I've never been big on scary ghost stories -- perhaps I'm still traumatized from my older siblings scaring the crap out of me in my early years. But for some reason, I've found myself watching some of the ghost hunter-type shows on the air right now. I'm actually looking forward to the Oct. 30 live broadcast of Ghost Adventures from the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Asylums are darn scary even in broad daylight.
Maybe I'm just getting in a Halloween mood. Maybe I need something to jolt my psyche into fast-forward. Whatever the reason, I'm currently into ghosts -- even though I have to believe they're just sitting around laughing with glee over all the people who are out looking for them. I probably won't see Paranormal Activity, though, because I DO want to sleep again, after all. But Extreme Paranormal on A&E will suffice just fine.
(S13E08) I don't know how America's Next Top Model's photoshoots continue to grow more and more insane. This week, Tyra decided to turn the model hopefuls bi-racial. Surprisingly, the photos didn't turn out bad, just not model-like.
You know it's never good when a boring character gets a character. The mathematician Brittany caught the bitch bug and complained about how immature Erin was for the rest of the episode. Guess what happened at the end of the episode? I would rather have gotten the "fading away" edit that Tyra loves so much.
American Idol and Britain's Got Talent judge Simon Cowell might have shown some unfair misgivings about Susan Boyle before she proved her musical worth to the universe, but here's a preconception that even Paula Abdul would support.
Mr. Methane, a familiar guest to fans of The Howard Stern Show, is the world's only (thank Holy Christ) performing flatulist and he took a turn at the mic on Britain's Got Talent. Anyone want to guess if he made it through to the final round? If you guessed wrong, please get out of the gene pool and take a shower immediately.
Sometimes I like to indulge in my guilty pleasure of watching several hours of the Bravo channel all at once. I can't say I'm hooked on the network -- it's mostly reality shows -- but sometimes it's fun to just watch something totally mindless. In Bravo's case, I usually end up feeling much better about my own life.
This afternoon, I watched a few episodes of Million Dollar Listing, the show about three real estate agents in Los Angeles. Season three premiered last Monday, and I feel for these guys -- Josh Flagg, Madison Hildebrand and Chad Rogers -- because it can't be easy trying to sell homes in this market. It seems like a tough business to be in anyway, and they have to deal with bleached blonde Hollywood types, many of whom think they have all the answers.
The new Columbia Pictures disaster epic, 2012, proposes what many New Age folk believe is inevitable. The Roland Emmerich movie looks ahead to December 21, 2012 as the end of the world because the Mayan Calendar cycle ends on that day.
So, the cinematic seas rise, and the ground shakes -- sending scores of mid-range stars scrambling for their lives. Syfy previews both the movie and its long-held cataclysm theory on a new special, 2012: Startling New Secrets. Premiering Sunday, November 8 at 9 p.m., the two-hour show "delves into the Mayan Mystery surrounding 2012."
I'm going out on a limb here and predicting the show will fail to ask the obvious question: If the Mayans were so adept at looking centuries into the future to predict the end of the world, why weren't they clairvoyant enough to foresee the end of their long-extinct civilization and prevent its collapse?
As I scoured Google Images for a picture to accompany my Lego reality show post, pictures of James May's mop-topped mug kept popping up in my browser. What possibly could the Top Gear presenter have in common with the classic kids' toy that has caused a million foot fatalities? If you've ever stepped on one barefoot, especially the one peg bricks, you know how close to death it actually feels.
It turns out he lived in a whole house made out of them for our amusement. The Lego house was one of many projects for James May's Toy Stories, a series of projects designed to show kids that the classic toys of yesteryear can be just as cool as their newfangled video games and iPods.
This particular story does have an unhappy ending. The producers tried to sell the house to the Lego company for one of their theme parks, but the cost of transporting the house was too much. So they had to tear it down.
So, this was just another desperate attempt by the family to get on television. Honestly, have you ever heard anything so ridiculous?
I say that because if these parents have even a scintilla of sense, couldn't they have projected what was going to happen when the balloon came down? Couldn't they have seen that there was no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?
It's official, television is running out of things to turn into reality television. Wait, that means I'll be getting my own reality show soon. What the hell am I complaining about?
Scott Messick, the reality show guru behind Shaq Vs., Pros vs. Joes and Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge, has purchased the TV rights to make a reality show or reality shows around Lego.
Just imagine the possibilities! For one show, a team of builders would have to build something massive in a certain amount of time in order to win a prize. For another show, another team of builders would have to build something massive in a certain amount of time in order to win another prize. If the show was picked up by CMT, the team of builders would have to wear cowboy hats the whole time.
