Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
What's on: Wednesday
The finals begin on LAST COMIC STANDING (NBC/9 p.m.), including the initial immunity challenge and head-to-head competition. The second week of the semifinals ended up with much better comics than the first, demographic-filling week. Still not the 10 best, but a good bunch.
Back from the dead, temporarily at least, is THE NINE (ABC/10 p.m.) as the network burns off the unaired episodes of the failed serial.
Also new: So You Think You Can Dance and Don't Forget the Lyrics on Fox; American Inventor on ABC; Rescue Me on FX; Top Chef on Bravo; two episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne on TBS; and two episodes of WWE MSG Classics on MSG.
Back from the dead, temporarily at least, is THE NINE (ABC/10 p.m.) as the network burns off the unaired episodes of the failed serial.
Also new: So You Think You Can Dance and Don't Forget the Lyrics on Fox; American Inventor on ABC; Rescue Me on FX; Top Chef on Bravo; two episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne on TBS; and two episodes of WWE MSG Classics on MSG.
Note to readers
Sorry I've been scarce recently. Working a lot recently. Will keep up as much as possible, but probably won't post as much as I'd like to. Suggestions about stuff to cover are still welcome and encouraged.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
What's on: Tuesday
Wrapping up its season tonight: SHAQ'S BIG CHALLENGE (ABC/9 p.m.), the well-meaning, uplifting reality show that no one watched. The kids will take the president's physical fitness test before meeting up with Florida's governor.
Two new shows debut tonight. First, there's Bravo's FLIPPING OUT (10 p.m.) which follows a mean, obsessive real estate investor through his work and dealings with his employees. Less importantly, there's MURDER (Spike/10 p.m), which challenges its contestants to solve murders with recreated scenes and evidence. If you're not excited.... well, you're certainly not the only one.
Also: Big Brother on CBS; Damages on FX; America's Got Talent and Singing Bee on NBC; On the Lot on Fox; Just for Laughs on ABC; Wide Angle and POV on PBS; Eureka and ECW on Sci-Fi; The Bronx is Burning on ESPN; Mindfreak and Dog on A&E.
Two new shows debut tonight. First, there's Bravo's FLIPPING OUT (10 p.m.) which follows a mean, obsessive real estate investor through his work and dealings with his employees. Less importantly, there's MURDER (Spike/10 p.m), which challenges its contestants to solve murders with recreated scenes and evidence. If you're not excited.... well, you're certainly not the only one.
Also: Big Brother on CBS; Damages on FX; America's Got Talent and Singing Bee on NBC; On the Lot on Fox; Just for Laughs on ABC; Wide Angle and POV on PBS; Eureka and ECW on Sci-Fi; The Bronx is Burning on ESPN; Mindfreak and Dog on A&E.
Monday, July 30, 2007
What's on: Monday
New tonight: Age of Love on NBC; Hell's Kitchen on Fox; contrived reality show Six Degrees of Martina McBride on ABC; Big Love on HBO; Heartland, Closer and Saving Grace on TNT; Kyle XY and Greek on ABC Family; and the premiere of the new season of My Boys.
Friday, July 27, 2007
What's on: Friday
New tonight: Set for Life on ABC; Smackdown on CW; Monk and Psych on USA; Best Week Ever on VH1; Dr. Who and Painkiller Jane on Sci-fi; The Soup on E.
Jericho catchup starts at 9 p.m. on CBS. Watch it. It's cool.
Jericho catchup starts at 9 p.m. on CBS. Watch it. It's cool.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
What's on: Thursday
No time for all the stuff I'd like to write about... but here's tonight's lineup...
If you're not watching BURN NOTICE (USA/10 p.m.) you probably should be. It's much more entertaining than its ads initially sold it as.
PBS premieres a documentary, GET UP STAND UP: THE STORY OF POP AND PROTEST (8 p.m.). Hosted by Chuck D, it documents the affect pop music has had on social change.
Plus, two Sci-Fi Channel premieres: Season 2 of WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO (9 p.m.) and MIND CONTROL WITH DERREN BROWN (10 p.m.). Brown's a mentalist who in the first episode will experiment with his powers over a PA system in a shopping mall.
BIG BROTHER 8 (CBS/8 p.m.) will oust a third houseguest... probably Kail.
Also new: Don't Forget the Lyrics and So You Think You Can Dance on Fox; First 48 and Detroit Swat on A&E; TNA Impact on Spike; Mad Men on A&E.
If you're not watching BURN NOTICE (USA/10 p.m.) you probably should be. It's much more entertaining than its ads initially sold it as.
PBS premieres a documentary, GET UP STAND UP: THE STORY OF POP AND PROTEST (8 p.m.). Hosted by Chuck D, it documents the affect pop music has had on social change.
Plus, two Sci-Fi Channel premieres: Season 2 of WHO WANTS TO BE A SUPERHERO (9 p.m.) and MIND CONTROL WITH DERREN BROWN (10 p.m.). Brown's a mentalist who in the first episode will experiment with his powers over a PA system in a shopping mall.
BIG BROTHER 8 (CBS/8 p.m.) will oust a third houseguest... probably Kail.
Also new: Don't Forget the Lyrics and So You Think You Can Dance on Fox; First 48 and Detroit Swat on A&E; TNA Impact on Spike; Mad Men on A&E.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
What's on: Wednesday
If you're ready to watch a good show turn bad, don't miss LAST COMIC STANDING (NBC/9 p.m.). Passed the fun opening audition rounds, they put some really bad comics through to the finals last week and left some really funny people sitting in the back. It seemed to me they just wanted to have people from every demographic on the series at the expense of good comedy. Four of the chosen aren't even funny.
ABC's picking the NEXT BEST THING (8 p.m.) tonight.
Also new: So You Think You Can Dance and Don't Forget the Lyrics on Fox; American Inventor on ABC; Cash Cab on Discovery; Top Chef reunion on Bravo; two episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne on TBS; and two episodes of WWE MSG Classics on MSG.
ABC's picking the NEXT BEST THING (8 p.m.) tonight.
Also new: So You Think You Can Dance and Don't Forget the Lyrics on Fox; American Inventor on ABC; Cash Cab on Discovery; Top Chef reunion on Bravo; two episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne on TBS; and two episodes of WWE MSG Classics on MSG.
Damages review
Few things (in the realm of television) make me happier than a new show on FX. So, of course, finally having time to sit down and review a show, I picked last night's premiere of Damages (yes I know I owe you an On the Lot wrap and a Saving Grace review, but I think I picked wisely). This isn't an action story. It's not comedy. It's a straight-faced, mentor-student drama on the surface. It's slow and brooding and expects the viewer to be ready for a long haul. It's dark. Really dark.
At the center is the mysteriously bloody girl who exits the elevator in the opening scene. Turns out she's a lawyer, seeking work with Glenn Close's hard-nosed hump-busting high-stakes litigator Patti Hughes straight out of law school. Hughes is working on a case against Ted Danson's Frobisher, who's been accused of duping his employees into buying tons of stock in his company then dumping all of his shares. Frobisher's getting close to getting the employees to take a settlement. Hughes NOT happy.
Danson's really good in this non-comedic villain role; and of course Close is, despite a few cliches, the shining star. But she's got to have some support or the show would really be lost. The rest of the supporting cast falls in step.
As it gets through some base getting-to-know-the-characters stuff, the show has some serious potential. It's pretty to look at and it's not really about what you think it's about. I think that darkness is going to grow and set the show off from both its single-character driven brethren and its serial-storyline brethren as well.
Hughes comes off as House in that she's a revered and respected member of her profession who's willing to do anything to get the job done. But in its opening throes, this show is much more serious. I get the feeling by the end of the season you'll feel more like you've just watched something like 24 than House.
Worth your time. Give the pilot episode a shot.
At the center is the mysteriously bloody girl who exits the elevator in the opening scene. Turns out she's a lawyer, seeking work with Glenn Close's hard-nosed hump-busting high-stakes litigator Patti Hughes straight out of law school. Hughes is working on a case against Ted Danson's Frobisher, who's been accused of duping his employees into buying tons of stock in his company then dumping all of his shares. Frobisher's getting close to getting the employees to take a settlement. Hughes NOT happy.
Danson's really good in this non-comedic villain role; and of course Close is, despite a few cliches, the shining star. But she's got to have some support or the show would really be lost. The rest of the supporting cast falls in step.
As it gets through some base getting-to-know-the-characters stuff, the show has some serious potential. It's pretty to look at and it's not really about what you think it's about. I think that darkness is going to grow and set the show off from both its single-character driven brethren and its serial-storyline brethren as well.
Hughes comes off as House in that she's a revered and respected member of her profession who's willing to do anything to get the job done. But in its opening throes, this show is much more serious. I get the feeling by the end of the season you'll feel more like you've just watched something like 24 than House.
Worth your time. Give the pilot episode a shot.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
What's on: Tuesday
Veto competition on BIG BROTHER 8 (CBS/9 p.m.) tonight. Kail and Jen are up for eviction but I think anyone would be silly to use the veto if they won it... most of the houseguests would be happy to see either go I think.
More importantly, DAMAGES (FX/10 p.m.) premieres tonight. Glenn Close's first series is being billed as a legal thriller. As a corporate litigator, she's working to bring down Ted Danson. I'll have reviews of this and Saving Grace tonight or tomorrow.
Also new: America's Got Talent and Singing Bee on NBC; On the Lot on Fox; Just for Laughs and Shaq's Big Challenge on ABC; Wide Angle and POV on PBS; Costas Now on HBO; Kathy Griffin on Bravo; Eureka and ECW on Sci-Fi; The Bronx is Burning on ESPN.
More importantly, DAMAGES (FX/10 p.m.) premieres tonight. Glenn Close's first series is being billed as a legal thriller. As a corporate litigator, she's working to bring down Ted Danson. I'll have reviews of this and Saving Grace tonight or tomorrow.
Also new: America's Got Talent and Singing Bee on NBC; On the Lot on Fox; Just for Laughs and Shaq's Big Challenge on ABC; Wide Angle and POV on PBS; Costas Now on HBO; Kathy Griffin on Bravo; Eureka and ECW on Sci-Fi; The Bronx is Burning on ESPN.
Pirate run through
From Hollywood Reporter:
LOS ANGELES -- CBS has scuttled Pirate Master, a low-rated reality series from Survivor producer Mark Burnett.
The show, in which 16 contestants searched for buried treasure, has struggled since its May 31 premiere, falling short of time-slot leader Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? on Fox. It marks the second flop for Burnett this summer, with his Fox series On the Lot also suffering in the ratings.
Not really a surprise. But, seriously, replaced by reruns seems a lame move to me. I want NEW content. Not something I saw 7 months ago. NEW CONTENT NETWORKS! HEED ME!
In the Right place
Bob Barker's replacement has been named! From AP (via Yahoo):
Full story here.
NEW YORK -- Genial comic Drew Carey was tapped Monday to replace silver-haired legend Bob Barker on the CBS daytime game show The Price is Right. The deal was set Monday afternoon shortly before a taping of CBS' Late Show with David Letterman, where he confirmed it.Not a bad pick. I've never hated Drew Carey at all... except for that whole Whose Line thing...
"I realize what a big responsibility this is," he said. "It's only a game show, but it's the longest-running game show in American television and I plan to keep it that way."
The selection attracted more attention than usual for a daytime show because of the prospect of replacing Barker, 83. Barker retired after 35 years in the job last month following taping of his 6,586th episode.
Full story here.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Premiere updates
Updated the premiere watch section on the sidebar with the schedues for Fox, NBC, CBS and CW. I'll update you when the ABC list is available...
What's on: Monday
TNT tacks another show onto its original-series lineup. SAVING GRACE (10 p.m.), starring Holly Hunter as a cop who has a big ol' spiritual awakening. It joins the already popular Monday night lineup of HEARTLAND (8 p.m.) and THE CLOSER (9 p.m.).
If you can stomach it, ABC has a two-hour wrap of the CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL (9 p.m.).
Also new: Age of Love and Dateline on NBC; 5th Grader and Hell's Kitchen on Fox; Big Love on HBO; WWE Raw on USA; Kyle XY and Greek on ABC Family.
If you can stomach it, ABC has a two-hour wrap of the CMA MUSIC FESTIVAL (9 p.m.).
Also new: Age of Love and Dateline on NBC; 5th Grader and Hell's Kitchen on Fox; Big Love on HBO; WWE Raw on USA; Kyle XY and Greek on ABC Family.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
What's on: Sunday
New tonight: Big Brother 8 on CBS; Dateline NBC; John from Cincinnati, Entourage and Flight of the Conchords on HBO; Side Order of Life, State of Mind and Army Wives on Lifetime; 4400 and Dead Zone on USA; debut of Hogan Knows Best, Rock of Love and Scott Baio is 45 and Single on VH1.
Friday, July 20, 2007
What's on: Friday
New tonight: Standoff on Fox; the premiere of the Jimmy Kimmel-hosted game show Set for Life on ABC; Smackdown on CW; Monk and Psych on USA; Best Week Ever on VH1; Dr. Who and Painkiller Jane on Sci-fi; The Soup on E.
