Rachel Maddow

She really is the smartest newsperson currently on TV, isn't she?

The Biggest Loser Finale

ROFL, "America" voting in a 84/16 landslide AGAINST what Ed and Heba wanted and what Ed directly asked viewers to do. I mean... love it! For the irony, of course. Since if it had been the other way around, Heba would've won the competition and $150K more than she got.

Villains, and other Monday Television

I'm still not watching the next chapter (given the oh-so-been-there-done-that of the glimpse at the "Fugitives" volume... really, another X-Men plot rip... although knowing me I'm sure I'm going to watch the first episode just as I'm watching the 24 premiere against all logic) but is it possible that from the series' worst season, the best volume finale was made? I mean, they did kill off a LOT of characters, which at the very least helps the series concentrate-ish on the few characters the few viewers may still have an affinity for.

Perhaps it's all relative.

I wasn't vastly entertained during the first half of the episode, but I think it built to several decent, if separate, climaxes.

Ironic that Ando gained a power and it's AMPLIFYING OTHER PEOPLE'S POWERS. Meaning he's still got nothing on his own. Also Hiro is now powerless? My guess is that's undone during the next premiere, although NOT having a time traveler (er, except Peter? or does he need to reacquire all the powers he previously absorbed so now only has the power to fly like Nathan?) will help avoid the time travel plot device the show always falls into (and they have brought back the African version of Isaac Mendez meaning the show will continue to rely on paintings that show the future).

Sigh.

Anyway.

How I Met Your Mother - hilarious Christmas episode (Barney's sexually charged parody carols!) capped off by one of the best/most unexpected tags the show has ever had (Marshall in a Canadian bar with Robin karaoke-ing Robin Sparkles' "Let's Go to the Mall")! Ted is a dick and I'm glad Barney and Ted's sister showed him, using Lily's new inability to keep a secret.

Big Bang Theory - the show's first Christmas episode, and of course Sheldon has his own special holiday. So glad I was (easily) convinced to not remove this from my DVR series recording list. Also Michael Trucco! That reminds me, BSG in one month! Have you been watching the webisodes?

Gilded Globes

The Golden Globes are a joke. These nominations, on the whole, are terribly uninspired.

Hollywood better hope that the Academy has better sense than the HFPA. If neither The Dark Knight nor WALL•E are nominated for Best Picture, it's going to be yet another low-rated telecast. And both those movies thoroughly deserve BP nods.

House shipping...

OMG did Foreteen just happen?

Leno in Primetime?

Not sure how I feel about the news that, starting next fall, Jay Leno will bring some form of his show on the road to the 10-11pm hour from Monday through Friday for NBC. From a ratings perspective, the show is bound to do better than, say, My Own Worst Enemy. But Jay can't come cheap, and while his show may have a pretty stable viewing base after so many years in late night (so we probably won't see the typical second episode slide from a premiere we see with basically every new show)... his show has been on for many, many years. Are new viewers going to flock to it just because it's earlier? Will younger viewers watch it? I don't know. This seems like a desperate attempt to plug up the sinking ship that is NBC... and it may be a lifeboat, but I just don't see it as the savior NBC needs.

Plus we all saw how disastrously stripping 5 hours of primetime with the same show worked for MyNetwork TV in 2006-07. Granted, Jay Leno's show isn't exactly a telenovela...

... the loss of 5 hours of primetime real estate for scripted television depresses me wholeheartedly.

Oh Thank God

1) Scare of the weekend tonight when I came home from a friend's place where we watched the penultimate Dexter of the season... and my DVR would not play anything back. I was able to watch much of Brothers & Sisters live, but because it was still recording I didn't want to unplug my cable box to reboot. Anyway, 11pm rolled around and I did. And the DVR was working again! And...

2) Thank God that Nick and Starr won The Amazing Race. Nick and Starr were perhaps the only fully competent team on this cycle. If the show ever does another All-Star edition, I'd love to see them competing against other capable teams. Did anyone else, um, totally notice the absence of Toni and Dallas at the finish line? Can we get a spin-off about the State Department getting them home from Russia after Dallas lost the passports? And then an MTV reality show about Starr and Dallas dating? And some more interesting and smarter contestants next cycle? Ken and Tina's putting their wedding bands back on was touching.

3) The Simpsons actually had some real laugh out loud moments tonight. I had to pause and cackle for about 30 seconds after Mr. Burns shot the guy in the gorilla mascot costume. And, of course, Homer's WALL-E moment.

4) Yay for Desperate Housewives letting us know the reason Dave is after Mike... and it's a reason that some people (at least in online chatter) predicted, but not many. Which, IMHO, is a sign that the writer is doing a mystery correctly (if some can guess, then it can't be entirely out of left field, but if most haven't guessed, then it's still a good reveal).

Character Promos

Now that The CW has given two Gossip Girl characters their own promo spotlights (er, aside from the way the netlet originally promoted the show...) what character/song combos do you suggest for the other four main teens (no, I don't count Vanessa)? Remember, they apparently need to be tarty modern upbeat pop songs... so as much as we want Dan to have a promo to Radiohead's "Creep" it's just not gonna happen.

Chuck / "Womanizer" (Britney Spears)


Blair / "Keeps Getting Better" (Christina Aguilera... OH NO THEY DIDN'T!)


How about character/song combos for other shows?

R U SRS

Dallas and Toni. DALLAS AND TONI.

You give me such pain.

Okay, first of all, sending Dallas to do a mental task? Very smart (can you detect sarcasm?) As Toni acknowledged in confessional. Dallas soooo is lucky Tina helped him.

And then LEAVING THE BAG WITH MONEY AND PASSPORTS IN A CAB!? R U SRS!? As I'm watching and the camera lingers I'm thinking "surely, the producers are contacting the cab company and will have the bag and money and passports waiting at the Pit Stop. Remains to be seen, but... um... yeah...?

If I were Toni I would (a) be kicking myself really hard for sending my dumb son to do that Roadblock, and (b) be kicking the ass of my dumb son.

Also Phil's explanation of the detour took about 5 minutes. Damn this is a complicated leg... and there's so much stupidity-induced drama!

Also... WTF DAN'S DANCING. OMFG. AND HOW THE EFF DID THAT LADY GIVE THEM THE CLUE BASED ON HIS SO NOT GETTING IT!?

OMG DAN AND ANDREW ARE IN THE FINALS. SANJAYA. SANJAYA!

You know there's gonna be some plane-related and task-related bottlenecking, but seriously if Dan and Andrew somehow beat Nick/Starr or Ken/Tina... I don't know what I'm going to do.

Psych

Sat down with the family to watch holiday specials of both Monk and Psych tonight. I'd seen a few episodes of Monk in the past and had decided the schtick was just not for me. And tonight's episode was no different. Psych, OTOH, I had dismissed after the pilot and hadn't watched again despite several friends telling me they thoroughly enjoyed the show. And I must admit I enjoyed tonight's episode. I believe that Psych has a new convert in me.

Not like I'm recording two other things on Fridays at 10pm that it would be a conflict (and BSG doesn't start again until the week after Psych returns).

See, I can admit when I'm wrong.

Hehehe

ROFL

So Long, Vic

Just watched The Shield finale, since I took the red eye last night back to the east coast.

All I can say is... yes.

Absense. Heart. Fonder?

Starting 24: Redemption now.

I loathed the sixth season of 24. Had the Writers' Strike not happened last year, the foul taste left in my mouth would still be so pungent that I would not have considered watching it (until people told me if/that the show had markedly improved... I've already heard from Fox friends that Cherry Jones will win the Emmy for her role). Of course, those people (well, not them specifically) also greenlit Do Not Disturb) so... grains, salt, etc.

So here we are, about 18 months after "Day 6" counted down its final minutes (in such a boring, boring way as I recall).

And this two-hour movie is going to air.

And I'm... well, I'm watching it. Hopefully, as a two-hour standalone piece involving Jack "There's No Time / It's For National Security" Bauer is, well, two-hours of standalone story it won't be bogged down by the tiresome antics the writers of 24 constantly employ (a mole! in CTU? again?) and thus, perhaps, it has a chance of being a fun action-thriller MOW (movie of the week for those not versed in TV Industry English).

I wonder what Dave Barry has to say about this... he was the only thing that got me through "Day 6". Well, I'll find out after I've watched.

If this doesn't completely suck (read: it's markedly better than the "Day 6" average), I will be watching the 2-day, 4-hour premiere and making my decision then on "Day 7".

Dammit, I thought we had a legit time jump (a would-be first in 24 history), but apparently the first few minutes were prequel to the rest of the "events occur in real time" (which they are back to saying out loud, I see...) two hours.

Onward, etc. It's 11:33pm, I'm going to shut up unless I absolutely have to comment on something. After all... tomorrow is Monday.

The Amazing Race Where Contestents Couldn't Read Good

OMFG WTF DAN AND ANDREW.

How are you IN FOURTH PLACE in this cycle of TAR when YOU CAN'T READ THE CLUES. CONTINUOUSLY. LIKE, EVERY LEG OF THE RACE.

Only 27 minutes into this episode, so they could still somehow pull victory out of the jaws of defeat... but could they please NOT?

HOW THE EFF IS DAN "SPORTS AND TV BASED" WHEN HE CAN'T MARCH? AREN'T SPORTS PEOPLE SUPPOSED TO BE MODERATELY PHYSICALLY COORDINATED? AND AREN'T TV VIEWERS USED TO WATCHING THINGS!? OMG LOOK AT THE OTHER PEOPLE YOU STUPID, STUPID PERSON.

