Posted Nov 16th 2009 12:40AM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: OpEd, Desperate Housewives, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S06E08) "I could see shooting someone over you." - The judge to Mike
This week, Susan had to face the fact that she accidentally shot Katherine a few weeks back. Sadly for Susan, she had to face a judge who had humor when giving sentences and who allowed Katherine to say a few words before sentencing Susan. As expected, things didn't turn out the way Susan would have wanted them to turn out. However, Susan got exactly the type of sentence that offered us some fun war scenes between Katherine and her.
Continue reading Review: Desperate Housewives - The Coffee Cup
Posted Nov 15th 2009 11:02PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(E02) The whole strategy behind the Village has been turned on its head and it's certainly interesting to watch. Two is bound and determined to have everyone who lives there believe that the Village is all there is, there is no world outside of the Village and the Village is all they've ever known. He's even got tangible proof to back that up.
It's an interesting change from the original, and again makes you wonder just who would be willing to invest this kind of money into a bizarre prison like this. Is the citizenry drugged, or just brainwashed? Why is Six so adamant that he is not a number, he is a free man, if no one else in the village is so sure? Or are they just being more quiet about it?
We've even reached the point in the series where as a viewer I'm not sure if what I'm seeing is real, much less what Six is seeing and experiencing. But it was nice to meet his brother and see that he has a family in the Village. "Uncle Six" indeed.
Continue reading Review: The Prisoner - Part Two: Harmony
Posted Nov 15th 2009 10:00PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, British TV
(
E01) I can't help but feel tempted to compare this to the Patrick McGoohan classic from the '60s, but that wouldn't be fair. Attitudes, technologies and even our expectations of TV programming have changed so much in the intervening time. And yet, as an homage to the original, there are many elements to this new AMC mini-series that nod back to the classic paranoia suspense saga.
While The Village has been updated to be a much larger and more vibrant desert oasis (think kitschy Las Vegas) than the original's sleepy seaside villas, it's still as much an enigma, even in this first hour. And while Jim Caviezel doesn't command the role of Number 6 as powerfully as McGoohan, really who could? So I give him a pass, and enjoy him for what he brings, and try not to hear McGoohan's booming defiance when Caviezel shouts: "I am not a number! I am a free man!"
Continue reading Review: The Prisoner - Part One: Arrival
Posted Nov 15th 2009 3:07PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Industry, OpEd, Daytime, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free
There's a lot of speculation in the biz about
what will Oprah do next. The daytime talk show giant supposedly made up her mind recently and decided that her syndicated show,
The Oprah Winfrey Show, would end its run in syndication and move to OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network (formerly Discovery Health). An official announcement is anticipated before the end of the year, but is that really was Oprah has decided? Nobody knows for certain.
There are
pros and cons on either side. The companies that syndicated her talk show stand to lose a significant asset if she wraps up the current incarnation and abandons the market. Think of all those afternoon hours around that country that count on Oprah at three or four o'clock, or the morning slots where Oprah leads in to noon newscasts. Companies like CBS Distribution and the Tribune Company have feasted on the robust ratings Oprah has consistently delivered.
Continue reading What would you do if you were Oprah?
Posted Nov 15th 2009 12:32PM by Annie Wu
Filed under: Saturday Night Live, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S35E06) There was a strange moment of nodding recognition at the end of the night, as I watched Jason Sudeikis and January Jones in the cloud-gazing sketch. Throughout, the man pauses to consider the woman's weird behavior and then concedes, "Ohh, you're a very pretty, pretty woman." Yup. That's pretty much how I reacted the entire night, especially during really bad sketches like the farting Grace Kelly (take a moment to think about that: Farting. Grace. Kelly.)
Jones was kind of a stiff host with not particularly daring material, but, goodness gracious, her real-life 50s Barbie prettiness was mesmerizing. Her performances in the mid-century instructional video and the aforementioned cloud-gazing sketch were the best of the evening, but that's not saying much since the rest of her appearances were strange and wooden. Even her good night felt like it had been programmed in and auto-tuned for maximum polite insincerity.
