KOs POV

FOX's stunt pays off big for "Glee"

2010-04-14T17:15:00.001-07:00

Glee was one of the most critically acclaimed hits of the fall, but like many critic favorites it did not translate to big ratings. The show averaged just under 8 million viewers an episode during its first 13 episodes, putting it on par with shows like Biggest Loser and Medium. Glee returned last night at 9:28pm ET immediately following American Idol. The lead-in from idol and the unusual start time resulted in 13.6 million viewers. Perhaps what is most impressive is that Glee held on to all (or gained as many as they lost) of Idol's 18-34 year old viewers, the demographic most sought after by advertisers.

Glee is a great show, and if you haven't checked it out yet, you should. The first 13 episodes are already available on DVD, and the last 6 are available to watch free at www.hulu.com/glee

All that's left for Glee is to wait and see whether these new viewers come back to continue watching in the following weeks. Nielsen does note that there were 1.6 million fewer viewers in the final 5 minutes of last nights show than the first 5 minutes, but most of those viewers lost were from older demographics.

Scrubs Disappoints, Illini don't

2009-12-02T21:42:00.000-08:00

So I've been out of the TV critic game for a while, but the return of one of my favorite shows of all time has brought me back.

Scrubs began a 9th season on Tuesday, its second on ABC. However, to say it is the same show as a few years ago would be a terrible mistake. In fact, the whole backdrop of the show has changed. The Sacred Heart has been inexplicably moved to the campus of Winston University as a teaching hospital. Now it is true, a lot of your favorite characters return for season nine. Zach Braff (JD), Donald Faison (Turk), and John C. McGinley (Perry Cox) are still there, but now fade into secondary character mode. Unfortunately, Sarah Chalke (Elliot) only made a brief appearance, and Judy Reyes (Carla) is no longer part of the show at all. The new main character appears to be a med student named Lucy, played by Kerry Bishé (photo above). She even does the voice-over narration that used to be the job of JD. Eliza Koupe returns in a more prominent role as Denise, and her character's strong personality is perhaps the one saving grace of the new episodes. She is working as JD's teaching assistant.

In short, this show is a shell of the show we learned to love back on NBC. The show has been falling off, but I feel that this season will truly be the one that will kill the show for die-hard fans. Instead of being able to ride off into the sun, we are apparently are stuck with the memory of these last few seasons as the disappointing end to a series that brought us so much enjoyment.

Well, on the bright side, the Illini pulled off an improbable comeback to beat Clemson 76-74 that became key to the Big Ten's first ever victory in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. Illinois faced a 51-28 deficit with 19:00 left, but shot great and capitalized on Clemson turnovers in the second half to complete the biggest rally in school history. Wisconsin's upset over Duke sealed the deal as the Big Ten won the challenge 6-5.

How I Met Your Mother

2009-09-12T09:30:00.001-07:00

How I Met Your Mother

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What's On? This Week in Television

2009-02-16T12:18:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-18T11:26:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-09T10:11:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-05T09:13:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-04T10:47:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-22T16:46:00.000-08:00

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.

Twist eliminates two players on Survivor

2008-10-31T09:14:00.000-07:00

Coming into last night's Survivor: Gabon, the Fang tribe had lost 5 challenges in a row. This trend would continue as Kota easily handled Fang in the reward challenge. Kota won a picnic, while Sugar was yet again sent to Exile Island. Kota was happy and as confident as ever coming off their most recent win. However, they were not ready for the upcoming twist. When both tribes arrived for the immunity challenge, it was revealed that both tribes would be going to tribal council.

The challenge was a log rolling competition. The castaways would compete one-on-one in elimination matches, with the eventual winner getting individual immunity at his or her tribe's impending tribal council. Marcus, the doctor from Atlanta, was the eventual winner. Since he was from Kota, he got to choose one person from the Fang tribe to also be immune, and he chose Sugar.

At their first tribal council in several days, Kota was looking for the weak links. Susie was not pulling her weight in challenges. She had not gotten a very good reputation around camp either, and Randy and Corrine had gone as far as calling her crazy. Dan was an outsider since he had come from the original Fang tribe, and unlike Randy he had not made any friends on Kota. Dan had grown the tendency to be very paranoid, and the other Kota members did not like having him around. In the end, it was Dan that would be eliminated in a 4-3 split vote.

Opinions differed greatly at the Fang tribe as who should be the next to go. Matty agreed that Ace was untrustworthy, but since he had sworn on his girlfriend's life that he wouldn't vote for her, he refused to do so. Matty wanted Sugar to be the next to go, but Ace was friends with Sugar, and convinced Matty it would be a bad idea. They decided that Crystal was a poisonous attitude in camp and should be the next to go. It looked as though Crystal would be voted out, until Kenny decided to pull Sugar aside and tell her Ace is a snake and that they should blindside him now. Sugar kind of knew all along that Ace was using her, and decided this was a good idea. At tribal council, Ace was voted out 3-2. In a reaction the surprise elimination, Jeff Probst said, "24 days in, Fang is finally playing the game."

Looking ahead to the merger, it would appear Marcus is at the top of the pack. His alliance of Corrine, Charlie, Bob, and Randy will have the numbers and the strength to make it to the final five. Right now, it is his game to lose, and he may want to try to not appear too strong, or others may decide they have to get rid of him before it is too late. For the remaining members of Fang, their only hope will be to get to a merger and hope they can spin the weakest members of the Kota alliance off to their side.

Survivor: Gabon has averaged over 13 million viewers this fall, and is on every Thursday at 8/7c on CBS

High Drama on Mad Men finale

2008-10-27T11:10:00.001-07:00

A lot of questions were answered and more revelations were made on the season two finale of the critically acclaimed Mad Men Sunday night on AMC. Actor Jon Hamm hosted Saturday Night Live and did a couple of sketches poking fun at his character, Don Draper. Hamm was very good in the comedic setting, something he rarely gets the chance to do on the high drama set of "Mad Men."

Hamm's character Draper had spent the last three weeks in California after Betty had told him not to come home. While he was away, Betty found out she was pregnant. Betty was put in the awkward position of deciding whether to forgive Don and bring the family back together or commit to raise a third child on her own. She even considered abortion, which was not legal in 1962. A friend told her about a doctor in Albany that would do the procedure, but she also told her to give it a couple weeks to think about it.

When Don finally returned to New York, he surprised Betty by showing up at the stables after one of her riding sessions. Don told Betty that he loved her and apologized for not giving her the respect that she deserves. She decided not to tell him about the pregnancy and told him that she was not ready for him to come back home. Betty did however agree to let Don have the kids for a weekend, so they came to stay with him at a hotel. With Don and the kids away, Betty decided to go to a bar. While there, a stranger bought her a drink and started a conversation with her. Perhaps out of contempt for Don, Betty ended up having sex with the man in the bathroom.

Back at Sterling-Cooper, word of the merger with the British ad agency Putnam & Lowe was spreading through the office. Many of the underlings were getting nervous about job security, but not Pete Campbell. Doug had brought Pete into his office and told him all about the merger and how Doug would be the new president. Then he told Pete that he would like him to be the new head of accounts. Don was initially unpleased when he found out the news that they had decided to sell controlling interest of the company without him, but when he found out he was going to make over $500,000 (approximately $3.3 million adjusted for inflation) on the deal, he cooled down. This did not last long though.

When Doug announced that he would be taking over and bringing the company in a new direction, Don threatened to quit. On the way out, Pete stopped by Peggy's office. Peggy had secretly had Pete's child the year before. Pete had been having troubles at home and told Peggy that he loved her and wanted to be with her. Peggy dropped the bombshell that Pete had gotten her pregnant last year and that she decided not to tell him. She said that she could have been with him if she wanted, but she did not. There are a lot of unanswered questions for the future of Sterling-Cooper and its employees, but one of the biggest secrets was now out of the bag.

In the final scene, Betty finally invited Don to come back home. She told him that she was pregnant, and he reached out to hold her hand. For now, it would appear that the Draper family is back together, but can Betty keep her fling at the bar a secret forever?

The mysterious and flawed nature of the characters of "Mad Men" has made it the most intriguing show on television. While it has caught the attention of the critics, it has still to garner a larger audience. The Emmy-winning show averaged around 2 million viewers this season, according to Nielsen. This was up from last year but still much lower than a typical primetime network audience. Slip into the world of "Mad Men." The first season is now available on DVD, and many cable providers are providing the second season free on-demand. This show offers the highest drama on television, and is not to be missed.

Fang Searching for answers on Survivor

2008-10-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

Two more challenge victories for the Kota tribe has left the Fang tribe searching for answers on Survivor: Gabon. With this episode in the books, Kota has now won 10 out of 12 challenges. In the reward challenge, Kota looked strong and determined, while Fang looked weak and uninspired. As Kota keeps winning rewards, they widen their advantage over Fang. The Kota tribe is well-fed and energized. Meanwhile, Fang is rationing what rice they have left so they will have enough to last them the next week. It looked as though there may have been hope for Fang at the immunity challenge. Matty and Kenny came from behind to catch up with the Kota members, but in the end Fang would fall short again, resulting in another trip to tribal council.

Ace realized two episodes ago that he was probably next on the chopping block. In order to save himself last week, he convinced everyone that GC was mentally checked out of the game and had to go. This week, he made a pact with Matty swearing on his mother's life that he would go with him and Kenny to a merge. Sugar, who is Ace's strongest ally, found the hidden immunity idol on Exile Island in the second episode. Ace somehow convinced Sugar to let him hold on to the hidden immunity idol until it is needed. After these two moves, Ace has brought himself from the edge of elimination to feeling safe within the tribe. At tribal council, it would be Kelly, the saleswoman from Illinois, who would receive all the votes but her own. Kelly was a spirited tribe member, but her performances at challenges were really hampering Fang's chances to win. At tribal council, host Jeff Probst asked the Fang members what they thought was going wrong. The tribemates conferred that there was a lack of teamwork, and Jeff agreed. With their problems diagnosed and their weakest member removed, perhaps there is hope for Fang yet.

I had mentioned before that the producers may try to bend the rules a little bit to try to even things out, since there really aren't any concrete rules to begin with. In a teaser it was revealed that next week both tribes will go to tribal council, meaning Kota will have to go for only their second time. Currently, I would guess that Crystal is on the block for Fang and Suzy is in danger on Kota. However, the teaser also suggested that this news really mixes things up at both camps, and on Survivor anything can happen.

The new Survivor: Gabon can be seen Thursdays at 8/7c on CBS, and I give you all the updates and predictions.

What's On?

45 year-old journeyman Jamie Moyer gets his first chance to pitch in a World Series game tonight as the Philadelphia Phillies host the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of the 2008 World Series.

Draper's Past Revealed on new Mad Men

2008-10-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

Last week on Mad Men, Don Draper went to California for a business trip and did not come home to New York with his co-worker, Pete Campbell. Instead he stayed behind to meet up with someone from his past…Anna Draper.

We had known since the beginning of the series that Draper was not really who he claims to be. However, the details of his past were very clouded. This Sunday, the picture became much clearer. Don Draper's real name is Dick Whitman. Around ten years earlier, both he and the real Don Draper were soldiers in the Korean War. When Don was killed and Dick was injured in the same battle, Don was mistakenly identified as Dick and vice versa. Dick decided to use this opportunity to start a new life, and assumed the identity of Don Draper. When he came back to the states, he got a job as a used car salesman. When Anna Draper, Don's wife, found out that someone had used Don's social security number to get a driver's license in New York, she came to track him down. Anna found that it was not in fact her husband, but instead that Dick had assumed his identity. In order to keep Anna quiet and thank her for the new opportunities that Don's life had given him, he offered to help her financially and visit her regularly. When Don met Betty and prepared to ask her to marry him, he realized that Don Draper was still technically married to Anna. Therefore, he had to ask Anna for an official divorce. Don married Betty, they had two children, and he left his entire past behind him. That is until Betty recently found out that Don was cheating on her, and she kicked him out of the house. As a result, Don went to California to find Anna and ask her advice. Meanwhile, back at Sterling-Cooper, the principal partners are bartering a deal to sell controlling interest of the company to another advertising firm. Don owns 12%, but his shares would not be enough to overturn the decision, so they decide to go on with the transaction without his approval.

This was a lot of information to digest in one episode. Hopefully this clears things up a little bit if the episode left you with some confusion. Next week is the season two finale of Mad Men on AMC. A lot was revealed this week, and more questions will certainly be answered next week. Is Don going to try to win back Betty? Does Betty want anything to do with Don? What will become of Sterling-Cooper after the merger? Will Don reveal his true identity to anyone in his new life, or will he just go back to living the lie? I think that some questions will go unanswered, especially since it is the mysterious nature of the characters that has made Mad Men so intriguing.

AMC is currently in talks with Lionsgate for a new contract involving Mad Men. All signs point to it being picked up for a third season, but it seems to be contingent on Lionsgate making a deal to keep show creator Matthew Weiner at the helm for two more years. This would pretty much assure a third and fourth season of the Emmy-winning drama. Once again, the season finale of Mad Men can be seen Sunday October 26 at 10/9c on AMC, with encore presentations throughout the week.

Kota continues to dominate on Survivor: Gabon

2008-10-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

Coming into Thursday's all new Survivor: Gabon, the Kota tribe had won 6 of 8 challenges. That trend would continue as the Fang tribe remained unable to work together well as a team. In the reward challenge, Kota members quickly figured out what they were doing wrong and worked together to come up with better solutions. As a result, Kota was able to win the reward of fruit, seasonings, and an herb garden. The rewards have enabled Kota to get the energy they need for the challenges to come, while the losses have left Fang tired and searching for answers. After winning the challenge, Kota decided to once again send Sugar to Exile Island. She had already found the hidden immunity idol on a previous exile, so she was able to get some much needed rest.

