Remember back in your youth of all the television shows that you could watch with your family. ABC even gave its block a name: TGIF. Really everything at 8:00 was family friendly. Then all that changed earlier this decade a shift came where everything had to have some kind of edge to it, no there is nary a television show that is suitable for the under fifteen crowd even at 8:00. It seems like the only shows that don’t feature anything offensive is on the Disney Channel.
So what is a family to do to see television that won’t corrupt the minds of the little ones but can still appeal to the parents: well there is always The Bill Engvall Show. If it weren’t for the references to iPods and other millennium devises, you could mistake the show for something rerunning on Nick at Night. And despite also appearing on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, this isn’t a Jeff Foxworthy show retread full of redneck jokes, the show takes place in Colorado.
The third season starts up tonight with back to back episodes with the show tackling ripped from the headlines subjects as money getting tight and the family having to make some expense cuts. But apparently their neighbor Mr. Faulkner isn’t feeling the pinch because he has just installed a hot tub that unfortunately for Bill can be seen from his bedroom window.
The Bill Engvall Show airs Saturdays at 9:00 on TBS. You can stream recent episodes over at TBS.com. You can also download The Bill Engvall Show on iTunes.
Just how much does Buster Bluth want you to check out his new webseries CTRL, well he sent along this message:
Yep that was Buster giving me a shout out and apparently we are so close we are just on a first name basis. The CTRL that he speaks of is a ten webseries that follows an office worker drone as he figures out that his keyboard has special powers after it gets dosed with liquids. Most notably is the first couple episodes is the CTRL-Z, or redo button. Sure we have seen redo done before (most notably Groundhog Day) but here Buster is controlling when and how far back he resets to humorous results. In the second episode, Buster utilized the CTRL-B (i.e. bold) function.
Along for the ride are Steve Howey (Reba) as Buster’s tool of a boss and his love interest in the form of Emy Coligado (Malcolm in the Middle). Where CTRL excels is that the five minute runtime is a perfect length. But don’t take my word for it, check out the first episode:
As you can tell by the embedded video, you can watch CTRL on Hulu (there are two other episodes currently available) but you can find the videos almost everywhere: stream it at NBC.com, USANetworks.com. Via mobile on NBC Wrap, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and MobiTV. Find it on your Video on Demand channel for Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter, Dish Networks, Verizon, AT&T, and Cablevision. You can even download it through Xbox, Zune, Amazon Video on Demand, Sony Playstation Networks, and iTunes (the last of which you can download for free). Seriously, you have no excuse not to check it out. Plus Buster asked nicely.
It was four years ago this month that I posted my first Lyrics Quiz and since has hosted one every month (sans one) since. To celebrate I thought I would give a little something back in the form of a $5 gift card from your choice of iTunes or Amazon MP3 to pick up a few songs. What I have done is put a popular song by a popular artist or band through iTunes Genius feature and composed the quiz with lyrics from the first twenty-five songs listed in order (note: I skipped over songs that repeated artists already used for this quiz). Place your guesses in the comment section (or e-mail me) with both artist and song title. If you are correct I will un-bold the lyrics and give you credit. For the theme you can guess once a day until the next quiz is posted on August 15. You must correctly the artist and song title to win the gift card. If you guess via the comment section, be sure I know your e-mail so I can contact you if you win. Now onto the quiz:
1. Yeah, she tells you she’s an orphan after you meet her family. (She Talks to Angels - The Black Crowes; guessed by Curtis) 2. Can you see them on the porch? Yeah, but they don’t wave. (Yellow Ledbetter - Pearl Jam; guessed by Curtis) 3. I’m a devil on the run, a six gun lover, a candle in the wind. (Blaze of Glory - Bon Jovi; guessed by Curtis) 4. Never opened myself this way. Life is ours: we live it our way. All these words I don’t just say. (Nothing Else Matters - Metallica; guessed by Curtis) 5. Now maybe I didn’t mean to treat you oh so bad, but I did it anyway. 6. Feeling uninspired, think I’ll start a fire. (Creep - Stone Temple Pilots; guessed by Curtis) 7. I want to hold the hand inside you. I want to take a breath that’s true. 8. My heart’s like an open book for the whole world to read. (Home Sweet Home - Mötley Crüe; guessed by Curtis) 9. Babe, you know you’re growing up so fast. And mama’s worrying that you won’t last to say “Let’s play.” (Sister Christian - Night Ranger; guessed by Curtis) 10. It's gonna take a little time, time is sure to mend your broken heart. Don’t you even worry pretty darling. 