Jimmy, Don't Go!!!

that was the cry that rang out among the 39 other kids as 8-year-old jimmy decided to leave bonanza city after just 4 days on cbs's Kid Nation.

ya, i know this thing premiered last week and the second episode is tomorrow, but i just got to it yesterday and wanted to just say a few things about it.

i was actually really looking forward to this one. something about the survivor-meets-lord of the flies concept appealed to me. and what do i think after just one episode? i kind of enjoyed it. the kids are great (well, at least some of them are) and i found myself trying to see what i would have done if i had been on such a show back when i was between 8-14 years old.

the personalities and characters are interesting and whoever was doing the casting over at cbs should get a pat on the back. its also funny how even with all the divisions and personality clashing, at least so far they seem to be better at getting along and working things out then grown ups are on their reality shows.

i would have loved for it to be real hardcore, with no adult host and really just let them try to organize themselves and create systems and such, without the show providing the lead. but that might be a little too lord of the flies and not very doable with kids of that age. however, barring that, i am looking forward to see how the whole class system plays out and how that leads to conflict among groups.

on a side note: i can't remember all their names, but there was that one instant where that big kid actually physically shoved that michael kid (one of the town council). i am surprised that the big kid didn't get kicked off the show for that. i am pretty sure that there are strict rules about any kind of physical violence towards other players on all the other reality shows and i would have assumed the same here. - i'm not saying that i think he should have been (as long as he doesn't make a habit of it), but i was just curious about any rules regarding that kind of thing.

Survivor China Episode 1

watchin' and commentin'

- caroline (the blond waitress from new york)
- the complete ignorance and disrespect she had for the buddhist welcome ceremony was sad
- if she can't control that attitude and those obviously miss-i'm-so-superiour-to-you faces she keeps making then she is going to get her cute little ass kicked off pretty quick.

i mean, haven't these people seen the show before? you don't alienate yourself from the group like that. and come on: we all know the odds are you are going to have to go to your camp wearing only the clothes on your back (that means wear a bra and don't wear 20 pound boots or high heels). and speaking of things you don't do...

-aaron
- mr. i'm-going-to-be-the-leader-but-subtly. that is a very fine line to walk my friend, and we will see how that goes for him

- james (the gravedigger)
- this guy seems great. honest and genuine and quiet and built like a frickin' brick house. he seems like he might be a little to trusting, but he also seems aware that the whole strategy/socializing part is what he needs to work on, and being aware of that is a big plus for him.

they are giving out flint already. crappy. i still think they should make them have to go without filnt for at least a week if not more. make then have to make their own fire. its possible to do so stop making it so easy for them.

see ya chicken

Daly To Stay On Nightly For At Least 2 More Years

nbc has announced that they have signed carson daly to a 2 year contract extension keeping him around through 2009.

personally i don't really watch his show Last Call much anymore. partly because since he lost weight he just looks kind of scary, like his head is too small for his body and he doesn't really fit in his suits. kind of like at the end of Beetlejuice when the guys head shrinks. but, that aside, i kind of stopped watching once he moved from new york to l.a. and the show started to look like every other late nigth talk show out there - with him sitting behind a desk and the chairs to the side for the guests, etc... when he was in new york the show had a much more laid back vibe. not to mention that the desk looks like a mini version of a real late night desk that the staff put together themselves.

anyway, congrats to him, and he is doing well in that 1:35am time slot - according to Zap2it.com "Last Call performs better in its target adults 18-34 demographic than abc's Jimmy Kimmel Live or cbs' Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

why 2009 you ask? well, for those unaware of the late night tv goings on, that is when jay leno is stepping down and the great conan o'brien will be getting the Tonight Show gig he so richly deserves (conan is definitely the best late night guy going these days. i just hope the switch to the earlier 11:35pm time slot doesn't force him to change his show and tone down that brilliant/dumb/weird/original comedy that him and his writers produce - which is kind of what happened to letterman - who was great at the later hour - when he moved from 12:35am to 11:35pm those many years ago).

back to daly: according to what i read he has made it known that he wants o'briens spot when he leaves, but i don't think that is such a good idea. he is good where he is now, but i just don't see him having what it takes to fill o'briens spot.

supposedly nbc has recently signed jimmy fallon to a holding deal leading people to think that he was nbc's pick to replace conan. as for that one, i'm not sure again. i like fallon and i thought he was fun on SNL, but it takes more then that to be a great late night talk show host - - then again i might be biased because i am such a huge conan o'brian fan that anyone will pretty much be a major step down.

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!!!!

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'.

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).

Some Pick-Ups, Cancelled Shows And Other News

just some quick notes on a few things i've heard over the last day or so in my random web surfings and news listening.

very good news:
- NBC has ordered 25 episodes of My Name Is Earl and The Office which is up from the normal 22. there will also be five hour-long The Office episodes next season
- Scrubs renewed

bad news:
- Scrubs renewed for believed to be only 18 episodes
- Studio 60 canceled: while i had problems with it and it definitely wasn't up to the high-quality of sorkin's last couple shows (The West Wing, Sports Night) it did have some very good writing, it was improving and i was interested in seeing where it could go

i don't care either way news:
- How I Met Your Mother renewed by cbs: it's pretty funny whenever i watch it, but that is rarely
- Jericho canceled by cbs: i was into it for the first few episodes but i lost interest and stopped watching about a third of the way through the season.

