next week 12/3

Monday

  • Charlie Brown Christmas (ABC, 8pm) – In case you missed this last week, Whoopi also does a little behind the scenes of this holiday classic.
  • Heroes (NBC, 9pm) Finale – This is the wrap up of the first of what were supposed to be three arcs, pending strike resolution, finale may be more accurate than intended.
  • Saving Grace (TNT, 10pm) – She’s back and things are getting stormy, is it just the tornadoes hitting Oklahoma?

Tuesday

  • Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (CBS, 8pm) – I think this is how we were told being different was a good thing, Rudolph is much more forgiving of childhood torment than most…
  • Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show (CBS, 10pm) – I’ve never actually watched one of these but I believe it’s models in underwear and maybe some wings.
  • Beauty and the Geek (CW, 8pm) Season Finale – And the winner is…

Wednesday

  • Santa Claus is Coming to Town (ABC, 8pm) – I really should make a new holiday animation or claymation special since they seem to fill the season.
  • Life (NBC, Mon and Wed 10pm) – A special two part episode starts on Monday and ends in its regular slot, as our weird detective hunts down pieces in his own mystery.

Thursday

  • Barbara Walters: 10 Most Fascinating People of 2007 (ABC, 10pm) – Every year she throws in a mix of folks with some popular entertainers and you know, they have a moment.
  • ER (NBC, 10pm) 300th Episode – Peter Fonda guests on a tour through former patients while Luka and Abby deal with their own drama.

Friday

  • Frosty the Snowman/Frosty Returns (CBS, 8/8:30pm) – Really I need to get moving on this new holiday project.
  • Movies Rock! A Celebration of Music in Film (CBS, 9pm) – Some song singing should be shown.

Saturday

  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas (ABC, 8pm) – This one is the movie, though 2008 will be my year for claymation…
  • Saturday Night Live: The Best of Will Farrell (NBC, 9:30pm) – I do find Farrell funny in some of his stuff, but I think I dropped SNL during his years.

Sunday

  • Oprah Winfrey Presents: Mitch Albom’s ‘For One More Day’ (ABC, 9pm) – Washed up Michael Imperioli spends a day with dead mother Ellen Burstyn.
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darling dish

Well the darlings of Dirty, Sexy, Money are keeping busy…

Of course the big mystery, Nick was told by the police that the report on his father’s downed plane showed it was an accident, really? Maybe not, as Simon Elder convinced Nick that if he got Tripp to put up the nostalgic Darling Plaza property in the big poker game he’d give him the undoctored copy of the report. So far Nick’s honesty is working alright for him, he told Elder that he didn’t know whether he could trust him and he confided with Tripp what Elder wanted. Tripp offered up the property in order to get to the truth, and when the game was lost, since Elder had the dealer, it wasn’t long before Darling Plaza was demo’d. For trying to convince Nick he’s the good guy Elder’s seeming a bit on the smarmy side. But Nick got the report which pointed to a mechanic, who not coincidentally turned up dead.

This isn’t Nick’s only problem of course, Karen hasn’t made it a big secret that she has always had a crush on Nick, but did manage to make it down the isle with pro golfer Freddy. She didn’t tell Nick she wanted him to write up her divorce until arriving at the reception, because Freddy declared that he really loved her. 3 million dollars later the annulment was final. She then declared to Nick that she really loved him before laying one on him. Instead of him telling her he didn’t love her, or something of the like, he mumbled a ‘gotta go’… then of course declared his love to his wife. Karen’s in full Nick mode and now mom Leticia is helping to bring them together, letting the kissing incident ‘slip’ to wifey.

All the while the twins tried to out compete each other for a best 25th birthday party and they both ended up unfulfilled and with Tripp deciding not to let them have their latest portion of their inheritence. Jeremy found out that his girlfriend and Juliet’s former bff was lying about being pregnant, or at least not telling when she found out she wasn’t. Juliet has somehow forgiven her since she wrote a new apology song about her biggest regret, apparently the bff is some sort of pop star. So while the bff’s are back in action Jeremy is trying to turn a new leaf and get a job. He’s starting as a valet at one of their properties and is sniffing around a woman who doesn’t know he’s a Darling so he can play ‘regular guy’.

