Two Tivos To Paradise 11.30.07: One Stop Shopping For All Your TV News Needs
Posted by Al Norton on 11.30.2007
Is no news good news on the writer's strike?, Carson Daly crosses picket lines, Chuck and Life get full season pick up's, celebrity drug addicts on VH-1, thoughts on Sci-Fi's Tin Man, raves for Dirty Sexy Money, ratings updates, tons of news and notes, the TV Pick Of The Week...all that and more awaits you in this week's Two Tivos To Paradise!
Hello Friends. While I managed to avoid any malls on Black Friday, I must admit to being a major participant in Cyber Monday, including picking up a Jonathan Papelbon Red Sox jersey; Merry Christmas to me! I would mention things I ordered for Mrs. Tivo but she actually reads this column on occasion, so I will play it cool. Or as close to cool as a guy who spends the majority of his waking hours on the couch or in front of a computer can get.
Meet me in the middle of the day, let me hear you say everything's ok. Bring me southern kisses from your news.
Try To See It My Way, Do I Have To Keep On Talking Till I Can't Go On?
The WGA and the AMPTP restarted negotiations on a new contract this past Monday, and most observers are taking the lack of any real news as a strong signal that headway is being made. A popular Hollywood blog quoted a reliable source that the basic parameters were in place on Monday and it was the details that were being worked out. The general feeling is that if the strike is settled before the end of the year, the rest of the TV season could be saved.
On behalf of TV viewers everywhere, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please get this settled.
THIS JUST IN - Late Thursday night the AMPTP released a statement saying they had made a new offer to the WGA that included what they felt were "groundbreaking" moves in the area of "new media" that would add $130 million to the collective pot, although it was unclear if that was yearly or for the length of the contract. The WGA has asked for the weekend to review the proposal and talks will resume on Tuesday.
Understand We'll Go Hand In Hand But We'll Walk Alone In Fear
The week in strike news…
*Last Call with Carson Daly became the first late night talk show to re-start production this week. While this has no direct effect on the other shows, it does mean none will have to deal with the stigma of being first. Jay Leno has been adamant about not returning to the air until the strike is settled but David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, and Colin Ferguson have not made their feelings public as of yet, other than to offer general support to their striking writers.
*Presidential hopefuls Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barak Obama, and John Edwards have said they will not cross the picket lines to take part CBS News' scheduled debate of Democratic candidates on December 10th. They also said their support of the striking union includes not doing appearances on talk shows like The View.
THIS JUST IN – CBS cancelled the debate this week.
And It Moves Us All Through Despair And Hope, Through Faith And Love
NBC gave full season order for both Chuck and Life, meaning that, pending the resolution of the strike, both will get a full 22 episode run. In other, less positive new series news, Journeyman does not currently have a place on NBC's schedule, with one episode left unaired. Wednesday's Bionic Woman was the last completed episode and the longer the strike goes on, the less likely it is anymore will ever be made.
Chuck and Life are two of my favorite new shows of the year, so I am incredibly happy with this news. Take these two and then add in that Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, and Gossip Girl have all been picked up and it's looking like quite a strong freshman class. I wish The CW would put that confidence in Reaper and Aliens In America, but I can't get too greedy. Do you think David Eick and NBC would have the guts to push the re-set button on Bionic Woman, ditching Michelle Ryan's Jamie Summers and focusing the show on Katee Sackhoff's Sarah Corvus? That might be the only thing that could save it at this point.
There's Nothing You Can Teach Me I Can't Learn From Mr. Hathaway
A partial list of the participants in VH-1's upcoming Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew were announced this week, including Bridgette Nielsen, Daniel Baldwin, Chyna, Jeff Conaway, and Jessica Sierra. The series, which debuts in January, will follow the "celebrities" as they live together while detoxing as well as trying to find the root of their addictions.
So this is what TV has come to – people trying to stay famous by beating their drug addictions for all the world to see. I had to use the internet to find out that Sierra is a former American Idol finalist; is their any irony in Dr Drew being a bigger celebrity than most of the participants? Sadly, I can actually envision a scenario where a has-been fakes an addiction to get on the show and extend their 15 minutes of fame. Shooting Sizemore, which I greatly enjoyed, seemed to be an actual reality show (i.e. one that was not incredibly staged) about someone with drug problems trying to live his life, where as this is just sad.
