Two Tivos To Paradise 12.11.09: That's TV News Nipping At Your Nose!

Posted by Al Norton on 12.11.2009

The prospects of an Entourage movie, the Monk finale sets records, Sports Soup's Matt Iseman stops by to chat, a look at NBC's Parenthood, new shows on BBC America, raves for The Office, a full ratings breakdown, tons of news & notes, the TV Pick of the Week and more, all in the latest edition of Al Norton's Two Tivos To Paradise!

Hello Friends. It's officially winter here in Boston; we went from 70 degrees last Thursday to snow on Sunday and again on Wednesday. The projected high temperature for today is 30. On the plus side, it's made it quite easy to get into the holiday spirit. The twins are old enough where they will enjoy tearing the wrapping paper off their presents on Christmas morning and so far seem to like the decorations we have up around the house.

Speaking of the season, starting next Monday the folks over at TheWB.com will have have holiday themed episodes of some of your favorite shows including Friends, The OC, One Tree Hill, Gilmore Girls, Smallville, and Veronica Mars. They're calling it "The 14 Days of Chrismukkah", a reference all fans of The OC will enjoy. Actually, TheWB.com is worth checking out anytime of year thanks to its library of high quality television.

Following up on the Chuck trailers from a couple of weeks ago, here is a 6 minute look at the upcoming season, including behind the scenes footage and a peak at all the guest stars lined up…



Use the links below to find my interview with Andre Braugher from Monday. Also, a chat I had with Luke Goss (Syfy's Annihilation Earth and the upcoming Tekken movie) will run tomorrow.

News bells ring, are you listening?

They're Gonna Put Me In The Movies, They're Gonna Make A Big Star Out Of Me
Entourage executive producer Mark Wahlberg told press at the premiere of The Lovely Bones that he thought the series had two more seasons in its HBO run, "but then a movie." The network response was to say, "it is not out of the realm of possibility." Sex and the City, another HBO series, has its second big screen outing planned for next summer.

An Entourage movie? I know, maybe the plot could be Vince getting a big opportunity, blowing it somehow, and then finding something else that may actually be better. Unless they have some big idea that they have been sitting on I can't see how or why they would do an actual Entourage movie. The show is on HBO so it's not like they have a problem with network's standards and practices, and I am not sure what they would be interested in doing that would require a feature film budget. I mean, the show is the lightest 24 minutes on TV – I enjoy it but can barely remember it an hour later – so stretching it to 90 minutes does not seem like a smart move.

I suppose they could do a movie based around Vince's bachelor party and wedding, or E's if he doesn't tie the knot in the next two seasons, but this reeks of a move made not because of inspiration of the financial kind as opposed to those of creativity.

Ever Take A Minute Just To Show A Real Emotion, In Between The Moisture Cream And Velvet Facial Lotion?
The first promos for NBC's upcoming drama Parenthood featuring new cast addition Lauren Graham have been released. Graham replaced Maura Tierney, whose battle with cancer forced her to leave the show and moved the premiere from last September to this coming March. Based on the film of the same name from 1989, the show has a stacked cast, including Peter Krause, Craig T Nelson, Erika Christianson, Monica Potter, Bonnie Bedelia, and Dax Shepard.





I enjoyed the pilot episode of Parenthood, although Tierney was one of the major highlights (along with Krause and TV secret weapon Mike O'Malley) so it will be interesting to see if they go with the exact same scripts from before or tweak the character at all based on Graham's skill set.

We're Leaving Together But Still It's Farewell, And Maybe We'll Come Back To Earth, Who Can Tell?
Sports Soup is getting ready for their year end special by having fans vote on their favorite clip of 2009. We caught up with host Matt Iseman, who holds official "Friend of TTTP" status, via email this week to discuss…

TTTP: What was the process to whittle it down to nine finalists for Clip of the Year?

Matt Iseman: Well, we've posted clips all along since the show started and we always keep track of the views and feedback we get on them. These are the 9 that have generated-far and away-the most activity. And, they made us laugh. Some of our favorites that just missed out... any with Ozzie Guillen, Charles Barkley and Gary Payton and/ or Chris Webber.

TTTP: Can you tell me a few of the ones that were the last to get eliminated?

Matt Iseman: Well, I don't want to hurt their feelings. But... polio boxer and British announcer guy got cut near the end. Also, my interview with Manny Pacquiao... I still can't believe the things that guy was saying... hilarious. At least the parts I understood.

