The VICIOUS TV News Wrap 05.02.06
Posted by Steve Vicious on 05.02.2006
Maury Povich sex scandal? Cast changes on Law & Order? Battlestar Galactica prequel? Rosie O'Donnell returns to TV? Eve Longoria no longer feeling desperate, VH1 loves Hulk Hogan; Paula Abdul almost fired from AI? The Real Housewives of Orange County is GOOD? And Rachel Bilson is your TV Babe of the Week. Click now!!!
- Written in front of a not-so-live audience in VICIOUS HQ in CA
Opening Segment: Introduction:
Welcome to another stellar edition of the Vicious TV News Wrap. I'm your host, Steve Vicious. This week, the television world was a bit too quiet for my taste, but I did manage to find some interesting tidbits along the way. Also on tap this week, my thoughts on Bravo's The Real Housewives of Orange County. Stay tuned for that. Without further delay, let's get to this week's top TV story of the week:
The Top TV Story of the Week: - Maury's sexual harassment lawsuit
This was a bit of a shocker, but television host Maury Povich and his show are being sued for 100 million dollars over accusations of sexual harassment behind the scenes of his show. The lawsuit accuses Maury and two of his producers of watching pornography in front of the plantif (a WOMAN), and that they asked her to get naked. Also, the female plantif worked on the show for over six years, so I wonder how long this has been going on behind the scenes. Man, everyone is being sued for sexual harassment these days. Expect Steve Vicious to file a sexual harassment lawsuit against 411 staffers soon.
Random TV News/Thoughts/Gossip/Etc. - Monday, Monday, Monday
ABC is rumored to be thinking about moving around their Sunday and Monday night line-ups for the fall. Desperate Housewives or Grey's Anatomy will probably move to Mondays because of Monday Night Football's departure beginning this fall. Grey's Anatomy seems like it would fit perfectly on Monday nights, but that's just my opinion.
- NBC renews several shows for 06-07 season
NBC has renewed all three of their Law & Order shows, Crossing Jordan, Meduim, and Las Vegas for their 2006-2007 fall season. The shows have joined The Office and My Name is Earl, which were renewed several months ago, on the fall line-up.
- Battlestar Galactica prequel in the works
The prequel (set 50 years prior to BG) to the popular sci-fi show Battlestar Galactica will be called Caprica and it is set to be a sci-fi family drama type of show. I have never seen an episode of BG, but I might check it out sometime on DVD.
- More cast changes for Law & Order?
Annie Parisse, who currently plays Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Borgia, will likely leave the show at the end of the season. There has been no reason given for her departure and it does come as a bit of a surprise to me since she has been on the show for less than one season. Law & Order has survived cast changes before, so this should be no different.
- Mike Wallace: This is Your Life 60 Minutes veteran Mike Wallace will retire at the end of this season, but CBS will let him leave with style. The network and the show will have a tribute to Mike Wallace on May 21st, 2006. It will probably be a very emotional interview for Wallace and it's great to hear that he will ride out into the sunset with class.
- Rosie O'Donnell returns to TV The View has announced that Rosie O'Donnell is set to takeover Meridth Vieira's chair after she makes her exit for The Today Show. This has train wreck written all over it, so I can't wait to see Star Jones versus Rosie O'Donnell soon!
- Michelle Rodriguez is "Lost"
Last week, Lost star Michelle Rodriguez pleaded guilty to a DUI charge she received a few months ago. Rodriguez decided that serving five days in jail was much better than doing 240 hours of community service. One interesting tidbit that came out of the court hearing was the fact that Rodriguez takes STEROIDS! Well, it's not as surprising as one might think because I have heard a rumor that the cast of Lost was on the "gas." Let's hope she gets her act together.
- Teri Hatcher's accident Desperate Housewives' star Teri Hatcher suffered an eye injury after a light bulb exploded and scratchd her eye on the set of the highly popular ABC show. She is now currently wearing an eye patch over the injured eye. I once strained an index finger while typing, but I continued on because that's how our business works.
- VH1 loves Hulk-a-Mania
VH1 announced recently that their wildly popular "reality" TV show Hogan's Knows Best has been renewed for a third season starting in October 2006. VH1 is doing the right thing by keeping the Hulkster and his family around for another season because the show is constantly their highest rated series in their "Celeb Reality" line-up.
- Longoria is no longer feeling "Desperate"
Eva Longoria recently mentioned that she does not want to overstay her time on ABC's hit show Desperate Housewives. Longoria's comments were: "I don't want to be on 7th Heaven -- on for 20 years and no one's really watching and it's hanging on by a thread." Well, 7th Heaven hasn't been on the air for 20 years, and it is still the WB's most watched show to date (it's not saying much, but people ARE watching). Anyway, I guess being on the big screen has already gone to Longoria's head, which should not come as much of a shock to any of you TV fans. My thoughts: You can bring in ANY Hispanic hot chick and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. While Eva is extremely attractive, the show does not revolve around her and there's a GOOD REASON why that is. I'm sure you can figure that out for yourselves.
