Two Tivos To Paradise 10.27.06
Posted by Al Norton on 10.27.2006
It's The "Vacation, All I Ever Wanted" Edition Of Two Tivos To Paradise. It's Not As Big As Usual, But Honestly, It's Not You, It's Me.
Hello loyal readers! Even though Mrs. Tivo and I are still enjoying the wonder that is Disney World as we celebrate four years of marriage, my commitment to you is such that I still managed to find the time to post a new column, albeit a smaller version of the usual weekly epic you've grown to know and love. Hey, we all know size doesn't matter! Next week I will give you the full report on all-things-Disney as well as catch you up on all the TV news, but until then you'll have to make to do with the paragraphs below. What are you waiting for? Break on through to the other side!
A Hot Summer Night Fell Like A Net, I've Gotta Find My Baby Yet
This is a big week for Hugh Laurie as he is hosting Saturday Night Live for the first time and House returns to the airwaves after a four week, Major League Baseball induced hiatus in it's new/old Tuesdays at 9:00 time slot for Fox.
SNL has not been very funny recently so it seems the best way to view is by selecting episodes with good hosts, and this more than qualifies. Of course I thought the same thing last week when John C Reilly hosted and other than Harpoon Man, laughs were scarce. Here's hoping the writers can at least come up with a good spoof of everyone's favorite grumpy Doctor. House fans like Two Tivo's reader Laura Esdale have been chomping at the bit for their weekly fix of medical mysteries soaked in attitude, and this week's episode marks the start of a recurring role by criminally underrated veteran character actor David Morse.
Let's All Get Up And Dance To A Song That Was A Hit Before Your Mother Was Born
Rita Moreno is joining the cast of Law And Order: Criminal Intent in the pivotal role of the mother of Detective Robert Goren. Moreno, one of the few performers to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, will appear in at least three episodes.
Fans of Criminal Intent have heard mentions of Detective Goren's Mother for years, and they could not have cast this role any better; Moreno is still a big time presence and will not have to worry about being eaten alive by D'Onofrio's intense acting style. The question is how they will work her into the episodes without her being involved in the actual crimes they are investigating; 99.9% of a usual episode's screen time is focused on the case at hand, so either she is going to be a suspect and/or victim, or they will be breaking form, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Standing On The Corner, Suitcase In My Hand
Filming is set to being for the new Sci-Fi network series Painkiller Jane, starring Terminator 3 villain Kristanna Loken. Loken, who also co-executive produces the series, plays a DEA agent who is recruited to a new program that tracks down genetically enhanced humans, only to discover that she is one herself. The series is based on a popular comic book, and shares but a few plot points with the TV movie of the same name that Sci-Fi aired last year.
I thought the upcoming USA series To Love And Die In LA was the worst new title of the year, but Painkiller Jane tops that by leaps and bounds. I know that they want to make sure to bring in the audience that the source material has, but not at the risk of shooting themselves in the foot; This conjures up images of their really bad (although usually tongue-in-cheek) original movies, instead of reminding viewers that the majority of their original series (Battlestar Galactica, Eureka) have been extremely well received. Aside from that, I really like the trend of strong female leads we have been seeing for new shows; traditionally this show would star a man, with maybe a female partner.
You Know The Night Time Is The Right Time To Be With The One You Love
Bloomberg News is reporting that ABC has great interest in bring Jay Leno over to host a late-night talk show when his current Tonight Show contract expires in 2008. NBC publicly committed the Tonight Show to Conan O'Brien in 2009 last year when he signed his new deal, and ABC would love to bring Leno over and give him the 11:30 timeslot currently occupied by Nightline.
There was a lot of talk when NBC anointed O'Brien the heir to the Tonight Show throne that naming a specific date was a mistake; Leno is a self-professed workaholic and will not be ready to retire in three years. This leads to multiple questions: Does NBC break its promise to Conan? Will Jay's loyalty to NBC be enough to counteract the opportunity to prove it wasn't just the name of the show that lead to his success? ABC would be thrilled to have Leno, both to improve its currently abysmal 11:30 ratings and to serve as the perfect lead in to the Jimmy Kimmel Show.
But You Were Up To Your Old Tricks In Chapters Four Five And Six
A new weekly section discussing the Nielsen's…The premiere of ABC's Extreme Makeover did SO poorly that the network has scrapped the rest of the season and will go back to showing Gray's Anatomy reruns in the Fridays at 8 slot...The season finale of Project Runway drew 5.44 million viewers, toping the Bravo network's previous viewer ship records by 3 million…More good news for Bravo - Top Chef's season 2 debut was up almost 50% from season 1…Lost once again eeked out a win over Criminal Minds last Wednesday, but both shows have to be happy with drawing over 16 million viewers each…30 Rock plummeted from it's debut for poor week two numbers, which is interesting since the second episode was leaps and bounds better (see below)…One Tree Hill fans might want to get ready for another letter writing campaign as ratings were down almost 15%...It may have been only a small increase, but fans of The Nine should be pleased with the week three numbers…Final numbers were unavailable when I went to press but the "overnights" showed Shark beating ER this past week. Even if ER pulls it out, even getting close is a victory for Shark, which was just picked up for the full season…Sometimes it seems like I am the only one not watching Dancing With The Stars as it continues to be the most watched show on Tuesday nights, this past week posting highs in all the key demos for the season…
All The Young Dudes Carry The News
Industry Notes & Casting News…Liev Schreiber is joining the CSI team this January for the first of multiple appearances...NBC has announced that Scrubs will return to their lineup at the end of November as a part of the retooled Thursday night comedy block. My Name Is Earl and The Office remain at 8 & 8:30, with Scrubs at 9 and 30 Rock at 9:30...The CW ordered up full seasons of The Game and 7th Heaven…Ryan O'Neal has been cast to play David Boreanaz father on an upcoming episode of Bones, to be directed by David Duchovny...The Janice Dickson Modeling Agency is not just coming back for a second season but is now twice the size, going from 30 to 60 minutes when it returns in early 2007...Boston Legal is returning to its old Sunday at 10:00 pm timeslot for the first half of a two part November Sweeps episode. Part one airs on Sunday 11/26 and then the episode finishes in its usual Tuesday at 10 slot two days later...Jason Priestley has joined the cast of Side Order Of Life, a new pilot for Lifetime that you read about on these pages last week...