11. Give me a warning, give me a sing. Show me where to look, tell me what will I find. (Shine - Collective Soul; guessed by Curtis) 12. Right behind the rear-view mirror now. Got the feeling, power steering, pistons popping, ain’t no stopping now. (Panama - Van Halen; guessed by Curtis) 13. Ain’t found a way to kill me yet. Eyes burn with stinging sweat. Seems every path leads me to nowhere. 14. I'm not scared. Light my candles. In a daze cause I’ve found God. (Lithium - Nirvana; guessed by Anonymous) 15. In the midnight hour she cried more, more, more. (Rebel Yell - Billy Idol; guessed by Curtis) 16. Saying I love you is not the words I want to hear from you. (More Than Words - Extreme; guessed by Curtis) 17. And the embers never fade in your city by the lake. The place where you were born. 18. Think about how many times I have fallen. Spirits are guising me, larger voices calling. What heaven brought me and you cannot be forgotten. 19. At night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet and a freight train running through the middle of my head. (I'm on Fire - Bruce Springteen; guessed by Curtis) 20. Heard it from a friend who heard it a friend who heard it from another you’ve messing around. (Take it on the Run - R.E.O. Speedwagon; guessed by Curtis) 21. And the greatest of teachers won’t hesitate to leave you there, by yourself, chained to fate. 22. I’ve been singing with my band, across the water, across the land. I’ve seen every blue eyed floozy on the way. (Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen; guessed by Curtis) 23. 'Til now, I always got by on my own; I never really cared until I met you. (Alone - Heart; guessed by Curtis) 24. Now I’m walking again to the beat of a drum and I’m counting the steps to the door of your heart. (Don't Dream it's Over - Crowded House; guessed by Curtis) 25. This mountain I must climb feels like the world upon my shoulder. Through the clouds I see love shine. It keeps me warm as life grows colder.
There has been every variation of cop shows, all of which of which have been overdone many times over. Except for one, cops that go deep cover. Sure we have seen it on the big screen multiple times, but not much on the small one; until now. Wednesday sees the premiere of Dark Blue that follows a undercover team that is so covert that only one person in the LAPD knows about them, not even the FBI, in the form of Lily and Duncan Kane’s father, knows about them. Naturally that causes some problems for those under cover when they show up on the FBI’s radar.
The team is headed up by Dylan McDermott (The Practice) who doesn’t seem to sleep ever, and his body and demeanor defiantly shows wear, but still gets his job done. Omari Hardwick (Next Day Air) is the good boy of the group who has a wife to go home to when the case is over but is starting to have problems to keep his cover and real lives separate.
On the other end of the spectrum is Logan Marshall-Green (Traveler) who his team members sometime even are not sure whose side is he on. And as good of an actor and as intense as he gets in his scenes, it is still hard to think “is that Kevin Federline” whenever he is on screen. And what cop show would not be complete without a rookie, and for Dark Blue that quota is filled by Nicki Aycox (you probably know her better as Carol Vessey’s kid sister Stella) who may have more than a few skeletons in her closet. And that may be why she gets picked.
What may be a problem with the show is that it looks like it will feature a case of the week and how can a case that needs deep cover be solved in about forty minutes? Although if the show focuses more on the characters and how being deep cover affects them, it may end up being something worth checking out. And maybe having a Kevin Federline look-a-like will stop being distracting after a few episodes.
Dark Blue airs Wednesdays at 10:00n on TNT and is preceded at 9:00 by Leverage. If you cannot get enough of the show after it premieres tomorrow, head over to DarkBlueUndercover.com to play a game based on the show.
Leverage was the surprise hit of last year and really the only new watchable show of last season that didn’t involve a bunch of tools. No these were a bunch of thieves hit with a touch of the Robin Hood syndrome when they realized they could make as much money stealing from the rich and corrupt and giving back to the poor and needy and live off their cut of the profits. Granted the end of last season saw the group going their own separate ways.
Naturally by the time the second season starts up this Wednesday at 9:00, the gang will somehow find their way back to each other, this time in a new town and even a new coast three months after the events of last season. The first case back is ripped from the headlines. Well sort of in that it involves evil bankers who put both hand out to the government after their ineptitude. But there is definitely a twist that you won’t see in any newspaper.
Leverage airs Wednesdays at 9:00 on TNT and is followed at 10:00 by new show Dark Blue. You can stream recent episodes at TNT.tv. You can also download Leverage on iTunes or Amazon Video on Demand (see below). If you cannot get enough Leverage, head over to LeverageHQ to play the Get Ready to Get Even game.
When I talked about the second season of Locked Up Abroad I suggested they profile Michael Fey, the dude who got a bunch of lashes for graffiti in The Philippines in the nineties. Unfortunately that incident isn’t features for the third season starting up this Wednesday at 10:00 on the National Geographic Channel.
