Quote of the Week: So? make it look like an accident. Trip over an ottoman. Dick Van Dyke his (expletive deleted). Tap that! (Emerson Cod, Pushing Daisies)
Big News of the Week: NBC Has Just Given Up: Ealier this week I started writing about the 10:00 Jay Leno only zone and kept writing to the point it was long enough for its own post. Read it in its entirety here: Your New Most Inept Executive in America Is…
Gratuitous Token Hot Chick Picture of the Week:
Coalition Links of the Week: Buzz went looking for opinions about the best underappreciated TV gem of '08. (BuzzSugar)
In the latest installment of Take 5, GMMR looked back at the top 5 episodes of Veronica Mars. (Give Me My Remote)
Rae takes a look at one of the shows she's been anticipating for months, TNT's new series Leverage. (RTVW Online)
Vance checks out Toronto's cast for the play Dog Sees God which happens to look a lot like Degrassi: The Next Generation (Marco! Craig! Jay! Jane!). (Tapeworthy)
This week, Jace was all about looking forward, with advance reviews of Season Two of FX's Damages and the pilot script for ABC's Flash Forward, which could just be the next Lost. (Televisionary)
Holy affluent teen drama! This week Gossip Girl featured a funeral, a wedding and a Blair/Chuck meltdown. (TiFaux)
With the shocking announcement by NBC that Jay Leno will be sticking with the network, theTVaddict.com put together a list of Winners & Losers. (The TV Addict)
Raoul talked to the winners of The Amazing Race. (TV Filter)
Suffering with an almighty pre-Christmas hangover, TV Spy was, to its shame, a blog of few words, as it looked forward to the new series of Flight of the Conchords and Battlestar Galactica. (TV Spy)
Free Download of the Week: Lost Starter Kit (iTunes): We are just a month away until the best show comes back to broadcast television. But enough about Friday Night Lights. Also returning in January is Lost and like ABC does here is a recap, or as they call it a starter kit. Of course I would bet there will be a full hour recap sometime before the premiere on the channel.
Video of the Week: For those like me and have missed the Battlestar Galactica bandwagon, here is a starter kit, or as Sci-Fi Channel calls them, a recap called Catch the Frak Up before the last season resumes January 16 at 10:00. Granted I think I may wait and watch BSG prequel Caprica first to see the show in chronological order, because you know Star Wars would have been more satisfying had you seen Episode I first instead of IV. Or I will wait until Jo shows up on my doorsteps with the complete series on DVD and a shotgun from the Sarah Palin collection.
Next Week Pick of the Week: Pushing Daisies, Wednesday at 8:00 on ABC: At the very least it is the last Pushing Daisies of 2008 and hopefully ABC doesn’t pull a Fox and not show the remaining three episodes at some point so they can hype a DVD with never before seen episodes. Actually, hopefully ABC gives the show a stay of execution and brings the show back and just a have another limited season to cut down on the costs. That would be the best Christmas present. Unless of course anyone out there wants to hook me up with a Playstation 3.
A plethora of cool press releases have been flooding my inbox recently that you may find interesting. This post will include blurbs on Flight of the Concords, Christmas in Washington, Ron Howard, Momma’s Boy, Howie Does It, Spyder, and Dallas Austin.
- Coming back in the New Year is HBO’s Flight of the Conchords on January 18 at 10:00. As the press release goes: In celebration of this momentous event, Mel -- Bret and Jermaine’s (married, obsessive, terrifying) number one superfan -- would like to extend an invitation to all her fellow Conchords fans, an opportunity to video yourself lip-synching to "Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros."
Here’s what you do - 1.) Learn "Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros" by downloading the official MP3 from http://www.flightlipdub.com/ 2.) Video yourself lip-synching the song. 3.) Upload your video to http://www.flightlipdub.com ! The best clips will be edited together to make a final "Fansterpiece" which will air on HBO.
- I was supposed to participate in a tele-conference with Julianne Hough earlier this week but sadly it had to be canceled. All the well anyways because I would have spent most of my questions hitting on her. It was to promote next Wednesday’s Christmas in Washington on TNT at 8:00. Also serenading George Bush for the last time as president will be Casting Crowns, Hootie’s Darius Rucker, a capella group Straight No Chaser, and chest bumber Kristin Chenoweth.
- Coming up Monday December 29 on Turner Classic Movies is Ron Howard: 50 Years in Film starting at 8:00 which followed by Ron in Grand Theft Auto at 9:30 while his directed A Beautiful Mind comes on at 1:00 with The Journey following that at 3:30 which also stars Ron.
