Around the Tubes vol. XV

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 Wanted, Jay Leno, Three Sheets, Big Ideas, Taco Bell, Obama, House of Payne.

- NBC has a new controversial show called Wanted which is now streaming its first episode over at NBC.com.

- Also over at NBC.com they have set up a webcam as they build the new Jay Leno Show set. While there you can also check out two insiders blogs.

- For those that missed the season premiere of Three Sheets, you can currently download the episode for free on iTunes. This Monday, Zane Lamprey heads to Tanzania to taste the local drinks.

- GOOD Magazine and Babblegum has teamed up for a new weekly show for people that want to live well and do good called Big Ideas. including Grammy-nominated artist Imogen Heap, ESPN hosts the Sklar brothers, and author and journalist Matt Mason all submitted their own ideas, ranging from the ethereal (floating houses), to the irreverent and edgy (give animals their own weapons to even the odds), to those actually being created today (urban vertical farms).

- As you may have heard, the Taco Bell Chihuahua passed away this week, in her memory; TV Guide is running through the 13 Best Animals in Commercials. Also according to TV Guide, the TV watch public is growing tired of President Obama’s constant interruptions of the TV schedule with 61% wanting to watch regular programming. Keep in mind this poll was taken from online visitors to the site so this is a type of poll I like to refer as unscientific.

- Get ready for even more Tyler Perry as TBS has ordered up another twenty episodes of House of Payne in addition to the recent twenty-six episode order. For those keeping track at home, we will be getting at the very least 172 total episodes of the show as it now stands.

I Want My Music Television vol. LVIII

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.


Make Her Say – Kid Cudi featuring Kanye West and Common



Lady Gaga may be everything that is wrong with music these days, but I cannot get enough of this Kid Cudi track which flips the otherwise unlistenable Poker Face just by saying “I” before it. And it is nice to hear Kanye West back to rapping. Hopefully he got his auto-tune singing out of system and never does that again.


I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight - U2



If I am not mistaken, this is the first video U2 has ever made that didn’t actually feature the band. The closest being All I Want Is You that just had a quick cameo by Bono and the boys walking around the beach. Even their last foray into animation, Love Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me even had animated version of the band.


Strawberry Swing – Coldplay



Also getting into the animation realm is Coldplay in the stop-animation form. But Chris Martin does get featured as a superhero battling a, um, giant squirrel. The band thought so much of the video you may even see it when you head out to your local movie theater in front of the feature film you go to see.


On Vacation – Aimee Allen



While talking about her cover of Sublime’s Santeria (see Toss Up: Brooke White vs. Aimee Allen), I mentioned you download a song of Aimee Allen for free over at Amazon MP3, and here is the video for On Vacation complete with a whistling lobster. Because music videos could use more whistling lobsters these days.

Toss Up: Brooke White vs. Aimee Allen

About a year ago a pair of songs caught my eye by their title alone. It turned out that I Kissed a Girl and How I Could Kill a Man were not actual cover songs (see Toss Up: Katy Perry vs. Charlotte Sometimes). The same thing happened this week while checking out the new albums that were being released yesterday. This time around the two songs in question indeed turned to be actual cover tunes taking feminine take of guy’s guys’ tunes. First off is someone who is no stranger to karaoking other people tune, Brooke White who takes on the Kings of Leon’s Use Somebody. What, did you expect the Mormon to do Sex on Fire instead? Take a listen:

Use Somebody - Brooke White


Here is how not to do a cover. It sound like Brooke couldn’t decide if she wanted to do a straight up version or change it up, so we get this pseudo-countrified version. What’s worse is the best part of the original, the soaring whoa’s that haunt the chorus, on the new verson just lake the passion of the orginal. With that said, it seems like Use Somebody is this year’s Crazy in that even a bad version is still pretty listenable. But if you want to hear how you do a great cover tune, check out Santeria by Aimee Allen:

Santeria - Aimee Allen


Instead of doing the safe slowed down ska of the Sublime original, Allen completely flips it and picks up a ukulele and turns the song into a beach campfire tune. It turns out so sweet it doesn’t raise an eyebrow to hear her singing about heinas and popping caps. In a battle of the covers, we have an easy winner

