TVSquad

Jonathan Toomey
New York - http://www.tvsquad.com/bloggers/jonathan-toomey/

Jonathan Toomey grew up in central Massachusetts surrounded by cows, pigs, tractors, and convenience stores. Not too fond of the smell of manure, he traversed the northeast and attended Syracuse University where he used his $120,000 education to study television and drink cheap, domestic beer in an effort to keep the hops farmers of North America in business. Since graduating, he's worked for Tony Danza and Rachael Ray. Currently, he can be found melting away in a cubicle at Showtime. Oh, and he still helps out those hops farmers.

Is it just me or are DVD releases getting announced earlier and earlier? Whatever the case, Lost fans can plan on getting the season four DVD as a Christmas/ Hanukkah/Kwanzaa present because it doesn't come out until December 9th. Which makes sense I suppose, since the show returns in early '09.

The 5-disc set (aka "The Expanded Experience") will obviously include all 14 season four eps plus a ton of goodies. As far as DVD sets go, Lost always has great extras. According to TVShowsOnDVD.com, expect to see 5 featurettes, bloopers, deleted scenes, and audio commentaries for some of the episodes. The one goodie that really has me excited? The "Oceanic Airlines Safety Guide." Hilarious. It immediately made me think of Airtoons -- all those funny and inappropriate airline safety cards.

As with season three, there will also be a BluRay release but I've got to be honest. I have the regular season three DVDs and they look pretty damn good on my HDTV set. So I'm not convinced that shelling out the extra $40 to $50 bucks is really worth it. Yet, anyway. You can pre-order both at Amazon for way less though - $38.99 for the normal DVDs and $66.95 for the BluRay.

(S04E15) "Tell her... tell her the train is leaving the station and she better get on it... yeah." - Webber

I don't know what to think anymore. You know, at the end of Grey's Anatomy when you see the title card for Shonda Rhimes' production company? Have you noticed what it is? Shondaland? It's a roller coaster. How appropriate. I mean, don't get me wrong. Even though I feel like everything on TV is still getting sort of a free pass to some extent due to post writer's strike "hey, at least it's new" syndrome, this was actually a great episode... for the most part. Which I suppose could be interpreted as getting a free pass due to "hey, at least there was a lesbian kiss" syndrome.

Gallery: Grey's Anatomy: Losing My Mind

NBC announced today that webisodes for The Office and Heroes would officially premiere on NBC.com starting in July. Seems like all that chit-chat that led to the WGA Strike cease-fire is finally showing some results.

The Office webisodes will premiere first in early July and will focus on Kevin's gambling issues and how he plans to pay for his debts. We got a taste of his competitive side in this past week's episode when he started betting on holes at the golf course. The summer series will also feature Stanley, Oscar, and Darryl. This is the second series of webisodes for The Office, which premiered The Accountants back in the summer of 2006.

(S04E17) "I think if these were Travis Tritt fans, I might have better luck." - Colby

Sometimes I just don't know what they're thinking when they come up with stories for this show. Call me crazy, but the notion of a small rap label feud just doesn't strike me as something that the FBI is going to handle. And I do mean small. Besides the fact that the only real purpose that the case served was to play up the humorous stereotypes and clichés it created (like the scene with Larry and Charlie in the recording studio), I don't think it felt realistic. The music industry is far larger than the microcosm depicted in this episode and writers just hand-picked elements for this small, almost indie, rap label. I mean, c'mon - "2x4?" Really?

(S04E14) "Hey, everything I did was consensual. In fact, some of 'em even begged for it." - Sloan

I'm gonna start at the end. Why? Because I loved it. More often than not Grey's Anatomy gets awfully convoluted; full of itself even. It makes me just want to yell at the TV and scream, "Get to the point already!" Then Dr. Wyatt did just that. She cut the crap! She finally came out and made an obvious statement. We don't get those too often on Grey's. It was refreshing. Makes me feel like I'm not crazy.

Gallery: Grey's Anatomy: The Becoming

Invented a new product that you'd like to pitch to millions of sports fans? Think you could pack all your thoughts into one second? Got a hundred thousand dollars kicking around?

Didn't think so.

According to Reuters, NBC (they're airing Super Bowl XLIII in Jan. '09) is expected to announce that the starting rate for a 30-second spot during the big game will be $3 million. Wow. That factors out to a hundred grand per second. Last year's going rate was a mere $2.7 million.

While I'm sure this comes as no surprise (I mean, c'mon - the rates jump every year, don't they?) to the big companies known for their Super Bowl commercials (think Budweiser, Coke, Pepsi, Fed Ex, etc.), it still makes you wonder how some of these smaller random companies can afford it. Every year there's some new Internet start-up you've never heard of and they'll end up having one of the most talked about commercials - like GoDaddy.com from a few years ago. It just seems like a real gamble. Rather than put all of your footballs in one field (eggs in a basket, get it?), I would think that spreading your money over numerous smaller ad campaigns would make more sense.

First How I Met Your Mother went for ratings gold by casting Britney Spears in an episode (and another). Ugly Betty is following suit - with none other than Hollywood's poster child for poor choices and bad ideas: Lindsay Lohan.

Rich actually reported on this way back in November, but nothing came together. Blame the WGA Strike or the frequent trips to rehab ... take your pick. Variety has now confirmed that Li Lo will guest star in the upcoming Ugly Betty finale. But it doesn't stop there. The original plan for her arc to span three episodes has been upped to six. So she's going to return next season for five more. Lohan will play an old schoolmate of Betty's. The catch? Apparently she used to be a real bitch to the now successful Miss Suarez. Lohan's character is down on her luck, and Betty being the nice gal that she is, can't help but lend a hand.

