Posted Feb 9th 2010 5:07PM by Hemal Jhaveri
Filed under: News, Programming
Late Sunday, Anderson Cooper and fellow
part-time hero / full-time correspondent Sanjay Gupta tweeted that they were going back to Haiti. Almost a month after a major quake destroyed the capital, most news crews and their high profile reporters have long since packed up and left. Haiti is no longer front page news and that makes Cooper's return all the more interesting.
It's no secret that CNN sees a spike in viewing during disasters, so is the network just milking the tragedy for ratings? Is it a genuine plea for a people forgotten by the news cycle? Or is it just good journalism?
Continue reading Anderson Cooper Heads Back to Haiti, Tries to Make People Care
Posted Feb 9th 2010 12:02PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
Here's tonight's TV lineup (all times Eastern).
- At 8, CBS has a new 'NCIS,' followed by new episodes of 'NCIS: LA' and 'The Good Wife.'
- NBC has a new, two-hour 'Biggest Loser' at 8, then the series finale of 'The Jay Leno Show.'
- FOX has a new 'American Idol' at 8, followed by the series premiere of 'Past Life.'
- PBS has new episodes of 'Nova' and 'Frontline.'
- At 9, ABC has a new 'Lost,' then a new episode of 'The Forgotten.'
- Discovery has a new 'Dirty Jobs' at 9.
- History Channel has a new 'How The Earth Was Made' at 9, followed by a new 'Life After People.'
- Also at 9: BBC America has a new 'Last Restaurant Standing.'
- At 10, USA has a new 'White Collar.'
- A&E has two new episodes of 'Paranormal State' at 10.
- Syfy has a new 'ECW' at 10.
- IFC has two episodes of 'Arrested Development' at 10.
- At 10:30, Travel Channel has a new 'Tastiest Places to Chowdown.'
Check your
local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
Continue reading What's On Tonight: 'NCIS,' 'Past Life,' 'The Forgotten,' 'ECW'
Posted Feb 9th 2010 10:29AM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Industry, Programming, Reality-Free
Paul Reiser, one of the stars of NBC's "Must See TV" heyday of the 1990s, is reportedly
returning to the Peacock Network. Thankfully, he's not producing a hokey reality game show like his pal,
Jerry Seinfeld.
Reiser, co-creator and star of NBC's hit sitcom
'Mad About You', is executive producing and starring in a new single-camera pilot backed by Warner Bros. Word is that NBC has picked up the project, possibly to help fill the coming gaps in its schedule thanks to Leno's return to late night.
Continue reading Paul Reiser Is Thinking About a Return to NBC
Posted Feb 9th 2010 9:10AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Industry, Programming, OpEd, American Idol, Celebrities, Celebrity Commentary, Casting, Reality-Free
Love him or hate him, Howard Stern
has confirmed his interest in Simon Cowell's seat on
'American Idol'. This goes along with
the earlier announcement that 'Idol' producers are interested as having Stern as a judge.
This entire situation seems more sound and fury and it's unlikely that anything would come of it. All Stern has in common with Cowell is the ability to be obnoxious and denigrating of other people. Cowell at least had ties to the music industry before appearing as an 'Idol' judge. While Howard Stern does work in radio, he thankfully has not released a CD of himself singing the Beatles' greatest hits. If he has, I missed it.
Most likely this situation is being used by Stern as a bargaining chip for a renegotiation of his contract with Sirius. Stern would be too much of a turn-off for the majority of viewers for 'American Idol'. If he does end up replacing Cowell, then it could signal the beginning of the end of 'American Idol'.
Posted Feb 8th 2010 12:24PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
Here's the TV lineup for tonight (all times Eastern).
- At 8, ABC has a new, two-hour episode of 'The Bachelor,' followed by a new 'Castle.'
- CBS has a new 'How I Met Your Mother' at 8, then new episodes of 'Accidentally on Purpose,' 'Two and a Half Men,' 'Big Bang Theory,' and 'CSI: Miami.'
- NBC has a new 'Chuck' at 8, followed by the season finale of 'Heroes' and a new 'Jay Leno Show.'
- FOX has new episodes of 'House' and '24.'
- The CW has a new 'One Tree Hill' at 8, then a new 'Life Unexpected.'
- PBS has a new 'Antiques Roadshow' at 8, followed by a new 'American Experience.'
- ABC Family has a new 'Secret Life of the American Teenager' at 8, then new episodes of 'Make It or Break It' and 'Greek.'
- At 9, USA has a new 'Monday Night RAW.'
- History Channel has a new 'American Pickers' at 9, followed by two new episodes of 'Pawn Stars.'
- TLC has a new 'Cake Boss' at 9.
- At 10, FX has a new 'Damages.'