- Paula Abdul almost fired
US Weekly is reporting that Paula Abdul was nearly fired because she was becoming "too emotionally demanding" to work with on FOX's American Idol. That's actually pretty funny, but I guess it is to be expected with all the headlines she has been making over the past couple of years (battery, drug rumors, sexual harassement charges, Simon, Seacrest).
- Flavor of Love strikes again
Brooke (a.k.a. "Pumkin") appeared on this weekend's Blind Date. She even flashed her BOOBS! HER BOOBS! DO I NEED TO TELL YOU PEOPLE WHAT THE F**K YOU CAN DO WITH BOOBS? BOOBS! She did it about three times. Also, Brooke decided that her guy was a "good boy" and she could get him into some trouble. They didn't do anything too bad, just a massage. Brooke just cannot stay out of the news. First, she complained that the producers of The Flavor of Love had asked her to spit on "New York," which would still make her look bad because she did it anyway. Then she was fired from being a substitue teacher because of the attention she was receiving from all the children at the school. She did reveal that being fired didn't bother her because she wants to be on television. I guess she lied to Flavor Flav after all.
Vicious Special Feature: - The Real Housewives of Orange County
I have been watching this "reality" show since I first mentioned it several weeks ago. And I have to admit that I actually like it. The show follows five housewives named Kim, Vicki, Lauri, Johanna (aka "Jo") and Jeane as they all live their lavish lives in Orange County. One of the housewives is divorced (Lauri), but they all have children (Jo's kids are from her husband's previous marriage) and their interaction is very interesting. You see, some of the children are a bit spoiled (Lauri's oldest daughter immediately springs to mind), but other than that, everyone behaves much better than what you would expect. Otherwise, we would have another Laguna Beach on our hands. In what might come as a shock to most of you fans of TV, these housewives are not the lazy, spoiled women you might think they are. Sure, we have Jo who spends like crazy, but she ended up getting a job to spread her wings of freedom. They all work very hard to keep their families looking good, and come off as highly intelligent women. Yes, I actually complemented women. Unfortunately, the show will be coming to an end TONIGHT on Bravo, so I would definitely check it out. By the way, Lauri is the best MILF I have ever seen.
The Vicious TV Mini-Wrap:
- Gilmore Girls: "Super Cool Party People"
Luke gives APril a birthday party at the diner. Rory attends to Logan's injuries. Luke explains to Lorelai that he doesn't want her getting close to April because she is too easy to love for kids. However, Luke's party for April tanks, and he calls her up to save the day. Anna goes beserk over discovering that Lorelai was in charge of April's party. Rory bitches out Logan's dad, which finally gets him to come to the hospital. Lorelai pays a visit to Anna and they talk out their problems. Anna tells Lorelai that she doesn't want April getting attatched to her because she may leave. This episode was going along quite nicely, but it was dragged down by the whole Rory/Logan saga. And why isn't Logan dead? Damn you, Gilmore Girl writers! ***1/2
- Scrubs: "My Lunch"
J.D. resolves to have lunch with Dr. Cox. Meanwhile, an annoying former patient (Nicole Sullivan) teaches J.D. about responsibility because he decided to avoid her and she was so depressed by being stood-up by her date that she overdosed on cocaine. And Todd is suspected of being gay because it seems that he has lied about sleeping with every women in the hospital. Todd is later outed by Carla & Elliot, but it turns out that he's bi-sexual. J.D. & Dr. Cox lose their patients who had an organ transfer from Sullivan's character because she had rabies. Cox's patient's death finally drives him over the edge as he goes beserk and blames himself over his death. Cox leaves...for good??? The emotion of this episode really appealed to me more than I expected. I'm now left wondering what will happen with Dr. Cox. ****1/2
- South Park: "Manbearpig"
When the boys are trapped in a cave-in, Cartman discovers treasure. That crazy tree-hugging S.O.B. Al Gore makes a rare appearance on the show. And yes, he's crazy. This was one of those episodes that I did not laugh at all throughout the entire thing. Maybe I have lost my sense of humor? **
- My Name Is Earl: "Stole a Badge"
Earl tries to return a badge that he stole from a police officer several years earlier. Before that, we see Earl have a flashback to when he first used the badge and how comfortable he felt showing it off. Unfortunately for Earl, the badge works its way around to everyone in the gang, then it is stolen by Creepy Rodney. I was laughing my ass off at the part when Earl tricked Rodney into trying to rob a diner, with the police officer that Earl stole the badge from. Rodney goes crazy by shooting all over the place. Later on, Earl confesses to the officer that he stole his badge and also mentions his list. The officer sees this as his official confession and arrests Earl on the spot. Earl tries to escape, but the officer knocks Earl down with a bowling ball. It seems that the officer, Stewart, is destined to be a bowler. Meanwhile, Rodney is out in the back, looking through stolen bowling shoes and finds a badge. He pulls the badge out on a group of women and gets arrested for it. ****
