sports, tv

next week 1/12

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New and notable in the week ahead… procrastinator picks are underlined.

Monday

  • Kyle XY (ABCFam, 9pm) Season Premiere – Kyle might be in love, trouble must follow as his lady friend gets kidnapped.

Tuesday

  • American Idol (Fox, 8pm – also Wed at 8pm) Season Premiere – This season we’ve added a judge as we start with the cattle call of terrible songsters.

Wednesday

  • Lost (ABC, 8pm) – Last season’s finale reminds us how confused we were last season.
  • Friday Night Lights (DirTV, 9pm) Season Finale – The kids create drama on and off the field.

Thursday

  • CSI (CBS, 9pm) – Say goodbye to Grissom.
  • Saw for Hire (TLC, 9pm) Series Premiere – A tree removal service is the latest reality focus, yes you read that right, tree removal.
  • The Beast (A&E, 10pm) Series Premiere – Patrick Swayze is veteran undercover cop taking his new partner through the paces.
  • Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew (MTV, 10pm) Season Premiere – The crews, they are a dancing.
  • Celebrity Rehab Presents Sober House (VH1, 10pm) Series Debut – If you were addicted to Celebrity Rehab this might be the next step in your addiction.
  • Treasure Quest (Disc, 10pm) Series Premiere – Ready to explore ship wrecks?

Friday

  • Friday Night Lights (NBC, 9pm) Season Premiere – For those of you who missed the direct tv version, season 3 is kicking off network style.
  • Battlestar Galactica (SciFi, 9pm) Season Premiere – The final season continues the cylon battle.

Saturday

  • Solitary (Fox Real, 9pm) Season Premiere – They volunteer for torture on television, in solitary.

Sunday

  • Australian Open (ESPN2, 4pm) – Day one of the first tennis slam of the season, because today is tomorrow in Australia.
  • The Mentalist (CBS, 9pm) – Don’t miss a new episode of Simon Baker on a special night.
  • Big Love (HBO, 9pm) Season Premiere – The polygamists are back for another season.
  • United States of Tara (Show, 10pm) Series Premiere – Toni Collette stars as a housewife with personality disorder, written by Juno’s Diablo Cody.
  • Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Show, 10:30pm) Season Premiere – What happens when you mistake a regular guy for a client?
  • Flight of the Conchords (10pm) Season Premiere – The boys are back with songs and general hilarity!
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best, tv

my top tv of 2008

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soa_wall2.jpgAs noted I’m a little torn about coming up with a top ten tv list whilst waiting for midseason to hit, but here goes. In alphabetical order:

  • Bones (Fox) – My favorite of the procedurals, Bones the forensic anthropologist and Booth the FBI guy are great characters with great chemistry and I like all the supporters and flavor added to each body-of-the-week mystery.
  • Breaking Bad (AMC) – Who knew the dad from Malcolm in the Middle could turn out like this, as he gets himself in terrible situations when he starts to manufacture meth with an unpredictable partner in crime, all to support his family when he’s diagnosed with cancer.
  • Chuck (NBC) – Action and camp combined and I’m not sure whether I like the geeks put into the spy world or the spies put into the geek world better, with an amusing and compelling supporting cast.
  • Dexter (Show) – The first season was still the best to date but I can’t turn away from Dexter and his murders and his code and the scary and comical and idiotic people around him, though I do sometimes yell at the tv.
  • Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog – Not exactly television but this web based villain musical story (now available on dvd and through itunes) is a great piece by Joss Whedon (of Buffy, Angel, Firefly fame), all the main characters are fantastic but if I didn’t love Neil Patrick Harris before I do now.
  • Flight of the Conchords (HBO) – Hilarious songs tie together the silly stories of these two offbeat New Zealand musicians trying to make it in New York.
  • Gossip Girl (CW) – Campy soaps done right are just plain fun, and this one has over the top characters and situations going through plot twists faster than their spectacular outfits, Chuck’s ridiculous bowties and ascots alone would keep me tuned in.
  • Pushing Daisies (ABC) – This was good while it lasted with its fanciful production matching story and concept and design and cast to the wonderful mysteries solved by bringing folks back to life for just a minute, when it’s more than a minute let’s just say complications arose.
  • Saving Grace (TNT) – That Grace sure is crazy and it’s fun to watch her wrestle with doing the right thing by her police cases and doing the wrong thing in her personal life all while being pushed by her guardian angel, Touched by an Angel this show is not.
  • Sons of Anarchy (Fx) – I wince at least once an episode at some act of unbelievable violence as this motorcycle gang survives more trouble than seems possible, but the charismatic protagonist gives the show a little heart to go along with the drama.