I know this is probably a non-elimination round... but can it please be an elimination round?

And can someone PLEASE make that Dan and Andrew blooper reel and post to YouTube?

K thx bai.

Srsly though, the only characters this cycle who have been remotely interesting are the semi-villains Ken and Tina (really just Tina) and kinda Ugly Americans Terrance and Sarah (really just Terrance).

Though we do enjoy the presence of Nick, Starr, Dallas, and Toni (well, not so much Toni).

ETA: Dallas, seriously, do them one at a time. I R Dumb Jock.

ETA: Dammit, it was non-elimination.

Um 2

Grey's Anatomy. WTF. You are killing me with your CRAZY.

How do you go from hilarity like "Who's making a porno in Izzie's room" to THE INTERNS TAKING OUT THEIR OWN APPENDICES.

Plus side: Melissa George has great abs.

Also... Izzie having sex with Ghost!Denny... WTF.

W.

T.

F.

Was at Twilight earlier. Just watching now (about 1/3 of the way through). 30 Rock was amusing, The Office was... odd. Felt like we skipped an episode coming off last week with Pam coming back. Weird.

America's Next Top Mehdel

ANTM is not going to win fans back by continuing to kick fan favorite models out in 3rd place and leaving choices between "meh" and "bad" for the crowd. I mean... SAM!? Over Analeigh? Seriously? With those CoverGirl photos? SERIOUSLY!?

Good to see last season's ought-to-be-the-winner is getting booked like crizazy in the "Top Models in Action" segment. Love the brunette look on Anya sooooo much more than the Joely Richardson blonde.

Tyra pulled me back into ANTM this season with the tranny. But I'm just as disappointed with this finale, and with this season's contestants as a whole, as I've been the last few cycles. Cycle 8 had some spark, Cycle 7 was probably the best group of contestants the show ever had (at least from an entertainment standpoint... and from a modeling standpoint! CariDee? Melrose? The twins?) Since then it's just been crap, crap, and more bland crap.

Glad that Tyra, from her talk show, is giving Isis the sex change operation. You go, girls!

I think I may be done with ANTM.

So it's a tumor, right?

WTF is wrong with Izzie Stephens?

KTLA

WTF. Tomorrow will be the 3rd week in a row that Top Model is preempted in LA for a Clippers game. THE FREAKING CLIPPERS. FOR A THIRD WEEK IN A ROW.

This would never happen on a real network.

At least it hasn't happened on Gossip Girl night.

Yet.

Dear God, It's me. Barney Stinson. What up?

I only realized what was happening on HIMYM 20 minutes into the episode when Ted and Robin walked into the bar and were fighting so Robin is going to stay somewhere else for the night.

BARNEY AND ROBIN ARE ON (maybe).

Why did I wait to watch this until 9am.

Oh, right, I fell asleep in the middle of Heroes (yeah... I decided I was going to keep watching until the end of this arc... OMG that was the most retcon episode of television I HAVE EVERY SEEN).

Dammit, Ted and Robin made up and Barney and Robin aren't on. This makes me sad.

Marshall better get ready to have a kid fast... Alyson Hannigan is preggers.

FYI

I'm quite behind in television viewing. Have been insanely busy with the Prop 8 protesting effort since Wednesday. Have no voice... not that it should affect typing or TV viewing. Anyway... peace and love to all. Am sitting down to watch Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters (which I hear has a Prop 8 plotline that, because of faulty scheduling information given to the producers or something... is, um, too late).

Back to the Island

Lost returns Wednesday, January 21st with a three-hour event (two-hour premiere following a one-hour clips show).

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now let's play scheduling shuffle.

Private Practice to Thursdays at 10pm following Grey's Anatomy (which will help the reported February sweeps crossover arc... although February sweeps is actually in March in 2009 because of the DTV transition... FYI)

Life on Mars to Wednesdays at 10pm, it should do as decently as it's doing now when airing against a currently weak NBC, CSI: NY, and having a more male-skewing audience in its lead-in.

Dirty Sexy Money is canceled (I've heard rumors that ABC told Berlanti to choose between DSM and Eli Stone and Berlanti chose ES).

Pushing Daisies is canceled, as I previously reported but it hasn't officially leaked out yet. But who knows what will be sacrificed to the (rusting?) Idol machine.

Pushing Daisies Going Six Feet Under

Hearing Pushing Daisies has been canceled. Not sure if they'll air the rest of the series. It's off the air next week for the CMA Awards.

Rumor Mill

Hearing that two ABC midseason dramas, Castle and The Unusuals, had their orders cut from Pilot + 12 to Pilot + 9. Purely for economic reasons, is what I'm hearing.

Legend of the Seeker

Well... let's just get this out of the way.

Xena it ain't.

I've read the first book in the "Sword of Truth" series on which Legend of the Seeker is based. I liked it a lot. I was told by friends who'd read the rest of the series or at least other books in the series that subsequent installments suffered from diminishing returns and from eventually excessive preachiness on the part of author Terry Goodkind.

Anyway.

We've got HD New Zealand scenery. That does count for something. And we've got two women on horseback with heaving bosoms (the women... not the horses...) with a bunch of armored men in hot, archery heavy, occasionally slow motion pursuit. Oh, no, blonde breasty woman in black garb got shot. I don't remember this from the book. But I read it over three years ago... so it may have happened? Um, actually, I'm pretty sure it didn't. But yay death in shallow, muddy streams. And Kahlan runs into a shiny barrier. Ah, yes, this definitely did not happen in the books kind of sort of at least not at the beginning. I'm remembering the books better now. Three separate kingdom-ish things with barriers keeping them apart since times of yore based on some moral issue surrounding the use of magic. I think? Anyway, the books started with Richard, our naive woodman soon-to-be hero, as opposed to Kahlan the Confessor, she of the cool temper and impeccably white dress. Kahlan was already through the barrier. There may have been a flashback-y explanation of her coming through at some point... again, my memory ≠ perfect. But I totally understand using this sequence to start off. There's urgency, death, and, well... women with heaving bosoms. Are you liking what you're seeing, young male viewing audience?

Sidenote... IIRC the last 150-ish pages involve Richard becoming some dominatrix's torture victim. How's this going to work on TV???

Okay, I'm just gonna let the mindnumbing action-hour (or two!) take me back into the cold, dead, raped corpse of the book I read years ago. Peace out, ya'll!

But don't get me wrong. I'm very happy to have a fantasy hour on TV.

I just wish George R. R. Martin would get A Song of Ice and Fire done faster so HBO could do the seven books. Read "A Game of Thrones" if you haven't. It'll knock your socks off.

Finally

Up to the title card on Grey's Anatomy. Finally. This is shaping up to be a great episode. I mean... great. There's in-hospital drama in the form of Shephard and Sloan versus Hunt. Romcom beats with Cristina's attempts at avoiding him (ducking around corners... using Lexie as a human shield so he doesn't see her...). Relationship drama between George/Lexie and Izzy/Alex. Professional ambition (Chief Webber is finally prepping Bailey to be the new Chief when he retires). Moral objections to what Hunt is doing with the pigs is sure to ensue.

And then there's the curious case of Callie/Hahn... I really don't know what to make of that whole "glasses" speech and the "I'm gay, I'm so gay!" declaration. Um, yeah, Callie went running.

And if downgrading the hospital to a Level Two Trauma Center was just a 5-episode machination to bring Kevin McKidd's character on fulltime... I'm actually on board.

So, there you have it.

Bravo, Grey's Anatomy.

TV Movie to Feature Movie... how's HSM3 doing?

So a bit over a year ago, HSM2 shocked-ish the ratings world with a then-record-smashing 17.2 million viewers and something like an 80 share in female kids/tweens. And with all of the "viewing parties" there was really no tracking exactly how big it was. The date of the movie premiere was also considered "genius" as it was a Friday night after many kids are back from summer camps and before they go to school.

Then Disney decided the third installment wouldn't be seen for free on TV, but people would have to pay (what Box Office Mojo claims in 2008 is) an average of $7.08 per ticket to see it. Oh, and it came out towards the end of October when kids are still in school.

So the question is... how many would show up?

Estimates for Friday are in. $16.9 million That's 2.387 million people based on average ticket prices. That's certainly a decent sized audience immediately going out to buy for something they used to get for free. Oh, and of course we have no idea what Saturday and Sunday (with their matinees) will bring. In fact, I have a feeling that the kiddie matinees are going to be huge.

The only thing that's going to stop HSM3 from reaching Iron Man and Indiana Jones 4 is that it doesn't cross over very well to adult audiences. However, I suspect it's going to get pretty close. After all, the teenage girl repeat audience is largely responsible for Titanic's $600M domestic take (that film, however, had massive crossover appeal, huge drama, and a cartload of Oscars). Repeats of the original HSM and HSM2 continue to put much on The CW to shame for sheer audience size (certainly for repeat audience size)... so there's definitely going to be some longevity in HSM3. The question is how much. And we talking about a film that plays in the Top 5 through the winter holidays? Or will November 21st's Twilight take a, er, chunk of the teen audience away?

BTW, Saw V for about $14 million, and certainly won't catch HSM3 because horror movies typically have their best day on Friday (date night). So it'll go down a bit tomorrow, and severely on Sunday.