What I do find interesting is that with Daniel on this show, Stephen on The Apprentice, William shining on Dirty Sexy Money, and Alec continuing his brilliance on 30 Rock, all of the Baldwin boys will be on TV next year.
She's So Fine, There's No Telling Where The Money Went
Supermodel Paullina Porizakova will replace Twiggy as a judge on the upcoming cycle of America's Next Top Model on The CW. Twiggy had helped the show pick 5 winners but had scheduling conflicts that made her unavailable for filming. J. Alexander and Nigel Barker will return as judges. The 10th edition of ANTM will kick off in early 2008.
Despite how terrible a talk show host I think Tyra is – The Soup calls her on her self obsession in a manner that borders brilliance – I have to get credit where credit is due; she has turned ANTM into a reality TV institution, and one that shows no signs of slowing down. I think the all day VH-1 marathons have gone a long way towards expanding its audience, but the true proof of pop culture relevance is in getting ripped off, and between America's Most Smartest Model and E's upcoming runway showdown series, it's more than established itself. One wonders if they would ever try the show with male models, or at least half men, half women, but I doubt that would work as well.
Sometimes Late When Things Are Real And People Share The Gift Of Gab Between Themselves Tin Man, the three night, six hour Sci Fi original mini-series that attempts to re-imagine Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, debuts this Sunday night at 9 p.m., with parts two and three to follow on Monday and Tuesday. Starring Zooey Deschannel, Neil McDonough, Kathleen Robertson, Alan Cumming, and Richard Dryfuss, the plot couldn't not possible be recapped here except to say it takes some basic things from the book and then uses them as a bit of a starting off point.
I>Tin Man was almost my pick of the week and you shouldn't hold it against it that I went with my heart (see below). Truth be told, the first night is pretty mediocre, save for Alan Cumming's wonderful portrayal of Glitch, Tin Man's version of the Scarecrow. Zooey Deschannel is the biggest problem with the opening segments as she seems to almost sleepwalk through what should be some great material for an actor; by choosing to go neither over the top or to ground her reactions to the craziness in a way a real person might, she ends up middle of the road, and that's not a good thing. Fortunately, her lack of charisma is more than made up for by Kathleen Robertson as the evil sorceress Azkadelia; her mobots – their version of the famed flying monkeys – are the scariest part of the movie. Also meeting with success is Neil McDonough as the title character, who makes quite an impression with few words. The second and third nights are MUCH better, with multiple surprises along the way. The best way to review this is to say if you didn't think this was your cup of tea from the outset, it's probably not, but if you were on the fence about tuning in than you will be happy you invested the time.
Hope You Need My Love, Babe, Just Like I Need You
Once again we are looking at a week in TV that is more stuffed than Jennifer Love
Hewitt in a turtleneck. Let's get right to it…
*TONIGHT My Night At The Grammys, CBS
On-line voting on the top 25 moments in Grammy history has been taking place on-line for a few weeks and tonight CBS counts them down, Casey Kasem style. I am assuming the Eminem – Elton John duet from a few years back will make the cut, and not just because I voted for it 39 times.
*SATURDAY Harry Potter Marathon, ABC Family
The first two Harry Potter films (…And the Sorcerer's Stone and …And The Chamber Of Secrets) fare shown back to back on ABC Family on Saturday afternoon in preparation for the debut of the third (…And The Prisoner Of Azkaban) on Sunday night.
*SUNDAY Brothers And Sisters, ABC Desperate Housewives, ABC Last Laugh 07 Starring Lewis Black, Comedy Central Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project, HBO
Quite the night, don't you think? A tornado hits Wisteria Lane, with ABC hyping that at least one character will meet their demise, but I think we're safe in assuming it's a supporting player; hit shows only kill off regulars during sweeps. Kitty and Robert say "I do" on Brothers And Sisters, although since it involves the Walker family I am assuming hijinx ensue. Last Laugh is a year in review special with Two Tivos favorite Lewis Black – we love anyone who gets as annoyed at the world as we do, and especially people who get annoyed at those who don't notice the people and things that annoy us in the first place. Still with me? Mr. Warmth is a documentary about Don Rickles that promises to be equal parts funny and offensive.
