Posted Dec 3rd 2009 2:02PM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
If you're a fan of sweeping 19th century British tales of lost innocence and moral influences and zombies, God has answered your prayers.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the wildly popular adaptation of Jane Austen's famous novel infused with kick-ass zombie action by writer Seth Grahame-Smith, is being made into a six-part TV mini-series. Groovy! Is there any chance they could convince Keira Knightley to don the frock one more time and pick up a kitana for some serious Elizabethan ass kicking?
The series hasn't scored a network or even a start date since the production has barely made its way out of its egg shell, but the project seems promising so far.
Deadline Productions is at the ship's helm who produced a very quirky looking science-fiction cop series called
Phoo Action for the BBC. Make sure you wait at least one hour after taking your ecstasy before viewing the trailer.
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 1:30PM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S01E09) "Do you remember what happened to Gloria that day? Because I do. We both have our secrets, Bun. I'll keep yours if you keep mine." - Darryl
Well, darn. As I mentioned last week,
Eastwick keeps getting better and better. This week's episode was the best yet! Funny, dramatic, good characters, and some tense action at the end. And the best part is that the witches are finally realizing their powers and using them for good. If the series continued, we might see that they'd be tempted to use their powers for more nefarious purpose.
We also saw Darryl get a little more evil-ish with Bun. It made me realize that perhaps he's not the gadabout town guy who just loves women and being a big-shot. Then again, maybe he's not as bad a guy as I think (see above quote).
Continue reading Review: Eastwick - Tasers and Mind Erasers
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 1:02PM by Danny Gallagher
Filed under: News, Programming, Reality-Free
It's official: President Barack Obama has officially ruined Christmas.
Pundits and TV viewers from up and down the dial are calling out President Obama for airing his big speech on the troop surge in Afghanistan and preempting ABC's airing of the classic Christmas cartoon
A Charlie Brown Christmas. If this causes a move for impeachment, I may never awake from my laughter coma.
Not only was the story the top headline on yesterday morning's
Drudge Report, but the pundits really jumped in to turn the President into their own personal Scrooge.
Continue reading World goes nuts because the President preempts A Charlie Brown Christmas
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 12:41PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Music and Variety, Watercooler Talk, Reality-Free
So we didn't have any major walkout or cutting of the electricity during the live broadcast of the
Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting on NBC last night. But we did have enough things to talk about the day after.
I could discuss the lip synching that a lot of the acts decided to do (I'm looking at you, Barry Manilow) and point out just how bad Rod Stewart is at doing either old standards or soul songs. But I really want to talk about Jane Krakowski. She hosted (along with
Chuck's Zachary Levi) and it was a little...surreal.
This was a variety show that wasn't too different than a special
TGS that the
30 Rock gang might put on, and it almost seemed like it was Jenna Maroney hosting. Krakowski basically plays a really exaggerated version of herself on
30 Rock, and I was waiting for her to say something clueless or potentially racist or have a cat jump on her face and scratch her.
Continue reading Did NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Center seem a little surreal to you?
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 12:16PM by Jonathan Toomey
Filed under: OpEd, Nip/Tuck, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(
S06E08)
"Do I need to start smoking again?!" - Kimber
With only two new episodes left in season six of
Nip/Tuck (although,
season seven does start right up again in January), I feel pretty confident in saying that "Lola Wlodkowski" will probably go down as the best of this penultimate season's 10 episodes.
For the most part, it stood alone in terms of plot and only loosely tied into the season's overarching arcs. Instead, it provided what was arguably one of the series' best takes on what beauty is while at the same time, reaffirming the differences between Sean and Christian. Hats off to Jennifer Salt for writing a helluva ep.
Continue reading Review: Nip/Tuck - Lola Wlodkowski
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 12:09PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
- At 8, ABC has a new FlashForward, followed by two new episodes of Private Practice.
- CBS has a new Survivor at 8.
