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Filed under: OpEd, Video, Music and Variety, Short-Lived Shows, Children, Reality-Free  As a kid, my parents were totally cool with my television viewing habits, as long as it never became excessive or kept my face from being kissed by the light of day every once in a while. Not that they had anything to be worried about, of course, considering that all I was watching was Nickelodeon. While my fellow prepubescents were slowly but surely migrating to more grown-up programming on MTV (and Playboy, if you had a cable box), I spent the bulk of my time between 1992 and 1996 fully devoted to Roundhouse, a 30-minute sketch show sandwiched between the more popular Clarissa Explains It All and Are You Afraid Of The Dark? on SNICK, Nickelodeon's Saturday night programming block. Continue reading Reprise the theme song, roll the credits, and for the love of God, revive Roundhouse! - VIDEO Permalink | Email this | | Comments 
 Filed under: TV on the Bigscreen, OpEd, Reality-Free  Recently I came across a blog post from the Los Angeles Times suggesting that 21 year-old teen heartthrob Zac Efron will be playing Jonny Quest, the 11 year-old kid adventurer of those old Hanna-Barbera cartoons. My first thought: would that work? I think that casting would be confusing, but I also think that having Jonny spell his name without an 'h' in it is confusing. Of course, strange casting choices and Hollywood go hand-in-hand (Michael Keaton as Batman? Kevin Costner as Robin Hood?). In an industry that believes that a teenaged Matthew Perry would look exactly like Zac Efron, this shouldn't be a big stretch. I'm a big fan of The Venture Brothers and their take on the whole Jonny Quest myth. This big screen version of the character would likely be a little less parody and a little more Indiana Jones. What a shame. On the plus side, I think Dwayne Johnson is a perfect choice for the role of Race Bannon. Who would play Hadji, I wonder? Permalink | Email this | | Comments 
 Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Late Night, Animation, Adult Swim, Reality-Free  I had hoped to post the Tim and Eric interview from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from last night, but this is all NBC posted of the segment. Fallon introduced them by saying they had been eating chocolate since Sunday and hadn't slept, at which point they burst into the studio and threw candy at the audience and the band. They made a passing attempt at answering Fallon's questions, and gave a bit of their history, but mostly stuck to the premise of being hopped up on candy. No one sticks to a premise like Tim and Eric. If you're not familiar with Tim and Eric, you probably look at these two guys in pink chocolate-stained tuxedos and wonder what the hell you're watching. Sometimes, even when you do know Tim and Eric, and watch Tim & Eric, Awesome Show, Great Job every Sunday at 12:30 AM on Adult Swim, you are apt to say, what the hell am I watching. Continue reading Tim and Eric and Jimmy Fallon - VIDEO Permalink | Email this | | Comments 
 Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free  At 8, ABC has a new Scrubs, then new episodes of Better Off Ted, Lost, and The Unusuals.- FOX has a new Bones, followed by a new American Idol.
- The CW has a new America's Next Top Model at 8.
- At 8:30, Bravo has The A-List Awards Red Carpet, then the special Kathy Griffin: She'll Cut A Bitch and The A-List Awards.
- At 9, PBS has a new Great Performances at the Met.
- Discovery has a new Mythbusters at 9, then the series premiere of Pitchmen.
- Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters at 9.
- At 10, CBS has a new CSI: NY.
- TBS has two new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne at 10.
- Also at 10: A&E has a new Dog The Bounty Hunter.
