Monday, July 30, 2007

It's Simply Over

finally the Simple Life has been canceled. i really don't have much to say about this one.

Sometimes It Actually Works

remember trista and ryan? they fell in love when trista was The Bachelorette and it actually worked. not only did they get married a year later (on tv of course), but they just had a baby.

99% of the time these dating shows lead to a momentary couplehood that ends soon after the cameras are turned off, but sometimes it actually works.

congrats to trista, ryan and little maxwell.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Watch It Episode #48: FOX Fall Preview

The 'WATCH IT' podcast is a fun and informative (sometimes more so then others) audio podcast discussing television shows, news, opinions and whatever else comes up in the course of our humorous, combative and fun to listen to conversations...

subscribe to the podcast
watchitpodcast@gmail.com - WATCH IT - WATCH IT My Odeo Podcast

listen to 'Watch It' podcast episode #48


NEWS:
Nicole Richie, 24 gets a female president, Simpsons guest voices, Moonlight makes lots of changes, Going from the big-budget pilot to the rest of the series, Damages premiers on FX to good numbers...

SHOW TALK: Age Of Love, Last Comic Standing, Don't Forget The Lyrics...

FOX Fall Preview

Big Brother 2-minute Recap

Listener Feedback

Check out the special sound/story production I wrote at the end of the filmed but not forgotten podcast episode #35

EMAIL: watchitpodcast at gmail.com

CHECK OUT THE LAST 5 EPISODES ON THE SIDEBAR OR HEAD ON OVER TO WATCHIT.LIBSYN.COM TO ENJOY EVERY EPISODE PAST AND PRESENT(or just subscribe and get them all right when they come out - it is all free of course)

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Don't Forget The Great Contestant

i caught fox's Don't Forget The Lyrics for the first time tonight and i have to say, not only do i like it better then nbc's Singing Bee, but that chick teresa was a great contestant. not only could she sing and was cute, but she was just funny. - sometimes these 'wacky' contestant are just annoying, but i really enjoyed her. the producers did a good job finding this one. and she was just good at knowing the lyrics.

as for the show itself. like i said - i enjoyed it more then Singing Bee. i like the format better (which i wouldn't have thought i would given that it is a total Who Wants To Be A millionaire/Deal Or No Deal rip off). - actually, i don't think it was the format, but rather i just think i had more fun playing along with 'Lyrics' then 'Singing Bee'. also, brady is a funnier host.

its not a show i'm gonna tivo or anything, but i'll catch it again.

Kilmer Num3ers, Rapaport Earl

a little guest starring news for everyone to check out:

those of you who watched the end of My Name Is Earl last season (and you all shoudl be because it is a great show) know that Earl went to jail to protect his ex-wife. well he is going to meet michael rapaport in prison, who will have a recurring role as another of the inmates.

those who watched the end of Num3ers last season know that there was a whole thing with a mole in the agency yada, yada, yada. well, val kilmer has singed on to play a guy named mason lancer who is the mastermind behind all the events that led up to the discovery of the mole. also, like we talked about on the last podcast, that premier episode is being directed by tony scott (Top Gun, Crimson Tide, Man On Fire...).

Monday, July 23, 2007

Who Is This John From Cincinnati Guy Anyway?

that is one of the questions that is probably on most peoples minds who have had the pleasure of checking out hbo's new show John From Cincinnati. the show has already aired about, i think, seven episodes so far and i have to say i am really enjoying it.

i had high hopes for this show when i heard that one of the creators was david milch. this guy is a brilliant writer. his last project was Deadwood and he also co-created (and wrote a lot of the episodes for the first few seasons) NYPD Blue, which is one of my all-time favorite shows.

so i went in with high expectations, but not knowing what to expect since all i knew about the show was that it was about a family of surfers and a visitor who comes into their lives. it didn't sound that intriguing, but after having watched about six episodes, i can tell you that it sure is.

the characters are full and interesting and the writing is very david milch in its pace and style. and then there is this john character who is an enigma. who or what is he i don't know, but the little bit of 'science fiction' that plays into the story is perfect and doesn't seem corny or out of place - which it so easily could have.

i was going to praise the show after the first episode, but i wanted to see whee it was going before discussing it. Well after six episodes i can safely say that hbo and david milch have once again brought us an original, intelligent and intriguing show filled with great performances and high-quality writing.