- NBC has new episodes of Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, 30 Rock, and The Jay Leno Show.
- FOX has a new Bones, then a new Fringe.
- TCM has the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol at 8.
- At 8:30, Cartoon Network has a new Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, followed by the season finale of Total Drama Action.
- At 9, Comedy Central has a new Jeff Dunham Show.
- TLC has a new American Chopper at 9.
- Spike has a new TNA Wrestling at 9.
- Also at 9: Current has a new SuperNews, then new episodes of InfoMania, SuperNews, and The Rotten Tomatoes Show.
- At 10, FX has a new It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, followed by a new episode of The League.
- MTV has the season premiere of Jersey Shore at 10.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.
Continue reading What's On Tonight: Community, Private Practice, Fringe, It's Always Sunny
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 11:28AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, American Idol, Music and Variety, Watercooler Talk, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free
When Adam Lambert was competing on
American Idol, there were times when his performances reminded the judges -- and viewers -- of Elvis Presley. And other rock icons, too. It was all part of Adam's appeal. But now that he's promoting his new CD and did a "scandalous" performance at the American Music Awards, he's really getting the Elvis treatment. There's fear that his actions, which are more graphic than anything Elvis ever did, will go too far.
Today,
Adam tweeted that ABC had cancelled two more spots on the network -- his upcoming
Jimmy Kimmel Live! date and a New Year's Eve performance. Adam added that nobody should blame ABC for the cancellations because it was pressure from the FCC that prompted ABC's action. So maybe we should really be blaming Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake for the infamous Super Bowl breast/costume malfunction?
ABC previously dumped Adam from Good Morning America.
Continue reading ABC drops Adam Lambert again and again
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 11:03AM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Animation, Children, Reality-Free
"Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Popularly licensed and profitable is he!"
That's not how the
SpongeBob SquarePants theme song goes, but the statement is factually correct. The Nickelodeon yellow legend is still immensely popular across various age ranges. And that gives you some easy gift ideas for kids in and around your family.
Rather than merely give the kid in question a stuffed sponge for the holidays, you can dig a little deeper and offer up a couple Spongebob board games from Hasbro for less than $25 each.
The
SpongeBob SquarePants Edition of "Kid Cranium" mixes up artistic activities with a trivia-based board game to let kids express themselves while they kick your grown-up butt.
Continue reading You can't go wrong with TV's SpongeBob gifts for kids
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 10:44AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S01E09) Every parent wants their kids to get along. It makes things more peaceful in the house, and you can feel like you must be doing something right. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way. The Heck children are so vastly different in personalities that the three of them bonding naturally is virtually impossible.
Sue is a bit of a dork, Axl is the cool kid and, as mentioned, Brick is ... Brick.
But that's not going to stop Frankie from trying, and dragging Mike along to support her. I'm glad to see Mike's honesty trait remaining strong as he supports his wife while admitting to his kids he has no idea what she's doing or why. And while her efforts didn't necessarily work at first, Mike found a way to bring the kids together. Too bad it was exhausting for the parents.
Continue reading Review: The Middle - Siblings
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 10:26AM by Jonathan Toomey
Filed under: Pickups and Renewals, Ratings, Reality-Free, Sons of Anarchy
Right on the tail of
Kurt Sutter assuring fans that there would be a third season of Sons of Anarchy, FX has confirmed it -- the motorcycle drama will return in September 2010.
Another bright spot for the show? The series' second season finale, "
Na Triobloidi," smashed the show's previous ratings record to make it the most watched
Sons episode to date.
4.33 million total viewers tuned in and from that total, 2.99 million were in the coveted Adults 18-49 demographic. Men 18-49 chalked up 1.92 million viewers. With those numbers, the show secured the crown for the top scripted drama series during the season's 13-week run in the Tuesday 10 p.m. timeslot in average delivery of the Men 18-49 demo.
