Posted Nov 22nd 2009 4:03PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Programming, OpEd, The Closer, Friday Night Lights, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free, Mad Men, Burn Notice, Glee
Thanksgiving is coming and for many of us it's time to eat, drink and watch football. It's also a time to reflect on the things you're grateful for and since TV Squad is all about television, here's what I'm grateful for this holiday season, with regard to the tube.
Mad Men season finale
There was really nothing as satisfying in the entire year for me. Matt Weiner promised a game-changing episode and he delivered it with a whopper of a wrap up. Actually, nothing was really wrapped; it was more like the cards have been dealt and we're still waiting to see how the hands are played.
Continue reading What Allison is thankful for
Posted Nov 22nd 2009 2:02PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: OpEd, Early Looks, Reality-Free
Jesse Ventura has been a professional wrestler, an actor and a politician. None of these things have been as fake as the reality television show he will be hosting on truTV titled
Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura (premiering December 2 at 10 PM ET).
For the record, I have never met or spoken to Jesse Ventura. He would corroborate this if anybody asked. As a result, I have no idea if he actually believes the crap he says or the conspiracies he investigates on this show. From what I've read, it wouldn't surprise me.
In the series premiere, Jesse and his crew of unknowns, consisting of two young white guys and the token black British female, are investigating a U.S. government installation built in Alaska that's possibly intended to control the weather. Who makes this stuff up? Now we know where the monies saved from stopping the "bridge to nowhere" went.
Continue reading Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura -- An early look
Posted Nov 22nd 2009 1:03PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Sports, OpEd, Celebrities, Reality-Free
What does it say about the state of television broadcasting when the voice of television football is a guy who's voice is indiscernible? Is there really nobody that's filled the void since
John Madden stopped acting out in the booth with the booms and the pows and the turducken and horse trailer references? Afraid so. According to
Sporting News' list of the Top 25 Football Broadcasters in America, CBS football broadcaster
Gary Danielson is number one.
Sporting News used a measuring system based on fan reaction and the input of its reporters and editors (including
SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily), and despite the fact that Danielson's voice is pretty much just like
Bob Griese's (I always confuse the two), he's considered the best because "he explains it before most of us have seen it." That's on target. He is pretty smart, just unmemorable.
Continue reading Who's the top football broadcaster on TV today?
Posted Nov 22nd 2009 12:38PM by Annie Wu
Filed under: OpEd, Saturday Night Live, Episode Reviews
(S35E07) I imagine it played out like this: Joseph Gordon-Levitt was at home last week, trying to mentally prepare for his first go as
Saturday Night Live host by watching
January Jones. Her performance turned out to be wooden and incredibly low energy and, consequently, the laughs were minimal. This struck fear into Mr. Gordon-Levitt's heart, and, terrified, he dropped the pint of Phish Food that he was eating in my imagination. "I won't let this happen to me," I bet he said. "I'm going to eat two fistfuls of Pixi Stix at 11:25 p.m. Saturday night and have someone inject me with a near lethal dose of adrenaline. I'll also wear a lot of vests."
And that's how Joseph Gordon-Levitt managed to exhaust a seated audience through sheer enthusiasm and volume alone. Maybe.
Continue reading Review: Saturday Night Live - Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Dave Matthews Band
Posted Nov 22nd 2009 11:29AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Celebrities, Reality-Free
One of the stranger quirks of the holidays on television is the way networks and channels program. Movie marathons have become very common, especially TBS's tradition of 24-hours of
A Christmas Story. Now, another network is following in TBS's tradition by scheduling a movie marathon of its own.
The TV Guide Network will present a 12-hour marathon of Dirty Dancing. That's right, the Patrick Swayze-Jennifer Grey drama musical.
Look at this beautiful image from the movie. That's Johnny and Baby in the lake, practicing jumps for their big dance number. Doesn't it just scream "CHRISTMAS" to you?
Continue reading The perfect Christmas movie marathon? Dirty Dancing
Posted Nov 22nd 2009 10:32AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Friday Night Lights, Casting, Reality-Free
One of the most integral and interesting characters on
Friday Night Lights may be out of the lineup for much of the rest of the season. And he may not be back for next season, either.
Taylor Kitsch could be out of Friday Night Lights after the next few episodes. Michael Ausiello is reporting that executive producer Jason Katims confirmed that Taylor's conflicting schedule with a big screen project has mucked up the works.
Taylor's playing the title character in
John Carter of Mars, a big screen adaptation of the famous Edgar Rice Burroughs' books, which isn't slated to be released until 2012, but will require extensive filming. It doesn't look like he'll be able to fit more of
Friday Night Lights into the mix. And a lot of the predicament could be on the Disney side; will they free up his shooting schedule for John Carter to let him play Tim Riggins.
Continue reading Taylor Kitsch may be done with Friday Night Lights
Posted Nov 21st 2009 2:09PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, Video, Commercials, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free
You know how sometimes you see an actor or actress and they look so familiar, but you can't remember where you saw him or her, or what the TV show was? That's how I've been with the little boy who plays Brick on
The Middle. His name is
Atticus Shaffer, and since the ABC sitcom began this fall, I've been scratching my head over him. Where did I see him before?
Turns out that it was on a commercial for AIG. Yes, AIG, that huge insurance company that was a big part of the economic collapse. The company that was too big for America to let fail.
