’t need super powers to be a hero. It was definitely a good experiment.
Finally, I’m excited that Prison Break is back to what made it great last year: twists and turns and “how the heck are they going to get out of this one” moments. It was great to see a “forgotten” character this week, and it looks as if the heat is turned way up on our boys. Rumor is: someone dies soon (I’m betting on next episode). I don’t know who will die, but I’ve heard who won’t. If you want to know, scroll down.
A little more:
A liiiiittle more:
You must really want to know who doesn’t die:
The one who makes it out alive: T-Bag.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Premieres for 9/25-10/1
Not much here today, so really fast previews.
Monday, 9/25
Seventh Heaven; CW, 7 pm CST. Season Premiere
The most hated show on the CW schedule (because fans of Everwood blame it for Everwood getting the ax).
Runaway; CW 8pm. Series Premiere
I don’t have high hopes for this, but Donnie Wahlberg sold me with Boomtown, so I gotta check it out. Watch.
Heroes; NBC, 8 pm. Series Premiere
The show I’m looking forward to the most this season. I’ve been right with Angel, Boomtown, The Office, and My Name is Earl recently, so I’m pretty sure Heroes will be as good as I’m predicting it to be this year. Must Watch.
Tuesday, 9/26
Gilmore Girls; CW, 7:00. Season Premiere
I guess this is the best show I’m not watching…
Help Me Help You; ABC, 8:30. Series Premiere
I’ve heard mixed things about it, but Ted Danson has a good track record. Watch.
Wednesday, 9/27
Lost: A Tale of Survival; ABC, 8:00
Get primed for next week’s premiere with this clip show of highlights of the past two years.
One Tree Hill; CW, 8 pm. Season Premiere
I know nothing about it.
Thursday, 9/28
Ugly Betty; ABC, 7 pm. Series Premiere
From what I can see, this is the nearly unanimous critic’s choice of best new show of the year. So it’s bound for two things: being really good and being cancelled by January. Seriously, I haven’t heard a single bad thing about this show about a less-than-attractive young woman who works at a fashion magazine. Must Watch.
Smallville; CW, 7pm. Season Premiere
Clark’s in the Phantom Zone. This season also sees the beginnings of the Justice League.
Supernatural; CW, 8 pm. Season Premiere
I guess as an in-joke, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who died on a hospital bed in the Grey’s Anatomy’s season-ender in May is Sam & Dean’s dad—and is in a hospital bed in this season premiere. I don’t know: I find it funny.
Friday, 9/29 Quickies:
DeGrassi, The Next Generation; The N, 7 pm. Season Premiere
Meerkat Manor; Animal Planet, 7 pm. Season Premiere
Doctor Who; SciFi, 7pm and 8:30 pm; Original Special and then Season Premiere
Boston PD; Spike, 9 pm; 4-Part Reality series; Series Premiere
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team; CMT, 8pm. Series Premiere.
Saturday, 9/30
Saturday Night Live; NBC, 10:30 pm. Season Premiere
I’ll watch for two reasons: 1. To see if Dane Cook can overcome that horsecrap episode of SNL he was on last year. And 2. Because the writers and cast have been overhauled.
Can this show get any worse? I want to see this car wreck.
Sunday, 10/1
CW season premieres: Everybody Hates Chris (6 pm), All of Us (6:30), Girlfriends (7:00)
The Game; CW, 7:30; Series Premiere
Dexter; Showtime, 9pm. Series Premiere
I wish I still had Showtime. This series about a forensics agent who hunts down and kills serial killers sounds interesting.
Monday, 9/25
Seventh Heaven; CW, 7 pm CST. Season Premiere
The most hated show on the CW schedule (because fans of Everwood blame it for Everwood getting the ax).
Runaway; CW 8pm. Series Premiere
I don’t have high hopes for this, but Donnie Wahlberg sold me with Boomtown, so I gotta check it out. Watch.
Heroes; NBC, 8 pm. Series Premiere
The show I’m looking forward to the most this season. I’ve been right with Angel, Boomtown, The Office, and My Name is Earl recently, so I’m pretty sure Heroes will be as good as I’m predicting it to be this year. Must Watch.
Tuesday, 9/26
Gilmore Girls; CW, 7:00. Season Premiere
I guess this is the best show I’m not watching…
Help Me Help You; ABC, 8:30. Series Premiere
I’ve heard mixed things about it, but Ted Danson has a good track record. Watch.
Wednesday, 9/27
Lost: A Tale of Survival; ABC, 8:00
Get primed for next week’s premiere with this clip show of highlights of the past two years.
One Tree Hill; CW, 8 pm. Season Premiere
I know nothing about it.
Thursday, 9/28
Ugly Betty; ABC, 7 pm. Series Premiere
From what I can see, this is the nearly unanimous critic’s choice of best new show of the year. So it’s bound for two things: being really good and being cancelled by January. Seriously, I haven’t heard a single bad thing about this show about a less-than-attractive young woman who works at a fashion magazine. Must Watch.
Smallville; CW, 7pm. Season Premiere
Clark’s in the Phantom Zone. This season also sees the beginnings of the Justice League.
Supernatural; CW, 8 pm. Season Premiere
I guess as an in-joke, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who died on a hospital bed in the Grey’s Anatomy’s season-ender in May is Sam & Dean’s dad—and is in a hospital bed in this season premiere. I don’t know: I find it funny.
Friday, 9/29 Quickies:
DeGrassi, The Next Generation; The N, 7 pm. Season Premiere
Meerkat Manor; Animal Planet, 7 pm. Season Premiere
Doctor Who; SciFi, 7pm and 8:30 pm; Original Special and then Season Premiere
Boston PD; Spike, 9 pm; 4-Part Reality series; Series Premiere
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team; CMT, 8pm. Series Premiere.
Saturday, 9/30
Saturday Night Live; NBC, 10:30 pm. Season Premiere
I’ll watch for two reasons: 1. To see if Dane Cook can overcome that horsecrap episode of SNL he was on last year. And 2. Because the writers and cast have been overhauled.
Can this show get any worse? I want to see this car wreck.
Sunday, 10/1
CW season premieres: Everybody Hates Chris (6 pm), All of Us (6:30), Girlfriends (7:00)
The Game; CW, 7:30; Series Premiere
Dexter; Showtime, 9pm. Series Premiere
I wish I still had Showtime. This series about a forensics agent who hunts down and kills serial killers sounds interesting.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Thoughts on What I've Watched This Week
Thoughts on What I’ve Watched This Week
Minor and major spoilers on various TV shows. I’ll write the name of the show first, so you can skip to the next show— or skip this whole post altogether—if you care to not know what happened or what I thought about it.
Men in Trees. I’ve seen the first and third episodes (I’ll get to the second when I get a chance) and have to say I mildly enjoy it. I’ve tired of the 30-ish person who’s looking for love shows that are all over, so this is a breath of fresh air because the main character is trying to find out who she is as a single person.
In the pilot, I was a little put off that everyone in Alaska was “backward” and “simple”, but that seems to have been toned down by the third episode, and now Marin is the “odd duck”. The simple lives these people lead (not needing Starbucks, or Fitness Centers, etc simple—not that they are simple-minded) are ones to admire, and I think that’s a unique look at life.
It’s not a great show, and I’m still not sure Anne Heche can carry a show herself, but I’ll be sticking around a while longer.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was as great as you can expect from Aaron Sorkin. The pilot was a bit slow, but the show needed time to be set up. I think by the end credits, the premise of the show has been established nicely.
As I noted in a previous post, I liked the early rant by Judd Hirsch’s character and from bouncing my thoughts off my friend, Brian, I stand by it. Network TV is about as opposite of daring as you can get. I’m not saying the Big Five need to be offensive, but they do need to take chances in quality. Saturday Night Live, which was once the pinnacle of satire, has sucked @$$ for around five years (I stopped watching regularly three years ago and have been sorely disappointed each of the handful of eps I’ve watched each year since) and the slap in the face this show gave SNL is one I hope the new crew over there takes to heart.
If you missed the pilot, you may have another chance on NBC or its cable networks over the weekend (I haven’t checked, but it seems likely it will air again) to check it out. The writing is great and the cast is extremely high caliber.
How I Met Your Mother maintained its status as the best plotted comedy airing right now (IMHO). The episode was a little tricky for a newcomer (thanks to Brian for pointing that out), but fans from last year should not have been disappointed. Ted and Robin finally got together (thank you, producers, for not letting that drag out) but Marshall and Lily are still broken up. The glee on Neil Patrick Harris’ (“Barney”) face when he thought he, Ted, and Marshall were finally all single was priceless; topped only when he realized that Ted wasn’t single anymore.
I can’t pin down why this show is so great. There are better comedies out there, but this one just hooks me. The twisting, turning plots are amazingly put together, and the characters are all likable—even womanizing, over-confident Barney (Harris should have been nominated as a supporting actor in a comedy at the Emmy’s; yet another crime this year’s ceremony committed).
The Office. Well, we waited all summer for the big “will they or won’t they?” moment everyone was expecting between Jim and Pam. So, uh, have you been watching the show at all? Of course this series wasn’t going to blow its wad this early. If this show has proven anything, it’s that we should know by now that to get from “A” to “C”, we’re not hitting “B”, but instead are going through “D”, “L”, and “W”. Yes, Jim and Pam will get together eventually, but there’s still a lot of story left to tell.
I’m hoping we get that wonderful moment the original Office gave us at the very end between Tim and Dawn in this series. I don’t know if America can wait that long, but I hope they hold it off as long as possible. I don’t want to see Jim and Pam as a couple—but I certainly don’t want an overdone Ross & Rachel bit, either.
Leave the romance on the slow burner.
That said, is there any other show where we know so little about the characters and yet whatever they do, it’s perfectly in character? Stanley’s rant about not being able to take back his wedding present to Pam and Roy was spot-on. As was Creed’s mentioning that he may have had sex with a man because he had lots of sex in the ‘60s at concerts where people were covered in mud.
My Name is Earl picked up right where it left off. This is one of the most surprising shows I watch. Even if I know the basic plot or have seen the previews, I still have no idea how these characters get there. It’s an unusual show that can surprise me every single episode.
And you can’t beat the lines this show has.
Minor and major spoilers on various TV shows. I’ll write the name of the show first, so you can skip to the next show— or skip this whole post altogether—if you care to not know what happened or what I thought about it.
Men in Trees. I’ve seen the first and third episodes (I’ll get to the second when I get a chance) and have to say I mildly enjoy it. I’ve tired of the 30-ish person who’s looking for love shows that are all over, so this is a breath of fresh air because the main character is trying to find out who she is as a single person.