When it came time for the immunity challenge, Fang realized one of their members was missing. GC, a maintenance supervisor from Oregon, had gone on a canoe ride by himself, and had not returned to camp. Crystal urged that they should not waste their energy looking for him and instead save it for the challenge. Kelly, Ken, and Matty decided otherwise and started searching and yelling out his name. GC returned to camp just in time to leave for the challenge, and he seemed indifferent to the fact that he had worried his tribemates.

The immunity challenge involved rolling large balls down a hill into goals at the bottom. Fang took an early lead when there were communication issues between Randy and Dan on the Kota tribe. However, those issues were resolved, and Kota came back to within a point of Fang with one round to go. Randy tricked Ace by telling him he was in the right position when he was not. By the time Ace realized Randy was not on his team, it was already too late, and Kota won the challenge 9-7.

Fang tribe would once again make the trip to tribal council. It would be their fourth in only five episodes. As was evident by disappearance before the challenge, GC had not been putting forth much of an effort over the last several days. When GC told Matty that he was tired of playing the game, it sealed his fate. At tribal council, every vote went for GC except his own, which he cast for Kelly, the sales rep from Illinois.

The Fang tribe continued to unravel this week. Ace, Kelly, and Sugar appeared to be on the outside, but they stood back and allowed GC to implode, letting them survive. Randy continued to gel with his new tribemates on Kota, and his tricky move at the immunity challenge is sure to raise his stock within the tribe. Kota is simply a step above the Fang tribe both mentally and physically right now, and there is no reason to believe they will not continue their dominance.

Law & Order: SVU fantastic on Tuesday

2008-10-15T10:32:00.001-07:00

Law & Order: SVU turned out one of the best episodes in the 10 years it has been on the air last night. "Swing" was a compelling chronicle of Det. Stabler's daughter Kathleen's battle with bi-polar disorder. We got to meet Stabler's mother, who was played by former Emmy nominee Ellen Burstyn.

It was revealed that she had suffered through her own manic-depressive disorder while trying to raise Elliot. Powerful performances were turned in by both Burstyn and Allison Siko, who portayed the troubled Kathleen. Add that with the always spectacular starring cast and this was certainly one of the best things I've seen so far this television season.

The intense psychological drama that is found on Law & Order: SVU is rarely found anywhere else on television. It may be the only noteworthy drama NBC has left. You can catch it new every Tuesday at 10/9c.

What's on Wednesday?
Most of primetime is off this Wednesday for the final presidential debate. However, there is a new Pushing Daisies tonight at 8/7c on ABC before the debate begins.

Eleventh Hour vs. Life on Mars

2008-10-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

Two of this season's most anticipated new shows debuted in the same time slot Thursday night. The new series Eleventh Hour aired on CBS, and opposite of that on ABC was the premiere of Life on Mars. The two shows put up impressive numbers in their first episodes, with Life of Mars' 7.7 edging out Eleventh Hour's 7.3 in the Nielsen Ratings. Both shows drew more viewers than the long-running ER, which came in with a 6.0 for NBC.

Eleventh Hour is based on a U.K. series of the same name. Rufus Sewell stars as Dr. Jacob Hood, a brilliant biophysicist recruited by the FBI to investigate the rapidly growing number of crimes of a scientific nature. In the opener, nineteen fetuses are found buried of off a highway outside of Seattle. Dr. Hood is called in to investigate when it is revealed that the fetuses all have the same DNA. Hood and his bodyguard Rachel (Marley Shelton) go on a mission to hunt down the people responsible for these human cloning experiments. In the end, Dr. Hood makes the decision to try to save the young woman who is pregnant with the last cloned fetus. He is able to save her, but the doctor behind the operation gets away. This scientific crime drama seems like a logical follow up to CSI. Sewell is very good as Dr. Hood, and as one of only two recurring characters, he will have to carry the show. The timeslot is a very cushy one, and as long as people are watching CSI, there will probably be people hanging around to watch Eleventh Hour.

That is unless they change their dial to ABC at 10 to watch Life on Mars. This show is also based on a British series of the same name. It is one of the most hyped new series of the fall, and presents a very intriguing storyline. NYPD Detective Sam Tyler (Jason O'Mara) is just doing his job like any other day, when he is hit by a car and put into a coma. When he wakes up, he is not in a hospital. He is in the year 1973. Has Sam really been thrown back in time, or is it a lucid coma fantasy? When he stumbles upon a case related to one in 2008 in which his girlfriend was captured, he realizes that there may be a reason that he was sent back. After capturing the perp and having a talk with the kid who would grow up to become the copycat criminal, Sam can hear Maya on his car radio, and she says that she is safe. Sam tries to wake up, but he can not. He realizes he will be in '73 for the foreseeable future, and is going to do all he can to make a difference while he is there.

While neither show has any A list actors, the supporting cast of Life on Mars includes some familiar faces. Harvey Keitel stars as Precinct Captain Gene Hunt, the Sopranos' Michael Imperioli plays Det. Ray Carling, and Rounders' Gretchen Mol is Officer Annie Norris. The filming of Life on Mars is very unique, and the lighting, sets, and costumes really make you feel like you have gone back in time. Its solid cast and intriguing storyline makes Life on Mars a must see for the new television season. It too has a cushy timeslot, airing after episodes of Grey's Anatomy, and its rating win on Thursday shows that viewers are tuning in.

Ratings information is taken from Nielsen's fast national data. It includes live and same-day DVR viewing, and is subject to change. Eleventh Hour and Life on Mars are both all-new Thursdays this fall at 10/9c.

Tribes shaken up on new Survivor

2008-10-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

After nine days in the African wild, the castaways of Survivor: Gabon were finally settling into their tribes and creating relationships with their teammates. However, you can never get too comfortable in the game of Survivor, and several members were shaken up when it was announced that they would be selecting new tribes. After being ranked the most valuable on their respective tribes, Matty and Marcus were selected as the captains for picking the new Kota and Fang. The rearrangement ended up with Ace, Crystal, GC, Kelly, Ken, Matty, and Jacquie on the new Fang tribe and Bob, Charlie, Corrine, Dan, Marcus, Randy, and Susie on the new Kota tribe. Sugar was the last to be picked, and instead of joining a team she was sent to Exile Island. Last week, Sugar found the hidden immunity idol at Exile Island, so she was able to spend her time there relaxing.

The goal of mixing up the teams was to create a fairer balance between the tribes. This did not prove to be the case when the newly formed tribes faced off at the immunity challenge. The new Kota tribe, led by three goals scored by Randy, destroyed the new Fang tribe, winning immunity. The Fang tribe, once again, was sent to tribal council. The new tribe contained four original Fang members and three former Kota members. These lines proved to hold up, as the four original Fang members got together to decide which of the new members to vote off. The new members are Ace, Kelly, and Jacquie. Ace is hard worker and strong competitor, and Kelly had formed a strong bond with her new teammates after feeling like she was on the outside of the old Kota tribe. In the end, it was Jacquie that would be eliminated, receiving 5 of the 7 votes. Only Jacquie and Ace voted for Kelly, and that sets up Ace as being on the outside in the weeks to come. When Sugar returns from Exile Island she will become a member of Fang, evening the tribes up at seven a piece.

Last week, it appeared that Fang may be coming back. This week, the shake-up resulted in Fang finding itself further behind. Would the producers mix up the teams again? My instincts say no, but there are basically no rules to what they can and can not do. With their superior tribe and numbers advantage, the original Kota members of Marcus, Charlie, Corinne, and Bob appear to have the inside track to the final four, but they must remember that the game never stops. Everything can change in just one week.

The all-new Survivor: Gabon is on CBS every Thursday at 8/7c, and is presented for the first time in HD.

All New Thursday Night

2008-10-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

All new Thursday night television is back tonight on all of the big networks. Thursday night has long been the best night for television, and this season is no exception. Starting at the 8/7c hour, it is all-new episodes of My Name is Earl, Survivor: Gabon, and Ugly Betty. Then, at the 9/8c hour, all-new episodes of Grey's Anatomy and The Office, and the season premiere of CSI:. At 10/9c, two new shows premiere with Eleventh Hour and Life on Mars, along with an all-new episode of ER.

The new shows premiering at 10/9c set up an interesting ratings war. Eleventh Hour is a new crime drama about scientifically based cases, and feels like a great follow-up to CSI:. Life on Mars may be the most anticipated new show of the fall, and is based on a BBC detective show in which an officer is hit by a car and put in a coma and wakes up in 1973. ER is one of the most successful television programs of all time, but it is clearly aging and past its prime.

CSI: returns after an intense season finale which ended with Warrick Brown being shot in the head. Will he survive? Sarah Sidle (Jorga Fox) comes back to Las Vegas after hearing the news. She has not been on the show since her character decided she couldn't deal with all of the pain and death anymore in the middle of last season.

Can't decide what to watch? Your DVR can only record two things at once? Here is my recommended plan of action.

Watch it!
8/7c Survivor: Gabon
9/8c CSI:
10/9c Life on Mars

Set the DVR!
8/7c My Name is Earl
9/8c Grey's Anatomy
10/9c Eleventh Hour

Watch it on NBC.com when you have some free time!
The Office

Skip it!
Ugly Betty
ER

Mad Men: Don still loves Betty

2008-10-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

In recent episodes of Mad Men, Don has been staying in a hotel because Betty found out about his affair with Bobbie Barrett. This week, Betty invited Don to come home, but it was not because she wanted to forgive him. Betty's brother had called to tell her that their father had suffered a stroke. Don and Betty drove up state to be with the family. Betty's father was out of the hospital and no longer in any critical medical condition. However, there had clearly been disastrous mental consequences. On one occasion, her father mistook Betty for her sister Ruth, and then later mistook her for their late mother and did not know what year it was.

Back at Sterling-Cooper, Campbell was preparing for a business trip to Los Angeles. He has been under a lot of stress lately, and the trip would be the first time he had flown since his father died in a plane crash. He and his wife have been trying to get pregnant for months with no success and were beginning to consider adoption. Campbell's mother was completely intolerant of the idea, saying that they were castoffs that no one would want. He has never had a good relationship with her, and he even told Peggy that he hated his mother.

The title of the episode, "The Inheritance," comes from Betty beginning to worry about what will happen to her father's estate if he were to die. He has remarried, and her new stepmother has gotten rid of many of the things at their house that Betty enjoyed. At night, Betty slept in the bed, but Don slept on the floor. In the middle of the night, Betty came down to the floor and started making out with him, but Don awoke to realize that it was only a dream. When they returned back home, Don began to come upstairs, but Betty told him that she wanted him to leave. With this news, Don told Roger Sterling that he would like to go on the trip to Los Angeles with Campbell, and the episode ended with their plane taking off.

Next week's episode is entitled "Jet Set" and will undoubtedly feature Don's trip to California. The trip will probably be ripe with the opportunity for Don to continue to sleep with whoever he wants. The dream about Betty clearly shows that he still is in love with her; will this prevent him from straying during the business trip? Also, with Freddy now on leave of absence, this trip really presents itself as an opportunity for Campbell to impress Don. The emmy-award winning drama continues every Sunday at 9/8c on AMC.

What's On?

CBS Comedy Monday features all-new episodes of The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, andTwo and a Half Men.

Fang Tribe strikes back on Survivor: Gabon

2008-10-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

On the new Survivor: Gabon, the Fang Tribe clearly benefited from an addition by subtractions. After dismal performances in the season opener, the Fang Tribe was sent to back-to-back tribal councils. Of course, losing tribe members and the numbers advantage is not ideal, but the Fang Tribe made the most of their situation. They used the opportunities to vote out Gillian, a grandmother who had been a very weak competitor at challenges, and Michelle, whose toxic attitude was poisoning the unit. Their choices would serve them well in the upcoming challenges.

Regrouped and ready to compete, Fang dominated in episode two. First, they were able to win a strength challenge in order to win the reward of bedding supplies. Then they used a combination of athletic ability and mental aptitude to win the immunity challenge. The final portion of the challenge involved a math problem. From the outside, Kota appeared to have an advantage, as their problem solver was Bob, a physics teacher from Maine. However, Ken, the video game champion from California, proved that he was a pretty good problem solver in his own right, beating Bob to the finish and winning immunity for the Fang tribe. Perhaps Fang's only mistake of the episode was sending Sugar, the record pin-up model, to Exile Island. Fang underestimated Sugar's intelligence and resourcefulness, as she was able to use the clues provided to unearth the hidden immunity idol.

The hidden immunity idol would not end up being a factor in the Kota tribe's first trip to tribal council. Ace, a jewelry salesman from Florida, has emerged as Kota's leader. He put the target squarely on Paloma, a student from California. Paloma was probably the weakest member of the Kota tribe, and at this point in the game she was the logical choice to go. When Paloma caught wind of Ace's plans, she tried to shore up support to vote out Ace, claiming that he had become too bossy. In the end, the tribe sided with Ace and voted 7-2 to eliminate Paloma. Kelly, a salesperson from Illinois, was the only Kota member other than Paloma to vote for Ace, and that may foreshadow an early exit for her as well.

Following a dominant performance by Kota in the season opener, Fang really turned it around this week. If it had kept on the path that it was going earlier, the producers may have been forced to shuffle up the tribes just to keep it fair. However, it would appear now that Fang has the momentum, and will be able to compete just fine with Kota with their tribe's new look. Early, Bob looked to be a member with valuable knowledge and experience. This week, his failure to win the mental portion of the immunity challenge seriously dropped his stock. Bob is not much of a physical competitor, and if he is not able to contribute to the Kota tribe with his intellect, I look for him to be on the chopping block. The remaining fifteen are certainly a very diverse and compelling group of individuals, and that is very promising for another excellent season of Survivor. Watch TV's longest running reality competition show every Thursday at 8/7c on CBS, and check back here on Starpulse every Friday for reviews and insight.

Dirty Sexy Money Returns

2008-10-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

ABC's Dirty Sexy Money returned for its first episode since the writers' strike halted production last winter. The show features a star-studded cast. Peter Krause, best known for his role as Nate Fisher on Six Feet Under, stars as Nick George. Nick is the family lawyer for the richest family in New York, the Darlings. Nick helps the patriarch, Tripp Darling, played by Donald Sutherland, keep his family out of trouble, but his underlying motive is to find out who killed his father, a former employee of the Darlings.

The episode surrounded a fancy birthday party for Nick, and the two days that lead up to it. Patrick Darling (Billy Baldwin) is in the midst of a Senate campaign, but his wife's alcoholism was becoming a problem. In a drunken rage, she ends up slipping, hitting her head, and dying. Jeremy Darling (Seth Gabel) continued his inappropriate advances on Nick's wife, Lisa (Zoe McClellan). This resulted in Nick seeing Jeremy kissing Lisa, putting the couple at odds. Eventually, Nick and Lisa would make up. However, the most surprising revelation of the episode was that Tripp's wife Lelita (Jill Clayburgh) was arrested for the murder of Nick's father. Police swarmed upon Nick's birthday party and took her in. The look on Nick's face clearly insinuated that he had something to do with it. What did he find out?

The first season of Dirty Sexy Money was a thrill ride chock full of juicy storylines and shocking revelations. This primetime soap definitely has potential to be on the air for years to come. On a side note, Samarie Armstrong will not be regularly appearing in her role as Juliet, Jeremy's twin brother. Her recent stints in rehab have kept her away from the set. It was announced last March that her character would not be returning in the fall, but ABC has not ruled out the possibility of appearances by her later in the season. She and her character will be missed, but there is certainly plenty of star power on this cast to carry the load. Dirty Sexy Money is back on ABC every Wednesday at 10/9c.

What's On?

The new Survivor: Gabon rolls on tonight at 8/7c on CBS.

Some Baseball

2008-09-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

With the White Sox edging out a 1-0 pitchers' duel against the Twins, the playoff picture is finally set for the 2008 MLB postseason. Jim Thome delivered the decisive blow with a towering homer to deep center field. Starting pitcher John Danks picthed a gem with eight shutout innings. He then handed it off to Bobby Jenks who went 1-2-3 to close it out and make the Chicago White Sox the 2008 AL Central Division Champions. Just a week ago, the White Sox had a 2 1/2 game lead over the Twins and effectively needed one win in Minnesota to wrap things up. Instead, they proceeded to go on a 5-game losing streak which would make them fall into second and stare elimination right in the face. But that would not be the end for the White Sox. They became the first team in baseball history to close out the season by winning three games against three different teams, completing their unlikely path to the postseason. Ozzie and the men in black must now turn their attention to the Tampa Bay Rays, a team that beat them 6 of 10 this season.

Enough about that team from the other side of town, what I really want to talk about is the fact that my Chicago Cubs are in the postseason back-to-back years for the first time since 1908. Oh, yeah, that's also the last time they won the World Series. It's like they say, anybody can have a bad century. The past is the past, and in the present it would be hard to argue that the Cubs are not the best team in the National League. So what makes this team's chances better than the 99 before them? It all starts at home. The Cubs have often had a reputation of being road warriors, but this year the Cubs won 55 games at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. The Cubs will have home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs, and that alone gives them a great chance to make it to the World Series for the first time since 1945. What's that? They got swept last year? Yeah, they did. The 2007 team had the worst record of all 8 playoff teams that year, and got to the playoffs by marching through a very weak NL Central Division. This year, the division was much improved, and not only did the Cubs win again, they won decisively.

Here are the top 5 improvements to the 2008 team:

5. Offseason acquisitions- In the offseason, Jim Hendry made spectacular moves in signing the Cubs' first Japanese player Kosuke Fukudome, and a great role player in Reed Johnson. Both players significantly improved the hitting and defense of the team. Also, draft pick Jeff Samardzija has been a key in middle relief.

4. Jim Edmonds- they were further complimented by the addition of Jim Edmonds. As a Cardinal, Edmonds was one of the most hated, and feared, players by Cub fans, but after being let go by St. Louis and having a poor run in San Diego, Edmonds found himself a free agent. Jim added some valuable veteran leadership to the bench, and came through in several clutch situations throughout the season, including a game winning home run against St. Louis.

3. Geovany Soto- With rookie of the year candidate Geovany Soto as the backstop for an excellent pitching staff, the Cubs fill a huge hole that they had last season. Soto has shown the poise of a veteran behind the plate and been a monster with the bat.

2. Rich Harden- The Cubs' rotation was solid to start the year, but many critics said that one more great starter could really make a difference between a good rotation and a great one. Hendry fixed that hole when he pulled of a six-player deal that would send Rich Harden to the north side. Since being traded he is 10-2 with a 2.07 ERA

1. Rotation/Closer shake-up- The most significant change from last year involved two players who had already been on the roster for several years. The decision to move Ryan Dempster out of his closer role to the starting rotation was a contriversial one, but he ended up winning 17 games and has an ERA under 3. Along with that move came the transitition of long-time Cub Kerry Wood into the closer role. While Kerry has developed a reputation for dramatics, he finished the regular season with 34 saves and a 3.26 ERA.

There is no doubt that this is the best chance for a Cubs championship any of us (under 100 years old) have ever seen. So what stands in their way? Here are the top 5 concerns for Cub fans.

5. Kosuke Fukudome- Kosuke, who had been a hit machine early in the year, really struggled towards the end. This puts Lou in the tough position of deciding whether to keep him in the line-up, or use one of the talented utility players on his bench in his place. If Kosuke can hit like he did earlier in the year, it could be the difference in getting the run production the Cubs need.

4. Streaky Hitting- The Cubs must avoid going on a cold streak with their bats. The team batting avg. is highest in decades, but overall they went through many slumps and hot streaks. Let's hope the bats are hot in October.

3. Middle Relief- In many ways, Marmol has become the premiere set-up man in the NL. However, he has shown that the pressure can sometimes get to him. Marmol, Howry, Wuertz, Cotts, and the rest of the gang must be able to bridge the gap between the starters and Kerry Wood. Otherwise, it could be a short postseason for the Cubbies.

2. Injuries- Alfonso Soriano has already served two stints on the DL this year, and Cubs can not afford to lose him in the playoffs. Also, starting pitchers Rich Harden and Carlos Zambrano have appeared fragile at times during the regular season. It is imperitive that the rotation remain intact if the Cubs are going to win the World Series.

1. History- The players must put out of their minds everything that has happened in the last 53 years since Billy Sianis claimed that he cursed the Cubs because they wouldn't let his goat inside the ballpark. Curses do not really exist, but players' psyches do, and I can't help but believe that the 2003 players let things crawl inside of their heads after Steve Bartman inadvertently disallowed Moises Alou to attempt catch a foul pop up.

If the Cubs can manage to not let any of these things hurt them, there is nothing stopping them from becoming World Champions.

What's on Wednesday?
Of course, it is a playoff baseball triple-header on TBS.
2CT Milwaukee Brewers (Gallardo 0-0) at Philadelphia Phillies (Hamels 14-10)
5:30CT Los Angeles Dodgers (Derek Lowe 14-11) at CHICAGO CUBS (Dempster 17-6)
9CT Boston Red Sox (Lester 12-6) at Los Angeles Angels (Lackey 12-5)

Survivor returns

2008-09-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, TV's longest running reality competition show returned with a two-hour season premiere. The 17th installment, Survivor: Gabon, takes us to one of earth's last untouched regions. This African nation is commonly referred to as earth's last Eden for its pristine tropical landscapes. Jeff Probst, fresh off his Emmy win for reality host, welcomed 18 Americans to this mysterious land, and at the end of 39 days one will win $1 million and be crowned Ultimate Survivor.

In order to divide the castaways into two tribes, they did a schoolyard pick. The two eldest members, Bob, a physics teacher, and Gillian, a nurse, were selected as captains. After the selection was complete, it seemed that the Kota tribe had a strength advantage, which is huge in the early rounds of "Survivor." This proved to be the case as the Kota tribe destroyed the Fang tribe in the first challenge, winning Kota a large bag of corn and beans. Kota continued to show their prowess with another convincing victory in the first immunity challenge, sending Fang to tribal council.

At the first tribal council, Fang was clearly frustrated. The losing streak resulted in fighting and petty squabbles. Probst tried to get the tribe back on the right track by asking them to choose a leader, and when G.C., a maintenance supervisor from Oregon, was chosen, it seemed as though there may still be hope for Fang. Michelle, a music producer from California, had been projecting a very bad attitude and distancing herself from the group, and this behavior resulted in her being the first person voted out of "Survivor: Gabon."

Regrouped and in much higher spirits, the Fang tribe looked ready to take on Kota at the next challenge. Fang battled very closely, but in the end it was Kota that again would win reward and immunity. As a result, Dan, a lawyer from Boston, was sent to Exile Island. When a tribe member is sent to exile, they are cut off from the tribe, but on the island is a hidden immunity idol that a player could use to protect themselves from elimination. Dan was not able to figure out the clue that was given to him, and the idol wasn't found.

Later that night, Fang went to their second tribal council. With the Fang tribe now realizing that they needed to cut some dead weight if they were going to compete in the challenges, it was Gillian, a grandmother from California, which got the axe and became the second person voted out of Gabon.

From the onset it appeared that Kota had the advantage, and that resulted in their dominance through the first episode. The Fang tribe must regroup and try to act as a team, or they will be picked off one by one. Survivor is on every Thursday at 8/7c on CBS.

- Meet the cast here!

What's On? How I Met Your Mother at 8:30/7:30c on CBS

Emmy news and HIMYM Returns!

2008-09-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

History was made last night as Mad Men took home top honors as best drama at the Emmys. It became the first basic cable show to ever win the award. 30 Rock was the big winner on the comedy side, where broadcast television is still king...for now. Other winners included The Daily Show for best variety show and Jeff Probst of Survivor for the first ever reality competition host award. For more on the Emmys, check out the article below at starpulse.com.

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2008/09/22/low_rated_mad_men_and_30_rock_win_top_em

What's On?
Tonight CBS comedy Monday is all-new with one of the best line-ups on broadcast television. First at 8/7c it's the second season of The Big Bang Theory. In the finale, Penny finally agreed to go on a date with Leonard. Will it work out? Then at 8:30/7:30c, my favorite show How I Met Your Mother returns for a fourth season. The last episode closed by Ted proposing to his girlfriend Stella. What will her response be, and is Barney in love with Robin? At 9/8c broadcast television's most watched comedy returns with Two and a Half Men. Lastly, the new show Worst Week premieres at 9:30/8:30c and features Kurtwood Smith, Red Foreman from That 70's Show. If the actual show is as funny as the promos and sneak peaks, this could be a good one. CSI:Miami is a rerun. It all starts tonight at 8/7c on CBS.

One week from All-new Thursday TV

2008-09-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

Because movies come out on Fridays, Thursdays became the high-demand night for advertising time on television. Through the years, this prompted the networks to put their best shows on Thursday night. This season is no different, as the big networks break out their best next neek for all-new episodes. The 9/8c timeslot is so jampacked that DVRs will be working overtime all across the country.

Thursday night lineups for the big three

CBS
8/7c Survivor: Gabon
9/8c CSI:
10/9c The Eleventh Hour

NBC
8/7c My Name is Earl
8:30/7:30c 30 Rock
9/8c The Office
9:30/8:30 SNL specials
10/9c ER

ABC
8/7c Ugly Betty
9/8c Grey's Anatomy
10/9c Life on Mars

If you've never watched Survivor, or it has been a while, maybe it's time to come back and check it out. This fall, Jeff Probst takes 18 castaways to the mysterious country of Gabon. The land has been nicknamed "Earth's last Eden" for its largely untouched, tropical landscape. The hidden immunity idol and the deep psychological nature of the game have made Survivor the most exciting reality competition show on TV.

OK, so you're not into Survivor? Well you're in luck because you won't have to turn the dial far to find three of TV's best comedies back-to-back-to-back. Starting at 8/7c Jason Lee returns as Earl Hickey on My Name is Earl. The new season has been dubbed "back to the list," since Earl had gotten away from doing his list last season because of being in jail. After getting out of jail, Earl was hit by a car and sent into a coma. Now that he has recovered, Earl is ready to earn some good karma by tackling his list once again. Seth Green guest stars. Then, at 8:30/7:30c, 30 Rock starts its third season. 30 Rock is easily the best show on tv that no one ever watches. The show won best comedy Emmy last year after being only the #102 watched show on TV. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin star in this show about the behind-the-scenes work at a late night comedy show. This is a very funny show and I strongly urge anyone who loves to laugh to watch. Last but definitely not least is The Office, regarded by many as the best sitcom on TV. Steve Carell returns as the incredulous Michael Scott for another year of workplace shenanigans.

For more about either of the new shows coming out, The Eleventh Hour and Life on Mars, check out my post about new fall shows from back in July.

Of course, established ratings winners CSI: and Grey's Anatomy return Thursdays this fall. For more on the new era of CSI:, see my post from ealier this month.