Continue reading That's why I recognize Brick from The Middle!
Posted Nov 21st 2009 1:07PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Celebrities, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
Steven and Stephen are getting together. That is to say that Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks TV are working with Stephen King to make a television
movie based on King's latest novel Under The Dome.
The novel is about one of those small New England towns that King enjoys writing about suddenly finding itself trapped in a force field. Unlike
The Simpsons Movie, the concept is not played for humorous effect.
The idea is reminiscent of those stories where people are trapped in a confined space and lawlessness sets in. There have been many similar concepts done in TV and film, although I can't think of any particular ones off the top of my head.
As he gets older, King's television presence becomes less. For a few years it seemed like a different TV show based on his work was being produced every year. He may be starting that again. So much for retirement.
Posted Nov 21st 2009 11:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Celebrities, Talk Show
After watching
The Oprah Winfrey Show today and hearing her teary announcement about her decision to end her syndicated talk show, I had one thought in my head.
Oprah Winfrey is doing a
Johnny Carson. She's writing her own script (no pun intended). Oprah is leaving while she's still wanted, while she's still strong, and by setting the date 18 months down the road, she's giving herself a victory tour.
This is very much like Johnny Carson's decision to leave
The Tonight Show. The difference, of course, is that Oprah's show is not an established landmark entity like
The Tonight Show, which had Steve Allen and Jack Paar as hosts before Carson. No, Oprah was/is
The Oprah Winfrey Show. She will not leave it behind for someone else to inherit the throne. She's taking the throne with her.
Continue reading Oprah's exit is like Johnny Carson leaving The Tonight Show
Posted Nov 21st 2009 9:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Celebrities, Reality-Free
Within a few weeks,
All My Children will be turning over a new leaf, officially making the move west to new studios in Los Angeles. Most actors are making the move. Some are not. And today
ABC informed the head writer, Charles Pratt Jr., that he's been let go. If he had his suitcases packed, well, sorry about that.
Chuck Pratt was hired with some fanfare in June 2008. He was a big hire because his resume is filled with flashy successes, including
Desperate Housewives, Melrose Place, Beverly Hills 90210, Ugly Betty, Santa Barbara and
General Hospital, among others. Pratt was supposed to revive
All My Children to its former luster, but -- alas -- it hasn't happened.
Continue reading ABC fires All My Children head writer Chuck Pratt
Posted Nov 21st 2009 2:52AM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E09) "I have a bad feeling about this one. A very bad feeling." - Melinda about the ghost in the closet
Melinda's bad feeling was, pardon the pun, dead on. Very bad things happened in this November Sweeps episode: Aiden was put in danger, the dead girl from the closet was front and center, the Shadows came back full force and in a way we hadn't see yet, Bedford gave more warnings to Eli, as a hurting Carl the Watcher gave warnings to Melinda.
Continue reading Review: Ghost Whisperer - Lost In The Shadows
Posted Nov 21st 2009 12:55AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S01E05) I don't think I've sighed as hard as I sighed during the opening scene of this episode of
White Collar in a long time. Caffrey and Moz find a note hidden by Kate ... in Grand Central Station? And not even in the station, but in the corner of the building outside. Did I miss some massive clue that Caffrey was following to find the exact location of the note shoved into a crack? Or are we just supposed to assume he's so smart and perceptive that he can find an old note within three minutes of showing up in front of the building? If I missed something, it was silly. If that's exactly how it went down, then it was kinda stupid.
Fun episode, though!
Continue reading Review: White Collar - The Portrait
Posted Nov 21st 2009 12:35AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S08E14) File this one under be careful what you wish for ... I feel like Rod Serling writing that, but there was a bit of a
Twilight Zone feel to this episode of
Monk. It was Monk in an alternate universe, only it looked like the same place we'd been to before. Same with Natalie. More on how things were the same, but different, after the jump.
Continue reading Review: Monk - Mr. Monk and the Badge
Posted Nov 20th 2009 1:04PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Sports, OpEd, Celebrities, Documentary
Lately, Detroit Tiger all-star outfielder Curtis Granderson has been in the news because he might be joining the New York Yankees. However, if
Major League Baseball free agency doesn't make him a household name, television might. Granderson has an idea for a reality series that's being shopped around now and it's not like anything else other athletes have pitched.
Granderson's series is called Stadium Secrets and it will be like History Channel's
Cities of the Underworld. In fact, it might be suited to the History Channel. Granderson would host the show and lead viewers into the inner recesses and hidden passages of famous stadia around the world -- although it'll probably start with American locations.
Continue reading Granderson has Stadium Secrets to share
Posted Nov 20th 2009 11:49AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, FlashForward
(S01E09) I've thought since the beginning that Bryce was more one of the more intriguing characters on the series. The fact that he was on the verge of suicide when he had his flashforward was indicative of some deeper hurts that we hadn't explored yet, but this week he finally got his due. We also got to meet the mystery woman from his vision, and now his sketches.
I've also realized that a lot of you are right about one thing. The character of Mark Benford isn't working for me anymore. He's a dick through and through, and he absolutely proved that this week in how he handled trying to track down some information.
In fact, even though Olivia's a little better than Mark, I'd say the "first family" of
FlashForward are the two least likable or interesting characters on the show. I think the drama may have been better served by having Mark die in Al's place a couple of weeks ago.
Continue reading Review: FlashForward - Believe
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