- Showtime has a new 'Secret Diary of a Call Girl' at 10, then new episodes of 'Tracey Ullman's State of the Union' and 'La La Land.'
- Food Network has a new 'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives' at 10.
- TLC has a new 'Ultimate Cake-Off' at 10.
- A&E has a new 'Hoarders' at 10.
- Also at 10: Travel Channel has a new 'Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.'
Check your
local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
Continue reading What's On Tonight: 'Heroes,' 'Life Unexpected,' 'Damages,' 'Hoarders'
Posted Feb 8th 2010 11:27AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Programming, Reality-Free
It's great to see
A&E getting into more scripted shows and not just concentrating on reality shows and documentaries. But they're not just taking everything. This week they're passing on one drama but going ahead with another one.
The drama 'Sugarloaf' has been given the green light. It's about a Chicago cop who gets accused of something he didn't do so he decides to move to a small Florida town and become an officer there.
The drama the network passed on? 'The Quickening.' No, it wasn't another version of
'Highlander,' it was actually about a homicide detective who is bipolar. Sounds a bit like
'Monk' only maybe a little bit more serious? Anyway, we probably won't be seeing that one.
Like a lot of people who live in New England, every single time I hear the name 'Sugarloaf' I'm going to think of a cold ski resort, not a warm small town in Florida.
Posted Feb 8th 2010 10:29AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, How I Met Your Mother, Celebrities, Reality-Free
The Super Bowl had no shortage of clever ads. Some of the most surprising were
the ads for CBS shows, particularly
'The Late Show with David Letterman'. However, there was also
an ad starring Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson, his character from
'How I Met Your Mother'.
Using an ad campaign that can be ironically described as cerebral and abstract, the ad had Barney in the crowd of the Super Bowl showing a sign with an 877 number and telling the ladies to call him. Supposedly there will be a follow-up to this situation on the next episode.
Continue reading Call Barney Stinson!
Posted Feb 8th 2010 9:26AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Programming, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free
The season finale of
'Heroes' is on NBC tonight (yup, in February), and no knows yet if the show is coming back for another season or not (though
Greg Grunberg is hopeful). If the show is canceled, there are a couple of shows that are rushing to fill that hole in the superhero genre. One is an NBC show titled
'Cape,' and another is
'No Ordinary Family.' a pilot that ABC has picked up.
This one is a drama from Greg Berlanti ('Brothers & Sisters,' 'Eli Stone,' 'Dawson's Creek,' 'Everwood,' and 'Dirty Sexy Money') and focuses on a family (headed by dad Chiklis) who finds that they have super powers. And by "super powers" I'm sure they mean things like strength, speed, and invisibility and not other powers a family could have, like being a great cook, being able to fix leaky faucets, and organizing closets like no ordinary human.
Posted Feb 7th 2010 12:25PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
Here's tonight's TV line-up (all times Eastern).
- TV Land has a 'Home Improvement' marathon all night.
- Discovery has a 'Destroyed in Seconds' marathons all night.
- TNT has a 'Law & Order' marathon all night.
- Hallmark continues their 'I Love Lucy' marathon.
- At 6, CBS has the Super Bowl, followed by the series premiere of 'Undercover Boss.'
- At 7, FOX has two new episodes of 'Til Death.'
- Animal Planet has 'Puppy Bowl VI' at 7.
- ABC Family has 'The Sound of Music' at 7.
- At 9, PBS has a new 'Masterpiece Classic.'
- HBO has a new 'Big Love' at 9.
- WE has a new 'Platinum Weddings' at 9.
- At 10, TruTV has two new episodes of 'Las Vegas Jailhouse.'
- IFC has two 'Arrested Development' episodes at 10.
- Also at 10: WE has a new 'Rich Bride Poor Bride.'
- At midnight, Cartoon Network has a new 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force.'
Check your
local TV listings for more.
Posted Feb 6th 2010 2:30PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Chuck, Reality-Free
There is only one more episode of
'Chuck' before NBC puts on the brakes in order to broadcast the Winter Olympics. For those in need of their 'Chuck' fix early, USA Today and co-creator Josh Schwartz
has put up a clip from Monday's episode in which Chuck and Sarah argue about... stuff. I would have probably noticed the content of the discussion more if Yvonne Strahovski wasn't changing her clothes throughout the entire conversation. An interview with Schwartz follows the clip.
'Chuck' has been very enjoyable this season with the episode guest-starring
'Stone Cold' Steve Austin being the highlight. Even Kristen Kreuk, who was way too whiny as Lana on
'Smallville', has been cute as a button during her run on this show. It was a concern when Chuck got the new intersect at the end of the last season that the show would be less interesting to watch. Thankfully that hasn't been the case. 'Chuck' returns on March 1st.
Posted Feb 6th 2010 12:27PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
Here's the TV lineup for tonight (all times Eastern).