Well Now, Home Entertainment Was My Baby's Wish, So I Hopped Into Town For A Satellite Dish
Quick thoughts on the new fall shows…Recent word of The Nine's low ratings made me watch this past week with a more critical eye but I still came away thinking this show deserves an audience. It's well acted and well written, and if it's the complexity that is keeping viewers away, it shouldn't. Look, a bunch of people were involved in a 52 hour bank robbery hostage situation, and each week they reveals a little more of what happened inside the bank while also showing the effects the ordeal has on the survivors as they attempt to return to their regular lives. It's not 24, or Lost, or even Desperate Housewives – you can jump in now and still keep up, which you should do while you still have the chance…Six Degrees has earned a few more viewings from me with the quality of the last two weeks. Campbell Scott continues to impress…I was shocked, SHOCKED, by how much I laughed at the second episode of 30 Rock, especially considering how unimpressed I was with week one. Alec Baldwin better watch his back because if Tracy Morgan's agent submits this tape to the Emmy nominating committee, he will have some serious competition next summer. I read and totally agreed with the suggestion that NBC hold on to 30 Rock despite the low ratings as it would make a great bookend for the can't-return-fast-enough-for-me Scrubs. I swear-to-God I wrote that last line several days before I got the info you read in the last paragraph - I am just that good...I was slightly disappointed with this week's Brothers And Sisters, but only because Treat Williams did not get more screen time. Thankfully this is a recurring role, so his talents will be put to better use later on down the line. Was I the only one a little misty when the youngest brother stepped up to help with the insulin shot?
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…I wrote last week about how My Name Is Earl has kicked it up a gear in season two, and this week's episode was a great example of how the show weaves recurring characters in and out without skipping a beat. Giovanni Ribisi returned as Ralph and it felt very natural, unlike the glaring stunt casting that was the last few seasons of Will and Grace…The last four minutes of The Office – Jim and Pam's phone conversation – were about as close to perfection as TV writing gets. Not that the rest of the episode wasn't laugh out loud funny, but we "Jam" fans have been waiting for that interaction since last June…Another week, another great Battlestar Galactica episode. As I mentioned last week, no show does a better job at advancing the current story while laying the groundwork for the future. The reveal of Casey's identity at the end was both heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time…I wonder if the current ongoing murder trial on Boston Legal is because David E Kelly missed writing the kind of mysteries that used to be the focus of The Practice. While this season has been entertaining so far, I am clamoring for more Alan Shore…The New Adventures Of Old Christine seems to be on an every-other-week-is-funny cycle right now, but I will say that Hamish Linklater is growing on me. Is there something I can take for that?...I do my best to keep my rather liberal politics out of these news reports, but I must say that Real Time With Bill Maher is one of my favorite hours of television each week. I laugh out loud on a regular basis, and regardless of if you agree with himor not, his arguments are very well thought out.
TV Pick Of The Week
I usually try and avoid picking the same show twice in the same few weeks/months, but since Halloween is next week I thought that I would make an exception for the live six hour edition of Ghost Hunters that Sci-Fi is airing this Tuesday night. Grant, Jason, and the rest of the TAPS team will explore the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, better known as the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining. As with any live event of this sort, memories of Geraldo Rivera and Al Capone's Vault come to mind, but considering the GH track record (if you followed my advice and watched the OK Corral episode you would have seen the ghost of the prostitute clearly moving the covers – FREAKY!!!) I expect some serious scares. Mrs. Tivo is saying she will stay up for the whole thing, which is a bit much for even a TV freak like me, but I can't imagine a better Halloween TV option. The special begins at 11:00 EST on the Sci-Fi network.
Two Tivos To Paradise, Weekly Update 30 Days, The 4400, The Apprentice, Battlestar Galactica, Best Week Ever, Big Love, Bones, Boston Legal, Brothers And Sisters, The Class, Criss Angel Mindfreak, Curb your Enthusiasm, The Dead Zone, Desperate Housewives, Entourage, Extras, Eureka, Everybody Hates Chris, Fast Inc, Ghost Hunters, Grey's Anatomy, Hex, Heroes, The Hills, House, How I Met Your Mother, Jericho, Kidnapped, King Of Cars, Laguna Beach, Last Comic Standing, Law And Order, Law And Order: Criminal Intent, Law And Order: Special Victims Unit, Life On Mars, Lost, Medium, My Name Is Earl, The New Adventures Of Old Christine, The Nine, Nip/Tuck, The Office, One Tree Hill, Project Runway, Psych, Real Sports, Real Time With Bill Maher, Rescue Me, Saturday Night Live, Scrubs, Shark, The Sopranos, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, Supernatural, Two-A-Days, Top Chef, Ugly Betty, Veronica Mars. Additions :None Deletions :None
Here ends another edition of Two Tivos To Paradise. I will return next week rested, refreshed, and ready to overwhelm you with otherwise useless information. Don't stop believin'.
