What's On? This Week In Television

February 16th, 2009 1:54pm EST Post a comment

This Monday night starts off a new week of television with a lot of reruns. The week culminates in the 81st Annual Academy Awards show, where favorites Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button vie for the coveted best picture Oscar.

Monday
Pick of the Night: House, FOX 8/7c.
"Unfaithful," a priest checks in to the hospital and claims to have seen Jesus floating above him.

Other new episodes worth watching: The Closer TNT 9/8c

Rerun alert: Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Two And A Half Men, CSI: Miami Nights, Chuck.

Tuesday
Pick of the Night: American Idol FOX 8/7c.
This two hour special includes the first 12 of the final 36 contestants.

Other new episodes worth watching: NCIS CBS 8/7c, Leverage TNT 10/9c, Law and Order SVU NBC 109c.

Rerun alert: Scrubs

Wednesday
Pick of the Night: Law and Order NBC 10/9c
"Rapture," Jack McCoy's opponent for DA of New York decides to use his recent decisions to start an attack ad campaign against him.

Other new episodes worth watching: Lost ABC 9/8c, Important Things with Demetri Martin, Comedy Central 10:30/9:30c.

Thursday
Pick of the Night: CSI: CBS 9/8c
"Miscarriage of Justice," Langston (Lawrence Fishburne) is testifying in a high-profile case against a congressman, but the lab decides to reopen the case after new evidence comes to light.

Other new episodes worth watching: Survivor: Toncantins CBS 8/7c. Grey's Anatomy ABC 9/8c, The Beast A&E 10/9c.

Rerun alert: The Office, 30 Rock

Friday
Pick of the night: Monk USA 9/8c.
"Mr. Monk Fights City Hall," When the parking garage where Trudy was killed is set for demolition, Monk intervenes, but instead finds himself investigating the disappearance of a city official key to preserving the site.

Other new episodes worth watching: Psych USA 10/9c, Dollhouse FOX 9/8c

Saturday
Go out and do something fun.

Sunday
PICK OF THE WEEK: 81st Annual Academy Awards show
The coverage starts at 8/7c on ABC with the red carpet show where you can see interviews with your favorite stars. Then afterwards is the presentations of the Oscars live from Los Angeles.

NO episode: Desperate Housewives

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2009/02/16/what_s_on_this_week_in_television_2

Starpulse.com articles

I have now been contributing articles to the entertainment website Starpulse.com for 6 months. Most of the articles have either been posted or originated on this blog, but the link below will send you to a page with all of the articles I have written for them, including ones not posted on this blog such as "Scrubs is Back!" and "TV's best crime shows in transition."

Kevin Olsta's Starpulse.com articles

Bob is the Ultimate Survivor

Bob Crowley, a physics teacher from Maine, bested the rest and became the winner of Survivor: Gabon and the million dollars that goes along with it. At 57, Bob is the oldest person to ever win the title of sole survivor, and also might be the most likeable winner of all time. Through online voting and text messaging, the viewers rewarded him with the fan favorite award, earning him an extra $100,000 to go along with his winnings.

Bob truly outwitted, outplayed, and outlasted his competitors to get all the way to the end. When his back was against the wall on multiple occasions, he was able to hatch plans to save himself every time. With four players remaining, Susie won the final immunity challenge, leaving Bob vulnerable. Bob was the obvious pick to vote out, since it was likely that the jury members would vote for him to win. However, Sugar had come to look up to Bob as a father figure, and Bob was able to use that to convince her to vote for Matty. This caused a tie, and resulted in what was essentially a million dollar fire building contest. Bob had actually been practicing for this possibility when he had time alone. The training paid off, literally, as he won and earned a spot in the final three.

The final three were Bob, Susie, and Sugar, the model from California. Sugar has become very popular with the public, as she has claimed she can't even leave her house without running into paparazzi. However, the feelings did not translate to the game. The other players decided that they did not approve of her tactics and emotionality, and she received no votes from the jury. Susie was the ultimate underdog going in, but she was able to win a spot in the final three by building the best house of cards at the immunity challenge. Then, at the final tribal council, she gave a very convincing argument that she deserved to win because she had exceeded all expectations and tried her hardest at every turn. Nevertheless, it would be Bob that earned four of the seven votes for his likeability and mental and physical prowess to become Ultimate Survivor.

Survivor will be back this spring for another installment. Host Jeff Probst and 18 Americans will experience the adventure of a lifetime in the Brazilian highlands.

Jay Leno and NBC announce outside-the-box programming move

This afternoon, NBC announced a breakthrough plan for fall 2009 that is unlike any other line-up ever produced.

It was well documented that this spring Jay Leno would be stepping down from his 16 year post at The Tonight Show. Late Night host Conan O'Brien would move into the 11:35/10:35c slot, and former SNL cast member Jimmy Fallon would be taking over for Conan on Late Night.

These moves led to speculation that Jay would in fact not be retiring, but instead ink a lucrative deal to create a new show on a competing network. With these talks moving from rumor to reality, NBC realized they had to do all they could to try to keep Jay Leno in the family.

