 Subscribe | Retrun to feeds | Users subscribed: 0 | Last Updated: Dec 12 2008, 21:16:39
Filed under: OpEd, Video, The Daily Show, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free  Some correspondents reported on the real reason why Republicans have gathered in Minnesota, and as it turns out, it's just to check out Larry Craig's old Minnesota airport stall. I think most audience members missed John Oliver's sneaky tweaking of the word 'clockwork', unfortunately. However, the audience didn't miss any of Jason Jones' stall activities, which were especially disturbing, whereas Aasif Mandvi's handicap stall antics were just fabulous. I wonder if those dancers were just hapless interns roped into a scene. Also, the dancing reminded me of a beautiful moment from one of Stephen Colbert's old Daily Show reports, forever immortalized in this hypnotizing GIF. In other news, The Daily Show must be the only reason why Jimmy Dean Chocolate Chip Pancakes & Sausage on a Stick is still in existence. Continue reading The Daily Show: September 3, 2008 - VIDEOS Permalink | Email this | | Comments  Filed under: TV Royalty, Video, Celebrities, Obituaries, Reality-Free  We have a TV Royalty category here at TV Squad, and if there's anyone who worked in television and deserved the honor it's Bill Melendez. Melendez was an animator for Walt Disney Studios in the 1930 and 40s, working on such classic movies as Fantasia and Pinocchio and Mickey Mouse shorts, then went on to make tons of movies, cartoons and commercials (he worked on many Bugs Bunny shorts and other famous cartoons) for well-known companies such as United Productions of America (where he was an animator on Gerald McBoing McBoing) and Playhouse Pictures. He then met Charles Schulz in 1959 and went on to animate (and often direct and produce) most of the Peanuts TV specials, including A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Boy Named Charlie Brown, It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and many, many others. Many people don't know this but he was also the voice of both Snoopy and Woodstock (they didn't talk, of course, but he did all of the howls and other noises). He worked on TV versions of Cathy and Garfield too. Continue reading Bill Melendez, animator and voice of Snoopy, dead at 91 - VIDEO Permalink | Email this | | Comments  Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, OpEd, The Apprentice, Pickups and Renewals  When I first heard about a reality show called The Shark Tank, I thought, oh great. They've taken things too far and are planning to throw people into tanks with sharks. It's not quite that insane, but budding entrepreneurs might want to tune in for some pointers. Helmed by Mr. Reality himself, Mark Burnett, The Shark Tank has been ordered to pilot by ABC. As I understand it, the unscripted project is adapted from a Japanese show called Money Tiger, which aired on Nippon Television from 2001 to 2004. The show has since been produced in Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Canada, the Netherlands, Finland, Nigeria, and the U.K. The premise is interesting: aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to moguls, a.k.a. 'Sharks,' in hopes of landing investment funds. Continue reading ABC diving into The Shark Tank Permalink | Email this | | Comments  Filed under: OpEd, Project Runway, Episode Reviews  (S05E08) I am so full of anger. And for that, I feel like I must apologize before jumping into my review, which will inevitably ooze frustration. This fury that has been building inside me throughout this season is about to set me alight. To put it bluntly, there is no one that I like in this pool of designers. There isn't even anyone that annoys me less than everybody else. However, I have been hanging on, because I love fashion and I love art and I kind of, sort of like seeing people getting chewed out on the runway. This episode nearly killed me, though, because nearly everyone was so blind to what was going on. Just about all of the designers are either too caught up on snarking behind each other's backs, complaining about nothing, or desperately trying to be a 'character', and they've lost sight of their actual work. Make me happy to be a Project Runway viewer again, designers! Save me from this loathing! Continue reading Project Runway: Double 0 Fashion Permalink | Email this | | Comments  Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, America's Got Talent  (S03E12) 'My favorite act in the competition.' - Piers to Nuttin But Stringz'The biggest talent search in the history,' as Jerry puts it, got a tad better with episode 312 thanks to performances such as the one offered by Nuttin But Stringz. The violinist brothers definitely raised up the ante and they totally deserved being the last Top 40 act to perform. Even if the duo helped put the show back on track, a good number of the acts performed in this episode were just not good enough. Yes, I know, I'm repeating myself. But until the judges make sane decisions (are they capable of such a thing?) and put in the Top 40 only acts that really deserve being there, I think the words 'not good enough' and 'what were they thinking' will be the norm when reviewing America's Got Talent. Continue reading America's Got Talent: Episode 312 Permalink | Email this | | Comments  Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free 