In the pilot, I was a little put off that everyone in Alaska was “backward” and “simple”, but that seems to have been toned down by the third episode, and now Marin is the “odd duck”. The simple lives these people lead (not needing Starbucks, or Fitness Centers, etc simple—not that they are simple-minded) are ones to admire, and I think that’s a unique look at life.
It’s not a great show, and I’m still not sure Anne Heche can carry a show herself, but I’ll be sticking around a while longer.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was as great as you can expect from Aaron Sorkin. The pilot was a bit slow, but the show needed time to be set up. I think by the end credits, the premise of the show has been established nicely.
As I noted in a previous post, I liked the early rant by Judd Hirsch’s character and from bouncing my thoughts off my friend, Brian, I stand by it. Network TV is about as opposite of daring as you can get. I’m not saying the Big Five need to be offensive, but they do need to take chances in quality. Saturday Night Live, which was once the pinnacle of satire, has sucked @$$ for around five years (I stopped watching regularly three years ago and have been sorely disappointed each of the handful of eps I’ve watched each year since) and the slap in the face this show gave SNL is one I hope the new crew over there takes to heart.
If you missed the pilot, you may have another chance on NBC or its cable networks over the weekend (I haven’t checked, but it seems likely it will air again) to check it out. The writing is great and the cast is extremely high caliber.
How I Met Your Mother maintained its status as the best plotted comedy airing right now (IMHO). The episode was a little tricky for a newcomer (thanks to Brian for pointing that out), but fans from last year should not have been disappointed. Ted and Robin finally got together (thank you, producers, for not letting that drag out) but Marshall and Lily are still broken up. The glee on Neil Patrick Harris’ (“Barney”) face when he thought he, Ted, and Marshall were finally all single was priceless; topped only when he realized that Ted wasn’t single anymore.
I can’t pin down why this show is so great. There are better comedies out there, but this one just hooks me. The twisting, turning plots are amazingly put together, and the characters are all likable—even womanizing, over-confident Barney (Harris should have been nominated as a supporting actor in a comedy at the Emmy’s; yet another crime this year’s ceremony committed).
The Office. Well, we waited all summer for the big “will they or won’t they?” moment everyone was expecting between Jim and Pam. So, uh, have you been watching the show at all? Of course this series wasn’t going to blow its wad this early. If this show has proven anything, it’s that we should know by now that to get from “A” to “C”, we’re not hitting “B”, but instead are going through “D”, “L”, and “W”. Yes, Jim and Pam will get together eventually, but there’s still a lot of story left to tell.
I’m hoping we get that wonderful moment the original Office gave us at the very end between Tim and Dawn in this series. I don’t know if America can wait that long, but I hope they hold it off as long as possible. I don’t want to see Jim and Pam as a couple—but I certainly don’t want an overdone Ross & Rachel bit, either.
Leave the romance on the slow burner.
That said, is there any other show where we know so little about the characters and yet whatever they do, it’s perfectly in character? Stanley’s rant about not being able to take back his wedding present to Pam and Roy was spot-on. As was Creed’s mentioning that he may have had sex with a man because he had lots of sex in the ‘60s at concerts where people were covered in mud.
My Name is Earl picked up right where it left off. This is one of the most surprising shows I watch. Even if I know the basic plot or have seen the previews, I still have no idea how these characters get there. It’s an unusual show that can surprise me every single episode.
And you can’t beat the lines this show has.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Quick hits
Culled from tvguide.com and scifi.com:
Prison Break's Amaury Nolasco ("Sucre") said we'll be seeing a darker Sucre in the beginning of the season. He also mentioned that someone else dies-- and they're working on episode 8 as he was being interviewed. Ep 5 just aired tonight, so doing the math... Someone bites it in the next three weeks (presumably).
Cobie Smulders of How I Met Your Mother (one of the best written comedies of last year-- and has one of the best supporting goofballs on TV [Neil Patrick Harris' "Barney"]) said Robin and Ted's relationship is worthwhile to explore-- even though we know they won't stay together. She also said Alyson Hannigan's "Lily" returns. Oh, and we get to meet Barney's brother, who's just like him-- except gay.
I only saw the first twenty minutes of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, but I can already see that we've got a great show (as expected). Judd Hirsch's speech in the first ten minutes is one of the best I've seen on a network show. Ballsy of NBC to air this tirade against network television (especially since many of the criticisms were leveled at NBC shows). I hope it doesn't let up. We're in a second Golden Age of Television, but there's still a lot of garbage and very little cutting edge programming on the networks. It's nice to see someone "calling out" the networks...
NBC's Heroes is sounding better and better. Comic book great Jeph Loeb is one of the writers and his frequent collaborator, Tim Sale, is painting the pictures for the pre-cog artist (Isaac, I believe, is the name). There will also be an online comic found at nbc.com that will run concurrently with the show. And not everyone with powers is a hero. The first season deals with a super-powered serial killer that forces the characters together. I was over at nbc.com and checked out the trailers and profiles for this show. It looks good.
Just make sure to watch at the least the first two hours, as the original 2 hour pilot was re-edited into two hour-long episodes.
I also watched The Class premiere tonight. It has potential to be a great fit with How I Met Your Mother, but it's not there yet (keep in kind: Mother took a few episodes to get rolling). I'm not liking the comparisons to Friends I've been reading; let this show be its own show.
I watched HBO's Inside the NFL, and as I mentioned in a previous post, that network does the best sports shows, hands down. I care about football only as much as it helps me in my Fantasy leagues, but this show gave me a very human perspective on the Pat Tillman story.
I just didn't like the attention this guy got because he was a "name" and he was killed in Afghanistan after leaving the NFL and joining the Army. I thought "why is this dude more important than the other thousands who have died so far"? Peter King's interview with Tillman's friend Jake Plummer on Inside the NFL opened up my eyes.
Tillman was a person who was a great man in every sense of the word, and the largest tragedy concerning his death is that the Pentagon has given his friends and family four lines of bullsh** so far (the fifth investigation is pending) about his death. It's unconscionable that any family has to go through that.
As usual with an HBO sports show, I'm glad as heck to have seen it.
Lewis Black's tirade at the end of the show was pretty good, too. He went on a rant that the show shouldn't be celebrating being 30 years old because things go downhill after 30. Best, trademark, Lewis Black line: "Sorry to piss on your candles."
Prison Break's Amaury Nolasco ("Sucre") said we'll be seeing a darker Sucre in the beginning of the season. He also mentioned that someone else dies-- and they're working on episode 8 as he was being interviewed. Ep 5 just aired tonight, so doing the math... Someone bites it in the next three weeks (presumably).
Cobie Smulders of How I Met Your Mother (one of the best written comedies of last year-- and has one of the best supporting goofballs on TV [Neil Patrick Harris' "Barney"]) said Robin and Ted's relationship is worthwhile to explore-- even though we know they won't stay together. She also said Alyson Hannigan's "Lily" returns. Oh, and we get to meet Barney's brother, who's just like him-- except gay.
I only saw the first twenty minutes of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, but I can already see that we've got a great show (as expected). Judd Hirsch's speech in the first ten minutes is one of the best I've seen on a network show. Ballsy of NBC to air this tirade against network television (especially since many of the criticisms were leveled at NBC shows). I hope it doesn't let up. We're in a second Golden Age of Television, but there's still a lot of garbage and very little cutting edge programming on the networks. It's nice to see someone "calling out" the networks...
NBC's Heroes is sounding better and better. Comic book great Jeph Loeb is one of the writers and his frequent collaborator, Tim Sale, is painting the pictures for the pre-cog artist (Isaac, I believe, is the name). There will also be an online comic found at nbc.com that will run concurrently with the show. And not everyone with powers is a hero. The first season deals with a super-powered serial killer that forces the characters together. I was over at nbc.com and checked out the trailers and profiles for this show. It looks good.
Just make sure to watch at the least the first two hours, as the original 2 hour pilot was re-edited into two hour-long episodes.
I also watched The Class premiere tonight. It has potential to be a great fit with How I Met Your Mother, but it's not there yet (keep in kind: Mother took a few episodes to get rolling). I'm not liking the comparisons to Friends I've been reading; let this show be its own show.
I watched HBO's Inside the NFL, and as I mentioned in a previous post, that network does the best sports shows, hands down. I care about football only as much as it helps me in my Fantasy leagues, but this show gave me a very human perspective on the Pat Tillman story.
I just didn't like the attention this guy got because he was a "name" and he was killed in Afghanistan after leaving the NFL and joining the Army. I thought "why is this dude more important than the other thousands who have died so far"? Peter King's interview with Tillman's friend Jake Plummer on Inside the NFL opened up my eyes.
Tillman was a person who was a great man in every sense of the word, and the largest tragedy concerning his death is that the Pentagon has given his friends and family four lines of bullsh** so far (the fifth investigation is pending) about his death. It's unconscionable that any family has to go through that.
As usual with an HBO sports show, I'm glad as heck to have seen it.
Lewis Black's tirade at the end of the show was pretty good, too. He went on a rant that the show shouldn't be celebrating being 30 years old because things go downhill after 30. Best, trademark, Lewis Black line: "Sorry to piss on your candles."
Sunday, September 17, 2006
TV Premieres This Week
The new TV season explodes this week. Get ready. All times in CST.
And I'll try to note the must watch shows out there. I've had a pretty good track record with my picks to watch (at least for me). Others, I'll just recommend you watch to see if they end up being any good.
Sunday, 9/17
Cartoon Network [adult swim] notables tonight. Sorry I don't have the times on me (the beauty of a DVR-- it just records it for me):
Robot Chicken Season 2 Part 2 premieres. Toy doing naughty things.
Squidbillies Season 2. Funny for a while, but I stopped watching after a few eps.
Korgath of Barbaria Series premiere. A near-future barbarian who spends a great deal of time drinking.
Monday, 9/18
The Class Series Premiere; CBS, 7:00
This comedy has enjoyed good buzz. It's one of TV Guide's Matt Roush's favorite shows, and he hasn't steered me wrong much. Must watch.
How I Met Your Mother, CBS, 7:30; Two and a Half Men, CBS 8:00; New Adventures of Old Christine, CBS 8:30; CSI: Miami. Season Premieres.
Wife Swap, ABC, 7:00 and another new ep at 8:00. Season Premiere.
CW Preview Special CW, 8:00 pm. Check out the new season of old WB & UPN shows-- and two new series.
Deal or No Deal, 7-9 pm NBC. Season Premiere.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, 9-10 NBC. Series Premiere.
Created by Aaron Sorkin. Let's see: Sports Night-- great. West Wing (until he got canned)-- great. This show is one of the ones I'm most looking forward to. Must Watch.
Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Guest/: Jason Lee
Tuesday, 9/19
Boston Legal, ABC, 9 pm. Season Premiere.
Guest star: Michael J. Fox, who was great last year.