Grade: A-

Don't Forget The Singing Bee

well folks, it looks like people really like watching other people try to remember the lyrics to songs. i say this because not only has nbc placed Singing Bee on its fall schedule, but fox has ordered 13 more episodes of their version of the same thing, Don't Forget The Lyrics.

when fox announced that they were going to do a 'karaoke' show similar to nbc's and air it before nbc had planned on airing theirs, nbc quickly premiered their Singing Bee a day before fox did theirs. it all reminded me of a few years back when we got Wife Swap and Trading Spouses at the same time - or if we look at movies: Armageddon/Deep Impact, Dante's Peak/Volcano, etc....

anyway, who knew that north americans love of karaoke was so strong as to be able to support to name-the-lyrics shows, but that is what has happened. who knows if fox's don't Forget The Lyrics will make it past the summer or if Singing Bee will be able to hold its own once the new fall season starts? only time will tell me friends.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Watch It Episode #47: ABC Fall Preview

The 'WATCH IT' podcast is a fun and informative (sometimes more so then others) audio podcast discussing television shows, news, opinions and whatever else comes up in the course of our humorous, combative and fun to listen to conversations...

subscribe to the podcast
watchitpodcast@gmail.com - WATCH IT - WATCH IT My Odeo Podcast

listen to 'Watch It' podcast episode #47

NEWS: Mad Men Script, Full House daughter gets married, Katee Sackhoff will be recurring on Bionic Woman, Lipstick Jungle fires gets rid of a few people, Drew Carey and The Price Is Right, and more...

SHOW TALK: Age Of Love, Without Prejudice, Set For Life, America's Got Talent, Next Best Thing, Victoria Beckham: Coming To America, and more...

ABC Fall Preview

Big Brother 2-minute Recap

Listener Feedback

EMAIL: watchitpodcast at gmail.com

CHECK OUT THE LAST 5 EPISODES ON THE SIDEBAR OR HEAD ON OVER TO WATCHIT.LIBSYN.COM TO ENJOY EVERY EPISODE PAST AND PRESENT(or just subscribe and get them all right when they come out - it is all free of course)

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

New Law & Order ADA

as season 18 of Law & Order starts this september jack maccoy (sam waterston) will no longer be the a.d.a. and will have finally moved up to the d.a. role left vacant by potential presidential nominee fred thompson.

but who is going to be the new a.d.a. you ask? well, that would be linus roache who you might have last seen in last seasons short-lived nbc drama Kidnapped.

Law & Order has always been good at bringing in new cast members and making it work, but this does seem to mean less jack mccoy. i say that because as all us Law & Order fans know, the d.a. is much less prevalent in the shows then the a.d.a. - at least that is how it has been in the past.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Mary Is Still Crying

mary, one of the 20-somethings on Age Of Love, is a cute girl and she seems sweet, but she cries all the damn time. when she is sad she cries, when she is angry she cries, etc... i wonder what she thinks now, watching the show and seeing herself crying every 5-minutes.
- then for the few minutes when mark was telling her that she was being cut she was strong and dignified and mature - - until she walked back to the other women and then she started crying again


- okay, enough with maria saying she is going to leave and then staying. either go, or keep your mouth shut and don't tell everyone you are leaving. if you have to tell someone, tell the producers in your personal interview. that way the other girls won't know when you keep changing your mind.

Is 'Major' The New 'Hot'?

sure victoria beckham is spoiled and a little narcissistic. she is also a b/c list celebrity who wouldn't be half as 'major' as she is, were she not married to david beckham, and she is trying to move up the list and start an acting career. however, she also seems to be a funny chick that knows how to play the game, loves her family and is a little to skinny.

or at least that is what i got from watching
Victoria Beckham: Coming To America.

she is like paris hilton, except, where the whole dumb brat thing isn't an act with paris, much of it does seem like a little more of an act with posh. and posh actually did something to get famous and wasn't just born into money and created celebrity.

speaking of funny: that sex doll thing was great, and when she said the celebrity she hated was eddie murphy, that was funny (because of all the crap between eddie and sporty spice).