The season does starts off with something a little more topical these days than Fey with a couple of journalist getting captured by insurgents in Iraq. Since both war reporter Scott Taylor and Turkish journalist Zeynep Tugrul are both interviewed about their experienced, it is obvious that both make it out of the country unscaved after five days of capture, it doesn’t make all the twist and turns of their journey any less exciting as there were a good four times one, or both, could have easily been killed by somehow escaped the predicament they were in.
Later in the season, Locked Up Abroad travels to Barbados, Ecuador, Jamaica and India. Like previous season, the episodes are heavy on drug smuggling, be it knowingly or unwillingly. Seriously, if you or one of your friends are offered to go to a tropical location all expense paid and then some, you really want to watch an episode of Locked Up Abroad before accepting. The season also features a Royal Marine caught in the middle of a civil war of Sierra Leone.
For those not familiar with Locked Up Abroad, it is a documentary style program that features no narrator or anyone else except the voices of those captured in a strange country while actors recreate the trials they went through during their ordeal. Below you can check out a behind the scenes preview of the season premiere.
Locked Up Abroad airs Wednesdays at 10:00 on the National Geographic Channel. You can stream recent episodes on Hulu.
Before I get into some press releases that that have come across my inbox, let’s take a look at what other members of the TV Blogger Coalition have been talking about this past week:
So You Think You Can Dance has finally cut it down to the Top 10! Vance still doesn't really know who his favorite is yet. (Tapeworthy)
Sex and Candy! This week, Jace had an exclusive interview with True Blood's baby vampire Jessica Hamby, a.k.a. actress Deborah Ann Woll. (Televisionary)
After watching 16 and Pregnant, Marisa felt pretty good about her decision to not get knocked up in high school. And to not buy that baby a dirtbike. (TiFaux)
Ashley checked out ABC Family's 10 Things I Hate About You and decided it didn't live up to the Heath Ledger classic. (Tube Talk)
The premiere was too long, and the characters a bit too cliched, but Matt will stick with Warehouse 13 this summer. (TV Fanatic)
Buzz wondered: Are there any TV genres you just won't watch under any circumstances? (BuzzSugar)
One more link before I move on, as I have mentioned earlier, I was invited to be a panelist for the recent Hulu Awards which have been revealed one award at a time for the last couple weeks. I did a write up for the winner for Best TV Drama, Friday Night Lights. Head over to The Hulu Review to see what I had to say and to check out all the winners announced so far.
Below you will see blurbs on The Top 7 TV Moments of the Week, The Tonight Show, Untamed and Uncut, Meteor, and Warehouse 13.
- Also taking about what has been happening this past week on television is TV Guide who is counting down the Top 7 Moments of the Week including Michael Jackson, Wimbledon, and um, Bill O’Reilly?
- Ever wonder where the musical guests hang out before performing on The Tonight Show? Take a look at the video below to find out:
- A new episode of Untamed and Uncut on Animal Planet tomorrow at 9:00 and here is a video of what you can expect (and yes it is as wild as the title suggests):
- Did ABC’s recent Impact leave you wanting more something’s going to crash into the Earth mini-series? Well you are in luck because tomorrow at 9:00 starts NBC’s Meteor. And as an added bonus, it has better actors in it including Jason Alexander, Ernie Hudson and Christopher Lloyd. Check out a sneak peak below:
- Warehouse 13 launched the new SyFy channel and it seemed like everyone either loved it or hated it. To see for yourself if you have not already, you can watch the first episode on Hulu or as I write this you can download it from iTunes for free and in HD.
- A few debuts coming this week, so be on the lookout for previews in the next couple of days for Locked Up Abroad, Leverage, Dark Blue, The Bill Engvall Show, and new online program CTRL.
Quote of the Week: This is Armani. Pimp! Armani! (The Hateable Dan LeBatard, Pardon the Interruption)
Song of the Week: Say, Say, Say – Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson (as sung by The Hateable Dan LeBatard and J.A. Adande, Pardon the Interuption)
Big News of the Week: ABC Trickles onto Hulu: Three weeks ago Hulu announced their Hulu Days of Summer releasing something new for two months straight. The first two week saw the addition of Dead Like Me and mostly movies but I wondered how they would actually be able to do so all summer. Well this past Monday saw the inclusion of Grey’s Anatomy thus launching ABC’s addition to the video streaming site. That was followed by Desperate Housewives, Better Off Ted, The Superstars and I Survived a Japanese Game Show. So far only shows from ABC proper had been added but I expect other subsidiaries (ABC Family, Disney Channel, Soap Net, etc.) will soon follow in upcoming weeks.
Kings: See, I told you the Queen should kill that chick. Seriously, what took her so long? And it looks like Silas is back to flip flopping on David. Ugg. You can stream current episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download Kings on iTunes.
Eli Stone: What was with the random Grace-centric episode? She was only in one episode and was never heard about for most of the season with Eli moving on to Maggie and then out of nowhere Eli is thinking about her only for him to see her in a flashback. Just odd. You can stream current episodes over at ABC.com. You can also download Eli Stone on iTunes.