I may have a full review of Allen’s album A Little Happiness next week, until then, head over to Amazon MP3 where you can pick up a free copy of her song On Vacation or check out her full album or White’s High Hopes and Heartbreaks:

All it Takes is a Song with a Hook

Sugar Ray pretty much summed up the last half of the nineties. Along with overtly happy bands like Smash Mouth and Fastball they transitioned out of the uber-depressing grunge era of the early decade to more family friendly Southern California rock that kids and their parents could listen to together. The irony with their breakout smash that captured that demographic was Fly was the lone pop friends off their sophomore effort Floored, stuck at the end of a hard rock album.

Not surprisingly by the time the follow-up came out, the self awaringly titled 14:59, more top 40 tracks were included with the album even starting with a song titled New Direction which was basically a parody of the nü-metal of first two albums (save Fly). A decade and two albums later the host of Pussycat Dolls Presents: Search for the Next Doll Mark McGrath and his band is completely void of anything that can be considered hard rock with the release of another self awarinly titled Song for Cougars.

Many of the songs could work as summer jams – in 1997, many of which we have heard before. They go back to featuring dance hall singers like with Fly on the album opener Girls Were Made to Love. Going Nowhere could be mistaken for Falls Apart. When they do try to update their sound, the result is the auto-tune assisted Morning Sun. And they do bring in mellow surf rocker Donavon Frankenreiter for the groovy Dance Like No One’s Watchin’ that stands out from the rest of the album like Fly did. So for all the cougars out there that flocked to Mark McGrath in his heyday and still need your summer jam for 2009, this album will help you reminisce about the good old days of 1997.

Song to Download - When We Were Young

Songs for Cougars gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

I Want My Music Television vol. LVII

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.


22 - Lily Allen



Is it wrong that I think the “disheveled” Lily Allen looks hotter than the “posh” one? And what is with the random dance sequence?


Everything I Own - Vanessa Hudgens



I featured the trailer from Bandslam a couple weeks ago and now a full video for Vanessa Hudgens version of Everything I Own. I wonder if there is a longer version out there because there is an obvious edit during the song so sloppy I am surpise they would release it like that. But anyways. The movie still looks like it is going to suck and I am still gioing to watch it if only for Jason Street.


Skipper Dan – “Weird Al” Yankovic



It looks like only the T.I. parody will be the only one on his upcoming Internet Leaks. Hopefully he gets inspired to send up somebody soon because as entertaining as the style parodies are, they just are not memorable. At least give us a polka Al.


Let’s Take a Walk – Raphael Saadiq



Just another classic jam from Raphael Saadiq.

Around the Tubes vol. XIV

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 Mercy, Naked Science: Living on the Moon, Three Sheets, Sons of Anarchy, Meteor, Are We There Yet, and Tom Cavanaugh.

- As you may already heard, Parenthood has been pushed back to midseason due to personal problems and thus Mercy has been promoted to the fall. Below is a promo for the show:



- Tomorrow is the fortieth anniversary of the moon landing and the National Geographic is celebrating tonight with Naked Science: Living on the Moon at 9:00. Check out a scene below dealing with populating the moon:



- I am not entirely sure if my cable provider has a channel called Fine Living, but considering they have a show called Three Sheets, I may have to look it up. The show follows comedian Zane Lamprey as he engages in drinking customs around the world and befriends the people who take part in them. The new season premieres this Monday at 10:00. Here is a sneek peak:



- Sons of Anarchy returns this fall and FX has already released some cool promos for the new season. Check out one below:



- That pesky Meteor is still threatening Earth over on NBC tonight. Here is a clip of wht you may expect:



- Can’t say that I ever saw any of the Are We There Yet? movies, but that isn’t stopping TBS from making it into a series. The show will star the always funny Terry Crews (Everybody Hates Chris) taking over the Ice Cube role who will be producing the show. Expect the show to air sometime next summer.

- For those that are fans of both Tom Cavanaugh and Notre Dame, JournalGazette.net has a treat for you with the former talking about the latter. Check out part 1 and part 2 of the interview.