Jericho catchup starts at 9 p.m. on CBS. Watch it. It's cool.
Jericho catchup starts at 9 p.m. on CBS. Watch it. It's cool.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Looks like Jerry gained a little weight...
Rescue Me SPOILERS BELOW... yeah... not like much really went on this week. It's more of what you'd call a transitional episode, I think. Lots of new thoughts, brief touches on most of the old stuff. Nothing especially special.
The biggest point of discussion is the continuing deterioration of Tommy's psyche. As if his personal relationship with Janet isn't bad enough, he's having trouble trusting her with the baby... with good reason, apparently, since she ends up leaving the kid with the 12-year-old while she goes out to get a refill. And with the surface emasculation issues he's got, his biggest problem is his inability to step up and be the one in control of his life that's really his major issue. His prospective girlfriend (the firefighter) pointed it out directly to him, but he was too busy being humiliated by the blow-off to notice she was right.
Don't get me wrong, getting benched at the hockey game, participating in ANOTHER size discussion (this time with the aging new chief) and trampled on by a sweetie who you've just blown it with AGAIN can really put a damper on any man-time you may have going on in your own head. But, jeez, of course it's not going to work out if you're just pointing out, "oh, now I'm ready because my wife and I are broken up again." And then you're still wishy-washy. It's this inability to take, or hold onto, control -- which is because he's overworried about a ton of unimportant stuff -- that's going to screw things up even more. Jan's going to kill herself or something. Then Sheila can move in and get the baby like she wants (nice to see her back on the insanity pills she's been ignoring recently).
The show gave a little more insight into Tommy's problems this week, too, with the shadowy figure (who'll turn out to be himself) appearing in response to Tommy's statement, "I'm back." Tommy's in love with himself more than anything.
In brief:
-- I give this show credit for tackling stuff that tends to be more controversial or taboo for a lot of other shows (comedically a lot of the time, but also in a very real view) -- be it alcoholism, depression or petty free speech issues like the pictures/religious paraphernalia in the lockers.
-- Teddy's REALLY become a useless character. What could have been a hilarious two-episode arc of him in rehab turned out to be two scenes. The whole thing was a waste of time.
-- Quote me. Maggie's going to change her mind about Shawn (who put out a really good performance this week).
--This show is always fun to watch -- it's always show beautifully gritty and cut quite intelligently. I have to stop taking notes for this column and pay more attention...
Like I said, there wasn't much going on overall. Franco's engaged; Lou, still hilarious, calls for a timeout with his post-convent girlfriend... OH! Yeah, that urn in the firehouse isn't going to continue to be a problem or anything... nah. And it's not going to weigh on Tommy at all seeing him all the time as things seem to get tougher and more bleak.
The biggest point of discussion is the continuing deterioration of Tommy's psyche. As if his personal relationship with Janet isn't bad enough, he's having trouble trusting her with the baby... with good reason, apparently, since she ends up leaving the kid with the 12-year-old while she goes out to get a refill. And with the surface emasculation issues he's got, his biggest problem is his inability to step up and be the one in control of his life that's really his major issue. His prospective girlfriend (the firefighter) pointed it out directly to him, but he was too busy being humiliated by the blow-off to notice she was right.
Don't get me wrong, getting benched at the hockey game, participating in ANOTHER size discussion (this time with the aging new chief) and trampled on by a sweetie who you've just blown it with AGAIN can really put a damper on any man-time you may have going on in your own head. But, jeez, of course it's not going to work out if you're just pointing out, "oh, now I'm ready because my wife and I are broken up again." And then you're still wishy-washy. It's this inability to take, or hold onto, control -- which is because he's overworried about a ton of unimportant stuff -- that's going to screw things up even more. Jan's going to kill herself or something. Then Sheila can move in and get the baby like she wants (nice to see her back on the insanity pills she's been ignoring recently).
The show gave a little more insight into Tommy's problems this week, too, with the shadowy figure (who'll turn out to be himself) appearing in response to Tommy's statement, "I'm back." Tommy's in love with himself more than anything.
In brief:
-- I give this show credit for tackling stuff that tends to be more controversial or taboo for a lot of other shows (comedically a lot of the time, but also in a very real view) -- be it alcoholism, depression or petty free speech issues like the pictures/religious paraphernalia in the lockers.
-- Teddy's REALLY become a useless character. What could have been a hilarious two-episode arc of him in rehab turned out to be two scenes. The whole thing was a waste of time.
-- Quote me. Maggie's going to change her mind about Shawn (who put out a really good performance this week).
--This show is always fun to watch -- it's always show beautifully gritty and cut quite intelligently. I have to stop taking notes for this column and pay more attention...
Like I said, there wasn't much going on overall. Franco's engaged; Lou, still hilarious, calls for a timeout with his post-convent girlfriend... OH! Yeah, that urn in the firehouse isn't going to continue to be a problem or anything... nah. And it's not going to weigh on Tommy at all seeing him all the time as things seem to get tougher and more bleak.
What's on: Thursday
BIG BROTHER 8 (CBS/8 p.m.) will toss its second house guest tonight -- Joe or Dick.
Also new: 5th Grader and Don't Forget the Lyrics on Fox; First 48 and Detroit Swat on A&E; Burn Notice on USA; World Series of Pop Culture on VH1; TNA Impact on Spike; Hey Paula on Bravo.
I'll go over last night's Rescue Me after work tonight...
Also new: 5th Grader and Don't Forget the Lyrics on Fox; First 48 and Detroit Swat on A&E; Burn Notice on USA; World Series of Pop Culture on VH1; TNA Impact on Spike; Hey Paula on Bravo.
I'll go over last night's Rescue Me after work tonight...
Gya, gya, gya...
It's Emmy time! Interesting point I'd like to make first... why is it that the television awards are the least interesting awards show on television? As you ponder that, I'll drop you the list of the big nominations (and some of my patented, militant opinion).
Lead Actor In A Comedy Series: Ricky Gervais as Andy Millman, Extras, HBO; Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk, Monk, USA; Steve Carell as Michael Scott, The Office, NBC; Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock, NBC; Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper, Two And A Half Men, CBS.
Lead Actor In A Drama Series: James Spader as Alan Shore, Boston Legal, ABC; Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House, House, Fox; Denis Leary as Tommy Gavin, Rescue Me, FX; James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, The Sopranos, HBO; Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, 24, Fox.
(Two tough categories, but no one's carried a show like Baldwin or been as real and human as Leary.)
Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie: Robert Duvall as Prentice "Print" Ritter, Broken Trail, AMC; Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone, Jesse Stone: Sea Change, CBS; Jim Broadbent as Lord Longford, Longford, HBO; William H. Macy as Clyde Umney & Sam Landry, Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From The Stories Of Stephen King, Umney's Last Case, TNT; Matthew Perry as Ron Clark, The Ron Clark Story, TNT.
Lead Actress In A Comedy Series: Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo, Desperate Housewives, ABC; Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell, The New Adventures Of Old Christine, CBS; Tina Fey as Liz Lemon, 30 Rock, NBC; America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, Ugly Betty, ABC; Mary-Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin, Weeds, Showtime.
Lead Actress In A Drama Series: Sally Field as Nora Walker, Brothers & Sisters, ABC; Kyra Sedgwick as Dep. Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, The Closer, Slippin', TNT; Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson, Law & Order: SVU, NBC; Patricia Arquette as Allison Dubois, Medium, NBC; Minnie Driver as Dahlia Malloy, The Riches, FX; Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano, The Sopranos, HBO.
(I like Minnie Driver here, but she's among some popular competition.)
Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie: Queen Latifah as Ana, Life Support, HBO; Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, Prime Suspect: The Final Act (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Mary-Louise Parker as Zenia Arden, The Robber Bride, Oxygen; Debra Messing as Molly Kagan, The Starter Wife, USA; Gena Rowlands as Melissa Eisenbloom, What If God Were The Sun, Lifetime.
Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series: Kevin Dillon as Johnny Drama, Entourage, HBO; Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold, Entourage, HBO; Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother, CBS; Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute, The Office, NBC; Jon Cryer as Alan Harper, Two And A Half Men, CBS.
(Harris is pretty freakin' good. So's Wilson. Won't help, though. Piven's got the best character on TV.)
Supporting Actor In A Drama Series: William Shatner as Denny Crane, Boston Legal, ABC; T.R. Knight as George, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Masi Oka as Hiro Nakamura, Heroes, NBC; Michael Emerson as Ben, Lost, ABC; Terry O'Quinn as John Locke, Lost, ABC; Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti, The Sopranos, HBO.
(Emerson's Ben is ridiculously creepy good.)
Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series: Jaime Pressly as Joy Turner, My Name Is Earl, NBC; Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly, The Office, NBC; Holland Taylor as Evelyn Harper, Two And A Half Men, CBS; Conchata Ferrell as Berta, Two And A Half Men, CBS; Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater, Ugly Betty, ABC; Elizabeth Perkins as Celia Hodes, Weeds, Showtime.
Supporting Actress In A Drama Series: Rachel Griffiths as Sarah Whedon, Brothers & Sisters, ABC; Katherine Heigl as Isobel "Izzie" Stevens, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Chandra Wilson as Dr. Bailey, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Aida Turturro as Janice Soprano, The Sopranos, HBO; Lorraine Bracco as Dr. Jennifer Melfi, The Sopranos, HBO.
Comedy Series: Entourage, HBO; The Office, NBC; 30 Rock, NBC; Two And A Half Men, CBS; Ugly Betty, ABC.
(More like Two and a Half YECHs. Can Scrubs get ANY love? How about Always Sunny?)
Drama Series: Boston Legal, ABC; Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Heroes, NBC; House, Fox; The Sopranos, HBO.
(No Lost? Rescue Me? C'mon people.)
Miniseries: Broken Trail, AMC; Prime Suspect: The Final Act (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; The Starter Wife, USA.
Made For Television Movie: Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, HBO; Inside The Twin Towers, Discovery Channel; Longford, HBO; The Ron Clark Story, TNT; Why I Wore Lipstick To My Mastectomy, Lifetime.
Variety, Music Or Comedy Series: The Colbert Report, Comedy Central; The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Comedy Central; Late Night With Conan O'Brien, NBC; Late Show With David Letterman, CBS; Real Time With Bill Maher, HBO.
Reality Program: Antiques Roadshow, PBS; Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan, National Geographic; Extreme Makeover Home Edition, ABC; Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List, Bravo; Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, Showtime.
Reality-Competition Program: The Amazing Race, CBS; American Idol, Fox; Dancing With The Stars, ABC; Project Runway, Bravo; Top Chef, Bravo.
(That any of the shows in these last two categories should get an award for anything makes me nauseous).
More on the categories not mentioned here and some deeper looks at the big'uns later this weekend.
Lead Actor In A Comedy Series: Ricky Gervais as Andy Millman, Extras, HBO; Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk, Monk, USA; Steve Carell as Michael Scott, The Office, NBC; Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock, NBC; Charlie Sheen as Charlie Harper, Two And A Half Men, CBS.
Lead Actor In A Drama Series: James Spader as Alan Shore, Boston Legal, ABC; Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House, House, Fox; Denis Leary as Tommy Gavin, Rescue Me, FX; James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano, The Sopranos, HBO; Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, 24, Fox.
(Two tough categories, but no one's carried a show like Baldwin or been as real and human as Leary.)
Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie: Robert Duvall as Prentice "Print" Ritter, Broken Trail, AMC; Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone, Jesse Stone: Sea Change, CBS; Jim Broadbent as Lord Longford, Longford, HBO; William H. Macy as Clyde Umney & Sam Landry, Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From The Stories Of Stephen King, Umney's Last Case, TNT; Matthew Perry as Ron Clark, The Ron Clark Story, TNT.
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Lead Actress In A Drama Series: Sally Field as Nora Walker, Brothers & Sisters, ABC; Kyra Sedgwick as Dep. Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, The Closer, Slippin', TNT; Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson, Law & Order: SVU, NBC; Patricia Arquette as Allison Dubois, Medium, NBC; Minnie Driver as Dahlia Malloy, The Riches, FX; Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano, The Sopranos, HBO.
(I like Minnie Driver here, but she's among some popular competition.)
Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or A Movie: Queen Latifah as Ana, Life Support, HBO; Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, Prime Suspect: The Final Act (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Mary-Louise Parker as Zenia Arden, The Robber Bride, Oxygen; Debra Messing as Molly Kagan, The Starter Wife, USA; Gena Rowlands as Melissa Eisenbloom, What If God Were The Sun, Lifetime.
Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series: Kevin Dillon as Johnny Drama, Entourage, HBO; Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold, Entourage, HBO; Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother, CBS; Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute, The Office, NBC; Jon Cryer as Alan Harper, Two And A Half Men, CBS.
(Harris is pretty freakin' good. So's Wilson. Won't help, though. Piven's got the best character on TV.)