One other point worth noting -- Sutter signed a two-year deal to continue as executive producer and showrunner. So, unless something goes terribly wrong, there's a good chance
Sons of Anarchy will have a fourth season in its future as well.
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 10:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Sports, OpEd, Celebrities, Ratings, Reality-Free
On Monday night, ESPN had one of the best NFL match ups of the season -- the undefeated New Orleans Saints versus perennial powerhouse New England Patriots. The game was, perhaps, a preview of the Super Bowl because it's entirely possible that the Saints and the Pats could make it through the playoffs to the ultimate game.
Well, without much more than the usual hype,
ESPN's Monday Night Football got the huge audience this kind of contest warrants. It was the second most-watched cable program of all time. Yes, you read that correctly.
The second most-watched cable program of all time. Over 20 million total viewers -- 21.4 million -- tuned in to watch the game... which turned out to be a bit of a dud. But that doesn't matter to ESPN because they scored big time.
Continue reading ESPN sets record with Monday's Saints-Pats game
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 9:30AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Industry, Programming, Reality-Free
The
clues were there and now it's official. A
press release has been issued confirming Comcast buying a 51% stake in NBCU with GE owning the remaining 49%. Now the fun begins.
The question is: what will Comcast dump and what will they keep? Almost certainly they will keep the cable networks. Will they keep the NBC network itself? NBC is a popular name brand, but the network has been sagging in the ratings to the point where they're trying desperate moves like "Leno at Ten-o" (a phrase that NBC will undoubtedly use soon if they haven't already).
One can hope the Comcast deal will be a boon to NBC and give the network a shot in the arm to produce better television. I remain skeptical. At this stage, it's pretty much a "wait and see" situation.
What do you think is going to happen? Will Comcast's involvement make NBC Universal better or worse?
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 9:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Friday Night Lights, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S04E05) When you see an episode like this one, you feel bad that
Friday Night Lights has been flying under the radar when it comes to Emmy consideration. The performance by Zach Gilford as Matt was the best I've seen on TV since Aaron Paul blew me away with
Breaking Bad last summer. Hopefully someone will remember him next year when it's Emmy time, and this is the show that could win it for him. He was just that good. More after the jump on Matt, Vince, Becky and the other Dillon denizens.
Continue reading Review: Friday Night Lights - The Son
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 5:02AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Glee
(S01E12) While they were in there, I told 'em to go ahead and yank out those tear ducts. Wasn't usin' 'em." - Sue Sylvester
I wouldn't say this is the best
Glee episode we've had, but it had some good moments, and of course, that big reveal, which we'll talk about after the jump. The mattress scene was a nice little number, but I wasn't familiar with the song performed by Rachel and Finn, so that didn't do as much for me.
Sue Sylvester was back to true form from her compassionate scene with her sister a few episodes ago. It's hard to believe she'd have that much feeling for her sister, and yet still be a big you-know-what in the rest of her life.
Glee breaks down stereotypes in some cases, but I'm not sure Sue falls into that category. She still seems like a caricature to me.
Continue reading Review: Glee - Mattress
Posted Dec 2nd 2009 7:05PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, Other Reality Shows, Reality-Free
Some of this list is going to be very predictable and some of it is going to surprise you.
The Hollywood Reporter has the list of the
ten most-watched TV episodes of the past ten years. Now, you know that shows like
American Idol (season six premiere),
Survivor (first season finale), and
Friends (series finale) would be on the list, but how about the series finale of
Spin City? Maybe it's because I never got into that show but I never really thought it would make the top ten (of the decade anyway). The
ER episode where Lucy died is also in the top ten, as is the
Grey's Anatomy episode that aired after the Super Bowl in 2006. The number three episode? Well, that just surprises and depresses the hell out of me.
Any episodes not make it that you thought would be on such a list?
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Gone Too Soon: Invasion
Scrubs season nine -- An early look
The TV Squad Podcast: Vik Sahay of Chuck, Oprah talk, brutal timeslots, and more!