A little shout out to some of the comedies that didn’t make the list this year but made me laugh enough just the same, 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, The Office, and The New Adventures of Old Christine.

And of course you can see what the critics are saying.

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tv

new year, new gossip

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ggirl_chuck.jpgWhen last we left, the eldest Bass (husband of Lily van der Woodsen, father of Chuck) was taken out in a car wreck. Chuck went into a tailspin and though Blair admitted that she loved Chuck he pushed her away. His new-to-the-show uncle dragged him home from wherever. After Chuck got tossed out of school for smoking hash (since it has a smoother buzz), he made it to the roof of his repurchased burlesque club. On the edge, Blair talked him down and there may just be hope for the young lovers. ‘Til we hear Blair say to the uncle “He can’t know about new year’s”… Oh Blair, whatever happened on new year’s?

Our other big drama when last we left, was that the Mrs. finally free of the Mr. (as in Bass) was free to pursue her love of Rufus. Until the Humphrey clan patriarch found out about their long lost child given up for adoption, he could forgive the giving up of child, but not telling him… Well Dan found out about this through spy skills, and from Chuck, but is sworn to secrecy, no sharing with his reunited beloved Serena, waiting for mom to tell her secrets herself. Will this rock the kid’s new found togetherness, they keep being apart because… because they’re from different worlds, or their parents are together, or… who knows, but the young love is apparently an easily derailed one.

And the rest of our players? Little J is still in the dark about the drama being back at school on cream coat day and picking a fight with the girls on the steps on behalf of the latest tormentee Little J replacement. Eric van der Woodsen is so far just little J’s new sidekick. And Nate, who chose Vanessa over the littlest Humphrey, might just be hunkered down with Vanessa, no sign of them yet. Always something to stay tuned for.

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tv

next week 1/5

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New and notable in the week ahead…

Monday

  • The Bachelor (ABC, 8pm) Season Premiere – For those of you who missed the really nice guy with the kid from the Bachelorette… he gets to pick now.
  • The Secret Life of the American Teenager (ABC Fam, 8pm) Season Premiere – I really tried to like this cheesy show but I just couldn’t groove with the bad characters and clunky dialogue.
  • Masters of Illusion (MNT, 10pm) Series Premiere – Illusions will happen.
  • Diettribe (Life, 10pm) Series Premiere – The ladies put it on together, and the ladies will take it off together.
  • True Beauty (ABC, 10pm) Series Premiere -Vanessa Minnillo hosts this latest elimination series where it looks like shallow pretty folks are judged on inner beauty.
  • Daddy’s Girls (MTV, 10:30pm) Series Premiere – This is apparently a spin off of Run’s House, and I don’t know what that is either.

Tuesday

  • The Biggest Loser (NBC, 8pm) Season Premiere – And the losing continues, this round is couples.
  • Homeland Security USA (ABC, 8pm) Series Premiere – I think this is kind of like an infomercial for homeland security.
  • Scrubs (ABC, 9/9:30pm) Season Premiere – A new network and Courtney Cox takes over where Kelso left off, at least for now.
  • Vice Squad (MNT, 9/9:30pm) Series Premiere – Like Cops but for Vice.
  • Nip/Tuck (FX, 11pm) Season Premiere – And the guys keep doing what they do.
  • Primetime: What Would You Do? (ABC, 10pm) Season Premiere – I think they cruelly make people witness awkward or illegal situations to see what they would do.
  • Wreckreation Nation (Disc, 10pm) Series Premiere – Lawnmower racing and alligator wrestling are just a sample of things to come.
  • 10 Items or Less (TBS, 11pm) Season Premiere – Scripted and improved grocery store humor.