- In a story I broke yesterday, Momma’s Boy is coming to an NBC affiliate near you and it is disturbingly a concept take from I Love New York. But you cannot expect quality or creativity when the show was created by Ryan Seacrest, the guy behind all those crappy reality shows on E! Okay it is slightly different as the show puts three mothers in the house of thirty-two potential daughter in laws as they date their sons. The show premieres Tuesday 16 at 10:00. And here is Ryan and his momma talking about the show:
- Next on the How Does Ben Silverman Still Have a Job docket is Howie Does It, a prank show by Deal or No Deal host Howie Mandell where sometimes he pulls the prank as himself or sometimes Howie goes ingocnido. The show premieres Friday January 9 at 8:00. Check out a clip below:
- If you caught C.S.I. Miami this past week, you may have seen The Spyder which was featured in the episode. Head over to SpyderRyder.com to connect with other Spyder aficionados.
- If you are interested in some interesting music (to say the least), Dallas Austin is offering up some of his remixes on his MySpace page. Check out remixes of everything from Nirana’s In Bloom to Kanye West’s Love Lockdown.
- Also let me remind you there is still pleny of time to submit your top 10 favorite songs (in order) to the 9th Green Readers Poll. And for those that get theirs in before Christmas, you can win a gift card to Amazon or iTunes to those with valid US account to those stores (but those that do not are still welcome to send their top 10).
This hasn’t been a good year for inept executives, Isaiah Thomas and Matt Millen were both axed and George Bush is down to his last month in office. With the three worst executives in America all gone, there is a scrabble to claim the top spot. Their have been plenty of contenders like the big three auto execs taking private jets to ask for millions of taxpayer dollars and the Illinois governor trying to profit from naming Barack Obama’s replacement in the Senate. But the clear choice for the next generation of inept executive top moron clearly goes to Ben Silverman, head of NBC’s entertainment division, with his recent announcement that 10:00 on the Peacock network would be a Jay Leno only time zone.
One horrible decision doesn’t shoot you to the top of the inept list and Silverman has yet to draft three straight receivers, but he has steadily sunk NBC so far down, it will soon rival The CW. You knew he was destine for most inept executive title with his very first move at the head of NBC when he brought The Apprentice back to life and added D-List celebrities to the mix because lack of no name star power was everyone decided to stop watching in the first place.
And that was just the tip of the iceberg as Silverman was also the guy who thought not making pilots wouldn’t hurt new shows which has led to My Own Worst Enemy (already canceled), Crusoe (all but canceled) and Kath & Kim (should be canceled). But then again pilots even when he sees them, like the backdoor pilot of the Knight Rider movie, which was universally panned by critics and viewers alike, still get ordered to series (and then has the episode number cut). And this was after the reinvention of Bionic Woman tanked a year early. Not to mention American Gladiators which lost it’s nostalgia after two episodes. Should we expect The New A-Team on the 2009 schedule? Or should I not give him an idea?
Other brainchildren from Silverman were to cancel Journeyman but brought back Lipstick Jungle for a second season (only to give it the ax a couple weeks in), thinking Heroes was NBC’s own Lost only to find it getting doubled in the ratings by Two and a Half Men, and maybe his most egregious move: thinking Jimmy Fallon was funny enough to give his own talk show. Let us not forget this is also the guy that brought us Clash of the Choirs, My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad, Celebrity Family Feud, The Baby Borrowers, Celebrity Circus, Phenomenon and brought Quaterlife from the computer monitor to the television screen. As well as the upcoming Momma’s Boy a dating show where a mom has a hand in which person their child dates. Wait, did he still that idea from I Love New York?
And not only is Silverman a complete moron, the Jay Leno move shows that he is also lazy giving him five less hours of television to fill each week. Keep in mind NBC already has one whole night already blocked out for programming thanks to Sunday Night Football. Of course this is a guy who thought it was time to take vacation to the Beijing Olympics just before the new season launched. This begs the question, with the Jay Leno 10:00 hour taken up, how long until Silverman announces that 9:00 is a Law and Order only hour? Or should I not give him an idea?
Naturally the Leno deal is a bad idea to end all bad ideas. Early talk shows have failed time after time and as seen by Rosie’s recent variety debacle, people don’t want that kind of stuff in prime time. And if Leno happens to be successful, and even if he isn’t, it will undermine the three other talk shows on NBC, which will be more than the other networks combined. Who will get the top names when the switch accuser, Leno or Conan? This may make the Leno/Letterman spat look cordial. Seriously, the NBC corporate has to be the most entertaining event ever.
