Just wanted to take a moment to wish all our readers a happy and healthy New Year! Here’s to another great year of TV in 2007.
Archives for December 2006
Free Preview of LINCOLN HEIGHTS
An early New Years gift courtesy of ABC Family, Click here to download the first episode [for free!] of the new series LINCOLN HEIGHTS from iTunes.
The show’s pilot follows an inner-city police officer who convinces his family to move to the neighborhood where he was raised in hopes of cleaning it up and making a difference. With it’s surprising mix of violence, romance and action, LINCOLN HEIGHTS was a welcome distraction on a cold winters day. And with executive prooducers from both PRISON BREAK and SOUL FOOD, the series definitely lives up to ABC Family’s tagline, ‘a new kind of family.’
Jenny’s This Week on TV
Hi everyone! Thank goodness the holidays are very nearly over! I had a good holiday season but man, do I miss TV! lol Let’s see what’s new finally this week!
SUNDAY
Sunday is of course New Years Eve, so not much on. Catch the season finale of Sunday Night Football on NBC at 8:30/7:30c.
Then at 10/9c, turn to ABC for Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2007 with hosts Dick Clark & Ryan Seacrest. Scheduled performers include Rihanna, KT Tunstall, Rascal Flatts & the stars of the Broadway musical Jersey Boys. It was sad last year seeing Dick Clark after his stroke. I had my doubts he’d do it this year but… Oh well. lol And man, didn’t there used to be a special on almost every channel on NYE? This year, I only see the one on the schedule. Strange.
Also on tonight:
- Keith Barry: Extraordinary *Special*
- 7th Heaven *Repeat*
- American Dad *2 Repeat Episodes*
- Cold Case *Repeat*
- Desperate Housewives *Repeat*
- Extreme Makeover: Home Edition *Repeat*
- Family Guy *Repeat*
- Reba *Repeat*
- Shark *Repeat*
- The Simpsons *Repeat*
- Without a Trace *Repeat*
Stephen Colbert Lets His Guard Down
If you’re a fan of STEPHEN COLBERT and the COLBERT REPORT, this video is a must watch. While participating in a forum at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Politics, Colbert discusses many aspects of his show, his personal life, political views and his take on the 24-hour news media. It’s a rare, candid and self-effacing glimpse behind the smug character he plays on TV. [The actual interview starts following the first four minutes of Colbert footage]
The 2006 TV Year in Review (Daytime Edition)
Now that we’ve conquered the best and worst in primetime television, it’s time to turn our gaze — weary as it may be from all this TV watching! — toward the daytime dial. Which talk show host sold out? And which soap turned stunt casting into an art form? Read on, fellow addicts!
Best return: Sure, ABC saw the reunion of GENERAL HOSPITAL supercouple Luke and Laura as little more than an opportunity to draw in lapsed viewers, but for anyone who grew up in the shadow of daytime’s legendary lovers, the chance to relive the magic was irresistible. Our fondest wish? That Genie Francis will bring Laura back to Port Charles permanently.
Worst return: DAYS OF OUR LIVES teased fans endlessly with a gloved hand that they were led to believe just might be The Phoenix — aka Stefano DiMera — rising yet again from a premature grave. When finally Marlena faced off with the villain who’d once helped turn her into a literal devil, all viewers saw was Stefano’s hand, thanks to the fact that DAYS couldn’t come to an agreement with his longtime portrayer, Joseph Mascolo.
Couple we never expected to fall for: Every fan of AS THE WORLD TURNS knows that when you say the name Jack, it is immediately followed by the name Carly. But after breaking up the good-guy cop and his semi-reformed bad-girl wife, the show somehow convinced viewers that they wanted to see her in the arms of sexy Simon! With Paul Leyden’s departure imminent, we can only hope that the execs will offer him anything in the WORLD he wants if he’ll stay.
Couple with the biggest “ick” factor: Take one brain-damaged psycho, throw in a sweet autistic girl, and what do you have? ALL MY CHILDREN’s Jonathan and Lily, who proved that just because a good girl is drawn to a bad boy doesn’t mean someone shouldn’t intervene and say, “Snap out of it!”
Most disappointing sell-out: Yeah, we’re talking to you, DR. PHIL. The low points this year included “helping” a woman get over her fear of horror flicks by sending her to see the latest SCARY MOVIE flick… which you happened to appear in; using half an episode to promote the season finale of the despicable BREAKING BONADUCE; using the show to endlessly promote books by your wife and son; and an episode in which you showed the same footage of a mother beating her child over and over and over. Perhaps worst of all: You only warn viewers that what they are about to see might not be appropriate for some AFTER you’ve already shown the controversial material in the pre-show teaser.