- This week the seven top news stories of the week according to TV Guide included Weeds, Paul McCartney and somehow Barack Obama coming up short at the All-Star got titled “Best Pitch” despite Albert Pujols having to lunge to keep it from bouncing over the plate. If that was a best pitch, I would hate to see what a bad one was. Oh, wait, I guess that would be Marky Mark.

57 Channels and Only This Is On vol. LXXXIX

Quote of the Week: I Googled “disaster” and “woman,” had to wade through hundreds of sites of Sarah Palin and Brittany Spears. (Eli Stone, Eli Stone)

Song of the Week: Brand New Day – Joshua Radin (Eli Stone)

Big News of the Week: The Emmy Nominations Announced: Yawn. Wait they nominated Sheldon Cooper. Still every other category is mostly laughable.

Coalition Links of the Week:
This week, Jace had an advance review of the five-episode event Torchwood: Children of Earth, airing every night on BBC America this coming week, and had an exclusive interview with Torchwood executive producer Julie Garner. (Televisionary)

The TV Addict offers up his take on the 2009 Emmy Nods: The Good, The Bad and the Who Does BSG Have to Frak to Get Some Emmy Recognition! (The TV Addict)

Matt is 29 years old and a male. But he's seen the first episode of The Vampire Diaries and is a major fans. (TV Fanatic)

Kate wondered which season of The Bachelor was the most boring. (TV Filter)

Buzz took a break from all the Emmy mania to check out the models who will appear on the Project Runway companion series, Models of the Runway. (BuzzSugar)


Kings: I really didn’t care for the whole trail aspect and arresting Mr. Boston for treason, but there were sure some jaw dropping moments. Like the princess got knocked up. Or the minister finally teamed up with the evil beotgher only for Mr. Boston to turn down their offer. Oh, and that ending. Although I was a bit disappointed with the wording. If the King was going to use a homosexual slur, why not use Al Swearengen’s favorite slur? You can stream current episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download Kings on iTunes.

Eli Stone: Holy Ephram Brown sighting! Although by the time I figured out it was him (it was hard to place the voice without his incessant whining) he was gone. And in the end, so was the show. It deserved a better ending then the one we got. You can stream current episodes over at ABC.com. You can also download Eli Stone on iTunes.

Rescue Me: I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get more fallout from the stolen fire truck, but I loved the trashing the break room and making the probie clean it up even though saw it coming early on during the trashing. You can stream current episodes over at Hulu.



Free Download of the Week: PM Yoga (iTunes): I decide a couple weeks ago that I would start doing yoga in hopes of receiving some aches and pains. Unfortunately I have come to the realization there are very few yoga positions in my flexibility range. I downloaded this for free recently and hopefully it is something up my alley.

Deal of the Week: Blu-ray Blowout: As Low as $15.49 (300, Planet Earth, Black Hawk Down)

Video of the Week: I know I just showed this a couple days ago (see Buster Bluth Wants Us to Watch CTRL), but I thought I would show it again just in case anyone missed it.



Next Week Pick of the Week: ESPY Awards, Sunday at 9:00 on ESPN: The most reliable award show this decade hosted once again by Samuel L. Jackson. I just heard an interview with the Jimmy V Award on Mike and Mike, and hearing his story (he got hit by a truck, during his surgery they discovered inoperable cancer, and he still coached the following season in a wheelchair for his basketball team) will be worth tuning in.

Previewing The Bill Engvall Show 3.x

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.

Buster Bluth Wants Us to Watch CTRL

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.

Lyrics Quiz: Mystery Theme Contest

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.

Previewing Dark Blue

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.

Previewing Leverage 2.x

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.

Previewing Locked Up Abroad 3.x

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.

Around the Tubes vol. XIII

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):

Anaconda Attacks TV Host


- 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.

57 Channels and Only This Is On vol. LXXXVIII

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.

Deal of the Week: Save up to 45% on First Seasons (Pushing Daisies, Deadwood, Alf)

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.

NBC’s Day One Trailer


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.

Feed Your iPod vol. XXXI: On the Radio

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.

On the Radio – Regina Spektor

Get Off My Lawn

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.

Gran Torino gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.

Previewing 10 Things I Hate About You

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.

Around the Tubes vol. XII

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:

Great White Shark Attack


- 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: