TVSquad

Some of you may think that TV Squad is filled with cheerleaders, that we all love TV so much that we rarely pull out our swords and skewer a show. Well, this should change your mind. I tuned in to Cougar Town last night and, I have to say, I was appalled. I thought I had seen what is likely the worst sitcom of the season -- Accidentally on Purpose -- but Cougar Town has surpassed it in badness.

Let me preface the rest of this criticism by saying that I was a loyal viewer of Friends. I liked Bruce Springsteen's video Dancing in the Dark. Scream was a hoot! I've been following Courteney Cox's career for years and I think she's terrific. She's funny and pretty and self-deprecating. I went into Cougar Town with high hopes. In other words, I have good will for Courteney Cox, like Jenna Elfman.

Step back from the guacamole dip. Put the chicken fingers down. Bruce Springsteen's drummer will stay that way for now.

It looks as though drummer Max Weinberg of Late Night with Conan O'Brien's Max Weinberg 7 won't be going to L.A. when O'Brien makes the jump to The Tonight Show this summer.

The New York Post breaks the situation down like this: Weinberg has too many ties to the East Coast and the E Street Band and moving to L.A. would just complicate things too much. Plus, his true bread and butter is playing for Springsteen and moving to the other side of the continent could cause a huge strain on him and his family.

When the Super Bowl first began, halftime shows consisted of marching bands and the occasional big name performer for a song or two. Carol Channing actually did two halftimes -- 1970 and 1972! Well, times have changed and so have the expectations.

The 2009 Super Bowl in Tampa reportedly has landed Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band to anchor the Super Bowl halftime show. It'll be The Boss's first time performing for the NFL's biggest show.

One thing we can count on with Springsteen, there'll be no wardrobe malfunctions. Even if Little Steven whips off his bandana, the censors won't care. Ever since Justin Timberlake ripped the top off Janet Jackson and got a chunk of bra to go with it, revealing her breast to the ogling TV audience, the networks have been careful to keep the halftime shows purely musical.

Anna Johns asks a very important question -- with Chris gone, does anybody still care about American Idol? My answer is yes and no. Chris was my number one dude, and I'm destroyed that he's gone. The thrill of the game has left me. I no longer feel the shrill of excitement every Tuesday when Chris takes the stage. I am now filled with blood lust, and I thirst for the demise of Elliott. I don't blame America for Chris' untimely elimination. I blame Elliott. I'm not exactly sure why, but somehow he is at fault. It's certainly not me. Taylor deserves to be in the finale, and so did Chris. Katharine? Eh, I guess. Elliott? Not so much.

With Chris gone, I have a new reason to watch Idol. I want Taylor to destroy them. Destroy them all. When we first met Taylor, he seemed the most unlikely candidate for American Idol. He's got gray hair. He's kinda tubby. And he looks like he's taking a dump when when he sings. This whole season has been absurd, so why not end it with a fireworks display of absurdity. I want Elliott and Katharine to be buried alive under the avalanche of votes that Taylor will receive. I want every man, woman, and child to vote for Taylor. I want more Americans to vote for Taylor then there are actually in America. I want Mexicans to illegally swarm over the border like locusts, with their Cingular Wireless phones in hand, just so they can vote for Taylor. I want him to destroy those other two. I want Taylor to rise from Chris' fallen ashes and pour acid rain all over Elliott and Katharine. I know that being bitter over Chris won't bring him back, but it makes me feel a hell of a lot better.  

Even Bruce Springsteen has a breaking point. Not usually a fan of letting his music be used in television programs, the January 8th episode of Cold Case will feature nine of Bruce's biggest hits, including "No Surrender" and "Atlantic City." However, if you can believe it, this story gets even better. The episode, entitled "Eight Years," tells the story of a few high school friends in the 1980s. They graduate, do their own thing, and then one of them ends up dead. Following the death, the other friends are questioned regarding the potential "murder." Now where have I heard that storyline before? It sounds so familiar... so recent, like it was from another show. The writer behind this episode of Cold Case said she chose the songs and then penned the script with the tunes in mind. Or maybe she just saw that show I can't remember... what was it?

[via Variety]