Words we’d just as soon never hear again: Residents of ALL MY CHILDREN’s Pine Valley spent way too much time talking about Ryan’s (fill in your favorite euphemism for “sperm” here), while folks over in THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS’ Genoa City are still talking about that damned reliquary. And we’re still not caring about it.
Couple we’ll miss the most: Rumor has it that GUIDING LIGHT’s kissing cousins, Jonathan and Tammy, will be leaving the canvas early in 2007, and we’re already mourning the loss.
Story that shouldn’t have worked… but kinda did: When AS THE WORLD TURNS launched its FRIDAY THE 13th-like plot, we were right there with all the other skeptical eye-rollers. But by the time the knife-wielding killer started chasing Oakdale’s teens through the woods, damned if we weren’t gripped.
Story that should have worked… but definitely didn’t: For months, a mysterious monk manipulated PASSIONS’ Whitney into doing his bidding by playing on her guilt for having slept with half brother Chad. What started out as an interesting homage to The Da Vinci Code devolved into a major mess. By the time Alistair was decloaked, we couldn’t have cared less about him or the chalice he was after.
Gabfest most likely to leave people talking: Love her or hate her (and boy, does Donald Trump hate her!), Rosie O’Donnell has turned THE VIEW into daytime’s version of Must-See TV.
SCRUBS: The Musical, Sneak Peak #2
Courtesy of NBC, another sneak peak at the upcoming musical episode of SCRUBS. While ‘Everything Comes Down to Poo’ may not be the most elegant title, it’s classic SCRUBS funny. Don’t believe me, check out the clip above — and be sure to tune into SCRUBS on January 18 for an episode you won’t soon forget. (Thursdays, 9PM on NBC)
Missed out on ‘Guy Love’, you can view it by clicking here.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Direct-To-Video Movie Set To Launch
Geekmonthly.com is reporting that SciFi and NBC Universal are set to announce a BATTLESTAR GALACTICA direct-to-video two hour telefilm that will shoot in March and air over the summer. While no story is set, speculation runs rampant that the movie will somehow tie into the mythology for the Galactica spin-off series, CAPRICA, as well as bridge the gap between the third and fourth season.
While this may come as surprising news to fans who’ve been worrying about the show’s declining ratings, one must remember that BATTLESTAR GALACTICA has always been a phenomenal seller on DVD, constantly appearing in Amazon.com’s DVD Bestseller list. According to studio sources, direct-to-video is a very profitable sector for Sci-Fi fans. Other rumoured DTV projects include BABYLON 5, BUFFY, and FIREFLY.
TV’s Top 10 Shows of 2006
DEXTER An hour long drama about a serial killer. Does anybody actually want to see that? Luckily for Showtime [and fans of quality TV] a record number of people did — and for good reason. DEXTER featured an Emmy worthy performance by Michael C Hall (Dexter Morgan), compelling stories and most importantly (in the age of serialized ‘when are we going to get a resolution’ dramas) an actual ending. The show was the surprise hit of 2006 — and no, DEXTER isn’t number one on our list because we’re really quite scared of what he’ll do to us if he’s not happy.
A Favourite YouTube Moment — Dexter Confesses
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA No show on television dares to challenge its viewers as much as BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. Whether its showing us a different side of terrorism, or portraying its ‘human heroes’ as people willing to do some seriously awful things (yes, you heard us Starbuck) — the show’s writing team, led by the brilliant Ronald D Moore, never takes the easy way out. Let’s hope our heroes don’t find Earth too quickly, as this TV addict doesn’t wish to see BATTLESTAR end anytime soon.
A Favourite YouTube Moment — Second Season Finale
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER Three words: Robing Sparkles and Swarley. Oh wait, there’s more…. Grinch, Suit Up, Steak Sauce, pretty much anything that comes out of Barney’s mouth. This year, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER truly came into its own, found its voice, and evolved into the FRIENDS replacement that we’ve so desperately needed. With a charming cast and razor sharp dialogue, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER was officially the funniest, most talked about, three camera comedy on TV.