Wednesday

  • 13: Fear is Real (CW, 8pm) Series Premiere – Folks have now volunteered to be scared in this elimination show.
  • People’s Choice Awards (CBS, 9pm) – The people have chosen.
  • Barbara Walters Special (ABC, 10pm) – Patrick Swayze has a new cable series coming out and talks about that and his cancer.
  • Damages (FX, 10pm) Season Premiere – Folks dig this Glen Close legal thriller but I never got on board.
  • The Real World (MTV, 10pm) Season Premiere – It’s the 21st season and they’re heading to Brooklyn.
  • Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns (TBS, 10pm) Series Premiere – He started with House of Payne but here’s the latest.

Thursday

  • Dragon’s Den (BBC, 8pm) Season Premiere – Folks pitch ideas to multimillionaires.
  • Critic’s Choice Awards (VH1, 8:30/9pm) – Red carpet followed by the awards themselves as the critics pick.
  • Greg Behrendt’s Wake-Up Call (Soap, 10pm) Series Premiere – Couples get help from Greg on their relationships.
  • Snapped (Oxy, 10pm) Season Premiere – I think they look at photos of crimes.

Friday

  • Howie Do It (NBC, 8pm) Series Premiere – I didn’t get Mandel’s Deal or No Deal and I don’t get these pull a prank on people shows.
  • Flashpoint (CBS, 9pm) Season Premiere – This Strategic Response Unit ‘cop show’ is a decent procedural that’s back for another round.
  • Lipstick Jungle (NBC, 9pm) Series Finale – The ladies wrap thier run with a little more drama and lipstick.
  • Monk/Psych (USA, 9/10pm) Season Premiere(s) – The oddball crimefighters are back.
  • Stargate Atlantis (Scifi, 9pm) Series Finale – Will they stop the threat to earth, is there a threat to earth?

Saturday

  • Winter Dew Tour (NBC/USA, Sat/Sun, 2/12am, 1:30/1pm) – The winter action sports series is kickin’ it in Mount Snow Vt.
  • My Big Redneck Wedding (CMT, 9pm) Season Premiere – Tom Arnold lends a sarcastic line or two to these trashy weddings.
  • CMT Cribs (CMT, 9:30pm) Season Premiere – MTV cribs is doing it country-style.

Sunday

  • Golden Globe Awards (NBC, 7/8pm) – The Hollywood Foreign Press Association hands out tv and movie honors.
  • 24 (Fox, 8pm) Season Premiere – Jack’s back in some sort of fix, for hours.
  • Toolacademy (VH1, 10pm) Series Premiere – Ladies send their boyfriends to get some coaching to be less of a tool.
  • Battlestar Galactica (SciFi, 11pm) – Top ten things you need to know… I am still only up to season 2.
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best, tv

top tv of 2008

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I always think that doing a top ten tv is a tough at the end of the year because the tv season is still rolling into midseason shows, but here’s what critics and folks have got so far for 2008. 

  • Architecture School – JP
  • Battlestar Gallactica – JP, TG
  • Big Bang Theory – MR
  • Boston Legal – DB, PGA
  • Breaking Bad – AFI, JP, TG
  • Brotherhood – SA
  • Californication – GG
  • The Colbert Report – SA
  • Chuck – JP
  • Cranford – PE, SA*
  • Curb Your Enthusiasm – PGA
  • Daily Show with Jon Stewart – DB
  • Damages – PGA
  • Dancing With the Stars – NYT
  • Dexter – GG, DB, MR, PGA, SA*, TG
  • Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog – DB, JP, PE
  • Entourage – GG, PGA
  • Friday Night Lights – DB, MR
  • Fringe – NYT, PE
  • Generation Kill – MR, TG
  • Gossip Girl – NYT
  • House – GG
  • In Treatment – AFI, GG, NYT, PE, SA
  • It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – SA
  • John Adams – AFI, MR, SA
  • The Last Enemy – SA
  • Life – AFI
  • Life on Mars – SA
  • Lost – AFI, JP, MR, PE, PGA, TG
  • Mad Men – AFI, DB, GG, JP, MR*, NYT, PGA, SA, TG*
  • Masterpiece – MR
  • Morning Joe – NYT
  • NCIS – NYT
  • The Office – AFI, GG, PGA
  • Olympics – MR
  • Primeval – SA
  • Pushing Daisies – DB, SA
  • Real Housewives of NYC – PE
  • Recount – AFI, NYT
  • Saturday Night Live – MR, PE
  • The Shield – AFI, DB, JP*, MR, PE, TG
  • 60 Minutes – DB
  • Skins – SA
  • Sons of Anarchy – TG
  • State of the Union – SA*
  • Swingtown – PE
  • 30 Rock – DB, GG, MR, NYT, PGA, SA, TG
  • True Blood – GG
  • Weeds – GG, PE, PGA
  • The Wire – AFI, JP, MR, NYT, TG