30 Roxor

So, next week's season premiere of 30 Rock is now streaming on NBC.com. Go watch! It's not the height of the show's hilarity (we've all heard the 11/6 episode with Oprah - wait, you heard she's guesting on the show, right? no? really? - is an absolute riot). But it is funny. Uneven, but funny. And so much fun.

The great thing about this show, and let's face it, all sitcoms, is repeatability. I don't watch episodes of Grey's Anatomy more than once. Ever. But I'm still watching repeats of South Park, The Simpsons, Futurama, and Family Guy. I've sat through a Big Bang Theory repeat and guffawed along and the better episodes of How I Met Your Mother often get multiple plays.

Anyway, my point is that I've watched episodes of 30 Rock multiple times... and despite having seen the premiere already, will be more than willing to laugh along with the jokes again (and catch new ones) when it premieres next week.

And good call by Broadway Video and Tina Fey managing to get her onto this week's SNL: Weekend Update Thursday.

Be the dubs... Grey's was fun tonight! Straight-forward, moderately interesting surgical case reflecting on the doctors' lives. Remember the days when this was the norm, and you cared more for the characters?

Finally... quote of the evening!

Michael Scott: "It squeaks when you bang it. That's what she said!" (regarding a toy gavel)

Previously On Heroes

Previously on Heroes: stupid people did stupid things for no reasons other than their own stupidity.

Also, the show now considers Sylar a "hero". And the previously on keeps referring to bad guys as "the Villains" like they were a gang or League of Evil or some such thing.

And now, Heroes continues.

Zzzzz.

I swear to god, if this weren't the episode that supposedly Papa Petrelli showed up and did shiz, I wouldn't even bother sarcastiblogging about it.

Eh, I actually don't care enough to keep typing.

Damn That Mother Chucker

Viewing Schedule

I'm considering cutting several shows from my current schedule. None that I truly love, but ones that I've fallen out of love with and still watch because I haven't been able to let go yet.

- American Dad (far too miss on the hit-or-miss spectrum)
- Entourage (just not fun any more... Hollywood is so over it)
- Terminator (clearly headed to cancellation)
- Big Bang Theory (I don't love it... but I do find it incredibly funny and that's a rarity on TV these days... so this is really a question of "is the 30 minutes of time worth the price of several guffaws?")
- Samantha Who (simultaneously not funny enough and not endearing enough, despite the charms of Applegate and Smart)
- 90210 (because... really)
- Fringe (hyped disappointment that I feel I ought to be addicted to but am definitely not)
- Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency (it's like soft core gay porn... which is a good thing... but is that worth the hour?)
- Pushing Daisies (clearly headed to cancellation... and it's whimsical and candy-colored and has delicious dialogue wordplay but dramatically it's such a non-started and doesn't interest me any longer)
- Private Practice (I watch because of a deep love for Addison... who changed when she moved from Seattle to LA - don't we all - and this is probably not making it to a third season though it'll be around all year whether on Wednesdays at 9pm or Thursdays at 10pm)
- Dirty Sexy Money (clearly headed to cancellation)
- Life on Mars (wasn't wowed by the pilot, though it was infinitely better than the original US pilot... so I'm probably gonna give it another episode or two... but should I bother?)

Weigh in and come to any show's defense (or offense against it) if you care to.

Et tu, 90210 2.0?

Jessica Walter has been removed from the regular cast for the back half of the season, and will only recur. I know they haven't exactly figured out how to incorporate her (read: haven't really tried) but she remains the best thing going for this show. This is depressing news.

JGarn

I don't usually watch The Rachel Zoe Project (after all, it's only a 6 week run... and, um, so much else to watch!)

Anyway, I heard Jennifer Garner was gonna be on this week. And, um... can she provide running commentary about the ins and outs of Hollywood for every reality show? Hi-lar-ious.

I miss JGarn. Can she stop reproducing and get back onto my silver or small screen on a more regular basis?

My Name Is Travis, and I Have an Addiction

And its name is Gossip Girl. Seriously. How did this show sneak up and become so wildly addictive? I must've been suffering withdrawals last week when it wasn't on. While I'm not sure how I feel about the kinda-sorta "all our main characters are going to get into Yale!" of it all.

But... anything to have an A-plot about Blair versus Serena this good is worth it. I mean... damn. DAMN. Also... during the Dean's reception the orchestra was playing an instrumental version of Muse's "Time Is Running Out". Love it! Also love that Blair continues to dream in Audrey Hepburn movies. And Chuck versus Nate! And sorta Nate versus Dan! And Chuck versus Nate! And Chuck VERSUS SKULL AND BONES!

But... OMFG BLAIR VERSUS SERENA! NO HOLDS BARRED! SHE RIPPED THE BOW OUT OF BLAIR'S HAIR!

Only Jenny and her plodding fashion job travails fell semi-short. I mean, that was transparent.

Viewers please note... these shenanigans are not necessary to get into an Ivy League school. Just some combination of good grades, good boards, good essays, good recommendations, and a good interview. We did it! And not everyone at Ivy League schools is a trust fund kid (though there definitely are plenty...)

Also, Heroes is on season pass cancellation watch. Episodes remaining: 1.

Meanwhile... brava to Christina Applegate for going so balls to the wall on Samantha Who? post-double mastectomy. The show's not that funny, but it is amusing and she's just magnetic.

Heil to the Chief

Grey's Anatomy would be a lot better show than it is if they got rid of the bumbling chief. Last night he was just terrible. He has no reason to be on the show, but he takes a moral high ground on every issue and is constantly wrong. He should've retired at the end of season three when the show's plot gave him an opportunity to do so. Asshat. You want to know why Seattle Grace has fallen to #12 in the rankings (and, um... stupidest plot point every, why would I want to watch a show about a hospital that is in the same city as a BETTER hospital and thus won't be getting the best surgeries?) well, look no further than the chief.

It's all wrong.

ANTM: Wrong! Lauren Brie? Really? She of the "Top 5 ANTM Photos Ever"? Gone with SEVEN GIRLS REMAINING? She didn't have much of a big personality... but whatever! I mean, really, of working high fashion models, how many really have "signature" walks and poses? Hm? Sheena isn't going much of anywhere in the fashion world until someone pays for her augmented breasts to get removed. Anyway.

Project Runway: Wrong! Or at least sorta wrong. We don't get a great look at the collections in the first part of the finale, but the glimpses we saw, I really wish Jerrell had made it to the official section of Bryant Park (he obviously still showed his collection). What glimpses we got had that regal, colorful, shiny, assymetrical flair. I just don't see Korto's collection winning in anything resembling the state we saw some of the pieces (which was the furthest from the designers returning to NYC, so who knows). That wedding dress was bad. Anyway, based on the wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses, Leanne and Kenley totally deserved to show their collections, so... sorta wrong. But, y'know, I loved a lot of Korto's designs, so whatevs, all bets off. Unfortunately for all of them, nothing is gonna stand up to Christian Siriano's collection.

South Park: Wrong! Because it's so right. Even though the show has already riffed on Speilberg and Lucas for their changing and remastering of their classic films (6 years ago in "Free Hat"), this episode was right on the money with the B-plot repressed memory most of the characters had of Indiana Jones getting raped by the two directors during Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Seriously. Cartman/Butters A-plot of Cartman having nightmares about the Chinese Olympics opening ceremonies and the Chinese taking over the world. ROFL.

Pushing Daisies: Wrong... because I think it's time to start getting detached from this whimsical, nonsensical, colorful mess. It will probably be 5th place in the timeslot in A18-49, and by November it might be behind ANTM in viewers (okay, that's a stretch... but who knows! After all, this is a world where Heroes is so bad - and it is - that it's tying HIMYM in the demo on Mondays... OMG Heroes is so bad...)

Behind...

Thanks to weekend activities, I'm behind in TV viewing (just watched Dexter... better than the premiere... still have Mad Men to watch eventually) and probably won't get caught up until... this weekend? Still haven't watched last week's Bones. And didn't record Terminator tonight so I could get the CBS comedies and Chuck (thank you, CW, for not having new Gossip Girl this week).

Sigh.

Relaunch

I can't wait to see tomorrow's ratings... will ABC be able to successfully relaunch its semi-successful Wednesday night lineup from last season?

I suspect mixed results, and potentially disastrous ones.

Private Practice will be tops of the ABC hours, but at the most a 4 in the demo (and thus losing in viewers and demo to the horrible Criminal Minds). Pushing Daisies will be lucky to breach a 2.5, as viewers gave up on it last season. Dirty Sexy Money is my question mark. Addition of Lucy Liu to the cast might help (and I love that sultry "so many secrets..." tag on the DSM ads) and I've heard amazing things about its creative direction this season (as well as a death coming up in episode two that will make me sad... but I'm not telling!) Plus, the competition is far less at 10pm than at 8pm (even if I'll be shocked if Knight Rider even does a 2 in the demo).

Speaking of... I can't wait to see how far NBC's lineup tanks. America's Got Talent will be pretty stable, but Knight Rider and Lipstick Jungle? Please.

Also Gary Unmarried. I will be quite surprised if it holds up week-to-week (and not because of increased competition, as ABC had the special DWTS which will undoubtedly do better than the Pushing Daisies premiere). Quite surprised.

I personally welcome the ABC dramas back because with the exception of Bones (which I am not recording tonight, as Hulu is a far better online player than The CW's) all I'd been watching on Wednesdays were reality programs (and next week, the diversion that was Top Design gives way to South Park).