Supporting Actor In A Drama Series: William Shatner as Denny Crane, Boston Legal, ABC; T.R. Knight as George, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Masi Oka as Hiro Nakamura, Heroes, NBC; Michael Emerson as Ben, Lost, ABC; Terry O'Quinn as John Locke, Lost, ABC; Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti, The Sopranos, HBO.
(Emerson's Ben is ridiculously creepy good.)
Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series: Jaime Pressly as Joy Turner, My Name Is Earl, NBC; Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly, The Office, NBC; Holland Taylor as Evelyn Harper, Two And A Half Men, CBS; Conchata Ferrell as Berta, Two And A Half Men, CBS; Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater, Ugly Betty, ABC; Elizabeth Perkins as Celia Hodes, Weeds, Showtime.
Supporting Actress In A Drama Series: Rachel Griffiths as Sarah Whedon, Brothers & Sisters, ABC; Katherine Heigl as Isobel "Izzie" Stevens, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Chandra Wilson as Dr. Bailey, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Aida Turturro as Janice Soprano, The Sopranos, HBO; Lorraine Bracco as Dr. Jennifer Melfi, The Sopranos, HBO.
Comedy Series: Entourage, HBO; The Office, NBC; 30 Rock, NBC; Two And A Half Men, CBS; Ugly Betty, ABC.
(More like Two and a Half YECHs. Can Scrubs get ANY love? How about Always Sunny?)
Drama Series: Boston Legal, ABC; Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Heroes, NBC; House, Fox; The Sopranos, HBO.
(No Lost? Rescue Me? C'mon people.)
Miniseries: Broken Trail, AMC; Prime Suspect: The Final Act (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; The Starter Wife, USA.
Made For Television Movie: Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, HBO; Inside The Twin Towers, Discovery Channel; Longford, HBO; The Ron Clark Story, TNT; Why I Wore Lipstick To My Mastectomy, Lifetime.
Variety, Music Or Comedy Series: The Colbert Report, Comedy Central; The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Comedy Central; Late Night With Conan O'Brien, NBC; Late Show With David Letterman, CBS; Real Time With Bill Maher, HBO.
Reality Program: Antiques Roadshow, PBS; Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan, National Geographic; Extreme Makeover Home Edition, ABC; Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List, Bravo; Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, Showtime.
Reality-Competition Program: The Amazing Race, CBS; American Idol, Fox; Dancing With The Stars, ABC; Project Runway, Bravo; Top Chef, Bravo.
(That any of the shows in these last two categories should get an award for anything makes me nauseous).
More on the categories not mentioned here and some deeper looks at the big'uns later this weekend.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
What's on: Wednesday
The semifinals begin on LAST COMIC STANDING (NBC/9 p.m.). The show's been pretty good so far this year, but now we see what kind of talent we'll be following into the next couple months.
It's followed by DATELINE NBC (10 p.m.), which stakes out a home just two towns away from me in Lavallette, N.J., for its To Catch a Predator series.
Also new: So You Think You Can Dance and Don't Forget the Lyrics on Fox; Next Best Thing, American Inventor and Traveler on ABC; Really Big Things on Discovery; Rescue Me on FX; Top Chef on Bravo; Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth on Sci-Fi; two episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne on TBS.
It's followed by DATELINE NBC (10 p.m.), which stakes out a home just two towns away from me in Lavallette, N.J., for its To Catch a Predator series.
Also new: So You Think You Can Dance and Don't Forget the Lyrics on Fox; Next Best Thing, American Inventor and Traveler on ABC; Really Big Things on Discovery; Rescue Me on FX; Top Chef on Bravo; Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth on Sci-Fi; two episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne on TBS.
My alotted time
Ha! See how I did that? It's like it's a new joke again. It's action film week On the Lot. I'm excited, though I'm not sure anyone else in the TV watching world is. And seeing as how only two people have answered my poll on the right (--->), it seems I'm sitting here discussing these movies with myself. That Antwan Fuqua is watching them with me makes me feel a little better at least.
On the bright side, I called this week's oustings of Hillary (FINALLY) and Shalini.
Key Witness (Sam): This is very different content for this show. Witness caught by bounty hunter then found by bad guys. Terrible dialogue and nothing really outwardly special in his style, but just the right amount of quick cuts and goofiness to make it reasonably entertaining.
Sweet (Jason): Forgotten anniversary cliche... but I'm a big fan of cross concept stories. An action film with a goofy romantic-comedy story, though I think the comedy got pushed a little bit too hard and the props/costumes/etc were terrible. He's getting better every week as a filmmaker though.
Zero 2 Sixty (Andrew): Car salesman trapped in car with cop for chase. It's the type of flick that would be made in full-length format starring Jimmy Fallon to the horror of well-heeled film fans everywhere. In short form, it's OK, but I expect much more from this guy. The comedy was weak and I wasn't very much impressed with the acting, but it was really well shot.
The Losers (Kenny): I was really starting to like this guy after last week. Then he put THIS together. Dad competes in skateboarding downhill for son with busted ankle. The dialogue and the acting and the writing and the story were all horrific. Especially the dialogue.
Catch (Mateen): Best story of the night... good Samaritan chasing pickpocket and getting bamboozled. It may be his best yet. Well shot and better characters than any others tonight.
I'm thinking Kenny and Andrew may be the victims this week, though Andrew's better than his presentation showed this time around. Reader... comment?
On the bright side, I called this week's oustings of Hillary (FINALLY) and Shalini.
Key Witness (Sam): This is very different content for this show. Witness caught by bounty hunter then found by bad guys. Terrible dialogue and nothing really outwardly special in his style, but just the right amount of quick cuts and goofiness to make it reasonably entertaining.
Sweet (Jason): Forgotten anniversary cliche... but I'm a big fan of cross concept stories. An action film with a goofy romantic-comedy story, though I think the comedy got pushed a little bit too hard and the props/costumes/etc were terrible. He's getting better every week as a filmmaker though.
Zero 2 Sixty (Andrew): Car salesman trapped in car with cop for chase. It's the type of flick that would be made in full-length format starring Jimmy Fallon to the horror of well-heeled film fans everywhere. In short form, it's OK, but I expect much more from this guy. The comedy was weak and I wasn't very much impressed with the acting, but it was really well shot.
The Losers (Kenny): I was really starting to like this guy after last week. Then he put THIS together. Dad competes in skateboarding downhill for son with busted ankle. The dialogue and the acting and the writing and the story were all horrific. Especially the dialogue.
Catch (Mateen): Best story of the night... good Samaritan chasing pickpocket and getting bamboozled. It may be his best yet. Well shot and better characters than any others tonight.
I'm thinking Kenny and Andrew may be the victims this week, though Andrew's better than his presentation showed this time around. Reader... comment?
Full House
Hey, sorry I missed the what's on today... busy day... but here's some news for you. From Hollywood Reporter/Reuters:
Either the kids are really leaving the show, or these will be the temporary replacements until House finally makes up with his team. Either way, well played Fox.
LOS ANGELES -- Olivia Wilde, Kal Penn, Peter Jacobson and Anne Dudek have landed recurring roles on Fox's hit medical drama House.Full story here.
The four are expected to play characters who will be brought in after the resignations of House's (Hugh Laurie) underlings Foreman (Omar Epps) and Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) and the firing of Chase (Jesse Spencer).
Either the kids are really leaving the show, or these will be the temporary replacements until House finally makes up with his team. Either way, well played Fox.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Poll added
My sidebar has expanded to include polls, which I'm considering using in a discussion of the upcoming fall shows... please answer this week's poll so I can get an idea of how excited ya'll are about my small corner of the Web.
If you do so, I promise to never use the term "ya'll" again.
If you do so, I promise to never use the term "ya'll" again.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Finally, time for some tunes...
Whether or not it was a coincidence (it probably wasn't), both NBC and Fox have brand new sing-that-song-correctly game shows for the summer season.
After about a week or so, I finally found an hour to put in to check out these two shows -- Fox's Don't Forget the Lyrics and NBC's The Singing Bee -- and see which is the more useful of the two useless karaoke game shows.
I'll get my thesis out of the way now: Considering NBC announced Bee for the fall, Fox put together Lyrics for the summer and NBC bumped Bee up, Lyrics seems to be the less-lame (though, obviously more derivative) of the two shows.
Fox basically put together a Millionaire ripoff that feeds on the same tension as that savior of game show TV and the current reigning champ, Deal or No Deal. Contestants, led and coached by the always-too-excited and popular-with-the-Millionaire-crowd Wayne Brady (of Whose Line fame). He even sings along when contestants check their answers. The contestants choose from a pool of categories, then from the two songs within, and work their way up a prize-money ladder to the million-dollar tune. They've got three "backups" (life lines), including in-studio assistants. The biggest problem is the contestants get to amend their original performance if they can't get it the first time. A contestant's appearance can drag on over a few shows and the action is pretty slow moving.
That said, it's a bazillion times more entertaining than the Joey Fatone-helmed Singing Bee on NBC. Not that that's saying much. Flanked by a band (which is more prominent, but less talented than the Lyrics crew) and a quartet of dancers, Fatone picks six players out of the audience and then makes them come up with fairly simple lyrics in the first round (which four contestants survive). They whittle them down to two, and then a winner, who competes for $50,000. The songs here are ridiculously simple (someone had to figure out what comes after "I wanna rock and roll all night") and the biggest problem is small embellishments (like soulfully plugging the word "well" before a lyric) can get you a buzzer. It's way over the top and doesn't even follow simple spelling bee rules, which might make it more useful.
Overall, you probably shouldn't be wasting your time with either show. But Lyrics has a bit more to it and presents an actual challenge, whereas Bee is like something you'd see on Telemundo at 4:30 a.m.
After about a week or so, I finally found an hour to put in to check out these two shows -- Fox's Don't Forget the Lyrics and NBC's The Singing Bee -- and see which is the more useful of the two useless karaoke game shows.
I'll get my thesis out of the way now: Considering NBC announced Bee for the fall, Fox put together Lyrics for the summer and NBC bumped Bee up, Lyrics seems to be the less-lame (though, obviously more derivative) of the two shows.
Fox basically put together a Millionaire ripoff that feeds on the same tension as that savior of game show TV and the current reigning champ, Deal or No Deal. Contestants, led and coached by the always-too-excited and popular-with-the-Millionaire-crowd Wayne Brady (of Whose Line fame). He even sings along when contestants check their answers. The contestants choose from a pool of categories, then from the two songs within, and work their way up a prize-money ladder to the million-dollar tune. They've got three "backups" (life lines), including in-studio assistants. The biggest problem is the contestants get to amend their original performance if they can't get it the first time. A contestant's appearance can drag on over a few shows and the action is pretty slow moving.
That said, it's a bazillion times more entertaining than the Joey Fatone-helmed Singing Bee on NBC. Not that that's saying much. Flanked by a band (which is more prominent, but less talented than the Lyrics crew) and a quartet of dancers, Fatone picks six players out of the audience and then makes them come up with fairly simple lyrics in the first round (which four contestants survive). They whittle them down to two, and then a winner, who competes for $50,000. The songs here are ridiculously simple (someone had to figure out what comes after "I wanna rock and roll all night") and the biggest problem is small embellishments (like soulfully plugging the word "well" before a lyric) can get you a buzzer. It's way over the top and doesn't even follow simple spelling bee rules, which might make it more useful.
Overall, you probably shouldn't be wasting your time with either show. But Lyrics has a bit more to it and presents an actual challenge, whereas Bee is like something you'd see on Telemundo at 4:30 a.m.
Minds blowing
From E! Online:
It's too bad that no one will have any need to watch this show anymore... but I'm curious to see where they take it.
Mandy Patinkin is not only out of sight on the fall TV season, he's completely out of Minds.Full story here.
Days after news broke that the Criminal Minds star was MIA from the third-season premiere's table read, Patinkin and producers have announced that the Emmy-winning actor has left the series at his request.
"Due to creative differences, Mandy has asked not to return to Criminal Minds this season," the actor's publicist said in a statement. "Mandy would like to thank the studios and network for releasing him from the series and he wishes the cast and crew continued success in all of their endeavors and looks forward to continuing to work with the Disney and CBS companies in other capacities in the future."
It's too bad that no one will have any need to watch this show anymore... but I'm curious to see where they take it.
What's on: Monday
If you like intelligent entertainment, VICTORIA BECKHAM: COMING TO AMERICA (NBC/8 p.m.) may not be for you. It follows the former pop star as she and soccer star David Beckham settle in to L.A. But if you're normally watching a lot of E! or MTV, go for it.
Also new: Age of Love on NBC; Hell's Kitchen on Fox; Extreme Makeover on ABC; Big Love on HBO; The Closer and Heartland on TNT; Kyle XY and Greek on ABC Family.
Also new: Age of Love on NBC; Hell's Kitchen on Fox; Extreme Makeover on ABC; Big Love on HBO; The Closer and Heartland on TNT; Kyle XY and Greek on ABC Family.
Talk about jumping the shark...