What The Hell Is Lisi Talking About?? And Earl Wins!!!

-she gave up on the game and wimped out and now she is making no sense asking cassandra about her water shoes and all the other stuff - even jeff probst looked totally confused. it was great.

other stuff from the jury questioning:

- cassandra had the opportunity to do well since she did do the least lying and cheating, but she just couldn't answer questions. she was like a politician always coming back to her talking point "i was there for people who needed someone to talk to and listen" blah, blah, bllah!!!

- i love how everyone gets all high and mighty when they are on the jury.

- i know they have to do the final vote reveal live so that the winner doesn't leak out, but i really wish they did it on the island. it is so much more intense with all the emotions running high and such. back on the sound stage months later when everyone is clapping and the players are all cleaned up just loses much of the intensity.

congratulations earl!!!

Dreamz Kept The Necklace

holy crap!! dreamz just kept the necklace. i mean literally just said "i'm gonna keep it" - as i write this they are voting. i have to admit, i thought he was gonna give it up. what a great Survivor moment though.

holy crap!! now he voted for yau-man after telling him earlier today that if he changed his mind and kept the necklace at least he wouldn't vote for yau. ok, i guess technically he never agreed to that, he just asked why yau thought he would change his mind, but come on.

the problem with what dreamz did is that he pretty much made it sure that he wouldn't get yau-man's vote in the finals. whereas if he had kept yau in (and he had won the tie-breaker) dreamz might have been able to get cassandra's vote. maybe. and also he wouldn't have looked as bad for keeping the necklace for any jury members that that means something to.

i understand that yau is strong though and all that, but i don't know if he would have had as many votes on the jury as they all thought he would have had.


ok, now a few other comments on the show so far:

- that whole going past all the voted-off player torches and remembering them is still the low point/cheesy point of every Survivor finale

- i'm not a fan of the three people in the finals thing they are doing now. call me a traditionalist, but it should come down to 2 people not 3. and on that topic, with 9 jury members what happens if there is a tie?

- what's up with rocky always doing that tough guy walk in up the stairs when they bring the jury in?

Shows Off The Bubble

so yesterday i talked about a bunch of shows that were 'on the bubble' and then today nbc and cbs announced a couple renewals.

cbs gave the go ahead to Rules Of Engagement and The New Adventures Of Old Christine.
- i don't care. neither show is that good

nbc has renewed Friday Night Lights
- this is great news for a great show

Shows On "The Bubble"

i just read a little article in variety about the nbc and cbs shows that are on 'the bubble' as far as being renewed for next season goes. check it out.

here is where i stand on the shows mentioned:

Close To Home: watched it a few times, thought it was ok, but don't really care what happens to it.

Friday Night Lights: one of the best new shows of the past season this better get renewed. nbc has been cancelling shows left and right this year and to have something of this quality is worth holding on to.

Jericho: i followed this one for about the first 7 or 8 episodes, and while i was somewhat interested in the story it just didn't hold me, and eventually fell off my dvr record list.

Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent: i used to watch the former all the time and the repeats constantly when a&e had them playing multiple times per day. now i don't catch the episodes as much, but it is still a quality show. i never got into ci but have watched it on occasion and enjoyed it (d'onofrio is awesome). i have a strong attachment to the original series and i really hope they bring it back. as for ci, i could go either way.

Scrubs: one of the best sitcoms of the last 20 years, this is such a smart and funny show and i really hope it comes back. i like the fact that abc is thinking of picking it up if nbc gets stupid and drops it.

The New Adventures Of Old Christine: your standard, average sit-com. wanda sykes is funny and the best part of the few episodes i have watched.

Immunity Idols, Blackmail And Product Placement, Oh My!

this week's episode of survivor was really good and i just have a few things to say.

alex voting for mookie: i wonder if he knew the other six were going to split up the vote? because otherwise that vote wouldn't have meant anything if the other six were all voting for mookie or for him. maybe he was hoping to show them that he is 'on their side' - which is doubtful cause they would never buy it, i don't think. it was a desperate move but at this point i think that if alex were to make it to the final 2 that he would still have mookie's vote (in his bye-bye speech to the camera mookie made no mention of alex's vote being the one that sent him home. maybe he hadn't put 2 and 2 together yet?).

the idol in the pants: while the players were getting all shocked about mookie and alex having gone through yau-man's pants to find the idol, i was wondering if they could have taken it? is there a rule in place that says that it belongs to whoever digs it up and that if someone else finds it in their bag or in a hiding place they can't take it? cause i was thinking why don't alex and mookie just take it.... - i wonder if the fact that there is a new idol in play (because alex played on a couple weeks ago) if the fake one yau-man made and buried will now come into play? and i also wonder if the producers hid the real one close to where yau-man buried the fake one so that it will have a better chance of coming into play?