Show reactions... relative to expectations, the opinions are these.

Pushing Daisies brought back its particularly brand of whimsy, no more and no less than I'd recalled. The partially-new, partially-not opening was a good intro to any new viewers, and they wove the various cliffhangers in throughout so it wasn't overload right off the top. The mystery of the week was, also, whimsical and weird and just so convolutedly strange in the way that defines the show's you-love-it-or-you-hate-it affect. Grade: B.

Private Practice was unexpectedly dramatic, following an opening few minutes that reminded us of the relationship status of all our main caricatures. In fact, this episode brought in things like issues! And drama! That kind of superseded the nonsense that is Oceanside Wellness' incestuous dodecahedron! It was some much appreciated gravitas (shudder). Though the baby storyline, I think, was far more effective than the HIV-positive teenager storyline. One of two ain't terrible, though! And a company dealing with financial troubles... hm, I wonder if we're going to be seeing a lot of that soon (and hopefully less of what occurred on How I Met Your Mother's adequately funny but terribly timed episode featuring a plot where a bank took over a local hamburger stand). Grade: A- (remember, this is all relative... I think it was the best PP episode yet, but that's not saying much, y'know?)

Dirty Sexy Money. Eh. Now sure what to think. It didn't really draw me back into the world of the Darlings until the very end. Which I guess is why they opened with the tired-and-true teaser and flashback to 48 hours prior. Grade: C.

New Series Update

Fringe: I was going to drop it, but I rather enjoyed last night's episode (now that I've watched it... thanks, Jewish holidays). I still find Walter Bishop far less entertaining than the show wants me to find him in all his crazy. I'm glad they've toned down the barf-inducing gross-out factor that plagued the post-pilot episode (and also are telling better stories than the sleep-inducing episode from last week).

The Mentalist: Episode two was big ol' pile of meh. Not as fun as House is even when House is doing mind-numbingly formulaic episodes. And I get my cute banter crime procedural quota filled by Bones. I've been convinced to give it one more episode, but that's it (though I may delay that last episode until the season gets a bit further along and the networl allows them to go break from a formula they're only now establishing... so if they ever get back to the Red John story, someone let me know k thx).

90210: I'm still watching... but now that Brenda is gone and Kelly is temporarily gone... I'm not sure why. The sole diversion in the Wilson family is the oft-absent Tabitha, and the only moderately compelling new characters Hot Teacher and Troubled Jock (whose "special" older brother added a somewhat interesting dimension). I could give a rat's ass about Naomi's family woes... they really needed more of her being deliciously bitchy before they tried to make us like her. The whole Adriana thing bores to tears. Though I did enjoy Jessica "Weight Issues" Stroup's character, Silver, talking about "normal looking girls" being brainwashed into looking like models by the fashion industry.

I think those are the only new shows I'm watching this (fall) season... and they're all on Tuesdays! Le. Sigh.

It's Alive!

OMFG, ya'll. Sunday night TV.

Dexter: Went to a friend's house who gets the east coast feed of Showtime so we watched Dexter. Eh. That premiere did not have a ton of oomph. At the end of season two it seemed like there was going to be this massive transformation in how Dexter went about, y'know, his business. But after the 7 minute "previously on" (eye roll...) segment... not a ton changed besides Deb's hair (cute!) Highly underwhelming. And am I the only one who didn't care fore Jimmy Smits? The show is always so spot on with creating these characters and making amazing, unique casting choices... this didn't work for me. Well, I'm still hooked, of course, but... eh.

The Amazing Race: God I've missed this show. It was such a mistake for CBS to only do one cycle last season. This show demands you watch it. It's the only show that keeps you on the edge of your seat and your heart, er, racing the entire time. The usual business of a first episode for the cycle, and I'm sad to see the team that left leave so early (they definitely stood out in the crowd), but it looks like there's a lot of Ugly American activity brewing. Yay! Also... we have a new himbo.

Desperate Housewives: First few minutes? Wow. They didn't come out and say it, per se, but THEY KILLED MIKE. In such a quaint, amusing way! And the device bringing us from the "characters we knew" to the "five years later" versions was used to great, smooth effect. Well done, show. GABRIELLE'S KIDS ARE FAT. Bree... you're Martha Stewart. And you always should have been. And Andrew's... well, in a suit. Can he please have a gay boyfriend this season? Now that he's an adult and all. Katherine: "If there's one thing you're really good at, it's posing as a chef." I wish they would've shown the pie-in-face hilarity (they still may). Parker and Preston... eh, they're still causing trouble for poor Lynette. And Brian Kinney is screwing Susan! Of course he was fantastic, Susan, he's Brian Kinney. Hm, the awkward kicking-him-out-of-bed and secret-relationship talk makes me think that (a) Mike is not dead, and (b) Susan is having an affair... but she's just "still getting over it" etc. Hm, Brian needs to work on his abs. Hm, creepy blonde dude moving into neighborhood by sorta-force-evicting some old dude... and he's married to Edie! Edie's back! Okay, time to enjoy this show and stop gabbing.

Hi, okay, I'm trying, I really am, but yay to the gay househusbands sitting on their porch and snapping a cameraphone (even if it was a clunky piece o' crap phone) a picture of Brian Kinney escaping Susan's house in his skivvies in the middle of the day. Marc Cherry, please, keep this quality up!

Fun Orson cameo. Is Kyle MacLachlan going to be on the show or will he just be doing that brief bit of The Doors karaoke? Aw, Bree took Orson back. And Danielle took her son from Bree and Orson. Where is Susan's son in all of this, b-the-dubs?

... and Mike is not dead. Not sure how I feel about that. Though it does explain where her son has been while she's, y'know, sleeping with Brian Kinney. I like that this episode progressed all these characters so much without writing people like Orson and Mike off.

The ending with "creepy blonde guy married to Edie is (a) really crazy, and (b) on Wisteria Lane to hurt/kill/whatever some mystery person" was extremely clunky, though. I've always found the serial mystery plotlines to be the most forced and, after the first season, unnecessary part of the show. But, well, everything else in this episode was so good that I'll let it slide... for now...

Brothers & Sisters: The only issues I have going into this premiere are (a) icky Justin-Rebecca feelings lingering, and (b) the fact that I know that Ryan, the new "other Walker sibling" won't be around UNTIL EPISODE 14 (thank you, spoilers from casting friends). This is my favorite guilty pleasure, sappy-emotional fluff hour of TV. I don't analyze and criticize it like I do, say, Heroes. I just laugh and smile and cry and hold my breath along with my heart on my sleeve. And to do so... I need to just watch. So... yay, the Walker family is back, I'll blog ya tomorrow with thoughts on Mad Men and the Fox comedies (er, not King of the Hill of course) if I feel an urge to (and if I'm able to watch them tonight, as it's already close to midnight and tomorrow is, well, Monday...

"Stick it in your mouth, but don't swallow it." "No? Nothing?"

Opting for a night in after this last whirlwind of a week (and of course debate-watching shenanigans).

Finally watching The Office. 10 minutes in (first commercial break). Um... wow, this show came back STRONG! I don't think I laughed as much as I have during these ten minutes during the entirety of last season.

Amy Ryan is unexpectedly pure comic gold.

Gotta Love The Press Release

At the bottom of ABC's blurb about the Grey's numbers:

Please note: Based on last season ('07-08), "Grey's Anatomy" is the most recorded and played back program on all of TV, as the show gained +2.1 million viewers and grew by +1.1 rating points in Adults 18-49 (+13%) from its first reported Live + Same Day number to its Live + 7 Day number. With current DVR penetration nearing 28% this season, up from about 19% at the same point a year ago, "Grey's" will see even greater increases in viewership this season from the initially reported next-day overnight ratings to the final numbers including all DVR playback.

[TY - It's a shame there isn't really that much info about the Live+7 versus Live+SD numbers out there. I also found the following enlightening...]

Grey's represents TV's most-watched scripted series telecast since early-April (4/10/08 - CBS' "C.S.I.") and highest-rated among Adults 18-49 since the beginning of February (2/5/08 - Fox's "House" coming out of "American Idol").

[TY - I except CSI will be more viewed when it comes back in two weeks... but the A18-49 numbers won't touch the Grey's premiere.]

Strut Your Stuff

Bravo, ANTM for having a double elimination episode. And having the first elimination halfway through and based solely on runway, without the panel (and thus Tyra) weighing in. Glad Isis's story as a transgender came to the forefront again, I was a bit miffed last week when they had her in a swimsuit and there was nary a mention of, y'know, downstairs. It was definitely time for Isis to leave, but, again, a bravo to the show for (a) bringing her on, and (b) knowing when it was time to let her go (instead of kicking a model with far better photos off).

House Needs an Idol Shot in the Ratings Arm

Thus far this season, House's original episodes have rated far lower than it did during its third and fourth seasons' fall runs. And I think the second season may have have higher rated fall runs, too, though I can't find data to back that up so I'm not going to use it for what I'm about to say.

House needs to be back at 9pm after Idol on Tuesdays.

I've been preaching on PIFeedback.com for a while that Fox should move House to Thursdays to grab a beachhead much as ABC did with Grey's.

Now I'm not so sure.

