Quote of the Week: Of course you don’t. It is a literary reference anyone with a high school diploma would understand unless of course you are a dumb jock who eats his way through a public education system with an eighth grade reading comprehension. And you, what are you like forty-five now? The war is over honey. No more hiding at college to dodge the draft and miserable future of a minimum wage paying job. (Frannie, Greek)
Big News of the Week: A Melancholy Happy Trails to Tim Russert: For my political news, I always turn to NBC and Tim Russert was a big reason for that. I treat election night like a big game, picking up a six pack on the way home, and enjoy the back and forth as the results trickle in. And there are few lasting imagers from the quadruple overtime of the 2000 elections with Tim and his dry erase board which it looked like he just ripped off the door of a local college student. Sadly, I know just heartbreaking it is to know such a political junkie as Russert was that he won’t be around to see the outcome of this historical election. But it says a lot about him, in this time when most newsmen are as fair and balanced as an NBA ref that it wasn’t until watching the coverage of his death that I knew his political leanings. You could also tell that he was one of the few newsmen who, when you heard him talk that he truly enjoyed talking politics and it wasn’t just a job for him. If only news had more newsmen, or people like him. Election Day this year will not be the same without him. For more information on the life of Tim Russert, check out the coverage on MSNBC.com.
Coalition Links of the Week: Katherine Heigl made waves with her statement about Grey's Anatomy while pulling out of the Emmy race this week, but Buzz wondered if perhaps she had a point. (BuzzSugar)
We finally found out just who PJ's mystery date was on the premiere of My Boys. Did she bring along the right guy? If you're a fan of My Boys and in the Boston area, join GMMR & Jamie Kaler (Mike) next week for a My Boys party here in Beantown and watch the second episode with fellow fans. (Give Me My Remote)
Still reeling from her great day on the set of Burn Notice, Rae's got a recap of what happened as well as some visual aids. (RTVW)
Woohoo! It's the Top 20 Dance-Off on So You Think You Can Dance! Vance is super excited and the high level of endorphins from the excitement is probably causing him to love all the dancers so far! (Tapeworthy)
TiFaux was a regular Bloggers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes this week as we gave away all sorts of stuff. But you can still enter to win things like Jackie from Work Out's DVD by e-mailing us. Click the link and enter! (TiFaux)
The casting department at Brothers and Sisters can stop looking for Ryan Walker. Jennifer has found the perfect guy. She also mourned the loss of Men in Trees and celebrated that the Smurfs are coming to the big screen! (Tube Talk)
The TV Addict answers all your TV related questions in his new weekly column Ask the Addict. (The TV Addict)
Raoul talked to Bobby from Hell's Kitchen about Gordon Ramsay, Tourette's Syndrome, and what's next for him. (TV Filter)
Greek: As you can tell by the Quote of the Week I got catch up somewhat with the show thanks to the marathon. Unfortunately thanks to the marathon cutting out two episodes, the Greek website still having weird streaming rules, and my Time Warner Cable rearing its ugly head again, I only got five and a half of the eleven episodes I missed. Hopefully now that I have gotten to the point where Frannie has been reinstated she can go back to her Republican spouting ways and drop at least some of the niceties. Because not only is Nice Frannie not as interesting as a character, as seen from the flashback, Mean Frannie is actually more attractive too. Not sure if that says anything about me. You can stream select episodes on ABCFamily.com or download the whole first season of Greek on iTunes.
Pick for Next Week: The Middleman, Monday at 8:00 on ABC Family: This looks to be one of those shows that will either be the greatest things ever or the worst thing ever put to film (actually do they even put things to film anymore and should I start saying worst thing put on a hard drive?). When watching part of the Greek marathon, I stopped on one commercial in a fake PSA that had me on the floor laughing (see promo above). I should have a preview of the show up on Monday, but who cares what I think when you can preview the show yourself and download the first episode of The Middleman free on iTunes.
Also be sure to check out the Big DVD sale at Amazon.com where you can find all seasons of Scooter Hall of Fame inductee Dukes of Hazzard for under $20 and future SHoF'er Veronica Mars for under $25 and other movies, including Blu-Ray and television shows at up to 60% off.