This strikes me as a bit odd. I only casually follow this show, but it seems like ever since the show's regime change, things have been a bit shaky. The casting of someone like Lindsay Lohan just doesn't seem right to me. Thoughts?

(S04E16) "It's not Heat?" - Colby, amazed that the Pacino/De Niro classic isn't Don's favorite movie

I think it's a given that sooner or later, every cop show is going to have an episode about religious cults. They're just so easy to make into a bad guy, especially with all the crazy stuff you always hear on the evening news. That's part of the problem though; that it is too easy to turn into an hour episode and things can get stale fast. You've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Fortunately, the folks behind Numb3rs must have realized this because this episode was way more than, how did Colby put it? A bunch of religious "nut jobs."

Gallery: Numb3rs: Atomic No. 33

Who saw last night's episode of The Office? Were you mesmerized as Dwight swindled Andy into taking a lower offer for his Nissan Xterra? Were you jealous and wished that you could do the same thing? Well now's your chance... sort of. Although, by the time this auction is over, you may have some issues flipping it for a higher price like Dwight did.

Our sister site Autoblog stumbled onto a great find earlier today - the actual SUV used in the episode "Did I Stutter?" is up for auction on eBay. The Xterra in question is owned by one of the studio hairstylists on The Office. The car had been used as a prop car - the car Andy "owned" on the show. Hoping to capitalize on the car's newfound fame, the owner has put it up for sale. To entice Office fans, some extras (not furnished by the dealer) are included:

(S04E13) "It's like I never left." - Addison

She's baaaaaack. The triumphant return of Addison. And yes I do mean triumphant - this was arguably the best episode of the season and it's funny if you think about it. Had the WGA Strike not happened, Private Practice wouldn't have gotten shelved until the fall season (only 9 season one eps aired), and Kate Walsh wouldn't have had all that free time to guest star. With her return came the Grey's Anatomy I remember. Snappy dialogue, good character development, and lots of laughs. Despite the annoying recurrence of all the cases eerily mirroring what's going on in their respective doctors' lives, I loved this episode.

Gallery: Grey's Anatomy: Pieces of My Heart

Anyone catch the live broadcast of Costas NOW last night? I was lucky enough to get a few tickets and went to the live taping in Manhattan with my girlfriend. And I really do mean lucky. Not only did we get seated in the front row, but we were seated right in front of all the panelists. Everyone. Joe Buck, Cris Carter, Mitch Albom, Mike Tirico, Michael Wilbon, John McEnroe... the list goes on. And of course, Bob Costas was only a few feet in front of us on stage. For a sports and TV fanatic, it was very impressive. So why am I writing about it? The town hall format of the show covered a lot of hot topics in sports, but there were a couple segments that really stood out because they directly relate to what we're doing here at TV Squad -- blogging and athletes' (or in our case TV celebs, writers, and producers) reactions to the media.

Remember this scene? It's from the season six finale of The Shield. Mackey is showing Aceveda all the dirt he's got on Cruz Pezuela and the Mexican mob. Seems like forever ago ... and it was. It's been almost a year and we're still waiting for a resolution. FX has been scant with news regarding the seventh season of its trademark show. Supposedly, it's returning in September so that its final thirteen episodes are not competing with the Olympics. It should be coming back sooner if you ask me. I don't really see too much audience intersection between fans of The Shield and fans of floor gymnastics routines.

While the women of Beauty and the Geek may be gorgeous, the show itself is guilty of the exact opposite - it's ugly to watch. Despite that assessment (I've seen a few episodes and never got hooked), the Ashton Kutcher produced show is currently in its fifth season; so somebody is watching it. Not enough people, though. Variety is reporting that the upcoming fifth season finale may very well be the show's last... for now anyway. The CW might actually just shelve it for a few seasons until they can bring it back and make it feel "new" again.

That's a smart idea if you ask me. Other reality shows that have reached the "stale" status should take a hint. I'm looking at you Survivor and American Idol. Most of these reality programs have done all they can to re-invent formulas and sometimes the only thing that works is an extended absence. Here's to hoping this one stays permanent.

File this one under "perfect freakin' timing."

Following a stellar weekend at the box office for the Tina Fey/Amy Poehler comedy Baby Mama (it won the weekend), comes word that Poehler is actually pregnant. According to People, Poehler and husband Will Arnett are due this fall. They've been hitched since 2003. In Hollywood, that's like being married for an eternity. Good for them.

Seriously, though, could this announcement have come at a better time? People are already buzzing about Baby Mama and now this. Her PR reps and agents must be salivating at the news. Maybe I'm jaded or overly negative, but I find it hard to believe that this wasn't a wee bit planned - the news, not the kid. I mean, c'mon. She's pregnant and she's in a movie where she's pregnant. If it tanks, announce the good news whenever you feel like it. But if it does well, which it did, then you've got one hell of a push for the film's marketing campaign.

[via AOL]

It's been over two months since the WGA Strike officially ended. While most people probably assume that everything is back to normal, especially since most shows have returned with new episodes over the past few weeks, there's an interesting article over at the LA Times explaining why things aren't so great in Hollywood. Especially for TV crew members.

While the country itself seems to be spinning into a recession as necessities such as gas, milk, and eggs jump in price, many below-the-line TV crew workers (propmasters, make-up artists, electricians, and set carpenters, etc.) are experiencing their own economic crisis.