Juliet’s other occupation has been entertaining Brain Junior. Our religious brother father Brain got found out for his illegitimate child posing as swedish exchange student. Though Juliet was having some fun playing dress up with him she actually convinced brother father that he needed to spend some time with him, perhaps the sweet kid will bring out a hidden good side. Mom just returned from a couple months in Brazil reportedly to see the son, but didn’t mind getting a little brother father action before deciding that she wanted to drag the tyke back to Brazil. Leave it to father brother to pray to god that the arbitrator on their custody takes his bribe.

Politico brother Pat had another break up with dad when he tried yet again to break up Pat’s relationship with his mistress who used to be a mister Carmelita, but she’s got too much sass to put up with that. And of course it wouldn’t be long before wifey started getting pissy, thanks to Elder’s secret update about the mistress. She was happy to broker a deal with Carmelita for his time when it was just sex, but when she found out he actually talked to Carmelita the Mrs. shot him. It was only in the leg…

Pat has also moved out and is now in bed, figuratively speaking, with Elder. Elder has grand schemes of saving New York. And Tripp didn’t mince words when telling Nick he wanted Elder utterly destroyed. And that started with telling the gang that Elder blames the Darlings for his parents death since the father’s worked together until the Elders were given the boot over rumors of an affair with Tripp’s mom. Then they were off to Russia which didn’t treat his parents well. Elder swung back by informing Nick that Tripp was involved in his brother’s death. Hmmm…

Are you still with me? Good. Tonight what new devastating secret will be revealed?

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what’s up chuck

chuck pilotI have to say I find myself looking forward to Chuck each week. And I find that it’s not just because of the interesting characters forced to work together, or the witty dialogue, or the kick-ass action scenes, but honestly also because I don’t have to think too hard. I have a few Heroes queued in the backlog because I feel like I don’t have the attention span. But though it’s easy to follow Chuck on his weekly adventure with his two agent protectors, hiding it all from his sister Ellie and best bud Morgan, there are a few big plot items. So if you haven’t been watching you should tune in and though you don’t really need it, here’s a bit of story…

Chuck was kicked out of Stanford because his roommate Bryce turned him in for cheating (which if course he didn’t do), either before or after stealing his girlfriend. Chuck can’t forgive him for it, and has yet to really get his life back on track. He’s tech support at the Nerd Herd at Buy More (think Geek Squad at Best Buy but funnier and apparently more successful at helping solve tech issues). And he’s living with his doctor sister (Everwood/What About Brian’s Sarah Lancaster) and her boyfriend dubbed Captain Awesome, because everything is in fact ‘awesome’. Their parents are gone, though we’ve yet to get what could be more than just a story of a mother who left and a father who wasn’t there for them.

So all is chugging along in Chuck’s unfulfilled life when he receives an email from his old college roommate/nemesis and what hides behind a path of a video game they wrote in college is in fact encoded images and information about all of the secrets that all of the countries agencies had hidden away. Nemesis Bryce managed to steal these before blowing up the computer that held them and getting himself killed. Apparently roommate was a rogue agent for the CIA.

Bryce’s former partner, professionally and romantically, Sarah, goes after Chuck to track it all down. Chuck is now too valuable to lose and has round the clock support from Sarah, who pretends to be his girlfriend working across the street, and Casey (the hilarious Adam Baldwin) who is NSA, works with him at Buy More, and has moved into his apartment complex. Each week Chuck is either assigned to, or happens upon, something that makes him ‘flash’ and tap into the downloaded info.