What's On?
Catch up on how the last seasons of My Name is Earl and The Office wraped up with reairings of their season finales tonight starting at 8:30/7:30c on NBC.

House returns

2008-09-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hugh Laurie brings us another season of the sadistic, maniacal, and brilliant Dr. Gregory House when House M.D. kicks off its fifth season tonight at a new time, Tuesdays 8/7c on FOX. House is one of the best characters on television, and Laurie has earned two golden globes and a sag award for the role. The flawed characters are always the most intriguing, and there aren't many that are more flawed than House. In the closing two-part episode of last season, Wilson's fiance Amber died after it was revealed she had a rare desease and that it was too late to save her. Sneak peaks reveal that in the new season opener, Wilson is considering resigning from his post as head oncologist at the Princeton Medical Center. Wilson has been an important character over the first four seasons of House, and in many ways he has been responsible for protecting House from himself. The writing on House is drama at its finest, creating a level of intensity rarely seen on television. I am excited to see what the new season has to bring.

What's On?
All-new House M.D. at 8/7c on FOX, two hours of World Series of Poker on ESPN

The Big Bang Theory all new this fall, on before HIMYM

2008-09-07T00:53:00.000-07:00

The Big Bang Theory comes back this fall after an excellent freshman run. BBT is the story of two UCLA grad students, Leonard and Sheldon, and their friends Howard and Raj. Things get interesting for Leonard when the blonde bombshell Penny (Kaley Cuoco of 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter) moves in across the hall. Leonard of course has a crush on Penny, but she is way out of his league. Leonard settles for being friends with Penny, but his feelings don't change. In the final episode of season one, Penny had broken up with her controlling boyfriend. When Leonard finally sums up the courage to ask Penny on a date, she isn't sure what to say. After consulting Sheldon about the matter, Sheldon goes through an analogy using Schrodinger's cat to describe that the relationship could be viewed as either good or bad, and that it is only after trying that they will know the answer. This is just a slice of the geek humor that is executed so perfectly on this show. When Leonard comes to pick Penny up for their first date, Penny kisses him and reacts by saying, "The cat's alive!"

The Big Bang Theory's writing flawlessly captures the awkwardness of nerds and creates several very funny situations. Season 1 was just released on DVD. I highly recommend that people looking for a good laugh catch up and get ready for the second season, which premieres Monday September 22nd at 8/7c, right before my favorite show, How I Met Your Mother.

I recently made a post about the show Pushing Daisies, which will make a long-awaited return this October after a hiatus due to the WGA strike. I made a couple of mistakes in my posting, as were pointed out by the reader AJ. He also made a couple of good comments about the show. Here is what he had to say:

On Pushing Daisies, Chuck's dad died when Ned brought his mom back to life, not Digby. When Digby stayed alive longer than 1 minute it was either a bird or squirrel that died. As stated in the show, the individual that dies as a result of another staying alive longer than a minute is usually something in the area and of a similar size.

Routinely on the show are Chuck's Aunts (Swoosie Kurtz & Ellen Greene) who are former synchronize swimmers who took care of Chuck after her father died. They believe that Chuck is still dead.

Also, it should be said that Olive is played by Kristin Chenoweth!

Great review of the show! I will also echo the statement that this show is a unique and amazing experience.

Thanks for the help AJ! Pushing Daisies returns Wednesdays this October on ABC.

What's On?
The 2008 NFL Season is underway, and the Sunday Night Football Game of the Week features my Chicago Bears in Indianapolis at the brand new Lucas Oil Stadium against Peyton Manning and the Colts. SNF is on NBC every Sunday this fall at 8/7c.

Pilots: 90210, Raising the Bar

2008-09-04T09:56:00.000-07:00

The Fall TV season is upon us, and several new shows will be looking to find their audience. Two heavily promoted shows made their debuts this week.

A new generation of 90120 has hit the silver screen after months of hype. The two hour season premiere actually didn't air in the Chicagoland area at its normal time because of the Cubs-Astros game. It instead was on from midnight to 2am, so many in the Chicago area probably have not yet seen it. Nationally the show did quite well, earning the CW their first ever win in the 18-45 demographic. So, did the show live up to the hype?

The new 90210 is the story of Harry Wilson moving his family from Kansas to his hometown of Beverly Hills, CA after taking the job as principal at his old stomping grounds, West Beverly Hills High. Of course, Harry isn't the center of attention. It is his daughter, Annie, and adopted son Dixon that are the main characters. In the two-hour season premiere, Annie and Dixon adapt to their new surroundings, make friends, and get a taste of the Beverly Hills life. The dialogue writing was at times poor and the acting in some spots may have suffered a bit because of it, but the overall story I thought was all you could ask for in a guilty pleasure show such as this. I never watched the original, so I can't really give any insight into what old fans might think of this new version. However, I feel that 90210 will be able to find its niche TV audience and have a good run.

TNT debuted the new courtroom drama, Raising the Bar, on Monday. Mark-Paul Gosselaar stars as Jerry Kellerman, a public defender in Manhattan. Know you've seen that guy before and you can't figure it out? It's Zack from Saved By the Bell. The pilot was a very compelling story about Kellerman trying to prove the inocence of a man who has been wrongfully identified in a rape case by a racist cop. Jane Kaczmarek (the mom from Malcolm in the Middle) plays the strict Judge Kessler, who is giving Kellerman very little leeway in her courtroom. When Kellerman realizes there is a good chace his defendant is going to be sent away for a crime he didn't commit, he blasts Kessler for not standing up for justice, and finds himself in a jail cell on contempt of court. Eventually, a friend of Kellerman's who works for the D.A.'s office smooth talks the Judge, and cooler heads prevail. Kellerman is let out of court, and his defendant is pled to a lesser charge and given time served. The main characters of Raising the Bar include people on both sides of the bench, making it decidedly different from most courtroom dramas. Usually, you are given one side to root for. Here, you get to see both public defenders and assistant district attourneys in their daily battle in the justice system. The acting of Gosselaar was very powerful, and the writing really pulled at your heartstrings. I am very impressed by this pilot, and am interested to see what else they have in store. Raising the Bar finds itself in a tough timeslot, as it will eventually be put up against CSI: Miami. However, it is a basic cable show, so it will not have to live up to the ratings standards of a big network. New episodes of Raising the Bar air every Monday at 10/9c on TNT.

What's On?
If you missed the premiere of the new 90210, they are reairing it tonight at 8/7c on the CW network.

A new era of CSI:

2008-09-03T14:51:00.000-07:00

William Petersen, a Chicago native, has been starring as Gil Grissom on the CBS hit CSI: Crime Scene Investigation since it came on the air as a Friday night fledgling in 2000. Since then, it has climbed to the top tier of television and into the highly competitive Thursday 9/8c timeslot. CSI:'s new brand of crime mystery drama was the launch pad for dozens of other copy cat shows, including spin-offs CSI: Miami and CSI: NY. After 9 seasons, CSI: still remains in the top ten of the Nielsen Ratings, pulling in 17 million viewers per episode, and Grissom has been there every step of the way as a leader and mentor for the criminalists at the LVPD. That era will come to an end this season when William Petersen leaves the show. Until now the main cast was left largely intact. With Jorja Fox (Sarah Sidle) leaving the show last season and Gary Dourdan's character, Warrick Brown, being shot in the last episode, this really feels like a dividing point for CSI:. While CSI: started as a purely story driven show, we have really gotten to know the CSIs throughout the first eight seasons. However, CBS knew this day was coming, so they found a replacement that would both keep old fans happy and catch the interests of new viewers. Academy Award nominee and Emmy winner Lawrence Fischburne will join the cast of CSI: in its ninth episode of the new season. Fishburne brings a dynamic and experienced acting style to one of television's most watched shows. According to the AP, his character is a pathologist who focuses on why people commit acts of violence, and carries a genetic marker that has been linked to serial killers. I think someday people will ask, "What do you like better, William Petersen CSI or Lawrence Fishburne CSI?" It will be like asking Colonel Henry vs. Colonel Potter on M*A*S*H or Dick York vs. Dick Sargent on Bewitched. Petersen and his character Grissom will be sorely missed for the beautiful mind and caring personality he brought to the team, but I am also excited to see what the new era has to bring. CSI: returns Thursdays this fall on CBS October 2nd.

What's On?
A new season of Bones premieres on FOX at 8/7c.

Pushing Daisies: a truly unique TV experience

2008-09-02T15:03:00.000-07:00

The last episode of the ABC show Pushing Daisies was all the way back on December 12, 2007. When the Writers' Guild of America strike ended production, like many other shows, Pushing Daisies was put into a sort of tv limbo. Thankfully, ABC renewed this truly unique tv experience for a second season, and it is set to come back Wednesday Oct 1st at 8/7c. This whimsical story will probably need some explaining, and may sound very odd if you have never heard of the show. But believe me, check it out and you will not be disappointed.

Pushing Daisies is the story of Ned, the pie maker. When Ned was young, he found out he had the power to bring dead things back to life. His power is governed by three rules: 1) Touch something dead, and it comes back to life, 2) Touch it again, and it dies, 3) If he does not retouch it within one minute, something else will die. Did you follow that? Well, anyways, the only other person in the world who knows about Ned's power is P.I. Emerson Cod. Ned helps Cod solve mysteries by bringing dead bodies at the morgue back to life and asking them a few questions. But they only have one minute, and that isn't always enough time to find out the whole story. When Ned finds out that his childhood sweetheart has died, he goes to her funeral. Even though he knows the ramifications, he decides to bring her back to life. Now, his darling Charlotte "Chuck" Charles is back to life, but the irony of the situation is he cannot touch her or she will die. Ned cannot bring himself to retouch her, and the funeral director dies. Luckily, it turns out the funeral director was a crook and had been stealing from dead people and their families for years. Olive Snook is Ned's waitress at his pie shop, and is secretly in love with him. However, she keeps her feelings to herself. In the last episode, it was revealed to Chuck that Ned had accidentally "killed" her father decades ago, when he brought his dog back to life and did not retouch it. Because of this, Chuck ran away. Will he be able to make it up to her?

There are so many other facets to this show that would not be able to fit into one posting, but that is pretty much the jist of it right there. The show is sort of genre bending in that the death motif has a clear dark comedy aspect to it, but it is still very dramatic. The post-production really does a good job to set the mood of a scene. The colors are so bright and vivid one moment, and then dull and dark the next. One thing is certain, in a world of cookie cutter sitcoms and miscellanious crime dramas, Pushing Daisies clearly brought something entirely different to the table. I look forward to seeing where it goes from here.

Pushing Daisies headlines a set of sophomore run shows Wednesdays this fall starting Oct 1st on ABC, along with Private Practice, and Dirty Sexy Money.

What's On?
Tonight ESPN's coverage of the 39th annual World Series of Poker Main Event begins and will continue every Tuesday night at 8/7c until November 11th. Norman Chad and Lon McEachern are back to call all the action and see who will win the $9.1 million grand prize.

HIMYM: Season 3 DVD news, Season 4 preview

2008-08-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

Over the next few weeks I am going to be preparing you for the fall primetime line up by previewing and reviewing some of my favorite shows.

It should be well known by anyone who reads this blog that I am a huge fan of How I Met Your Mother. Season 3 may have been a down year for HIMYM, but it would have been pretty tough to out-do the first two seasons, and they still put out some really good episodes. The overarching theme to season 3 was single Ted. In the pilot episode Ted says, "I'm done being single. I'm not good at it." and he kind of proved it throughout the season. Ted had a sort of glass-shattering moment after the St. Patrick's Day episode, No Tomorrow, when he realizes what kind of roads the single life is leading him down. After falling in love with his dermatologist, Stella, played by Sarah Chalke (Elliot from Scrubs), he finally convinced her to go out with him by pulling off a two-minute lunch date. This was such a great moment because that was the Ted we had grown to love; the guy who over does everything and has a soft spot for romance. In the season finale, Ted closes the episode by proposing to Stella. Want to catch up? The Season 3 DVD is set to be released on October 7th. Here is a look at what to expect.

All 20 Episodes from Season 3 on 3 discs.

Wait for It
We're Not From Here
Third Wheel
Little Boys
How I Met Everyone Else
I'm Not That Guy
Dowisetrepla
Spoiler Alert
Slapsgiving
The Yips
The Platinum Rule
No Tomorrow
Ten Sessions
The Bracket
The Chain of Screaming
Sandcastles in the Sand
The Goat
Rebound Bro
Everything Must Go
Miracles

Special Features

	2 Music Videos
	Audio Commentary On Selected Episodes
	Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
	Cast Favorites
	Deleted Scenes
	Featurettes: Behind The Scenes Of We're Not From Here & No Tomorrow
	Interactive Menus
	Lily & Marshall's Honeymoon Videos: Awesome Honeymoon, Love On The Loch, Nessie Vs. Lily, & Honeymoon Suite It Is
	Scene Selection
	Series Retrospective
	Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
	Unrated Gag Reel

Season 4 premieres Monday September 22nd at 8:30/7:30c on CBS. The first episode takes off right where season 3 ended, with the cliffhanger ending of Ted proposing to Stella. As Stella makes her decision, Barney is recovering in the hospital. As he lies there, he realizes he is in love with Robin. Season 4 is set to begin with a story arch concerning Ted and Stella, but reports say that future of HIMYM most likely contains a lot more stand-alone episodes that don't drive the overall story like "The Pineapple Incident" or "Okay Awesome."

Along with this news, I would like to report that Regis Philbin is set to make a guest appearance on the second episode of the new season. Sarah Chalke will be back as Stella, and reports say that Wayne Brady will be coming back for another episode this year as Barney's brother James.