NCIS, CBS 7-8 & The Unit, CBS 8-9 Season Premieres.
Smith; CBS, 9-10 Series Premiere.
The Ray Liotta/ Virginia Madsen series about a high-end thief. Must Watch.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent, NBC 8-9; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC 9-10. Season Premieres.
Wednesday, 9/20
Jericho, CBS, 7-8. Series Premiere
A man returns to his hometown amid a mystery. Then a mushroom cloud appears on the horizon, and the town is cut-off from civilization. Must Watch.
Criminal Minds; CBS, 8-9 and CSI: NY; CBS 9-10. Season Premieres.
Biggest Loser; NBC 7-9. Season Premiere.
Kidnapped; NBC, 9-10. Series Premiere.
A wealthy son is kidnapped. The FBI is brought in, but the parents hire an anti-social "retrieval expert". I'm sure it's better than FOX's similar Vanished, but I'm not sure if it'll be great. A half-hearted Watch.
America's Next Top Model; CW, 7-9.
Has anyone ever heard of the previous winners? I don't give two craps about modeling, but you think I would have heard about the winners by now...
Tonight Show. Steve Carell discusses the new Office season.
Thursday, 9/21
Grey's Anatomy, ABC, 7-8 (recap) & 8-9 (season premiere).
Let the bloodbath begin: Grey's vs. CSI
Six Degrees, ABC, 9:01-10. Series Premiere.
Six strangers meet through a series of random events. Kinda Watch.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; CBS 8-9. Season Premiere.
Shark; CBS 9-10
James Woods stars in this series about a House-ian prosecutor who mentors young DA's. There's some buzz about this one, so I'll give it a Watch.
My Name is Earl; NBC 7- 7:30. season premiere.
The second season kicks off. Slight changes include more story arcs-- and Earl will not accomplish his task each episode, and may instead take a few episode to cross something off the list.
The Office; NBC 7:30-8. Season premiere.
Michael accidentally outs a gay employee. The Jim/Pam situation is addressed. And sometime this season, the riotous Ed Helms (The Daily Show) joins the company.
ER; NBC 9-10. Season Premieres.
This show is still on? I guess some big sh** went down in the 12th season finale, and this 13th season picks up the pieces. Some people are kidnapped, a pregnant woman is knocked out and bleeding, someone got shot, and John Stamos finally becomes a series regular.
Conan O'Brien, NBC. John Krasinski shows up to discuss The Office.
Friday, 9/22
Ghost Whisperer, CBS 7-8; Close to Home, CBS 8-9; Numb3rs, CBS 9-10, season premieres.
Friday Night Smackdown!, CW, 7-9:00; season premiere.
Law & Order, NBC, 9-10; 59th season premiere.
Conan O'Brien, NBC; Jason Lee discusses My Name is Earl.
Saturday, 9/23
I'd never recommend the horrible crap that was Saturday Night Live from last year (I watched Dane Cook, Jason Lee, and Steve Carell nearly destroy their careers in that wasteland), but the repeat from February NBC is airing was considered a high point with Steve Martin as host and Prince as musical guest. I'll be watching it-- very cautiously.
Sunday, 9/24
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC 6-8.
The fourth season opens.
Desperate Housewives (ABC, 8-9) looks to pull out the horrible tailspin it was in last year. I think they'll put it off.
Brothers & Sisters, ABC, 9:01-10.
New show with tons of great actors. The show had great buzz, then the pilot was pretty much scrapped to accomodate acting changes. There's been lots of bad buzz since, but I think this is a Must Watch-- at least the first half-dozen episodes.
Cold Case, CBS 8-9, and Without a Trace, CBS 9-10 season premieres.
12 oz Mouse, Cartoon Network [adult swim], 11:45.
A new season of the show I just didn't get-- but has a rabid fanbase (as does most [adult swim] shows).
I hope to explain how I can watch so much (no, I'm NOT watching all the things I post here) in the near future. But since the new season is on top of us already, let me just say one word: record. Watching TV live is not the way to maximize your time. Use the "r" in VCR or DVD-R and record your shows to fast forward through the commercials and watch on your schedule.
Even better: get a DVR. Screw High Def, the DVR technology is the best television invention since color.
And finally: Sorry for the delay between posts. It's been a busy few weeks. Hopefully, I'll get back in the swing of things.
And finally Pt 2: I didn't have time to proofread this post, so please forgive any eggregious spelling/grammer mistakes. I'll try harder next time...
And I'll try to note the must watch shows out there. I've had a pretty good track record with my picks to watch (at least for me). Others, I'll just recommend you watch to see if they end up being any good.
Sunday, 9/17
Cartoon Network [adult swim] notables tonight. Sorry I don't have the times on me (the beauty of a DVR-- it just records it for me):
Robot Chicken Season 2 Part 2 premieres. Toy doing naughty things.
Squidbillies Season 2. Funny for a while, but I stopped watching after a few eps.
Korgath of Barbaria Series premiere. A near-future barbarian who spends a great deal of time drinking.
Monday, 9/18
The Class Series Premiere; CBS, 7:00
This comedy has enjoyed good buzz. It's one of TV Guide's Matt Roush's favorite shows, and he hasn't steered me wrong much. Must watch.
How I Met Your Mother, CBS, 7:30; Two and a Half Men, CBS 8:00; New Adventures of Old Christine, CBS 8:30; CSI: Miami. Season Premieres.
Wife Swap, ABC, 7:00 and another new ep at 8:00. Season Premiere.
CW Preview Special CW, 8:00 pm. Check out the new season of old WB & UPN shows-- and two new series.
Deal or No Deal, 7-9 pm NBC. Season Premiere.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, 9-10 NBC. Series Premiere.
Created by Aaron Sorkin. Let's see: Sports Night-- great. West Wing (until he got canned)-- great. This show is one of the ones I'm most looking forward to. Must Watch.
Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Guest/: Jason Lee
Tuesday, 9/19
Boston Legal, ABC, 9 pm. Season Premiere.
Guest star: Michael J. Fox, who was great last year.
NCIS, CBS 7-8 & The Unit, CBS 8-9 Season Premieres.
Smith; CBS, 9-10 Series Premiere.
The Ray Liotta/ Virginia Madsen series about a high-end thief. Must Watch.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent, NBC 8-9; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC 9-10. Season Premieres.
Wednesday, 9/20
Jericho, CBS, 7-8. Series Premiere
A man returns to his hometown amid a mystery. Then a mushroom cloud appears on the horizon, and the town is cut-off from civilization. Must Watch.
Criminal Minds; CBS, 8-9 and CSI: NY; CBS 9-10. Season Premieres.
Biggest Loser; NBC 7-9. Season Premiere.
Kidnapped; NBC, 9-10. Series Premiere.
A wealthy son is kidnapped. The FBI is brought in, but the parents hire an anti-social "retrieval expert". I'm sure it's better than FOX's similar Vanished, but I'm not sure if it'll be great. A half-hearted Watch.
America's Next Top Model; CW, 7-9.
Has anyone ever heard of the previous winners? I don't give two craps about modeling, but you think I would have heard about the winners by now...
Tonight Show. Steve Carell discusses the new Office season.
Thursday, 9/21
Grey's Anatomy, ABC, 7-8 (recap) & 8-9 (season premiere).
Let the bloodbath begin: Grey's vs. CSI
Six Degrees, ABC, 9:01-10. Series Premiere.
Six strangers meet through a series of random events. Kinda Watch.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; CBS 8-9. Season Premiere.
Shark; CBS 9-10
James Woods stars in this series about a House-ian prosecutor who mentors young DA's. There's some buzz about this one, so I'll give it a Watch.
My Name is Earl; NBC 7- 7:30. season premiere.
The second season kicks off. Slight changes include more story arcs-- and Earl will not accomplish his task each episode, and may instead take a few episode to cross something off the list.
The Office; NBC 7:30-8. Season premiere.
Michael accidentally outs a gay employee. The Jim/Pam situation is addressed. And sometime this season, the riotous Ed Helms (The Daily Show) joins the company.
ER; NBC 9-10. Season Premieres.
This show is still on? I guess some big sh** went down in the 12th season finale, and this 13th season picks up the pieces. Some people are kidnapped, a pregnant woman is knocked out and bleeding, someone got shot, and John Stamos finally becomes a series regular.
Conan O'Brien, NBC. John Krasinski shows up to discuss The Office.
Friday, 9/22
Ghost Whisperer, CBS 7-8; Close to Home, CBS 8-9; Numb3rs, CBS 9-10, season premieres.
Friday Night Smackdown!, CW, 7-9:00; season premiere.
Law & Order, NBC, 9-10; 59th season premiere.
Conan O'Brien, NBC; Jason Lee discusses My Name is Earl.
Saturday, 9/23
I'd never recommend the horrible crap that was Saturday Night Live from last year (I watched Dane Cook, Jason Lee, and Steve Carell nearly destroy their careers in that wasteland), but the repeat from February NBC is airing was considered a high point with Steve Martin as host and Prince as musical guest. I'll be watching it-- very cautiously.
Sunday, 9/24
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC 6-8.
The fourth season opens.
Desperate Housewives (ABC, 8-9) looks to pull out the horrible tailspin it was in last year. I think they'll put it off.
Brothers & Sisters, ABC, 9:01-10.
New show with tons of great actors. The show had great buzz, then the pilot was pretty much scrapped to accomodate acting changes. There's been lots of bad buzz since, but I think this is a Must Watch-- at least the first half-dozen episodes.
Cold Case, CBS 8-9, and Without a Trace, CBS 9-10 season premieres.
12 oz Mouse, Cartoon Network [adult swim], 11:45.
A new season of the show I just didn't get-- but has a rabid fanbase (as does most [adult swim] shows).
I hope to explain how I can watch so much (no, I'm NOT watching all the things I post here) in the near future. But since the new season is on top of us already, let me just say one word: record. Watching TV live is not the way to maximize your time. Use the "r" in VCR or DVD-R and record your shows to fast forward through the commercials and watch on your schedule.
Even better: get a DVR. Screw High Def, the DVR technology is the best television invention since color.
And finally: Sorry for the delay between posts. It's been a busy few weeks. Hopefully, I'll get back in the swing of things.
And finally Pt 2: I didn't have time to proofread this post, so please forgive any eggregious spelling/grammer mistakes. I'll try harder next time...
Monday, September 11, 2006
And I was having such a good day...
I got into work today feeling rested. Haven't felt like that in months.
Everything that was supposed to happen over the weekend, happened.
Things didn't get any worse.
I got home, and my kids were cuter than usual (bad allergy/tired day yesterday for them).
I am spanking both my opponents in both my fantasy football leagues (I'm even the high scorer in one league-- and I've still got two of my best guys yet to play).
Life is good.
Then I watched Prison Break.