also - did you see those houses she looked at. thems were some nice residences. i liked that tv rising out of the floor

NBC Fall Schedule Shuffle

two weeks ago on the podcast - episode #45 - we previewed nbc's fall lineup. well, it has just changed a little, with nbc announcing that Friday Night Lights will go to fridays at 9pm rather then 10pm and Las Vagas will move from 9pm to the 10pm slot.

also, the new show Chuck (which is the new nbc show i am most looking forward to) is moving from tuesday at 9pm to the monday at 8pm slot right before Heroes which is followed by another new show, Journeyman.

the move for Chucks now puts it up against: Prison Break on fox, How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory on cbs and Dancing With The Stars on abc.

- on tuesday at 9pm it was up against: The Unit on cbs, House on Fox and Dancing With The Stars results show on abc

hmmmmm? so what so we think of this move? obviously they are hoping that the lead-in to heroes will help them and attract a similar crowd. i don't know though. since the show looks to be a comedy/drama/spyish mix it is now going up against Prison Break which has the thrill/excitement genre down - and a great cliff hanger from last season. also, abc's Dancing With The Stars doesn't do it for me, but that show has been doing great ratings. and then you have the first half of cbs's comedy monday (at least its not going up against the high-rated Two And A A Half Men).

on tuesday night: sure House is big, but Chuck is a very different show from House so it would be counter-programming in a way. and also the results shows are always lower rated then the competition ones. however, they might also have felt that The Biggest Loser wasn't the right lead in for Chuck and that having it at 9pm wouldn't get enough people coming from other networks after their 8pm shows.

we shall see i guess, but like i said i think Chuck looks good. i am however a big Prison Break fan - thank god for tivo!!!!

I Hope The Bionic Woman Isn't A Lesbian

it has been announced that mister isaiah 'anti-gay-slur' washington has signed on for a recurring role on nbc's big new fall show Bionic Woman. i guess all the recent interviews he has been doing to 'clear his name' so to speak have worked. hey, i saw the larry king interview and that was some good pr and image-reworking there. in fact i don't know how i feel about patrick dempsey now.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Watch It Episode #46: CBS Fall Preview

The 'WATCH IT' podcast is a fun and informative (sometimes more so then others) audio podcast discussing television shows, news, opinions and whatever else comes up in the course of our humorous, combative and fun to listen to conversations...


subscribe to the podcast

watchitpodcast@gmail.com - WATCH IT - WATCH IT My Odeo Podcast

listen to 'Watch It' podcast episode #46

NEWS: Girl gets Paris Hilton's old phone number, The United States Of Tara, Snoop Dogg reality show, Extras special one-hour conclusion, Springfield Vermont gets Simpsons premier, Patinkin and Criminal Minds, Meridith's half-sister comes to Grey's Anatomy, Perez Hilton TV show, and more...

SHOW TALK: Just For Laughs, Without Prejudice, America's Got Talent, Age Of Love...

CBS FALL PREVIEW

BIG BROTHER 2-Minute Recap

Listener Feedback

Chrystina's Word Of The Week: Mojito

Email: watchitpodcast at gmail.com

CHECK OUT THE LAST 5 EPISODES ON THE SIDEBAR OR HEAD ON OVER TO WATCHIT.LIBSYN.COM TO ENJOY EVERY EPISODE PAST AND PRESENT(or just subscribe and get them all right when they come out - it is all free of course)

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Tru, Court, Whatever...

have you been noticing the lack of courtroom/legal system programming and the expansion of reality content at courttv over the last while? well, you aren't the only one, because the people at the network have as well and they have decided to do something about it. they have decided to change their name. on january 1st of next year courttv will become trutv.

zap2it quotes marc julius, the network's general manager saying, "early in the rebranding process, we realized that the current network name doesn't reflect the direction of our programming or our growing target audience of real engagers. In trutv, we now have the ideal name that fits both the programming and the target audience. The network will be top of mind for real engagers seeking real-life action programming, real-life emotion and access to places they can't normally go." (zap2it jokes that they are really trying to make that 'real engagers' tag stick, but i don't see that happening - it is a pretty lame term).

anyway, that's the deal over at courttv. they will still begin their days with some trial coverage and then viewers will get to 'enjoy' star jones in her new talk show, but after that the afternoons and evening will be for the 'real engagers'.