Continue reading Review: Saturday Night Live - January Jones/Black Eyed Peas
Posted Nov 15th 2009 12:07PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
At 7, ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos, followed by new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.- CBS has a new 60 Minutes at 7, then new episodes of The Amazing Race, Three Rivers, and Cold Case.
- NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, followed by the Patriots vs. the Colts.
- At 8, FOX has a new episode of The Simpsons, then new episodes The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, and American Dad.
- PBS has a new Nature at 8, followed by a new Masterpiece Contemporary.
- AMC has the premiere of The Prisoner at 8.
- Food Network has a new Challenge at 8, then a new Next Iron Chef.
- Also at 8: Lifetime Movie Network has Ann Rule's Everything She Ever Wanted.
- At 9, HBO has a new Curb Your Enthusiasm.
- There's a new Dexter on Showtime at 9, followed by a new Californication.
- History Channel has a new WWII in HD at 9.
- At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Titan Maximum.
- At midnight, Cartoon Network has a new episode of The Venture Brothers, then a new Metalocalypse.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
Posted Nov 15th 2009 10:30AM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, TV on DVD, Animation, Adult Swim, Children, Reality-Free
Director Stephen Sommers might want to discourage the production of animated lead-ups to his feature films. They keep outdoing the movies they're supposed to set up for audiences.
Before his
Van Helsing reached theaters in 2004, Universal released
Van Helsing: The London Assigment. Written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, the animated half-hour was clever and action-packed.
Van Helsing? It was
not clever and action-packed.
Now, the DVD release of
G.i. Joe: Resolute, an 11-episode series of animated shorts that originally aired on Adult Swim before the release of
Rise of Cobra, brings a cooler and more visually compelling "Yo, Joe!" to screens.
Continue reading TV's G.I. Resolute outduels big-screen Rise of Cobra
Posted Nov 15th 2009 9:05AM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Industry, In the Limelight, Celebrities, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Reality-Free, Galleries
The cast of the FX sitcom
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia gathered a stone's throw from Beverly Hills this week to celebrate the release of the show's new Christmas special.
A Very Sunny Christmas arrives on Blu-ray and DVD November 17 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Fox teamed with Maxim Magazine to hold a festive bash last Thursday night at Guys and Dolls Lounge in the shadow of Cedar Sinai Hospital on Beverly Blvd. (Event gallery below.)
A modest red carpet set-up gathered a cramped collection of reporters and photographers together to greet the arrivals of show stars Danny DeVito, Kaitlin Olson, Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day.
As if looking to mimic the bleak Philadelphia winter, rain sprinkled the LA streets in the hours leading up to the event -- and temperatures hovering in the low 50s made it a goose bumpy night for the several cocktail dress-clad ladies mingling in the crowd.
Continue reading It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Christmas Special rolls out red carpet
Posted Nov 14th 2009 7:05PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
The first thing I noticed about AMC's reboot of the classic Patrick McGoohan series
The Prisoner was its style. The original is a very stylized piece of work, but as someone who didn't see it back in 1967-1968 when it first aired -- I'm not
that old! -- I'm not sure if its visual presentation was wholly unique in itself, or more a reflection of the '60s style in general. Certainly the '60s have become infamous for some weird fashion and design choices.
Some of that '60s nostalgia creeped into the architecture and dress of the Villagers this time around without overwhelming the tone, and I think it's a wonderful homage to the original. But I'm more impressed that this re-imagining manages to capture the same sense of paranoia and confusion that the first did, without simply retelling the same story in the same way. And it's those differences that are truly modernizing the story in a great way.
Continue reading The Prisoner -- An early look
Posted Nov 14th 2009 4:10PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E08) "How did you find this one?" - Det. Sam Blair to Melinda and Eli
Eli and Melinda quickly came up with a fake story as to why they often discover bodies or are around crime scenes. Detective Blair bought it this time but it wouldn't surprising if she decides to dig a little deeper to get real answers. After years of being around deceased, one would expect that the Grandview police would start investigating why Melinda, and now Eli, are involved in a lot of their cases, no?
While we wait for Det. Blair to start to investigate Melinda and Eli, we are treated to one of the wackiest and lightest episode of the season thanks to Greg Germann and Perrey Reeves guesting on the episode.