Check your local TV listings for more. After the jump, the late night talk shows. Continue reading What's On Tonight: Scrubs, Ghost Hunters, Kathy Griffin, The Cougar Permalink | Email this | | Comments 
 Filed under: OpEd, TV 101, Reality-Free  As a member of the media elite, I tend to run in some pretty impressive circles. Some days it's a Yankees game with Lorne Michaels, Fergie, and Jason Hervey. Others, it's World of Warcraft with Michael Keaton and Val Kilmer (hint for dealing with those two: do NOT wonder aloud who the best Batman of the '90s was). Obviously, writing a bi-weekly column that has readership literally in the hundreds carries with it a lot of perks. But it's not all fun and games. My place as America's foremost pop culture commentator ('It's like Chuck Klosterman and Andy Warhol had a baby!' reads the blurb I'll ask my editor to put on my book should I ever write one) means that my inbox is constantly being spammed by other members of the media asking for advice. Instead of answering those emails privately, like good manners and the explicit instructions of many of the emails demand, I figured I'd share both the emails and their answers with you, my loyal readers... Continue reading TV 101: Dear Jay - Eight e-mails answered Permalink | Email this | | Comments 
 Filed under: OpEd, Video, Celebrities, Reality-Free  Funny or Die has done it again. This time, they got Lindsay Lohan (former Ugly Betty guest star, among other accomplishments) to participate in a mock eHarmony ad in which she tries to find herself a date. At least, I think it's a mock ad. The first thought I had watching the 'ad' is how deep and gravelly her voice sounds. Some guys like that, but to me it's a symptom of too many cigarettes. The video itself is pretty funny. I guess her only choice for career salvation is a self-mocking video on a comedy website. I note the irony of having a lesbian promote a website that historically been pretty conservative and unfriendly to the gay community. At least, I think she's a lesbian. She was dating a woman, but now I don't know. I don't read the gossip magazines. Next, Funny or Die should do a JDate ad from Mel Gibson. As usual, the video is after the jump. Continue reading Lindsay Lohan's eHarmony ad - VIDEO Permalink | Email this | | Comments 
 Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Interviews, Reality-Free  Harold Perrineau is worried. He's worried that viewers won't give his new show, The Unusuals, a chance. He has a valid concern: The Unusuals, which just premiered, is on Wednesday nights at 10, on ABC; otherwise known as the post- Lost timeslot (of doom). ABC is showing faith in The Unusuals. After all, it's not stuck in the Friday night graveyard or anything. The post- Lost slot is tricky though; shows generally don't do well there. It could be that the minds of everybody who watches Lost are so blown, they can't even stick around for another hour of television. Whatever it is, the quirky cop show Life On Mars recently died a sad death there. Will this quirky cop show do better? Harold Perrineau certainly hopes so. Warning: Spoilers ahead. We talk about plot points in the recently aired pilot, some spoilers for upcoming episodes, as well as the fate of Michael, Perrineau's character on Lost. Continue reading Harold Perrineau: The TV Squad Interview Permalink | Email this | | Comments 
 Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free  (S01E03) This episode really lacked the charm and spirit of the first two. We did get to see the kooky Julie Hagerty as Claire's kooky mom. That was a plus. But you know a show isn't winning you over when the star's designer T-shirts are more interesting than the plot. Only three episodes in and the Cupid cancellation rumors are swirling. According to some sites, the show is already dead. I might have been upset about Cupid going bye bye two weeks ago. Today, not so much. I won't weep for a show that delivers warmed over fluff instead of compelling stories and interesting characters week after week. The first two episodes weren't amazing, but the charming cast, some great guest stars and the show's optimistic spirit managed to make them watchable. Tonight's ep dragged, the story and the couple of the week were straight outta dullsville, and Trevor and Claire's banter is getting old fast. Continue reading Cupid: The Great Right Hope Permalink | Email this | | Comments 
 Filed under: Programming, HDTV, Cable/Satellite, Hardware, Reality-Free  Have you been clamoring for an all 3-D television network? Have you been hoping and praying that the god of your choice would listen to your prayers and deliver unto you a fully three dimensional network? Have you been unable to sleep for months on end as your very sanity teeters on the precipice of your grasp on reality? Me neither. Nevertheless, a publicly traded company hopes to turn a humble syndicated network into the world's first fully three-dimensional channel. Continue reading New 3-D channel coming at ya Permalink | Email this | | Comments 
 Filed under: OpEd, Rescue Me, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free 
(S05E02) 'People hear juicy gossip, they're gonna spread it around. This is a firehouse. Take away the rig, the gear, and testosterone, it's nothing but a goddamn sorority in here!' - Needles
