TV

Pop/CounterPop -- Golden Globes edition

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:35:09 -0600

What we're watching: "Saturday Night Live"

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 00:57:42 -0600

Two solid shows of "SNL"...back to back? Say it ain't so!

Nevertheless, the impossible has happened, and this reporter couldn't be happier. This week's excellence had to do a lot with host Gwyneth Paltrow having great timing and experience (as this is her third time hosting) coupled with refreshingly smart writing. Be sure to watch it in its entirety - most of it is worth your time.

Talking TV: 'Episodes,' 'Shameless,' 'Onion Sports Dome' and Golden Globes

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 12:26:31 -0600

On this week's Talking TV, Tom and I discuss Showtime's Episodes and Shameless. We also review Comedy Central's Onion Sports Dome before offering a brief preview of the Golden Globes.

Listen here or download on iTunes so you can listen on-the-go.

01:14 Episodes
07:44 Shameless
14:48 Onion Sports Dome
19:25 Golden Globes preview

Steve Carell to exit 'The Office' four episodes before season finale

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 10:22:45 -0600

The great Alan Sepinwall at HitFix is reporting that showrunner Paul Lieberstein (who also plays everyone's favorite sad sack, Toby) says that Steve Carell, who has already announced his departure from The Office this year, will depart the show with four episodes left to go in the season.

Other tidbits:

- Holly (Amy Ryan) will leave the show an episode or two before Michael.
- The final four episodes will focus on who will replace Michael. The only internal candidates the writers are considering are Dwight (Rainn Wilson), Darryl (Craig Robinson) and Andy (Ed Helms).
- The show will take more of an ensemble approach to storylines in the future, rather than ensuring that Michael always has a storyline.
- Todd Packer (David Koechner) will ask to come off the road and work in the Dunder Mifflin building again in an upcoming episode.

More at HitFix.

What do you think? Are you sad to see Carell go? Do you think the show should go on without him? Who would make a good replacement as regional manager?

'Terra Nova' will have a two-night premiere on May 23, 24

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:49:22 -0600

The new family adventure-drama series from executive producer Steven Spielberg, Terra Nova, will benefit from a strong American Idol lead-in on its two-night premiere on May 23 and 24.

According to Fox:

The series centers on the Shannon family as they join the Tenth Pilgrimage of settlers to Terra Nova, the first colony established in this beautiful yet forbidding land led by its founder Commander Nathaniel Taylor (Stephen Lang, Avatar). Jim Shannon (Jason O'Mara, Life on Mars), a devoted father with a checkered past, guides his family - wife Elisabeth (Shelley Conn, Mistresses); and children Josh (Landon Liboiron, Degrassi: The Next Generation), Maddy (Naomi Scott, Life Bites) and Zoe (newcomer Alana Mansour) - through this new land of limitless beauty, mystery and terror. These adventurers soon discover that this healthy, vibrant world is not as idyllic as it initially appears. The areas surrounding Terra Nova are teeming with danger - and not just of the man-eating dinosaur variety. The Shannons will come to suspect that not everyone on this mission has the same idea of how to best save mankind; in fact, there may be forces intent on destroying this new world before it even begins.

I am a little embarrassed to tell you that the item that most excited me about that press release was the presence of Landon Liboiron of Degrassi. I love that guy. But, you know, the dinosaur part sounds cool, too.

What about you? Will you tune in for this possibly-epic series? Or are you content to let it go the way of the dinosaurs?

Talking TV goes xtranormal

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:27:45 -0600

Here's our first experiment in animation and visual punctuation, courtesy of the latest latest thing on the Web, xtranormal.com. You've seen the Geico commercial; now check out the guidelive short.

New shows: Bob's Burgers, The Cape, Episodes and Shameless

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:34:55 -0600

Several new shows premiered last night: Bob's Burgers on Fox, The Cape on NBC and Episodes and Shameless on Showtime.

Read what Tom Maurstad had to say on the new programming and then tell us what you thought of the shows if you watched them.

Photo by Fox

What we're watching: "Saturday Night Live"

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 12:00:00 -0600

SNL is always best when they bring an actual comedian on rather than just some actor trying to endorse a movie (see: the Jane Lynch episode). And even though Jim Carrey was technically promoting I Love You, Phillip Morris, he didn't let in stand in the way of his comedic talent.

It was, in short, a great way to start off the new year.

Talking TV: New and returning shows this month

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:11:06 -0600

Happy New Year! On this week's Talking TV, Tom and I discuss the new shows premiering this month, including The Chicago Code, The Cape and Bob's Burgers.

We chat about a few returning shows, including Southland and V, before talking about this week's new TV on DVD releases.