Of course NBC is getting what it deserves. This is what is going to happen when you hire someone who’s “hits” only include stealing already successful shows from countries like The Office, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Ugly Betty. I would think that the five less hours would likely spell the death nail for Friday Night Lights (keep in mind his second order of business was to stop airing FNL reruns that summer) but with Silverman’s laziness he most likely won’t cancel it as long as DirecTV still foots half the bill.
So congratulations Ben Silverman, you are a first ballot Moron Hall of Fame. If you are lucky Ken Lay will induct you. And if we are lucky you will be eligible for the Class of 2014.
In a story I broke earlier, music under the Obama administration is gonna suck. The latest case in point, Obama’s Chicago brethren, Common, who managed to make an even cheesier pro-bama song than will.i.am’s two silly diatribes with Changes. And Common’s is actually scary because he forces a child to spout lines about the future president. That is right out of Third-Reich playbook of propaganda using children to make something seem alright for political gain. With that said: Anh Cao 2012!
Thankfully that was Common’s only politically charged song on Universal Mind Control. Unfortunately like his other Chicago brethren, Kanye West (who shows up on the uninspired Punch Drunk Love, but at least 'Ye does not sing), Common seems to have been listening to too much of one genre. Where 808’s & Heartbreak relied too much on emo and auto tune, Universal Mind Control has set up shop in the Zulu Nation with an overabundance of techno beats throughout the album.
It is set up well with the title track opener with Common spitting a few decent rhymes over The Neptunes production but the schick gets old quick leaving you wanting something different by the third track. As luck would have it, Cee-Lo shows up on that third track, Make My Day, which would have fit nicely on a Gnarls Barkley album even without the Danger Mouse production.
The real downside is Common spends way too much time only the album trying to act like he is the king of the booty rap with lines like, “You be Smoky, I’ll be the bear.” (Sex 4 Suga) Seriously, what does that even mean? He even claims that stripper always choose his songs to do their job too. Even though I can’t say I have ever patroned a strip club, I doubt any Common song ranks high on their playlist.
But the worst lyric comes in the other wise solid Gladiator, which intertwines lines from the Russell Crowe epic with A Tribe Called Quest references, but is bogged down by suggesting to get Michael Vick out of jail. I am certainly not on PETA’s Christmas card list, but even I can agree dude needed to spend some time behind bars. Hopefully by the next album, Common doesn’t suggest O.J. Simpson got a raw deal and he drops the techno.
Watching Leverage, one has to think how hard is it to make a television show that is watchable (which ninety-five percent of it isn’t). Yet Leverage doesn’t have great writing, the acting isn’t stellar (even with Academy Award Winner Timothy Hutton) but the show is still highly enjoyable. The show actually reminds me of one of my favorite shows of all time: The A-Team.
Of course the concept is updated for the new millennium with gadgets, higher bounties, and, thankfully, moderately attractive chicks. Hutton (Beautiful Girls), who comes up with the plans that he loves when they come together, fills the shoes of Hannibal. Christian Kane (Carrie Underwood’s So Small video) provides the muscle much like B.A. Baracus and even does so with his own unconventional hair style (what is with dudes on TNT and their long hair?).
The resident nut job is Beth Riesgraf (My Name Is Earl and mother of Pilot Inspektor) who might as well share a cell with Murdock. The Face of the operation is Gina Bellman (Coupling, the English version) who play any role to get her team in except when on stage or in front of a casting director. While Aldis Hodge (Friday Night Lights Voodoo Tatum) rounds out the team with his technology knowledge.
The rag tag group of former thieves are much like The A-Team when it has a very select pool of clientel. And even though it doesn’t have the government after them (even though they all broke out of jail in the first episode), there seems to be a building nemesis in Hutton’s former employer, an insurance company that pulled the plug on his son’s health insurance that may have kept him alive. They get mentioned quite a bit, and if there is one complaint is that they bring up his son way too often, and next week the company gets a public face in Hutton’s replacement.
Much like The A-Team, each character is unique and likable in their own way which brings me back to my original thought because some television show manage not to have one likable character on their whole show. And the differences creates plenty of humorous friction of former advisories, Kane and Hodge looking for gang members in the Christmas episode airing December 23. And how the team comes together in the episode tonight is reminiscent of The Justice League and is so entertaining you almost wished it was a weekly gag.
Leverage airs Tuesdays at 10:00 on TNT (catch a reairing of the first episode tonight at 9:00). You can download . Leverage at Amazon Video on Demand. And for those interested in an extra $100,000 spending cash this Christmas (although I think you will not recieve the money until after the holidays), head over to LeverageHQ.com to play Get Ready to Get Even.