If you haven't watched it yet, I'll advise you to stop reading now and come back when you do.
Just to put a little distance between my good day and my bad...
And to keep the spoilers away....
I can't ****ing believe they killed Abruzzi!!! My favorite character on TV in years, and they Swiss cheese him!!!
I got hooked on the show right at the end of the pilot (when Michael shows Linc his tattoos), but Peter Stormare's Abruzzi was what kept me eagerly awaiting the next episode. Brilliant acting. The guy was unbelievable.
But then, Stormare didn't get on the opening credits for season two and was listed each episode as a guest star. But I thought the producers couldn't be that obvious with who was going to bite it.
I don't believe it. I'm heartbroken.
R.I.P., John Abruzzi.
Everything that was supposed to happen over the weekend, happened.
Things didn't get any worse.
I got home, and my kids were cuter than usual (bad allergy/tired day yesterday for them).
I am spanking both my opponents in both my fantasy football leagues (I'm even the high scorer in one league-- and I've still got two of my best guys yet to play).
Life is good.
Then I watched Prison Break.
If you haven't watched it yet, I'll advise you to stop reading now and come back when you do.
Just to put a little distance between my good day and my bad...
And to keep the spoilers away....
I can't ****ing believe they killed Abruzzi!!! My favorite character on TV in years, and they Swiss cheese him!!!
I got hooked on the show right at the end of the pilot (when Michael shows Linc his tattoos), but Peter Stormare's Abruzzi was what kept me eagerly awaiting the next episode. Brilliant acting. The guy was unbelievable.
But then, Stormare didn't get on the opening credits for season two and was listed each episode as a guest star. But I thought the producers couldn't be that obvious with who was going to bite it.
I don't believe it. I'm heartbroken.
R.I.P., John Abruzzi.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
TV Premieres and Notables: 9/11-9/17
Well, this will be the last "quiet" week for a while. CBS is flooding the schedule with almost all its premieres next week.
Tuesday, 9/12
Big Brother All Stars Season Finale. CBS, 7-8 pm CST.
Now that Will and Janelle got the boot, I don't care. But I'll still watch it.
Dancing With the Stars Season Premiere. ABC, 7-9:02 pm CST
Never seen it, but I'm going with Mario Lopez since he was always busting out dancing moves on Saved By the Bell.
Men and Trees Premiere. ABC, 9:02-10 pm CST.
Anne Heche meets Northern Exposure (although it probably won't be a "smart" as Exposure was). This pilot reairs on Friday at 7, just before the second ep airs in its normal Friday 8 pm timeslot.
Wednesday, 9/13
Rock Star: Supernova Season Finale. CBS, 7-8 pm CST
I've had a like/hate relationship with this show this summer. Last year blew me away with immediate breakout talents, and this year took a while, and I haven't been very blown away even when the contestants got better. It doesn't help that the band is a made-up one just for this show (and we all know it'll be dissolved as soon as the tour wraps). But it still kicks American Idol's ass on the pure talent of these people.
Inside the NFL Season Premiere. HBO, 9-10 pm CST
I was floored when I read that this will be the show's 30th season. Amazing. I don't care about sports at all, but HBO has a way of looking at them a little differently than any other network (even ESPN), and I have to say: some of my favorite shows are HBO Sports shows (Costas Now and Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel). It helps that the brilliant Bob Costas is the key host of the show.
Thursday, 9/14
Survivor: Cook Islands Season Premiere. CBS, 7-8 pm CST
The show with the most ridiculous controversy of the new TV season premieres tonight. In an effort to bring more color/diversity into television, the producers went out and searched for contestants this year (since 90% of applicants to the show are white). Well, since there's so much color, what would be interesting? That's right, put them in teams based on their ethnicity.
So the jackasses of the world are crying foul. As if CBS is going to let one of its biggest show get instantly racist. How stupid do people/media think the network is?
I, for one, am looking forward to it. We're going to get a good chunk of people who aren't students of the show playing, and that'll be interesting to see how the show goes. I think it'll also be interesting to see how people with (maybe) common backgrounds tackle the same problem. I expect stereotypes to be both reinforced and broken this year, and that's what I hope people are talking about by the end of the season.
If the controversy has done anything, it's that people are talking about this show again. Hasn't happened since the All Stars season.
The Underground. Showtime, 9-9:30 CST
Damon Wayan's new sketch show that let's him be as loose as he wants to be without censors. I'd check it out if I still had Showtime, but I'm not too disappointed I'm going to miss this. Sounds like Wayans is falling in the trap so many other talents have by jacking up the raunch in this show. Not because it helps the show, but because he can.
Friday, 9/15
MI-5 Season Premiere. A&E, 10-11 pm CST
I've never seen this show, but I'll be recording it this year. The British import is supposed to be one of cable's greatest shows.
Saturday, 9/16
Mad TV Season Premiere. FOX, 10-11 pm CST
The best sketch comedy on television starts up again. Even when it has down periods, it still whips SNL in quality.
Talkshow With Spike Ferestein Premiere. FOX, 11-11:30 pm CST
I'm not expecting much from this half-hour talk show, but he has a pretty similar writing experience that another decent late night host had: a former show writer named Conan O'Brien.
Sunday, 7/17
The Amazing Race Season Premiere. CBS 7:30-9 pm CST (after football).
The four-time Emmy winner returns. 12 teams, 1 month, 40,000 miles. Amazing.
See ya, WB. As The WB closes shop, it's reairing the pilots of four of its best and most notable shows on Sunday (9/17).
Felicity: 4pm
One of my favorite shows ever, Angel at 5pm
Buffy the Vampire Slayer : 6pm (2 hrs)
Dawson's Creek: 8 pm
That's all for now...
Tuesday, 9/12
Big Brother All Stars Season Finale. CBS, 7-8 pm CST.
Now that Will and Janelle got the boot, I don't care. But I'll still watch it.
Dancing With the Stars Season Premiere. ABC, 7-9:02 pm CST
Never seen it, but I'm going with Mario Lopez since he was always busting out dancing moves on Saved By the Bell.
Men and Trees Premiere. ABC, 9:02-10 pm CST.
Anne Heche meets Northern Exposure (although it probably won't be a "smart" as Exposure was). This pilot reairs on Friday at 7, just before the second ep airs in its normal Friday 8 pm timeslot.
Wednesday, 9/13
Rock Star: Supernova Season Finale. CBS, 7-8 pm CST
I've had a like/hate relationship with this show this summer. Last year blew me away with immediate breakout talents, and this year took a while, and I haven't been very blown away even when the contestants got better. It doesn't help that the band is a made-up one just for this show (and we all know it'll be dissolved as soon as the tour wraps). But it still kicks American Idol's ass on the pure talent of these people.
Inside the NFL Season Premiere. HBO, 9-10 pm CST
I was floored when I read that this will be the show's 30th season. Amazing. I don't care about sports at all, but HBO has a way of looking at them a little differently than any other network (even ESPN), and I have to say: some of my favorite shows are HBO Sports shows (Costas Now and Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel). It helps that the brilliant Bob Costas is the key host of the show.
Thursday, 9/14
Survivor: Cook Islands Season Premiere. CBS, 7-8 pm CST
The show with the most ridiculous controversy of the new TV season premieres tonight. In an effort to bring more color/diversity into television, the producers went out and searched for contestants this year (since 90% of applicants to the show are white). Well, since there's so much color, what would be interesting? That's right, put them in teams based on their ethnicity.
So the jackasses of the world are crying foul. As if CBS is going to let one of its biggest show get instantly racist. How stupid do people/media think the network is?
I, for one, am looking forward to it. We're going to get a good chunk of people who aren't students of the show playing, and that'll be interesting to see how the show goes. I think it'll also be interesting to see how people with (maybe) common backgrounds tackle the same problem. I expect stereotypes to be both reinforced and broken this year, and that's what I hope people are talking about by the end of the season.
If the controversy has done anything, it's that people are talking about this show again. Hasn't happened since the All Stars season.
The Underground. Showtime, 9-9:30 CST
Damon Wayan's new sketch show that let's him be as loose as he wants to be without censors. I'd check it out if I still had Showtime, but I'm not too disappointed I'm going to miss this. Sounds like Wayans is falling in the trap so many other talents have by jacking up the raunch in this show. Not because it helps the show, but because he can.
Friday, 9/15
MI-5 Season Premiere. A&E, 10-11 pm CST
I've never seen this show, but I'll be recording it this year. The British import is supposed to be one of cable's greatest shows.
Saturday, 9/16
Mad TV Season Premiere. FOX, 10-11 pm CST
The best sketch comedy on television starts up again. Even when it has down periods, it still whips SNL in quality.
Talkshow With Spike Ferestein Premiere. FOX, 11-11:30 pm CST
I'm not expecting much from this half-hour talk show, but he has a pretty similar writing experience that another decent late night host had: a former show writer named Conan O'Brien.
Sunday, 7/17
The Amazing Race Season Premiere. CBS 7:30-9 pm CST (after football).
The four-time Emmy winner returns. 12 teams, 1 month, 40,000 miles. Amazing.
See ya, WB. As The WB closes shop, it's reairing the pilots of four of its best and most notable shows on Sunday (9/17).
Felicity: 4pm
One of my favorite shows ever, Angel at 5pm
Buffy the Vampire Slayer : 6pm (2 hrs)
Dawson's Creek: 8 pm
That's all for now...
Saturday, September 09, 2006
40 oz of Fun
The Fantasy Football league I started with some friends this year is named The 40 oz League. Being an anal-retentive Comissioner, I decided to go out and do some 40 oz research along with grabbing some .bmps and .jpegs off the web to stick in the league newsletter.
Five hours of Google searches later, and I doubt I've even scratched the surface. I will say this has been one of the most fun projects I've undertaken in quite some time. I found lots of great sites that gave me laughing fits and thought maybe I should pass them along.
But first (to quote Julie Chen): one thing I'll say is I'm really glad I went to a "keg school", so I wasn't exposed to 40's. I would have been all over the "Edward 40 Hands" drinking game which would have resulted in lots of bad situations both because I have the drinking bladder of a walnut and because my stomach could never handle all that malt liquor without it coming back up.
Edward 40 Hands is a game where the players hold a 40 oz bottle in each hand, and then duct tape is wrapped around the hands and bottle. You cannot use your hands until both 40's are gone. So anything that you need your hands for (taking a leak, for instance) would require assistance. An especially evil variation on the game: taking a leak is not allowed until both bottles are empty.
I would have tried that game without even thinking about it in college (heck, given the right timing, I'd try it now) and it would have resulted in many laughs at my expense, I'm sure.