Charm School with Ricki Lake: This is what I hate about this show, they boot the person who has changed the most for the one that “needs more work.” When you are done to the final five you can’t pull they, they should know by now not to call other people “retards.” Not that it will keep me from watching. You can also download Charm School with Ricki Lake on iTunes.
Rescue Me: No drug induced musical number this week? Well of course the male stripper doesn’t count. That scene just went on too long You can stream current episodes over at Hulu.
The Philanthropist: I an era where every show seems to use narration ad nausea, the show is sure clever with it’s narration, be it trying to impress a barmaid, avoiding a hostile takeover in the board room or chatting up a prime minister. Creativity always gets points in my book. Although Paris is certainly not as exotic as Nigeria or Burma. You can stream current episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download The Philanthropist on iTunes.
Free Download of the Week: X5 Free Sampler - Golden Voices (Amazon MP3): Here is one for the fans of the classics with songs by Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald and three others to ask your grandparents about. Not as old, but while at Amazon you will want to also pick up this free live Sam Cooke song.
Video of the Week: One show that was ready for Upfronts was Day One and the first glimpse of the show leaked to the interwebs this week. It actually had me sucked in until the curly headed dude started screaming, “it doesn’t matter, they’re already dead!” which caused me to laugh and it was all downhill from there. But it still stars the highly likeable Julie Gonzalo so I may still give it a try. And hey, it can’t possibly be worse than Heroes. Right? Hopefully NBC releases a better quality trailer soon. When they do I will repost it.
Next Week Pick of the Week: Leverage, Wednesday at 9:00 on TNT: Leverage was the surprise show of last season having just the right mix of action, drama, and comedy. With a new season comes a new game to coincide with the new season. Head over to LeverageHQ.com to play Get Ready to Get Even.
Leverage will be followed by new show Dark Blue which comes with its own game you can find at DarkBlueUndercover.com. Look out for more on both shows before their premieres.
With the recent release of her latest album, I went back and took a listen to some of the earlier work of Regina Spektor. Fidelity may have been the song the broke her and featured on a few television shows, but my favorite of hers is still On the Radio. It is hard not to enjoy a singer-songwriter on the piano wax poetic about November Rain.
I am very cautious when it comes to award winning and critically acclaimed movies. I am still bitter at checking out Crash after it garnered an Academy Award for best movie only for it to be the worst thing I have ever seen on film (naturally it ended winning the top honors that year). So I wasn’t quick to check out one of the most critically acclaimed movies of last year, Gran Torino. If fact the only reason why I did was because I had a free rental for Redbox, but there was some slim pickings, it was either that or An American Carol.
What the pretentious critics failed to mention in their reviews was how Gran Torino basically was the feel good racist movie, possibly not of just last years, but for all of the 00’s. Basically the movie was a hundred minutes of Clint Eastwood (Space Cowboys) spouting every racial slur you could think of, and even some I have never even heard before. I am not sure it was the intent of the movie to be so funny, but I laughed throughout.
Certainly the critics didn’t enjoy the movie for its possible humor but how the movie depicted urban plight and the artsy ending. As for the urban plight, the movie centers around Eastwood after the death of his wife stuck in Detroit with just his dog to keep him company after the middle class moved out of the city, including his sons who currently reside in McMansions with their disrespectful offspring, with minorities replacing them.
It is the Hmong neighbors that take a liking to him after standing up to local gang members that are harassing them. It is the daughter of the family (Ahneh Her in her first ever role and steals every scene she is in) that despite getting called ever name Eastwood can think of invites him over for a family cookout. Luckily for the viewers, he is out of beer and is promised that dog isn’t on the menu so he decides to take her up on the offer.
For anyone who gets upsets at getting called named, pay close attention to the scene where Eastwood takes the Hmong boy to his barber (played by Drew Carey’s cross-dressing brother). For those that don’t just sit back and enjoy the feel good racist movie of the decade.
Sometimes you have to wonder if producers have some sort of IMDB randomizer to decide what crappy remake they are going to do next. Seriously, is anyone clamoring for a TJ Hooker movie? The latest randomizer apparently landed on 10 Things I Hate About You, the late nineties modern adaptation of Taming of the Shrew. So for those keeping track at home, it is a play made into a movie, made into a television series.
The names and characters remain the same from the movie, but the circumstances have changed a little as it is the Stratford sisters are the new ones at the school. But the big rule of Bianca not being able to date until Kat does is still in place, but on the television show it doesn’t look like either will be doing so anytime soon.