There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I though I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form so here they are courtesy of YouTube. I advise you to watch them before you read my reviews if you don’t want me to spoil things. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available, if not the link goes to YouTube where you can watch the video in full screen). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.
Christmas just doesn’t feel like Christmas until I have Bono tell me, “Well thank God tonight it’s them instead of you.” Much like Do They Know its Christmas, proceeds to this song goes to a good cause as it is part of the new (Red)Wire music service where you get exclusic music with the money going to buy medicine for people in need.
Remember the days when new music videos were such an event that Michael Jackson’s Black or White was simulcast on Fox, MTV, VH1, and BET? To put in perspective how far the music industry has fallen, the latest Bruce Springsteen video debuted this on Amazon.com. Oh, and if this is any indication, music is gonna suck under an Obama administration. Huckabee 2012!
It took me a while to figure out this wasn’t a long lost video from the nineties. EPMD featuring Teddy Riley with Max Headroom-quality graphics and references to Andre Rison and Jim Carey. Really if it weren’t for the E-Bama mention I probably would have continued to think that.
The Presidents of the United States of America is one of those bands you feel bad for because they should be remembered as a One Hit Wonders but actually scored a second hit and sadly VH1 doesn’t run Two Hit Wonders specials. But on the bright side one of those two hits was actually parodied by “Weird Al” Yankovic who coincidentally directed their latest video. Speaking of Al, he has finally discover he can release songs as singles on iTunes right after writing them instead of waiting to have enough to fill an album. So if you haven’t already checked out his version of T.I.’s Whatever You Like do so ASAP. Now if you excuss me, I am going to move to the country and eat me some peaches.
Chuck: For those keeping track at home, in successive weeks, they have put in jail Chuck’s ex-girlfriend and Casey’s former sensei. Things are not looking up for the Token Hot Chick’s father who popped up in the promo this week. Although I am not sure if I am comfortable with Sarah’s father’s turning out to be someone who’s O-face I have seen. You can stream current episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.
Eli Stone: I never understand why show drag episodes that aren’t that very strong in the first place out into two-partners. Maybe the fault was with the casting director because I spent more time wanting to smack the kid then feel sorry him. But the duel shouting match between Eli/Taylor and Maggie/Matt was mildly entertaining while it lasted. You can stream current episodes over at ABC.com. You can also download Eli Stone on iTunes.
Pushing Daisies: For those that missed the back story about the Muffin Buffalo lady, she was a character on Wonderfalls that Brian Fuller, who created both shows, didn’t tell ABC was a crossover until they actually filmed the episode because he knew they wouldn’t let him use her because Fox owned the character. When Fuller finally asked for permission to use the character, the people at Fox said it was okay and they were happy to see the show live on. Um, if you wanted the show to live on, why did you cancel it after four episodes? Have I mentioned lately I hate Fox? And was the Dr. Burton underneath those bandages? You can stream current episodes over at ABC.com.
Survivor: How can Kenny be such a mastermind and get suckered in believing a fake Idol? This is mind blowing. Not only that be he was willing to turn on Matty to go with Corrine and Bob even though if he is in the final three with either of them, he loses in a blow out. Now he can easily be as exposed as the turncoat and be on the outs with the person with the real Idol. All he had to do was stay down and he had the fast track to the million dollars and now he may get the boot before Bob. Moron. You can stream current episodes over at Innertube.
My Name Is Earl: I know the liberal communist judges out there would call it cruel and unusual punishment, but they should really have those t-shirts for real criminals. Guilting people into not doing crime is much more effective than fining people anyways. You can stream current episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download My Name Is Earl on iTunes.
* Please note that if anyone out there did not get the previous Office Space reference, we cannot be friends.
Big News of the Week: Television Shows Back on the Big Screen: From Star Trek to Firefly I cannot think of any canceled shows bringing back all their principle actors for a major movie (for years they have had made for TV movie reunions and re-cast big budget flicks). But this past summer saw the resurrection of both Sex and the City and The X-Files both to moderate success.
Maybe thanks to those movies, just in the past week or so there has been a lot of buzz of resurrecting a few gone before their time. First the on again off again movie resurrection of Arrested Development (which was predicted by Maeby in the series finale) looks to be on again as Mitch Hurwitz and Ron Howard recently have signed on to write the script with Jeffery Tambor saying in an interview fans “can be sure it’s happening.” While Jason Bateman “hopes to start filming next summer.”
