tv

now america votes

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idol242.jpgAnd no I’m not talking about presidential politics. Now’s the time for America to start choosing their next Idol. For the most part I’m not sure that the populous vote works on artistic endeavors but the show has certainly made some stars. Some sell records, some win Grammys, think Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, oh and then there’s Jennifer Hudson and that little thing they call an Oscar.

But that’s not really the fun of the show. We’ve now narrowed it down to 24 and starting next week we’ll get a night of women’s performances and then a night of men. I have to say I wonder if the performers who have been more greatly featured in the profiles to date will already have a greater following or if the performances will speak for themselves.

Personally, of the men I dig that Australian guy. On the women’s side I’m more torn, I like that girl who lost her voice, the rocker/nurse girl, and the Irish girl. I suppose I could learn their actual names, but heck why bother, they could be eliminated next week. And in fact as I recall it is always pretty clear right away that a few of those put forward just don’t have the stuff in the fuller format.

So stay tuned. I will, at least for another round. Oh and if you care who specifically the top 24 are you can always check out Idol central at http://www.americanidol.com/

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sports, tv

next week 2/4

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Monday

  • Welcome to the Captain (CBS, 8:30) Series Premiere – Flailing filmmaker moves into an apartment building that is eclectic to say the least, starring Jeffrey Tambor among others.
  • The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS, 9:30pm) Season Premiere – Christine deals with her ex, his new girlfriend Christine, her brother/manny, her kind of geeky son, the mean moms at the private school she can barely afford, and of course the funny Wanda Sykes as gal pal and now curves-like business co-owner.
  • The Game (CW, 9:30) – The last episode due to the strike as I’m sure some drama and comedy will ensue with the gals of football.

Tuesday

  • House (Fox, 9pm) – Enjoy the last ep due to strike, as House deals with the always good, religious zealot with unknown ailment.
  • Super Tuesday Coverage (check your local listings) – Coverage on the elections, it’ll be super!

Wednesday

  • ANTM: Exposed (CW, 8pm) – I almost didn’t list this because I hate the clips shows, but apparently they’ve got highlights if you just can’t wait for the new season.
  • CSI: NY (CBS, 10pm) – Last ep due to the strike as ickily a victim is found drowned in a self cleaning toilet.

Thursday

  • Survivor (CBS, 8pm) Season Premiere – So this time they’re hitting Micronesia and it’s fans vs. favorites, I wonder how much money Jeff Probst makes for these.
  • Lipstick Jungle (NBC, 10pm) Series Premiere – This is the other one (if you like or wanted to like Cashmere Mafia) where it’s successful gal pals, only this one has three friends and one of them is Brooke Shields.

Friday

  • Davis Cup (OLN, Fri/Sat/Sun, 9am/pst, check your local listings) – Last year’s USA tennis champs head to Austria to start the new season.
  • Flash Gordon (Scifi, 8pm) Season Finale – I’ve never seen this show but have a nostalgic remembrance of the cheesy old movie version.
  • Friday Night Lights (NBC, 9pm) Last ep due to the strike as the players and those around them do what they do.

Saturday

  • Bernard and Doris (HBO, 8pm) – Ralph Fiennes and Susan Sarandon add some acting chops to the original HBO film’s fictionalized story of Doris Duke’s (who?) final years.

Sunday

  • Grammy Awards (CBS, 8pm) – They come, they model their outfits, they sing, they win… or lose as the case may be.
  • British Academy Film Awards (BBC, 8pm) – Apparently the stars are heading to this one if you want to catch them in case we don’t settle domestically.
  • 100 Most Outrageous Moments of All Time (NBC, 9pm) – Not sure if this is a Britney biography or what.
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sports, tv

next week 1/28

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Monday

  • State of the Union (6/9pm est/pst, Check Your Local Listings) – We don’t have to listen to him for much longer.
  • In Treatment (HBO, 9:30pm) Series Premiere – Gabriel Byrne is a therapist with of course a ton of issues of his own in this 5 night a week show, man, 5 nights a week?
  • Gossip Girl (CW, 8pm) – A special presentation of the pilot with additional behind the scenes and interview footage.
  • Making the Band (MTV, 10pm) Season Premiere – Hmm, so I read that this is the 11th season, then I read that this was Making the Band 4, maybe they stopped making new bands? I remember watching the first season on network tv with the making of OTown but haven’t watched since.

