Two Tivos to Paradise 4.04.08: A TV News Column that Randy, Paula, AND Simon all Love!

Posted by Al Norton on 04.04.2008

Is there an actor's strike on the horizon?, NBC's line up for the next 12 months, Kristen Bell may have a new series, Ray Romano's return to prime time, 30 Rock leads the Peabody Award winners, an Idol Gives Back preview, raves for Real Time with Bill Maher, tons of news and notes, the TV Pick of the Week and more, all in Al Norton's Two Tivos To Paradise.

Hello Friends. Thanks for all the well wishes last week with the announcement of my impending fatherhood, to twins no less. I will make a solemn vow to not let the pressures of kids on the way (and moving, too) effect this column too much, although don't be surprised if there are some small editions come mid-August. Multiple people have pointed out the poor timing in having babies in the middle of pilot season, not to mention my guy friends who have oh so generously put dibs in on my Red Sox tickets.

'Cause it's 9 in the afternoon and your eyes are the size of the news.

Life Is Very Short And There's No Time For Fussing And Fighting, My Friend
With the entertainment industry still not fully recovered from the WGA strike, news this week that SAG and AFTRA, the two major acting unions, were splitting up for their upcoming negotiations with the AMPTP had some worried that another worst case scenario was becoming more and more probable. AFTRA members voted on Saturday to go for their own deal, with AFTRA President Robert Reardon referencing what she felt was SAG's, "relentless campaign of disinformation and disparagement" While SAG has an April 15th date for their first meeting with the AMPTP, AFTRA has no such date to begin talks on their calendar. Combined the two unions, which have negotiated joint deals for decades, represent more than 44,000 actors.

This is not good. When the WGA went on strike, business as usual creeped along for a while with the existing scripts but if/when the actors go on strike, everything shuts down immediately. Most of the issues involved in a new contract are the same as the writer's faced, including compensation for DVD sales as well as for downloads and streaming episodes. It seems clear that one of the groups is looking to try and make a statement with their negotiations while the other recognizes the damage done to the industry over the winter and that neither side wins with a work stoppage. Some of SAG's big name members, including George Clooney and Meryl Streep, have put pressure on the union to get a deal done and avoid the acrimony and potential financial disaster that went along with the WGA contract.

Goodbye Grey Skies, Hello Blue. Nothin' Can Hold Me When I Hold You
NBC unveiled its planned line up for the next 12+ months on Wednesday, weeks before the traditional "up front" presentations. While there were no shows expected to return that did not, Lipstick Jungle being included on the renewals was a bit of a surprise, and the much rumored deal with Direct TV to keep Friday Night Lights alive for a third season was a huge victory for fans of quality television.

Notable new shows include:

*My Own Worst Enemy, the Christian Slater secret agent drama you read about here two weeks ago. Slater stars as a suburban Dad who slowly begins to realize that he has a secret identity as a spy.

*Crusoe, an adaptation of Daniel Defoe's classic novel Robinson Crusoe that will anchor the Friday night line up.

*Knight Rider, an updated version of the cheesy 80's classic that got the green light after the ratings success of a two hour TV movie this past winter.

*A spin off of The Office that based on earlier rumors will not be the kind that takes an existing character and give them their own show (a la Joanie Loves Chachi) but rather one that uses the current series to introduce new characters before they go out on their own. It will premiere in tandem with an episode of The Office that airs immediately following the Super Bowl next February.

*The Philanthropist, which follows a super rich guy as he gives away money to help those in need. Think The Equalizer with cash. It's produced by Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson and will debut in early 2009.

*Kath And Kim, a mother-daughter comedy starring Selma Blair and Molly Shannon that is an adaptation of a successful Australian series.

*Kings, a drama series starring Deadwood's Ian McShane and executive produced by I Am Legend's Francis Lawrence and Erwin Stoff.

*Merlin, as you might expect, is a fantasy action series set in Camelot and featuring Buffy alum Anthony Head in its cast.

*The Listener is about a 24 year old paramedic who can read minds.