- Hallmark has an 'I Love Lucy' marathon all night.
- At 7, Cartoon Network has a new 'Bakugan,' then a new 'Super Hero Squad Show.'
- At 8, FOX has the 'Sprint Cup: Budweiser Shootout' NASCAR race.
- HGTV has a new 'Divine Design' at 8.
- TCM has 'Bullitt' at 8, then 'The French Connection.'
- At 8:30, Nickelodeon has a new 'True Jackson, VP,' followed by a new episode of 'The Troop.'
- At 9, CNBC has a new 'Suze Orman Show.'
- Food Network has a new 'Challenge' at 8, then a new 'Iron Chef America.'
- Syfy has 'The Cursed' at 9.
- Also at 9: BBC America has a new 'Demons.'
- At 10, CBS has a new '48 Hours Mystery.'
- Style Network has a new episode of 'The Dish' at 10.
- At 11, FOX has a new 'Wanda Sykes Show.'
- At 11:30, NBC has a new 'Saturday Night Live,' with Ashton Kutcher and Them Crooked Vultures.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
Posted Feb 5th 2010 6:02PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Ratings, Reality-Free, Parks and Recreation
The good news is that NBC's Thursday night line-up has increased in the ratings, particularly for the Amy Poehler vehicle
'Parks and Recreation' which has
just hit a season high. The bad news is that they're still in fourth place for that night.
Remember the good old days when NBC on Thursday nights was "Must See TV"? NBC is probably yearning for those days, or possibly any day that isn't right now. There are still regulatory hurdles to jump through before
the sale to Comcast is truly finalized; what are the network executives telling their future potential bosses? "Yes, we suck but we're doing better."
Back to 'Parks and Recreation': Amy Poehler is one talented lady (which is evident even from way back in her
'Saturday Night Live' and
'Upright Citizens Brigade' days)and it is a good thing that she is getting the recognition that she deserves.
Posted Feb 5th 2010 2:09PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, Celebrities
Losing weight has become a full-time job for Kirstie Alley. She was a spokesperson for Jenny Craig for a while and lost a ton of weight, so much that she even showed up on 'Oprah' in a bikini to show how much weight she had lost. She even had an overweight-themed show for a while, the one with the subtle title
'Fat Actress.' Of course, Alley gained the weight back (and more, if some pictures were to be believed), so it seems like this is going to be a life-long thing for her.
And us, because Alley has yet another reality show coming up that's going to focus on her weight and health.
A&E's 'Kirstie Alley's Big Life' will follow the actress as she tries to lose weight. Of course, ther's more to it than that. The show will also chronicle her duties as a single mom to two teenagers (Alley is divorced from actor Parker Stevenson).
The show starts on March 21 at 10PM. So who's going to watch?
Posted Feb 5th 2010 12:25PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
At 8, ABC has a new 'Supernanny,' followed by new episodes of 'Shark Tank' and '20/20.'- CBS has a new 'Ghost Whisperer' at 8, then new episodes of 'Medium' and 'Numb3rs.'
- The CW has a new, two-hour 'Smallville' at 8.
- PBS has new episodes of 'Washington Week,' NOW,' and 'Bill Moyers Journal.'
- MTV and VH-1 have 'SOS Helping Ourselves: Help For Haiti' at 8.
- At 9, NBC has a new 'Dateline,' followed by a new 'Jay Leno Show.'
- FOX has a new 'Kitchen Nightmares' at 9.
- There's a new 'Caprica' on Syfy at 9.
- Also at 9: Cartoon Network has a new episode of 'The Clone Wars.'
- At 10, Food Network has a new 'The Best Thing I Ever Ate.'
- E! has a new episode of 'The Soup' at 10.
- BBC America has a new 'Friday Night with Jonathan Ross' at 10.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
Continue reading What's On Tonight: 'Smallville,' 'Caprica,' 'Medium,' '20/20'
Posted Feb 4th 2010 8:02PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, Video, Celebrities, Game Show, Reality-Free
First, to all of you younger people out there, yes there is someone with the awesome name "Wink Martindale" in the world (he also has a site with the equally awesome name
Wink's World). He's hosted a bunch of game shows over the years and now he's going to host another one.
The new GSN show 'Instant Recall' starts on March 4.
'Instant Recall' is a hidden camera game show. The contestant has to go through a series of tasks (which we'll see via that hidden camera) and when they are done they have to answer a bunch of questions about what they did to see how good their memories are. I just hope it doesn't have all of that so-called suspenseful lighting and lame commercial breaks like a lot of game shows seem to have now.
Martindale hasn't hosted a game show in over twelve years, so it's going to be good to see him back. If you're not familiar with his work, check out the videos after the jump.
Continue reading Wink Martindale to Host 'Instant Recall' on GSN Starting March 4
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