Anyway, here are some links to sites that made me laugh:
Modern Drunkard Magazine (Slogan: "Say it Loud, Say it Plowed"):
http://www.moderndrunkardmagazine.com/issues/03_03/03-03_forty_fury.htm
Be sure to check out the "Juicing on the Job" Essay found on the left margin way down at the bottom.
Here's a link to an essay about drinking in Star Trek. Funny as heck (and make sure to read the whole thing-- the Top Ten at the end is hilarious):
http://www.moderndrunkardmagazine.com/issues/05_02/5_02_space%20winos.html
The JangleSquad, a group (about 6 guys did the majority of the drinkin'), who attempted to drink an average of one 40 oz a day for a year. I spent a lot of time in this site just because I found it so funny. A whole website devoted to a year-long contest:
http://www.geocities.com/janglesquad/
Here's the Billy Dee Williams Smooth Test. I scored 30 ot of 36-- I'm 5 bottles smooth.
http://bfcgroup.com/helluvatough/smoothtest.html
The Aug 7, 2006 entry ("Economies of 40s") is a riot.
"Most average beers contain 5% or less alcohol by volume. Light beers are even worse. They cut calories by reducing the alcohol content and carbs. This is super gay, if I want to taste the rainbow then I will eat skittles. I buy beer to get me drunk, not to watch my figure or for the taste."
http://www.highgrav.com/
Terms for "being drunk":
http://members.aol.com/Mira2112/maltliquor/terms.htm
The "Two Colt Challenge". A riotous 13 minute video where two men compete in an Edward 40 Hands challenge. Highlights: (roughly) 1 min-- see them wrap the hands; (roughly) 5 mins-- McGinty talks about bedding a milf; (roughly) 11 mins-- McGinty's words are used against him.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5106481631365687815&q="The+Two+Colt+Challenge"+playable:true
And the motherlode: the site that all the above was linked from: 40 oz malt liquor.com.
Here's the main page:
http://www.40ozmaltliquor.com/main.html
The Hilarious images (make sure you go down all the way for the parody images:
http://www.40ozmaltliquor.com/images.html
And one site I stumbled on that is awesome that doesn't have anything to do with drinking: P.S.-- I'm Awesome. Think The Onion told in the first person. You HAVE to check out the Apr 2, 2006 entry "I Have Enough Friends I Don't F***", the Apr 26, 2006 entry "You Drive Like a D*ckface", and the newest, "FFL Rejected Team Names". You don't have to know anything about football to enjoy these offensive team names (personal favs: Intelligent Design Can Lick My Balls, Abu Gahreb Hog Pile, and Uncle Bad Touch). I've read the FFL one four times, and tears come to my eyes each time.
http://www.psimawesome.com/dig-it.htm
Five hours of Google searches later, and I doubt I've even scratched the surface. I will say this has been one of the most fun projects I've undertaken in quite some time. I found lots of great sites that gave me laughing fits and thought maybe I should pass them along.
But first (to quote Julie Chen): one thing I'll say is I'm really glad I went to a "keg school", so I wasn't exposed to 40's. I would have been all over the "Edward 40 Hands" drinking game which would have resulted in lots of bad situations both because I have the drinking bladder of a walnut and because my stomach could never handle all that malt liquor without it coming back up.
Edward 40 Hands is a game where the players hold a 40 oz bottle in each hand, and then duct tape is wrapped around the hands and bottle. You cannot use your hands until both 40's are gone. So anything that you need your hands for (taking a leak, for instance) would require assistance. An especially evil variation on the game: taking a leak is not allowed until both bottles are empty.
I would have tried that game without even thinking about it in college (heck, given the right timing, I'd try it now) and it would have resulted in many laughs at my expense, I'm sure.
Anyway, here are some links to sites that made me laugh:
Modern Drunkard Magazine (Slogan: "Say it Loud, Say it Plowed"):
http://www.moderndrunkardmagazine.com/issues/03_03/03-03_forty_fury.htm
Be sure to check out the "Juicing on the Job" Essay found on the left margin way down at the bottom.
Here's a link to an essay about drinking in Star Trek. Funny as heck (and make sure to read the whole thing-- the Top Ten at the end is hilarious):
http://www.moderndrunkardmagazine.com/issues/05_02/5_02_space%20winos.html
The JangleSquad, a group (about 6 guys did the majority of the drinkin'), who attempted to drink an average of one 40 oz a day for a year. I spent a lot of time in this site just because I found it so funny. A whole website devoted to a year-long contest:
http://www.geocities.com/janglesquad/
Here's the Billy Dee Williams Smooth Test. I scored 30 ot of 36-- I'm 5 bottles smooth.
http://bfcgroup.com/helluvatough/smoothtest.html
The Aug 7, 2006 entry ("Economies of 40s") is a riot.
"Most average beers contain 5% or less alcohol by volume. Light beers are even worse. They cut calories by reducing the alcohol content and carbs. This is super gay, if I want to taste the rainbow then I will eat skittles. I buy beer to get me drunk, not to watch my figure or for the taste."
http://www.highgrav.com/
Terms for "being drunk":
http://members.aol.com/Mira2112/maltliquor/terms.htm
The "Two Colt Challenge". A riotous 13 minute video where two men compete in an Edward 40 Hands challenge. Highlights: (roughly) 1 min-- see them wrap the hands; (roughly) 5 mins-- McGinty talks about bedding a milf; (roughly) 11 mins-- McGinty's words are used against him.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5106481631365687815&q="The+Two+Colt+Challenge"+playable:true
And the motherlode: the site that all the above was linked from: 40 oz malt liquor.com.
Here's the main page:
http://www.40ozmaltliquor.com/main.html
The Hilarious images (make sure you go down all the way for the parody images:
http://www.40ozmaltliquor.com/images.html
And one site I stumbled on that is awesome that doesn't have anything to do with drinking: P.S.-- I'm Awesome. Think The Onion told in the first person. You HAVE to check out the Apr 2, 2006 entry "I Have Enough Friends I Don't F***", the Apr 26, 2006 entry "You Drive Like a D*ckface", and the newest, "FFL Rejected Team Names". You don't have to know anything about football to enjoy these offensive team names (personal favs: Intelligent Design Can Lick My Balls, Abu Gahreb Hog Pile, and Uncle Bad Touch). I've read the FFL one four times, and tears come to my eyes each time.
http://www.psimawesome.com/dig-it.htm
Friday, September 08, 2006
THE OFFICE webisodes
When I first heard about The Office webisodes that were going to be on nbc.com this summer, I have to say I wasn't happy. I like my television on a television, not on a little box on my computer screen. But at least the short episodes were free to anyone with an internet connection. And the characters featured were from the show itself (unlike the Prison Break mobisodes that were on the Best Buy DVD set).
I was lucky enough to catch the webisodes each week. I think that was a bonus over watching them all at once because each webisode had a beginning, middle, and end, so there was bound to be repetition if they were watched all at once.
The premise of the show is that the accountants (Oscar, Kevin, and Angela) discover the books are off by $3000. Because it has to be accounted for, they question their fellow employees (Meredith, Phyllis, Stanley, and Roy) in an attempt to discover who stole it.
The characters were all true to their television roots (Angela's cold, Kevin's a joker, Stanley just doesn't care, Meredith is thinking about booze), and that was nice to see. Dwight even makes an appearance in the final episode that reminded me of how much I missed him over the summer.
And we found out a minor revelation about Angela (and learn a possible reason why she dislikes Pam).
If you can't wait two weeks until a new Office episode airs, check out these ten three-minute webisodes at http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/video/nbc_off_web_101_20060712.shtml#video
(that's the link to the first webisode. You can also access these through nbc.com directly).
"Angela stinks.".
(You'll get it when you watch Webisode #6)
I was lucky enough to catch the webisodes each week. I think that was a bonus over watching them all at once because each webisode had a beginning, middle, and end, so there was bound to be repetition if they were watched all at once.
The premise of the show is that the accountants (Oscar, Kevin, and Angela) discover the books are off by $3000. Because it has to be accounted for, they question their fellow employees (Meredith, Phyllis, Stanley, and Roy) in an attempt to discover who stole it.
The characters were all true to their television roots (Angela's cold, Kevin's a joker, Stanley just doesn't care, Meredith is thinking about booze), and that was nice to see. Dwight even makes an appearance in the final episode that reminded me of how much I missed him over the summer.
And we found out a minor revelation about Angela (and learn a possible reason why she dislikes Pam).
If you can't wait two weeks until a new Office episode airs, check out these ten three-minute webisodes at http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/video/nbc_off_web_101_20060712.shtml#video
(that's the link to the first webisode. You can also access these through nbc.com directly).
"Angela stinks.".
(You'll get it when you watch Webisode #6)
Happy 40th ST:TOS
Just a quick one to acknowledge Star Trek's 40th aniversary.
I'm not a Trekker (or Trekkie), but I have watched most of the shows (having only missed the middle years of Deep Space Nine and Voyager), and it's quite an accomplishment that a show that struggled on the network for three years before finally being cancelled is even remembered 40 years later.
It was definitely ahead of its time-- and yet a product of its time.
I admit I had a hard time watching the original series when it got the big push a few years ago on the SciFi Channel because some of the effects and acting were so retro, but the crux of it is very solid.
Now that the show has been "remastered" with updated effects, this may the time to check it out again.
Even if you don't like science fiction, there are things for you in all incarnations of the franchise (I highly recommend Star Trek: The Next Generation as I've found it to be one of the best written and plotted shows on television-- ever).
That's it. Live long and prosper, Trek.
I'm not a Trekker (or Trekkie), but I have watched most of the shows (having only missed the middle years of Deep Space Nine and Voyager), and it's quite an accomplishment that a show that struggled on the network for three years before finally being cancelled is even remembered 40 years later.
It was definitely ahead of its time-- and yet a product of its time.
I admit I had a hard time watching the original series when it got the big push a few years ago on the SciFi Channel because some of the effects and acting were so retro, but the crux of it is very solid.
Now that the show has been "remastered" with updated effects, this may the time to check it out again.
Even if you don't like science fiction, there are things for you in all incarnations of the franchise (I highly recommend Star Trek: The Next Generation as I've found it to be one of the best written and plotted shows on television-- ever).
That's it. Live long and prosper, Trek.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Let's all Raise our Glasses...
I read some news the other day that warmed my heart: L. Brent Bozell, founder and president of the Parent Television Council is going to step down as president of the watchdog group.
I have no real issue with watchdog groups, but the PTC has such a history of outright bullsh** that I have to take my shots.
The PTC, which is tied to the Media Research Center (a group that loves to perpetuate the "liberal media bias" lie-- and just so happens to be a powerful lobbying organization that just must just love our current anti-freedom public servants in D.C.), likes to tout that they are trying to clean up television "for the families". Of course, they just can't get in their heads that maybe parents could do some of their own policing.