It's that time of year when we get all the deliciously creepy shows and movies haunting our TV sets as we head into Halloween. Turner Classic Movies is airing some great ones this weekend, including Poltergeist, Dr. X, and The Blob. Check out their schedule to see when they're airing.
I have to agree with John that sometimes the ghost hunter shows don't always deliver. Then again, sometimes just the idea of where they're going is frightening. Last night, I watched an episode of Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel, and the guys took their gear into the bowels of an abandoned insane asylum. I happened to grow up in a town with an abandoned insane asylum (converted to very nice retail/business now), and I know firsthand that these places are pretty creepy.
If a show like Top Chef never found a meal, would you watch it? If Ice Road Truckers couldn't find snow, would you pay attention?
Yet, every week, paranormal investigation shows like Ghost Hunters or Paranormal State hit the air and unveil the whole pile of absolute squat they found. Now, there's a new contender in the "Hey! Look! We found pretty much nothing!" category with the Discovery Channel's Ghost Lab.
Each week two thick slabs of Texas beef named Brad and Barry Klinge (right) take their Everyday Paranormal investigation team out into the wild haunted yonder. They come armed with their traveling "ghost lab" -- a 24-foot car hauler "capable of providing 200,000 watts of electricity to power audio, video and photo analysis stations; flat-screen televisions and an interactive touch-screen smartboard."
It looks like the new crew at Disney's At the Movies is turning the ship around.
The new series run with fresh hosts (New York Times film critic, A.O. Scott (left), and Chicago Tribune film critic, Michael Phillips (right)) has gone 180 degrees in the other direction from the lighter, more sensationalized previous season.
Last year's host combination of Ben Mankiewicz and Ben Lyons often came off more glib than informative -- leaving both critics and fans wondering what happened to the more measured, analytical tone of former hosts Roger Ebert, Richard Roeper and the late Gene Siskel.
Between the two of them, Scott and Phillips bring decades of entertainment writing and critiquing experience -- combining a love of movies with a willingness to tick off the Hollywood powers that be when necessary.
The table-flipping mother of four, who was shown moving into the palatial, marble-laden manse during the first season of Bravo's The Real Housewives of New Jersey, is behind in her mortgage and DLJ Mortgage Capital filed papers in Superior Court of New Jersey this week to begin foreclosure.
(S13E07) I love watching episodes of America's Next Top Model where contestants think they are amazing and crash and burn by the end of the show. This week, the challenge for the would-be models was the dreaded CoverGirl commercial.
The past few episodes have really become "Let's root for dorky Nicole, dyslexic Laura, and droopy-eyed Jennifer." They don't get bitch edits and even Rae finally realized how cool Nicole's dork-chic can actually be. Sundai and Erin complain about everything, while Brittany and Rae are forgettable. Since all three are favorites, I doubt that Tyra will pick them to win.
I'm sure that they are going to get some sort of deal from someone for a show, and there's a good chance they wouldn't have gotten it if it wasn't for this hoax, so maybe they'll have the last laugh. I think all of us, if asked, would say "there's no way I'll watch a show with that family!" but here you can vote anonymously. So tell me: would you watch it?
I've never been big on scary ghost stories -- perhaps I'm still traumatized from my older siblings scaring the crap out of me in my early years. But for some reason, I've found myself watching some of the ghost hunter-type shows on the air right now. I'm actually looking forward to the Oct. 30 live broadcast of Ghost Adventures from the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum. Asylums are darn scary even in broad daylight. 
Sometimes I like to indulge in my guilty pleasure of watching several hours of the Bravo channel all at once. I can't say I'm hooked on the network -- it's mostly reality shows -- but sometimes it's fun to just watch something totally mindless. In Bravo's case, I usually end up feeling much better about my own life.
The new Columbia Pictures disaster epic, 2012, proposes what many New Age folk believe is inevitable. The Roland Emmerich movie looks ahead to December 21, 2012 as the end of the world because the Mayan Calendar cycle ends on that day.
Well, you sort of knew that this was coming, didn't you? The 
It's official, television is running out of things to turn into reality television. Wait, that means I'll be getting my own reality show soon. What the hell am I complaining about? 
If a show like Top Chef never found a meal, would you watch it? If Ice Road Truckers couldn't find snow, would you pay attention?
It looks like the new crew at Disney's 
If you can, imagine Fran Fine from 
Lately, what we've been hearing about reality television has been awful. The winner of 
All this talk about the Heene Family and Balloon Boy and their hoax
Have any questions for Rich Sommer of Mad Men? Ask them here!
Syfy's Alice -- An early look
The TV Squad Podcast: Surprising shows, decade-end lists, and the Commenter of the Week!