Thanks to the strike, and to Fox moving House to Mondays at 8pm when it came back with new episodes so Hell's Kitchen could air post-Tuesday Idol, House's ratings have fallen. Back in its first season, Idol made House from a failure into a hit (including repeats of fall originals rating like new episodes). The show came back in its season season far stronger than it had been before (but, again, I'm not sure if it was stronger then than it is now). Then Idol that winter/spring made House into a megahit. House returns for its third fall campaign even stronger. During some post-Idol episodes of House during that third winter/spring, House even beat Idol in some key categories. House comes back huge last fall for its fourth year... and the strike happens. And now House isn't hitting 7s in the demo, it's barely hitting 5s (the finals for today will be 5.0, I'm betting, as it paired until 9:01pm).

Fox doesn't have a comedy that's going to be helped by Idol at 9:30pm on Wednesdays. But it does have several dramas that should be infused with the Idol lead-in. House can now count itself among them. Shift Wednesday's Idol results show to 8:30pm (should Fox stick to the plan to keep it to a still-overblown 30 minutes this season), and make use of that 9pm hour.

The Fall TV Season... We Has It

Gossip Girl: Um... how awesome!? I hate Vanessa. With an unequaled passion only approached by my distaste for Dan Humphrey. Self-righteous idiot. Can't wait to see next week.

How I Met Your Mother: Ted/Stella/Marshall plot: eh. Very predictable and not incredibly hilarious in that I'm sure we all saw each "twist" coming (although that opening montage of the things going through Ted's head as he waited for Stella's answer... hilarious ending with the football jock meathead... what's up, turd?). However... that wasn't the point. The point was the "awwww" at the end. And we love Sarah Chalke (both here and as Elliot Reed on Scrubs). Barney/Lily/Robin plot: de-wait-for-it-lightful. I'm glad they found a way to keep the Barney we know/adore and progress (ish) the Barney/Robin romance. Quite enjoyable.

Big Bang Theory: Jim Parsons makes his case once again for an Emmy nomination... will he be heard this season?

Terminator: I'll watch tomorrow... or over the weekend. Definitely before next Monday. Probably.

Heroes: Starting it... now. This is sure to elicit some form of reaction... anything is better than apathy, no?

Hey, at least there's no long, drawn out mystery as to Nathan's shooter. And, yay, Heroes is "borrowing" from classic X-Men storylines again! This show is always much more entertaining when it's repeating plotlines I already know instead of failing to create decent plotlines of its own. Anyway... Nathan is interestingly not dead. Although he was dead, according to Dr. Emergency Surgeon. And yet it's not because of Claire's blood (again, apparently). Which means the series has created yet another way to cheat death and render death inconsequential, and thus merely a cheap, narrative ploy. Bravo, show. Bravo.

Act Two... Hiro has mastery over his powers. Finally. Although for all you aspiring time-benders out there... please be more wary about how you treat space-time. Holes happen! If Hiro is bored, he should visit the Upper East Side and hang with the Gossip Girl crew. He has the necessary net worth! Oh, and, yes, Hiro is back to using the word "unmei" in every sentence. A good sign!

Dear Peter... I know you're all cliffhanger-y in Texas, but maybe call Claire to tell her that Nathan is alive (?). K thx. Sylar's "I bet you've been wondering where I've been since you saw me last" smacks of meta... but I'm less interested in where he's been and the long-winded monologue-y explanation it surely will be and more interested in him finally slicing the cheerleader's head open. That is all. Wait a second. It was only sort of long-winded. And it skimmed over most of the details of season two (thank god) including calling Maya of the Wonder Twins a "bad taco". Oh, Sylar, you win. You win. Excluding when you got whacked in the face by a trophy and when you lamely use your telekinesis to make Claire's house into some sort of even more boring haunted mansion. Apparently his bitch mother never told Gabriel not to play with his food.

OH GOD, IT'S MAYA. WITH MOHINDER. I COULD NOT BE MORE BORED. Dammit, why didn't she just kill him... um, if Mohinder now thinks the abilities are produced by adrenaline and not blood, then why did Claire's blood work as an instant resurrection tool? Hm? Oh, I suppose her adrenaline might be in it... whatever.

Please tell me he's going to bottle the endocrine system and sell it on the black market. That would be so 4400 of him.

Hiro's father obviously never read the Art of Rhetoric or he'd have known that when he said "never open the safe" all Hiro heard was "open the safe". Kaito also must've never heard the phrase "curiosity killed the cat". Unless this whole thing is a reverse psychology ploy, which it must be if a button on a thing on the desk by the safe opens said safe. Hahah, at least the video will of Kaito calls Hiro out for being an impudent brat. And, oh my, someone stole that thing lickity split. Hiro, you have your mission.

Although, I'm concerned about the conversation Hiro has with Lady Flash. And she's moving at, say, the speed of sound (okay, let's call her Lady Quicksilver... though the VFX implication certainly is reminiscent of light speedbands), and Hiro has now stopped time (or slowed it down considerably). How do they TALK TO EACH OTHER.

Yes, yes, I'm not supposed to notice that.

If the bullets went straight through Nathan, and he healed inside... why did Dr. Emergency Surgeon imply Nathan was dead? Oh, the plot holes... they begin...

... where did Parkman go just now?

... if I'm ever going to get to sleep tonight, I'm going to have to stop the play-by-play commentary because I've been "watching" Heroes for 50 minutes but am only 23 minutes in... including two commercial breaks. Of a 2 hour premiere. To the couch, and away from the keyboard...

... okay, I tried. But come on, Heroes. "His condition has been upgraded to stable"... from, what? Dead? ZOMG. Okay. I'm really just going to watch now. Seriously.

... hey. Me again. I couldn't stay away (though am having no problems staying awake). Linderman works as an explanation for Nathan's recovery... but I'm afraid it just means a roundabout explanation for why Linderman isn't dead (y'know, after Leonard Roberts put his character's fist through his head). And given the odd camera angles and ensuing lack of recognition by other people in the room with Nathan... imaginary figment?

Also... Niki/Jessica/whatever is alive. Cue zzz (especially if we get a lot of Micah and Monica...)

... dipping back into the "Hiro sees a cataclysmic future" well again, are we? Well, at least it was just Tokyo... not like that city doesn't get trampled by every mecha/demon/Godzilla attack ever recorded...

... and an answer on the WTF is Angela Petrelli's ability!

... Weevil got faaaaaaaaaaaat...

... jeez, quote Yeats much, Mohinder? I liked your thematic VOs better. They were somehow less pretentious!

... okay, really going to step away from the computer. Probz won't give detailed thoughts on part two. Because, obvs that takes a while from me, what will all the hole poking...

Mondays Suck Because They're Awesome

Dilemma.

My DVR records only two programs at once.

Mondays at 8pm tonight:
- Gossip Girl
- Sarah Connor
- Big Bang Theory / How I Met Your Mother

Mondays at 8pm next week:
- Gossip Girl
- Sarah Connor
- Big Bang Theory / How I Met Your Mother
- Chuck

WTF, all networks except ABC.

PS - ABC, thanks for programming Dancing with the Stars, a show I have zero interest in.

Emmy Day, Oh Emmy Day

Alrighty then... predix. I don't really watch miniseries/TV movies... so I'm not predicting those categories.

Comedy Series:
- will win/I'd vote for: 30 Rock

Comedy Directing:
- will win: Barry Sonnenfeld, Pushing Daisies "Pie-lette"
- I'd vote for: Michael Engler, 30 Rock "Rosemary's Baby"

Drama Directing:
- will win/I'd vote for: Alan Taylor, Mad Men "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Pilot)"

Drama Series:
- will win: Mad Men
- I'd vote for: Lost (and Dexter)

Reality Host:
- will win: Ryan Seacrest, American Idol
- I'd vote for: Jeff Probst, Survivor

Comedy Lead Actor:
- will win/I'd vote for: Alex Baldwin, 30 Rock

Drama Lead Actor:
- will win: Jon Hamm, Mad Men (though we've been hearing buzz of a Bryan Cranston upset for Breaking Bad... and of course there's always James Spader to consider, for some ungodly reason)
- I'd vote for: Michael C. Hall, Dexter

Comedy Lead Actress:
- will win/I'd vote for: Tina Fey, 30 Rock (also, she should get an award for entertainer of the year... so, yes, I hope she wins for Individual Performance in a Variety of Music Program for hosting SNL in February)

Drama Lead Actress:
- will win/I'd vote for: Glenn Close, Damages

Reality Competition:
- will win: The Amazing Race
- I'd vote for: Project Runway (c'mon, season four? I love TAR, but let's spread the Emmy love around)

Comedy Supporting Actor:
- will win: Jeremy Piven, Entourage
- I'd vote for: Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother

Drama Supporting Actor:
- will win: Ted Danson, Damagers
- I'd vote for: Michael Emerson, Lost

Comedy Supporting Actress:
- will win/I'd vote for: Amy Poehler, SNL

Drama Supporting Actress:
- will win: Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy
- I'd vote for: Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters

Comedy Writing:
- will win: Tina Fey, 30 Rock "Cooter"
- I'd vote for: Jack Burditt, 30 Rock "Rosemary's Baby"

Drama Writing:
- will win: Matthew Weiner, Mad Men "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (Pilot)"
- I'd vote for: David Simons and Ed Burns, The Wire "-30-"

Tuesdays are getting crowded

90210: Tabitha is back! And she's still the best thing about the show! Yay! Dixon is wearing a rainbow polo shirt. Mention of money problems... that doesn't bode well for Dixon (since he will undoubtedly become indebted to some rich f*ck for some idiotic reason). Awkward transitions. They forgot to make Naomi endearingly-but-fabulously-bitchy before they tried to give her layers and make us sympathize with her. She'd be a much better arch/villain than pouty spoiled rich girl with family issues. Mention of Donna Martin graduates! This show just bought another five minutes (I know, I said it bought a few weeks last week, but after the blissful euphoria of stupidity the show left me in... my judgment was impaired). Ugh, Dixon said "do me a solid". "Just because you're a bunch of rich brats doesn't mean you can't have angst!" Oh, Tabitha. Nat! Talking about Brandon! To Dixon! As he's hiring Dixon! Well, that was only slightly expected as a result of the money talk. Could the Saturn logo be any more offensively prominent in Silver's car? Aw, troubled jock Ethan has a mentally challenged / OCD / whatever older brother. Oh, lord, Dixon is doling out dollops of wisdom. Back to the Naomi and her cheating father plot... you know the problem with this? I don't care for her, and I don't care against her. And... the baby daddy is Dylan. There goes one of very few reasons to keep watching this show (love you, Tabitha). "That was way better than cookies". Um... Ty still hasn't tasted Annie's snickerdoodles (that just sounds dirty, doesn't it?) so he doesn't really know, now does he?