I get most of my HIMYM news from J D, the author of the blog "Have You Met Ted." I strongly suggest all HIMYM fans to check it out. http://have-you-met-ted.com

Monk, Law & Order bring A-game

2008-08-18T14:18:00.000-07:00

Hopefully you have been able to find some good television these past couple weeks during the Olympics. Many of the shows I have been talking about this summer were still airing new episodes this past week, and two of them really brought their best stuff to the table.

This past Friday's episode of Monk, "Mr. Monk Goes Underwater," may have been one of the best of series. Adrian is asked to investigate the death of a Navy midshipman. On the surface, all signs point suicide, but a fellow sailor refuses to believe it, and inquires for Monk's help. When Monk comes on the submarine to see the scene, the ship is called into a mock battle. Monk finds himself trapped on the sub, and his OCD leads to some very funny situations. Monk imagines that his therapist is on board to ease himself. When he starts "talking" to Dr. Bell, everyone thinks he's nuts! Eventually Monk finds out that the boat's Captain is responsible. The sailor was going to rat out the Captain for a mishap in which driving the ship into a mountain caused one of the crew to be hospitalized and eventually die. When the Captain figures out Monk is onto him, he tries to kill him before they get back to shore. However, Monk is saved by the sailor who originally inquired his help. This episode contained good writing, high drama, and was very funny. Monk continues to be one of the best shows on tv, let alone basic cable.

Chris Noth has been portraying Detective Mike Logan on and off for the last two decades on different versions of the show Law & Order. Last night, on Law & Order: Criminal Intent Noth turned in a dazzling performance in what is reported to be his final episode in the series. After hearing a startling confession, a priest looks up Detective Logan and tells him that the wrong man has been serving prison time for a triple murder, but because of his oaths, he cannot give him any details. For the rest of the episode, Logan and Wheeler try to put together the pieces of the puzzle to solve a case from 16 years ago. As it turned out, the ADA put together a sham of a prosecution to convict a black man with no alibi. Even when Logan can put together the story and prove that it was in fact the brother-in-law of one of the victims who committed the murder, the former ADA, now running for Attorney General, tries to squash it because of the damage it would cause to her reputation. Logan fights on, even though he knows he is risking his job. Noth may be best known for his role as "Big" on Sex and the City, but his performance as Mike Logan really puts him in the top tier of television acting. Logan is a very emotional cop, and you can really feel the anger, hurt, and satisfaction that Det. Logan feels every step of the way. Sure, Vince D'Onofrio is the star of Criminal Intent, but I think time will show that Noth's character will be sorely missed.

Some other recommended shows that are still putting out new episodes are Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, 30 Days, Psych, and Mad Men.

What's On?
Tonight at 10/9c on the Travel Channel, Tony is going to Spain on a new episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.

Psych, Monk continue to please. My Boys disappoints.

2008-08-09T23:03:00.000-07:00

TBS original sitcom My Boys wrapped up its second season on Thursday night. In the middle of season one, My Boys really hit its stride as the writers put together some really creative situational comedy. Episodes from the first season included a really funny parody of Sex and the City, a very good jab at suburban life, and many other great stories. The good starring cast was complimented by a list of great guest stars including Six Feet Under's Jeremy Sisto, Scrubs' Travis Shuldt (Keith Dudemeister), and Big Bang Theory's Johnny Galecki. In the second season, the show for the most part got away from stand-alone situational comedy and focused in on P.J.'s love life. While this was always part of the show, it has now taken center stage, and has basically transformed My Boys from a great sitcom to an only OK soap opera. All signs point to My Boys returning for a third season, and I can only hope that we see a return to the brilliance that made My Boys one of the best new shows of 2007.

Monk turned out another good episode on Friday night on the USA network. In "Mr. Monk takes a punch," Adrian is asked to investigate the attempted murder of a boxing star played my Las Vegas's James Lesure. This was a very funny and well-written story, and I encourage anyone to try to catch it on a rerun.

Last week I gave the episode of Psych a bad review while mentioning that I like the series on the whole. I am happy to report that Psych came back Friday with a funny and very entertaining episode. Shawn used his hyper-observance skills to search for a treasure with help from his uncle, played by Stephen Weber. This is another one to definitely try to catch on a rerun.

What's on Sunday?
With the Olympics in full swing, we will be looking to basic cable for some new programming. The critically acclaimed Mad Men continues its sophomore run on AMC at 10/9c. Going to miss it at 10/9c? It will air immediately following at 11/10c, and have several encore presentations throughout the week. Check your local listings.

My Boys season finale at special time

2008-08-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

If you've been reading my blog, you have probably already heard a little bit about TBS's original sitcom My Boys. I must add the disclaimer that I do have a soft spot for My Boys because my uncle works for the show. That said, the main character is a beautiful woman who happens to be a sportswriter for my favorite team, the Chicago Cubs. With that in mind, I'd probably watch the show whether my uncle was involved in it or not. The show revolves around the personal life of P.J. Franklin, played by Jordana Spiro, and her circle of mostly male friends (hence the name My Boys). In the recent story arch, P.J. had a crush on Bobby, but he got engaged, complicating the matter. On last week's show, the gang flew out to California for Bobby's wedding. P.J. had recently fallen for Bobby's brother Jack, who is sort of a bad boy version of Bobby. When Jack and Bobby got into a huge fight, Jack, who was supposed to be Bobby's best man, flew back to New York. Now, in tonight's season finale, the wedding must go on and P.J. and the guys rally around Bobby to make sure he is OK. As you can see, the last few episodes have been a little soap opera-y. I feel I enjoyed the show much better when it was more like a stand-alone episode sitcom. With that thrown out there, I still feel the cast does a very good job and that this is worth watching. I guess what I'm trying to say is that My Boys is a good, but not great show.

What's On?
The second season finale of My Boys is tonight on TBS at a special time, 10/9c.

The Olympics are coming...sigh

2008-08-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

Brace yourselves, everyone, for this is the final day before the beginning of the 2008 Summer Olympics. This year's Olympics will be coming, for the most part, tape-delayed from Beijing China and air on the NBC family of networks. I feel that the Summer Olympics offer up a mostly boring menu of sports. Sure, there will be some bright spots, like Michael Phelps' shot at 8 golds and team USA's attempts recapture the Basketball gold medal after a disappointing bronze medal finish in 2004. However, I feel you can pretty much just cut the middle man and watch Sportscenter to see all of the most exciting moments from this year's games. Olympic television is chock full of fillers and downtime, and the actual sporting events are a small percentage of the coverage. I'll do my best to find you some new programming, but my guess is that most networks will just put up reruns during the games.

What's On?
Have some fun with Adam and Jamie tonight on a new episode of Mythbusters at 9/8c on the Discovery Channel.

A look back at Friday, look ahead to Sunday

2008-08-02T22:22:00.000-07:00

All-new episodes of Monk and Psych aired on the USA network Friday night. I really enjoyed "Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever." When the SF Lotto girl is murdered, Monk is asked to investigate. Monk's assistant Natalee becomes the new Lotto girl after the producer spots her while they are going over the crime scene. Natalee's new job distracts her from her job assisting Monk, and tension ensues. The plot twists from here on out were very good, and I will not go into it too much in case you are hoping to catch it on a rerun. Conversely, Friday's Psych episode had a very predictable storyline that I felt was uncreative and boring. It seemed very obvious to me that Dutch's son was El Diablo, and the fact that Dutch was trying to kill himself seemed pretty clear to me when Gus and Shawn learned that he had pancreatic cancer. It hurts me to give a bad review, because I do like the series on the whole. I guess every show is bound to have a few bad episodes.

What's On Sunday?
This Sunday night brings a fantastic selection of new programming. My top pick is the second episode of the new season of Mad Men on AMC at 10/9c, but there are also new episodes of Law and Order: Criminal Intent and Design Star.

Go Cubs Go!

2008-07-31T13:12:00.000-07:00

The Chicago Cubs have just completed a four game sweep of divisional rival Milwaukee. What's even more impressive is they did it in the Brewers' home stadium, Miller Park. Just five days ago the Brewers had tied up the race in the National League Central, taking the Cubs out of sole possession of first place for the first time since early May. Now, in the blink of an eye, the Cubs hold a 5 game lead over the Brewers and a 4.5 game lead over the hated Cardinals. How did the Cubs do it? Let's take a look back at the pivotal series.

Game 1
Cubs 6, Brewers 4.
No one in the NL had beaten Brewers' mid-season pick-up CC Sabathia, but the Cubs got off to an early 2-0 lead. The Brewers came roaring back in the 6th with two home runs off of Cubs' starter Ted Lilly to take a 3-2 lead. Then in the 7th, the Cubs loaded the bases with one out. Derrek Lee hit a dribbler to the shortstop that looked like a sure double play, but second baseman Rickie Weeks threw the relay way wide of 1st base and two runs were able to score on the play. Derrek Lee was at the plate again in the 9th when his RBI double plated the go-ahead run, and the Cubs held on to win 6-4.

Game 2
Cubs 7, Brewers 1.
There was an all-star match-up on the mound as Zambrano faced off against Ben Sheets in game two. Carlos had an excellent night as he went 8 shutout innings with 9K and only 2 walks. The big blows came in the 6th, when the Cubs touched up Sheets for 5 runs. Ben was pulled from the game with only one out in that 6th inning, and the Cubs went on to win 7-1.

Game 3
Cubs 7, Brewers 2.
The Cubs continued their dismantling of Brewer starting pitching on Wednesday. Manny Parra came into the game with a 7-1 record in his last eight decisions, but the Cubs jumped on him quickly with two runs in the first. The big hit of the game was a two-run triple by Ryan Theriot in the 6th. That made the score 4-1, and just like Sheets the night before, Parra was pulled from the game after only 5 1/3 innings. Ryan Dempster would go 7 innings with 1ER and 9K in his 12th win for the northsiders this season as the Cubs held on to win 7-2.

Game 4
Cubs 11, Brewers 4.
The Cubs' bats put an exclamation point on the end of what was an amazing series on Thursday. With the Cubs clinging to a slim 1-0 lead in the 4th, Jim Edmonds came to the plate with the bases loaded and two out. Edmonds had already given the Cubs the lead with a towering shot to right, and he went the other way just over the left-center field wall for a grand slam to give the Cubs a commanding 5-0 lead. Cubs hitters would continue to hit, including home runs by Kosuke Fukudome and Alfonso Soriano. Brewers players and managers were visibly frustrated with the situation, as both Eric Gagne and Prince Fielder would end up getting tossed from the game. The Brewers would tack on a few in the 9th, but the Cubs would hold on to win 11-4 and sweep all four games.

The Cubs will host the Pirates next, as they come home for their next 9 games. The Friendly Confines have been very friendly to the Cubs this year, where they have a 39-14 record. The Cubs look to continue the momentum they built in Milwaukee so they can pad their lead in the NL Central.

What's On?
Tonight at 8/7c on NBC, the final five comedians battle for the title of Last Comic Standing. Last week, America was given the chance to vote their favorite comics into tonight's final. Marcus, who won immunity, will face the other four finalists in one more stand-up competition. Then America will vote again for their favorite and crown the champion.

Mad Men

2008-07-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

If you've been keeping up, you already know that AMC's Mad Men is nominated for 16 Emmys and returned for a second season last night. Mad Men is about a high powered advertising agency on Manhattan's Madison Avenue during the changing times of the early 60's. Season two begins set in Valentine's Day 1961. The filming of Mad Men is truly masterful and artistic. Everything from the cars to the clothes to the people really makes you believe you are back in time. Some actors are so transformed into their 1960's persona that you only later realize that they are someone you recognize from another TV show or movie. Mad Men may not contain quite the excitement of a murder mystery or crime drama, but the character development is done so well that we are interested in what will happen next. All of that makes Mad Men something worth checking out. Mad Men is all-new every Sunday at 10/9c on AMC.

What's On?
Tonight at 11/10c, either Matt or Jen will win $250,000 and their own show on HGTV's Design Star, hosted by Clive Pearse. In tonight's finale, Matt and Jen will help families in need by restoring, decorating, and designing interiors for homes wrecked by Hurricane Katrina.

P.S. Tony's all-new, and he's going to prove that Uruguay is more than just the butt of Homer Simpson's jokes tonight at 10/9c on the Travel Channel.

Review: In Plain Sight

2008-07-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

In Plain Sight is a new drama on the USA network about the Witness Protection Program. I have given this show a few weeks to try to prove itself, and have ultimately decided to not recommend this show. The USA network has brought us a lot of great original programming such as Monk, Psych, and Burn Notice, but In Plain Sight does not live up to these shows. Mary McCormick plays Agent Mary Shannon of the Witness Protection Program, and she does a good job, but the problem is that most of the episodes do not revolve around her, but instead on the person or people being brought into the program. Unlike other shows that involve a lot of guest stars like Law & Order or CSI:, the guest stars on In Plain Sight must carry a lot of the story load. In many instances, the acting from these guest stars just isn't that good, and to tell the truth the writing for them isn't that great to begin with. Because the stories are so often very emotional, it asks these actors to do some very emotional scenes. Like I eluded to before, bad writing and/or acting just makes these scenes come off as cliché or tacky in many cases. Overall, the stories of these people's lives basically being ruined is really depressing. Where's the entertainment in that? If In Plain Sight were to focus more on Mary and her personal life, then maybe this show would have somewhere to go, but as it is I am going to say to look elsewhere. What's that? In Plain Sight is the only new drama on Sunday at 10/9c? Well that will change this weekend when the critically acclaimed Mad Men returns to AMC.