Tuesday

  • Baghdad Hospital: Inside the Red Zone (HBO, 8:30pm) – A close look at life in Baghdad by an Iraqi doctor who has since fled the country.
  • House (Fox, 9pm) – It’s new, they try to diagnose someone… should still be two more after this.

Wednesday

  • Lost (ABC, 9pm) – Last season’s finale with extra facts and tidbits to get you caught up.
  • Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants (CW, 8pm) Season Finale – I don’t know what they win, but one team will win.
  • American Ballroom Challenge (PBS, 8pm) – And they dance….

Thursday

  • Lost (ABC, 8/9pm) Season Premiere – It’s baaack, and they really want you to know what’s going on so the recap espisode at 8 should tell us all we need to know to get sucked in yet again… they better settle this strike.
  • Eli Stone (ABC, 10pm) Series Premiere – Is this lawyer a prophet, a sick man, or a nut job? No matter what his life is going to change.

Friday

  • 1 vs. 100, Friday Night Lights, Las Vegas (NBC, 8/9/10) – They’re new…
  • Dinner for Five (IFC, 10:30) – Jon Favreau welcomes guests Vince Vaughn, Peter Billingsley, Justin Long and Keir O’Donnell.

Saturday

  • Trading Spaces (TLC, 9pm) – This episode is the first in its regular timeslot, we had the first ep of the season last week, and we were all excited to have Paige back holding the reigns again.

Sunday

  • Suberbowl XLII (Fox, 3pm/pst ) – This might be the only occasion that we use roman numerals.
  • House (Fox, 7:15?) – In the coveted after superbowl spot Mira Sorvino gets some remote diagnosis.
  • Life is Wild (CW, 8pm) Season Finale – I guess you could find out how the wild is treating this family.
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tv

next week 1/21

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Monday

  • Wildfire (ABC Fam, 9pm) Season Premiere – It’s actually quite surprising how many original series there are out there on other cable channels, this is season 4 of this delinquent-but-good-with-horses gal gets another chance with a ranch family.
  • Democratic Presidential Debate: South Carolina (CNN, 5pm pst) – What have they got to say? Maybe nothing new, but maybe worth a look.

Tuesday

  • Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 10pm) Last episode due to strike – An embryo caper makes Olivia question her own timeline, too bad they couldn’t just time this to when Mariska was pregnant.
  • Millionaire Matchmaker (Bravo, 11pm normally at 10pm) Series Premiere – Follow a matchmaking service with, yes you guessed it, millionaire clientele.

Wednesday

  • Criminal Minds (CBS, 9pm) Last ep due to strike – I tend to only watch this show in reruns, which is I guess next week, but I’m sure the BAU gang will find a serial killer.
  • Moment of Truth (Fox, 9pm) Series Premiere – This is the one where they hook the contestants up to a lie detector and ask humiliating questions for money, what will they think of next?

Thursday

  • Chuck (NBC, 8 & 10pm) Last eps due to strike – They’re kicking us out with a little double shot, where Chuck will get into some shenanigans with his friends, coworkers and spy guys.
  • Ugly Betty & Big Shots (ABC, 8 & 10pm) Last eps due to strike – I’ll be watching Chuck of course.
  • Winter X Games 12 (24-27th, ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, Check your local listings) – Skis, snowmobiles, and snowboarders get gnarly in Colorado and it should include another round of Shaun White.

Friday

  • Garth Brooks: Live in LA! (CBS, 9pm) – It’ll be Garth, he’ll be singing, in LA, will it be live?