*Chopping Block, a new reality series featuring celebrity chef Marco Pierre White that seems like a mix of the bizarre intensity of Hells Kitchen and the real food challenges of Last Restaurant Standing.

*America's Toughest Jobs and Shark Taggers are from the team that created Deadliest Catch. The former is a competition show and the latter a documentary series.

*Mini-series The Last Templar (Mira Sorvino, Victor Gerber, Omar Sharif, Scott Foley) and XIII (Val Kilmer, Stephen Dorf).

There will be two episodes of Deal or No Deal each week (Wednesday and Friday) and The Biggest Loser has officially been stretched to 90 minutes per week. Life, shifting to Fridays at 10 pm, is the only returning show that will be in a new home for the fall. Also announced was the Two Tivos favorite Donal Logue is joining the cast of Life as Charlie's new boss.

ER will return for a 15th and final season, and Medium will air on Sundays at 9 pm but its season 5 debut date has yet to be determined. Also of note are the 30 minute editions of Saturday Night Live planned for the three Thursdays leading up to the Presidential election. FNL will air on Direct TV starting in October and then make its run on NBC come 2009.

While changes could obviously be made, NBC has not only announced the next 12 months or so of programming but has timed it so they get the entire spotlight. I wonder if this will cause their competition to consider shaking things up a bit as well.

Some Men Go Crazy, Some Men Go Slow, Some Men Go Just Where They Want, Some Men Never Go
Ray Romano's first post-Everybody Loves Raymond TV project took shape this week when TNT ordered a pilot of Men of a Certain Age, a one hour dramedy written by Romano and Mike Royce. Focusing on three best friends as they approach middle age, Romano will star in the series as a divorced Dad of two who runs a party store. Royce and Romano wrote together on ELR, where they both won Emmys.

Now I know some people don't find Romano all that funny but Everybody Love Raymond didn't have millions of fans and rack up 45 Emmy nominations for nothing. I don't mean to sound like an old fogy but once you get married you may find it a lot more amusing. One of the things I think the show did best was acknowledge some of the annoying parts of Ray's (the character) personality, which was funny and showed Romano was pretty self aware, which bodes well for this new project. If TV has room for multiple shows based on women juggling careers, home life, and friendship, there ought to be room for at least one show for the dudes.

TNT had a busy week as they also gave a 13 episode order to Truth In Advertising, a new drama series Eric McCormick and Tom Cavanaugh set in the world of…advertising (duh). The cast also includes Monica Potter and Griffin Dunne, with much of the writing and producing staff being alums of The Closer.

First You Love Me, Than You Hate Me, That's A Game For Fools
Eonline.com is reporting that Kristen Bell is re-teaming with Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas for his upcoming ABC pilot, Outrageous Fortune. A remake of a popular Australian series about a family of criminals who's matriarch makes them go straight after their Dad goes to prison. The report has Rene Russo being cast as the Mom and Bell would likely play her daughter.

Rob Thomas may be the busiest man in Hollywood right now, although interestingly enough all of the projects are remakes; along with above project he is writing the pilot for The CW's update of Beverly Hills, 90210, as well as reworking his own short lived series Cupid for a second run. I am not sure what conclusions to draw from all of these second chances but I do know that Thomas is in high demand.

I love Kristen Bell and think she is in the process of becoming a huge star, especially with Forgetting Sarah Marshall due out shortly. While I hope that this new project wouldn't preclude Bell from continuing her role on Heroes, I can understand why reuniting with the guy who created the role that made her famous would be such a draw.

There Comes A Time When We Heed A Certain Call, When We All Must Come Together As One
This Wednesday night Fox airs its second Idol Gives Back special, this time a two and a half hour telethon to raise money for a variety of domestic and international charities. Last year's even pulled in $76 million in donation from both individuals and companies and the added star power and extra 30 minutes in air time means Fox is hoping to top that, with an unstated goal of hitting $100 million.