House: Only show on TV that'll give you a voluptuous cleavage shot during a sexual harrassment training seminar. House is back! Yayz! Huh. The main titles still aren't changed. Wonder what that means for Thirteen, Kuman, and Mini Stud. There's obviously post-Amber fallout to deal with today, but the show needs to figure out how to (re)incorporate Chase and Cameron. And I wouldn't call what this episode did as reincorporating them... but yay, they were both in it? Also... can we move forward on either the Huddy or Hameron fronts, please?

Fringe: Hey, hot chick in underwear in the opening! That'll keep the males watching. Lance Reddick has apparently been totally relegated to the Arvin Sloane exposition role (and he's not referring to Olivia as "liaison" in that relishy way). Zzzz, rehashy backstory. This first episode, thus far, looks incredibly (if expectedly) cheap compared to the pilot. The crazy old genius that is Walter Bishop really, really grates on me. I do like the angle that Oliva has to go back and rework the cases she and her traitorous ex-lover ex-partner worked (as he was all Patterny and traitorous). Okay, besides the description of the serial killer's MO... which gross... it's getting late (12:30am) so I'm just gonna watch and shut up. 'Night, readers!
... the science in this show confuses and annoys me. X-Files was at least based in some semblance of reality (thanks to Scully making sure it was). In Fringe, it seems the most out of the box explanation is always the right path to follow, and there's somehow a way (through Walter Bishop's old experiments and through Massive Dynamic's future-ish-tech) to test the theoretical science.

OMFG Indeed

I will take credit for Gossip Girl's series-best numbers (and... wow... it might be number two on CW this week behind ANTM) because the friend I usually watch with and I had to watch separately last night. And I assume the rest of America is the same?

3.726 million viewers
2.5/4 HH --> same in finals
1.9/5 A18-49 --> 2.0/5 in finals
2.7/8 A18-34 --> 2.8/8
4.2/12 W18-34 --> 4.3/12

WTF?

WTF? SNL was actually funny (in many parts)! And the DVR gifted me with the premiere of Lost's syndicated run! Never saw the (first part of) the pilot in HD. Until now. Er, until later. On Sunday. Since it's apparently 4am.

Remember the good old days when Lost was just plain out addictively awesome and we had no idea we'd be having discussions about time-traveling bunnies?

The Return of the Fug

So... I'm behind in TV. I haven't watched Tuesday's The Shield yet. And probs won't get to tonight's Bones until tomorrow or perhaps the weekend (hey, the Gormogon plotline was the main thing that changed that show from being "save of the weekend" TV to "must see same day" TV... and that ended disastrously... though I am really invested in Booth/Bones and the long-arc plot with Bones' family).

But some things take precedence! And sadly they're all reality TV. Sorry, but nothing scripted has the same urgency as not being spoiled on eliminated aspiring models and designers! And, um, that kills me as a writer...

Anyway. The Project Runway challenge is create an avant garde look based on one of the pair of designers' zodiac signs. But the competing designers are paired with the eliminated designers.

And Stella and Blayne are put together. In the words of the promo'd Heidi clip... "Ooooh, that's bad."

The only thing worse would be if Blayne, Stella, and Suede were put on a team together. It would be a neverending string of incessant catchphrasing evil.

Nothing that comes out of this group of designers comes close to touching Team Fierce's avant garde design(s) last season.

I agree with the judges on Blayne, and I know that the show says "one week you're in, the next you're out"... but Terri leaving instead of Suede? There has to be some room for consistently good work (and terrible teammates).

Also I had drinks with someone this morning who told me that the tranny was eliminated this week on ANTM (some interview she said she heard on Today or something) so I was super happy to see that Isis escaped from the bottom two and remains in the game.

Um

Did anyone else really enjoy 90210 tonight despite themselves? And despite the "yeah, really not good" and "super trite" nature of it? And being able to predict every single "twist" multiple story beats before they happen (Mr. Clark's affair, I'm looking at you). The first few minutes kinda super sucked. But then it picked up. And it was fun. There wasn't excess whining. And the kids were together in various combinations and it wasn't horribly contrived and painful (which is saying something because it was rather forced). I even almost cared for Naomi! Almost. And then she got all melodramatic with her mother.

Although was it really a good idea for her friend to send her cheating ex-boyfriend to console her when she's distraught about the cheating men thing? I was surprised she didn't get bitchy about how all men are jerks (like Ty, or whatever his name is). In fact, it's totally out of character for her to not react that way.

Although Dixon's joking line suggesting Silver stay in his room almost ruined things.

Dear god, I think the show just bought itself another few weeks from me...

... although, where the eff was Tabitha? Did I stroke off when they maybe mentioned she was away for a few days or something for one reason or another?

And how many episodes can they really drag out not telling us the identity of Kelly's son's father?

We were dangerously close to an episode count of "3" for the question of how long until the Wilson family adopts their first West Bev student (er, that isn't Dixon)...

Cameo

Dear Ben Silverman,

Stop making cameos on hasbeen industry insider shows like Entourage. Get back to the office and do your job.

I mean, if you were going to appear on an industry insider sitcom... why the fuck not 30 Rock? Yes, yes, it films in NYC and your office is in LA.

But wait. You rarely go to the office.

*fire away, Zucker*

TY

VMAs

So last year's VMAs sucked, right? The whole "side party" thing in various hotel rooms at the Vegas location... sucked. So this year... we're on a soundstage on the Paramount lot in LA. Yeah.

Anyone else miss the old VMAs (you know, back when MTV was relevant and played music videos) in, like the Met in NYC? Big stage, big production values, big crowd, big deal... just big. This year the promotions promised music and mayhem...

... but it opens feeling so very, very small. And controlled and contrained. Though BritBrit's looking hot!

At least they let Rihanna do an entire song (last year, when she had the biggest hit of the year in "Umbrella" they only let her perform for about 90 seconds).

Ugh, Russell Brand just went political in his opening monologue. He's amusingly frenetic with his pacing and the jerking of his head... and his incredibly skin-tight black pants and shiny belts.

Anyone else amused by the cut from Jamie Foxx saying "give it up for the ladies" to Zac Efron looking like he couldn't care less about the ladies? Just saying.

OMFG BRITBRIT JUST WON A VMA. Kinda hard to believe that about a decade after she landed on the scene she's finally won one of these increasingly pointless awards. Let the comeback begin - again - bitches!

... why is Demi Moore presenting? Damn, woman's got legs to infinity.

Okay, they brought the old "scope" back for the second half of the Jonas Brothers' performance crowding the backlot streets. I still don't get them.

I'm not sure if Lil Wayne is grabbing his crotch just because or if he's regretting the oh-so-sagging-pants thing.

Dammit, I wish I'd recorded the pre-show! Apparently Fanny Pak and Kaba Modern threw down. Well, I'm sure it'll be on YouTube... and probably already is, as I'm watching on the tape delayed west coast. Woo! Fanny Pak! Ah, ubiquitous PCD song. We are so not tired of you.

Bah! I can't watch the Twilight cast presentation. I'm only 3/5 of the way through the book and I refuse to let my reading experience be altered (I also refuse to watch the trailer). Oh my god, Russell Brand is insane.

Pink looks amazing. And this is definitely my favorite song out of her since "God Is A DJ" (although, yes, there's a place in my heart for "Dear Mr. President" and I liked the other singles from "I'm Not Dead" just fine).

Jordin. Don't call me a slut. I still love you.

OH, CHRISTINA.

The acceptance speeches have really been kept to a few sentences... Oscars take note!

... and Britney obvs rehearsed one thank you speech because she basically repeats the same thank yous on win number two. Nice.

There don't seem to be a lot of awards this year. We're just above 2 hours in and they're at Video of the Year? BritBrit threepeat!

... and Russell Brand has absconded with Britney. I'm so confused.

As Kayne wraps up... I have to wonder. Why did MTV choose to have Katy Perry bookend a set of commercials with "Like a Virgin" and "I Kissed a Girl"? Why not let her have the main stage and perform? I mean... what? Sigh, the VMAs now are certainly not the VMAs of yesterdecade. For something that promised music and mayhem... I gotta say... didn't really deliver much of either...

Also, much as I *do* want Brit to have a genuine comeback... a year in which "Piece of Me" was Video of the Year? Is a sad one for music video as an, er, art form. Was Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." eligible this year or last?