Anyway, they've got good intentions (on the surface-- it doesn't take much digging to find their flaws), but their techniques and campaigns have been a little skewed at times.
Like when they they had to cough up $3.5 million to Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment for claiming that the WWE was responsible for four children's deaths (supposedly, the killer kids were copying wrestling moves on their victims). That was a lie. They also used WWE footage in their campaign. Oooo-- that's copyright infringement. And they also claimed they persuaded a number of WWE Smackdown! advertisers to stop running ads on the program. The only thing-- the advertisers never ran ads on the show. All of Bozell's lies were heavily reported on by the "liberal" media, but his apology to the WWE didn't get much press. Go figure...
Or their campaign to get Without a Trace busted for showing a teen orgy (well, at least as much as major network CBS could show, which we all know ain't much). Only: no one complained until after the PTC website showed the footage. That's right: no viewers complained when it aired. Complaints were filed by people who saw the clip on the PTC website and then filled out a form letter and turned it in to the inept FCC (don't even get me started on those a-holes). And CBS got hit with a $3.3 million fine (thanks in part to Emperor Bush's signing of a bill that increased the maximum fine the FCC can lay out) that no viewers actually complained about.
In my research for my comments, I found that 99.8% of the complaints filed to the FCC are through the PTC. Flip the numbers: at most, two-tenths of a percent of all complaints filed are by people who watched the show being complained about. And the FCC buys it-- just look at that frickin' CBS fine.
Here's a link to an especially troubling report on the PTC as it pertains to the FCC: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20041207-4442.html
I'll admit that as a parent, I'm well aware there's more on TV I don't want my kids to see than anything my parents had to worry about, but the thing is: I'm the parent. It's my job to police the television. We've all heard the phrase "If you don't like what you're watching, turn the channel." Pretty obvious. Heck, with the V-chip in TVs and cable boxes, you can't even get to the blocked channels/ratings without a password. Lazy parenting is what these PTC idiots are using to make their mark on television.
Maybe I'm different ("smart", to use a more precise word), but I think I can handle teaching my children what is and isn't appropriate along with policing content I don't want them exposed to in exchange for being able to watch Deadwood, The Shield, or Prison Break (the PTC website's "worst show of the week"-- woo hoo!).
Even though I'm sure Bozell will be replaced from the same type of UnAmerican fanatic he is, I think the PTC should use this leadership change to find a new target. This is a much more insidious threat than Rescue Me (a popular PTC show to rant about). I think they should go after shows like the last few years of Will & Grace, or shows like Joey, Rodney, Dane Cook's Tourgasm, Yes, Dear, or Conviction (the NBC version, not the BBC version).
Yes, the PTC's new campaign should be against horsecrap TV shows. They're so much more dangerous to society than hearing the F-Bomb or seeing a shooting because they serve no purpose other than being bland shows the PTC is probably okay with (except for the W&G gay thing-- because I'm guessing being gay is an affront to nature in their eyes. Just a guess.)
So let's all raise our glasses and make a toast to the man who gave the last 11 years of his life in an attempt to make the world the way he see fit. It consists of just two words. Two letters, to be more accurate:
F. U.!!!
I have no real issue with watchdog groups, but the PTC has such a history of outright bullsh** that I have to take my shots.
The PTC, which is tied to the Media Research Center (a group that loves to perpetuate the "liberal media bias" lie-- and just so happens to be a powerful lobbying organization that just must just love our current anti-freedom public servants in D.C.), likes to tout that they are trying to clean up television "for the families". Of course, they just can't get in their heads that maybe parents could do some of their own policing.
Anyway, they've got good intentions (on the surface-- it doesn't take much digging to find their flaws), but their techniques and campaigns have been a little skewed at times.
Like when they they had to cough up $3.5 million to Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment for claiming that the WWE was responsible for four children's deaths (supposedly, the killer kids were copying wrestling moves on their victims). That was a lie. They also used WWE footage in their campaign. Oooo-- that's copyright infringement. And they also claimed they persuaded a number of WWE Smackdown! advertisers to stop running ads on the program. The only thing-- the advertisers never ran ads on the show. All of Bozell's lies were heavily reported on by the "liberal" media, but his apology to the WWE didn't get much press. Go figure...
Or their campaign to get Without a Trace busted for showing a teen orgy (well, at least as much as major network CBS could show, which we all know ain't much). Only: no one complained until after the PTC website showed the footage. That's right: no viewers complained when it aired. Complaints were filed by people who saw the clip on the PTC website and then filled out a form letter and turned it in to the inept FCC (don't even get me started on those a-holes). And CBS got hit with a $3.3 million fine (thanks in part to Emperor Bush's signing of a bill that increased the maximum fine the FCC can lay out) that no viewers actually complained about.
In my research for my comments, I found that 99.8% of the complaints filed to the FCC are through the PTC. Flip the numbers: at most, two-tenths of a percent of all complaints filed are by people who watched the show being complained about. And the FCC buys it-- just look at that frickin' CBS fine.
Here's a link to an especially troubling report on the PTC as it pertains to the FCC: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20041207-4442.html
I'll admit that as a parent, I'm well aware there's more on TV I don't want my kids to see than anything my parents had to worry about, but the thing is: I'm the parent. It's my job to police the television. We've all heard the phrase "If you don't like what you're watching, turn the channel." Pretty obvious. Heck, with the V-chip in TVs and cable boxes, you can't even get to the blocked channels/ratings without a password. Lazy parenting is what these PTC idiots are using to make their mark on television.
Maybe I'm different ("smart", to use a more precise word), but I think I can handle teaching my children what is and isn't appropriate along with policing content I don't want them exposed to in exchange for being able to watch Deadwood, The Shield, or Prison Break (the PTC website's "worst show of the week"-- woo hoo!).
Even though I'm sure Bozell will be replaced from the same type of UnAmerican fanatic he is, I think the PTC should use this leadership change to find a new target. This is a much more insidious threat than Rescue Me (a popular PTC show to rant about). I think they should go after shows like the last few years of Will & Grace, or shows like Joey, Rodney, Dane Cook's Tourgasm, Yes, Dear, or Conviction (the NBC version, not the BBC version).
Yes, the PTC's new campaign should be against horsecrap TV shows. They're so much more dangerous to society than hearing the F-Bomb or seeing a shooting because they serve no purpose other than being bland shows the PTC is probably okay with (except for the W&G gay thing-- because I'm guessing being gay is an affront to nature in their eyes. Just a guess.)
So let's all raise our glasses and make a toast to the man who gave the last 11 years of his life in an attempt to make the world the way he see fit. It consists of just two words. Two letters, to be more accurate:
F. U.!!!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Sorry for the delay
What a week last week. Had two Fantasy Football Drafts, was out and about a lot, got my rear kicked at work (bad, bad week to have my job) and just couldn't get on the computer as much as I wanted to.
It'll probably be a short one this time, too.
Premieres I'm already too late on:
House and Standoff started tonight. Sorry you missed them.
Also, MyNetworkTV began its run of Fashion House and Desire tonight. The network is taking a Spanish telenovela approach by airing episodes of each show every night during the week with a recap episode on the weekend for a few months. The shows have a definite ending after their runs, which is cool. But I haven't heard a single good thing about the offerings MyNetworkTV is giving us, so I shied away from it (I don't have any idea what channel is carrying it in my area if that tells you anything).
Nip/Tuck Season Four started as well-- but FX usually repeats the heck out of their shows, so you can still catch it later this week.
The Dane Cook: Vicious Circle special debuted on HBO last night. I would expect it to be replayed dozens of times on the five or so HBO channels in the next month. His Tourgasm summer series was pretty disappointing, but I think Vicious Circle is supposed to be more of a concert show.
Thursday on FOX has the debuts of 'Til Death and Happy Hour. Don't get your hopes up for either (see my previous post about the pilots), but they are new when everything else is repeating right now. 'Til Death has potential, Happy Hour should be canned soon.
FOX Sunday kicks off with new Simpsons (with Metallica), American Dad, Family Guy, and The War at Home. (I'll be watching three of them; guess which ones). Remember, there's football on before these shows, so they could run over their times (those of you taping/DVRing them).
HBO begins the fourth series of The Wire Sunday night. I haven't watched it yet, but I heard it's a fantastic show. Guess I'll have to try to get the previous seasons on DVD from the library.
And the TV Guide Channel is airing preview shows dedicated to all the networks starting next Monday night. I'm sure it'll mostly be crap, but you may get some good looks at what's to come.
My Fall Preview issue of TV Guide came in the mail today. Sweet Jesus-- they give the scoop on 92 new shows! Yeah, I won't be catching them all.
Because I hadn't mentioned it before: I was shocked to hear the news that Star Trek (The Original Series) got a Lucas-esque makeover with updated special effects and music. It hits syndication on September 16. I'm looking forward to seeing the "remastered" episodes (even though I'm a purist at heart, I just had a hard time getting into the series when I finally watched all the eps in the late '90s), but since the shows aren't airing in any logical order, I'm sure I'll be a little peeved (I'm anal retentive that way).
I flipped through the channels a little this weekend and caught the infamous Flava of Love scene when a chick drops a duece on the floor. I missed how or why she did it, but she did it. Crapped right on the floor! Classy bunch of ladies he had to pick from...
I also watched the first two eps of Who Wants to be a SuperHero? which is a show I was expecting to hate but didn't. Stan Lee is a little (okay a lot) cheesy, but the guy knows his sh** and deserves respect for his contributions to the industry. The contestants were hokey, but they weren't made fun of (something I was afraid of-- thankfully little of the casting sessions were aired). And it was really fake about making one of the contestants a super-villain, but I'll give it a pass on that.
The show really tries to get to the crux of what makes a hero, and I don't think that's a bad thing when the word "hero" was all the rage when 9/11 occurred but the context wasn't always used correctly (yes, fire fighters, paramedics, police officers, and volunteers who risked life and limb in the disaster are all heroes, but when people not directly affected by the events who showed up for work the next day are being called heroes, I've gotta draw the line...). The show wasn't to see who had the best costume or "powers", but was to show how the average person can have heroic qualities by their actions. It's cheesy, but no one pinched a loaf on the floor, so it's got a leg up on other shows.
I enjoyed the last two episodes of Prison Break and am liking the direction the show's going in-- and I, like last year, am already trying to put the pieces together for future episodes (like Sucre heading to Las Vegas, which is between Utah and Mexico-- think maybe he'll bump into Linc and Michael? I think so).
Next week's ep looks intense: Abruzzi's back, T-Bag gets picked up by a car, and Tweener may be found out. Two weeks from now, Mahone may apprehend his first escapee (if what I read in TV Guide is telling the whole truth).
And, finally, I just want to acknowledge the passing of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin. I didn't watch his show, but I'd seen him on late night shows and a Wiggles DVD, and it's a horrible shame that he died so young. He is a person who genuinely loved nature and its inhabitants as well as life, and the world is worse off for having lost him.