Don't forget to leave your comments below. (And enjoy the new theme music!)

Listen here or download on iTunes so you can listen on-the-go.

01:18 The Glee Project
06:14 New shows: The Cape, The Chicago Code, Bob's Burgers
18:22 Returning shows: Southland, V
24:50 TV on DVD: The Ricky Gervais Show, Big Love

'Glee' star Lea Michele works with PETA to boycott horse-drawn carriages

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 14:15:16 -0600

Usually I'm not a fan of PETA commercials, but I'd never thought about this issue before. What about you? Would you think twice before riding a horse-drawn carriage? Is working with PETA a good choice for Lea Michele? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

More at EW.com.

James Van Der Beek launches 'JamesVanDerMemes.com'

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 10:09:02 -0600

My new favorite site: JamesVanDerMemes.com.

I've long been a user of the Dawson Crying GIF (pictured above). I'm sure you've seen it: the few seconds from an episode of Dawson's Creek in which Joey (Katie Holmes) breaks up with Dawson (James Van Der Beek) for Pacey (Joshua Jackson) and Dawson delivers the ugliest cry in the history of mankind.

Well, James Van Der Beek has partnered with Funny Or Die and is finally ready to capitalize on his face's ability to capture emotion.

Vandermemes from James Van Der Beek

I think this is one of the best examples of "going along with the joke" I've ever seen from a celebrity. I've been chuckling about it since I saw it on EW yesterday. Enjoy the many faces of Dawson, everyone!

Local wise person still in the running for GMA's Advice Guru gig

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:21:09 -0600

Dallas resident Fran Harris, whose resume includes everything from WNBA champion to TV host to Fortune 100 sales executive, is among the top seven finalists in Good Morning America's search for an advice guru. It's an impressive feat; the pool started with 15,000 hopefuls.
Tomorrow, Harris will go head-to-head online (www.abcnews.go.com/GMA) with finalist Amy Kean of New York City. They'll be given a randomly-selected question from a viewer and will answer it in video and essay form. The winner, who will be announced at the end of the day, moves on to the next round.
Viewer input counts; vote online if you think Harris has the chops for the job. Her initial essay includes the following quip: "I guarantee that with me as your Advice Guru, we'll not only have a blast but also plenty of interactive tracking tools to measure my effectiveness, you know, so ABC can be sure that my million dollar salary is well-deserved."

Paltrow to host 'SNL' with Cee Lo: Will they duet?

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 10:27:41 -0600

NBC has announced that Gwyneth Paltrow will be hosting Saturday Night Live on Jan. 15 with musical guest Cee Lo Green.

It sounds like a good show, but my question is this: Since Gwyneth Paltrow sang a fantastic version of Cee Lo's "F*** You" on Glee this season, is there a chance the two will sing it together?

I think it would be pretty cool. Share your thoughts in the comments section.

'Jersey Shore' star NOT participating in NYE tradition

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 15:51:46 -0600

We can all breathe a huge sigh of relief now. EW reports that Jersey Shore's Snooki will no longer celebrate New Year's Eve on MTV from inside a ball descending at midnight in Times Square.

Note how the statement says "a ball" and not "the ball." Apparently, it was never intended for Snooki to be in the well-known Times Square ball. Instead she would have been in "a separate ball on a set-back roof."

Either way, it's probably for the best.

Midseason TV: Coming in early 2011

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 17:09:03 -0600

There are loads of new shows airing in early 2011 to shake up your spring viewing schedule - don't be overwhelmed, we boiled down a few of the most promising picks. What are you looking forward to?

"Shameless": January 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime

"Shameless" tells the story of a family of Chicago misfits, the biggest of them all being Frank, the alcoholic father. The British version of the show with the same name has won multiple awards and honors, giving the U.S. adaptation a lot to live up to. William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum bring stardom to the show and, hopefully, strong performances.

"Episodes": January 9 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime

Speaking of British shows being adapted into U.S. releases, that's essentially what the new Showtime series "Episodes" is all about. It promises fresh comedy (at Hollywood's expense) as well as the return of former "Friend" Matt LeBlanc. As the Brits would say, it looks "bloody brilliant".

"The Cape": January 9 at 9/8 p.m. central on NBC

I've already gushed a bit over my excitement of this superhero show -- I'm hoping it will help me unleash a bit of my inner nerd and a lot of my inner ninja.

"Portlandia": January 21 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on IFC

Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein team up to write and act in this 6-part sketch/improv comedy series about life in Portland, Oregon. One of the previews shows Armisen going around town declaring things to be "over", much like Andy Sanberg "threw it to the ground" on SNL. Hilarity is sure to ensue.