mookie and alex couldn't get anyone: i was a little surprised that mookie and alex couldn't get a couple of people from the other six to vote with them. especially after the announcement that yau-man had the idol. usually around this time in the game a move like that would work, because a couple of the six would realize that they are at the bottom of the six list and will be the first to go after alex and mookie are gone. either the six weren't thinking that way or they are all confident they aren't the bottom ones of the six group.

earl is leading well: it looks like earl is the leader of the six-pack (hey, i like that), but he is doing a good job of it for the most part. being the alliance leader can be dangerous but he seems to be playing it cool and not being to domineering (like with the whole 3/3 vote split that he wasn't fond of but went with anyways because it made the other members of the alliance happy).

great editing: Survivor might be a 'reality' show but that doesn't mean that editing doesn't matter. in fact editing, it could be argued, is even more important in reality television and Survivor does it so well throughout the show. especially during tribal council when they cut back and forth between the people talking and the reactions by the other players. some of that stuff is priceless. and who knows really if the reaction we are seeing is actually a reaction to what was just said or something else entirely?

Survivor: Fiji Is Fijitastic

wow, this is turning into one of the best seasons of Survivor in a while. the episode two weeks ago with all double-crossing and vote-switching and dreamz screwing over the other three horseman was great tv. and then this week with alex and mookie finding the immunity idol in yau-man's pants and trying to blackmail him and then with alex voting for mookie in the end. that's great stuff. this is what makes survivor the best reality show out there: strategy, human-nature and a great game.

grade: while it has been hanging around a B for the last few seasons, i got to give fiji an A-

And Then There Were Three

we all know that mr. Price Is Right bob barker will be ending his 35-year-run on the show in june. what we don't know is who will be his successor.

i had a few ideas, but i guess they didn't like them because they have narrowed it down to these three men


1) Entertainment Tonight host mark steines
2) las vegas 'Price Is Right' host todd newton
3) the man with the tan george hamilton

personally they all seem alright, but none of them are WOW-what-a-great-choice. but i guess we wil have to watch them do their thing on the show before judging. if i had to guess at this point i'm thinking mark steines, although newton may have the inside track having done the game-show-hosting thing before and the Price Is Right in vegas. hamilton might have a chance because he is just...well, he's george hamilton

so what do ya think? who do you want to get it? who do you think will get it?

Pop Dynasty: 3 Jacksons Help Look For The Next Jackson 5?

if you were tossing and turning at night, worried about what was happening with tito, jermaine and latoya jackson then tonight you can finally get some rest.

cbs as announced plans to team up with three non-janet-or-micheal jackson siblings to bring us a new singing talent show called Pop Dynasty. like American Idol the show will focus on finding singing talent, but unlike the 'Idol', Pop Dynasty will be looking for a family of stars like the jackson 5, hanson, the carpenters, etc... you get the idea.

according to variety, jermaine is a principle partner in the project and will also be a judge along with his brother and sister.

although many have tried to replicate the success of American Idol, none of the other singing competitions have really gone anywhere - do you remember the 2 or 3 episodes of The One, or how about the new Star Search? however, i will watch and you know you will too, at least for the first few episodes.

i do have a question though?
with all these three judge shows we know the break down

1) the 'paula abdul': kinder and gentler and attempts to lessen the pain with positive comments about at least one thing(usually how the person looks)

2) the 'simmon cowell': blunt and honest, but also a bit of a jerk and more interested in his own image and witty comments then the actual person he is talking to.

3) the 'randy jackson': kind of inbetween the 'paula' and the 'simon' sometimes mean and sometimes nice depending on the day.

my question is who do we think will play those roles between latoya, tito and jermaine?

here is my guess.

1) latoya will be the 'paula', not because she is the female, but because i saw her on Armed And Famous and she looked just as out of it as paula does

2) jermaine is going to be the 'randy'

3) and tito will put all that anger built up from years and years of tito jokes to good use and be the 'simon'.

P.S. what about marlon and jackie?

Yao-Man Faking It

Survivor On DVD

i just watched last weeks episode of Survivor (i've been busy and i have a lot of stuff to get through on my DVR). anyway, so i just watched rocky get kicked off, but whatever. what i wanted to mention was yao-man making that fake immunity idol and burying it. i thought that was brilliant. obviously we don't know how it will play out, and if anyone will find it and think it is real and then try to use it and find out it isn't real - but i sure hope that happens.

Survivor right now

i am watching Survivor as we speak and i have two things to say so far (15 minutes in to it)

1: they just did the old drop-your-buffs-and-let-us-make-new-tribes thing. do you think they decide to do this at the beginning of the season, or after watching the tribes and seeing how it goes they then decide what could mess with people and throw off strategies the best? it was cool and a big twist the first time they did it, but now it is becoming a little to commonplace every season.

2: the one good thing that came out of it was it made lisi say something to the effect that she was hoping to go home and would have been happy had that been the case - her happy little world was thrown off kilter and she reacted without thinking. it was great! when will people learn to think before they speak on that show?

45 minutes later... speaking of keeping their big mouth shut: rocky was doing such a good job of that for the first few days and now.... not so much