Saturday

  • Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials (CBS, 8pm) – This must mean the super bowl is coming up.
  • US Figure Skating Women’s Championships (NBC, 8pm) – Isn’t the winter Olympics coming up, no I guess that’s next winter.
  • Torchwood (BBC, 9pm) Season Premiere – They describe this as ‘part X-Files part Angel… where excitement comes before morality,’ hmm…

Sunday

  • US Figure Skating Men’s Championships (NBC, 7pm) – Well I mentioned the women’s…
  • Screen Actors Guild Awards (TNT, 8pm) – This one could be picket free and actually attended.
  • Shark (CBS, 8pm) Last ep due to strike – Always good to get into Sebastian’s dark past when he’s a target for murder.
  • The Russell Girl (CBS, 9pm) – Probably a typical cheesy Hallmark movie but I developed a liking for Amber Tamblyn since Joan of Arcadia.
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next week 1/14

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Monday

  • Terminator (Fox, 9pm) – We’re settling into the regular timeslot and since I probably won’t have watched Sunday’s pilot I’ll plan to tivo this too whether it’s watchable or not, oh who am I kidding with the strike my bar is pretty low.

Tuesday

  • American Idol (Fox, 8pm) Season Premiere – Starting it’s Tuesday and Wednesday runs at the early auditions, is my bar this low? I actually watched this for the first few seasons and then new people couldn’t make this show fresh enough for me.

Wednesday

  • Reno 911! (Comedy, 10:30) Season Premiere – I don’t get this channel and I’ve never seen this show, but some of these updates are going to start getting a little more arbitrary, so here’s Season 5.

Thursday

  • Celebrity Rehab with Dr Drew (VH1, 10pm) – The first of this started last week, and they’re rerunning it maybe every day if you missed it, I am a little bit morally opposed to this show and have no idea whether it’s entertaining or not but some ‘celebrities’ might get some help.

Friday

  • Moonlight (CBS, 9pm) – Maybe I’ll give this show another shot, though I found it a bad version of Angel the first time around.

Saturday

  • Husband for Hire (Oxygen, 9pm) – What have Erik Estrada and Tempest Bledsoe been up to, apparently this made for tv movie.

Sunday

  • Breaking Bad (AMC, 10pm) Series Premeire – Bryan Cranston is a  high school chemistry teacher who makes some questionable choices once he’s diagnosed with cancer.
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tv

next week 1/7

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Monday

  • Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann (ABC, 8pm) Series Premiere – Drew Lachey joins two of the judges from Dancing With the Stars to create two singing and dancing teams to compete in this six week series, I didn’t get Dancing with the Stars either.
  • Medium (NBC, 10pm) Season Premiere – Things were shook up employment-wise for Allison and her husband, with her out of the DA’s office how will she solve her creepy vision mysteries?

Tuesday

  • Bones/House (Fox, 8/9pm) – See where it all began with the pilots of these two fun shows.
  • One Tree Hill (CW, 8/9pm) Season Premiere – The fifth season moves forward four years to try to beat the high school turned college show crisis and get the cast to about their appropriate ages.
  • People’s Choice (CBS, 9pm) – The people, they pick their picks for tv and movies as Queen Latifah hosts, nobody really cares what the people think do they?

Wednesday

  • Law & Order: CI (NBC, 9pm) Season Premiere – The show banished to cable returns in reruns for its 7th season to the network where it started, this is the one L&O that bugs me, mostly D-Onofrio who I used to like.
  • Cashmere Mafia (ABC, 10pm) – The show stops off in its regular timeslot.

Thursday

  • My Name is Earl/30 Rock (NBC, 8/8:30pm) – Ok these are the last ones we get for who knows how long, enjoy.
  • Grey’s Anatomy (ABC, 9pm) – Ditto on last in the queue.

Friday

  • Catch up on some repeats (Grey’s/Cashmere Mafia on ABC) or catch some new eps of shows (Ghost Whisperer, Moonlight, Numb3rs on CBS or Friday Night Lights and Las Vegas on NBC) or maybe just go out and see a movie.

Saturday

  • If you didn’t get away from the television last night definitely get away tonight, unless you’ve got some netflix stacking up there’s nothing on.