B.I.N.G.O.

i watched about 10 minutes total of abc's short-lived National Bingo Night during the six weeks it aired this summer, and based on the rating i saw, not many other people were watching any more, if that much. abc, however, just announced that they are bringing the show back for a five day in a row run this december.

why are they doing that you ask? well, the reason is the internet, and no it wasn't some big fan outcry like what saved Jericho. in this case it was the fact that during the shows run there were more then 3 million cards downloaded by play-at-home participants which helped make abc.com the #1 tv web site during that time.

and therein is what caught my eye about this story. the idea that finally the big networks are realising the potential of the internet as something to be embraced rather then feared. it took them awhile, but things look to be slowly happening. another big step forward was when they realized that giving viewers the chance to watch full shows online for free was a good thing for the shows and therefore the networks as well....

letting someone watch an episode of Lost that they missed during the week keeps them involved in the show and makes them more likely to catch it the next week, rather then creating a situation where they miss too much of the story and therefore start to get disinterested. Or helping someone discover a show that is already a few episodes into the season so that they can catch up and get into the weekly flow. the examples are numerous and the potential is there.

i understand that it basically all comes down to money, but to be so stuck in the old tv ways isn't going to help them in this new internet-tivo-world, and the return of National Bingo Night is another small example that at least some people kind of 'get it'.

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Watch It Episode #45: NBC Fall Preview

The 'WATCH IT' podcast is a fun and informative (sometimes more so then others) audio podcast discussing television shows, news, opinions and whatever else comes up in the course of our humorous, combative and fun to listen to conversations...


subscribe to the podcast

watchitpodcast@gmail.com - WATCH IT - WATCH IT My Odeo Podcast

listen to 'Watch It' podcast episode #45

NEWS: Emmy list leaked, Big Brother 8 solid ratings, Weeds singers, Aaron Brown, The Nine and Knights Of Prosperity coming back kind of, The Apprentice coming back, and more...

SHOW TALK: Big Brother, John From Cincinnati...

Listener Feedback

NBC Fall lineup preview

EMAIL: watchitpodcast at gmail.com

CHECK OUT THE LAST 5 EPISODES ON THE SIDEBAR OR HEAD ON OVER TO WATCHIT.LIBSYN.COM TO ENJOY EVERY EPISODE PAST AND PRESENT(or just subscribe and get them all right when they come out - it is all free of course)


Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Divorces

there were a couple couples calling it quits this week...

salman rushdie and his gorgoeus wife, host of Top Chef, padma lakshmi have filed for divorce and wayne brady's wife has done the same (although they have been split up for a year already).

i guess i could say something else here, but i don't know what. rushdie and lakshmi had been together for about 2-3 years and the brady's had lasted about 6. in 'celebrity'-years those aren't bad numbers... so i guess it's on to the next one.

Desperate Dana Delany

before they offered it to marcia cross the role of bree van de camp on Desperate Housewives was offered to dana delaney. she turned it down (obviously), but three years after making that mistake (depending on how you look at it) she might be coming anyway.

dana is in talks to come to the show as a regular next season and she would be moving to wisteria lane with her 'husband' nathan fillion and 'daughter' lyndsy fonseca and moving into.

there is no mention of what her storyline might be or what creepiness/craziness would ensue.

ABC Wins Nightly News Race

according to variety, "abc news' "World News" won its first quarter in more then a decade as charles gibson pulled ahead of nbc's brian williams in the evening news ratings."

this is pretty big news in the nightly news ratings game. ever since i can remember it has always been nbc then abc then cbs - or, tom brokaw then peter jennings then dan rather (am i dating myself?)... that's when i used to watch the nightly news. now i get my news online, through the 24-hour cable channels and other sources. i don't watch the 6 and 11 o'clock news regularly anymore. but, like the Today Show always being number one in the ratings i have just come to expect nbc's nightly news to be ahead of abc's (cbs is in third place on both fronts) so when i read about gibson taking abc into first place i found it kind of interesting.

it wasn't a huge shock though, as it has been a long ways coming over the last while. ever since gibson took over at the abc desk the ratings have been getting closer (couric had a great start but has settled into third place).