(S01E01) 'Just pretend it's carve-your-own steak night at Sizzler.' - Jax
FX is taking a fairly big gamble with Sons of Anarchy. With their trademark drama The Shield ending its seven season run this fall and their other two big hits (Damages and Rescue Me) pushed to 2009 because of the WGA Strike, the network is in dire need of some fresh buzz. The one thing they have going for them? Even FX's previous flops (Dirt, Starved, Over There, Thief) were better than a lot of other things on TV and Sons of Anarchy certainly fits that mold. Once the fall season is in full swing, the only network competition will be CSI: NY, as I don't see Lipstick Jungle or Dirty Sexy Money getting in the way. Sons has the potential to do well. It'll just rest on creator Kurt Sutter and how he plans to make the show appealing beyond this pilot episode. Continue reading Sons of Anarchy: Pilot (series premiere) Permalink | Email this | | Comments  Filed under: OpEd, Bones, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free 
(S04E01) Hullo Guv! Welcome to the fourth series premiere of Bones. It has been a summer of anger and anticipation for most fans of the show. Anger, as many felt creator Hart Hanson bollixed the whole thing up by making Zack Addy a bit potty. Anticipation, because those same fans are curious to see how Hanson and his writers will fill the gap and how the rest of the blokes at the Jeffersonian will adjust. And, of course, there's also the unanswered question as to the state of Bones and Booth's relationship: will they shag or not this season? None of those questions were answered in this two-hour series premiere. What we did get was a trip to Londontown by Temperance and Seely (hence, the British slang), and some significant relationship changes amongst the Squints. So, grab a pint, some fish n' chips, and your favorite duck, and let's begin. Continue reading Bones: Yanks in the UK (seson premiere) Permalink | Email this | | Comments  Filed under: Programming, Ratings, Reality-Free  Whatever the critics say, 90210 did score a ratings win for the CW. It was the highest-rated scripted series premiere in the network's two year history. It didn't do overwhelming numbers for a network show (it was watched by 4.9 million viewers and had a 2.6 ratings among adults 18 to 40), but it is better than the CW has done before. If the show can continue to do well in the ratings, the CW may actually cancel that 'going out of business' sale. I have to agree with Joel's analysis about the reasoning behind not sending the screeners to critics: it wasn't made for them. Bad reviews from the myriad of old male critics would have only hurt the ratings. Gossip Girl also got a boost in the ratings, so don't count the CW out of the race yet. Now I'm waiting to see if the major changes on Smallville pay off. Permalink | Email this | | Comments  Filed under: OpEd, Big Brother (US)  Well, things could be worse in the Big Brother 10 house. Instead of watching a bored Keesha, I could be watching Ollie and April have sex. No thank you to that! I had enough of that when they were in the house together. True, with fewer hamsters in the house, I have to endure Jerry's boring and odd stories. But I've learned to shut him out and turn up my music. He repeats himself so much that I'm not scared of missing anything. For the latest from the live feeds, read on past the jump. Beware -- spoilers ahead! Continue reading Big Brother 10: Live feeds report - September 3 Permalink | Email this | | Comments  Filed under: Late Night, TV Royalty, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free 
Here's who's on the late night talk shows tonight. - Charlie Rose: TBA
- The Daily Show: RNC coverage
- The Colbert Report: RNC coverage
- The Late Show with David Letterman: Dr. Phil, Tilda Swinton, and Tricky
- Jay Leno: Billy Bob Thornton and Brian Wilson
- Jimmy Kimmel Live: Russell Brand, Christina Hendricks, and Young Jeezy
- Tavis Smiley: TBA
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien: Nicolas Cage, Vivica A. Fox, and Delta Spirit
- The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson: Maria Bello and Steve Hofstetter
- Last Call with Carson Daly: Christina Ricci, Steve Byrne, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (repeat)
Permalink | Email this | | Comments  Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free  More all-night coverage of the Republican National Convention on the news channels, some PBS channels, and CSPAN. Networks at 10.- TCM has political movies all night.
- At 7, USA has The U.S. Open.
- At 8, FOX has the two-hour season premiere of Bones.
- CBS has a new Greatest American Dog at 8.
- The CW has the season premiere of America's Next Top Model at 8.
- Discovery has a new NextWorld at 8.
- At 9, FX has the series premiere of Sons of Anarchy.
- Bravo has a new Project Runway at 9.
- At 9:30, A&E has a new Dog The Bounty Hunter, followed by a new Criss Angel Mindfreak.
- At 10, Bravo has the season premiere of Top Design.
- There's a new Man vs. Wild on Discovery at 10.
- Food Network has a new Dinner: Impossible at 10.
- At 10:30, Comedy Central has a new Lewis Black's Root of All Evil.