Sarah is clearly getting close to Chuck, though when he asked her with a little truth serum happening about her true feelings for him, her training allowed her to say no. Though of course her kissing him when she thought they were about to die cleared that up. But with Bryce returning from the dead for a makeout session of his own, who knows where Sarah’s heart lies. Bryce, it turns out, was on assignment, and not in fact rogue, and is now heading out to find the true evildoers. We knew there was a chance he wasn’t evil when we found out that he got Chuck kicked out of Stanford to avoid his being recruited by the CIA and ruining his life. Funny how things work out.

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next week 11/26

Monday

  • Samantha Who? (ABC, 9pm) New Time – Just when I had my system down, switching from 2 1/2 Men to this they have to screw with the schedule… I still find this show funny as Sam navigates her new and old lives with amnesia.
  • Notes from the Underbelly (ABC, 9:30pm) Season Premiere – I found this show almost funny, but not quite, as a young couple gets pregnant and tries to find their place between their crazy single friends and their crazy married-and-in-the-family-way friends.

Tuesday

  • Charlie Brown Christmas (ABC, 8pm) – Whoopi also does a little behind the scenes of this holiday classic.
  • Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 9pm) – Fifth season finale with Melanie, Helio, and Marie (that’s spice girl, race car driver and osmond) going for the title.
  • House (Fox, 9pm) – If you haven’t been following along House’s attempts to pick a new team you’ve been missing out, he finalizes tonight, and it’s been a great way to see new interactions with new characters and him getting to mess wtih folks on a whole new level, I say cutthroat bitch gets the ax, i don’t even miss the less seen old crew all that much.

Wednesday

  • Shrek the Halls/How the Grinch Stole Christmas (ABC, 8, 8:30pm) – Really there was a Shrek tv special?
  • Christmas in Rockefeller Center (NBC, 8pm) – Al Roker, some songsters, and a big lit tree.

Thursday

  • My Name is Earl (NBC, 8pm) – Who knew prison could keep the stories going but could Earl’s attempts to earn his freedom deplete his lottery winnings?

Friday

  • Davis Cup (VS, Fri 1pm, Sat 12:30pm, Sun 1pm check your local listings) – Well this is the US men’s team tennis finals with Roddick, Blake and the Brian brothers trying to win the title by defeating Russia, singles Friday, doubles Saturday and reverse singles Sunday.
  • My Night at the Grammys (CBS, 8pm) – Apparently there are moments from the Grammy’s they deem worth sharing.

Saturday

  • Jesse Stone: Sea Change (CBS, 8pm) – This is a rerun of one of the Tom Selleck as Parker’s Jesse drunk sheriffing in a small town.
  • Radio City Christmas Spectacular (NBC, 8pm) – You know, more Christmas stuff.

Sunday

  • Pictures of Hollis Woods (CBS, 9pm) – Sissy Spacek gets title role in this tv movie about a foster mom and her ward.

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strike on

So they struck, now what? Well rumor has it negotiations are scheduled to begin again after Thanksgiving. It sounds as if there was an initial mandate that folks go back to work in good faith for negotiations to resume but since the writers don’t seem to be budging on that, the mandate may not be completely mandatory. It also looks as if negotiations with the late night crew to come back sans writers, and sans prewritten segments, are also underway, shooting for after the giving of thanks as well. I read that in the last strike in ’88 they also pulled a stoppage for a while then when Carson went back the rest followed.   

All in all the writers and those in support feel that the short term sacrifices of money and security are worth their stand but what about those folks who aren’t writers? The Desperate Housewives were booed for bringing pizzas to the strikers while finishing out the scripts in the can and Ellen was suffering a backlash (not quite as bad as the doggy adoption fiasco) for going on with the show, sans opening monologue with a shout out to the strikers. So for shows where the actors are under contract and/or preserving folk’s jobs and/or keeping a syndicated timeslot (daytime works a little different than nighttime talkers)… are they in the wrong?