Sunday

  • Golden Globes (NBC, 8pm) – Many thanks will be given out to the Hollywood Foreign Press for tv and movies this evening.
  • Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox, 8pm) Series Premiere – I haven’t heard anything about this but am intrigued and glad that Summer Glau from Firefly is going to protect them.
  • Commanche Moon (CBS, 9pm, also Tues/Wed) Miniseries – Prequel to the Lonesome Dove miniseries though I hear this one doesn’t live up to the previous.
  • Rock of Love 2/Scott Baio 46… and Pregnant (VH1, 9/10pm) Season Premieres – I got hooked on these shows last season, not good but I was truly addicted to Rock of Love.
  • Masterpiece: Persuasion (PBS, Check Your Local Listings) – This starts off a little Jane Austen theme for the now Masterpiece/Masterpiece Theater I always mean to watch them and this is supposed to be good.
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tv

next week 12/31

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Monday

  • Dick Clark’s Primetime/New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (ABC, 10pm/11:35pm) – Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest count it down with Mylie Cyrus and Fergie among others.
  • New Year’s Eve Live (Fox, 11pm) – Cat Deely counts it down with some partiers and performers.
  • New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly (NBC, 11:35) – Carson counts it down with Lenny Kravitz and Alicia Keys.

Tuesday

  • Tournament of Roses Parade (8/11am, Check Your Local Listings) – The floats they are a covered with flowers…
  • Bowl Games (Check Your Local Listings) –  I went to a college without a football team so I didn’t even care then.
  • The Biggest Loser (NBC, 8pm) Season Premiere – Ok we did just have one of these but this one is apparently pairs.
  • Just for Laughs (ABC, 8:30pm) Season Premiere – This is the second season of this hidden camera prank show.
  • According to Jim (ABC, 9pm) Season Premiere – Is this show still on?

Wednesday

  • Wife Swap (ABC, 8pm) Season Premiere – More family care bordering on child abuse as pageant family and feminist family collide.
  • Law & Order (NBC, 9pm) Season Premiere – The gang returns with another cast shuffle and more cases ‘ripped from the headlines.’
  • Super Nanny (ABC, 9pm) Season Premiere – The nanny saves a family caring for 3 year old twins.
  • Late Night Talk Shows (Check Your Local Listings) – As it stands the gang will be back on the air, so far with only Letterman’s company (that owns his and Craig Ferguson’s shows) negotiating a deal with the writers while the rest of the crews will be winging it.

Thursday

  • Celebrity Apprentice (NBC, 9pm) Season Premiere – Fourteen ‘celebrities’ take their turn getting fired.

Friday

  • 1 vs 100 (NBC, 8pm) Season Premiere – I don’t really get this show but Barry Williams from the Brady Bunch and Dawn Wells from Gilligan’s Island are stopping by.

Saturday

  • New Hampshire Presidential Debates (ABC, 7pm) – Back to back debates showcase the republican and democratic candidates.

Sunday

  • American Gladiator (NBC, 9pm) Series Premiere – Ok there is a part of me that really wants a ridiculous remake of this show about regular folks competing against ‘gladiators’ to be a success but I won’t watch.
  • Cashmere Mafia (ABC, 10pm) Series Premiere – Lucy Liu and three successful gal pals deal with work and life, I’m sure whilst sipping cocktails and wearing good clothes.
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next week 12/17

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Monday

  • Clash of the Choirs (NBC, 8pm – m-th) Premiere – Some songsters take some choirs and get them geared up to let loose like only a choir can do.
  • Duel (ABC, 8pm – m-f and sun) Premiere – Six part series of game shows where people compete against each other in some sort of trivia.

Tuesday

  • The Biggest Loser (NBC, 9pm) Season Finale – The final weigh in will tell us who has won the most by losing the most.
  • Saving Grace (TNT, 10pm) Season Finale – Didn’t I just write about this show coming back?

Wednesday

  • A Holiday Celebration at Ford’s Theater (ABC, 10pm) – Apparently this is an annual event where the first family watches some folks like Wynonna perform.
  • Frosty the Snowman/Frosty Returns (CBS, 8pm) – Just can’t get enough of that snowman.

Thursday

  • CSI (CBS 8/9pm) – On a night of mostly repeats you can get reacquainted with this season’s opener of the miniature killer taking Sara.

Friday

  • Home for the Holidays (CBS, 8pm) – This one has Fergie, James Blunt and Sheryl Crow singing to raise awareness for foster care.
  • The Next Great American Band (Fox, 9pm) Season Finale – No matter what, those Clark Brothers have a great career ahead of them!