Hosted by Ryan Seacrest (it was supposed to be Seacrest with Ellen Degeneres but she backed out this week due to her production schedule), the program will feature a variety of musical and comedy performances along with appeals for donation. Stars scheduled to appear include Bono, Brad Pitt, Eli & Peyton Manning, Annie Lennox, Dane Cook, John Legend, Snoop Dogg, Fergie, Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Maroon 5, Boys II Men, Gloria Estefan, Robin Williams, Forrest Whittaker, Celine Dion, Amy Adams, Elliot Yasmin, Jennifer Connolly, Vanessa Hudgins, Fantasia, and Keifer Sutherland.

The charities that will receive the funds raised during the show are the Children's Defense Fun, The Global Fund, Make It Right, Malaria No More, Save The Children, and the Children's Health Fund. ExxonMobil, News Corporation, Ford, AT & T, and Coca Cola lead the pack of corporate sponsorship.

Ok, as much AI bashing that goes on on the net, who can really find fault with Fox using the most popular show on TV as a way to raise money for some incredibly worthy causes?!?? Seriously, as self congratulatory as the show may be, its money these organizations would not receive otherwise. And it's a TON of money, too. It's also a very good thing for the young audience that AI draws in to learn that charity is a good thing and that we should all be aware of those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

The Spy Who Loved Me Is Keepin' All My Secrets Safe Tonight
Winners of the 67th Annual Peabody Awards for broadcasting excellence in news and entertainment were announced on Wednesday, with a mixture of mainstream and obscure honorees. 30 Rock, The Colbert Report, Dexter, Mad Men, Project Runway, and Planet Earth were the series that received the highly prestigious distinction, as were individual episodes or segments of 60 Minutes, CBS News Sunday Morning, and Frontline. Specials CNN Presents: God's Warriors and Bob Woodruff Reporting: Wounds of War also were named as winners.

The Peabody is a pretty darn big deal and one that carries a lot of weight in the industry. They also carry weight with me as they singled Battlestar Galactica and Homicide: Life on the Street (TWICE) for praise while the Emmys seemed fine to ignore their brilliance. I am a new Dexter convert but think it's a well deserved honor, and no one is a bigger Mad Men fan than I, who had it on my 2007 Top 10 list. Planet Earth alone is worth the cost of a high def TV and is one of the better nature shows of my lifetime; it was so amazing it almost made me want to get high and watch again. Project Runway surprised me a bit but as one of the few reality shows that doesn't rely on manipulation or editing for success, so I don't have an issue with it.

And With Your Hair Combed Right And Your Pants Fit Tight, It's Gonna Be All Right
Season 7 of American Idol is actually season one when it comes to my watching. All season long I will be providing a weekly diary of the action as well as covering any AI related news items. Tuesday's outing picked up 800K viewers to come in with a total of 25.18 million.

TUESDAY
It's down to the final 9 of the 2008 edition of American Idol. It's also the first of the "mentor nights", and we are kicking things off with no less an American icon than Dolly Parton. Let's get to it...Tuesdays episode posted a four year low of 25.2 million. 24.3 million tuned in to Wednesday's results episode, down 7%, some of which can be attributed to the previous nights smaller than usual audience and some of of which might have been due to the fact that CBS ran a new Criminal Minds for the first time this year…
-Lame April Fool's opening. Fox doesn't have the forethought or the production budget to do a "real" fake Moment of Truth teaser, with Simon in the hot seat and Paula and Randy on the guest couch? That would have been awesome.

-Brooke is doing Jolene, one of my favorite Dolly tunes. It's a decent performance but nothing memorable. Unlike Simon, I like the violin and the the overall energy by having everyone playing on stage together.

-David Cook took Little Sparrow, a song he very well might not have been at all familiar with, and made it his own. Good job.

-The camera had to pull back during Ramiele's performance or we were about to find out her grooming habits. She seems lost in the song. I am guessing bottom 3 and maybe a trip home.

-Jason Castro is doing the Oscar nominated Travellin' Through and during the second half he clicks. Simon is clearly not a Dolly fan but he should still bone up on the mentor's music before they arrive on the show.