TTTP: Regardless of whether or not it wins the prestigious CotY, isn't Gary Dell'Abate's first pitch the best clip of it's kind of all time? Maybe the best ever sports related clip involving a celebrity? To me it's passed Carl Lewis' national anthem on the embarrassment scale and every time I see it I laugh out loud.

Matt Iseman: Ha... well, you are clearly a Stern fan who appreciates Bababooey and is glad to see him make an ass out of himself on TV instead of just on the radio. Artie Lang gave him a run for his money on Joe Buck Live... perhaps the most awkward television I have ever watched. Artie did Howard proud and gave us gold.

TTTP: How can fans vote for their favorite? What other stuff do you have planned for the big show on the 20th?

Matt Iseman: Go to Versus.com/SportsSoup and choose your favorite. It's looking like we're going to have some pretty big surprise guests as well as lots of cameos from your old favorites. I honestly have been amazed at the athletes we've had on the show, from Shaq and Kobe, to Tyson, LeBron, Klitschko, OchoCinco and Brandon Marshall... and the things we get them to do. We're taking it to the next level for the special. Which will likely result in bodily harm to me... or Street Bike Tommy.

TTTP: Since I've got you I have to ask, are Tiger's recent troubles to you and Sports Soup what George W was to the late night talk shows for 8 years, as in a slow, straight pitch down the middle of the plate?

Matt Iseman: 24K Gold. I know he knocked his own ball into the rough on this, so to speak, but I almost feel bad watching the parade of bimbos coming out of the sandtraps claiming Tiger played their back nine. I don't know how this guy had the energy to walk the course between all the practice strokes he was taking. Derek Jeter must heartily disagree with Beyonce... never put a ring on it or this happens. I mean, if you're a horny golfer who lets everyone see his shaft.

Don't miss Sports Soup, Tuesdays at 10 pm on Versus, and especially don't miss the Sports Soup Year End Count Up Special on December 22nd!!!

I Hear A Gang Fire On A Human Factory Farm, Are They Hallowing Out Or Doing Someone Harm?
BBC America has some quality viewing options coming your way in January, a mix of returning favorites and some intriguing new shows.

*Demons (1/2) - A new horror-drama (horrama?) about a teenager who discovers he is the great-great grandson of Abraham Van Helsing, the vampire hunter from Bram Stoker's Dracula, and his destiny is to fight the monsters that live in the London underworld.

*Alfred Hitchcock Sundays (1/3) The BBCA America premieres of several Alfred Hitchcock classics, starting with The Birds and followed on consecutive Sundays by PSYCHO, Vertigo, and Rear Window.

*Last Restaurant Standing (1/5) For my money LRS is the best cooking competition show on TV right now, and the formula for the third season hasn't changed; 9 couples duke it out for the chance to open a restaurant with world famous Chef Raymond Blanc.

*Top Gear (1/25). The 13th season of the best car show in TV history includes visits from Jay Leno, Sienna Miller, Stephen Fry, and Usain Bolt.

*The Inbetweeners (1/25) A new comedy about the awkwardness of teenage life. The series was named best new sitcom of 2008 at the British Comedy Awards.

Regular readers will not be surprised to learn that Mrs. Tivo wanted to give Demons a season pass the minute I mentioned it to her, and if it's done with the same dark sense of humor that many BBC series possess, I could see it being quite good. The Inbetweeners may end up being Skins without the drama but I am not sure that's a bad thing. As I wrote, LRS is tops in my book in terms of cooking series and I love how the show isn't dominated by Chef Blanc's ego but rather by his attention to detail and his passion for food.

These options are just some of why anyone who says there is nothing good on television simply isn't trying.

But You Were Up To Your Old Tricks In Chapters Four Five And Six
All you need to know about the Nielsen's for the past week or so…

Thursday
FlashForward's fall finale (the show returns in March) dropped to a series low in demos…ABC did well with its back-to-back Private Practice episodes, drawing better than series average numbers despite not hitting the standard Grey's levels…Survivor's 12.8 million total was the high for the night…Thanks to a CSI rerun and the lack of a Grey's Anatomy episode Fringe was up 25% in the demos to post its best number since the season premiere…The Office also enjoyed sizeable gain, up 11%, to lead NBC's comedy block that each showed a week-to-week jump…

Friday
The Monk finale was the most watched episode of an hour long series in basic cable history, with 9.4 million tuning in (and breaking the record set by The Closer)…That lead-in helped White Collar hit series highs in totals and demos…Dollhouse returned to a series low in demos…