*MONDAY The Closer, TNT Heroes, NBC Inside The Actors Studio, Bravo Life, NBC Monday Night Football, ESPN Saving Grace, TNT
"I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen." Let's hope James Lipton asks John Cusack about that line when he has him a guest on tonight's Inside The Actors Studio; the fewer questions about One Crazy Summer, the better. Heroes has its first half season finale, but depending on the strike, it could be the last one we see for months. NBC has bumped Journeyman in order to showcase a two part episode of Life that promises to reveal lots about the conspiracy that sent Charlie Crews to prison. The Closer returns for a two hour episode that is ridiculously manipulative and contrived and yet still manages to work on all levels, a testament to just how good this show is. Saving Grace, a not very good show, returns with the first of four new episodes. Look for the Patriots, coming off of a disappointing performance last week against the Eagles, to destroy the Ravens on Monday Night Football.
*TUESDAY Beauty And the Geek (Finale), The CW Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency (Season Premiere), Oxygen Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, CBS Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, CBS Beauty And The Greek wraps up its season by crowning new winners tonight, with the on-line voting last week the first time that viewers have had a say in who takes home the prize. Janice Dickinson is the walking definition of self parody, which makes her awfully hard to make fun. Let's move on. I am greatly amused at CBS tonight, which shows the holiday classic Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer at 8 and then the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at 10; children of all ages are catered to at the eye network.
*WEDNESDAY Julia Roberts Tribute, AMC House Of Payne, TBS Larry The Cable Guy's Christmas, VH-1 Life, NBC Million Dollar Christmas (Series Premiere), TLC Rachel Ray's Holiday Feast, Food Network
How does Julia Roberts rate a tribute? She's not a bad actress at all, even owns some well deserved statues, but being well liked and being an actress worth giving a tribute to are two totally separate things. I will give $10 to the first person on the show who mentions Mary Reilly. For the evenings other options you've got dueling Christmas specials, the second half of the Life two-parter, a new series on TLC that follows recent lottery winners, and a Christmas Carol parody on House Of Payne that features Tyler Perry reprising his Medea character.
*THURSDAY Barbara Walter's 10 Most Fascinating People, ABC CSI, CBS Katie Morgan's Porn 101, HBO Top Chef Holiday Special, Bravo
Regular TTTP Readers know I am not a CSI guy but tonight's episode is directed by William Friedkin, the man responsible for classics like The French Connection and The Exorcist, not to mention the highly underrated To Live And Die In LA, which stars one William Peterson. Apparently they wrote the script with him in mind, even including a car chase! Babs counts down the 10 Most Fascinating People tonight, including the ultra boring Beckhams. If we are using that scale – who got the most ink, air time, and blog coverage, than wouldn't Britney Spears have to be # 1, hands down?!?! Bravo rounds up three cast members each from the first three seasons of Top Chef to do battle over who can make the best holiday meal, with the winner getting $20,000.