-Carly shines with Here You Come Again, giving it a 70's vibe, and I mean that in a good way.

-The best thing about the cut to an hour is the lack of live commercials. I am pretty sure IEverything will survive without the plugs.

-The Arculetta Youth Movement gives a very, very strong vocal performance on Smokey Mountain Memories but one I still am finding empty. Does anyone else think he would be just as happy to go home and get on with his life as a regular kid.

-By the way, I was thinking of switching this week and calling him Archuletta XY...Your Thoughts?

-Kristy's bare feet added a nice touch to a solid rendition of Coat of Many Colors.

-Syesha is taking a HUGE risk with I Will Always Love You. Mrs. Tivo thinks she didn't come through but I thought it was great.

-Michael Johns in closing things up tonight. Hey, did the ascot come back into style while I was in the kitchen? This was his single best non-Queen performance of the whole show.

Did I get through the whole night without making a joke referencing Parton's ample assetts?!?! This is getting tough but I am thinking Ramielle, Jason, and Kristy in the bottom three.

WEDNESDAY
It's a results episode, and one that brings us from 9 to 8. Who will take the long walk home? Let's get to it..
-Hey, they started early! Of course, that means I miss Ryan's intro, so it's not all bad.

-Dolly and Next Great American Band winners The Clark Brothers are here tonight. American Idol's got both kinds of music; country AND western.

-What happened to the rest of Paula's shirt?

-These group sings are really quite frighteningly amateurish, plus they also really show how young (and stiff) Archuletta XY is. I even have a NEW nickname for him - David "Have You Seen Warren?" Archuletta.

-Still with the phone calls?

-Wow that Ford commercial brought back bad memories of Hang Time.

-Dolly doesn't lack for energy, does she?

-And Ramiele goes home, which is how it should be. Brooke shouldn't have been anywhere near that bottom 3, thought, at least not with Jason Castro still in the competition.

That Breakup We Had Has Left Me Lonesome And Sad
Last week I ran the full list of show returning from their WGA strike hiatus; starting today I will run what debuts in the next seven days, again with the number of episodes in the run in parenthesis.

Tonight
Battlestar Galactica (10)
Ghost Whisperer (6)
Numb3rs (6)

Monday, 4/7
Samantha Who? (6)

Tuesday, 4/8
Boston Legal (6)
NCIS (7)

Thursday, 4/10
30 Rock (5)
ER (6)
Scrubs (5)
The Office (6)

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…The finale of The Celebrity Apprentice was last Thursday's most watched show, both for total audience and for demos. The 12.1 million who tuned in matched the high from the season premiere and tied the series best numbers since 2005…Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader and Don't Forget The Lyrics showed slight improvement last Thursday…The 7.4 million who tuned in to the Kids Choice Awards on Saturday represented a new record for the Nick Awards show. It was not only the most watched cable show of the week but also the most watched show on all of TV for the week with the under 18 crowd…Dancing with the Stars held steady on Monday with 20.29 million…How I Met Your Mother had another very strong week with 9.67 million, adding a million to the audience provided by lead-in The Big Bang Theory…The season finale of The New Adventures of Old Christine hit it big with a season high 12.4 million…The Capture of the Green River Killer, which aired in two parts (Sunday and Monday) became the most watched movie in the Lifetime Movie Network's history…The season premiere of Hell's Kitchen was watched by 12.55 million, a series best…The results episode of DWTS pulled in 16.5 million…CSI: Miami had a two part episode this week, with the second half airing on Tuesday at 10 pm and giving the network their best numbers in that timeslot since 2003…Criminal Minds returned on Wednesday with 12.8 million, less than there pre-strike average due to the AI competition…CSI:NY also averaged 12.8 million, which matched it's pre-strike numbers…America's Next Top Model rebounded from recent mediocre numbers to post a very solid 4.8 million for The CW…Robert Wuhl signed an extension on his development deal with HBO, where he's been for the past 12 years, with plans to work on a new series. All Arli$$ evidence to the contrary, Wuhl is actually quite funny….Billy Campbell will star in the two hour Sci Fi movie/backdoor pilot Revolution…Molly Ringwald has joined the cast of 7th Heaven creator Brenda Hampton's untitled ABC family drama…E! ordered a second season of Sunset Tan…