Sunday
Sunday's Dexter was Showtime's most watched telecast of any kind since a Mike Tyson fight back in 1999. Obviously that means it set series highs as well…The Amazing Race finale put up season highs in totals and demos, with an overall average of 11.8 million, an increase of 20% from the last two cycles…Desperate Housewives was up 10% from last week, with its 14.7 million being a season high and winning the night…Brothers & Sisters drew 10.9 million and had its best numbers since March…8.6 million tuned in to the All State BCS Selection Show on Fox…NBC's Sunday Night Football was watched by roughly 18.5 million…

Monday
Men of a Certain age premiered to an audience of 5.4 million and was the high mark for new cable series in terms of demos for 2009. Impressively, the show actually improved on the demos from lead-in The Closer…The Big Bang Theory hit a series high and had far and away the best demos of any show for the night, and it's 14.7 million totals ranked second for the night behind Two and a Half Men's 15.2 million…How I Met Your Mother was strong at 8:00, with Accidently on Purpose holding on to a larger than usual % of the lead-in…One Tree Hill was up a bit, benefitting from the lack of House as competition…The Carrie Underwood holiday special drew 8.5 million for Fox…

Tuesday
The Biggest Loser finale gave the show its best numbers in four year. The two hours averaged 13.45 million viewers, second only to an NCIS rerun for the night while also easily topping all competition in demos…The strong lead-in gave The Jay Leno Show its best numbers since the premiere week…A Charlie Brown Christmas pulled a strong 11.17 million, and the new special Disney's Prep & Landing did even better, with a shade over 12 million…Scrubs showed some improvement in week two while Better Off Ted performed higher than last season's average…

Wednesday
Criminal Minds was the top overall winner on Wednesday with 14.3 million and tied Modern Family for the demo title as well…Glee was watched by 8 million people and hit a series high in demos and in teen viewers…Barbara Walters: 10 Most Fascinating People was a shade behind CSI: NY at 10:00 and more than doubled the audience for The Jay Leno Show…The Middle had its best showing since the series premiere…

All The Young Dudes, Carry The News
Industry News, Notes, and Hot Rumors…It was confirmed on Thursday that Flight of the Conchords two season, 22 episode Emmy nominated run on HBO has come to an end...George Stephanopoulos will join Good Morning America as an anchor on Monday, replacing Diane Sawyer, who is taking over the nightly news slot vacated by the retiring Charlie Gibson. Stephanopoulos will continue to host This Week for the network every Sunday…CBS cancelled As The World Turns, with the 54 year old soap set to air its final episode next September…VH-1's new reality series Basketball Wives premieres March 15th. The show features wives, girlfriends, and exes of NBA players like Shaq, Jermaine O'Neal, Antoine Walker, Udonis Haslem, and Eric Williams…That didn't take long; days after Heroes' Sendhil Ramamurthy was cast in Rex Is Not Your Lawyer he was replaced by Jerry O'Connell…Carmen Electra will host Billboard's New Year's Eve Live for Fox, with musical guests Kris Allen, Allison Iraheta, and Sean Kingston…Joey Lauren Adams and Trace Adkins are the latest to join the Epix's pilot Tough Trade…Laura Leighton, Jean Louisa Kelly, Nia Peeples, and Alexis Denisof have signed on to the ABC Family pilot Pretty Little Liars (think I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Gossip Girl)…Fringe's Jason Cahil is adapting a soon-to-be-published James Patterson novel for CBS about a former CIA agent who takes over his Dad's security business. Previously Cahil has written for The Sopranos, ER, and NYPD Blue…Oxygen is working with Russell Simmons on The Russell Simmons Project, a reality series that follows the women who work with him to run his many business ventures…The new season of Golf Channel's The Haney Project premieres on March 1st, with Ray Romano working with renowned golf coach Hank Haney…NBC's upcoming new sitcom 100 Questions got its episode order trimmed from 13 to 6…Divorce Court and Judge Alex were renewed for the 2010-2011 season while The Bonnie Hunt Show will shut down this spring after two seasons…Animal Planet gave Whale Wars a third season, set for June 2010…TNT picked up a 10 episode second season of Dark Blue…Peter Gammons is leaving ESPN to work for the MLB Network as well as to write for MLB.com. He will also be having an on-camera role on NESN…Hugh Laurie will direct an episode of House for the first time next month…FX gave The League a 13 episode second season…Tim Minear (Angel, Firefly, Wonderfalls) has been named showrunner on the new FX series Terriers, created by Shawn Ryan (The Shield). Minear is also working on the Alien Nation reboot for Syfy…Four time Emmy winner Alfre Woodard is joining the cast of TNT's Delta Blues, which stars Jason Lee as a Memphis cop who moonlights as an Elvis impersonator. Woodard's resume includes an Oscar nomination, a Golden Globe win (three total nominations), a total of 15 Emmy nominations, and three SAG Award wins…EW.com is reporting that Jane Leeves (Frazier) will do at least two episodes of Desperate Housewives as Tom's therapist

