Each week the TV Blog coalition — of which theTVaddict.com is proud to be apart of — highlights some of the best TV news and views from around the web. For the latest news that’s fit to print, simply click the link below.
Archives for June 2008
This Week on the Addict Network™
On the TV Addict:
The TV Addict had the CTV and Global TV UpFronts covered, with exclusive videos of KNIGHT RIDER star Justin Brueing and new 90210 father/daughter duo Shenae Grimes and Rob Estes. Plus: Our 2008 TV Season in Review.
On the REEL Addict:
We ponder whether set photos are ruining the moviegoing experience, reveal that we can’t wait for THE HURT LOCKER and post a first look at TWILIGHT.
Will You Be Dropping By SWINGTOWN Again?
Because this TV Addict really isn’t sure.
On the one hand it’s summer, which means there’s virtually nothing else on in terms of quality scripted television dramas. Also in SWINGTOWN’s favor is that it features MELROSE PLACE alum Grant Show sporting an awesome 70’s-porn-star-moustache and a series premiere that was compelling enough that I’m asking, “what happens next?”
On the other hand, was anyone else slightly perturbed with how quickly Susan and Bruce Miller threw caution to the wind and cast aside their oldest/dearest friends in order to sign up for this new and exciting lifestyle? Not to mention the far more pressing issue — the fact that SWINGTOWN is a series that CBS has relegated to the summer — meaning that it’s more than likely already cancelled in the minds of the proverbial Powers that Be. Thus should I really be investing my time into a show that’s sure to follow in MOONLIGHT and JERICHO’s footsteps?
With that in mind, please feel free to post away with whether or not you’ll be returning to SWINGTOWN next Thursday, what parent’s Susan and Bruce must have been smoking to name their kid B.J., and your prediction as to whether or not uptight neighbor Janet Thompson’s marriage is falling apart because she seems a little too attached to her best friend Susan! Yes, you know what I’m talking about!
Jenny’s TV Guide: Friday June 6
Friday marks the season finale of Man vs Wild on Discovery at 9/8c. Bear travels to the Land of Ice, where he meets the Tuvans, yak herders descended from Genghis Khan, who have lived in Siberia for 20,000 years.
It’s also the series premiere of Charlie Jade on SciFi at 8/7c. Charlie Jade (Jeffrey Pierce, The Others, West Wing, JAG) is a rogue private detective in a world dominated by greedy multinational corporations. When Charlie sees the corpse of a beautiful young woman, he realizes she embodies the impossible: She has no identity, something inconceivable in Charlie’s world. While tracking her suspected killer, the trail leads Charlie to a secret desert facility. A massive explosion propels him into a parallel universe that seduces him with its similarities and baffles him with its differences. Charlie is soon drawn into a conflict that not only involves his home universe and the one he now inhabits but also includes a third universe. This one is pristine and pacifist with unsuspected terror at its heart.
Also check out the season premiere of Meerkat Manor: The Next Generation on Animal Planet at 9/8c. After the death of the matriarch last season, the meerkat family split into 2 clans, each headed by daughters of Flower, the previous leader. This season, Rocket Dog and Maybelline must live within the rather large shadow of their late mother, Flower, and there’s very little room in the Kalahari for both sisters’ clans. Not only do the meerkats face predators, harsh desert weather and archenemies the Commandos-there’s dissent in their ranks. Without a solid leader to unify them, they face their toughest survival threat yet-each other.
Ask the Addict
Apparently, all those guest appearances on shows such as GILMORE GIRLS and SCRUBS really exhausted poor Michael Ausiello. How else to explain the former TVGuide scoopmaster taking a month off before beginning his new gig at Entertainment Weekly?
Now, I could let our jealousy run rampant, shaking a fist at the heavens while asking “Why am I not worthy of such earthly pleasures?” But instead, we’ll take the high road by taking full advantage of his absence to steal your affections. (Okay, maybe the semi-high road.)
So beginning this Wednesday, I’ll be introducing a new weekly column called Ask The Addict. Now I know that at first glance, that might sound an awful lot like Ask Ausiello. And it might seem that by running the column on Wednesdays, I’m attempting to fill the void he left behind. In fact, it might seem an awful lot like I’m trying to steal his thunder.
Let me assure you that nothing could be further from the truth.
Channel Surfing with C.T.
