Everyone seems to be putting a lot of money into online video: Hulu, Epix (from Paramount, MGM, and Lionsgate), and our own SlashControl, to name a few. It's the future! Now another company is getting into the web act, HBO (or Home Box Office, which no one calls it anymore). They have a new service coming up with the catchy name HBO GO (unlike the other video sites you will only be able to access HBO's stuff).
Ben Parr at Mashable makes a good point when he says that if GO only goes to HBO subscribers and no one else, it's only going to be a niche thing. He suggests that HBO open some parts of it to everyone (with advertising) and then have other features and videos that are only available to HBO subscribers.
I lapsed on Desperate Housewives for a while there (like, a year or two), but recently started watching it again. It's pretty good! If you haven't kept up to speed with it, the last episode of 2009 ended with a plane crashing on Wisteria Lane. Tonight's episode picks up with Susan learning the details of the crash.
The clip below indicates that Karl is in surgery and it doesn't look good, and that Lynette saved Gaby and Carlos' daughter from certain death. At the hospital, Lynette starts experiencing some pains and worries that something is wrong with the babies. According to the episode synopsis, the gang starts pondering what their lives might been like had they made different choices, and it looks like we get a glimpse of what they'll look like in the future.
Are you watching Desperate Housewives? And if you lapsed like I did, what brought you back to the show?
That little singing competition American Idol is right around the corner (it premieres Jan. 12), and I can't wait to see how Ellen DeGeneres does as the fourth judge. I'm sure she'll be a great addition to the show. I talked with Ryan Seacrest last week, and he said that Ellen has already asked to borrow some of his suits, so it sounds like anything can happen -- and probably will.
I told Ryan that I loved the idea of Ellen being a judge because she's a huge fan of American Idol, like many of us out here watching at home. He agreed, and said she actually asked him come over to her house so they could watch the show together.
Access Hollywood caught up with Kara DioGuardi at the VMAs, and Kara gave a little different take on it. She said that Ellen is a huge star, and the contestants on America Idol have to learn how to command the stage with everything they've got. Ellen is a master at that, but in a way we can all relate to.
Are you looking forward to Ellen coming onboard as the fourth judge? Here's the clip straight from our sister site, SlashControl.
Sherlock Holmes is in theaters right now starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law as the bromantic pair of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. But there have been many incarnations of the iconic characters, including the one embedded below from our sister site, SlashControl.
The Private Lives of Sherlock Holmes is directed by Billy Wilder and stars Robert Stephens as the great detective, with Colin Blakely playing Dr. Watson. It was released in 1970 and finds a bored Holmes eagerly taking the case of Gabrielle Valladon (Genevieve Page) after an attempt on her life. The search for her missing husband leads to Loch Ness and the legendary monster. That Holmes gets around, doesn't he?
I really enjoyed the current film playing in theaters. Although the plot drags a bit, no detail was missed in the setting or clothing from that era (late 1800s in London). Do you have a favorite version of Sherlock Holmes? Or do none of the TV or film versions stand up to the books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?
Hugh Jackman has come a long way since he played Curly McLain in a TV version of Oklahoma in 1999. Now we know the Aussie star mainly for his work in movies like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Australia, and Van Helsing, but early in his career, he earned a communications degree with a journalism major from the University of Technology Sydney. Fortunately for us, he went on to pursue drama at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, then met his future wife Deborra-Lee Furness while starring in the ABC prison drama Correlli.
How do I know all this? Because Biography did a show on him and told us all there is to know about Hugh Jackman. Ok, maybe not ALL there is to know, but enough to get a behind-the-scenes look at the guy who would go on to become famous for his spiky hands and song-and-dance numbers while hosting awards shows. Here's a look at the episode straight from our sister site, SlashControl.
When Neil Patrick Harris hosted the Emmys, Dr. Horrible conveniently invaded for a moment, spreading webseries fear throughout the TV industry audience. It was a funny bit, serving mainly as a vehicle for some jokes about buffering and tiny screen sizes. Hopefully that made the TV people feel better, if only for a little while, because online video is showing no signs of stopping.
Are you watching Modern Family? I haven't worked it into my schedule regularly, but have seen enough episodes to know it's good. Plus, everyone else says it's good, so how can you argue with that? Well, Bob says it's a bit overrated, so maybe a little debate is called for.
The show covers three very different types of families, and aside from great writing, excellent casting, and a good production, maybe that's the secret. There's something for everyone in Modern Family, whether you're young, old(er), middle-aged or gay. It's also executive produced by Steve Levitan (Just Shoot Me) and Christopher Lloyd (Frasier), so that probably has something to do with it, too.
Our own Jason has been covering it here on TV Squad, so be sure to check out his reviews. You can catch all the episodes at our sister site, SlashControl, but here's the most recent one, "Fizbo," to get you started.
One of my favorite episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show is "Put On a Happy Face" from season three. It's the one where Mary is nominated for a Teddy Award, but everything in her life suddenly starts going wrong. It starts with a "hair bump," then moves on to a sprained foot, a nasty cold, a dress that comes back from the cleaners with a horrible purple spot on it, a broken hairdryer, and Ted as a date for the awards ceremony.
So Mary ends up going to the event with a dress borrowed from Rhoda that looks like something a grandmother (back then) might wear. It starts raining so the slipper she's wearing on her sore foot gets soggy, and then her false eyelash comes off just as they announce her name as the winner. Seriously, Mary still looks pretty fantastic even when her life goes to heck.
There aren't many shows that can make you laugh out loud even when you're watching them by yourself. The Mary Tyler Moore Show is definitely one of a kind. Here's the episode, straight from our sister site, SlashControl.