What's On?
All-new episodes of Monk and Psych starting at 9/8c on the USA Network. In tonight's episode, "Mr. Monk and the Genius," Monk matches wits with a chess master who always seems to be a step ahead of him. On Psych, Gus organizes a high school reunion, but it turns into a mystery for Shawn when one of their former classmates goes missing.

New shows to watch for

2008-07-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

There are 13 new primetime shows this fall on the big networks. The truth is, only about one in six new shows ever make it to a second season. This isn't necessarily because the show is bad. If not promoted well, it can be very difficult to stir up an audience. Also, there is the phenomenon that I have referred to as "slot doom." This means the new show was put into a timeslot up against an established ratings winner, making it even harder to find viewers. Of the 13, here are the top five that may warrant your consideration.

5. Worst Week Mon 9:30/8:30c CBS
Journeyman actor Kyle Bornheimer gets his chance to star as Sam in the new sitcom Worst Week. It is an adaptation of the BBC show Worst Week of My Life. Sam has gotten his girlfriend pregnant, and they have decided to get married. Now Sam is going to meet his soon-to-be in-laws and tell them the awkward news. Kurtwood Smith (Red Foreman from That 70's Show) returns to TV as Sam's potential father-in-law. That alone should make this show at least somewhat amusing. Worst Week will not have to worry about slot doom, as it is sandwiched between hits Two and a Half Men and CSI:Miami.

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/fall_preview_2008/video.php?cid=746965641&pid=yUcALmkbniN4rDXhnwRQRLJrHJav__pn&play=true&cc=0

4. Gary Unmarried Wed 8:30/7:30c CBS
One way to get some attention for your new show is to get a well-known actor for your starring role. Jay Mohr returns to television as a recently divorced man, Gary, trying to re-adapt to single life while still being a good father. The preview scene on CBS.com is a very funny, and from what I can tell the actor that plays his son is pretty good. There may be other things in this time slot that I would recommend above this show, but I am at least going to give it a shot.

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/fall_preview_2008/video.php?cid=746965641&pid=9gib3X5klpO7TzKZXhJGdLzwkcF9nA5m&play=true&cc=0

3. Eleventh Hour Thu 10/9c CBS
Rufus Sewell stars as Dr. Jacob Hood, a brilliant biophysicist recruited by the FBI to investigate the rapidly growing number of crimes of a scientific nature. In the series premiere, Dr. Hood investigates a laboratory suspected of experimenting with human cloning.

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/fall_preview_2008/video.php?cid=740532228&pid=v2oJ4IoLNChXIu0gkHOQOD4mfy3_MJFb&play=true&cc=0

2. Fringe Tue 9/8c on FOX
J.J Abrams, executive producer of shows such as Alias and Lost brings us an all-new sci-fi thriller this fall on FOX. With direction by The West Wing's Alex Graves, Fringe clearly brings an impressive production team to the table. The pilot episode begins with a plane landing safely at Boston's Logan Airport, but when the skycaps come inside, the entirety of the passengers and flight crew is dead. What happened here? A team of FBI agents enlist the help of a genius named Dr. Walter Bishop. The only problem is Dr. Bishop has been in a mental institution for many years, and his beautiful mind is teetering on the edge of destruction. FOX will be the place for TV on Tuesday nights, as Fringe will be preceded by all-new episodes of House. Also, note that Fringe will premiere Sept. 9th at 8/7c before moving to its regular time the following week.

http://www.fox.com/programming/shows/new/fringe_video.htm

1. Life on Mars Thu 10/9c on ABC
Unfortunately for Eleventh Hour, this fall's most exciting new show is premiering in the same time slot. Life on Mars is based on the hit BBC show of the same name. NYPD Detective Sam Tyler is just doing his job like any other day, when he is hit by a car and put into a coma. When he wakes up, he is not in a hospital. He is in the year 1973, at his same job in the 125th precinct. Sam must now adapt to a world of crime fighting without all of the technologies of the present, all while trying to figure out what happened to him. Can he ever get back?
With these two intriguing new shows head butting with an aging but still popular ER, it should be an interesting ratings game Thursdays this fall at 10/9c.

http://abc.go.com/primetime/lifeonmars/index?pn=about

What's On?
Tonight at 8/7c the 39th annual World Series of Poker premieres on ESPN with the final table of the $10,000 buy-in pot-limit Texas Hold'em tournament. Tuesday will be Poker Night on ESPN every week from tonight until their almost-live coverage of the final table of the main event on November 11th, where the champion will win over $9 million.

No Reservations on Mondays

2008-07-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

Last week on Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Tony brought us to Columbia, a country that is experiencing a resurgence after decades of control by drug cartels and warlords. Many of the urban neighborhoods are coming alive with culture after finally being brought from under the control of crime and ignorance. Tony attended a party hosted by a local hip hop group made up of people that are from several different neighborhoods that had been at war with each other just a few years ago. However, not everything is being modernized. One of the most intriguing parts of the episode was when he visited a small fishing town which is right across the bay from the booming economic center of Cartagena. Here, just miles from the high-rise skyline, people were living a simple life where everything they ate was caught or grown themselves. Tony leaves us with a sentiment of optimism that Columbia can put its troubled past behind it and usher in a new era of good times.

What's On?
Of course, it's a new episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations at 10/9c on the Travel Channel. Tonight, a huge fan of the show invites Tony to come to his homeland of Saudi Arabia.

A can't miss night of comedy

2008-07-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight, basic cable's best comedies return as Monk and Psych make their season premieres on the USA network. Emmy-award winner Tony Shaloub returns as Adrian Monk, the obsessive-compulsive detective. In the 7th season premiere, Monk tries to overcome his fear of change as he moves into a new house. Brad Garrett guest stars as a handyman. The 3rd season premiere of Psych immediately follows. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the show, the premise is one of the best comedy set ups I've ever heard. James Roday stars as Shawn Spencer. Shawn has been very observant since he was a child, and he decides he is going to use his "hyper-observancy" to start a psychic detective agency. He and his best friend Gus (Dule Hill) solve crimes for the Santa Barbara police department, all while Shawn is pretending to be a psychic. Tonight, Cybill Shepherd guest stars as Shawn's estranged mother, and Gus thinks about quitting the agency. Want to get a taste of the show before tonight? A Psych marathon runs from 9am-5pm today.

Last night on Last Comic Standing, for the second straight week Iliza Shlezingher staved off elimination. She out-performed English comedian Paul Foot and Indian comic Papa CJ in front of a packed crowd in Los Angeles. Iliza is the only female competitor left in a largely man's world. However, she has proven that she has the material, and perhaps the remaining men will think twice before challenging her to the elimination stage.

What's On?
Of course, my picks for tonight are the season premieres of Monk at 9/8c and Psych at 10/9c on the USA network. The original programing on the USA network is taking it to the top of basic cable.

Emmy Nominations

2008-07-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

Emmy nominations came out this morning, and they usher in what is truly a changing landscape in primetime television. AMC's Mad Men, and FX's Damages became the first basic cable shows to ever be nominated for best drama series. Mad Men is the drama about life in the advertising business world of the 1950's. The show is beautifully shot, and really makes you feel like you are back in time. It has the look and feel of a premium channel show, and maybe that's because HBO actually was originally going to produce this show and then decided to pass on it. Mad Men led all dramas by being nominated in 16 different categories. NBC's 30 Rock led all comedies with 17 nominations. 30 Rock remains the best show on TV that nobody watches, and quite frankly the Emmys might be all that is keeping it on the air. Last season, when 30 Rock won the Emmy for best comedy series, it was the #102nd watched show on television according to Nielsen. The skyrocketing numbers of cable nominations shows that there is a lot of competition for primetime television today. The big four networks are not the only place to look for primetime television anymore. One last thing to mention would be that Neil Patrick Harris has been nominated for a second straight year for his supporting actor role on my favorite show, How I Met Your Mother. Harris is fantastic as the chauvinistic Barney, and the show would certainly not be the same without him. He has some stiff competition in the category, as he is up against Rainn Wilson (Dwight from The Office) and two of the guys from HBO's Entourage.

What's On?
Tonight at 8/7c on NBC it's the final ten of the reality competition show Last Comic Standing. After a world-wide tryout, the final ten comedians now will live together and compete to be the last comic standing of 2008.

Below is a list of all of the big award nominees in comedy, drama, reality, and variety shows.
COMEDY

COMEDY SERIES
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
The Office
30 Rock
Two and a Half Men

ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Rainn Wilson, The Office

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live
Jean Smart, Samantha Who?
Holland Taylor, Two and a Half Men
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Will Arnett, 30 Rock
Shelley Berman, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Steve Buscemi, 30 Rock
Tim Conway, 30 Rock
Rip Torn, 30 Rock

GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Polly Bergen, Desperate Housewives
Edie Falco, 30 Rock
Carrie Fisher, 30 Rock
Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives
Sarah Silverman, Monk
Elaine Stritch, 30 Rock

DRAMA

DRAMA SERIES
Boston Legal
Damages
Dexter
House
Lost
Mad Men

ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
James Spader, Boston Legal

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Glenn Close, Damages
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Ted Danson, Damages
Michael Emerson, Lost
Zeljko Ivanek, Damages
William Shatner, Boston Legal
John Slattery, Mad Men

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Candice Bergen, Boston Legal
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy

GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Charles Durning, Rescue Me
Robert Morse, Mad Men
Oliver Platt, Nip/Tuck
Stanley Tucci, ER
Glynn Turman, In Treatment
Robin Williams, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Ellen Burstyn, Big Love
Diahann Carroll, Grey's Anatomy
Sharon Gless, Nip/Tuck
Anjelica Huston, Medium
Cynthia Nixon, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

REALITY

REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Amazing Race
American Idol
Dancing With The Stars
Project Runway
Top Chef

HOST FOR A REALITY OR REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars
Heidi Klum, Project Runway
Howie Mandel, Deal or No Deal
Jeff Probst, Survivor
Ryan Seacrest, American Idol

REALITY SERIES
Antiques Roadshow
Dirty Jobs
Extreme Makeover
Intervention
Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List

VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY

VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SERIES
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
Late Show With David Letterman
Real Time With Bill Maher
Saturday Night Live

VARIETY, MUSIC, OR COMEDY SPECIAL
Bill Maher: The Decider
George Carlin: It’s Bad For Ya!
James Taylor: One Man Band
Kathy Griffin: Straight To Hell
The Kennedy Center Honors
Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project

All Star Game, FOX fall preview

2008-07-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

Last night's All-Star Game was one for the ages, as the AL won a marathon game 4-3 in 15 innings. It looked as though the NL might actually break out of their slump when they took a 2-0 lead when Chase Utley got an RBI single in the 6th, but the AL came right back with a 2-run homer by J.D. Drew. Each team scored a run in the eighth, and after the Cubs' Ryan Dempster shut down the AL in the ninth, the game went into extra innings. The AL had an excellent scoring chance in the bottom of the 10th when they had bases loaded and no one out, in large part because Dan Uggla committed two errors in the inning. This was just part of a nightmare day for Uggla, who went 0-4 with 3K and grounded into a double play. Aaron Cook of the Colorado Rockies then got out of the jam by getting three straight ground outs. However, it was all for naught when the AL eventually scored the winner in the 15th on a sacrifice fly.

This fall FOX puts out a line-up with a lot of familiar shows in new timeslots and several two-hour season premieres.

FOX Monday premieres Sept 1st with a two-hour Prison Break, then Sept 8th with this line-up
8/7c Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - New Time
9/8c Prison Break - New Time

A fifth season of Prison Break? Are they serious? Is anyone else sick of this show? Who will be watching this? I'm told Terminator is a pretty good show, but it's on opposite of The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, and Dancing with the Stars.

FOX Tuesday premieres Sept. 9th with a two-hour Fringe, then Sept 16th with this line-up.
8/7c House - New Time
9/8c Fringe - New Show

House is one of my favorite shows, and I am excited for it to come back. FOX has been promoting the crap out of the new sci-fi show Fringe, which I plan on talking more about in a later post.

FOX Wednesday premieres Sept. 3rd with a two-hour Bones, then Sept. 10th with this line-up.
8/7c Bones - New Time
9/8c 'Til Death
9:30/8:30c Do Not Disturb - New Show

Bones is a decent show, but I would recommend Pushing Daisies in this timeslot. 'Til Death is the sitcom starring Everybody Loves Raymond's Brad Garrett, and returns for a second season. Do Not Disturb is a new sitcom about a chic Manhattan hotel staff.

FOX Thursday premieres Sept. 4th with a two-hour Moment of Truth, then Sept 11th with this line-up.
8/7c Moment of Truth - New Time
9/8c Kitchen Nightmares - New Time

I think FOX has thrown up the white flag in the Thursday ratings game. Look elsewhere for some great TV on Thursday nights.

FOX Friday premieres Sept 5th with a two-hour Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? then Sept 12th with this line-up.
8/7c Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? - New Time
9/8c Dont Forget the Lyrics! - New Time

FOX puts out a mildly amusing Friday line-up with these game shows hosted by Jeff Foxworthy and Joey Fatone.

FOX's "animation domination" Sunday comes back Sept 28th with a familiar line-up.
8:00/7:00c The Simpsons - 20th season
8:30/7:30c King of the Hill - 13th season
9:00/8:00c Family Guy - 7th season
9:30/8:30c American Dad - 4th season

FOX's bigger news may be for later in the season, as American Idol season 8 premieres Jan. 2009, along with three more new shows and the rumors of a Family Guy spin-off starring Cleveland.