It'll probably be a short one this time, too.
Premieres I'm already too late on:
House and Standoff started tonight. Sorry you missed them.
Also, MyNetworkTV began its run of Fashion House and Desire tonight. The network is taking a Spanish telenovela approach by airing episodes of each show every night during the week with a recap episode on the weekend for a few months. The shows have a definite ending after their runs, which is cool. But I haven't heard a single good thing about the offerings MyNetworkTV is giving us, so I shied away from it (I don't have any idea what channel is carrying it in my area if that tells you anything).
Nip/Tuck Season Four started as well-- but FX usually repeats the heck out of their shows, so you can still catch it later this week.
The Dane Cook: Vicious Circle special debuted on HBO last night. I would expect it to be replayed dozens of times on the five or so HBO channels in the next month. His Tourgasm summer series was pretty disappointing, but I think Vicious Circle is supposed to be more of a concert show.
Thursday on FOX has the debuts of 'Til Death and Happy Hour. Don't get your hopes up for either (see my previous post about the pilots), but they are new when everything else is repeating right now. 'Til Death has potential, Happy Hour should be canned soon.
FOX Sunday kicks off with new Simpsons (with Metallica), American Dad, Family Guy, and The War at Home. (I'll be watching three of them; guess which ones). Remember, there's football on before these shows, so they could run over their times (those of you taping/DVRing them).
HBO begins the fourth series of The Wire Sunday night. I haven't watched it yet, but I heard it's a fantastic show. Guess I'll have to try to get the previous seasons on DVD from the library.
And the TV Guide Channel is airing preview shows dedicated to all the networks starting next Monday night. I'm sure it'll mostly be crap, but you may get some good looks at what's to come.
My Fall Preview issue of TV Guide came in the mail today. Sweet Jesus-- they give the scoop on 92 new shows! Yeah, I won't be catching them all.
Because I hadn't mentioned it before: I was shocked to hear the news that Star Trek (The Original Series) got a Lucas-esque makeover with updated special effects and music. It hits syndication on September 16. I'm looking forward to seeing the "remastered" episodes (even though I'm a purist at heart, I just had a hard time getting into the series when I finally watched all the eps in the late '90s), but since the shows aren't airing in any logical order, I'm sure I'll be a little peeved (I'm anal retentive that way).
I flipped through the channels a little this weekend and caught the infamous Flava of Love scene when a chick drops a duece on the floor. I missed how or why she did it, but she did it. Crapped right on the floor! Classy bunch of ladies he had to pick from...
I also watched the first two eps of Who Wants to be a SuperHero? which is a show I was expecting to hate but didn't. Stan Lee is a little (okay a lot) cheesy, but the guy knows his sh** and deserves respect for his contributions to the industry. The contestants were hokey, but they weren't made fun of (something I was afraid of-- thankfully little of the casting sessions were aired). And it was really fake about making one of the contestants a super-villain, but I'll give it a pass on that.
The show really tries to get to the crux of what makes a hero, and I don't think that's a bad thing when the word "hero" was all the rage when 9/11 occurred but the context wasn't always used correctly (yes, fire fighters, paramedics, police officers, and volunteers who risked life and limb in the disaster are all heroes, but when people not directly affected by the events who showed up for work the next day are being called heroes, I've gotta draw the line...). The show wasn't to see who had the best costume or "powers", but was to show how the average person can have heroic qualities by their actions. It's cheesy, but no one pinched a loaf on the floor, so it's got a leg up on other shows.
I enjoyed the last two episodes of Prison Break and am liking the direction the show's going in-- and I, like last year, am already trying to put the pieces together for future episodes (like Sucre heading to Las Vegas, which is between Utah and Mexico-- think maybe he'll bump into Linc and Michael? I think so).
Next week's ep looks intense: Abruzzi's back, T-Bag gets picked up by a car, and Tweener may be found out. Two weeks from now, Mahone may apprehend his first escapee (if what I read in TV Guide is telling the whole truth).
And, finally, I just want to acknowledge the passing of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin. I didn't watch his show, but I'd seen him on late night shows and a Wiggles DVD, and it's a horrible shame that he died so young. He is a person who genuinely loved nature and its inhabitants as well as life, and the world is worse off for having lost him.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Land of the Free
The idea of censorship is an issue of major importance to me. My beloved comics books have been plagued with idiot government officals looking to make a name for themselves by picking on an easy target during election years for decades. The FCC has made waves about going after cable networks the past few years (they don't use the public airwaves, morons), and the TV industry has started to pull back on their attempts to diversify their products. Let's also not even mention the freakin' debates over whether Saving Private Ryan on ABC or a PBS documentary chronicling soldiers' experiences should have the F-Bomb. Sure, let's hack up a masterpiece that would otherwise run uncut over a word that military personnel (and most others) use in conversation.
An interview I read with [This Film Not Yet Rated] director Kirby Dick is what got me on this tangent. He explains what he found when he did an investigation of the MPAA Board that rates the motion picture industry. As a father, I have to say I like having the idea of the ratings, but as an American, I have troubles with how they get to the ratings-- and how directors and studios "play the game" to get the rating they need.
For example: I was watching Eight Below with my kids (4 and 2-1/2 years old), and I was disappointed that they needed to say "Hell" so much (at least three times) to get the coveted PG rating.
The MPAA's guidelines are nebulous at best and contradictory at worst. Here's the link. Hopefully it works. If not, it's from tvguide.com's Insider section for 9/1. It's worth a look.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Insider/default.htm?cmsGuid={1773DCD6-A322-4087-AAF4-685E134AAD23}
An interview I read with [This Film Not Yet Rated] director Kirby Dick is what got me on this tangent. He explains what he found when he did an investigation of the MPAA Board that rates the motion picture industry. As a father, I have to say I like having the idea of the ratings, but as an American, I have troubles with how they get to the ratings-- and how directors and studios "play the game" to get the rating they need.
For example: I was watching Eight Below with my kids (4 and 2-1/2 years old), and I was disappointed that they needed to say "Hell" so much (at least three times) to get the coveted PG rating.
The MPAA's guidelines are nebulous at best and contradictory at worst. Here's the link. Hopefully it works. If not, it's from tvguide.com's Insider section for 9/1. It's worth a look.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Insider/default.htm?cmsGuid={1773DCD6-A322-4087-AAF4-685E134AAD23}
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Emmy fallout
I couldn't wait any more. It was bugging me.
I went 5 for 20 on my Emmy predictions.
I got Keifer Sutherland, The Office, Jeremy Piven, Leslie Jordan, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition right.
I'd like to handicap it a little by saying not many other prognosticators made picks for mini-series or TV movie categories, so if you remove those (which I admitted I knew nothing about), I have a more respectable 5 for 16.
And I'd like to mention it was way too hard to find the winners. I actually didn't find all the winners of the 20 categories I picked from until I actually visited the Television Arts and Sciences webpage. Couldn't find it on tvguide.com, cnn.com, or a few others I Googled. Pathetic...
I went 5 for 20 on my Emmy predictions.
I got Keifer Sutherland, The Office, Jeremy Piven, Leslie Jordan, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition right.
I'd like to handicap it a little by saying not many other prognosticators made picks for mini-series or TV movie categories, so if you remove those (which I admitted I knew nothing about), I have a more respectable 5 for 16.
And I'd like to mention it was way too hard to find the winners. I actually didn't find all the winners of the 20 categories I picked from until I actually visited the Television Arts and Sciences webpage. Couldn't find it on tvguide.com, cnn.com, or a few others I Googled. Pathetic...
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Odds and Ends
Sorry for not posting for a few days. Just got too busy and couldn't get on the computer. Here's random stuff I read on tvguide.com or from shows I watched:
The Emmy predictions: I haven't counted the tally of how badly I picked, but Michael Ausiello went 4 for 11, and he gets paid to do this.
All I can say is I'm glad Jeremy Piven won, so I don't have to take a dump on anyone's front porch...
Lane Garrison (Prison Break's "Tweener") confirmed that the first escapee he runs into is T-Bag. In Utah. Uh oh.
Sounds as if this will be Zach Braff's last season as a member of Scrubs. Producers of the show say they will go on without him (assuming NBC doesn't do something stupid like cancel it).
Jenna Fischer and John Krazinski of The Office say that the first episode will touch on the Jim/Pam kiss.
Ricky Gervais (the co-ator of BBC America's The Office) said the episode he wrote will focus on Michael trying (and failing) to be more P.C. And Jim and Pam send Dwight out on a wild goose chase. Gervais also said that the British cast is not slated to appear in the U.S. version, and that some tabloid spread it around and it somehow became gospel. Finally, he said there is little to no chance of a reunion show with the British cast. It saddens me, but the British series ended perfectly (and that ending is why I'm not happy about the Jim/Pam revelation from the NBC season finale).
If you're a Desperate Housewives fan, you may want to know that the main character who gets killed won't be Mike. And I have a good reason to think it's a she.
Well, I better wrap it up. Hopefully next time, I'll fess up and admit how badly I did on my Emmy predictions (seriously, I don't know yet) and maybe touch on some Prison Break thoughts from the second ep.
The Emmy predictions: I haven't counted the tally of how badly I picked, but Michael Ausiello went 4 for 11, and he gets paid to do this.
All I can say is I'm glad Jeremy Piven won, so I don't have to take a dump on anyone's front porch...
Lane Garrison (Prison Break's "Tweener") confirmed that the first escapee he runs into is T-Bag. In Utah. Uh oh.
Sounds as if this will be Zach Braff's last season as a member of Scrubs. Producers of the show say they will go on without him (assuming NBC doesn't do something stupid like cancel it).
Jenna Fischer and John Krazinski of The Office say that the first episode will touch on the Jim/Pam kiss.
Ricky Gervais (the co-ator of BBC America's The Office) said the episode he wrote will focus on Michael trying (and failing) to be more P.C. And Jim and Pam send Dwight out on a wild goose chase. Gervais also said that the British cast is not slated to appear in the U.S. version, and that some tabloid spread it around and it somehow became gospel. Finally, he said there is little to no chance of a reunion show with the British cast. It saddens me, but the British series ended perfectly (and that ending is why I'm not happy about the Jim/Pam revelation from the NBC season finale).
If you're a Desperate Housewives fan, you may want to know that the main character who gets killed won't be Mike. And I have a good reason to think it's a she.
Well, I better wrap it up. Hopefully next time, I'll fess up and admit how badly I did on my Emmy predictions (seriously, I don't know yet) and maybe touch on some Prison Break thoughts from the second ep.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Emmy picks
Not much time, so I'll jump the chase. As flawed as the Emmy's are, how can I not make picks?
