The VICIOUS TV News Wrap for 02.21.06
Posted by Steve Vicious on 02.21.2006
More Justice League recaps, Trump versus Stewart, the Winter Olympics, NBA All-star game with TV celebs, and much more!
Intro:
Welcome back to the Vicious TV News Wrap. I'm coming to you via my new Compaq Presario v2000 laptop ($830), so I'm still trying to adjust to the keyboard. It has a nice 14' widescreen display, plus other cool features like an S-Video connection. I also bought a brand new iPOD Nano, which I'm absolutely loving at the moment. I was contemplating purchasing the new version of the iPOD which can handle video, such as The Office episodes, to be downloaded onto the pod for a "reasonable" price. Back to my new laptop, I purchased it because it will allow me to type the recaps and other tv stuff while I'm watching a show, thus eliminating my notepads for good! Excellent news, right? Unfortunately for me, NBC shelved most of its programming due to the Winter Olympics, and everything else seems to be a repeat, so maybe next week we can start recapping more.
Random TV Thoughts/News/Gossip/Opinions: - Nobody cares about the Winter Olympics?
The ratings for the Winter Olympics on NBC have widely regarding as being very disappointing, and even people like HBO's Real Sports host Bryant Gumble have been taking shots at the network for their coverage of the games. Not nice. I'm sure NBC will receive tons of money from sponsorships for the Olympics, so I do not think they are sweating this as much as people make it out to be. Look below to see that ratings for those days are HIGHER than they ever were for NBC when they aired their original programing. I am thankful that NBC has pulled all of their shows to showcase the Olympics because it allows me time to rest up when it comes to my NBC recaps, especially after last week's large dose of recaps.
- Donald Trump vs. Martha Stewart
According to the fine folks over at Zap2it TV News, Martha Stewart has been complaining recently to media outlets about how "unfair" her version of NBC's The Apprentice: Martha Stewart was handled. She thinks it was not a good idea to have two different versions of the show airing during the same season because it damaged both shows' ratings. She also goes on to state that she signed on due to do the show because she thought only one version of the show would be airing at that time, which would of course be her show. Also, Donald Trump has been making the rounds as well, and he has stated that Stewart's version of the show dragged down the ratings for his show last fall. This is definitely NBC's fault for airing both shows during the same season. Both shows were similarly structured, and even I had a hard time remembering which show has which contestant on there. Thankfully we no longer have to see a woman in power weekly. Amen.
- Get this Party Over
I had absolutely no clue that this series had started until I was flipping through the channels and found it. I'm still unsure of what the show is trying to accomplish, but I assume it is a younger, hipper version of that remodeling show on ABC. I say that because it is co-hosted by MTV's Laguna Beach star Kristin Cavallari. Anyway, UPN has pulled the show for the rest of sweeps because of its lackluster ratings (.4?). No word yet on when or whether the show will return. I highly doubt it will return, though.
- More Web Junk 20
VH1 has decided to give their newest show Web Junk 20 -- which is showcases the "top" 20 web videos on the net of the week -- for another six additional episodes. I have seen the show, and it's not that great to watch. If it was just the usual "VH1 Voice" introducing each video, then it would be better, but unfortunately, they have this comedian or something making these UNGODLY lame jokes that force me to flip the channel right away.
- TV Stars are awful basketball players
Did anyone else catch the Celebrity basketball all-star game on ESPN last Friday? I did, and it was one awful game. I was surprised when I noticed that Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Christopher Meloni was in there. Another TV star in the game was Scrubs' star Donald Faison. Faison played well enough for a celeb game, and Meloni was decent enough. Both celeb teams were shooting bricks, so there was nothing really exciting about it. I did, however, take notice of the announcers pointing out that Desperate Housewives' star Eva Longoria was sitting courtside. Last I checked, she dumped Tony Parker and moved onto someone else right away. Well, I will say this about Eva Longoria -- she has one bubble ass that I just want to plow. That's right, just call me Mr. Plow. That's my name. It's Mr. Plow.