What's On?
American History X, the 1998 movie starring Edward Norton as Derek Vinyard, a man driven to Neo-Nazism after his father is killed by an African-American, is on the FX network tonight at 8/7c.

Some Poker

2008-07-15T09:44:00.000-07:00

Last week I expressed how I was hoping the return of Rockford Charitable Games events to the Chicagoland area would mean a good month of July for poker. Last night they were in Buffalo Grove, and I decided to drive out there for some live action. The night turned out to be an emotional ride that reassured me that in poker, sometimes you just have to hang in there and grind it out.

The night started off very badly for me. When first one player hit a three outer on the turn with his QJ against my AJ, and then another turned his KJ into trip jacks against my pocket 10's, I quickly found myself more than $200 in the hole. Many players would have just packed up and called it a day after that, but I knew that I was just getting unlucky, and I am very confident in my abilities. After being allowed to see the flop for cheap with my K5 from the big blind, the flop came out 234, giving me an open-ended straight draw. I checked, there was a $20 bet from middle position, and a call from late position. I was getting almost 3:1 on my call, and my straight draw was about a 2:1 chance to hit, so I called. The turn was a 7, and I checked again. The middle position player bet $30, and the late position player called after thinking about it for a while. If he had folded, I might have as well, but his call gave me almost the exact odds I needed, and I've always said that if you are going to draw for the turn you should stick around for the river. The river was a 6, completing my straight, and I decided to lead out with an all-in bet of $53. If I had checked, they both might have checked as well, since the 6 would make a straight for anyone with a 5. By going all-in, I am now trying to represent a bluff, hoping to get paid off. The middle position player folded, and after thinking for a while, the late position player paid off my bet with his pocket 9's. Both players seemed disgusted by my "suck-out," but I was getting the proper odds the whole way. After that pot, my stack was back up over $250. I was happy to have made a hand and get back into the game, but I could never have dreamed what would happen next. After taking out a small stack when I had AQ and made a pair of queens on the flop, my stack was now $284. I was in the small blind, and a player from middle position raised it to 6 times the big blind. Everyone folded to me, and I looked down to find pocket Kings. Since there was only one other player left to act, I decided to just call instead of a raise, camouflaging the strength of my hand. The action moved over to the big blind, who had the most chips at the table, and to my surprise he announces, "All in." The middle position player quickly folds. I give him a quick stare. Could this guy actually have pocket Aces? If he did, wouldn't he make a small raise, enticing us to call? One of my fellow dealers at CCG, Andrew, a very good player in his own right, once told me that you can never fold pocket Kings preflop, no matter what the risk. I am usually an advocate of not risking all your money in a cash game before the flop, but Andrew is right. You can not fold pocket Kings preflop. "I call." There is a rush of excitement at the table. My opponent shows up AK, about a 70/30 underdog to my KK. The dealer counts out my stack, and we begin to realize that this is a $580 pot. I put my hands on top of my head, as it sinks in that an ace popping off of the deck is the difference between me getting almost $600 or going home empty-handed. The flop is 268. Perfect, no straight draws or flush draws for my opponent. The turn is a 7. The river is an 8. My Kings and Eights have just won the largest cash game pot of my young poker career. I stuck around for a few more hands, and then decided to get up and cash out. What is there to learn for me? In poker, it's impossible to win every hand, but if you stick in there, the good players will win in the end. For that other guy? It is silly to risk your entire stack preflop in a cash game with AK, especially because when someone decides to call, they will almost always have AA (88% favorite), KK (70% favorite), or QQ (57% favorite).

There are a lot of poker blogs out there, and those guys will tell you what happened whether it was exciting or not. I do love poker, and could have easily made this a poker blog. However, I felt it would be better to talk about television most of the time, and infuse some poker and other stuff when I have something interesting to talk about.

What's On?
The 79th Annual MLB All-Star Game is tonight at 8/7c on FOX. Eight Cubs and two White Sox appear on the rosters in the game that will determine whether the NL or AL will have home-field advantage in the World Series. They say 8/7c, but with all of the pregame stuff and festivities, it never starts until at least 8:30/7:30c. All friends are welcome to come over to my house and watch.

NBC fall 2008 preview

2008-07-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

Ever since the ends of beloved sitcoms like Seinfeld, Friends, and Frasier, NBC has fallen out of the ratings game and into a consistent 4th place among the major networks. So what does NBC offer this fall to try to break out of their slump? They have four new shows in their fall line-up and three shows coming back for a second season. The schedule is almost completely different from just two years ago. Will it be enough to bring them out of the basement? My guess is no, but only time will tell.

NBC Monday premieres Sept. 8th
8/7c Chuck
9/8c Heroes
10/9c My Own Worst Enemy - New Show

Chuck returns for a second season, Heroes goes for a third run, and My Own Worst Enemy is a new show starring Christian Slater as a schizophrenic former spy. Both Chuck and Heroes are decent shows, and the new show sounds interesting, but the truth is the CBS and ABC Monday line-ups are just much better than these shows.

NBC Tuesday premieres Sept. 9th
8/7c The Biggest Loser
9:30/8:30c Kath & Kim - New Show
10/9c Law & Order: SVU

The weight-loss show The Biggest Loser comes back for a sixth installment. Personally, I don't know who would watch this for an hour and a half, but I guess it remains mildly popular. Kath & Kim is a new comedy starring former SNL cast member Molly Shannon. The diamond in the rough of the NBC line-up is Law & Order: SVU, which will be returning for a 10th season this fall. L & O: SVU brings a bigger intensity than the other versions, mainly because of the emotionally-charged subject matter of the cases. SVU was the only NBC show that consistently won the ratings in its timeslot last season.

NBC Wednesday premieres Sept. 10th
8/7c Knight Rider - New Show
9/8c Deal or No Deal
10/9c Lipstick Jungle

After the success of the Knight Rider made-for-TV movie, NBC has decided to turn out a remake of the series. Deal or No Deal will be on two nights a week this fall. Lipstick Jungle is the show created by Sex and the City's Candace Bushnell. It returns for a second season. Just as before, this line-up seems decent, but there is just better stuff to watch on ABC and CBS.

NBC Thursday premieres Sept. 11th
8/7c My Name is Earl
8:30/7:30c 30 Rock
9/8c The Office
9:30/8:30c SNL specials
10/9c ER

You had better get your DVR out for Thursday nights this fall. I'm as big of a fan as anybody of the NBC comedy Thursday line-up, but with shows like Survivor, CSI:, and Grey's Anatomy airing opposite of them, it just makes it difficult for NBC to gain any traction in the ratings game.

NBC Friday premieres Sept.12th
8/7c Crusoe - New Show
9/8c Deal or No Deal
10/9c Life - New Time

The new show Crusoe is based on a story written by adventurer Robinson Crusoe. Life is the drama about a detective who was wrongly accused of murder and has been let out of prison after finally being cleared. It returns for a second season at a new time.

Saturday Night Live returns for a 34th season at 11:30/10:30c on Sept. 13th.

Sunday Night Football returns Sept. 7th on NBC this fall with a rematch of Superbowl XLI as the Chicago Bears take on the Indianapolis Colts.

Perhaps the bigger news for NBC is coming later this television season, as a spin-off of the award-winning comedy The Office is scheduled to premiere this winter. New episodes of the classic version of Law & Order also premiere later in the season. They are set to play Wednesdays at 10/9c. What does this mean for Lipstick Jungle? I don't know, and frankly don't really care. Will all of this take NBC out of the cellar? Like I said, my guess is no, but only time will tell.

What's On?
Anthony Bourdain takes his show, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, to Columbia tonight at 10/9c on the Travel Channel. Tony turned out an amazing show last week when he went to the mysterious country of Laos. Tonight, he offers us a glimpse into a country many of us would deem to dangerous to visit.

Until next time, happy viewing!

Sunday Stuff

2008-07-13T12:56:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Since I don't make picks for Saturday, I'm going to take Sundays off from talking about TV, but I will still make a pick for tonight.
While being unemployed, I have found several things to take up my time, including this blog. Every Wednesday night I play ultimate frisbee at Lake Park west campus. The league is sponsored by a church, and anyone is welcome to join. I love playing cards, and have been playing poker both live and online and dealing cards for Chicago Charitable Games. CCG holds poker events throughout the suburbs on the weekends. I was able to win an Omaha Hi/Lo tournament a few nights ago, and with Rockford Charitable Games coming back to the suburbs this week, I am hoping July turns out to be a pretty good month for poker. I am also in the process of writing a screenplay. It is a poker themed movie, and I have a basic outline for the story and 18 pages written. I hit a point in the story where I can't figure out what I want the people to say, so I might just move past it for now and come back to it later.
It has been an amazing summer to be a Cubs fan. Coming into the day, the Cubs were 20 games over .500, and have the best record in the Major Leagues. Yesterday's game was quite the roller coaster, as the Cubs blew a 7-0 lead, but ended up winning 8-7 in 11 innings. A bad team might have just rolled over and died after that kind of let down, but the good teams rally together and win these kinds of games, and that is exactly what the Cubs did Saturday. The Cubs collapse overshadowed the debut of pitcher Rich Harden, who went 5 1/3 innings giving up 0 runs and striking out 10 Giants. Harden was recently acquired in a trade that sent Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton, Eric Patterson, and a minor leaguer to Oakland for Harden and relief pitcher Chad Gaudin. This trade was most likely made in response to Milwaukee trading for Indians' starting pitcher CC Sebathia, even though Cubs' GM Jim Hendry says otherwise. The Cubs will have at least a tie for the best record in baseball at the all-star break for the first time since the inception of the All-Star Game in 1933. The game will be as important as ever for Cub fans, as eight Cubs will represent the National League: Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, Geovany Soto, Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Carlos Marmol, and Kerry Wood. Also, the winning side will get home-field advantage in the World Series, which could definitely be crucial for the Cubs this season.

What's On?
My pick for tonight without a doubt is the all-new episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent on the USA network at 9/8c. Tonight, detectives Logan and Wheeler investigate the killing of a rock star. The team of Logan and Wheeler is not as good as Goren and Eames, but it still makes for some pretty good television.

ABC Fall 2008 Preview

2008-07-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

This fall, ABC returns a very familiar line-up. I do not yet have premiere dates for the shows, but here are the set timeslots.

Monday
8/7c Dancing With the Stars
9:30/8:30c Samantha Who?
10/9:00c Boston Legal - New Time

Dancing with the Stars, television's 3rd most watched show of last season, is coming back for its 7th installment. Samantha Who? is back for a second season after performing well in its cushy timeslot. Boston Legal, the spin off of The Practice, is now in its 5th season behind the star power of William Shatner, Candice Bergen, and James Spader. It moves from Tuesday to Monday nights this fall.

Tuesday
8/7c Opportunity Knocks - New Show
9/8c Dancing with the Stars (Results Show)
10/9c Eli Stone - New Time

Opportunity Knocks is a new game show that will travel the country knocking on people's doors to invite them to play on the show. Their next contestants could be your family. America will find out who gets kicked off of Dancing with the Stars at the same date and time as previous seasons. Eli Stone, a mid-season add from last year, comes back for a second season at a new time.

Wednesday
8/7c Pushing Daisies
9/8c Private Practice
10/9c Dirty, Sexy Money

For ABC this fall, I am most excited about the returns of Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money. Both come back for second seasons after good freshman runs. Pushing Daisies is a sensual dark comedy that will have to be further explained in a future posting. Dirty Sexy Money's plot revolves around a lawyer, Nick, who takes his father's former job as family attorney for the wealthiest family in Manhattan after his father's mysterious death. The Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice also returns for a second season.

Thursday
8/7c Ugly Betty
9/8c Grey's Anatomy
10/9c Life on Mars - New Show

Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy come back for their 4th and 5th seasons, respectively. However, the most intriguing part of the ABC fall line-up may be the new show Life on Mars. The show is a remake of a BBC police/science-fiction drama. After being hit by a car in the present day, Captain Sam Tyler wakes up in the year 1973. Tyler now is faced with the challenges of adapting to a new decade and figuring out what exactly happened to him. Can he ever get back?

Friday
8/7c Wife Swap
9/8c Supernanny
10/9c 20/20

Sunday
8/7c Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9/8c Desperate Housewives
10/9c Brothers and Sisters

Ty Pennington's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition comes back for a 6th season of home remodeling. The Juggernaut Desperate Housewives returns for a 5th season. The juicy stories of the women of Wisteria Lane netted an average of 18 million viewers a show last season. Brothers and Sisters continues to leech off of the success of DH and comes back for its 3rd season.

Perhaps ABC's biggest news is that it has picked up the beloved comedy Scrubs after it was discontinued by NBC. Scrubs is set to premiere in January 2009, and many of the details are still unknown. One thing we do know is that Courtney Cox will be joining the cast as the new Head of Medicine at Sacred Heart. I'm sure I'll be talking a lot about Scrubs between now and its network-jumping comeback this winter.

Last night's pick My Boys, turned out a good but not great episode. Jim Gaffigan seems kind of handcuffed by the situation the script has put him in, and he is not allowed to be as funny as he can be. P.J. continues to be frustrating in her inability to tell her true feelings to Bobby. This is often a good way to create sexual tension, but the lack of feelings from Bobby's end just makes it kind of exhausting. That said, Brando's situation as being forced to work a job he is overqualified for with some crazy co-workers is inherently funny and Mike's jealousy of Kenny's new found luck with women has a great poetic justice to it. I expect My Boys may have some tricks up its sleeve in the coming weeks, as this episode did not further the overall story arch much. I guess we will have to just wait and see.

What's On?

It is Saturday, which is never a good night for television, and even worse during the summer. I will not ever be giving any recommendations on Saturday nights, so go out and do something!