I'm not sure truer words have ever been spoken on this show before. Needles summed it up pretty good, huh? He might have been making a joke at Black Shawn's expense, but think about what he's really saying. Get rid of the exterior and the interior of a fireman is the same as everybody else - timid, scared, and emotional. Th arrival of Genvieve Lazard, the french journalist penning the 9/11 book, certainly made that clear on a few occasions for the guys of 62 Truck. Continue reading Rescue Me: French Permalink | Email this | | Comments 
 Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free  (S02E07) Tonight's episode was about coveting neighbors' wives (well, maybe not wives, but general coveting). Sam was coveting Andi. Sock was coveting Kristen. Ben ... has a relationship and is the most stable of the crew at the moment, but that isn't saying much. I did like Nina's line: 'Two months ago, I kidnapped you and forced you to be my boyfriend.' She reminds me a lot of Anya from Buffy. If you can go to Hell just for thinking about coveting someone, Hell must be pretty overcrowded. Not related to this episode, but whatever happened to Sam's younger brother? Is he the Chuck Cunningham of this series? The scene between Sam and the decaying Mr. Oliver was a nice touch. Continue reading Reaper: The Good Soil Permalink | Email this | | Comments 
 Filed under: OpEd, The Apprentice, Celebrities, Dancing With The Stars, Episode Reviews  (S08E11) With no dance off, the results show lost most of my motivation. The fluff factor of the cheesy dances was in high effect. The episode was surprisingly sexual: Samantha couldn't keep a straight face interviewing Lawrence about Edyta's lack of clothes, Chuck said some double entendre involving Bruno, Shawn and Melissa considered putting their partners in very little clothing, and Steve-O used the word 'Man-struate.' Luckily for America, the show created one of the best drinking games. It has nothing to do with scores, clothes, or Samantha Harris saying something stupid. More information after the jump. Continue reading Dancing with the Stars: Week 6 Results Permalink | Email this | | Comments 
 Filed under: American Idol, Judges, Reviewcaps, Contestants, Performances, Host  Tonight's theme is songs from the movies, so we have Quentin Tarantino. Come on! That's pretty awesome in a completely inappropriate way. As my boyfriend said when I turned it on, 'I wasn't going to watch this, but it's Quention Tarantino!' It may not seem as though he fits on this show, but as pop culture-obsessed as he is, it's only fitting that he'd be completely in love with this show (because you know he totally is). This week is weird. Because the judges couldn't shut their mouths last week (and it wasn't just the girls, as Simon accused) and they went so over their time, only two judges are critiquing each contestant. What this means is that Simon won't be critiquing every contestant, which sucks, because come on. As much as I don't want to feed his ego any more, Simon's critique is the one that matters the most, because if you strip away his crap, he gives solid advice 9 out of 10 times -- which is at least 6 times more than any of the other judges. Real talk. Continue reading American Idol - Top 7 Perform Permalink | Email this | | Comments 
 Filed under: Industry, Programming, Cancellations, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Reality-Free  And yes, I am probably the 50th person to use that headline for this story. Thank you. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting (from various sources he has skulking around the television world) that FOX is just about to cancel The Sarah Connor Chronicles. The ratings haven't been great for the sci-fi show. FOX paired it with Dollhouse on Friday nights and there has been no reason to keep the show alive for another season (ratings-wise, anyway - I'll leave it to the fans to judge the quality of the show itself). Things don't look that great for Dollhouse either, but that's another story. Officially, the network won't announce its fall schedule for another month or so, at their annual upfront presentation. Unofficially, you probably shouldn't look for the show on that fall schedule. Now I guess we'll just have to wait for the premiere of the movie where Christian Bale yelled at everyone. Permalink | Email this | | Comments 
 Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, Reality-Free  Let's just get this out of the way: My Boys isn't a very good show. Calling it mediocre is even going too far. However, I can't be the only one that's watching it, because the TBS sitcom is already a few episodes into its third season. That's right - My Boys has actually been somewhat of a minor success for TBS, partially due to some wise scheduling. Save for the first half of season one, My Boys is always on during the spring and summer months when - surprise - there isn't much else to compete with. The show might not be great, but hey, new TV is better than no TV. Continue reading Press Kits Unwrapped: My Boys, season three Permalink | Email this | | Comments 
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Yup, it looks like Dave and Jay still aren't on speaking terms.
AOL has chosen the 