One of the major problems with this reboot is the acting. Both Ethan Peck (he has a grandfather named Gregory) as Patrick and Dana Davis (Prom Night) as Chastity try too hard to be cool, or at least too cool for school. Nicholas Braun (Princess Protection Program) is likeable enough but his AV friend is just straight up annoying. While Lindsey Shaw (Aliens in America) has her moments, like the Kim Jong-Il reference, but still has yet to find a footing in the role yet.
The writing isn’t that engaging either. The show doesn’t quite decide yet if it just wants stretch out the storyline of the movie or plot its own course. And though it seems like it wants to match the mix of comedy and drama that fellow channel show Greek does, but is rarely funny or has anything to emotionally invest in just yet.
The only redeeming qualities of the first episode are the always reliable Larry Miller (10 Things I Hate About You) who reprises his role as the overcautious dad who dishes out a pretty ingenious punishment to one of his daughters. The other being Meaghan Jette Martin (Camp Rock) who is just cute as a button (I am choosing my words very carefully here as not to raise the attention of Chris Hansen) and has the daunting task of filling the shoes of Alex Mac k and does a decent job doing so.
It is possible that the show can iron out its problems quite quickly and turn into a likeable younger version of Greek, but personally I may pass and wait until the inevitable televised version of She's All That.
10 Things I Hate About You airs Tuesdays at 8:00 on ABC Family. For those that cannot wait until tonight, or just want to watch the show without commercials, you can currently download the Pilot for free on iTunes.
Before I get into some press releases you may be into that have found their way into my inbox, let me remind you that you have until Friday to enter the Ice Road Truckers DVD Prize Package. Click the link for more information on how to enter and full rules. Also here are this week’s TV Blog Coalition links of the week:
The group dance on the So You Think You Can Dance results show was a perfect time to show the differences in camerawork from the Canadian version. Vance shows an example, plus discusses Top 14 week. (Tapeworthy)
This week, Jace proposed that not all culinary-themed television series are created equal, ranking such series as Bravo's Top Chef Masters, BBC America's F Word, Food Network's Chopped, and FOX's Hell's Kitchen. (Televisionary)
As The Fashion Show reaches its halfway point, Dan discovered the cause of all the chew marks on the show's scenery -- useless co-host Kelly Rowland. (TiFaux)
Matt can't believe that Showtime has pulled off a half-hour drama. But Nurse Jackie does it well. (TV Fanatic)
This week GMMR & Ducky posted not one, but two new podcasts for your listening pleasure. Check out our So You Think You Can Dance Top 14 podcast as well as our latest summer viewing podcast in which we talk about True Blood, Nurse Jackie, Supernatural and more. (The TV Talk Podcast)
Buzz is giving away a trip for two to the So You Think You Can Dance finale! All you have to do is test your SYTYCD trivia knowledge to be entered. (BuzzSugar)
- It looks like Josh Ranall will be stick around on Raising the Bar awhile as Michelle’s beau although I am not sure I want to see Dr. Mike Burton as a crooked cop. But I do want to see more of John Michael Higgins and they will both be back tonight. Here is a preview of that episode:
- Animal Planet’s Untamed and Uncut retuned last week and if you missed it, here is a clip from last night’s episode (be warned it can get intense) and remember new episodes air at 9:00 on Sundays:
- Another show that recently premiered a new season was Hooked on National Geographic Channel. Below is a clip of last week’s premiere and you can catch a new episode tonight at 10:00:
- For those of you out there that are Project Runway fans, Newsweek is currently running a question submission for an upcoming interview of the judges for the show. Head over to http://www.facebook.com/Newsweek to submit your questions. And while you are there, be sure to let Newsweek know their new format looks like a crappy yearbook layout.
- I would also like to point out that Dead Like Me recently hit Hulu just weeks after I bought the complete series. On the bright side I also got the movie along with the set and it currently isn’t on Hulu. But anyway you catch it, I highly recommend checking out the show for yourself. You can watch the Pilot below or head over to the Dead Like Me page on Hulu:
Before I get into the best of the past week, let me remind you to enter the Ice Road Trucker Giveaway where you can pick up the first two seasons on DVD and more. Click the banner to the left to see how to enter.
Quote of the Week: Save it for your inevitable reality show. If Mr. Stone does work for God I’m not going to chance damnation by disqualifying him. (Judge Marcia Phelps – Eli Stone)
Big News of the Week: Michael Jackson: After passing away late last week, Jackson dominated the news this week which I am sure Mark Sanford was happy to see happen. And that looks to continue with his public viewing next week and funeral. His death even highlighted how bad the record business is these days as four of his albums outsold the Top 200 number one album last week. And are there really that many people out there that didn’t already have a copy of Thriller or were those just people updating their cassettes, vinyl, or 8-track to CD or digital?
Kings: What I don’t understand is why didn’t the Queen have the chick that was blackmailing her killed? She’s the Queen. Certainly there is someone loyal enough to her that would do that and get her back all the incriminating evidence. You can stream current episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download Kings on iTunes.