Saturday

  • Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (ABC, 8pm) – Jim Carey helps bring this children’s book to life.
  • Elf (CBS, 8pm) – Will Farrell is endearing and funny in this fish out of water tale of an elf hitting the real world.

Sunday

  • Elmo’s Christmas Countdown (ABC, 7pm) – Celebs and muppets, how could that be bad?
  • Story of Santa Claus (CW, 8pm) – An animated telling of Nicholas Claus.
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tv

next week 12/10

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Monday

  • The Hills (MTV, 10pm) Season Finale – So the people on this show are the ones that I don’t recognize in all the tabloid magazines.
  • I Want a Dog for Christmas Charlie Brown (ABC, 8pm) – Linus and Lucy’s little brother hangs with Snoopy and his brother Spike.

Tuesday

  • Shrek the Halls/Winnie the Pooh and Christmas, Too (ABC, 9/8:30pm) – Shrek again, then Pooh and the gang have some snow time fun.
  • Life on Mars (BBC, 8pm) Season Premiere – This is apparently the second and final season of a guy thrown back in time trying to get home kind of show.

Wednesday

  • ANTM (CW, 8pm) Season Finale! – Who will it be? I still say Saleisha, but let’s be serious I only care about the journey.
  • Kid Nation (CBS, 8pm) Season Finale – I haven’t heard anything about this show since the start so I think maybe no kids were maimed.
  • Kitchen Nightmares (Fox, 9pm) Season Finale – I didn’t really follow how this worked so I’m not sure what the finale involves.
  • Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants (CW, 9pm – future 8pm) Series Premiere – A house full of mother/daughter beauty contestants, Queer Eye’s Carson is one of the judges as one team gets voted of each week.
  • Dirty Sexy Money (ABC, 10pm) – Catch it if you missed the pilot of the best soap in night time tv, they do the cheese factor to a T (what does that actually mean?).

Thursday

  • Saturday Night Live Christmas (NBC, 9:30pm) – As they keep moving with the compilation shows the holidays seem like a logical choice.

Friday

  • It’s a Wonderful Life (NBC, 8pm) – This holiday classic always gets a showing, well, around the holidays.

Saturday

  • Chuck (NBC, 8pm) – Catch the pilot episode if you didn’t get on board from the start of this fun series.

Sunday

  • Survivor: China (CBS, 8pm) Season Finale – Followed by reunion show at 10pm, this ultimate tribal council will crown a new ultimate Survivor.
  • Dexter (Show 9pm) Season Finale – So this serial killer series comes to the end of season 2.
  • Extras (HBO, 9pm) Series Finale – With Ricky Gervais, he is a wannabe actor trying to make it, and how does it all end?
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real life?

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So as the strike takes off we might need to get a little more comfortable with reality shows. Now before you groan, some of them are pretty entertaining, you just have to be a little discerning about it and you have to know what you like. And you have to be forewarned that even the bad ones can suck you in. Here are some of my rules of thumb on how I pick ‘em.

There are basically two main criteria of reality show. Straight up competitions where we might get to know the folks onstage but they don’t have to suffer through living together, or if they do we don’t see it. Think American Idol and Dancing With the Stars. And there are the ones where we get to see the behind the scenes action, either competition prep and/or interaction with the other contestants. America’s Next Top Model and Survivor both have this angle.

Now unless you are interested in the category of competition, the first style of show doesn’t quite do it. A recently launched Phenomenon where contestants compete with their magic couldn’t make this clearer. That’s not to say that behind the scenes is enough to keep it interesting, Big Brother somehow shows people in a house voting against each other for two to three nights a week, really?

So other than category what makes it interesting? I like a mix of an challenge or skill and personal dynamics. I like it when there is the possibility for an upset, we want someone to win but when it’s not a sure thing it’s much more rewarding. Good perm cast doesn’t hurt, Dave Navarro surprisingly entertains on Rock Star and though I can’t stand the Simon, Paula, Randy & Ryan group they’ve got enough going on to make their own interest. Call me un-American but I like it when someone other than America is voting, or they do a combo. And I have to admit I like the crazies, it always amazes me how real people can act more bizarre than anyone would ever believe in a fictional character.

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