From Hollywood Reporter:
If you want to see a show come to a crashing halt, watch when Mandy leaves. As good as this procedural is, he's really the crux... This would just be another reason for me to dislike CBS.
CBS' Criminal Minds could return for a third season without Mandy Patinkin. The star didn't show up for the table read of the ABC Studios/CBS Paramount-produced drama's table read this week, which first was reported by E!Full story here.
Sources said that the episode had been written featuring few scenes with Patinkin, an indication that the show is preparing for a possible future without him.
If you want to see a show come to a crashing halt, watch when Mandy leaves. As good as this procedural is, he's really the crux... This would just be another reason for me to dislike CBS.
One extra Extras
From Zap2it:
Nothing unexpected. I would have been disappointed if they didn't have a special, actually. But I don't think the story needed it especially.
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are sticking to their plan of not filming a third season of Extras. But the show isn't quite finished either.Full story here.
The award-winning duo will close out the story of background actor-turned-sitcom star Andy Millman (Gervais) with a one-hour Extras special, HBO announced Thursday at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour. Gervais and Merchant did something similar with the original version of The Office, finishing off two seasons with a one-shot special (which earned an Emmy nomination for writing in 2005).
Nothing unexpected. I would have been disappointed if they didn't have a special, actually. But I don't think the story needed it especially.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
What's on: Sunday
New tonight: Big Brother on CBS; John from Cincinnati, Entourage and Flight of the Conchords on HBO; American Body Shop on Comedy Central; premieres on Side Order of Life and State of Mind along with a new Army Wives on Lifetime; 4400 and Dead Zone on USA; debuts of Rock of Love and Scott Baio is 45 and Single on VH1.
Friday, July 13, 2007
What's on: Friday
I'm excited. Not only do I get a new Rescue Me every week, but back tonight is PSYCH (USA/10 p.m.). I can't say enough good stuff about this well acted, cleverly written show. It follows a brand new MONK (9 p.m.). Both will be around for a couple months for the midsummer haves of their seasons.
MSG network has a live performance from OAR (8 p.m.) as part of its concert series. Rock. Seriously.
Also new: Smackdown on CW; Standoff on Fox; 20/20 on ABC; Best Week Ever on VH1; Dr. Who and Painkiller Jane on Sci-fi; The Soup on E.
Also... it's not new, but your weekly Jericho catchup is on from 8 to 10 p.m.
MSG network has a live performance from OAR (8 p.m.) as part of its concert series. Rock. Seriously.
Also new: Smackdown on CW; Standoff on Fox; 20/20 on ABC; Best Week Ever on VH1; Dr. Who and Painkiller Jane on Sci-fi; The Soup on E.
Also... it's not new, but your weekly Jericho catchup is on from 8 to 10 p.m.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
What's on: Thursday
BIG BROTHER 8 (CBS/8 p.m.) will toss its first house guest tonight... more than likely it'll be the cutesy Carol, who's gotten nearly no camera time compared with her "nemesis," the annoyingly dimwitted Jessica.
Also new: 5th Grader and Don't Forget the Lyrics on Fox; Burn Notice on USA; World Series of Pop Culture on VH1; TNA Impact on Spike; Hey Paula on Bravo.
Also new: 5th Grader and Don't Forget the Lyrics on Fox; Burn Notice on USA; World Series of Pop Culture on VH1; TNA Impact on Spike; Hey Paula on Bravo.
My mom will be happy
From Hollywood Reporter (via Yahoo):
LOS ANGELES - Lifetime Television has green-lighted a second season of its hit drama Army Wives. The network has ordered 13 episodes of the series for Season 2, which will begin in the spring.Full story here.
Wives has become a breakout hit under Lifetime Networks entertainment president Susanne Daniels, who joined the network in September 2005. It ranks as the highest-rated series in Lifetime's 23-year history, averaging 3.6 million total viewers at 10 p.m. Sundays.
The show -- which debuted June 3 to 3.5 million viewers, the most ever for a Lifetime series premiere -- also stands as the top new cable drama of the year among the female demographic age groups of 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.
Jamedryl
Rescue Me SPOILERS BELOW
I'm starting to realize how naive and nerdy it is of me to consider Lost to be my favorite show. It's like when I was a kid and though Labyrinth was the best movie ever. Sure, a Bowie-scored Muppet flick is cool (despite his tight purple pants), but there needs to be a more worldly view taken when making such an assertion.
Not that Lost isn't among the best shows ever produced for television, it's just a narrowed, overly cynical view for me to take, I think. Especially considering that I purport to be somewhat of a professional, part-time TV journalist. I'll credit this week's Rescue Me with putting me in this frame of mind. This show has gotten progressively better on a weekly basis since starting in July 2004 and deserves just as high a classification.
Specifically, I want to point out the squad's incident in the burning building -- an everyday occurrence for them, I'm sure, complete with flames, rescues, a baby's delivery, losing track of a team member and getting lost in a NYC building. This is the only show that could make a comedy routine out of that.
Anyway... previously on Rescue Me THE CHIEF KILLED HIMSELF (yes, killed himself, those friends of mine who were heard spouting the query "you think he's dead?"). You would think that's all you'd really have to know coming into this week, but it turns out Jerry gets a more unceremonious sendoff. I read somewhere that the actor who plays the chief, Jack McGee, blames a falling out with Denis Leary for this. I don't necessarily buy into that, and Leary denies it. But, either way, the chief was beaten on every level and I tend to agree with Lou, who gave the guy respect for going out on his terms while the younger guys deemed him a coward.
(Which leads in to a brilliantly performed and written tirade from Tommy, who doesn't get to do the serious stuff with that sort of situation very often. "He used up all the goddamn brave he had" may be among the best lines I've ever heard spoken on television.)
Sadly, instead of focusing on Jerry, this episode is all about Tommy's emasculation. It's common fare for one of the three women in his family to walk all over him, with little in the way of argument (letting his eldest blackmail him into buying furniture, letting his younger daughter draw his attention when she know's he's annoyed about the other one, letting his ex(ish)-wife hold onto him at arms length until SHE'S ready to make time for him). Sheila, too, to just shove her way into the apartment is nothing out of the ordinary.
Then there's the firefighter who saved his life... by the time he gets to her he's a stuttering, scared mess of a man who's unable to unclench and put together a full, truthful sentence. By the time he goes chasing her (the Tommy/Janet do-over was obviously a bad idea) she'll want nothing to do with him... she'll probably be with the goofus Sheila's dating right now. The question now is why is Tommy such a wuss... and now he HAS to find out the answer, since it's starting to physically manifest.
This, again, is a theme in Leary's work. Who knows why... maybe he enjoys exploring it. It's certainly great comedic fodder. But hopefully we're getting to a place where he actually gets down to the bottom of it. (Either that or, early prediction, he'll get news that he has cancer or something and blame his lack of performance on that... and use it to make everyone else feel guilty.)
He's still a romantic, though. He can sit and pontificate about the joys of marriage to Franco and tell him to "pull the trigger" without any hesitation (that's going to be a great exchange next week when Tommy tells Franco he was out of his mind). He obviously wanted the Janet thing really bad and will either be crushed or extra crotchety when next week's edition comes around.
Side notes:
-- Lou will consistently remain my favorite character -- his delivery both comedically and dramatically are impeccable, though it's nice to have Adam Ferrara on full-time duty.
-- Jerry's death being fixed as a heart attack so his son can pick up the benefits was a nice touch, though I'm worried it may come back to haunt Tommy now that his most recent court battle is over.
-- Jamedryl = hilarious.
-- More proof of this show's brilliance:
I'm starting to realize how naive and nerdy it is of me to consider Lost to be my favorite show. It's like when I was a kid and though Labyrinth was the best movie ever. Sure, a Bowie-scored Muppet flick is cool (despite his tight purple pants), but there needs to be a more worldly view taken when making such an assertion.
Not that Lost isn't among the best shows ever produced for television, it's just a narrowed, overly cynical view for me to take, I think. Especially considering that I purport to be somewhat of a professional, part-time TV journalist. I'll credit this week's Rescue Me with putting me in this frame of mind. This show has gotten progressively better on a weekly basis since starting in July 2004 and deserves just as high a classification.
Specifically, I want to point out the squad's incident in the burning building -- an everyday occurrence for them, I'm sure, complete with flames, rescues, a baby's delivery, losing track of a team member and getting lost in a NYC building. This is the only show that could make a comedy routine out of that.
Anyway... previously on Rescue Me THE CHIEF KILLED HIMSELF (yes, killed himself, those friends of mine who were heard spouting the query "you think he's dead?"). You would think that's all you'd really have to know coming into this week, but it turns out Jerry gets a more unceremonious sendoff. I read somewhere that the actor who plays the chief, Jack McGee, blames a falling out with Denis Leary for this. I don't necessarily buy into that, and Leary denies it. But, either way, the chief was beaten on every level and I tend to agree with Lou, who gave the guy respect for going out on his terms while the younger guys deemed him a coward.
(Which leads in to a brilliantly performed and written tirade from Tommy, who doesn't get to do the serious stuff with that sort of situation very often. "He used up all the goddamn brave he had" may be among the best lines I've ever heard spoken on television.)
Sadly, instead of focusing on Jerry, this episode is all about Tommy's emasculation. It's common fare for one of the three women in his family to walk all over him, with little in the way of argument (letting his eldest blackmail him into buying furniture, letting his younger daughter draw his attention when she know's he's annoyed about the other one, letting his ex(ish)-wife hold onto him at arms length until SHE'S ready to make time for him). Sheila, too, to just shove her way into the apartment is nothing out of the ordinary.
Then there's the firefighter who saved his life... by the time he gets to her he's a stuttering, scared mess of a man who's unable to unclench and put together a full, truthful sentence. By the time he goes chasing her (the Tommy/Janet do-over was obviously a bad idea) she'll want nothing to do with him... she'll probably be with the goofus Sheila's dating right now. The question now is why is Tommy such a wuss... and now he HAS to find out the answer, since it's starting to physically manifest.
This, again, is a theme in Leary's work. Who knows why... maybe he enjoys exploring it. It's certainly great comedic fodder. But hopefully we're getting to a place where he actually gets down to the bottom of it. (Either that or, early prediction, he'll get news that he has cancer or something and blame his lack of performance on that... and use it to make everyone else feel guilty.)
He's still a romantic, though. He can sit and pontificate about the joys of marriage to Franco and tell him to "pull the trigger" without any hesitation (that's going to be a great exchange next week when Tommy tells Franco he was out of his mind). He obviously wanted the Janet thing really bad and will either be crushed or extra crotchety when next week's edition comes around.
Side notes:
-- Lou will consistently remain my favorite character -- his delivery both comedically and dramatically are impeccable, though it's nice to have Adam Ferrara on full-time duty.
-- Jerry's death being fixed as a heart attack so his son can pick up the benefits was a nice touch, though I'm worried it may come back to haunt Tommy now that his most recent court battle is over.
-- Jamedryl = hilarious.
-- More proof of this show's brilliance:
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
What's on: Wednesday
RESCUE ME (FX/10 p.m.) is back after a long week off for those of us looking to actually enjoy television. I nearly started crying at one point when all my TiVo had for me to choose from was American Body Shop (review still grudgingly to come) three Las Vegas reruns and Big Brother.
Fox's DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS (9:30 p.m.) is your new lyrically based game show du jour.
More sports Matt? Seriously? Yeah, that's right. HBO's got a new documentary: BROOKLYN DODGERS: THE GHOSTS OF FLATBUSH (8 p.m.).
Singing Bee, America's Got Talent and Last Comic Standing on NBC; So You Think You Can Dance on Fox; Next Best Thing, American Inventor and Traveler on ABC; Cash Cab premieres on Discovery; Top Chef on Bravo; Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth on Sci-Fi; two episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne on TBS; WWE MSG Classics on MSG.
Fox's DON'T FORGET THE LYRICS (9:30 p.m.) is your new lyrically based game show du jour.
More sports Matt? Seriously? Yeah, that's right. HBO's got a new documentary: BROOKLYN DODGERS: THE GHOSTS OF FLATBUSH (8 p.m.).
Singing Bee, America's Got Talent and Last Comic Standing on NBC; So You Think You Can Dance on Fox; Next Best Thing, American Inventor and Traveler on ABC; Cash Cab premieres on Discovery; Top Chef on Bravo; Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth on Sci-Fi; two episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne on TBS; WWE MSG Classics on MSG.
Jericho report
From E! Online (via Yahoo):
Airing in the 9 p.m. Friday hour, Jericho averaged 4.6 million viewers, settling for a 51st-place finish in the holiday-weakened week, per the latest Nielsen Media Research rankings.
On the upside for Jericho fans, their beloved did in the summer what it couldn't do in the regular season: Beat the competition. With the show's powerhouse nemeses, Dancing with the Stars and American Idol, on vacation, Jericho took care of business against a Las Vegas rerun on NBC (72nd place, 3.6 million), a leftover episode of the Fox castoff, Standoff (89th place, 3 million) and a slightly used Kyle XY (94th place, 2.6 million), ABC's recycled ABC Family Channel summer series.