All The Young Dudes Carry The News
Industry News, Notes, and Hot Rumors…Smallville creators Al Grough and Miles Millar have stepped down as executive producers/showrunners, effective at the end of this season. They will be replaced by four members of the writing team who also serve as producers. As you read about here a few weeks back, Kathie Lee Gifford is returning to daytime TV as the co-host of The Today Show's 4th hour…Former weekend Extra! anchor Jon Kelley will be the new host of The Mole when the series returns to ABC this spring…CBS' love affair with Simon Baker continues as the former star of The Guardian and Smith will be the lead in their new crime drama The Mentalist (think PSYCH minus the laughs), with Prison Break's Robin Tunney as a co-star…The upcoming Miss USA Pageant will be hosted by Donny and Marie and feature Heather Mills, Rob Schneider, Kristin Alfonso (Days of our Lives) and Kelly Carlson (Nip/Tuck) among the judges…Nickelodeon is working on their own version of High School Musical – production starts next month on Spectacular!, about a high school choir saved by the new kid with the rock and roll in his voice…Justin Hartley, best known for his recurring role as Aquaman on Smallville, has been cast as the lead in The CW's new real time medical drama Austin Golden Hour…The lovely and talented JoAnna Garcia (Reba) has also been hired by The CW for a pilot; she is an Ivy League educated teacher who becomes a live-in tutor to some filthy rich girls in the well titled, How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls…As a follow up to last week's story about big names directing pilots we bring word that Jason Bateman will be behind the camera for the first episode of The Inn, a hotel based comedy written by a fellow Arrested Development alum. Bateman previously directed multiple episodes of AD…Sara Rue has been cast as the female lead in Fox's Spaced, about a two people who pretend to be a couple in order to secure an apartment…Matthew Broderick will guest on an upcoming 30 Rock…Elizabeth Reaser (Grey's Anatomy) is the lead in the CBS pilot Mythological Ex…Ioan Gruffudd, best known as Mr. Fantastic from the Fantastic Four movies, will play Amy Smart's angelic boss on CBS Mean To Be's…NBC offered Jay Leno the post-Tonight Show job of hosting an adaptation of the BBC series Top Gear but Leno turned it down, saying it would be impossible for a new show to match the original's quality…Lifetime renewed How To Look Good Naked for a second season…Soapnet place a 10 episode order for MVP: The Secret Lives of Hockey Wives, a new drama series…Those of you wondering when How I Met Your Mother was going to bring Robin Sparkles back will be excited to learn there is an upcoming episode with the title of Robin Sparkles. Also of note is that James Van Der Beek will guest star on said episode…Speaking of HIMYM, rumors abound that Brittney is in talks to return to the show for at least one more episode this spring…William Peterson signed a one year extension on his CSI deal, albeit one with multiple out clauses, including another mid-season vacation so he can do a play…ABC has confirmed that High School Musical: Summer Sessions, a reality series looking for new cast members for the pop culture phenomenon, will begin airing in July…

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…This past Friday night's Real Time with Bill Maher was a fantastic mix of political dialogue and humor, with no punches pulled on either side of the aisle. Sure, everyone bashes George W., but despite Maher's libertarian leanings, the show still makes major targets of Barack and Hillary. The writer's strike caused the show to ditch one of their comedy segments and bring in a fourth panelist about halfway through the show, usually Marc Savage or PJ O'Rourke, both of whom bring a unique and funny prospective to the table. What I particularly enjoy is that conservatives get as much time to talk as any other individuals on the show; they may get shouted down by the audience or scoffed at by Maher, but he gives them the chance to voice their opinions before he ridicules them. I am not sure there is a host who is as well prepared for his weekly duties than Maher, who never forgets that the point of the show is to entertain.