And why is it that some folks seem to get grief while others don’t? I think it was Letterman who paid his entire staff’s salaries for a couple of weeks while off the air, but clearly that can’t happen across the board. And though The Office shut down immediately (for the most part the writers are the actors, and I believe Steve Carell, who is not actually a writer, called in with swollen balls) most of the rest of the management in dual roles like Lost is returning to finish production without doing any rewrites with the sentiment that they’d finish this stuff anyway they should at least be involved.  

As for the completed shows, my tivo is still filling up, and they are still introducing come midseason items that have a critical mass complete, but things will be winding down. TVGuide has a nice little strike watch going that let’s you know when you’re going to start your mandatory detox. Though apparently we could be seeing things like reshooting Green Acres as written which may soon be under way. Let’s just hope negotiations go well and give thanks that we’re entering the good season for movies since we won’t see the effects of the strike on that for quite some time.

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next week 11/19

Monday

  • The Bachelor (ABC, 10pm) Season Finale – Two weeks touting the bachelor, really? Anyhoo, you get this, he picks a gal and they break up doing promotional appearances… ‘After the Rose’ show airs on Tuesday at 10pm.
  • Weeds (SHO, 10pm) Season Finale – I’ve started making my list of cable shows to get on dvd if this pesky strike keeps up, I like ML Parker, and is this the one that one of those Olsens joined?

Tuesday

  • A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (ABC, 8pm) – I can taste the turkey and mashed taters already. Followed by ‘He’s a Bully Charlie Brown’ to round out the hour.

Wednesday

  • Pushing Daisies (ABC, 8pm) – Just when I wondered if this show could be any more delightful they get a guest spot from Paul Reubens (the artist formerly known as Pee Wee Herman).
  • Dirty Sexy Money (ABC, 10pm) – All may not go smoothly for the Darlings as a couple of meetings are arranged, Tripp and Simon Elder and Patrick’s wife and his transsexual mistress.

Thursday

  • Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade/National Dog Show (NBC, 9am/noon) – I don’t recall watching the parade in recent years but I assume it’s all floats and bands and whatnot, you know, a parade, but I do try to catch the dog show, though I always just root for the big fuzzy breeds I like best.
  • Ugly Betty/Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 8pm/10pm) – Buffy alum night as Faith/Eliza Dushku gets ugly and Oz/Seth Green pops by Grey’s for what I can only hope will be some funny.
  • October Road (ABC, 10pm) Season Premiere – Sappy, and in my opinion unwatchable (though I admittedly stopped watching), show where boy returns home after writing first novel, somewhat unflatteringly, about his small home town and its inhabitants and comes to wonder if his best gal, that he ditched, is raising his kid.

Friday

  • Numbers (CBS, 10pm) – Christopher Lloyd guests for the makings of a little Taxi reunion with he and Judd Hirsch, and I’m sure there’s some math.

Saturday

  • Battlestar Galactica: Razor (SciFi, 9pm) – A movie that explains some of the haps from the series that I hear great things about but have yet to start the dvds.

Sunday

  • The Simpsons (Fox, 8pm) – Sideshow Bob’s family nods to Friasier as Kelsey Grammer is joined by Frasier’s Niles/David Hyde Pierce and Martin/John Mahoney.
  • Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC, 7pm) 100th show – Ty and the gang help a family of ten by doing something extreme.
  • Action Sports (NBC, 11am – check your local listing) – Highlights of the season’s best competitions in the Dew Action Sports tour for skateboarding, fmx, and bmx.
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antm – down to 7

Ok so we’re finally narrowing down the field a bit. Let’s do a bit of catch up on what’s been going on in the weeks since last we spoke of ANTM…

First they all tried to work the power of movement while they learned to pose on a trampoline, but we all knew that was just a warm-up for the real challenge, posing with a figure skating partner. Lisa won the challenge and got to invite two pals to a Seventeen shoot, and as opposite as we can get, awkward Heather appeared painfully bad. But her posing in the roof top Gargoyle shoot kept her out of hot water while non-model-looking Janet and getting-worse-not-better Ambreal ended up in the bottom two with Ambreal making it to fight another week. Bye to annoying house mom Janet.