The VICIOUS TV Mini-Wrap:
- Gilmore Girls: "A Vineyard's Valentine" [02.14.06]
Logan somehow manages to convince Rory to bring Lorelai & Luke to Martha's Vineyard for the weekend. The trip is not as fun as Lorelai would have liked because all Luke does is complain about how "arrogant" Logan is. Of course, Logan is not acting like a dick this week, so Luke's opinions about him are no good. I'm really starting to hate the writers of this show. Anyway, I thought that Lorelai hated Logan's guts. Then again, last week she was all nice about Rory moving into Logan's place. Ah, who cares anymore? Back to the episode, Logan's father (the same man who "crushed" Rory's dreams of being a journalist in 2005, causing her to drop out of Yale and have a falling out with her mother) spoils the fun by forcing Logan to fly over to the UK for a business appointment. The writers are obviously trying to get the viewer (that's me!) to be sympathetic towards Logan's situation about his hard-ass father pushing him into the family business. I'm not buying it, of course. I mean, they have Logan act like an ass last year, then they change him, and I'm supposed to care about him? It's like Jess again -- Jess acted like an asshole towards Dean, then STOLE Rory away, and we were supposed to love him in the end. Blah. ****
- Justice League Unlimited: "Dead Reckoning" [02.18.06]
Legion of Doom members attack a bunch of monks in order to steal an artifact that Grodd needs. Not only that, but they even KILL them, or so it seems. Man, I remember back in the day when it was taboo for an animated show to showcase any type of violence towards anyone (the Spider-man TAS did not allow anyone to shoot a gun!). Anyway, the LOD end up killing the oldest monk there, who we later discover was one of Batman's martial arts teachers back in the day. The old monk was also a friend of Deadman, whose soul is trapped on Earth in order to allow him to atone for his past, I guess. Later on, Grodd ends up rewriting every human being's DNA by turning them into gorillas! The LOD escape, leaving the JL to turn everyone back to normal. However, Devil Ray tries to shoot Wonder Woman, leading to Deadman to take Batman's body and blasting Devil Ray dead. Batman is pissed. Finally, Lex Luther takes out Grodd with a blast of his own because he thought the turn all humans to gorilla plot was dumb and takes the reigns of the Legion of Doom. THANK GOD! I wonder if Grodd is dead, though. Nah, he was probably KO'd. Decent enough episode, that really managed to forward the storyline of the LOD. Things will start to unfold in the coming weeks as the JLU finally realized that the super villains might have started a new group, plus Lex is the new leader of the LOD! Lets keep our fingers crossed for Scarecrow and Riddler to join the LOD to finally get the original lineup back together, although Devil Ray is dead now. ***1/2
Episode: "I Am The Legion" (Season 5; #1) Date: Saturday; September 17, 2005
Lex was busted out of jail because he is still a very powerful villain, sez Grodd. So he offers him a spot on the team. However, Lex refuses because he had infinite information with Brainiac's help and then he lost it, so he no longer cares about power. Grodd says that all of Brainiac's parts were destroyed by the Flash, but Grodd says that he has the ONLY piece of Brainiac's body left! Luther's visions of Brainiac tell him to do what Grodd says because only a small piece of his body will allow him to regenerate.
The new Legion of Doom has FINALLY appeared! The Legion of Doom consists of Bizarro, Black Manta, Black Mass, Blockbuster, Cheetah, Copperhead, Dr. Destiny, Dr. Polaris, Evil Star, Gentleman Ghost, Giganta, Kanjar Ro, KGBeast, Livewire, Major Force, Metallo, Mirror Master, Parasite, Rampage, Silver Banshee, Sinestro, Star Sapphire, and Toyman. No Riddler or Scarecrow like the original Legion of Doom. BOO!!!