AFI – American Film Institute, DB – David Bianculli/NPR, GG – Golden Globes, JP – James Poniewozik/Time, MR – Matt Roush/TVGuide, PE – People Magazine, PGA – Producer’s Guild of America, SA – Satellite Awards, NYT – New York Times, TG – Tim Goodman at SF Chron

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tv

next week 12/29

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New and notable in the week ahead…

Monday

  • Greatest Holiday Moments (NBC, 8pm) – Think funniest home videos holiday style. 
  • Bromance/The City (MTV, 9/10pm) Series Premiere(s)– A couple kids from The Hills spin off their own gigs, first Brody Jenner looks for a new beaux Paris Hilton style and then Whitney Port leaves the west coast to make it in the big apple.

Tuesday

  • Burn Notice (USA, 6am-4pm) – This fun campy no-longer-a-spy spy show set in Miami gives a little marathon to catch you up.
  • Kennedy Center Honors (CBS, 9pm) – Caroline Kennedy host the honoring of Morgan Freeman, George Jones, Barbra Streisand, Twyla Tharp, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry.

Wednesday

  • Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest (ABC, 10pm) Ryan and Dick bring along Fergie and Kellie Pickler to help correspond with all the activity.
  • New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly (NBC, 10pm) – Will this be more or less rockin’ than Dick and Ryan’s?
  • New Year’s Eve Live (Fox, 11pm) – Spike Feresten and Mark Thompson don’t even get their names in the title.

Thursday

  • Tournament of Roses Parade – Check your local listings for the various showings of this flower filled parade.

Friday

  • If you’re desperate Lipstick Jungle is new, I’m not that desperate…

Saturday

  • Game Show in My Head (CBS, 8/8:30pm) Series Premiere – Folks are foolish in public by following instructions via earpiece.

Sunday

  • Rock of Love Charm School (VH1, 7pm) – It’s the reunion show which might be good for some hair pulling.
  • Confessions of a Teen Idol (VH1, 8pm) Series Premiere – 80s and 90s teen idols give us a little insight, or something.
  • Rock of Love (VH1, 9pm) Season Premiere – Still no love for Bret, so this season the ladies are going on tour with him… will he find ‘the one’, or are we just casting for another Charm School?
  • Superstars of Dance (NBC, 9pm) Series Premiere – Folks from all over the world compete.
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tv

next week 12/22

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New and notable in the week ahead…

Monday

  • Today Looks Back (NBC, 8pm) – The Today Show stays up to prime time to give us a look back.

Tuesday

  • A Home for the Holidays (CBS, 8pm) – Faith Hill and the gang raise adoption awareness.
  • Rediscovered (ABC, 9pm) – Donny and Marie give some folks who put their hats in the ring as child stars another shot.
  • The List (ABC, 10pm) – Entertainment lists galore.

Wednesday

  • It’s a Wonderful Life (NBC, 8pm) – Jimmy Stewart does it again.
  • The Flight Before Christmas/Story of Santa Clause (CW, 8/9pm) – A reindeer does some test flights with flying squirrels before we learn how Nick got his start.

Thursday

  • Yule Log – Check your local listings.