A Favourite YouTube Moment — Robin’s Secret
GREY’S ANATOMY What’s been lost amidst all the behind-the-scenes antics is that 2006 was by far the strongest year to date for the doctors of Seattle Grace. With water-cooler moments ranging from the fantastic Superbowl episode, to Denny’s death and more recently the deterioration of Dr. Burke and Cristina’s relationship, GREY’S ANATOMY is still our go-to drama for emotional high-stakes drama.
A Favourite YouTube Moment — Grey’s Anatomy The Fray
SCRUBS SCRUBS is that rare breed of show that simply does everything well. It tugs at the heart-strings as well as any medical drama while at the same time manages to be as funny as any episode of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. After six years, the show has developed such a rich stock of supporting characters [Ted the lawyer, the Todd, Security guard with a hook etc…) that it has essentially evolved into a live-action equivalent of THE SIMPSONS (but with more heart). If you’re still not on the bandwagon, do yourself a favour and check into Sacred Heart soon. Sadly, if the rumours are true, it may be the last season you’ll be able to.
A Favourite YouTube Moment — Dr. Cox Loses It
The 2006 TV Year in Review (Part 2)
Putting the MUST SEE back into MUST SEE TV: NBC, for removing ‘The Donald’ from Thursday night and giving us a two-hour block of seriously funny television (MY NAME IS EARL, THE OFFICE, SCRUBS, 30 ROCK) for the first time in years.
Proof that Emmy Voters don’t actually own televisions: The continued snubbing of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and Kristen Bell (who plays Veronica Mars’ title character) whenever nomination season rolls around.
It’s Not TV…. It’s HBO SHOWTIME: Thanks to WEEDS, DEXTER and SLEEPER CELL, SHOWTIME is where it’s at. HBO is so four years ago.
R.I.P. The Serialized Drama Apparently, if it doesn’t take place on a mysterious island populated with Others and a polar bear, viewers don’t care. KIDNAPPED, VANISHED, RUNAWAY, THE NINEand SIX DEGREES all failed to attract an audience. And while most of the shows didn’t deserve one, KIDNAPPED and THE NINE deserved a far better fate.
Why We Love YouTube: Rosie vs Star, Rosie vs Clay, Rosie vs Asia, Rosie vs Trump. All we know is that YouTube is our first stop online when we’re dying to know who Rosie was angry with yesterday. Rosie, theTVaddict.com loves you — don’t hurt us. (But if she does, expect to see it on YouTube tomorrow!)
The award for most controversial show both ON-screen and off goes to: GREY’S ANATOMY. We can’t decide what’s more exciting. McSteamy vs. McDreamy or Isiah Washington vs. Patrick Dempsey.
Trend The National Enquirer hates most: By choosing to out themselves, such stars as T.R. Knight (GREY’S ANATOMY) and Neil Patrick Harris (HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER) have given the tabloids two less faces to run on their “Who’s gay and who’s not?” covers.
Proof the Seinfeld Curse is over: Julia Louise-Dreyfus succeeding with her own sitcom, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE. Better yet, it’s actually funny!
Okay, we may have jumped the gun with that proclamation Just ask Michael Richards how his career is going!
Most annoying trend on television: TV shows incessantly talking about other shows on the same network.
Most guilty party: 30 ROCK shamelessly promoting DATELINE, the G.E. Trivection Oven, NBC Universal, LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O’BRIEN — Okay so their not so subliminal advertising works. But still… it’s annoying.
Watch a Sneak Peek of SCRUBS The Musical
According to a press release from NBC Universal, starting on December 29, fans of NBC’s comedy “Scrubs” (Thursdays, 9-9:30 p.m. ET) can get ready to ring in 2007 with a sneak peek of the program’s highly anticipated musical episode for broadcast on January 18.
“Everything Comes Down to Poo,” performed by Golden Globe nominee Zach Braff, Donald Faison and guest star Stephanie D’Abruzzo (“Avenue Q”), is available exclusively on YouTube and is the second preview to hit the Internet. “Guy Love” performed by Braff and Faison, a song that outlines the unique relationship between their characters, is also available on YouTube and for download on iTunes through February.
Life is but a song for the cast of “Scrubs” when they star in their own musical episode featuring songs written by the Tony Award-winning composers of “Avenue Q,” Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. The episode showcases original “Avenue Q” cast member D’Abruzzo as a patient who checks into Sacred Heart complaining of hearing incessant music — and the hospital is soon turned into a stage.
The inventive “Scrubs,” which continues in its sixth season, also pays homage to the medical drama series “House” with a special episode on January 4.