TVSquad

What are the odds that a big screen adaptation of ABC's 1980's hit MacGyver will be a success? Judging by the success-to-failure ratio of TV-to-movies, I'd say it's 50-50 at best. For every The Fugitive, there's The Wild, Wild West. A Mission: Impossible reboot works well enough as a Tom Cruise vehicle, but a live action Speed Racer is an unmitigated disaster. Still, the optimist in me will hope that New Line's MacGyver to the big screen will work. They first mentioned this about a year ago, but it's picked up some traction now.

There's no star attached as yet, but a lot of De Laurentiises -- Dino is exec producer, Raffaellla and Martha are producing for Raffaella Productions. (Giada is sticking to the Food Network.) Fortunately, the series creator, Lee Zlotoff is attached, too.

Have you ever laughed at an inappropriate time? Maybe during a serious story someone is telling or a funeral or a speech by your boss? That's how Taina Hernandez feels.

She was anchoring ABC World News Now with Ryan Owens the night that news broke that actor Owen Wilson tried to kill himself. The two anchors were laughing about something during the break, and when the show returned live Owens started to talk about the Wilson story and Hernandez started to laugh.

I would cut the show a little slack but 1.) Hernandez didn't really try to stop laughing and made light of it when she tried to "move on," and 2.) The segment is introduced with wacky music and narration and the caption at the bottom of the screen says "Poor Owen," which seems a little bit too sarcastic to me. Video (via Best Week Ever) after the jump.

Several months ago I made a promise that I was never going to watch the daily tabloid shows again. And I held on to that promise for a long time, and didn't watch Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, Access Hollywood or the other shows. Until last night, that is. I wanted to see if there was any news on the Owen Wilson story (though these shows claiming they have "breaking news" is truly laughable in this day of the web and instant info). I just want to report that these shows are still disgusting, ridiculous, and sleazy.

Example: On The Insider, Pat O'Brien showed clips of the hospital, with Samuel L. Jackson arriving and also Owen Wilson's brothers driving in a car to or from the place. And then they show "last known photos of the actor" (taken, um, August 8), and O'Brien describes Wilson as "running his hand through his hair," and you see Wilson with a serious look on his face. O'Brien is clearly implying that they can decipher something from a quick photo taken weeks ago on some street. Give me a break.

Welcome to the post-YouTube world of television programming. Brookers got a development deal with Carson Daly. One half of Ask a Ninja signed with United Talent Agency, and now, Jack Black and friends are bringing viewer-produced comedy shorts along with their own original material to VH1.

Called The Department of Acceptable Media, the program is based on a live event that Jack Black, along with Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab, have hosted in Hollywood since 2003. At the live event, five-minute "pilots" by aspiring filmmakers are screened and the audience votes on their favorites. The televised program will work in the same way - viewers will vote online at www.acceptable.tv - for their favorite shorts. The winning "pilots" will get to produce a second episode. The losers will be canceled.

Jon Stewart started off by reflecting on his day thus far... He woke up, had an egg and cheese breakfast, a nice cappuccino, bantered politely at work, sat down at his desk, turned on the TV, and realized that World War III has begun. "After that, the day is kind of a blur..." He said that he was feeling anxious, sad, scared, and hopeful... with just a hint of ennui. But mostly just fucking scared.

I've been hearing about this show for years, and now through the magical superwonders of You Tube, we can finally see it! Heat Vision and Jack was a comedy in the late 90s from Ben Stiller that starred Jack Black as an astronaut (ahem) who gets superpowers after a space accident, and fights crime with the talking motorcycle (voice of Owen Wilson), powered by the mind of his unemployed roommate. And if that description doesn't already have you laughing, it also stars Ron Silver, "as himself."

Funny opening from Stiller too: "Let's change cameras...as a person you admire, I'm giving you permission to appreciate this show. I'm also offering you my personal guarantee that it's going to knock you back onto your coal-mining asses. And that's a promise you won't be hearing from Georgie Lucas."

Who knows if this show could have maintained itself over several episodes, but judging from the pilot, I'd certainly rather watch this on FOX than The Loop or Free Ride.

[thanks to Bryce for the tip!]