Eli Stone: So by sleeping with Eli, Maggie was able to over him? Huh? Doesn’t that women more clingy? If only that worked in the real world. You can stream current episodes over at ABC.com. You can also download Eli Stone on iTunes.
Charm School with Ricki Lake: Well that was anticlimactic. Bay Bay Bay is given the chance to bring somebody back, which she never should have in the first place, just to agonize over it and in the end doesn’t do so. You can also download Charm School with Ricki Lake on iTunes.
Rescue Me: Hopefully just because Garrity is awake he will still be pumped up with enough drugs to give us a couple more musical numbers. Or maybe have Teddy try to suffocate him again. But what a disturbing ending with Tommy burning himself. Hopefully that doesn’t get revisited. You can stream current episodes over at Hulu.
The Philanthropist: Nice little history lesson with some entertainment. Surprising though, that after much discussion that Burma is the better name, Myanmar was the name of the episode. This episode was hurt a little by the recent news story about how some nut job was able to swim to the house and stayed the night. You can stream current episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download The Philanthropist on iTunes.
Free Download of the Week: Pilot - 10 Things I Hate About You (iTunes): ABC Family has always been good about free downloads and now you can get the premiere of their new show 10 Things I Hate About You for free before it even airs and in HD. Want more free stuff from the network? You can also download the first episode of their other new show, Make it or Break It for free and in HD.
Deal of the Week: TV Under $15 (Sledge Hammer!, The Lone Gunmen, King of the Hill)
Next Week Pick of the Week: Eli Stone, Saturday at 10:00 on ABC: Only two episodes left. And just when you thought being banished to Saturday wasn’t bad enough, having the second to last episode air on July Fourth is just mean. But I guess that is why God gave us a VCR (or Tivo’s for you pretentious types).And it will also will be available on the network’s website. Which gets me thinking, when exactly is ABC going to add their shows to Hulu?
There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I thought I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.
Here is a song that I want to link more than I do. I absolutely despise auto-tune and having one of the most prevalent rappers of the decade in Jay-Z come out against it would vindicate my hatred. But like much of his post-retirement songs, it falls a little flat when you put it up against his classics.
Another reason why the Jay-Z doesn’t fully work is that he got beat to to ripping the Steam chorus by lightweight Kristinia DeBarge who pretty much killed any credibility the word swagger had left in this song. And to answer the question everyone is thinking, yes she is an offspring of a member of 80’s greats DeBarge (don’t tell me you don’t remember Rhythm of the Night or the theme to Short Circuit, Who’s Johnny. And don’t tell me you don’t remember Short Circuit).
About a week ago a buddy of mine told me to be on the lookout for a new Leighton Meesters to hit the web soon and, um, this is a bit disappointing if this is what he was talking about. Apparently no one involved in the song got Jay-Z’s memo. In the range of television personalities turned singers, Meetsters’ singing ability probably lands somewhere between Jennifer Love Hewitt and Paris Hilton. And the dude from Cobra Starship is now in the running for biggest douche of 2009.
There seems to be a lot of Teen Wolf in pop culture lately, the latest being the video by Jet, to the point I wonder how soon until we get a remake starring McLovin as The Wolf and Ellen Paige as Boof. Actually, I might watch that.
Twenty years ago this month saw the release of one of the truly classic movies in cinematic history. No I am not refereeing to Batman, Ghostbusters II, Lethal Weapon 2 or even Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, all of which landed in the top ten grossing movies of that year. I am talking about a movie that may not have even cracked the top one hundred that year, but still manages to be inducted into the Scooter Hall of Fame: UHF starting and written by “Weird Al” Yankovic.
For a decade, Al had been putting smiles on our faces with his witty parodies of songs, so UHF seemed like a natural progression for Al to lampoon movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark (The Last Crusade was the highest grossing film of 1989), television like The Beverly Hillbillies and even commercials like Spatula City. Sadly the film did so poorly; the movie remains the only one he has ever written.
UHF is also noteworthy as it featured a relatively unknown actor named Michael Richards who would later that year get cast as Cosmo Kramer in Seinfeld. No word if Jerry saw UHF and decided to add the simple minded janitor turned children show host to his cast, but I will just go on living my life thinking so.
Naturally being a “Weird Al” vehicle, there was an accompanying album which featured the previously mentioned Beverly Hillbillies which was put to the tune of Money for Nothing by Dire Straits. Tone Loc got his own television twist with the Gilligan’s Island themed Isle Thing. There were even some of the ads from the movies that made it into the soundtrack like the trailer for the action flick Gandhi II. There was also the token food song with R.E.M.’s Stand being converted to Spam and the prerequisite polka set to Rolling Stone tunes.