Then we focused on spokesmanship, or womanship as the case may be, and what a dud little Ebony was. Tyson Beckford came and gave the girls some tips on selling the sexy on your average kitchen item. Then they got their challenge which was making a psa for I am African. So they broke into three teams, and with creating their own material let’s just say it wasn’t the best psa I’ve ever seen, and though none of them will see the light of day, they picked a team and then randomly picked one of them, Heather, to go do a Mary J Blige shoot. The final shoot is speech free, so after they do their recycled material shots, dead-face Ambreal and snarly-face Ebony end up in the bottom two. Now when they decide to give Ambreal the boot, Ebony admits that she wants to go home. Tyra is pissed and not afraid to show it and gives Ambreal a serious reprieve.

Then the boring recap episode which for some reason I was thinking this came later in the season, whatever, I caught up on some tivo.

Then this last week Tyra did the lesson herself in ‘sexy movement for video’ with the gals. Now we all know when it comes to movement Heather isn’t great, but apparently Tyra thought that after a little coaching she was workin’ it when the gang tried to do some straight up sexy and some coy. They put their skills to the test in an Enrique Iglesias video where Lisa gets picked to be featured and then they throw a feature to Heather since she’s got such the goth look and they’re doing a kind of vampire thing. Now when I say featured I mean that they actually get to touch Enrique as he walks by them instead of just shooting him a sexy look. The big drama of this week was that apparently since Heather hadn’t really eaten anything she got hot and dehydrated and passed out. Will they never learn? They were showing lots of Chantal from the start, Tyra commented on Chantal not giving it all, and in the video they said she was stiff. And of course she with her ‘I’m not nervous cuz like I can dance and I can act…’ got taken down a notch and placed in the bottom two. But we’ve learned if they make it too obvious they may just live to make it another week and instead plus size/normal size Sarah was losing some weight and not comfortable enough with her body, so they sent her home. Though apparently none of the antm gals are featured in the real Enrique video they’ve posted their version on his site.

So who will get eliminated next? Still too soon to tell who will be America’s Next Top Model?

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back on track

So as I started writing about Heroes and how I’m not in love with all the new characters and all the creative choices so far, I read an article in Entertainment Weekly where Tim Kring, the creator himself, summarized most of my thoughts better than I could.

So check out the article/apology and tune in tonight where we’re promised some answers on what happened after the end of last season and maybe where we go next.

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20158840,00.html

My vote for new character killed off is definitely Maya, Sylar could snatch her power and her tortured brother could chase after him quashing the black tears of death, and maybe he could even get a better power. And I wouldn’t mind if Claire’s new boyfriend West got it…

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next week 11/12

Monday

  • Chuck (NBC, 8pm) – If you miss the quality days of the OC maybe Summer/Rachel Bilson can fill the void as she charms Chuck, tough to date with a fake girlfriend even if she is only your CIA contact.
  • The Bachelor (ABC, 10pm) – The women tell all, probably won’t muck it all up before he picks his bride in the finale.

Tuesday

  • Bones (Fox, 8pm) – Timecapsules and murder, I’m nostalgic to visit the class of ’87! woo hoo!
  • Reaper (CW, 9pm) – What’s Gladys the demon do when she’s not at the dmv? And is the devil doing something evil?

Wednesday

  • Project Runway (Bravo, 10pm) Season Premiere – Fifteen new folks compete to try to stich their way to success.
  • Private Practice (ABC, 9pm) – Looks like there’s some nookie gonna be going on, bets on the longevity of Addison and Pete vs. Violet and Cooper…

Thursday

  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS, 9pm) – Boring Jorja Fox leaves the team, who will Grissom inappropriately sleep with now?
  • It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Fx, 10pm) Season Finale – I am amused by this group of serious misfits and their totally inappropriate behavior.