Check your local TV listings for more. Permalink | Email this | | Comments  Filed under: OpEd, Video, Vs., Super Skank Wednesday  Welcome to Super Skank Wednesday. This is where I celebrate the awesomely skanky people on the following shows: I Love Money, Charm School, New York Goes to Hollywood, and The Surreal Life. Basically, I'll discuss the skankalicious shows that make VH1 the network it is today. I was left rather disappointed with I Love Money this week. Another one of my 'Fantasy I Love Money' picks went home leaving me with a whopping 140 points. And I was planning on writing a big tribute to Megan's demise but NO! She's still there. I was so annoyed with ILM that I started watching New York Goes to Hollywood again. The show still reeks of artifice with New York going to a nail salon to study Japanese culture or thinking 'break a leg' means that the person wants to do her physical harm. However, by the fourth episode, Sister Patterson has entered the scene and is saving the show with her outright rudeness and over-the-top behavior. So I decided to pit the two women I love to hate against each other for a Vs. piece. This Super Skank Wednesday I give you: Megan Hausermann Vs. Sister Patterson, The Battle of the Hateful Shrews. Continue reading Super Skank Wednesday: Megan Hausermann Vs. Sister Patterson - VIDEO Permalink | Email this | | Comments  Filed under: Casting, Reality-Free, Gossip Girl  I was really bitter towards CW for canceling Veronica Mars, so I was planning on not watching Gossip Girl out of spite. However, as a fan of (at least the first few seasons) of The O.C., the idea of another Josh Schwartz show intrigued me. Okay, that, and the fact that I loved Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (shut up), and the realization that my one-woman boycott wasn't going to bring VM back, all led me to the show. When I tuned in, I really thought it would be The O.C. East, but Schwartz and the rest of the writers did a good job of making it its own show, I'm sure in no small part due to the fact that they had a series of books to work with. In fact, last night's 90210 premiere reminded me more of The O.C. than Gossip Girl ever has. So when I read that an O.C. alum was making her way to the Upper East Side, I wasn't exactly thrilled. Casting spoilers ahead.Continue reading Gossip Girl casting news: Is this The O.C. East? Permalink | Email this | | Comments  Filed under: Late Night, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free  While NBC is carefully plotting Jay Leno's exit from The Tonight Show, David Letterman is talking about staying on the CBS Late Show beyond 2010. And since the subject of Leno came up, Dave thinks the guys at NBC are nuts to treat Jay the way they are, especially since he's done such a great job in the 11:30 slot. Letterman even said he wants Jay on his show the day after his Tonight Show tenure ends. Letterman, who was once the heir apparent to Johnny Carson's desk but was passed over in favor of Leno, has thrived on CBS even though he was crushed to lose The Tonight Show. The supposed feud between Letterman and Leno, and their competition for The Tonight Show, was depicted in the HBO film (and Bill Carter book) The Late Shift. (If you've never seen it, buy or rent it; it's one of the best films ever about how TV works behind the scenes.) Continue reading Letterman speaks up for Leno Permalink | Email this | | Comments  Filed under: Industry, Hardware, TiVo, Reality-Free  According to a study performed by NDS, the makers of DVR technology, DVRs within households actually save relationships. 79% of the users polled said the technology has improved their love lives. There are several reasons I find this interesting. First, the study is done by the manufacturers of the product. While I have no doubt the study is genuine, it is somewhat suspicious that such a favorable report is produced by those who profit from it. Second, the article does not state exactly how the DVRs help relationships. There could be several reasons, of course. DVRs in the house could lead to a lack of squabbling over the recording of favorite television shows. Since you could watch the shows whenever you want, it could make for couple-bonding time in front of a TV with a DVR. Most importantly, it could lead to a lack of actual conversation between the couple which means it's less likely that something will be said incorrectly by one party or skeletons will come flying out of the closet to ruin the relationship. Ain't technology grand? Permalink | Email this | | Comments  Filed under: Sports, Programming, Casting, Reality-Free  For nearly 20 years, NFL football fans could feast on Sunday games and then flip on ESPN for a complete wrap up on NFL Prime Time hosted primarily by Chris 'Boomer' Berman and Tom Jackson. It was a staple. Then in 2005, ESPN dropped the show. Now, it's coming back (sort of) and in addition to Boomer and Jackson, John Saunders will be rejoining them, re-creating the original troika from 1987. The essence of NFL Prime Time will be found in the 7 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter each Sunday during football season. Essentially, they'll be doing what they did on NFL Prime Time, and in doing so, they'll be taking aim at NBC's Football Night in America, that network's lead in show for the Sunday Night Football game. This should be really interesting because the NBC pre-game show is like Thanksgiving dinner -- loaded with stuffing. They have stars galore, including the recently added, former ESPN stalwart, Dan Patrick. Continue reading ESPN takes on NBC Sunday Night Football Permalink | Email this | | Comments 
|
NBC Universal has issued a 
The CW is trying to kill me. First they give me a 
Okay, so 
We all speculated as to what role 