Continue reading Review: Ghost Whisperer - Dead Listing
Posted Nov 14th 2009 3:02PM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Spoilers Anonymous, Reality-Free
This is
Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at
TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our
tips form or by emailing us at
tvsquad at gmail dot com, or call and leave a message at
(775) 640-8479. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.
This week we have spoilers for:
90210, Castle, Desperate Housewives, Fringe, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, How I Met Your Mother, Lost, Smallville and The Big Bang Theory. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)Continue reading Spoilers Anonymous: Castle, Heroes and more!
Posted Nov 14th 2009 2:03PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Video, Celebrities, Reality-Free
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert can probably be credited with really getting everyone interested in movie criticism. Before
Sneak Previews, people would read movie reviews, sure, but they brought intelligent film criticism to television and became a huge part of pop culture.
This is a tribute from
The Nostalgia Critic, and he covers the history of the show, from the start on PBS to the death of Siskel in 1999 to the hosts that eventually replaced them. He probably needs to get a better microphone, but it's well-done.(Slightly NSFW.)
Posted Nov 14th 2009 12:29PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: OpEd, Doctor Who, Celebrities, Reality-Free
Fantasy novelist
Michael Moorcook will be writing a
Doctor Who story. No, it won't be a script for the actual television show bur rather an original novel. He revealed this on
his forum.
The mind boggles with regards to what a fantasy novelist like Moorcock could do with
Doctor Who. He's used to antihero creations like
Elric. Any spin he could put on the character would be interesting. As of yet, it's not even known which incarnation of The Doctor he'll be writing about.
The most appropriate Doctor for Moorcock to write about could be the first (played by William Hartnell), who had a subtle arrogance and sinister nature (arguably the least human of the bunch). I'd personally like to read a sixth Doctor story by Moorcock.
Moorcock has influenced legendary writers like
Alan Moore. Whatever take he has on the
Doctor Who universe will at least be interesting. What do you think?
Posted Nov 14th 2009 12:12PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
At 7, ESPN has College Football, Alabama vs. Mississippi State.- ESPN2 has College Football at 7, Auburn vs. Georgia
- At 8, ABC has College Football, Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh.
- FOX has a new Cops at 8.
- Food Network has Thanksgiving episodes of shows starting at 8: two episodes of Good Eats and episodes of The Secret Life Of... and Unwrapped.
- Nickelodeon has a new iCarly at 8, followed by a new True Jackson, VP.
- TCM has Saboteur at 8.
- At 9, FOX has a new America's Most Wanted.
- CNBC has a new Suze Orman Show at 9.
- Cartoon Network has a new Secret Saturdays at 9.
- BBC America has a new Robin Hood at 9, then a new Graham Norton Show.
- Also at 9: Hallmark has the movie Flower Girl.
- At 9:30, Biography Channel has a new Ghostly Adventures, followed by a new Celebrity Ghost Stories.
- At 11, FOX has a new Wanda Sykes Show, then a new Sit Down, Shut Up.
- At 11:30, NBC has a new Saturday Night Live, with January Jones and Black-Eyed Peas.
- At 12:30AM, Cartoon Network has two new episodes of Bleach.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
Posted Nov 14th 2009 11:49AM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Stargate, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S01E08) So that was bleak. But don't worry,
Stargate Universe will hit the reset button next week, and everything will be peachy. Well, as peachy as things can get aboard
The Destiny.
While some fans have been pushing for
SGU to ditch the drama for more action and adventure (like
SG-1 or
Atlantis), this week's episode tried to offer a compromise: An off-world adventure that turned dark and caused a lot of drama for the characters.
The crew faced death – you know, like they do every week -- but this time they were struck by a dangerous virus and attacked by a pack of nasty fang-toothed worm things. But this episode wasn't really about combating a virus or an evil alien entity. It was about seeing how the characters would react after staring into the dark abyss of certain death.
Continue reading Review: Stargate Universe - Time
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The Prisoner -- An early look
Sesame Street's 40th: Five funniest characters
Sesame Street's 40th: Five biggest controversies