Also being booting around the rumor mill since its demise is a Veronica Mars movie that has been fueled by both Rob Thomas and Kristen Bell stating they’d be up for it, which tends to be the first question any interviewers asks about. Recently Thomas mentioned that he has started an outline and hopes to get it hammed out during the holiday seasons. What could help in giving him more time is ABC recently cutting the number of Cupid episodes down to nine. Also helping out is Bell finally getting killed off of Heroes this week. If only you could see my happy dance.
The most recent possible second chance is the HBO series Rome where creator Bruno Heller (who recently created The Mentalist) was quoted this week as saying talks of a movie “Is moving along. It’s not there until it is there (Scooter’s note: how Yogi Berry of him). I would love to round that show off.” Each episode of Rome seemed like a movie so this may be the most natural transition.
Of course I would be happy if just one of these shows live on as if I were to make a list of the greatest television show of the ’00, those three shows at the very least would be in the discussion for the top ten. Granted I am cautiously optimistic than any of them happen because I am still waiting for the promised Angel movies that have yet come to fruition. But with the success of Twilight, there is rumors that Buffy the Vampire Slayer may get resurrected too, which actually started as a really crappy movie.
Gratuitous Token Hot Chick Picture of the Week:
Coalition Links of the Week: Buzz suggested a few possible scenarios for the Gossip Girl spinoff. (BuzzSugar)
GMMR shared some news and pics from her recent visit to the set of Privileged. (Give Me My Remote)
The holiday season has arrived and with it a brand new TV Advent Calendar including our favorite advent "treat" this week... How to make a holiday work wheel à la The OC and Seth Cohen's Chrismakkuh Work Wheel. (RTVW Online)
Vance fell behind in TV blogging November sweeps so did a little blogging cleaning up on over a dozen shows. (Tapeworthy)
This week, Jace took a look back at those five suggestions to improve Fringe that he made in October to see if the writers had addressed any of them since then. (Televisionary)
Our national nightmare came and went. Dan evaluated Rosie's debacle of a variety show. (TiFaux)
TV Spy got a bit bogged down making the huge Christmas double issue of TV & Satellite Week. But somehow, amid all the madness and mince pies, Ben and Gareth found time to ponder Heroes: The Eclipse Pt2, and reckoned they spotted some definite signs of improvement. Phew! (TV Spy)
This week, the TV Addict got an exclusive update on the status of the Veronica Mars movie from Papa Mars himself, Enrico Colantoni. (The TV Addict)
Kate was a little sad to see Stylista's surgically enhanced little fashion urchin get the boot. (TV Filter)
Free Download of the Week: Brooklyn (Go Hard) - Jay-Z featuring Santogold (Rcrd Lbl): I have been critical of Jay-Z’s unretirement, but this is the first of his songs that really matches any of his preretirement work.
Video of the Week: The first of ABC Family’s new programming for 25 Days of Christmas debuts next Saturday. Here is a preview of A Misers Brother’s Christmas. Personally I am looking forward to the sequel to Snow the following day.
Next Week Pick of the Week: Leverage, Tuesday at 9:00 on TBS: The show actually premieres tomorrow after The Librarian (see Previewing The Librarian), but for those that forget, the first episode reruns Tuesdays because it settles into its regular timeslot at 10:00 right after. Barring the apocalypse, I should have more on the show coming up Tuesday.
: Amazon and Sony are offering incredible values on high definition products such as Blu-ray players and movies, as well as PlayStation 3 consoles, games, and accessories. New deals will be debut every week through Feb. 7, 2009.
Free Download of the Week: Lost Starter Kit (iTunes): We are just a month away until the best show comes back to broadcast television. But enough about Friday Night Lights. Also returning in January is Lost and like ABC does here is a recap, or as they call it a starter kit. Of course I would bet there will be a full hour recap sometime before the premiere on the channel.
on January 18 at 10:00. As the press release goes: In celebration of this momentous event, Mel -- Bret and Jermaine’s (married, obsessive, terrifying) number one superfan -- would like to extend an invitation to all her fellow Conchords fans, an opportunity to video yourself lip-synching to "Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros." 
at 9:30 while his directed 
comes on at 1:00 with The Journey following that at 3:30 which also stars Ron.
this past week, you may have seen The Spyder which was featured in the episode. Head over to 
back to life and added D-List celebrities to the mix because lack of no name star power was everyone decided to stop watching in the first place.
but brought back 
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on my 
), who comes up with the plans that he loves when they come together, fills the shoes of Hannibal. Christian Kane (Carrie Underwood’s 
. And for those interested in an extra $100,000 spending cash this Christmas (although I think you will not recieve the money until after the holidays), head over to 
. Oh, and if this is any indication, music is gonna suck under an Obama administration. Huckabee 2012!
reference, we cannot be friends.