And while a win is a win is a win, Jericho was CBS' weakest link on the night. Ghost Whisperer (40th place, 5.1 million) aired before Jericho; Numb3rs (25th place, 5.9 million) aired after it—both scored more viewers.
Full story here.
First of all, you can't count on ratings on a Friday night for anything and second of all, it's summer. People will catch up on DVD if anything.
Park
This from About.com:
The Drive saga continues. The original plan was for Fox to air the two remaining episodes of Drive on July 4, but several weeks ago they changed the air date to July 13. However, Fox has made more changes to the schedule, which included dumping those two unaired episodes of Drive altogether.Oh well. Better they not tease loyal viewers anyway. Not like the race would've ended in those two episodes.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Losing aLot
Well, after a text this morning from a friend of mine, I believe I'm the ONLY person still watching On the Lot. They're not even doing live kick-off shows. They're cramming the show into an hour each week and bouncing it around all over the schedule.
Now they're booting two directors each week over the next two weeks. They really want to finish this show up. Fox, if you hadn't been so wishy washy about it at the beginning, people would have caught on. But you kept changing the game. Tsk.
Considering the sheer creepiness of her flick and the real ballsy move by Mateen, I'm a little surprised Shira-Lee went home. Oh well.
Time Upon a Once (Zach): Interesting concept, but that was just WEIRD. There was nearly no story and I'm kinda disappointed.
The Legend of Donkey-tail Willy (Hillary): She's the worst contestant still on the show. At least she didn't disappoint. Sheez, that was terrible. Probably the worst thing I've ever seen on film. I honestly didn't see two worlds collide, either. Why can't directors follow directions.
Spaghetti (Will): Complete other side of the coin. Best director in the competition and probably among his best flicks yet. It looked REALLY good, too. And he followed directions.
(Make Gary Marshall stop trying to be funny. Someone. Please.)
First Sight (Shalini): Um. Yeah. Trying too hard. Sorry. I know she wasn't trying to be entertaining. But still.
Worldly Possession (Adam): Silly, but among the best this week. He'll be fine
Bye bye to Shalini and Hillary if America knows what's good for it. You know. All 12 voters.
Now they're booting two directors each week over the next two weeks. They really want to finish this show up. Fox, if you hadn't been so wishy washy about it at the beginning, people would have caught on. But you kept changing the game. Tsk.
Considering the sheer creepiness of her flick and the real ballsy move by Mateen, I'm a little surprised Shira-Lee went home. Oh well.
Time Upon a Once (Zach): Interesting concept, but that was just WEIRD. There was nearly no story and I'm kinda disappointed.
The Legend of Donkey-tail Willy (Hillary): She's the worst contestant still on the show. At least she didn't disappoint. Sheez, that was terrible. Probably the worst thing I've ever seen on film. I honestly didn't see two worlds collide, either. Why can't directors follow directions.
Spaghetti (Will): Complete other side of the coin. Best director in the competition and probably among his best flicks yet. It looked REALLY good, too. And he followed directions.
(Make Gary Marshall stop trying to be funny. Someone. Please.)
First Sight (Shalini): Um. Yeah. Trying too hard. Sorry. I know she wasn't trying to be entertaining. But still.
Worldly Possession (Adam): Silly, but among the best this week. He'll be fine
Bye bye to Shalini and Hillary if America knows what's good for it. You know. All 12 voters.
What's on: Tuesday
NBC beats Fox to the hook tonight, being the first to debut its sing-the-right-lyrics game show: SINGING BEE (9:30 p.m.) hosted by Joey Fatone. Fox's Don't Forget the Lyrics premieres tomorrow.
CBS hopes a BIG BROTHER 8 ousting (9 p.m.) as a lead in will help PIRATE MASTER (10 p.m.), which I happen to be enjoying thoroughly. Both decent shows as far as reality competitions go.
And, in an unprecedented occasion where I will put up a sports presentation two days in a row, the MLB ALL-STAR GAME (Fox/8 p.m.) comes to you from San Francisco this year... so Barry Bonds doesn't get booed for sullying the sport every time he walks on the field. Not that it's his fault alone... different discussion... sorry.
Also new: America's Got Talent on NBC; Shaq's Big Challenge on ABC; Wide Angle and POV (which will discuss the Newark riots) on PBS; Miami Ink on TLC; Dirty Jobs and the debut of Build it Bigger on Discovery; Eureka's season premiere and ECW on Sci-Fi; Kathy Griffin on Bravo.
CBS hopes a BIG BROTHER 8 ousting (9 p.m.) as a lead in will help PIRATE MASTER (10 p.m.), which I happen to be enjoying thoroughly. Both decent shows as far as reality competitions go.
And, in an unprecedented occasion where I will put up a sports presentation two days in a row, the MLB ALL-STAR GAME (Fox/8 p.m.) comes to you from San Francisco this year... so Barry Bonds doesn't get booed for sullying the sport every time he walks on the field. Not that it's his fault alone... different discussion... sorry.
Also new: America's Got Talent on NBC; Shaq's Big Challenge on ABC; Wide Angle and POV (which will discuss the Newark riots) on PBS; Miami Ink on TLC; Dirty Jobs and the debut of Build it Bigger on Discovery; Eureka's season premiere and ECW on Sci-Fi; Kathy Griffin on Bravo.
Monday, July 9, 2007
ESPN loses another of its old guard...
From AP:
I haven't paid as much attention to the network since realizing I don't really care that much about sports, but he's still one of the most recognizable faces/voices the network will ever have, and he and Olberman really made SportsCenter entertaining for a while there.
Dan Patrick is leaving ESPN after 18 years, insisting there is no acrimony but saying he was beginning to take his job for granted.Full story here.
The former SportsCenter anchor announced his decision on his radio show Monday and said his final show will be Aug. 17. Patrick said he hoped to continue working in radio but wasn't sure if he would do any more television.
"It's been home, but I think I was starting to take it for granted, and I did not want to do that," Patrick said on the air. "I did not think that was fair to these great people." Patrick said ESPN executives tried to talk him out of his decision.
He originally planned to make the announcement last week, but they asked him to reconsider.
"If there was animosity, I wouldn't be doing radio shows after this one today," he said.
I haven't paid as much attention to the network since realizing I don't really care that much about sports, but he's still one of the most recognizable faces/voices the network will ever have, and he and Olberman really made SportsCenter entertaining for a while there.
What's on: Monday
ABC Family, a Disney company that touts itself as a "family" station... right in it's own name... has prepared a college-based, fraternity comedy. GREEK (9 and 10 p.m.) premieres tonight. I'm sure it's good, wholesome entertainment. Meanwhile Ellen couldn't say she was gay on ABC. Gimme a break.
Probably more interesting, ESPN -- not known for its original content being anything special -- premieres an 8-part miniseries: THE BRONX IS BURNING (10 p.m.) based on the Yankees' 1977 season.
New tonight: On the Lot and Hell's Kitchen on Fox; Age of Love on NBC; Extreme Makeover on ABC; Big Love on HBO; Monday Night Raw on USA; The Closer and Heartland on TNT; World Series of Pop Culture on VH1; Kyle XY on ABC Family.
Wanna watch a talk show? The Decemberists are on Leno...
Probably more interesting, ESPN -- not known for its original content being anything special -- premieres an 8-part miniseries: THE BRONX IS BURNING (10 p.m.) based on the Yankees' 1977 season.
New tonight: On the Lot and Hell's Kitchen on Fox; Age of Love on NBC; Extreme Makeover on ABC; Big Love on HBO; Monday Night Raw on USA; The Closer and Heartland on TNT; World Series of Pop Culture on VH1; Kyle XY on ABC Family.
Wanna watch a talk show? The Decemberists are on Leno...
Sunday, July 8, 2007
What's on: Sunday
It's not much to look at tonight: American Body Shop premiers on Comedy Central; Big Brother 8 on CBS; John from Cincinnati, Flight of the Conchords and Entourage on HBO; Army Wives on Lifetime; 4400 and Dead Zone on USA.
Nine, Knights get some play
From Zap2it:
Nine fans will be happy. If you're a Knights fan you probably watched all the remaining episodes online.
Viewers will finally get a chance to see how The Nine ends -- if not necessarily how it ends -- starting next month.Full story here.
ABC is bringing back the drama, one of the casualties of last season's serialized drama massacre, for a summer burnoff starting Aug. 1. It will return to the 10 p.m. Wednesday spot it previously occupied last fall.
The network will also bring back its comedy The Knights of Prosperity, at least for one week. The bulk of its episodes aired last winter, but one of the few remainders from its order, titled "Operation: Rent Money," is scheduled for Aug. 8.
Nine fans will be happy. If you're a Knights fan you probably watched all the remaining episodes online.
NBC, Trump make nice?
From Reuters (via Yahoo):
Curious call considering all the complaining the network had been doing over the show's ratings and the big blowup Trump feigned after NBC's upfronts left the show off the schedule. Also curious considering it's a cruddy show and NBC decided to bring it back over much more quality fare.
NBC and producers of The Apprentice will bring Donald Trump's reality TV show back from the brink of cancellation for at least one more season, industry sources said Friday.Full story here.
The sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity that NBC plans to announce a renewal at an annual summer presentation to television critics on July 16, about two months after the show had appeared on the verge of prime-time extinction.
There was no official word on a deal from NBC, the Trump organization or executive producer Mark Burnett, but all three parties have acknowledged in recent weeks that negotiations on a possible return of the show were continuing.
Curious call considering all the complaining the network had been doing over the show's ratings and the big blowup Trump feigned after NBC's upfronts left the show off the schedule. Also curious considering it's a cruddy show and NBC decided to bring it back over much more quality fare.
Friday, July 6, 2007
What's on: Friday
It's not new stuff, but credible nonetheless... JERICHO (CBS/9 p.m.) had been canceled just a month ago. No longer. It's back in rerun form and will be back for real in the spring. Start catching up now, because it's a quality piece of television. Watch. WATCH!
Sci-fi's DOCTOR WHO (8 p.m.) is back for its third season with two episodes.
Also new: Standoff on Fox; Smackdown on CW; Painkiller Jane on Sci-fi.
Sci-fi's DOCTOR WHO (8 p.m.) is back for its third season with two episodes.
Also new: Standoff on Fox; Smackdown on CW; Painkiller Jane on Sci-fi.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Why do I watch Entourage?
Here's my problem. when you turn on HBO to watch television, you expect a higher class of show. Comedically, Entourage IS that higher class of show. It's still very entertaining despite what I'm about to say. But as far as the storylines go, I'm not sure the fans who're watching the show as loyally as I am realize the hornswaggle that's being played upon them.
As massively entertaining as the show is, and with all the little windows it purports to provide into the world of a budding mega star... it doesn't. There's no conflict. There's nothing that goes wrong for more than a half-hour's worth of television -- and that sort of watered down sitcom-writer thinking is not what HBO has promised me. The longest-running conflict, Vince's Mandy Moore obsession, lasted two episodes or so.
Case in point, last week's beginnings of conflict between Eric and Vince over their feelings about fictional would-be blockbuster Medellin, into which they've put all of their cash. Eric, in a fit of panic, takes every step he can think of to get the movie fixed and, supposedly, save Vince's career. He even goes groveling to Harvey Weinstein. Vince, who liked the flick, doesn't even care. He's off partying with Dennis Hopper.
Now, this could be the beginnings of a big split between the two. Vince dumps Eric as a manager and Eric goes on to run a studio in a perfectly Superman/Lex Luthor storyline that would be compelling and still have that basis for entertaining comedy that the show has a stranglehold on.
Turns out it's not. Everything's OK now, since the movie's been accepted into the Cannes film festival. Conflict resolved. Everything's OK for another week, until one of the kids forgets to do their homework and has to be at school in an hour. Wait... that's Full House.
Show me a scandal in the tabloids -- some intern on set claiming Vince did something to her. Show me one of the guys getting arrested for something. Show me the movie ACTUALLY bombing. Give me a reason to worry about your characters.
I don't care how great it is to be a successful star. Basing a fictional show on that merely puts it on the level of reality shows like Girls Next Door and Hey Paula. Why waste writers on something like that?
As massively entertaining as the show is, and with all the little windows it purports to provide into the world of a budding mega star... it doesn't. There's no conflict. There's nothing that goes wrong for more than a half-hour's worth of television -- and that sort of watered down sitcom-writer thinking is not what HBO has promised me. The longest-running conflict, Vince's Mandy Moore obsession, lasted two episodes or so.
Case in point, last week's beginnings of conflict between Eric and Vince over their feelings about fictional would-be blockbuster Medellin, into which they've put all of their cash. Eric, in a fit of panic, takes every step he can think of to get the movie fixed and, supposedly, save Vince's career. He even goes groveling to Harvey Weinstein. Vince, who liked the flick, doesn't even care. He's off partying with Dennis Hopper.