- The O.C.: "The Party Favor"
Taylor hits a high at the prom; Summer falls flat. Ryan asks Tereasa; Seth asks Summer; Marissa asks Volchuck. Seth is the only one to strike out. Later on, the gang is celebrating by having a party, with pictures. Summer ends up being jealous after seeing Seth with Anna. This does not end well for Volchuk, who almost steals the money that Taylor is collecting for something. I don't know why Volchuk is supposed to be a bad ass if he has already had his ass kicked by Ryan before. When it's time for the prom, Summer brings the number one pop star in Korea. Anyway, Summer ends up as prom queen, but she's too drunk and falls off the stage. Women. The final showdown between Volchuk & Ryan takes place at the end, with Ryan kicking the f**k out of Vulchuk. This episode, along with the entire third season, was predictable. However, my Summer (Rachel Bilson) continues to be my shining star of the series and I love her. ***
- The Office: "Drug Testing"
Dwight finds half a joint in the parking lot and launches a full investigation. Later on, Michael asks an unsual favor from Dwight. It seems that Michael went to an Alicia Keys concert and he got high from a girl with a lip ring. So Michael asks Dwight to pee in a cup for him. The rest of the episode was disappointing, but it was still excellently well written. ***1/2
- Justice League Unlimited: "Ancient History"
Carter Hall a.k.a. Hawkman makes his return, and the black shadow comes along with him. The Shadow Thief manages to kidnap Green Lantern, and promises to go after Hawkgirl next. In a storyline I must have missed, Green Lantern is living with another member of the Justice League in Vixen! The Shadow Thief lures Hawkgirl & to a musuem of arts. The girls get their asses handed to them, but Hawkman manages to show up just in time. However, the Shadow Thief manages to capture Hawkgirl & Hawkman, and he plans on them, along with GL, to showcase the Hawks' past life. It seems that the Hawks had a problem regarding birthing a child. It also seems that there was a Green Lantern guy in their past who was a major hero in their city. Hawkgirl & GL's past versions had a desire for one another, but they felt guilty about betraying their King. The King sees for himself and wishes they were both dead. Next up, Hawkman fnids the bodies of the two, dead in bed. The King is so heartbroken over the loss of his beloved wife, that he drinks the poison himself. Once the flashback is complete, the Shadow Thief reveals that he is Hawkman's inner most desires come to life. But all he has to do to accomplish his ultimate desire (to win over Hawkgirl's heart) is to kill GL. Hawkman refuses and absorbs the shadow into his body. He admits to Hawkgirl that they were not meant to be after all. GL tells Hawkgirl about going to the future and meeting their son, War Hawk. GL also tells Hawkgirl that he will stay with Vixen no matter what because he "will not be destiny's puppet." This was the second straight episode that had no sign of the Legion of Doom in the plot. Have the producers of the show abandoned that storyline? ***1/2
- Family Guy: "You May Now Kiss The...Uh...Guy Who Receives"
Brian becomes a crazed activist when Mayor West bans gay marriage after Jasper announces he wants to marry his partner at the Griffin home. Meanwhile, Chris tries to hook-up with a REPUBLICAN girl. There was a part where Lois mentioned being brainwashed like Elizabeth Smart. That was not cool. The rest of the episode was a snoozer to sit through and watch. ***
- American Dad: "Helping Handis"
Stan gives Steve steroids to make him bigger, better and part of the 'in' crowd at school, but they have an unsual side effect -- he has grown boobs! Steve ends up becoming very popular with the boys due to his HUGE jugs. Unfortunately for Steve, Stan catches him getting felt up by the Water Polo team at a party. Later on, Stan decides to use the steroids and grows a pair of jugs three times the size of Steve's. Meanwhile, Francine tries to show Hayley that she is much more than a boring housewife. She ends up moonlighting as a doctor for a mob boss, which nearly gets her killed after she tries to quit. And Roger tries to clean the house, but fails and ultimately tries to burn down the house. This was a very gross episode, but whatever. ***1/2
The TV Nielsen Ratings for April 17th-April 23rd
FOX's American Idol continues to dominate the ratings and help the network's other show House gain a much larger audience than what normally would be there for them. CBS has six shows in the top 10, which would make them American's most watched network. NBC only had ONE show in the top 20; FOX had five shows; ABC had two shows in the top 20.