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 last week…Last week's season finale of Weeds was up 18% from last year's finale and 44% from season one's sign off…Not a great decision for ABC to air a new Grey's Anatomy on Thanksgiving night – the ratings were a Thursday night low of 14 million...Bad news for October Road in that it's post Grey's season premiere held on to less than ½ of its lead in, with an average of 6 million viewers…Sunday's Patriots-Eagles match up gave NBC it's top rated game in the network's two year history for Football Night In America…Despite the football game's huge numbers, Desperate Housewives & Brothers And Sisters still had their full usual audience…ABC Family's Christmas Caper drew 2.3 million for it's debut on Sunday night, surpassing the network's expectations…Dancing With The Stars final night of competition had killer numbers on Monday night, with almost 25 million viewers tuning in, an increase of 15% from the same episode last season, which makes Tuesday's results finale getting the lowest demos in the show's five cycles that much more interesting… …The much hyped episode of Chuck scored it's best demos since the premiere…Samantha Who?, up against Two And Half Men for the first time, was down 18% but still pulled in 12.85 million…Heroes was up 11%, with their best numbers in two months…More bad news for October Road – it finished third on Monday night, behind even Journeyman… Charlie Brown Christmas won the 8:00 hour on Tuesday for the 18-49 crowd and topped Bones and The Biggest Loser for overall audience as well...Shrek The Halls was the most watched program on Wednesday night, both for key demos and overall, with a shade over 21 million tuning in, which more than doubled NBC's Christmas at Rockerfeller Center audience...Pushing Daisies took advantage of the strong holiday lead-in and a fresh time slot with higher than usual numbers...Criminal Minds posted it's best totals since last February...Bionic Woman, it what may end up being it's last airing, scored a series low for the 18-49 demos...On the other end of the spectrum was Fox's Kitchen Nightmares, which set series highs for that same demo...Coincidence?
All The Young Dudes Carry The News
Industry Notes, Pilot Updates, & Casting News…Ron Shelton, who directed such sports related films as Bull Durham, White Men Can't Jump, and Cobb, has been signed to direct HBO's adaptation of Game Of Shadows: Barry Bonds, Balco, and the Steroids Scandal That Rocked Professional Sports…Indy 500 winner Helio Castronoves was named this season's champion on Dancing With The Stars on Tuesday night…Fringe, JJ Abrams pilot for Fox about a young women starting her career with the FBI, will be directed by Emmy winner Alex Graves (The West Wing)…Emril Live was cancelled by the Food Network after a 10 year run…Elizabeth Berkley has been cast in the recurring role of Horatio's (David Caruso) ex-wife on CSI: Miami…The Hallmark Channel has purchased the rerun rights to Cheers, I Love Lucy, and 7th Heaven…Corbin Bernsen will host How Much Is Enough?, a new quiz show given a 40 episode order by GSN that rewards contestants for not being too greedy…CBS Sports will air Deer Valley Celebrity Skifest on Sunday December 16th, a one hour highlight special celebs making their way down the slopes for charity. Scheduled to appear are Kevin Costner, Tim Daly, Ted Danson, Julia Louis-Dryfuss, Larry David, and others…Oscar nominee Bruce Davison is the latest to join the cast of NBC's upcoming Knight Rider remake…NBC will use ER's Thursday's at 10 time slot to launch it's new dramedy Lipstick Jungle in February. Starring Brooke Shield, Lindsay Price and Kim Raver, the series is based on a book by Sex And The City author Candace Bushnell…
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…With how much I have enjoyed Dirty Sexy Money this year, it was high time I gave the show more of a spotlight, and the quality of Wednesday's episode gave the perfect opportunity. The casting directors should win an award as all the Darling children are outrageous in a way that can skirt cartoonish but that never makes them lose their humanity. They all got the chance to shine this week; William Baldwin clearly had fun with Patrick feeling no pain thanks to his morphine drip, Seth Gabriel made Jeremy's attempts to hide his true identity seem almost noble, Samaire Armstrong brightened the show simply by Juliet's return, and Natalie Zea's Karen continued to make her particular brand of cluelessness incredibly charming. As usual, my favorite of the children is Brian, who was revealed this week to be Nick's half brother. Glenn Fitzgerald's anger and intensity gives the show passion, and his ability to turn on a dime and reveal bits of his wounded self, like when he asks Nick to sit next to him and explains what church is for, make him one of this season's break out stars. The idea that I could write a paragraph about my love for DSM and not go on about the class and dignity Donald Sutherland brings to his role, or how Peter Krause is the glue that holds the show together, tells you just how high the caliber of acting is.