Turns Out Not Where But Who You're With That Really Matters
The top thing I watched since the last column went to press AKA The Best Of What's Around…I am not sure The Office was really the best thing I watched last week but Michael having to tell the high school seniors that he was reneging on his promise to pay for their college education was excruciating to watch, and I mean that as the highest of praise; uncomfortable comedy doesn't get any better.

Actually, now that I think of it, if I add up the above scene with Stanley's laugh and Dwight's spot-on impressions of various Dunder-Mifflin employees, The Office really was the best thing I saw this week. And that ending may not bode well for Jim but it certainly does so the entertainment value of upcoming episodes.

People Say I'm Crazy Doing What I'm Doing. Well, They Give Me All Kinds Of Warnings To Save Me From Ruin
What's flashed before my eyes the last seven days…Here is my favorite part of last week's SNL…



While I was not a big fan of the idea that there was yet another girl from Ted's past that he had always had a thing for, Barney in overalls for almost an entire episode, Ted's class giving him advice, and Robin's throwing herself at the guy to keep her away from Ted's girl were more than enough to entertain on this week's How I Met Your Mother. I also liked the end result, Ted realizing he was ready to go looking for a real relationship…Launch My Line is not a particularly good show but the contestants are all pretty memorable, which puts it multiple notches about The Fashion Show. The hosts may have been chosen because of the novelty of them being twins but they were smart enough to not try and steal the spotlight…Jamie telling Dan he forgave him got me a bit misty during this week's One Tree Hill, and I continue to be impressed by Paul Johansson's performance…Is there a couple on TV with less chemistry than Gossip Girl's Trip and Serena? He has the magnetism of a mannequin and there is only so much Blake Lively can do on her own to make up the difference…Ok, clearly I wrote that before watching this week's episode, which hopefully was the final nail in that pointless storyline…I wish 30 Rock would have let Liz had some success with her talk show, or really in any part of her life, but I suppose that would be a different show at that point…Words cannot express how much I loved the Over The Top reenactment from last week's Community. The STD fair was a riot, as was the PA announcement at the end…Marc going to work for Daniel was a nice twist on Ugly Betty this past week, an episode that definitely moved several stories forward. I like the idea of Amanda and Daniel becoming a couple as each is (At least somewhat) more mature than their first go round. The only annoying thing about the episode was how obvious it was that Shakira wasn't on location with them but had filmed her scenes in a studio with a green screen (when needed)…The thought that struck me watching this week's Scrubs was that they shouldn't have brought Zach Braff back for this season, especially since they were trying to re-invent themselves. His obsession with being accepted by Dr. Cox is much more grating after the scene at the end of last season's finale, and it just seems like very old material for a series trying to look to the future. Maybe he should have just done the premiere, handed off the narration to the new girl, and then rode off into the sunset…Better Off Ted returned with a strong episode that showed off the show's witty wordplay as well as it's silly side. I wish ABC was making it part of their Wednesday night comedy line up instead of pairing it with Scrubs, which doesn't really attract any new viewers at this point in its run…Sports Jobs with Junior Seau is a fun half hour and really does provide insight into things you wouldn't know about otherwise. Seau is a relaxed and engaging on-screen presence…The Glee fall finale was all I could have hoped for and more, with great music, some gut wrenching heart break, storylines left open for the return, and what may be the kiss of the year at the end…What did you think of Men of a Certain Age? I have seen the first four episodes and last Mondays was the weakest of the bunch but still more than good enough to keep me coming back for more. While I am an unabashed Andre Braugher fan, it's Ray Romano's work that is the most surprising in its subtlety and nuance…I will say this for Law and Order: SVU - they are consistent; even the annual Fin-centric episode was terribly written with way more charicature than actual character. It takes a lot to make John Larroquette uninteresting...

TV Pick Of The Week
Just what TV needs, another singing show, right? Well, this one is a little different. NBC's The Sing Off is a mini-series of sorts, running three nights next week before a live finale on December 21st. 8 a capela groups are doing battle for $100K and a record contract, and the judging panel consists of Ben Folds, Nicole Scherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls, and Boys II Men's Shawn Stockman. Nick Lachey hosts. Also of note are the no lip synching, no backing band rules that are in place.