(Scooter's Note: This contest has ended. Congratulations to Angie in Indiana for winning the DVD's. Check back later for more contests.)
As the mercury keeps on rising this summer, one way to cool down is to crank the air conditioner and tune into History on Sundays at 9:00 for literally the coolest show on television Ice Road Truckers. And if that is not enough for you, there is also an Ice Road Truckers app that you can download on iTunes for free (if you haven’t already as 35,000 people did in its first week). For those that want even more I am giving away an Ice Road Truckers prize pack that includes:
- American Originals (Which includes Season 1 of Ice Road Truckers and On and Off the Ice on DVD)
To enter the contest, send me an e-mail me, ScooterKSU(at)aol(dot)com (subject: Ice Road Trucker), and tell me what was the toughest job you ever had. Be creative and keep in mind it doesn’t have to be a paid profession. The contest ends Friday, July 10 at 11:59 PM EST. The winner will be picked at random from all eligible entries and will be contacted shortly after. Also this contest is only open to people with shipping addresses in the United States.
If you would like to double up your chances of winning, the good people over at TVScreener.com are also hosting a contest.
For more information on Ice Road Truckers, head over to History.com. You can also check there complete list of American Original DVD Sets. And you can also download season three episodes of Ice Road Truckers on iTunes after they are as well as season two and the most dangerous episodes for those that do not win the contest.
Samuel L. Jackson is back for his fourth ESPY hosting gig which remains one of the most entertaining award shows of the year. Two awards we already know that will be given out July 19 are The Arthur Ashe Courage Award will be given to Nelson Mandela while Don Meyer will pick up the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. Usually an award voted on by fans, Dana Torres has already been announced as the Best Comeback. For those that are still being voted on by the general public, head over to ESPN.com. For my thoughts on the major categories, check out below:
Best Male Athlete Kobe Bryant, NBA LeBron James, NBA Jimmie Johnson, Auto Racing Michael Phelps, Swimming
Who I Voted For: Michael Phelps Who Will Win: Michael Phelps
Odd no football players made it this year. When I first saw this list I thought that Michael Phelps should win but may not because of his scandal. But then I realized he just got caught with a bong, not to sound like Manny Ramirez, but it’s not like he raped anyone.
Who I Voted For: Natalie Coughlin Who Will Win: Nastia Liukin
In Olympic years we judge our athletes by gold and Coughlin has gotten her fair share of them in her lifetime even if they have much more chances to grab them in any other sports. Had their not been a Michael Phelps she would have been the dominate story in the first week.
Best Championship Performance Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimming Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, Olympic Beach Volleyball
Who I Voted For: Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Who Will Win: Kobe Bryant
Didn’t Kobe Bryant lose a game all by himself during the finals? Many they thought he made up for that by not getting called for an elbow at the end of the game Derek Fisher won. I’ll go with the team that won 108 straight matches.
Best Breakout Athete Shawn Johnson, Olympic Gymnastics Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
Who I Voted For: Matt Ryan Who Will Win: Evan Longoria
Maybe the hardest category. I gave the edge to Longoria because he got further in the playoffs and to make up for all the Eva jokes I made all year.
Best Record Breaking Performance Usain Bolt, Olympic Sprinter Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers Michael Phelps, Olympic Swimmer
Who I Voted For: Usain Bolt Who Will Win: Michael Phelps
Quick: what record(s) did Fitzgerald break? I didn’t know either. As much as I hated his antics, I had to go with Bolt. Dude pounded his chest with ten meters to go and still broke the record. Oh and Fitzgerald broke Jerry Rice’s records for receptions and reception years.
Best Upset Mine That Bird wins the Kentucky Derby Oregon State stuns then #1 USC Tampa Bay Rays win the American League Championship Series US Soccer shocks Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinals
Who I Voted For: US Soccer Who Will Win: Tampa Bay Rays
Upsets happen all in the Derby and College Football. This one is hard to gauge between USA and Tampa Bay. Here you have two “ever’s.” First time Tampa Bay ever was above .500 and ended up making the World Series. The US beat their first ever world number one. Unfortunately they both fell short in the championship game.
Best Game Federer vs. Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon Final Steelers vs. Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII Syracuse vs. Connecticut in the Big East Tournament Quarterfinals
Who I Voted For: Federer vs. Nadal Who Will Win: Steelers vs. Cardinals
Not only was the tennis match the best “game” this year, it may even be the best ever tennis match. The Super Bowl doesn’t even ranking the top five as the first half was horribly boring. Six overtimes is a cool novelty, but in the end, that’s all it is when it is not part of the big dance.