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…The season premiere of Nip/Tuck was that week's Best Of What's Around but the truth is the three episodes that followed could have easily won that designation, too. It is almost shocking how good the show is right now and there is a strong chance it may work it's way into my upcoming year end Top 10 of 2007…Watching back-to-back episodes of Samantha Who? proved to me that the "cute" factor the show has isn't the kind that gets old. When Christina Applegate mentioned her real parents giving her a heart shaped locket, Mrs. Tivo turned to me and asked, "Does she think she's Annie?"…Wayne Brady was great in his second How I Met Your Mother appearance…What I enjoyed most about this week's Law And Order: SVU is the detail they went into when removing Stabler's wife from the car after her auto accident. While other shows might rush that along, it seemed like an incredibly accurate, step-by-step portrayal of what emergency services would do in a situation like that, and the drama was heightened because of it. What I didn't enjoy was the manipulation into thinking she had died, even if it only lasted for a minute…Was I the only one who was shocked at Chevy Chase's performance on Brothers And Sisters? I am not saying he was brilliant but the scene with him and Sally Field sitting in the convertible was 100% genuine…I enjoyed this week's Chuck despite the over-hype from NBC that couldn't help but make expectations reach unattainable levels. I wish there could have been a scene that was just Chuck and Bryce discussing all that had happened to them since they parted ways in college, and dealing with some of the anger that Chuck has carried around for so long. Of course any smart TV viewer knows Bryce will reappear at some point, so maybe they are saving some of those fireworks for down the line. Clearly someone at NBC is reading TTTP as this week included even more quality Julia Ling (Alex) screen time…Desperate Housewives scored points with me this week for acknowledging some loose ends, especially Orson's running down of Mike two years ago. And yes, that was Big Love's Melora Walters (Wanda) as the woman from Adam's past…Was I the only one a bit misty when Booth gave Bones her Christmas present?...So House finally has his new team in place, which I hope means they can finally intergrate Cameron and Chase into the stories...
TV Pick Of The Week
There is nothing in the world of sport like the annual Army-Navy Football Game (Noon on Saturday, CBS). Yes, it's a college football game, but it's so much more than just that because its participants are all too well equipped to place the contest in the proper context; with so many of their brothers and sisters under fire halfway across the world, the players recognize that words like "war" and "battlefield" should not be thrown around lightly. For a full understanding on the power and emotion of this annual event you should pick up John Feinstein's A Civil War, which ranks among the best books I have ever read. This game is my one of my favorite afternoons of the year, and is one of the few broadcasts to truly deserve the label, "must see". Don't miss the Army-Navy Game on Saturday on CBS.
Two Tivos To Paradise, Weekly Update 30 Days, The 4400, Aliens In America, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Antique Roadshow, The Apprentice, Battlestar Galactica, Best Week Ever, Big Love, Bionic Woman, Bones, Boston Legal, Brothers And Sisters, Burn Notice, Chuck, The Closer, Criss Angel Mindfreak, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Dead Zone, The Deadliest Catch, Desperate Housewives, Destination Truth, Dirty Sexy Money, Entourage, Eureka, Everybody Hates Chris, Flipping Out, Ghost Hunters, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, The Hills, House, How I Met Your Mother, Jericho, Kid Nation, King Of Cars, Last Comic Standing, Law And Order, Law And Order: Criminal Intent, Law And Order: Special Victims Unit, Lost, Mad Men, Medium, Moonlight, My Name Is Earl, The New Adventures Of Old Christine, Next Food Network Star, Nip/Tuck The Office, One Tree Hill. Project Runway, Pushing Daisies, Psych, Real Time With Bill Maher, Reaper, Rescue Me, The Riches, Rules Of Engagement, Run's House, Samantha Who?, Saturday Night Live, Scrubs, Shark, Shear Genius, The Soup, Supernatural, Top Chef, Top Design, Ugly Betty, Welcome To The Parker
Additions :None Deletions :None
People Love You When They Know You're Leaving Soon
Here ends another edition of Two Tivos To Paradise. I will keep my fingers, toes, and any other body parts I can think of crossed in the hopes that when you return to this space next Friday, the strike will be over. I will be back next week with reviews of concerts by Will Dailey and Raul Malo as well as the usual plethora of TV news you can only find here. Have a great week!
Feedback is encouraged at twotivostoparadise@yahoo.com.
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.