Meanwhile, we discover that the Flash has a crush on Fire. Hawkgirl makes fun of him for that, which is pretty funny. Anyway, Hawkgirl takes Flash & Fire out on an assignment. However, they are attacked during their flight. Flash and the team manage to stop the attacking sea creatures, but Lex manages to steal the Spear of Longitious. Unfortunately, Grodd decides to go back on his promise just a bit by telling Luthor that he will give him the Brainiac piece at a later date. A good season opener that gets the point across that the Legion of Doom will be a major player for the Justice League to deal with in the near future. ****1/2
Episode: "Shadow of the Hawk" (Season 5; #2) Date: Saturday; September 17, 2005
After a fight with a group of villains, Hawkgirl is payed a visit by a man named Carter Hall. Unfortunately, Mr. Hall has been stalking Hawkgirl for a REALLY long time. Batman seems more worried than everyone else since he's Mr. Paranoid, but he has good reason. Later on, Carter Hall asks Hawkgirl out on a date, which kind of scares Green Lantern since he feels that he and Hawkgirl are destined to end up together (Note: GL & Batman traveled into the future where they met the future Justice League and his son is a steal version of Hawkman).
Batman puts a Bat-tracer on Hawkgirl in order to follow her and Carter. Carter takes Hawkgirl to one of his artifact locations where he tells Hawkgirl that they are destined to be with each other. Hall then turns into Hawkman!!! Hawkman gives Hawkgirl the story of his origins and then two shadows appear to attack them both. The Hawks are defeated and the shadow combines into one. However, thanks to Batman, everything ends up okay. Hawkman tells Hawkgirl that he will always love her even though she doesn't. He even mentions all the information he knows about Hawkgirl, which makes her happy. Poor Green Latern. Anyway, Hawkman seems confident that he and Hawkgirl will end up together sooner or later. ****1/2
TV Nielsen Ratings for February 6-12, 2006:
1. American Idol- Tuesday (FOX) 17.6
2. CSI (CBS) 16.9
3. American Idol- Wednesday (FOX) 16.3
4. Grey's Anatomy (ABC) 15.5 -- Man, this show is on one huge roll coming off of the Super Bowl. Does it have staying power? We'll see...
5. Desperate Housewives (ABC) 14.6
6. House (FOX) 13.6 -- Being after AI has helped the show reach a wider audience. Good job, FOX.
7. Winter Olympics Saturday night (NBC) 13.5
8. Without a Trace (CBS) 13.3
8. Winter Olympics Sunday (NBC) 13.3
10. Dancing with the Stars (ABC) 12.9
New TV on DVD Today: February 21, 2006
Special mention for Ultimate Avengers on DVD. I must mention how great it is to see Marvel Studios animating again. Lets keep our fingers crossed for a proper series finale for Spider-man, in which it is rumored that Spidey would travel through time and find Mary Jane Watson (she was lost, you know) in some pirate-like world with Carnage lurking around there.
- 3rd Rock from the Sun: The Complete 3rd Season (Pick of the Week)
I have not seen in the show in years, but I do remember how silly and fun it was to watch it. An easy thumbs up this week.
- Action: The Complete Series
- Goof Troop: Volume 1
- NYPD Blue: The Complete 3rd Season
- Quack Pack: Volume 1
- Redwall: Season 1
The VICIOUS TV Babe of the Week: This week's babe is the "lovely" and "talented" Kristen Cavallari. I'm sure most of you have never heard her, but she has been the main star of MTV's Laguna Beach, which has been billed as the REAL OC. I have seen the show, and it blows. The show seems makes me believe that most of their "problems" are staged or forced upon by the stars of the show. I would not be surprised to discover that the teens of the show all plot out what they are going to say or do on the show in order to keep it interesting. Anyway, Kristen is one hot babe, plus she's rich to boot! How can you not love this chick? Oh, she's also been Punk'D, too. Good episode. Too bad that her good looks could not help her save her UPN show Get this Party Started.
- Get this Party Over
This week's babe is the "lovely" and "talented" Kristen Cavallari. I'm sure most of you have never heard her, but she has been the main star of MTV's Laguna Beach, which has been billed as the REAL OC. I have seen the show, and it blows. The show seems makes me believe that most of their "problems" are staged or forced upon by the stars of the show. I would not be surprised to discover that the teens of the show all plot out what they are going to say or do on the show in order to keep it interesting. Anyway, Kristen is one hot babe, plus she's rich to boot! How can you not love this chick? Oh, she's also been Punk'D, too. Good episode. Too bad that her good looks could not help her save her UPN show Get this Party Started.