Now, this could be the beginnings of a big split between the two. Vince dumps Eric as a manager and Eric goes on to run a studio in a perfectly Superman/Lex Luthor storyline that would be compelling and still have that basis for entertaining comedy that the show has a stranglehold on.
Turns out it's not. Everything's OK now, since the movie's been accepted into the Cannes film festival. Conflict resolved. Everything's OK for another week, until one of the kids forgets to do their homework and has to be at school in an hour. Wait... that's Full House.
Show me a scandal in the tabloids -- some intern on set claiming Vince did something to her. Show me one of the guys getting arrested for something. Show me the movie ACTUALLY bombing. Give me a reason to worry about your characters.
I don't care how great it is to be a successful star. Basing a fictional show on that merely puts it on the level of reality shows like Girls Next Door and Hey Paula. Why waste writers on something like that?
What's on: Thursday
Voyeurs rejoice. While Real World has gotten way too ridiculous over the past 10 years, network TV doesn't have as much leeway when it comes to showing people living their lives -- the bigoted family values crews will come crying. So, instead of that extra little bit of nudity and drunkenness that you can count on seeing on MTV, you get goofy competitions and public voting. Welcome back, BIG BROTHER (CBS/8 p.m.).
If you missed last week's premiere, you shouldn't have. So watch BURN NOTICE (USA/10 p.m.).
Also new: Pirate Master on CBS; TNA Impact on Spike; Hey Paula on Bravo.
If you missed last week's premiere, you shouldn't have. So watch BURN NOTICE (USA/10 p.m.).
Also new: Pirate Master on CBS; TNA Impact on Spike; Hey Paula on Bravo.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Quick trip to the Lot
I'll keep this a little bit short.
Short-form horror is an intriguing concept for this killer competition. Apparently, I'm the only one enjoying it, but I really want to see what these guys can do when faced with this tougher task. There're some really good filmmakers on the docket this week, too. Kenny's up this week as well.
This week's ouster: Bull-crap decision booting David, America. Seriously. If I have to keep complaining about this stuff to you, I may just stop discussing this type of show... wait, that sounds like a good idea.
The Malibu Myth (Kenny): I'm thinking that at least we get this out of the way early. It was terribly written, but shot EXTREMELY well. Goofy ending hurt him, I think, but so much better than anything else he's done.
Anklebiters (Sam): Interesting tone (sort of felt like an episode of Nickelodeon's old Are You Afraid of the Dark?) and great atmosphere, but I think his worry about working with a puppet came true. I also agree with Eli Roth about the tag with the detective taking away.
Midnight Snack (Andrew): Funny and well shot. Not his best, though, which disappointed me. That I can't come up with much else makes me worry about him.
Eternal Waters (Jason): Wow. Holy crow, that was good. He had a brilliant story, different from the rest in that it was much more supernatural and had a real story behind it. He took a big step up in the competition.
Open House (Shira-Lee): The directors that are working out of their element seem to keep doing well. This was good -- not the best, but really good.
Side note: Eli Roth keeps referring to other films. It's perturbing.
Profile (Mateen): I don't have a problem with making a statement, but I don't know how to feel about this one. Until I realized it was all in his mind, I'd decided this isn't a horror movie, thereby making him this week's loser on principle. It ended up being much better than I expected considering the circumstances. I really like this guy. That doesn't mean it'll save him.
All good ones this week, I think. But what we're missing here is a longer look into the making of these short films... maybe make the groups smaller and the films/intros a bit longer. It would serve everyone a lot better.
Mateen will likely be the one to go, though I'd put in my vote for Sam. These are all good filmmakers, but his was maybe the worst movie.
Short-form horror is an intriguing concept for this killer competition. Apparently, I'm the only one enjoying it, but I really want to see what these guys can do when faced with this tougher task. There're some really good filmmakers on the docket this week, too. Kenny's up this week as well.
This week's ouster: Bull-crap decision booting David, America. Seriously. If I have to keep complaining about this stuff to you, I may just stop discussing this type of show... wait, that sounds like a good idea.
The Malibu Myth (Kenny): I'm thinking that at least we get this out of the way early. It was terribly written, but shot EXTREMELY well. Goofy ending hurt him, I think, but so much better than anything else he's done.
Anklebiters (Sam): Interesting tone (sort of felt like an episode of Nickelodeon's old Are You Afraid of the Dark?) and great atmosphere, but I think his worry about working with a puppet came true. I also agree with Eli Roth about the tag with the detective taking away.
Midnight Snack (Andrew): Funny and well shot. Not his best, though, which disappointed me. That I can't come up with much else makes me worry about him.
Eternal Waters (Jason): Wow. Holy crow, that was good. He had a brilliant story, different from the rest in that it was much more supernatural and had a real story behind it. He took a big step up in the competition.
Open House (Shira-Lee): The directors that are working out of their element seem to keep doing well. This was good -- not the best, but really good.
Side note: Eli Roth keeps referring to other films. It's perturbing.
Profile (Mateen): I don't have a problem with making a statement, but I don't know how to feel about this one. Until I realized it was all in his mind, I'd decided this isn't a horror movie, thereby making him this week's loser on principle. It ended up being much better than I expected considering the circumstances. I really like this guy. That doesn't mean it'll save him.
All good ones this week, I think. But what we're missing here is a longer look into the making of these short films... maybe make the groups smaller and the films/intros a bit longer. It would serve everyone a lot better.
Mateen will likely be the one to go, though I'd put in my vote for Sam. These are all good filmmakers, but his was maybe the worst movie.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
What's on: Tuesday
Seriously, I promise you'll have a full post from me sometime. Eventually. For now, here's your Tuesday....
If you're a film fan, watch ON THE LOT (Fox/8 p.m.). There are talented upcoming filmmakers here. And they're being ignored because it's summertime.
HBO's got a documentary special: COMA (9 p.m.) takes a look at the "explores the mysteries of the injured brain and its ability to heal" according to the network's synopsis. The show will follow four coma survivors over the course of a year.
Also new: Shaq's Big Challenge on ABC; Wide Angle and POV on PBS; Miami Ink on TLC; Dirty Jobs on Discovery; ECW on Sci-Fi.
If you're a film fan, watch ON THE LOT (Fox/8 p.m.). There are talented upcoming filmmakers here. And they're being ignored because it's summertime.
HBO's got a documentary special: COMA (9 p.m.) takes a look at the "explores the mysteries of the injured brain and its ability to heal" according to the network's synopsis. The show will follow four coma survivors over the course of a year.
Also new: Shaq's Big Challenge on ABC; Wide Angle and POV on PBS; Miami Ink on TLC; Dirty Jobs on Discovery; ECW on Sci-Fi.
Monday, July 2, 2007
What's on: Monday
I get a day off tomorrow (after who remembers how long)! You might actually get a real post out of me. Until then, here's tonight's rundown... new tonight: Age of Love on NBC; Hell's Kitchen on Fox; Extreme Makeover on ABC; Big Love on HBO; The Closer and Heartland on TNT; WWE Raw on USA; Kyle XY on ABC Family.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
What's on: Sunday
Please pardon my scarcity recently. I'm going on my 12th straight day of work today. It's not pretty. I've barely looked at my TV in a week. If you do have time to spend on the couch tonight, there's not much to choose from.
Princess Di's sons have organized a charity concert in honor of their late mom's birthday. NBC will air the CONCERT FOR DIANA (8 p.m.), which includes appearances by Elton John, Duran Duran and Kanye West.
THE LOOP (FOX/7, 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.) wraps up its rushed second season with three new episodes, that will more than likely be this show's last flight.
Also new: John from Cincinnati, Entourage and Flight of the Conchords on HBO; Army Wives on Lifetime; 4400 and Dead Zone on USA.
Princess Di's sons have organized a charity concert in honor of their late mom's birthday. NBC will air the CONCERT FOR DIANA (8 p.m.), which includes appearances by Elton John, Duran Duran and Kanye West.
THE LOOP (FOX/7, 8:30 and 9:30 p.m.) wraps up its rushed second season with three new episodes, that will more than likely be this show's last flight.
Also new: John from Cincinnati, Entourage and Flight of the Conchords on HBO; Army Wives on Lifetime; 4400 and Dead Zone on USA.
Friday, June 29, 2007
What's on: Friday
New tonight: Standoff on Fox; 20/20 on ABC; Smackdown on CW; Best Week Ever on VH1; The Soup and The Hum on E!; Painkiller Jane on Sci-Fi.
Quick reviews
Couple of new shows to update you one... one I'm a little behind in reviewing, but you're over it, right?
HEARTLAND: TNT says it knows drama. This show is proof that at least it knows drama from 18 years ago. It looks and feels like a show my parents may have watched while I was being put to bed at 7:30 p.m. ... or maybe playing with my He-Man toys. Remington Steele-era stuff with GE sing-songily bringing good things to life for you.
It's a medical drama set in a transplant clinic, so it has "overdone" written all over it. And it does lay it on pretty heavy, but it's not a horrible piece of cable crud. It's biggest problem is likely that it's compartmentalized itself in a specific area with a small cast. The cast is strong though, despite the merely tolerable dialogue it's faced with.
If you're a medical drama fan or into really heart-tugging stories then this one's for you. IT doesn't take much thought, just a hope for an easy to follow story. If you're looking for excitement or suspense or even thoughtfulness, then move on. If I had a rating system, I'd give it a 2 out of 5.
BURN NOTICE: This is what you get when you try to infuse a spy show with the same cleverness as USA's big shows Monk and Psych. Lead (Jeffrey Donovan) isn't as strong as the guys in those other shows, and the show's obviously not that confident in itself, considering the amount of skin that crosses the screen in a given 10 minute period. But it's Miami and everyone walks around in a bathing suit 24/7, right?
Anyway, it's still entertaining and has some potential. It's a very different type of spy story. Mike can't leave Miami and he's doing odd jobs (solving a framing and stopping a kidnapping in the pilot) to make some cash so he can figure out why he's been blackballed by the government.
I'm going to give it a few more weeks. I have a bit of confidence that with some investment, it'll be a very likable show.
HEARTLAND: TNT says it knows drama. This show is proof that at least it knows drama from 18 years ago. It looks and feels like a show my parents may have watched while I was being put to bed at 7:30 p.m. ... or maybe playing with my He-Man toys. Remington Steele-era stuff with GE sing-songily bringing good things to life for you.
It's a medical drama set in a transplant clinic, so it has "overdone" written all over it. And it does lay it on pretty heavy, but it's not a horrible piece of cable crud. It's biggest problem is likely that it's compartmentalized itself in a specific area with a small cast. The cast is strong though, despite the merely tolerable dialogue it's faced with.
If you're a medical drama fan or into really heart-tugging stories then this one's for you. IT doesn't take much thought, just a hope for an easy to follow story. If you're looking for excitement or suspense or even thoughtfulness, then move on. If I had a rating system, I'd give it a 2 out of 5.
BURN NOTICE: This is what you get when you try to infuse a spy show with the same cleverness as USA's big shows Monk and Psych. Lead (Jeffrey Donovan) isn't as strong as the guys in those other shows, and the show's obviously not that confident in itself, considering the amount of skin that crosses the screen in a given 10 minute period. But it's Miami and everyone walks around in a bathing suit 24/7, right?
Anyway, it's still entertaining and has some potential. It's a very different type of spy story. Mike can't leave Miami and he's doing odd jobs (solving a framing and stopping a kidnapping in the pilot) to make some cash so he can figure out why he's been blackballed by the government.
I'm going to give it a few more weeks. I have a bit of confidence that with some investment, it'll be a very likable show.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
What's on: Thursday
OK. I should be leading with something else, but honestly STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP (NBC/10 p.m.) wraps up its first and only season tonight after being kicked in the teeth a few times by the network. This was the 2006/07 season's best new show and could be the best written show on TV right now (not that it's actually on TV at this point, but whatever). It's the fourth part in a well done story arc. Aaron Sorkin, please come back soon.
USA comes out firing with a new show tonight -- BURN NOTICE (10 p.m.) is about a spy bounced from the CIA and left with nothing... he takes up private investigating... I think. It's not really clear. That follows the finale of THE STARTER WIFE (9 p.m.), which I never had the energy to pick up.
Oh, and I can't forget HEY PAULA (Bravo/10 p.m.) ... a new reality series about American Idol judge and ex-pop star Paula Abdul. The first two of seven episodes are on tonight. This should play well to the Girls Next Door crowd...
Also new: Pirate Master on CBS; 5th Grader on Fox; TNA Impact on Spike; the NBA draft on ESPN.
USA comes out firing with a new show tonight -- BURN NOTICE (10 p.m.) is about a spy bounced from the CIA and left with nothing... he takes up private investigating... I think. It's not really clear. That follows the finale of THE STARTER WIFE (9 p.m.), which I never had the energy to pick up.
Oh, and I can't forget HEY PAULA (Bravo/10 p.m.) ... a new reality series about American Idol judge and ex-pop star Paula Abdul. The first two of seven episodes are on tonight. This should play well to the Girls Next Door crowd...