Pilotgasm

In tonight's installment... Better Off Ted, Castle, and Kings.

Better Off Ted. Okay. I sincerely don't get this single cam sitcom (I'm sorry, was I supposed to laugh?) Overly excessive talking-to-the-camera device. The cardboard cutout acting of Jay Harrington (combined with aforementioned overly excessive device as Jay plays the titular Ted). The show takes place at some umbrella catchall up-and-coming technologies, device, product, whatever firm and basically involves Portia de Rossi stooping to the Cold, Unfeeling Bitch of a Boss role asking Ted to have his team of scientists, researchers, whatever do the stupid, inane, and/or impossible all at the behest of the people above them. Gotta love middle management. Better off not giving this stinker a second thought. Andrea Anders... surprisingly cute!

Castle. The opening act, which cross-cuts between Nathan Fillion's character's book release party (he is the titular Richard Castle) - he's just written the final book of a bestselling detective character in which the main character is gruesomely killed - and a murder scene where a Female Cop recognizes the mode of murder. Castle's publisher is his ex-wife, and he's months overdue for turning in his next manuscript. Oh, and he invited his (alcoholic?) mother to live with him and his daughter now that he's divorced or something. Castle's mother, played by Susan Sullivan, pales in comparison to Jessica Walter's Tabitha Wilson on 90210 (she remains the only standout on the spin-off... but she's basically playing a toned down version of Lucille Bluth, so... moving on). And just as things are getting truly boring, Castle starts complaining about how truly boring he finds the release parties and how boring he found writing those detective books to be. Why? Because he already knew what every scene was going to be. So you'll color no one surprised when Female Cop shows up at the book release party wanting to ask Castle some questions (because the murder was done in a way that was featured in one of his novels, natch...) Really wish there hadn't been a lampshade hung on that. As usual, Fillion oozes a kind of dirty charm and chemistry with just about every extra and inanimate object. Which is why we love him and why we haven't stopped watching yet.

I find Stana Katic rather bland in the Mariska Hargitay Female Cop role (I believe it's Detective Beckett)... but she's supposed to be straightwoman to Fillion's Castle, who is something of a loose cannon / lothario (he stole a police horse... and was naked at the time... also during the release party he signs many guest's decolletage) so she does a serviceable job. Oh, my, I wonder if the series is going to revolve around UST... b-t-dubs, I think Cupid's UST between Cannavale and Paulson is better. In a semi-twist, it's actually Castle who volunteers to assist with the investigation, as opposed to him being forced to by the police. Much to Beckett's chagrin, of course. I do like the way Katic intonates "novelist" as an insult when speaking to Castle. And I do find myself thoroughly amused that the NYPD runs into real-world roadblocks such as the length of time it takes to get, like, fingerprints analyzed and Castle can just use his "I'm a famous, rich author" connects to speed things up... and then he gets a lecture from Beckett about cutting the line (other people are waiting for prints, you know).

There's another copycat murder, a frame job, yadda yadda yadda, and the only thing I'm really curious about is how the series is going to be set up (since I have to assume that it's not going to be yet more copycat murders each week... and I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that it's Castle looking for his next bestseller).

Score one zinger for the daughter when she tells Castle that if she keeps having bail him out of jail, he's going to have to raise her allowance.

It's hard to see Fillion in a brown coat that isn't Malcolm Reynolds'.

The UST banter between Castle and Beckett isn't quite up to par with Booth and Bones, television's current reigning bantery UST crimesolving duo. Although it's not for Fillion's lack of trying (nice use of entendre on the work "debrief"... XD)

And why are they going to film the series in Los Angeles, when it takes place in NYC and there's all those awesome NY state / NYC tax credits to take advantage of?

For a script that I couldn't even manage to get through 15 pages of... a rather enjoyable foundation from which a better series could rise. The series, by the way, is set up by the fact that Castle's next series of novels will center around a tough but savvy female detective, but Castle needs to tag along to do research (and it's kind of helped along because Castle is friends with the Mayor... so, blah blah, political pressure, swept under the rug, just get on with the series, peeps). I would definitely say that Castle is the first pilot I've seen thus far that has so vastly overdelivered on my expectations. Hell, I'm even willing to see if Katic can grow into the role (a role that is a tough one, as the straightwoman... and will on be aided when the series lets us know more about her character, as the pilot was pretty much all Castle all the time).

You know... I'm actually surprised ABC picked both Castle and Cupid up. Not from a quality perspective, mind you. But they're both NYC-based (though only Cupid will be able to take full advantage of that as it's going to be NYC-filmed) anthological series with a UST throughline between a larger-than-life leading man and a straightwoman. It's just that one is a murder mystery each week and the other is a romantic comedy every week. ABC has done stranger things with scheduling, and of course it totally depends on the network's needs come January or March... but I don't think they'd be a terrible fit together (though perhaps it'd be too much of the same). For now, I say move Brothers & Sisters to the post-DWTS Results 10pm hour, put Castle after Desperate Housewives and put Cupid after Grey's Anatomy (I haven't seen the new Life on Mars yet... but my hopes aren't high).

Kings. And now for my favorite script of this pilot season (which I read so long ago that I don't remember much except that I really dug it... though this was pre-strike, so you know stuff's changed). This pilot is 82 minutes long... so it might continue past what I read.

Note: Kings takes place in a near-future not-quite-New York City called Shiloh. Where America is called something else. And has a king.

Oh, good lord this starts far more boringly than the script did. And it's so dense. And stilted. And heavy-handed with the allegory. People are going to turn it right off. Someone fire Ben Silverman and Teri Weinberg now. Provided it's their fault. Eh, just do it anyway.

Almost 9 minutes in and we finally get the opening of the script I read. And now I kind of get (but also hate) the first 9 minutes... it was all to bridge the gap between real world and fictional world for the unwashed masses (also to show main character David in/with his pre-soldier, pre-celebrity home and family). But why did it have to be so long and boring? I mean... hello? You're going to have to come up with something short and sweet to preamble every week. Did we need 9 minutes of tedium?

Problem with filming someone sneaking around a battleground (from the trenches to the enemy's front line of giant tanks) under cover of darkness: when you light that person in a flattering way - hell, not even flattering, just in any way that you can see the person fully - it makes the enemy look incompetent. Because how did they not see this person? And even more so when said person is able to escape with two hostages one of whom is pretty seriously injured (where were the guards? Anyone? Stormtroopers? Bueller?) The ensuing David (main character's name) versus Goliath (codename for the enemy tanks) sequence is still kinda nifty despite the logic lapse. Oh, and gravely injured soldier is the king's son. Thus David is now a hero. Also there was a photographer with a nightvision lens camera taking pictures.

Kinda weird music choices. I know it must be hard to choose stuff (after all, the near-future world won't have our pop music)... but Massive Attack's "Teardrop" outside of the House theme feels wrong.

Oh, a discussion of the war being a problem for the country's economy and public opinion of the war. That's timely. And a woman (who turns out to be the king's daughter) petitioning about public healthcare! Yes, that was in the script I read, but, well... politics. I think we'll all be tired of it in January 2009, no?

Seeing Ian McShane in an apron waxing philosphical / allegorical over cracking eggs into a bowl is just hilarious.

I've just pulled up a copy of the script that I read. I'm 48 minutes into the pilot, put only 33 pages into the script (allowing for 9 minutes that weren't in the script)... it's not a wonder this pilot feels somewhat slow. The script was 68 pages. So there may not actually be a ton of new material beyond those initial 9 minutes... so much posturing and speechifying...

Oh, I totally forgot the disgraced prince was Sekrit!Gay until King Silas / Ian McSwearengen lays into him. Although it comes out earlier in this version than it did in the script. More appropriately / less contrivancely timed, too. OMG, perhaps a good studio/network note at work!

And I forgot about the war-tech company (headed by the queen's brother) spurring the king on to a sneak attack on the enemy country right after he receives an offer for a truce / peace treaty... because peace isn't profitable no matter how much the public clamors for it. Seriously, I don't think people are going to want to watch this allegory in January.

Oh, lord, Silas just broke out in the a string of Ye Olde Testament diatribe along with Royal We. Oy. It's supposed to be frighteningly serious. But, um... no?

David's speech is moving... but part of me wonders why no one on the enemy's side doesn't just shoot him as he challenges them to get out of their tanks and face him. I mean... really? I believe this is called being "Stupid Good" by my friends over at tvtropes.org (see: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LawfulStupidChaoticStupid?from=Main.StupidGood).

The exacerbatedly ridiculous part being that Silas wants to have David shot because he's gone crazy, but decides against it as the Goliath tanks advance. But, oh, crap, they stop and an envoy form the enemy (btw, enemy country name = Gath) approacheth. How did the soldiers in the tanks hear the moving speech anyway?

I love that the Evil!Plan of the war-tech company was thwarted by David being an idiot. Once again, check out tvtropes.org for Xanatos Gilligan (hey, I didn't name them... http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/XanatosGilligan). Haha, love how Silas (see, I've stopped referring to him as Swearengen) dictates complete fabrications to the guy following him around taking notes and ostensibly writing the history books.

Sekrit!Gay!Son!Evil!War-Tech!Company!Conspiracy!Against!The!King!