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…It may just be my oversensitivity but an otherwise very entertaining episode of Reaper was shaded by the revelation that the gay couple next door (well played by Michael Ian Black and Veronica Mars alum Ken Marino) were demons. I am in no way saying that the show is based in reality or that every show has to portray every minority group as angels (so to speak) but it would help if the show had at least one other gay character who wasn't evil. This situation may have been resolved with episodes I have yet to watch…In the words of Emilly Latella, "never mind"; as it turns out I should never have doubted the folks at Reaper because in the next episode they told turned the whole gay demon thing on it's head in a way that was wildly entertaining and also clearly has some long term storyline implications. If it kees Black and Marino on my TV screen, I'm all for it...LOVED both the Battlestar Galactica specials this past Friday, and not just because it was the first time I got to see any part of the show in high def. There was something incredibly rewarding seeing how passionate other people are about the show; it made me feel a little less geeky. Not much, just a little…How I Met Your Mother was having a great week even before the brilliant, Doogie Howser tribute that closed the episode. Hopefully CBS will realize that the combination of comedic and Nielsen highs means the renewal of the sitcom should be a done deal…Anjelica Houston showed why she is beyond compare as an actress as she wrapped up her stint on Medium this week. Where last week's episode was a bit too creepy for me, the second half of the two part episode was what the show does best; mix some wonderful (and realistic) family scenarios in with some quality mysteries. The scene where Houston is talking with her daughter at the lake and the final shot, of her and series star Patricia Arquette on the front steps of the house, were genuinely heartfelt and not in the slightest bit manipulative…The question I had while watching the season premiere of Hells Kitchen was, "these are the best contestants Fox could come up with?" I think Top Chef usually casts for quality of cooking ability first and personality second; HK is all about who Gordon Ramsey can have the most conflict with. It's mostly entertaining but also somewhat annoying…A very sharp New Adventures of Old Christine this week thanks majorly to a script by Everybody Loves Raymond Emmy winner Lew Schneider…Great performance by Victor Garber on last week's Eli Stone – loved him being a George Michael fan, and the speech he gives to Eli at the end could have been super cheesy in the hands of a less talented actor but instead came across as genuine…

TV Pick Of The Week
A quick show of hands, who's surprised I am picking the season four premiere of Battlestar Galactica as the TV Pick of the Week? That's what I thought. The best show on TV kicks off its final season in style tonight, with a powerful episode that raises more questions than answers, especially about the newly returned Starbuck. As always, faith is one of the central themes, both in how and why Kara is back and also when it comes to Baltar's newest calling; how James Callis has never been nominated for an Emmy is truly beyond me. While those of you have never watched the show would be quite lost by jumping in now, fans of this great drama will appreciate how easily the episode clears the very high bar of quality they have established over the last three seasons. As a major bonus, many cable companies are now carrying Sci Fi's high def channel, which makes the show's already stellar special effects that much more impressive. Don't miss Battlestar Galactica tonight at 10 pm on Sci-Fi.

Two Tivos To Paradise, Weekly Update
30 Days, 30 Rock, Aliens In America, American Idol, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Antique Roadshow, The Apprentice, Battlestar Galactica, Best Week Ever, Big Love, Bones, Boston Legal, Breaking Bad, Brothers And Sisters, Burn Notice, Chuck, The Closer, Criss Angel Mindfreak, Curb Your Enthusiasm, 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, Make Me A Supermodel, 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, The Real Hustle, Reaper, Rescue Me, The Riches, Rules Of Engagement, Run's House, Samantha Who?, Saturday Night Live, Scrubs, Shark, Shear Genius, The Soup, Supernatural, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Top Chef, Top Design, Top This Party, Ugly Betty, Welcome To The Parker

People Love You When They Know You're Leaving Soon
Here ends another edition of Two Tivos To Paradise. We'll be back next week with all the latest TV news plus a report on Red Sox opening day at Fenway!

Have a great week, see you next Friday!

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.