Also new: Pirate Master on CBS; 5th Grader on Fox; TNA Impact on Spike; the NBA draft on ESPN.
De Niro plays the bull...
Fine, you don't want to weigh in, then you'll just have to listen to me... or just comment later... Either way, I'm gonna blow some big plot points so if you haven't watched Wednesday's Rescue Me yet, STOP HERE.
Big week for the best show on TV through this lame-o summer. And it didn't seem that way at the beginning of what would have been a pretty standard episode if not for the chief's storyline. Even Tommy's psycho-dad bit was relatively normal for this show. (I was really prepared for a nose-ring tearing that would have sent me screaming into the early morning, rain-soaked streets.)
It was, however, interesting to see that the boyfriend is a nice guy and to have a solid example of Tommy being totally, shamelessly unreasonable and self destructive in front of his friends. But Leary does play an awesome crazy dad, doesn't he?
While trashing his relationship with his daughter, Tommy's also having trouble getting together with his rescuer (whose name i forgot to jot down and I can't find on imdb). The nice lady carried him out of the burning house, saving his life, and the show would have us believe that this has him emasculated enough to turn her down, which is a common trend in Leary's work. I tend to think Janet has more to do with it than Tommy's letting on -- and so does his general fear of finding another strong woman who won't put up with him or another crazy woman like Sheila (who he's ALSO still holding out hope for). And this new woman's honestly the best shot he probably has at being happy. But Tommy's destined to crash every single relationship he has.
As great a character as I think Franco is and as hilarious as Teddy can be, I really don't care about their respective storylines right now... anyone else? Teddy's off on a silly tangent trying to get away from his new wife and intruding on a corrections officer who talked him into the wedding... and Franco's busy blowing a good relationship for no apparent reason. Yawn.
And don't even get me started on how the probie's story went nowhere. I had high hopes for the show to honestly tackle assisted suicide instead of having it peter out. It's sad that Shawn had the most interesting developments this week -- finally standing up to Tommy, though weakly, in regards to the fight with the emo kid, and making headway toward a normal conversation with him.
Then there's the chief, and the sad conclusion. I hate saying "I saw this coming," because no one ever believes anyone who says that, but it seemed pretty obvious to me, especially after he risked his new position to quickly scuttle away Tommy's problem and made a heartfelt toast in support of his gay son who had dealt him a staggering disappointment.
I was cringing for the entire second half of the episode because I was afraid that it was coming. The chief has been the most human character on the show, and his stories over the past few years (his wife's Alzheimer's, his son, his health problems, and most recently his job loss) have been the show's real grounding in reality. The depression of all these things finally weighed down on him, and his decision to kill himself is not surprising after getting to a point where he'd lost absolutely EVERYTHING he held dear.
His wife is no longer the same person; his son's never going to change; his career as a firefighter is reduced to sitting at a desk, and he can't be with his crew, which is all he really wants. It's a sad and scared but artistically acceptable end for Jerry.
Sadly, that's not even the most disturbing thing in this week's episode. Nope. More disturbing is that I was actually AT the man-date restaurant with a group of guys on Saturday night... good salmon.
Big week for the best show on TV through this lame-o summer. And it didn't seem that way at the beginning of what would have been a pretty standard episode if not for the chief's storyline. Even Tommy's psycho-dad bit was relatively normal for this show. (I was really prepared for a nose-ring tearing that would have sent me screaming into the early morning, rain-soaked streets.)
It was, however, interesting to see that the boyfriend is a nice guy and to have a solid example of Tommy being totally, shamelessly unreasonable and self destructive in front of his friends. But Leary does play an awesome crazy dad, doesn't he?
While trashing his relationship with his daughter, Tommy's also having trouble getting together with his rescuer (whose name i forgot to jot down and I can't find on imdb). The nice lady carried him out of the burning house, saving his life, and the show would have us believe that this has him emasculated enough to turn her down, which is a common trend in Leary's work. I tend to think Janet has more to do with it than Tommy's letting on -- and so does his general fear of finding another strong woman who won't put up with him or another crazy woman like Sheila (who he's ALSO still holding out hope for). And this new woman's honestly the best shot he probably has at being happy. But Tommy's destined to crash every single relationship he has.
As great a character as I think Franco is and as hilarious as Teddy can be, I really don't care about their respective storylines right now... anyone else? Teddy's off on a silly tangent trying to get away from his new wife and intruding on a corrections officer who talked him into the wedding... and Franco's busy blowing a good relationship for no apparent reason. Yawn.
And don't even get me started on how the probie's story went nowhere. I had high hopes for the show to honestly tackle assisted suicide instead of having it peter out. It's sad that Shawn had the most interesting developments this week -- finally standing up to Tommy, though weakly, in regards to the fight with the emo kid, and making headway toward a normal conversation with him.
Then there's the chief, and the sad conclusion. I hate saying "I saw this coming," because no one ever believes anyone who says that, but it seemed pretty obvious to me, especially after he risked his new position to quickly scuttle away Tommy's problem and made a heartfelt toast in support of his gay son who had dealt him a staggering disappointment.
I was cringing for the entire second half of the episode because I was afraid that it was coming. The chief has been the most human character on the show, and his stories over the past few years (his wife's Alzheimer's, his son, his health problems, and most recently his job loss) have been the show's real grounding in reality. The depression of all these things finally weighed down on him, and his decision to kill himself is not surprising after getting to a point where he'd lost absolutely EVERYTHING he held dear.
His wife is no longer the same person; his son's never going to change; his career as a firefighter is reduced to sitting at a desk, and he can't be with his crew, which is all he really wants. It's a sad and scared but artistically acceptable end for Jerry.
Sadly, that's not even the most disturbing thing in this week's episode. Nope. More disturbing is that I was actually AT the man-date restaurant with a group of guys on Saturday night... good salmon.
House on fire
I'm too sleepy to get my head fully around last night's Rescue Me right now. But I'll use this post and hopefully get some discussion started on this blog (I know you're reading, so put in a cent or two on...
...the chief
...Tommy's sad reluctance to be with his rescuer
...Tommy warming up to Shawn
...Tommy's relationship with Colleen
...the show's dialogue
Anyone?
Full post this afternoon.
...the chief
...Tommy's sad reluctance to be with his rescuer
...Tommy warming up to Shawn
...Tommy's relationship with Colleen
...the show's dialogue
Anyone?
Full post this afternoon.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
What's on: Wednesday
I don't preach wrestling very often because I know it's a mindless fixation of mine, but if you're a fan, you should be aware of WWE's MSG CLASSICS (MSG/8 and 9 p.m.). The WWE opens up its massive video vault to put together hourlong presentations of old events at Madison Square Garden. I'm pretty sure these are new episodes, but it's all old content, so it really doesn't matter. Tonight's main events are Hulk Hogan vs. Kamala and Roddy Piper vs. Rick Rude.
Even more obscure is PBS' presentation of the ceremony awarding Paul Simon the inaugural Library of Congress Gershwin Prize (9 p.m.).
Also new: Last Comic Standing and Dateline on NBC; So You Think You Can Dance on Fox; Next Best Thing, American Inventor and Traveler on ABC; two hours of Hidden Palms on CW; Bear Island on PBS; Lil' Bush on Comedy Central; Rescue Me on FX; Top Chef on Bravo; Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth on Sci-Fi; and two episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne on TBS.
Even more obscure is PBS' presentation of the ceremony awarding Paul Simon the inaugural Library of Congress Gershwin Prize (9 p.m.).
Also new: Last Comic Standing and Dateline on NBC; So You Think You Can Dance on Fox; Next Best Thing, American Inventor and Traveler on ABC; two hours of Hidden Palms on CW; Bear Island on PBS; Lil' Bush on Comedy Central; Rescue Me on FX; Top Chef on Bravo; Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth on Sci-Fi; and two episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne on TBS.
I have no more clever Lot headlines...
It seems to me the contest they're putting together is uneven if they're going to split the contestants into groups and hand each group different tasks (comedy this week, ... it becomes luck of the draw. Most of these people are pretty good, too, which disappoints me.
Luckily, Jessica got dumped in the pre-taped ousting -- another change due to declining ratings. I hate that the show is being so inconsistent.
Doctor in Law (Shalini): For someone with no confidence, she hit a home run! Clever idea, well executed and overall pretty strong. I wish it could have been longer and more developed, but for two minutes, she gets high marks.
Discovering the Wheels (Adam): Sort of dumb idea that came off better than it probably was. There were a few good laughs, but nothing hilarious. First time I actually recognized an actor in any of these flicks... but that's not the point.
Nerve Endings (Will): The silent film gags Will uses continue to make me laugh. He's got to be the best storyteller in the bunch. I'm worried he may fall on his face when forced to work some dialogue in, but he's still gotta be safe at this point.
Under the Gun (Hillary): I haven't liked anything she's done yet, I don't believe. She seems to slip by every week. And... oh, look... she's filmed crap again. The whole idea here was completely lame, and I don't think I noticed a laugh at all.
(Open side note to Fox: Please, please, PLEASE make Gary Marshall stop trying to be funny.)
How to Have a Girl (David): Last week went kind of rough for him. This was a million times better (and included TWO actors I know this time). The judges are dummies. I laughed more during this than any of this week's other flicks.
Die Hardly Working (Zack): Cute, kinda funny, but not as much as I expected. I think it could have gone even a little farther... maybe if he'd had more time to stretch the idea out. Anyway, I can't trash it, because I liked it a lot. Man this reminds me of my college job managing a movie theater...
I worry that David will go home, but honestly I don't think it would be absolutely terrible. Adam was cruddy, but not as cruddy as Hillary.
Darn -- I wish this show were longer. It's really getting short changed. While America's Got Talent gets two-hour jaunts every week, the show about something people actually care about (movies) is being completely ignored. (Homework: I'm looking for thoughts on why this is...)
Luckily, Jessica got dumped in the pre-taped ousting -- another change due to declining ratings. I hate that the show is being so inconsistent.
Doctor in Law (Shalini): For someone with no confidence, she hit a home run! Clever idea, well executed and overall pretty strong. I wish it could have been longer and more developed, but for two minutes, she gets high marks.
Discovering the Wheels (Adam): Sort of dumb idea that came off better than it probably was. There were a few good laughs, but nothing hilarious. First time I actually recognized an actor in any of these flicks... but that's not the point.
Nerve Endings (Will): The silent film gags Will uses continue to make me laugh. He's got to be the best storyteller in the bunch. I'm worried he may fall on his face when forced to work some dialogue in, but he's still gotta be safe at this point.
Under the Gun (Hillary): I haven't liked anything she's done yet, I don't believe. She seems to slip by every week. And... oh, look... she's filmed crap again. The whole idea here was completely lame, and I don't think I noticed a laugh at all.
(Open side note to Fox: Please, please, PLEASE make Gary Marshall stop trying to be funny.)
How to Have a Girl (David): Last week went kind of rough for him. This was a million times better (and included TWO actors I know this time). The judges are dummies. I laughed more during this than any of this week's other flicks.
Die Hardly Working (Zack): Cute, kinda funny, but not as much as I expected. I think it could have gone even a little farther... maybe if he'd had more time to stretch the idea out. Anyway, I can't trash it, because I liked it a lot. Man this reminds me of my college job managing a movie theater...
I worry that David will go home, but honestly I don't think it would be absolutely terrible. Adam was cruddy, but not as cruddy as Hillary.
Darn -- I wish this show were longer. It's really getting short changed. While America's Got Talent gets two-hour jaunts every week, the show about something people actually care about (movies) is being completely ignored. (Homework: I'm looking for thoughts on why this is...)
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
What's on: Tuesday
Premiering tonight is SHAQ'S BIG CHALLENGE (ABC/9 p.m.). It's one of those feel-good "reality" shows... this time starring basketball star Shaquille O'Neal who will work with a group of overweight youngsters to get them in shape. It's supposed to be talking viewing kids into being healthy, too, though I think watching TV is probably an unhealthy way to learn...
New tonight: On the Lot on Fox; 48 Hours Mystery on CBS; two hours of America's Got Talent on NBC; Frontline/World and POV on PBS; Miami Ink on TLC; Dirty Jobs on Discovery; Kathy Griffin on Bravo; ECW on Sci-Fi.
New tonight: On the Lot on Fox; 48 Hours Mystery on CBS; two hours of America's Got Talent on NBC; Frontline/World and POV on PBS; Miami Ink on TLC; Dirty Jobs on Discovery; Kathy Griffin on Bravo; ECW on Sci-Fi.
Monday, June 25, 2007
What's on: Monday
With the hopes that those watching AGE OF LOVE (9 p.m.) will have nothing important to do for another hour, NBC's got an hourlong special SCIENCE OF LOVE (10 p.m.)... the network describes it as "an eligible bachelor dates two separate women -- one chosen by experts based on his biological and psychological makeup, and the other chosen by him based on raw attraction" -- then they see which one he chooses. I'm not sure what to even say about this.
Also new: Hell's Kitchen on Fox; Big Love on HBO; another three-hour WWE Raw on USA; The Closer and Heartland on TNT; Kyle XY on ABC Family.