Friday

  • Women’s Murder Club (ABC, 9pm) – This is it’s regularly scheduled time but don’t miss it’s Thursday night showing (10pm) with Angie’s real life guy Jason Sehorn (and yes I should put this under Thursday but there’s really nothing of interest on Friday).

Saturday

  • MadTV (Fox, 11pm) – Former castmates return for the 300th episode but since I don’t ever watch this show I couldn’t tell you who’s who.

Sunday

  • American Music Awards (ABC, 8pm) – Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel there might be some life input into one of the many music awards shows.
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reality round up

So since I was talking reality television I felt like I wanted to rate the shows, but I have to admit if I’ve watched even one of these shows I don’t do it regularly (those I watch noted in bold)… so I’m doing it anyway but I’m not really standing behind these somewhat arbitrary grades.

  • Amazing Race (A) – See pairs of people interact and travel the world, and it is a race so winners win.
  • Survivor (A) – Groups of people living in some tough isolated conditions around the world, good mix of the strategic alliances and the wild card of the varied skill challenges. They vote each other off and try not to alienate folks too much since they pick their own winner.
  • Project Runway (A-) – (Bravo) Seeing these wannabe fashion makers trying to rise to the challenges at break neck speed, without breaking anyone else’s neck, is compelling and with Tim Gunn’s encouragement to ‘make it work’ I may not like all the results but they’re worth seeing. Heidi leads the panel of judge’s decisions.
  • ANTM (B+) – If you’ve read these at all you know I’m a fan of the crazies and their model skills, a good photo means a lot but in person presence, acting, walking and various other things keep it interesting. Tyra leads the panel of judges decisions.
  • Rock Star: INXS/Supernova/? (B+) – I had heard at one point that this was renewed with unknown talent. This show takes AI to the next level with actual songs and singers you might like, mixed with the combination of America and wild card band votes and a little behind the scenes action. I miss Marty Casey.
  • Biggest Loser (B) – Tough love as folks really change their lives, and even those voted off and working from home try to lose to win.
  • Dancing with the Stars (B) – A unique mix of ‘stars’ and their professional dancing partners compete. A mix of judge and America’s votes keeps narrowing down ‘til we find the winner.
  • American Idol (B) – If you don’t know about this show you’ve been living under a rock, it still maintains a rabid following season after season. Our panel narrows it down to finalists then it’s all about America’s pick.
  • Rock of Love (B/D) – (VH1) Ok this is so bad it’s good, I live in disdain of the Bachelor but make it a house full of skanks, psychos and strippers and I couldn’t look away. Brett Michaels adds a nice touch as a crazy rockstar who is surprisingly in touch with his feminine side.
  • Beauty and the Geek (B-) – The dumb beauties and the socially stunted smarties team up to overcome their limitations and on their way learn a little. Competitions rule.
  • Bachelor (B-) – As noted I can’t take this whole good-looking vapid women compete to fall in love with what is typically a good-looking but not super interesting guy. I would give this a worse grade but after getting addicted to Rock of Love I had to reconsider.
  • Extreme Makeover Home Edition (C+) – Total home remodel with varied themes and goals and always a touching story.
  • The Apprentice (C) – If it weren’t for annoying Donald Trump the competitions to determine business savvy are pretty interesting.
  • Kid Nation (C) – Kids in the wild west making it on their own. Rewards are given and competitions determine perks and duties, and they can opt out at any time.
  • Next Great American Band (C-) – I think I am the only person watching this band competition, I am amazed that there aren’t more talented groups included but I like the mix of originals and covers and like The Clark Brothers and Franklin Bridge (and Six Wire), not that I would buy any of their albums.
  • America’s Got Talent (D) – I don’t know that America does, but if you’re looking for random acts, this is where you find ’em.
  • Kitchen Nightmares (F) – Watching some mean chef yell at people just doesn’t do it.
  • Big Brother (F) – So they put a bunch of people in a house, and show it for like three nights a week, I don’t understand how this can be on like season 8.
  • Phenomenon (F) – Again, magicians…
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