Until next time, happy viewing!

Cancellations

2008-07-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

"Hey Kevin, what happened to that show I used to watch?" Whether it be because of the writers' strike, poor ratings, or a phenomenon I like to call "slot doom," the 2007-2008 television season led to a record 34 show cancellations from the major networks, and that doesn't even include basic cable or the premium channels. Here is a list of the 34 shows canned by the five major networks.

ABC
Miss Guided
Women's Murder Club
Cavemen
Big Shots
Carpoolers
Just For Laughs
Notes From the Underbelly
Oprah's Big Give
Men in Trees
Cashmere Mafia
October Road

Fox
Back to You
Canterbury's Law
New Amsterdam
K-Ville
Nashville
The Next Great American Band
Unhitched
The Return of Jezebel James

NBC
Las Vegas
1 Vs 100
Amne$ia
Clash of the Choirs
My Dad is Better than Your Dad
Phenomenon
Quarterlife
The Singing Bee
Journeyman
Bionic Woman

CBS
Cane
Welcome to the Captain
Moonlight
Kid Nation
Secret Talents of the Stars
Viva Laughlin
Power of 10
Shark

The CW
Aliens in America
Beauty and the Geek
Crowned
CW Now
Girlfriends
Life Is Wild
Online Nation
Pussycat Dolls Present

There is a lot of bad television on this list above, and to tell the truth I never even saw an episode of most of these shows. The reality is (in fact by my count 16 of these shows were reality shows or game shows) that most of these shows deserved to be canceled. Viva Laughlin was one the most bizarre experiments in television history. The show was about a man who had decided to invest his fortune in opening up a casino in Laughlin, Nevada... and oh yeah, did I mention that it was a musical? Nielsen reports that Viva Laughlin lost over half of its opening viewing audience by the time it was halfway through the premiere episode. Eight shows were shot, but CBS pulled the plug before the second episode even aired. Some critics debated whether it was the worst television show ever made, but that might be a bit harsh. That said, there are a few of these shows that will be dearly missed. Here are my top 5.

The NBC drama Las Vegas has been canceled after a 5-year run. Las Vegas surrounded the crew of the Montecito Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The show, I believe, could be best characterized as a mystery drama. Most episodes surrounded Casino VP of Operations Danny McCoy and Head of Security Mike Cannon trying to solve a crime or foil a cheating plot within the casino. The show would often have unexpected plot twists and intense drama. There was a lot of cast turnover (only 4 members of the original cast appeared in the finale) and pehaps viewers were getting tired of having to learn and meet new people and having to deal with the often strange circumstances of the leaving of cast members. Las Vegas had a good run, very few shows make it to their 5th season. It can still be seen in reruns every weekday on TNT at Noon/11c.

The ABC sitcom Carpoolers was a very funny show about four Los Angeles men who carpool to their jobs in the same office building. Each of the carpoolers had their own silly, quirkiness that I loved. The truth is, Carpoolers, may have suffered from a death by association with the ill-conceived sitcom Cavemen, the show based off the GEICO commercials. Carpoolers aired directly after Cavemen, and if no one was watching Cavemen, then they're probably not hanging around for Carpoolers.

A show that truly suffered from the phenomenon I like to call "slot doom" was Journeyman, a drama on NBC. Journeyman was put into the Mon 10/9c spot up against CSI:Miami, which was last season's 8th most watched show with an average viewership of 14 million. As a result, Journeyman was never able to build a strong viewer base, and was canceled just when the storyline was beginning to get very interesting. In the final episode, we found out that Dan had become a time traveler after another traveler had died. Unfortunately, we are now left to guess and wonder the origins of the time traveling.

The CBS drama Moonlight quickly developed a cult following after its premiere last fall. The show surrounded Mick St. John, a vampire private investigator who struggled with his love for a mortal woman, Beth. While I must admit I never got that into Moonlight, I used to be a big Buffy fan, and can understand its cult appeal. The show's loyal viewers tried to mount an effort to save the show, but it has been officially canceled by CBS, and no other networks seem interested in picking it up.

The CBS courtroom drama Shark suffered greatly from a timeslot change. Shark surrounded Sebastian Stark, played by James Woods, who was a former hot-shot defense attorney who decided to change sides and head up the L.A. major crimes unit. Woods' character was very flawed and compelling, and would do just about whatever necessary to win. I used to watch every episode of Shark when it was on directly after CSI: on Thursdays, but when it was moved to Sunday nights, I kind of lost track of the show.

There are so many different reasons to cancel a show. I understand that television is a business, and if your business investment isn't working, it's time to bail and try something new. Things like Kid Nation were interesting experiments, but probably would not be as compelling a second time around. While some shows will be missed, the best stuff is coming back this fall.

Last night's pick, Nova: Science Now, gave us a look into the challenging tasks ahead for astronauts with the repair of the Hubble Telescope, gave an intriguing look into the earliest primate ancestors, told the compelling story of a Mexican immigrant who is now a top neurosurgeon, and reported on the terrifying new super bacteria soldiers are calling "Iraqibacter."

What's On?
My pick for tonight is My Boys at 9:30/8:30c on TBS. My Boys is a sitcom about Penelope "P.J." Franklin, a sportswriter for the Chicago Sun-Times, and her circle of mostly guy friends. While I may be a little biased towards this show because I live in Chicagoland and my uncle works for the show, I find the give and take between the actors to be very good. Comedian Jim Gaffigan is hilarious as P.J.'s brother Andy. To set up tonight's episode, last week P.J. found out that the guy she has a crush on, Bobby, has gotten engaged. At the end of the episode, Bobby asked if P.J. was OK with everything, and she chickened out and said yes.

CBS Fall Schedule Preview

2008-07-09T10:13:00.000-07:00

Hi,
I'm going to start every day's entry with a review of yesterday's pick to watch. Yesterday's recommendation, 30 Days, is the brain-child of Supersize Me's Morgan Spurlock. On Tuesday's episode, Morgan went to live on the Navajo Reservation for one month. It was a fascinating, and sometimes disturbing, look into the life of the modern American Indian on "the rez." American Indian communities find themselves destroyed by poverty, alcoholism, and crime. Many families find themselves in a similar situation to many Mexican families, where the head of the household leaves the reservation to find work so he can send money back to his family. It was heartbreaking to hear the grandmother of the family Morgan was staying with talk about how she felt disconnected from her grandchildren because they did not speak Navajo. The economic state of the rez and the outside influence of the western world are slowly killing their culture. It was certainly an eye-opener. Perhaps there is hope yet for the Navajo Nation. They are planning the opening of a casino in 2009, which will hopefully give an economic boost to the rez and provide lots of employment, and their new school system is designed to ingrain the Navajo culture into their youth, including the speaking of both Navajo and English in the classroom. Morgan Spurlock has given us another rare look into a life we would never experience on our own. Anyone who missed this should check their local listings for reruns. 30 Days is new every Tuesday at 10/9c this summer on the FX network.

All of the big networks have put out their tentative fall schedules, and I plan on reviewing all of them in the next couple weeks. Today, the 2008 CBS Fall Schedule.

The CBS Monday line-up is my favorite night of primetime television, so I will spend the most time talking about this night of the week.
8:00/7:00c The Big Bang Theory
8:30/7:30c How I Met Your Mother
9:00/8:00c Two and a Half Men
9:30/8:30c Worst Week - New show
10/9:00c CSI: Miami

The Monday line-up is coming back with all-new episodes starting Mon. Sept. 22nd.
The Big Bang Theory is coming back for a second season after an excellent freshman year run. This is the quirky comedy about two UCLA research nerds who live across the hall from a blond bombshell, played by Kaley Cuoco (the daughter from 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter).
How I Met Your Mother is my favorite show on TV right now. It is the chronicle of Ted Mosby's life in the present day told through the eyes of an older Ted looking back on his life. The star-studded supporting cast includes Niel Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall's Jason Segel.
Two and a Half Men returns for its 6th season. It is America's most watched sitcom.
Worst Week is a new show about a guy who has gotten engaged to his girlfriend after getting her pregnant, and now has to go to meet her family and tell them the news. Time will tell whether this will be successful, but it sure has a cushy timeslot.
CSI: Miami comes back for a 7th season. David Caruso's Horatio Caine makes this version just as good as the original.

CBS Tuesday Fall Line-up returns all-new Sept. 23
8:00/7:00c NCIS
9:00/8:00c The Mentalist - New Show
10/9:00c Without a Trace - New Time

NCIS returns for a 6th season. It is the Navy's spin on CSI.
The Mentalist is a new drama about a California detective whose family was killed by a serial murderer
Without a Trace the drama about the FBI's missing persons unit, returns for a 7th season at a new time.

CBS Wednesday Fall Line-up returns Sept. 24
8:00/7:00c The New Adventures of Old Christine
8:30/7:30c Project Gary - New Show
9:00/8:00c Criminal Minds
10/9:00c CSI: NY

The New Adventures of Old Christine, Julia Louis-Dreyfus's show comes back for a fourth season.
Jay Mohr returns to television in the new comedy Project Gary. Mohr plays Gary, a recently divorced father trying to deal with his new life situation.
Criminal Minds and CSI: NY return for their 4th and 5th seasons, respectively.

CBS Thursday Fall Line-up returns with all-new episodes Oct. 9th
8:00/7:00c Survivor (premieres Sept. 17th)
9:00/8:00c CSI
10/9:00c Eleventh Hour - New Show

Survivor returns for an incredible 17th installment when they go to the mysterious country of Gabon.
CSI continues its run for a 9th season. This will be the first full season without Jorja Fox (Sarah).
Eleventh Hour is a new drama about an FBI agent who tries to solve high-tech cases before the time runs out.

CBS Friday Fall Line-up returns with all-new episodes Oct. 3rd
8:00/7:00c Ghost Whisperer
9:00/8:00c The Ex List
10/9:00c Numb3rs

Jennifer Love Hewitt returns as the Ghost Whisperer for a 4th season.
The Ex List is the new show about a woman who goes searching for all of her ex-boyfriends after a psychic tells her that someone she has already dated is her soulmate.
The mathematical crime drama Numb3rs returns for a 5th season.

CBS Sunday Line-up returns Sept. 28
After Football: 60 Minutes
8:00/7:00c The Amazing Race
9:00/8:00c Cold Case
10/9:00c The Unit

The Amazing Race is the Emmy-winning reality competition show, and comes back this fall for a 13th race around the world.
A 6th season of solving decades-old cases comes back this fall on Cold Case.
The Unit is the drama about an anti terrorist unit, and returns for its 4th season.

So there is your preview for this fall's CBS primetime schedule. It is worth mentioning that the critically acclaimed Moonlight was a late cancellation, and will not appear in the fall line-up. Fans of the show are mounting an effort to have the show renewed, but the outlook is bleak. Also, new episodes of the comedy Rules of Engagement are set to come back in January 2009.

Tonight's pick to watch:
Nova: Science Now 10:00/9:00c on PBS.
I know this may be some of the nerd in me coming out with this selection, but Nova: Science Now is really a different generation of science show. It's the perfect science show for today's low attention span America. Host and Astrophysicist Niel deGrasse Tyson brings you five ten-minute science stories every week. Tonight's show investigates early primates, looks into the most recent Hubble Telescope repairs, and more.

KO's TV critic blog first entry

2008-07-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hi,
My name is Kevin, and I love television among other things such as poker, rock band, frisbee golf, and baseball. While I may delve into other things such as the stuff i just mentioned, I am going to make the focus of this blog television. With so many channels and a seeming dip in the overall quality of network television, it may seem like there just isn't anything on. However, I feel there is still a lot of good stuff out there if you just know where to look. I had originally come up with the idea to do this blog several months ago, but the writer's guild strike had just begun, and it didn't seem like the right time. Some of you might be thinking, "But, Kevin, it's summer time. Why write now?" Well, there are a few reasons.

1. There is still some great TV out there during the summer

2. Summer is a great time to catch up on TV shows you missed during their regular seasons

3. I will be able to get you ready for an all new fall line-up

While not as prevalent as during the fall, there still is some good new programming out there this summer. Last night Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations came back in a big way with a new episode covering the mysterious country of Laos. The communist Lao government has kept it almost untouched by western society, and there is still the evidence of the ravages of the Vietnam War. This episode was a very captivating eye-opener, and I would recommend anyone watch it. Anthony is all-new every Monday this summer at 10/9c on the Travel Channel.

The old NBC saying was, "If you haven't seen it, it's new to you!" This is very true, as summer gives you a chance to catch some shows you may have not seen during their regular runs. My favorite show is the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, which airs Mondays at 8:30/7:30c. If you have never watched this show I strongly urge you to check it out. It is the story of Ted Mosby in his late 20s/early 30s told through the eyes of an older Ted voiced by Bob Saget. Reruns will be airing all summer at the time I said earlier, seasons one and two are out on DVD, and it has been picked up for a full 26 episode season 4 starting this fall in the same time slot.

All of the big networks have put up their fall schedules, and in the coming weeks I will prepare you for a new TV season by pointing out what's the same, what's new, and what to look out for.

Every day I'm going to close out with giving you something to watch that night.

Tuesday is a pretty dry night for new television during the summer, but my pick for tonight should not disappoint.
30 Days, the project of Supersize Me's Morgan Spurlock, has an all-new episode tonight at 10/9c on the FX network. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the program, in each episode Morgan or one of his friends tries to get a new perspective by living out a different life for one month. Tonight, Morgan goes to live on a Navajo Reservation for 30 days to try to get a taste of what American Indian life is like.

Well, that wraps up my first post. Here's to hoping someone will read it.