So what's the solution? A completely outside-of-the-box programming move that will bring Jay Leno to primetime. Instead of airing costly hour dramas every night at 10/9c, NBC will be featuring The Jay Leno Show every weeknight. In a press conference this afternoon, NBC chairman Jeff Zucker talked about how excited they were to have this innovative new idea set in place, and to have Jay Leno at the center of it. Leno commented on how people are going to bed earlier. People enjoy things like the monologue and headlines, but just don't want to stay up till midnight to see it. In primetime, he said that he hopes to do more on location pieces and break from the set mold of comedy, guest, music. The move is certainly an interesting one, and probably contains equal parts of brilliance and desperation.

What kind of domino effect does this move create? First of all, NBC will have over 30% less time for original series programming. This means that many underperforming shows will likely get the axe and other shows may be delegated to one of NBC's cable networks like when they moved Law & Order CI to the USA network. Secondly, since Jay will be bringing the many of the Tonight Show's components to The Jay Leno Show, it begs the question whether the Tonight Show will essentially adopt the format of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Ealier, there was speculation that Conan would have to abandon many of the quirky sketches and themes that he uses on the Late Night show when he moved to the 11:35/10:35c slot. Now, it would appear that he may have more latitude to make the show his own. Thirdly, this really opens up the door for Jimmy Fallon to really create an entirely new show at Late Night, instead of just taking over for Conan. How will the other networks respond to this? My guess is probably not much at all. They have many established hits at the 10/9c hour, and I would assume that shows like CSI:Miami would still beat Jay in the ratings. The question will be how much of an increase will NBC experience over other shows in these slots like the discarded Journeyman or struggling My Own Worst Enemy.

This move is at the very least a gimmick and at the very most a game changer in which NBC looks to rise out of the fourth place hole it has been in for several years. The plans are being laid out right now, but we will have to wait until next fall to experience it for ourselves.

Bob outwits and outplays on new Survivor

There were only seven players left on Thursday's new episode of Survivor Gabon, and old Kota members Corinne and Bob looked like the next to go. The alliance of Kenny, Crystal, Sugar, Matty, and Susie had a huge numbers advantage. Bob and Corinne knew they would have to throw a Hail Mary pass to escape elimination, and they came up with one of the more brilliant plans ever devised.

Weeks earlier, Marcus had found a hidden immunity idol and decided to throw it in the ocean so no one could have it. Bob crafted a fake immunity idol, and claimed that it was the one Marcus claimed to throw in the ocean. This was the second time Bob had created a fake immunity idol, and this one was by far the most impressive counterfeit ever produced in the 17 season history of the show.

After Bob won the individual immunity challenge, he now had all the pieces in place to hatch his plan. He told Kenny that he had a hidden idol, and that he would give it to Corinne at the tribal council to save themselves from elimination. Bob said that he and Corinne would be voting for Matty, and that Kenny and Crystal should join them in blindsiding Matty. Then the four of them could form a new alliance and go to the end. Kenny agreed that Matty was a big threat to him, and that this was a good idea.

At tribal council, Bob's plan was moments from coming to fruition. Unfortunately for Bob, Crystal decided to vote for Corinne instead of Matty. Since their idol was a fake, Corinne could not protect herself from the four-three outcome. She became the twelfth player eliminated and the fourth member of the jury.

"Survivor" is coming down to its exciting conclusion with only six players remaining. Will Kenny's standing in the tribe be shaken because of his vote for Matty? Can Bob win more immunities or hatch a new plan to stay alive? Stick with Starpulse for every twist and turn.

Prop 8: The Musical

Some big names from television and film, gay and straight alike, recently got together to make "Prop 8: The Musical." Prop 8 was a proposition on the ballot in California this November that looks to make a state constitutional amendment making gay marriage illegal, effectively nullifying thousands of marriages carried out in the state over the last several years. The short video is very well done and brings up some great points. It features a solo from one of my favorite guys (not in that way...not that there's anything wrong with that), star of HIMYM and gay rights activist Neil Patrick Harris. I am trying to embed the video in the page, and if that doesn't work just follow this link.

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Two Gems cut on ABC Wednesday

On Wednesdays this fall, ABC decided to give three freshman shows a sophomore year when then they renewed Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, and Dirty Sexy Money. This week, ABC executives announced they will be pulling Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money after their 13th episodes later this December. Both shows have been slipping in ratings, and DSM has come in a consistent third against Law & Order and CSI:NY.

Pushing Daisies had a magical run in its first season, but the new season has admittedly been a little flat. Viewers grew bored with the show, claiming that it was the same thing every episode. The creator of the show, Bryan Fuller, says he is not as disappointed as you may think. He says that they are in the process of writing a screenplay for a major motion picture, and they are also in talks with DC comics to make a series of graphic novels that would pick up the story where it left off.

As for DSM, it may just have fallen victim to timeslot doom. DSM has really been excellent in recent weeks. This primetime soap opera has been chock full of the juicy storylines and intruging personalities that normally make a hit show. The American public never gave themselves a chance to fall in love with DSM, and now it will soon be gone.