Also new: Hell's Kitchen on Fox; Big Love on HBO; another three-hour WWE Raw on USA; The Closer and Heartland on TNT; Kyle XY on ABC Family.
Theater of the mindless
Television will never have the capability to challenge people to use their brains the way books do or even the way some radio does (or did, I suppose, before everyone got all oversensitive -- not to mention the old radio serials). But television's big minds have been trying harder, and all that needs to be posed to the audience is one simple question:
What the heck is going on here?
Thank the people behind Lost for making this a common occurrence in the boob tube medium and for proving that a lot of people actually like to be challenged to participate or at least use their imaginations when it comes to entertainment (though, the love-it-or-hate-it crowd surrounding Lost also proves there are quite a few people who DON'T like to be challenged).
Anyway, what I'm saying is that this is a good thing. Star Wars fans proved a long, long time ago that one basic story can plant the seeds in the mind of a fan and spawn thousands of galaxies worth of stories and ideas -- some good, some bad, but all products of an imagination that's being used. That's why I like Lost, and it's also why I'm starting to dig John from Cincinnati.
John is a simpler story, told in same methodically slow form that it's creators used with Deadwood to great success.But there's mystery there that's starting things up in my head, not the least of which surround John himself and the flapping-dead parakeet that can heal people. And all that surrounds a family more dysfunctional than Ben's "others" ever could be.
What's John? An alien? An angel? Or just "slow?" Is Zippy the one with the healing powers? Or is it Shawn? What did John do to Kai? Why is a drug dealer (Dayton Callie is genius in his Calamity Jane-ish character) flying in from Hawaii to keep an eye on the family and why is he babysitting a high-profile, shallow pocketed customer? Why the heck was Mitch floating? What're Luke Perry and his adorable protege up to?
It's refreshing to find another show that makes people think. Cuz most of the time they just follow the story (if there even is a story and not a bunch of dimwits trying to be the best whatever) and hope it gets them somewhere.
What the heck is going on here?
Thank the people behind Lost for making this a common occurrence in the boob tube medium and for proving that a lot of people actually like to be challenged to participate or at least use their imaginations when it comes to entertainment (though, the love-it-or-hate-it crowd surrounding Lost also proves there are quite a few people who DON'T like to be challenged).
Anyway, what I'm saying is that this is a good thing. Star Wars fans proved a long, long time ago that one basic story can plant the seeds in the mind of a fan and spawn thousands of galaxies worth of stories and ideas -- some good, some bad, but all products of an imagination that's being used. That's why I like Lost, and it's also why I'm starting to dig John from Cincinnati.
John is a simpler story, told in same methodically slow form that it's creators used with Deadwood to great success.But there's mystery there that's starting things up in my head, not the least of which surround John himself and the flapping-dead parakeet that can heal people. And all that surrounds a family more dysfunctional than Ben's "others" ever could be.
What's John? An alien? An angel? Or just "slow?" Is Zippy the one with the healing powers? Or is it Shawn? What did John do to Kai? Why is a drug dealer (Dayton Callie is genius in his Calamity Jane-ish character) flying in from Hawaii to keep an eye on the family and why is he babysitting a high-profile, shallow pocketed customer? Why the heck was Mitch floating? What're Luke Perry and his adorable protege up to?
It's refreshing to find another show that makes people think. Cuz most of the time they just follow the story (if there even is a story and not a bunch of dimwits trying to be the best whatever) and hope it gets them somewhere.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
What's on: Sunday
New tonight: Two episodes of The Loop on Fox, Dateline on NBC; John from Cincinnati, Entourage and Flight of the Conchords on HBO; 4400 and Dead Zone on USA.
Friday, June 22, 2007
What's on: Friday
OK, I can't attest to the quality of the show, since I've never had the pleasure... but the staying power of STARGATE SG-1 (Sci-Fi/8 p.m.) is reason enough for kudos. The series finale tonight is the end of an impressive 10 years.
New tonight: Standoff on Fox; National Bingo Night and 20/20 on ABC; Smackdown on CW; Best Week Ever on VH1; Stargate Atlantis and Painkiller Jane on Sci-Fi.
New tonight: Standoff on Fox; National Bingo Night and 20/20 on ABC; Smackdown on CW; Best Week Ever on VH1; Stargate Atlantis and Painkiller Jane on Sci-Fi.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
What's on: Thursday
David Spade wraps up another season of THE SHOWBIZ SHOW (10:30 p.m.) on Comedy Central. That's really the only thing out of the ordinary tonight.
I'd tell you to watch PIRATE MASTER (CBS/8 p.m.) but you've probably missed too much by now. It's still pretty good for a reality/competition show.
STUDIO 60 (NBC/10 p.m.) is wrapping up a 3-part arc that's been phenomenal. You don't have to believe me. I know.
Also new: Starter Wife on USA; So You Think You Can Dance and 5th Grader on Fox; TNA Impact on Spike.
Conan's been having the bestest guests lately, huh? Tonight it's John Krazanski and Louis C.K. that win him the best-talk-show-of-the-night title.
I'd tell you to watch PIRATE MASTER (CBS/8 p.m.) but you've probably missed too much by now. It's still pretty good for a reality/competition show.
STUDIO 60 (NBC/10 p.m.) is wrapping up a 3-part arc that's been phenomenal. You don't have to believe me. I know.
Also new: Starter Wife on USA; So You Think You Can Dance and 5th Grader on Fox; TNA Impact on Spike.
Conan's been having the bestest guests lately, huh? Tonight it's John Krazanski and Louis C.K. that win him the best-talk-show-of-the-night title.
In the bank
Here's where I have to offer the big SPOILER WARNING... and I'm too tired to even come up with a clever way to introduce it. So tired that I keep zoning out while staring at a movie on TV. And the commercials during that movie... which makes it not even a movie at all. Anyway, my despise for movies on television is a blog for another day. I think I've gone on long enough that I can now start to talk about Rescue Me without someone complaining I've ruined it for them.
Sheila has always irked me. Since the beginning of the show, she's been annoying and whiny and had that awful snotty air to her (proven again with the perfume spritzing because Tommy "smelled like baby"). It's because of that I think I need to finally acknowledge Callie Thorne's phenomenal performance throughout this show's life. Before I've always just shrugged her off for annoying me, but in this week's opening scene, I finally realized what a great job she's been doing.
It all comes down to the screwed up relationship between her and Tommy. She's in love with him. Completely. In love enough that she spent the bulk of last season drugging him so she could have sex with him, that she guilted him into (almost) having a baby and (almost) retiring, and that the drugging went on so long that it almost got both of them killed. He's still there, though, acting strong but in the passenger's seat whenever they're together. They both play their roles well in these instances.
A bigger testament (more to the writing here) is that she's still able to keep him coming back AND keep him in the dark about what really happened that night (that'll be a great exposition when it comes out). It makes her an amazing, though granted unlikely, villain at the same time she's that whiny chihuahua of a character. They cultivated her well.
She's not the only one who's that strong, either. It's uncanny how great the entire cast is -- Lou's character is really well written, but it's his unbeatable comic delivery that does the job; Shawn is the classic bully target and takes a mental and verbal beating better than most characters. Even the fringe characters are stellar -- this week alone Teddy's wife, Mike's mother; Tommy's date-to-be/savior; Adam Ferrara as Chief Nelson. All of them. You can't dispute how well this show's been cast and put together.
Another one of the show's big successes, aside from the ability I mentioned last week to hit a range of emotions in the span of 10 minutes, is it's ability to treat a throw away verbal jab at someone with the same weight and reverence as a paranoid delusion of a dead relative. Johnny showing up under the covers got even me, and I'm just watching this on TV. Cut to commercial. 13 minutes earlier, quip-quip-quip-tension-quip cut to commercial. Both deadpan. Both serious.
Then there's the pure awkwardness on display on this show is another big plus. Where The Office has bury-your-head-awkward moments, this show tackles moments that feel more real. No one digs themselves as big a hole as Michael does on The Office, but Tommy's deposition (in which he's forced to admit to some ... physical shortcomings) is a real life embarrassment. And don't get me started on Shawn's faux pas by mentioning Tommy's wife in the discussion they were having.
Sheila has always irked me. Since the beginning of the show, she's been annoying and whiny and had that awful snotty air to her (proven again with the perfume spritzing because Tommy "smelled like baby"). It's because of that I think I need to finally acknowledge Callie Thorne's phenomenal performance throughout this show's life. Before I've always just shrugged her off for annoying me, but in this week's opening scene, I finally realized what a great job she's been doing.
It all comes down to the screwed up relationship between her and Tommy. She's in love with him. Completely. In love enough that she spent the bulk of last season drugging him so she could have sex with him, that she guilted him into (almost) having a baby and (almost) retiring, and that the drugging went on so long that it almost got both of them killed. He's still there, though, acting strong but in the passenger's seat whenever they're together. They both play their roles well in these instances.
A bigger testament (more to the writing here) is that she's still able to keep him coming back AND keep him in the dark about what really happened that night (that'll be a great exposition when it comes out). It makes her an amazing, though granted unlikely, villain at the same time she's that whiny chihuahua of a character. They cultivated her well.
She's not the only one who's that strong, either. It's uncanny how great the entire cast is -- Lou's character is really well written, but it's his unbeatable comic delivery that does the job; Shawn is the classic bully target and takes a mental and verbal beating better than most characters. Even the fringe characters are stellar -- this week alone Teddy's wife, Mike's mother; Tommy's date-to-be/savior; Adam Ferrara as Chief Nelson. All of them. You can't dispute how well this show's been cast and put together.
Another one of the show's big successes, aside from the ability I mentioned last week to hit a range of emotions in the span of 10 minutes, is it's ability to treat a throw away verbal jab at someone with the same weight and reverence as a paranoid delusion of a dead relative. Johnny showing up under the covers got even me, and I'm just watching this on TV. Cut to commercial. 13 minutes earlier, quip-quip-quip-tension-quip cut to commercial. Both deadpan. Both serious.
Then there's the pure awkwardness on display on this show is another big plus. Where The Office has bury-your-head-awkward moments, this show tackles moments that feel more real. No one digs themselves as big a hole as Michael does on The Office, but Tommy's deposition (in which he's forced to admit to some ... physical shortcomings) is a real life embarrassment. And don't get me started on Shawn's faux pas by mentioning Tommy's wife in the discussion they were having.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
What's on: Wednesday
I could say it every week, though I shouldn't have to. RESCUE ME (FX/10 p.m.). This year started off better than I could have ever imagined. Watch it.
CBS's tossing everything else tonight for a three hour special: AFI's 100 YEARS... 100 MOVIES (8 p.m.), where they'll again try to tell us what the most important movies are and we'll all just go watch Spider-Man again.
Also new: Last Comic Standing and Dateline on NBC; So You Think You Can Dance on Fox; Next Best Thing, American Inventor and Traveler on ABC; two episodes of Hidden Palms on CW; Lil' Bush on Comedy Central; Mythbusters on Discovery; Top Chef on Bravo; Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth on Sci-Fi; Tyler Perry's House of Payne on TBS.
CBS's tossing everything else tonight for a three hour special: AFI's 100 YEARS... 100 MOVIES (8 p.m.), where they'll again try to tell us what the most important movies are and we'll all just go watch Spider-Man again.
Also new: Last Comic Standing and Dateline on NBC; So You Think You Can Dance on Fox; Next Best Thing, American Inventor and Traveler on ABC; two episodes of Hidden Palms on CW; Lil' Bush on Comedy Central; Mythbusters on Discovery; Top Chef on Bravo; Ghost Hunters and Destination Truth on Sci-Fi; Tyler Perry's House of Payne on TBS.
Dumb
Cross platform entertainment continues to be dumb. Not since Goldeneye on N64 has an entertainment property been useful on a video game console. That this idea has even come up makes me nauseous. From Hollywood Reporter:
Ugh.
Publisher MumboJumbo has entered into a multiyear relationship with the Universal Pictures Digital Platforms Group to develop mass-market games based on the NBC series The Office.
Developed and published exclusively by MumboJumbo, The Office game will debut in the fall as a PC game sold at retail and available as an online digital download. Next year, the plan is to create additional games based on The Office license beginning with portable experiences for the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable.
MumboJumbo CEO Mark Cottam said the company is exploring additional avenues for games based on the Emmy-winning series, including digital distribution via Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade and Sony's PlayStation Network Platform.
"We looked at the broad demographic that The Office attracts and see this as a TV property that's growing in popularity," Cottam said. "We believe this is a property we can build a franchise around with multiple games across multiple devices for many years to come."
Mike Suarez, vp product development at MumboJumbo, said the first "Office" game would be classified as a task-management game like "Diner Dash." Players will assume the role of Jim Halpert (John Krasinski in the show) and interact with such other characters as Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) and Michael Scott (Steve Carell).
Suarez said the game introduces a rival notion that hasn't been seen in the genre, which pits Jim against characters like Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) and brings tension to the gameplay
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