I'm the perfect Criss Angel Mindfreak viewer, because I have no idea how he does all those stunts and tricks. I'd like to, though!
And while Criss seems just plain freaky, he's always the perfect gentleman when dealing with people. Except for times when he does something completely freaky and you'd think the people involved would have a heart attack.
In one episode, I watched a guy who seemed like he was actually having his head cut off by a guillotine. It seemed so real, because Criss was running around telling people to call 911 and whatnot, and the guy's wife was nearly having a stroke. Unless they were in on it, that was way too cruel a trick to play on anyone.
In this clip from our sister site SlashControl, Criss trains with champion aerialist and world record jump holder Trigger Gunn to jump a 60-foot long, 20-foot high ramp at 50 mph. Apparently, Criss is a longtime fan of motorcycle jump legend Evel Knieval.
Are you watching Stargate Universe? I know it's gotten a bad rap from some fans of the Stargate franchise, but I think it's pretty good. Then again, I haven't watched the entire franchise from the beginning, so don't have a lot of the expectations of long-time fans.
Brian J. Smith, who plays First Lt. Matthew Scott, sat down to answer fan questions. He said it's a little overwhelming joining a well-established franchise, but he tries to focus on the day to day aspects of filming. "You try not to think so much about the big picture," he said. "You try to just enjoy what you're doing as an actor each day."
He also talked about the most admirable quality of his character. "I think it's a sense of empathy," he said. "He's got a very rare quality, which is that he's able to really put himself into the shoes of other people. When he goes on missions and he's leading away teams on other planets or even on the ship itself, he takes the safety and well-being of the people he's with incredibly seriously. He's a really emotional guy, and I like that about him."
Here's the Q&A straight from our sister site, SlashControl.
You know, it's funny. When I started here I was a lowly IT guy with no girlfriend and lots of time on his hands to watch TV, even on Thanksgiving. Now I'm engaged, the editor of this site, and have to run around to so many family and friend-related events this weekend my head's already spinning just thinking about it. So I have a lot to be thankful for (and I just realized how friggin' long I've been here... wow).
But TV has always been a part of that equation, and it had no less of a role for me this year. So, in the TV world, here is what will make me thankful as I dive into the turkey tomorrow:
ABC's Wednesday comedy line-up: Against all trends, ABC rolled the dice and started a whole new night of comedy on Wednesdays. And while Hank flamed out, The Middle, Modern Family, and Cougar Town look like they have staying power, both from a quality and a ratings standpoint.
Here's a sneak peek at tonight's Castle, "One Man's Treasure." When a murdered man is found stuffed in the garbage chute of an apartment building, two women arrive to ID the body -- the guy's wife and his fiance. It's like the ultimate in awkward encounters, and of course, Castle has something to say about it. He looks at the dead guy and says, "You are so busted."
Of course, Castle and Beckett have the fun task of trying to figure out if this guy's been leading a double life or if he's being framed. With this show, you just never know. I'm guessing one of the women is behind it, but we'll see.
I'm loving Castle, because it fulfills my lifelong wish for a TV show that offers the snappy banter and sexual tension of an old-time movie. Well, Castle would call it sexual tension. Ok, Beckett is leaning that way, too. I don't know who I'd compare Nathan Fillion to, though. Maybe a little Cary Grant mixed in with Donald O'Connor.
(S08E13) Just three more episodes till the end of Monk, so it sort of feels like they're wrapping up some loose ends. Tonight, the focus was on Leland Francis Stottlemeyer, Monk's best friend, the guy who has been solidly behind Adrian through all the difficult years since Trudy's death, helping Monk to cope and remain gainfully employed as a police consultant.
Leland's always been a good guy, but not so lucky in love. As the title suggested, if Mr. Monk is the best man, that means that Leland was the groom. More about the nuptials after the jump.
It was an eventful week in TV, especially for fans of Mad Men. This week, Jason Hughes and Bob Sassone join me to talk about the show's finale and what may be in store for next season. We also talk about:
Why November sweeps don't mean as much as they used to,
Another dip into our Ask TV Squad mailbag, where we discuss why we promote SlashControl and other AOL-related ventures,
I'm not sure what chip I'm missing that I don't find Family Guy as fascinating and hilariously funny as some. Reading some of the Twitter updates after a show airs, it's clear that some folks think it's the funniest thing they've ever seen. Then again, my son usually regales me with all the cool stuff he sees in TV shows, but didn't mention much about the Live Variety Show, so maybe it wasn't that great.
Jason had this to say about it: "Really, it was about the least funny or entertaining variety show I've ever seen. Going into this, I was going to suggest that maybe FOX should have skipped the second Family Guy and given them an hour for this thing, but now I'm going to say they should have skipped the variety show altogether." Here it is, from our sister site, SlashControl. Tell us what you think in the comments below.
Everyone seems to be putting a lot of money into online video: Hulu, Epix (from Paramount, MGM, and Lionsgate), and our own SlashControl, to name a few. It's the future! Now another company is getting into the web act, HBO (or Home Box Office, which no one calls it anymore). They have a new service coming up with the catchy name HBO GO (unlike the other video sites you will only be able to access HBO's stuff).
You know, it's funny. When I started here I was a lowly IT guy with no girlfriend and lots of time on his hands to watch TV, even on Thanksgiving. Now I'm engaged, the editor of this site, and have to run around to so many family and friend-related events this weekend my head's already spinning just thinking about it. So I have a lot to be thankful for (and I just realized how friggin' long I've been here... wow).
It was an eventful week in TV, especially for fans of 
Andy Cohen on Jersey Housewives, 'Top Chef,' and Being the Face of Bravo
Ed O'Neill on Being the 'Modern Family' Patriarch
TV 101: Goofus And Gallant, TV-Style