Last month, southern rockers Old 97's released a decent new album Blame it on Gravity although I may never have heard of them had it not have been for Veronica Mars which featured two of their songs during Donut Run. The song that had me running to my computer to see who it was, which is actually a rarity, was the episode closer Adelaide. Then once I got the song I played it ad nausea for about a month afterwards. There is just something about the line, "Looking down she says things are looking up." Below you can see the Veronica Mars scene is question. I could not find a place you could stream the whole song without being autoplay, but you can download the song for free from the band's label's website New West Records.
It has gotten to the point there are so many female imports, that now they are coming across the pond with just one name. Last month saw the debut from Duffy and now comes 19 from the latest retro leaning lass Adele. But where her counterpoints stop at being one women girl groups of the Motown era, typically thanks to Mark Ronson production, Adele goes back even further with influences like Dusty Springfield and Etta James.
Without Ronson at the helm (aside from Cold Shoulder which is easily recognizable as his), the songs sound more simplistic. This isn’t more evident than on the great kiss off, Best for Last with its single bass guitar and a few friends singing background on the chorus to back up the songstress. That same template also shows up on Crazy for Your, sans the background sings, almost to the same effect. Then on First Love it is just her and an sweet arrangement on a xylophone.
Certainly, most of the rest of the songs get the full band treatment, but the real standout instrument on these tracks remains Adele’s voice. Yeah, much like Duffy, it may take a couple listens to get used to, but once that taste is acquired, this is an album that won’t get old quick and it is her voice that saves these songs from boring Norah Jones territory. For the best example of where she just lets go vocally, check out Melt My Heart to Stone.
It is only when Adele speeds things up for something more danceable and in Amy Winehouse’s wheelhouse do things just don’t feel right like on Right as Rain. Speaking of things that just don’t work, the Bob Dylan penned To Make You Feel My Love, the only song on the album not written by Adele, just feels out of place and may have been better off staying in the realm of old dudes like Billy Joel.
Living all my life above the Mason Dixon, I would be able to tell you the difference between Bill Engvall and Bill Bixby. But apparently he was part of the Blue Color Comedy thing with the king redneck Jeff Foxworthy and his series, the appropriately titled The Bill Engvall Show, is the top rated family sitcom on TBS and even set records as ad-supported cable’s number one sitcom of all time among adults 25-54. This is pretty impressive until you of just how little the amount of ad-supported cable sitcom their have been. But anyways.
For those of you like me and missed the first season, let me catch you up to speed. The show is billed as a traditional sitcom (i.e. the ones you remember from the 80’s) and Engvall is just your regular guy with a regular wife (Nancy Travis) raising three kids in the suburbs. Of course being a traditional sitcom, none of these siblings possibly came from the same gene pool. The youngest, naturally is the smartest of the bunch, presumably a genius, while his older brother received the Danny DeVito in Twins treatment and got not brain cells and floats around in full surfer mode. Then there is the eldest daughter who is just too cool for the rest of the clan and has as much street smarts as her youngest brother has book smarts.
Then out of nowhere, Tim Meadows of all people pops up as Engvall’s old friends from way back. The show is remotely entertaining in a stop and enjoys some wholesome fun when flipping past TV Land kind of way. The first episode of the season starts off with the children going on strike when Bill asks them to clean the garage and hilarity ensues when they fight with their parents on who will back down first. The second finds Bill fighting with his cell phone provider and really who cannot laugh at how painful it is to talk to these people.
The Bill Engvall Show premieres this Thursday at 9:00 on TBS.
My Boys seems to be the perfect summer show, it isn’t good enough to divert your attention during the regular season, but is decent enough to keep you from watching all the crappy reality shows that populate the warmer months. Last season ended with PJ heading off to Rome and TBS has forbidden me from revealing who is actually on the plane, but I can say, well nothing because the whole episode revolves around who is on the trip.
So let’s move onto the second episode of the season which was much more entertaining. First, the episode feels more like the series feel during the first season with PJ back with her boys playing poker and the like. This episode also introduces Andy’s new hot nanny which naturally all the guys try to hook up with.
TBS also sent along some clips, one of the opening scene with JP on the plane and the other with the boys back in Chicago not functioning well without here. My Boys premieres this Thursday at 9:30 on TBS. You can also relive the first season, and download the new season as it airs by downloading My Boys on iTunes.