Anyone who has ever heard a good a capella group (and no, you snarky bitches, that is not an oxymoron) knows how much fun the music can be and how they can deconstruct a song and make it sound fresh no matter how many times you have heard it. All genres of music will be featured, meaning if you don't like the first song than just hold on for the next one.

Aside from being interested in this from a musical perspective, I also like networks getting creative with traditionally down times of the year; why not try some "stunts" and specials instead of just showing reruns?

Don't miss The Sing Off, Monday at 8 pm on NBC.

Hope You Need My Love, Babe, Just Like I Need You
Here is some other noteworthy programming of the next seven days…

*The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty premieres on A&E this Sunday at 9 pm with back-to-back hour long episodes. The show was in the works before Michael died earlier this year and obviously the focus of the show has changed a bit; what first was simply a documentary series following the band as they launched a reunion tour is now a picture of a family in mourning as well as a look at a group of men trying to honor their brother's memory while at the same time prove that they can be successful without him.

*Dexter brings its most watched season to a close on Sunday night at 9 pm (Showtime).

*Bank of Hollywood, a low rent, c-list version of Shark Tank, premieres Monday at 10 pm on E! I know I just took a few shots but make no mistake, I will be watching.

*Kevin Nealon continues his gig and a host for TBS with The Funniest Commercials of 2009, Tuesday at 10 pm.

*Paranormal State (A&E), or as I like to call it, Dawson's Ghosts, returns for a new season on Tuesday at 10 pm. My biggest issue with the show is how they find paranormal activity EVERY SINGLE TIME. Maybe just once the team could investigate and go, ", it's not the ghost of a former resident of your house who took his own life, you just have loud heating pipes."

*So You Think You Can Dance? crowns a new winner this Wednesday at 8 pm in a two hour special that includes a live performance by Adam Lambert. BTW, Legacy and Mollie should be in the finals.

*If you're already going through Top Chef (Bravo) withdrawal then don't miss the reunion special this Wednesday at 9 pm.

Two Tivos To Paradise
30 Days, 30 Rock, The Academy, Accidentally on Purpose, American Idol, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Antiques Roadshow, Better Off Ted, Big Love, Bones, Bored To Death, Breaking Bad, Brothers & Sisters, Burn Notice, Celebrity Apprentice, Cake Boss, Chopped, The Chris Isaak Hour, Chuck, The Closer, Community, Cougar Town, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Daddy's Girls, Damages, The Deadliest Catch, Desperate Housewives, Destination Truth, The Dish, Entourage, Eureka, Flipping Out, Gary Unmarried, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters Academy, Ghost Hunters International, Ghost Lab, Glee, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, The Hills, House, How I Met Your Mother, Hung, Iron Chef America, Law And Order, Law And Order: Criminal Intent, Law And Order: Special Victims Unit, Lost, Mad Men, Make Me A Supermodel, Man v. Food, Medium, The Middle, Modern Family, The New Adventures Of Old Christine, Next Food Network Star, Next Iron Chef, The Office, One Tree Hill, Paranormal State, Party Down, Private Practice, Project Runway, Psych, Real Time With Bill Maher, Rescue Me, Royal Pains, Rules Of Engagement, Run's House, Sanctuary, Saturday Night Live, Scrubs, Shark Tank, Shear Genius, So You Think You Can Dance?, Sons of Anarchy, The Soup, Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…, Sports Soup, Supernatural, Table For 12, Top Chef, Top Design, Torchwood, True Blood, Ugly Betty, V, The Vampire Diaries, Warehouse 13, Web Soup, Will Work for Food

People Love You When They Know You're Leaving Soon
Here ends another edition of Two Tivos To Paradise. We've got the a regular TV news column up next week before closing out 2009 with our Ten Best Comedy & Drama Series list as well as our 2009 Two Tivos To Paradise TV Entertainers of the Year and even a quick list of the things we are most looking forward to in 2010.

Don't forget to come back next Friday for all the news, and while you're at it, why not just bookmark the movies/TV page here at 411mania.com and make it that much easier for you to find your entertainment industry hook up! You can also follow us on Twitter!

Feedback is encouraged at [e-mail] as well via the comments section below.

Sources for this week's column include Daily Variety, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, and Hollywood Reporter (plus the web sites for those publications) as well as Aintit.cool.com.