Best Moment Florida’s Tim Tebow’s speech Helio Castroneves wins the Indy 500 US swim team wins thrilling finish in Olympic relay
Who I Voted For: US swim team Who Will Win: US swim team
What a sad list. Certainly there were better moments than this over the past year. The swim team was the only on the edge of your seat moment here and the only part of Michael Phelps’ run that lived up to the hype.
Best Play Ovechkin vs. Rangers Pacquiao KO’s Hatton Roethlisberger to Holmes Super Bowl Winning TD Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree makes game-winning catch vs. Texas
Who I Voted For: Ovechkin vs. Rangers Who Will Win: Roethlisberger to Holmes
Best Team Connecticut Women’s Basketball Los Angeles Lakers North Carolina Men’s Basketball Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Steelers Who I Voted For: Pittsburgh Penguins Who Will Win: Pittsburgh Steelers
I live in a city that hasn’t seen a championship in my lifetime and here is a city that had two in one year. I hate Pittsburgh. But the Penguins won two game sevens on opponent’s ice in the playoffs.
That is ten of the thirty-seven awards. Head over to ESPN.com to see all the individual sports nominees including how Micky Rourke can pick up one after getting snubbed by the Oscars.
I have gotten a plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Raising the Bar, Trauma, The Office, Nurse Jackie, Sons of Anarchy, and I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
- After checking out the clip of tomorrow’s all new Raising the Bar (10:00 on TNT), one can only hope that Chris Hansen is involved somehow:
- NBC.com recently released promos for the upcoming shows, head over there to check them all out. Below is the one for Trama, the show I am most looking forward to:
- NBC has been compiling a bunch of The Office lists, the latest being The Best of the Accountants head over to NBC.com to check those out are watch the video below to see what the cast thinks is the best:
- Next Saturday is July 4 so expect a bunch of marathons. Over on Showtime startring at 8:00 the network is showing all the Nurse Jackie episodes. Granted I am not sure if two hours can constitute a marathon.
- The new season of Sons of Anarchy is coming in September and to get ready for the return, there is going to be a Sons of Anarchy Ride Free or Die Tour that will be traveling the country offering fans the chance to experience a replica of the notorious SAMCRO clubhouse complete with official show props. The exhibit will also includes sneak peeks at the new season, customized giveaways and prizes. For tour stops visit FXNetworks.com. Also the first season will be out August 19 on DVD and Blu Ray.
- For those that wanted to know who won I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! but didn’t want to sit through the whole episode, check out the clip below:
- Also, be on the lookout this week as I may have a little something extra special to give to some lucky reader.
, Sony Playstation Networks, and 
) who doesn’t seem to sleep ever, and his body and demeanor defiantly shows wear, but still gets his job done. Omari Hardwick (
) is the good boy of the group who has a wife to go home to when the case is over but is starting to have problems to keep his cover and real lives separate.
song.
(Pushing Daisies, Deadwood, Alf)
after it garnered an Academy Award for best movie only for it to be the worst thing I have ever seen on film (naturally it ended winning the top honors that year). So I wasn’t quick to check out one of the most critically acclaimed movies of last year, Gran Torino. If fact the only reason why I did was because I had a free rental for Redbox, but there was some slim pickings, it was either that or 
.
) spouting every racial slur you could think of, and even some I have never even heard before. I am not sure it was the intent of the movie to be so funny, but I laughed throughout.![Terror Alert Level: Severe [RED]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjcsCV5I3jWQDVTcnVoXbArSx3kHl02FZ8FkOHBBKP2w8mQulcCF614SIw1GjuB2JtKV2YcQOKXtMlnW2ulLSOvYvvXzDwZ3JF4Mlh0Dt2nfEL1oGLh0sk7O-GRHWbCPvJmMMKg/s400/small_severe.png)
on my 
) as Chastity try too hard to be cool, or at least too cool for school. Nicholas Braun (
) is likeable enough but his AV friend is just straight up annoying. While Lindsey Shaw (
) who reprises his role as the overcautious dad who dishes out a pretty ingenious punishment to one of his daughters. The other being Meaghan Jette Martin (
) who is just cute as a button (I am choosing my words very carefully here as not to raise the attention of Chris Hansen) and has the daunting task of filling the shoes of Alex Mac k and does a decent job doing so.
.
, 
and a 
reunion of Trent and Mike? Yes please.
, Who’s Johnny. And don’t tell me you don’t remember Short Circuit).
in pop culture lately, the latest being the video by 
, 
, 
or even 
, all of which landed in the top ten grossing movies of that year. I am talking about a movie that may not have even cracked the top one hundred that year, but still manages to be inducted into the 
(The Last Crusade was the highest grossing film of 1989), television like The Beverly Hillbillies and even commercials like Spatula City. Sadly the film did so poorly; the movie remains the only one he has ever written.
. No word if Jerry saw UHF and decided to add the simple minded janitor turned children show host to his cast, but I will just go on living my life thinking so.