Outstanding Drama Series:
All good choices from what I understand (I don't watch Grey's Anatomy, and I haven't gotten to the tapes of House, Sopranos, or 24 yet; and West Wing was good but not great).
I think it's Grey's Anatomy's year.
Outstanding lead actor in a drama series:
I think it's Sutherland's, but I understand Leary has a legit show. Who knows if the Emmy voters will actually give FX its due?
Keifer Sutherland.
Outstanding lead actress in a drama series:
No idea. West Wing was the only one I watched, and Janney wasn't a main player (although, believe it or not, that's not really an Emmy consideration).
I think it's going to Kyra Sedgwick.
Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series:
All are good choices. I'm gonna give the front runner status to Gregory Itzen and Alan Alda. I've heard Itzen had a huge turn on 24 and Alda was great as the man who we should hate (but couldn't) on West Wing.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Gregory Itzen.
Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series:
I'd have to say Jean Smart and Chandra Wilson are the front runners. Some people are hoping for a Smart win to pair with Itzen, but I think Grey's Anatomy is going to have a huge year.
Winner: Chandra Wilson.
Outstanding guest actor in a drama series:
I don't much about these nominees, but they all got props when they appeared. I did see Michael J. Fox's appearances on Boston Legal, and I thought they were great. And it had nothing to do with his Parkinson's-- it was a very powerful role that any actor could have played, but not many could have played it as well as Fox.
I'll go with Fox.
Outstanding guest actress on a drama series:
Wow. Didn't see a single performance. Haven't heard anything about them either. There's a lot of love for Six Feet Under, but, like I said, Grey's is gonna be big.
Christina Ricci for Grey's Anatomy.
Outstanding comedy series:
Tough group (so tough, Two and a Half Men got in over many other worthy choices-- I'll chalk that up to split votes). I'd love to see Arrested Development get a nice goodbye, but with its screwed up scheduling last year, I think it lacked what previous seasons had. Curb Your Enthusiasm has always been solid, but it slipped a little this year. Scrubs badly needs the win, but I think The Office will take it.
Winner: The Office.
Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series:
Jason Lee. What? He wasn't nominated? Oh yeah, of course-- there wasn't room after Kevin James and Charlie Sheen's noms (I'm trying not be hard on those two because they are competent-- but the best? Hardly). Larry David and Tony Shalhoub are worthy candidates, but I think Carell's taking it.
Winner: Steve Carell.
Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series:
Jane Kaczmarek seemed to be going through the paces this year. She was much more worthy in years past. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is funny on Christine, but I don't know if she's outstanding. Stockard Channing wasn't either. I haven't watched Will & Grace since it was good, so it's been a few years since I can remember Messing when the show was decent. I gave Kudrow's The Comeback about two eps before I gave up. But she's got big buzz.
I'll give it to Lisa Kudrow.
Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series:
All the nominees are decent, and I'd love to see Will Arnet get props for Arrested Development, but Piven deserves this Emmy like no other candidate in the entire show.
If Jeremy Piven doesn't win, I will personally visit each Emmy voter's house and take a crap on their front door.
Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series:
Nominees aren't bad in this category, either, but Pressly has to win. She probably won't because redneck characters usually don't get love-- look at f-ing Jason Lee's snub--, but I'm not gonna pick anyone but her and hope voters have a brain.
Winner: Jamie Pressly.
Outstanding guest actor on a comedy series:
Patrick Stewart and Ben Stiller were great on Extras, but Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin are the "sexier" noms.
But I'm going to pick the deserving Leslie Jordan for a long history of fantastic supporting characters. It's not the right thing to do (pick a winner for a lifetime's work instead what s/he was actually nominated for), but it's done all the time.
Outstanding guest actress in a comedy series:
All decent nominees, but Kate Winslet was a blast as the dirty-talking "self" dressed a nun on Extras. Besides, Emmy voters love to pick motion picture actors/actresses as winners to keep them coming back.
Kate Winslet.
Outstanding reality program:
I only watched Penn & Teller's Bullsh-t and Kathy Griffen: My Life on the D-List, but Bullsh-t is not only funny but informative. And it doesn't rely on weepiness that will probably give the statue to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
I'll have to go with Extreme Makeover, but I'd love to be proven wrong by having Penn Gillette give an acceptance speech.
Outstanding reality-competition program:
I like Amazing Race and Survivor, but neither series was at its peak this year. American Idol has done its part to dumb down people's expectations when it comes to music. Dancing with the Stars is the hot program right now. But...
I've heard good things about Project Runway, so I'll pick that.
Outstanding miniseries:
I only saw the slow-starting, but solid as a whole Sleeper Cell, but the rest were given high praise in the things I read as well.
I'll give it to Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre) just because it got lots of press time.
Outstanding made for television movie:
Don't know.
Let's guess: Mrs. Harris.
Outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie:
Big names. Still no idea.
Let's say: Donald Sutherland.
Outstanding lead actress in a miniseries or movie:
More big names. But one stood out in all the reviews I read:
Gillian Anderson.
There you are. If you want a list of nominees and don't have TV Guide handy, print off a list here:
http://online.tvguide.com/special/Emmys2006/nominees.asp
I won't be watching the show live. FF-ing through the commercials and stuff I don't care about will drop my watching time to about an hour with the DVR. I can't even recommend watching these shows anymore because they're so lame, but they're a big deal in the TV world, and the TV world is a big deal to me. And you never know when someone will knock your socks off with a joke or a speech...
Outstanding Drama Series:
All good choices from what I understand (I don't watch Grey's Anatomy, and I haven't gotten to the tapes of House, Sopranos, or 24 yet; and West Wing was good but not great).
I think it's Grey's Anatomy's year.
Outstanding lead actor in a drama series:
I think it's Sutherland's, but I understand Leary has a legit show. Who knows if the Emmy voters will actually give FX its due?
Keifer Sutherland.
Outstanding lead actress in a drama series:
No idea. West Wing was the only one I watched, and Janney wasn't a main player (although, believe it or not, that's not really an Emmy consideration).
I think it's going to Kyra Sedgwick.
Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series:
All are good choices. I'm gonna give the front runner status to Gregory Itzen and Alan Alda. I've heard Itzen had a huge turn on 24 and Alda was great as the man who we should hate (but couldn't) on West Wing.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Gregory Itzen.
Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series:
I'd have to say Jean Smart and Chandra Wilson are the front runners. Some people are hoping for a Smart win to pair with Itzen, but I think Grey's Anatomy is going to have a huge year.
Winner: Chandra Wilson.
Outstanding guest actor in a drama series:
I don't much about these nominees, but they all got props when they appeared. I did see Michael J. Fox's appearances on Boston Legal, and I thought they were great. And it had nothing to do with his Parkinson's-- it was a very powerful role that any actor could have played, but not many could have played it as well as Fox.
I'll go with Fox.
Outstanding guest actress on a drama series:
Wow. Didn't see a single performance. Haven't heard anything about them either. There's a lot of love for Six Feet Under, but, like I said, Grey's is gonna be big.
Christina Ricci for Grey's Anatomy.
Outstanding comedy series:
Tough group (so tough, Two and a Half Men got in over many other worthy choices-- I'll chalk that up to split votes). I'd love to see Arrested Development get a nice goodbye, but with its screwed up scheduling last year, I think it lacked what previous seasons had. Curb Your Enthusiasm has always been solid, but it slipped a little this year. Scrubs badly needs the win, but I think The Office will take it.
Winner: The Office.
Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series:
Jason Lee. What? He wasn't nominated? Oh yeah, of course-- there wasn't room after Kevin James and Charlie Sheen's noms (I'm trying not be hard on those two because they are competent-- but the best? Hardly). Larry David and Tony Shalhoub are worthy candidates, but I think Carell's taking it.
Winner: Steve Carell.
Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series:
Jane Kaczmarek seemed to be going through the paces this year. She was much more worthy in years past. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is funny on Christine, but I don't know if she's outstanding. Stockard Channing wasn't either. I haven't watched Will & Grace since it was good, so it's been a few years since I can remember Messing when the show was decent. I gave Kudrow's The Comeback about two eps before I gave up. But she's got big buzz.
I'll give it to Lisa Kudrow.
Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series:
All the nominees are decent, and I'd love to see Will Arnet get props for Arrested Development, but Piven deserves this Emmy like no other candidate in the entire show.
If Jeremy Piven doesn't win, I will personally visit each Emmy voter's house and take a crap on their front door.
Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series:
Nominees aren't bad in this category, either, but Pressly has to win. She probably won't because redneck characters usually don't get love-- look at f-ing Jason Lee's snub--, but I'm not gonna pick anyone but her and hope voters have a brain.
Winner: Jamie Pressly.
Outstanding guest actor on a comedy series:
Patrick Stewart and Ben Stiller were great on Extras, but Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin are the "sexier" noms.
But I'm going to pick the deserving Leslie Jordan for a long history of fantastic supporting characters. It's not the right thing to do (pick a winner for a lifetime's work instead what s/he was actually nominated for), but it's done all the time.
Outstanding guest actress in a comedy series:
All decent nominees, but Kate Winslet was a blast as the dirty-talking "self" dressed a nun on Extras. Besides, Emmy voters love to pick motion picture actors/actresses as winners to keep them coming back.
Kate Winslet.
Outstanding reality program:
I only watched Penn & Teller's Bullsh-t and Kathy Griffen: My Life on the D-List, but Bullsh-t is not only funny but informative. And it doesn't rely on weepiness that will probably give the statue to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
I'll have to go with Extreme Makeover, but I'd love to be proven wrong by having Penn Gillette give an acceptance speech.
Outstanding reality-competition program:
I like Amazing Race and Survivor, but neither series was at its peak this year. American Idol has done its part to dumb down people's expectations when it comes to music. Dancing with the Stars is the hot program right now. But...
I've heard good things about Project Runway, so I'll pick that.
Outstanding miniseries:
I only saw the slow-starting, but solid as a whole Sleeper Cell, but the rest were given high praise in the things I read as well.
I'll give it to Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre) just because it got lots of press time.
Outstanding made for television movie:
Don't know.
Let's guess: Mrs. Harris.
Outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie:
Big names. Still no idea.
Let's say: Donald Sutherland.
Outstanding lead actress in a miniseries or movie:
More big names. But one stood out in all the reviews I read:
Gillian Anderson.
There you are. If you want a list of nominees and don't have TV Guide handy, print off a list here:
http://online.tvguide.com/special/Emmys2006/nominees.asp
I won't be watching the show live. FF-ing through the commercials and stuff I don't care about will drop my watching time to about an hour with the DVR. I can't even recommend watching these shows anymore because they're so lame, but they're a big deal in the TV world, and the TV world is a big deal to me. And you never know when someone will knock your socks off with a joke or a speech...
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