1. American Idol- TUES (FOX) 16.6
2. American Idol- WED (FOX) 16.5
3. House (FOX) 13.7
4. CSI (CBS) 12.2
5. Without A Trace (CBS) 11.6
6. CSI: Miami (CBS) 10.8
7. Desperate Housewives (ABC) 10.4
8. CSI: NY (CBS) 10.3
9. NCIS (CBS) 10.1
10. Grey's Anatomy (ABC) 9.7
10. Survivor: Panama- Exile Island (CBS) 9.7
New TV-on-DVD Released today: May 2nd, 2006
- King of the Hill: The Complete 6th Season (Pick of the Week)
- 3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 4
- Dinosaurs: The Complete 1st & 2nd season
- I Love Lucy: The Complete 6th Season
- Kate & Allie: The Complete 1st Season
- Leave it to Beaver: The Complete 2nd Season
- The Nanny: The Complete 2nd Season
- The Red Green Show: The 1997 Season
From the Vault: Classic TV-on-DVD
- Home Movies: Season Two
This is a gem of a show from Cartoon Network's Adult Swim line-up. The show, created by Brendon Small, originally started life on the UPN network, but it was canceled after only a few episodes. Fast forward a few years, Cartoon Network bought the rights and started to air new episodes afterwards. The show lasted for four seasons before it was finally canceled after reaching 52 episodes (most CN shows are axed at this point). Anyway, definitely check out the season season of the show because it is excellently written and just plain funny. Buy it. Season 4 will be released on May 16th, and I will definitely be in line for that. >>>Read my Full Review on Home Movies: Season Two
The Vicious TV Babe of the Week:
- Rachel Bilson (The O.C.)
Summer Roberts is hot on FOX's The O.C., so it's a no-brainer when she can be the FIRST television babe to win the highly coveted Vicious TV Babe of the Week award. She has the prettiest black hair around. She has the perfect set of eyes that no woman should ever have. She's just perfect. My "flag pole" salutes her twice a day. Now if only she would dump Adam Brody, my life could be a lot better.
The Vicious TV Poll of the Week:
Last week, I asked the readers (that's you) if Comedy Central should continue "Chappelle's Show" without Dave Chappelle. Over 250 people voted and the results were: 82% (207 votes) NO; 13% (33 votes) said YES; 1% (3 votes) said MAYBE; 3% (8 votes) said UNSURE
This week's poll question is:
Viciously Ridiculous:
MTV's My Super Sweet 16 continued to showcase what the youth of America has become. This week, a girl cried over her cake being accidently knocked down to the floor. So she decided to throw out the people responsible for that and then she had them arrested! This girl also made out with some guy in front of her boyfriend. Ridiculous? That's up to you.
The Vicious Links: Proud Sponsors of the Vicious TV News Wrap
- The Cris Murphy iron man streak is over because he was put of action due to hand surgery. I hope Cris shows up this Thursday because his Warped News is always full of great stuff to read.
- I have more DVDs in the works, but real life has finally caught up to me and it's very difficult to do everything at once. I have Chronicles of Narnia, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and American Dad: Volume 1 in the works for the next two weeks. Narnia will be first, FFVII will be second and American Dad will come in last. Stay tuned at my blog or 411movies/TV for the links.]
The Vicious TV News Wrap Credits:]
Written & Directed by Steve Vicious
Art/Graphic Designs by SteveCorp
Executive Producers: Steve Vicious, Ashish Pabari & Scott Rutherford
Original Concept by Scott Rutherford & Steve Vicious
A SteveCorp.net & 411mania.com Presentation
On the Next Vicious TV News Wrap (EP#33): May 9th, 2006
- Since my addiction to reality television has come out since starting the Vicious TV News Wrap, I will explain why television networks are producing so many reality shows when they could be actually developing scripted shows. I might also reveal some of the secrets of reality TV, as said by VH1. You won't want to miss that, so tune in next week for the 33rd episode of the Vicious TV News Wrap. That's a Wrap.
- Maury's sexual harassment lawsuit
- Monday, Monday, Monday
- NBC renews several shows for 06-07 season
- Battlestar Galactica prequel in the works
- More cast changes for Law & Order?
- Mike Wallace: This is Your Life
- Rosie O'Donnell returns to TV
- Michelle Rodriguez is "Lost"
- Teri Hatcher's accident
- Longoria is no longer feeling "Desperate"
- Paula Abdul almost fired
- Flavor of Love strikes again
- The Real Housewives of Orange County