Friday/Saturday/Sunday

  • Not a lot new or holiday related going on after the 25th so get some dvds ready.
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tv

lost loves

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prison-break.jpgEvery year I drop at least one show. A show I loved or liked and find that I no longer watch or enjoy usually because I find it has somehow lost its way. Things that are soapy like BH 90210 (the original) definitely lose their luster over time, but that’s not the only category I lose.

This year the casualty was Heroes, but I was thinking of the others… Not counting shows that didn’t make it a season here are some that lost their sheen:

  • Cold Case – The procedural wasn’t a bad show, but as I was trying to cut back this wasn’t a keeper.
  • Criminal Minds – I still catch this brutal-killer-of-the-week procedural with special-fbi-behavioral-unit in reruns, but it doesn’t make the main lineup.
  • Desperate Housewives – The first year this soapy drama entertained me but with the sophomore slump it lost me.
  • Heroes – I finally gave this up, as the characters and situations became more ridiculous it actually pained me to watch.
  • King of the Hill – I still find this show amusing but as the years drag on it just stopped hitting the tivo.
  • Prison Break – I did love the first season, but the delight collapsed once they escaped from prison and though I stuck through the entire second season I was mostly yelling at the tv about how stupid it had become before I gave it up.
  • Without a Trace – Another procedural that isn’t bad but just didn’t keep me keeping it.
  • The Simpsons – Also amusing but after a decade I’m more than happy to catch the occasional rerun.
  • Smallville – I loved the complexity of Lex Luthor and Clark Kent’s early relationship, but the freak of the week lost me.
  • Survivor – This had a good dynamic but easy enough to drop with a new season of folks each year.

And an almost dishonorable mention to American Idol and Law & Order, both of which have been dropped and picked up again and dropped and picked up…

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tv

next week 12/15

2 Comments

Monday

  • Chuck/Heroes/My Own Worst Enemy (NBC, 8/9/10pm) Season Finales – Heroes is noted as fall finale and Enemy is leaving for good.
  • Terminator (Fox, 8pm) Season Finale – Will anyone be terminated?
  • I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (ABC, 8pm) – Lucy and Linus’ brother ReRun kicks it up a notch for the holidays.
  • Drama High (ABC, 9pm) – The making of high school musical, sorry that’s not the high school musical, it’s some high school putting on the Wiz.
  • Intervention (A&E, 9pm) Season Premiere – This series kicks off following a 50 year old woman who suffers seizures if she tries to stop drinking.

Tuesday

  • The Biggest Loser (NBC, 8pm) Season Finale – It’s always heartwarming to see how far they’ve come, if you like that sort of thing.
  • Momma’s Boys (NBC, 10pm) Series Finale – 32 women, 3 bachelors, and yes 3 moms who help out the selection.

Wednesday

  • A Muppets Christmas (NBC, 8pm) – Will the muppets get the letters to Santa?
  • Life (NBC, 9pm) Season Finale – Zen principals might not be enough to solve crime, save your friends, and get justice in corrupt conspiracies?

Thursday

  • Million Dollar Password (CBS, 8pm) Season Premiere – Can Aisha Tyler kick William Shatner out of the spotlight.

Friday

  • Greatest Holiday Moments (NBC, 8pm) – A countdown of tv and film moments.

Saturday

  • WWE Tribute to the Troops (NBC, 9pm) – Wrestlers can bring up anyone’s spirits.

Sunday

  • The Shift (Inves, 10pm) Series Premiere – A docuseries that follows homicide detectives.
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movies, tv

’tis the season

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dexter.jpgNot the holiday season, the award season, and it kicks off with Golden Globe nominations. Remember these are the ones that cover tv and film and separate categories for comedy/musical and dramas. Most of these movies aren’t even out yet so as usual I’ll have some catching up to do. I also haven’t caught all the cable selections for tv so I guess I’ll update my netflix queue.

BEST TV DRAMA
Dexter
House
In Treatment
Mad Men
True Blood

BEST TV COMEDY SERIES
30 Rock
Californication
Entourage
The Office
Weeds

BEST MOTION PICTURE / DRAMA
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST MOTION PICTURE / MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Burn After Reading
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

For a full list of nominations check the Hollywood Foreign Press Association site.

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