Ask and you shall receive. Not long after mentioning that if anyone sends me free food I would shamelessly mention their project when The Closer sent me cookies did I receive a box of Mountain Dew. In a measure of full disclosure, I stopped drinking pop (or as Jo likes to call it, soda) around college and stopped drinking Mountain Dew around high school when I first heard the urban legend of what the pop does to a man’s manhood. But since the new Dew do not have the infamous yellow dye that is rumored to have the side effect I went ahead and gave it a try because it id free and I’m shameless.
Just a little back story, last November Mountain Dew let its drinkers create the next Mountain Dew choosing the flavor, color, logo and label through a series of online games. But if American Karaoke has taught us anything, letting people vote isn’t the way to success (the show has produced much more flops than actual idols) so we are suck with such silly names as Voltage, Revolution, and Supernova, instead of simpler, more descriptive names like Raspberry Citrus, Wild Berry Fruit, and Strawberry Melon, which is what the flavors of each of the drinks are respectively. And apparently the internet loves ginseng because each drink has it.
Being that each drink has some sort of “berry” in it, the flavors don’t taste too much different, but I would give the slight edge to Supernova with Voltage in a close second. None of these drink will get back to drinking pop full time, but any would be a nice change of pace from the usually Coke/Pepsi you find at most cookouts and the like. But who cares what I think, since all the cans hit the shelves earlier this month, you can give each try yourself and then go to DEWmocracy.com and vote your favorite, with the lead vote getter becoming a permanent flavor at the end of the summer.
Big New of the Week: Jeffrey Tambor, Gary Cole, and Rob Thomas All in One Place: When talking about next year’s schedule I asked where were the Rob Thomas shows were at and apparently at least one is still in development as it was announced that Tambor (Arrested Development) and Gary Cole (Office Space) will star in the pilot joining another AD vet Mae Whitman who was last not seen on Bionic Woman when she was replaced with someone more attractive and with less acting ability.
Coalition Links of the Week: To kick off Summer TV, Buzz listed her top 10 reasons to keep your TV on during the hotter months. (BuzzSugar)
Rae's in Miami visiting the set of Burn Notice but she's still got time to tease us with a few tidbits from the dinner with showrunner and creator Matt Nix. (RTVW)
Vance has always loved the Midwest (People are seriously SO nice AND good looking there!) so no wonder he loved the most dancers at the auditions in Milwaukee for So You Think You Can Dance. (Tapeworthy)
This week, Jace couldn't have been more angry than upon seeing sourpuss Lisa advance her way into the final round on Top Chef. Grr. (Televisionary)
Apparently the ratings for The Mole were in the crapper for the season premiere. However, Dan still thinks it's a reasonably good reality show that is worth sticking with. (TiFaux)
Smallville fans are still mourning the loss of Michael Rosenbaum's departure for next season, but the news that the Green Arrow (Justin Hartley) has signed on as a regular cast member is softening the blow for Jennifer. I mean, have you seen him in the green leather?! (Tube Talk)
We started our desperate attempt to fill the summer with 'interesting content' by posting the first of what will no doubt be many look backs at the 2007-08 television season. (the TV Addict)
Kate talked to the cast of How I Met Your Mother about life, love and just who is the mother? (TV Filter)
Fear Itself: So I basically only watched of Landry Clarke and it was basically what I expected, not really my thing. And it was a little weird seeing Landry not be Landry.
Next Week’s Pick: My Boys, Thursday at 9:30 on TBS: The first season was mildly entertaining and the second season promises to start right where the first left off with PJ going to Rome with a mystery man. Baring a catastrophe, I should have a preview of the show, along with The Bill Engvall Show which also has its season premiere right before My Boys.
Also, if you are like me and missed the second half of the first season of Greek, ABC Family is having at mini marathon starting a noon of the show leading up to the first season finale.
where you can find all seasons of Scooter Hall of Fame inductee Dukes of Hazzard for under $20 and future SHoF'er Veronica Mars for under $25 and other movies, including Blu-Ray and television shows at up to 60% off.
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on my 
treatment and got not brain cells and floats around in full surfer mode. Then there is the eldest daughter who is just too cool for the rest of the clan and has as much street smarts as her youngest brother has book smarts.