Who knew that NBC could actually pull off a horror anthology? Okay, sure, it might be a little too soon to judge FEAR ITSELF, but the first episode was surprisingly good. Sure, I would have liked a more original story, but vampires are an easy sell. (Um, except where CBS’ MOONLIGHT was concerned. What the heck went wrong there?) I thought this offering was a heck of a lot better than 80 percent of what Showtime’s MASTERS OF HORROR offered up in its lackluster second season. I’ll admit that the scenes for next week’s episode — featuring Eric Roberts as a detective literally haunted by the sins of his past — didn’t do much for me, but that doesn’t mean I won’t give it a shot. There’s way too little good horror being offered on television these days, so I’m going to give this show a chance. I mean, it’s months and months until the Winchester boys of SUPERNATURAL come back, and we’ve gotta pass the time somehow… right?
As a fan of reality television, I’ve seen a lot of selfish, obnoxious behavior. But never have I witnessed anything that compares to the horrendous antics on display each week during THE REAL WORLD: HOLLYWOOD. This week, alcoholic Joey returned from a 30-day stint in therapy and before his arrival, the housemates met with an expert on addictions. The group agreed to do what they could to help Joey deal with his problem, promising to avoid putting him in situations which might cause him to fall off the wagon. Despite talk of various activities they would do to help keep him occupied — bowling, etc — the very first night, the housemates went out, got drunk and woke him up at 4:30 in the morning. And don’t get me started on Greg, the pretentious, obnoxious, lying little nutjob who manages to came off as self-absorbed even in the context of this immature crowd of posers and got exactly what he deserved when he was kicked off the show. Best of all? The guy who alienated everyone in the house was somehow caught off-guard by the fact that none of his housemates stepped up to defend him.
Dealing With LOST Withdrawal
With tonight serving as the first of far too many Thursday nights sans LOST, the fine folks at Outcast Communications were kind enough to send this TV Addict a copy of the LOST: VIA DOMUS videogame. No doubt with the hopes that I’ll be able to continue the adventure all summer long. So check back next Thursday to discover if the new survival/adventure videogame based on the hit TV show translates well on your favorite videogame console [which in my case, is a PS3].
At the very least, It’s pretty nice to know that you can’t end a videogame on an ambiguous cliffhanger, or can you? Stay tuned…
DEXTER Casting Scoop
According to Roger Catlin’s TV Eye, Jimmy Smits will be joining the cast of DEXTER when the show returns this fall for its highly anticipated third season.
Smits will portray an ambitious and charismatic assistant district attorney named Miguel Prado, who will join forces with Michael C. Hall’s Dexter Morgan as they pursue “a murderer who affects both of their lives directly,” according to a press release sent by Showtime.
So with that in mind, let the wild speculation begin. Will Miguel Prado end up on the wrong end of Dexter Morgan’s special brand of justice? Be another ‘father figure’ for Deb? Or end the season off by announcing his Presidential Campaign!
Post away with your theories.
Get Up Close and Personal with KITT
At yesterday’s Global TV UpFront, the TV Addict got up close and personal with the Kitt.
And on a somewhat related note, I wanted to take a moment to highlight a reader comment that almost had my morning coffee streaming out of my nose.
Said reader EKI in response to star Justin Brueing revealing that when KNIGHT RIDER returns in the fall it will most likely feature different gadgets each and every week. “I think he forgot to mention the TOPP of the week (Tremendously Obvious Product Placement).”
Needless to say, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves. If his short tenure at NBC has taught us anything, it’s that aside from spin-offs and ‘re-imaginations’ Peacock President Ben Silverman hasn’t met a product placement he doesn’t like!
Jenny’s TV Guide: Thursday June 5
Thursday marks the second part of the Season Finale of Step It Up & Dance on Bravo at 10/9c.
It’s also the series premiere of two new shows. First up is Fear Itself on NBC at 10/9c. This new suspense and horror anthology series set to push the boundaries of this classic genre through a host of provocative talent, both in front of and behind the camera, including award-winning, sought-after directors from An American Werewolf in London, Saw II, III and IV and Bride of Chucky; actors Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), Shiri Appleby (Charlie Wilson’s War), Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men), Cynthia Watros (Lost), Eric Roberts (NBC’s Heroes) and John Billingsley (Star Trek: Enterprise); and writers, from shows like 30 Days of Night, Carnivàle & Supernatural.
It’s also the series premiere of Swingtown on CBS at 10/9c. The series peeks into the shag-carpeted suburban homes of the culturally transformative ’70s to find couples reveling in the sexual and social revolution that introduced women’s liberation and challenged conventional wisdom. During this heady era of provocative change, Susan and Bruce Miller move their family to an affluent Chicago suburb where they’re confronted with personal choices, experimentation and shifting attitudes, all against the backdrop of a changing social climate defined by its unforgettable music, fashion and style.