I think I was so disinterested in the David/princess love story that I didn't mention it above. It results early on in a great line from Silas (he's offering David anything he wants, even the proverbial "half my kingdom" and David looks at the princess and Silas goes "half my kingdom, it is"). But, well... young love. Soldiers and princesses. We've seen that.

Given that the 68 page script was turned into a two-hour pilot (with the addition of a totally useless 9 minute preamble)... I'm not sure how I feel about this. It plays heavier and slower than I'd imagined. The acting is all there... and Egan (David) and McShane (King Silas) are both excellent in their leading roles... but somehow it's just not the magic I read it as. I still want to know what happens next. And I suppose that's all they need to make me want.

But I do worry about that opening.

Zip

Okay. 90210. Sound off people.

Actually, watching with friends in HD made the experience more pleasurable than my first viewing. I still think it's bad-bad television.

BTW, anyone else in LA watching the HD feed? Because damn someone at KTLA fucked up (during much of the first half hour, the video steadily fell out of frame, so it was cutting off footage at the bottom and replacing it at the top). Then for about five minutes they cut between the SD feed (which was fine, but horribly 4:3 aspect ratio and, well, SD) and the still-malfunctioning HD feed until finally getting it right.

So lame.

You Know You Love Me

Oh, Gossip Girl. I really, really do.

Thank you for finally having Serena put Dan in his self-righteous place.

And for dramatic costumes.

And Blair and Chuck.

xoxo

Nine Oh Two Point Oh (and other pilot / CW ramblings)

Oh, fellow TV watchers.

I really had hoped that 90210 v2.0 was going to be so bad it's good television.

It's just bad television (but it does have that train wreck charm about it).

Maybe it'll eventually grow out of it's crappy self and into something worthy of guilty pleasuredom (though, let's all remember... 90210 v1.0 wasn't a prize pig of guilty pleasureness its first season... remember those crappy moral/issue of the week episodes? Oy!)

Oh the flip side, I do hope it gets big ratings because if it doesn't, well, we all know the days of the CW are numbered anyway, but it would certainly add a year of two to the netlet's lifespan.

A severe disappointment, on the quality-front anyway. But expected because I'd heard there was a lot of disagreement between the studio and network on, well, everything about the series. The teen drama genre has moved far beyond this show...

... speaking of which, I'm actually eager for the return of Gossip Girl despite the fact that the season finale last year was sooooooooo underwhelming (not to mention the last-five-minutes "one week later" bit where the show undid a season's worth of love storylines for some inexplicable reason). But, really... I miss Blair and Chuck. I miss them and their silly outfits and their witty retorts and their evil.

Also moderately anticipating the ANTM premiere. I swear to G-d, I wasn't going to watch this season. But... tranny. It's the only stunt they could've pulled (although Dominique came close last season) to draw me back in.

Got to see some of the final version of Privileged today. The disc was damaged so every 16 seconds, the audio would drop out and my friend and I just started imagining the characters were getting bleeped... and it was much better for it (and sometimes it was oddly appropriate). Only got through 15 minutes of the pilot before the DVD crapped out... I have no intention of seeing any more of the series.

The Alyssa Milano / ABC shitcom Single with Parents (GET IT!?) is, well, shitty. Annie Potts is hilarious in it... and they make good use of Eric Winter's smile, and briefly his abs. But Alyssa just doesnt having comic timing... and the single-camera aspect of the show doesn't help (because one would hope that with a live audience she'd be funnier). Ugh, just not a good show.

Cupid is really cute. As a friend of mine from out of town said when I watched it with her... women across America will be swooning. Bobby Cannavale is the complete opposite of Jeremy Piven in the role. Less in your face sexual, more appoachable/likable. Sarah Paulson is a perfect straightman to his impishness... in a very different way that Paula Marshall was to Jeremy. There's a lot less of the rapid-fire banter between Trevor and Claire in this remake (which I think people who loved the original are going to miss)... but it's because the "love story of the week" is VASTLY more complicated than that of the original Cupid's pilot (which was simply "woman falls in love with a man who happens to be married, and it turns out that he's separated from his wife and well on the way to divorce, so after a showy display of affection, they get together"). Provided Life on Mars fails (and I have no reason to believe it won't), I wouldn't be shocked to see Cupid on post-Grey's Anatomy come March.

PS - I've revised my opinion on The Mentalist. After watching some of the other pilots for this season, it's clearly better than, well... everything premiering this fall except Fringe. Which it happens to air against. Go figure.

Should be getting Better Off Ted, Kings, The Unusuals, and Castle in the next few days.

Can't remember if I ever gave my thoughts on Project Gary / Gary Unmarried or The Ex List.

Gary Unmarried is doomed to failure. Deservedly so because it's terrible. From the jokes to the "would've felt old hat in the 70s" feel. The CBS Wednesday 8pm comedy block is doomed. Poor Old Christine. Although with Worst Week sucking the way it does, I expect it to wind up back on Mondays at 9:30pm by November sweeps.

The Ex List... well, I love Diane Ruggiero. She rocks and she's a fantastic writer. The dialogue in this pilot? Often snappy, witty and fun. And definitely enjoyable in a group of people because at all points someone is going to find something amusing. Unfortunately, there's just not enough substance to the show. I don't find myself caring whether Bella (Elizabeth Reaser) gets married or not. Which, um, total flaw since the premise of the show is that she's told by a psychic that she has to get married within a year or she'll never get married (oh, and the person she'll marry is someone she has already dated). Here's the thing, though. The Israeli show this is based on was a half-hour format. Why did they adapt this into an hour-long serio-comedy when it would be so much better serviced by being a half-hour sitcom (that would probably work well with How I Met Your Mother... just saying)? The issues I have with the pilot are actually pretty easily remedied in series (adding weight of character and making me really care whether Bella gets married). As is, it's on the wrong network (seems more like an ABC show) and scheduled wrong (Miss Match, another light hourlong about love, failed miserably on Friday night).

Le Sigh

It seems like having my usual ratings source on vacation has been a massive hamper in my side as far as posting on PIFeedback.com goes.

Well, that's what happens when you don't have direct access through your job anymore. If I get, I'll post, but c'est la vie!

Ratings this week

So I'll be posting for Marc over at PIFeedback.com this week.

Of course, I've yet to receive them.

Haven't been posting much here. Once again pretty busy... I *wish* it were because I was on vacation!

Ugh

We are two episodes into Project Runway and I'm 1/3 of the way through the third episode.

And. I. Want. To. Kill. Suede.

And then I sorta want to kill Blayne.

But Suede first. The first time he talked about himself in the third person it was annoying. I think we're up to number 70?

And I'm started to get homicidal towards Stella. But because she's complain-y-annoying, not, like, annoying-annoying.

Tonight was the night of a hundred failed catchphrases.
- "If they don't like it, they can get the fuck outta here."
- "Holla atcha boy."
- "-licious."
- "Suede."

Jennifer's garment mades her model look old and fat/pregnant. Those sleeves are awful. I bet she's out. Unless Emily is out for being too blah. I think there's too much work in Keith's for him to go. Give him a slap on the wrist for not editing like you that gave Leanne last week.

Secret Grows and other final ratings stuff from Tuesday

Bah, never received Sunday finals so I have no idea about the details of Mad Men's return. Bah!

Anyway, ABC Family's Secret Life of the American Teenage continues to impress. And swell with what I'm sure is viewers, but it might just be a pregnancy pun.

This Tuesday's episode rated:
- 2.1/4 households
- 1.2/4 A18-49
- 2.5/8 W18-34
- 8.8/30 F12-17
- 3.576 million viewers

And for those who say Gossip Girl doesn't target teens and therefore comparisons are unnecessary... well, that's not true, because CW constantly touted its female teen numbers. Remember, today's F12-17 are tomorrow's W18-34. Also, it does matter that Gossip Girl had to contend with other finales in May... look at the ratings, not just the share numbers. Secret Life has double the teen girl share in this Tuesday's ratings as the Gossip Girl finale had, but over double the ratings points. There's something to be said for tougher competition... but it doesn't count for everything and it doesn't mask the fact that Secret Life is solidly kicking Gossip Girl's butt in this demo, and inching up towards it in the W18-34 category as well (only 0.1 rating points behind Gossip's finale... and, note the fact that its share was actually 1 higher).

In other news, Eureka premiered to:
- 1.8/3 households
- 1.0/3 A18-49
- 2.808 million viewers

I don't track the show enough to know if this is good or bad (or should I say better or worse than previous seasons).

Per a request on Big Brother's age breakdown... hope this helps, but I'm not sure how helpful it is since you really do need to see a mean age figure and compare that to CBS's mean age for viewers... which is something I don't have.
- 6.079 million viewers
- 0.8/3 T12-17 (only 0.2 above other CBS programs airing last night, which were repeats of NCIS and Without a Trace)
- 1.8/5 A18-34 (vs. 0.8 ratings for NCIS / 0.7 rating for WaT)
- 2.2/6 A18-49 (vs. 1.4 / 1.2)
- 2.6/7 A25-54 (vs. 1.9 / 1.6)

So, with the exception of teens, it looks like Big Brother has greater advantages in the younger demos compared to the other CBS shows... but then again, those are repeats.

Female American Teenagers

May 19, 2008: Gossip Girl finale. F12-17 rating/share: 4.2/15. W18-34: 2.6/8.
July 22, 2008: Secret Life of the American Teenager episode. F12-17 rating/share: 7.8/28. W18-34: 2.1/7.

Difference in viewers: 91K (advantage Secret Life).

Interesting, no?