The Week Ahead in TV
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Comedy, Drama, Prime Time, Reality, ABC, FX, FOX, House, My Name Is Earl, Nip/Tuck, Survivor, Talent,
Here’s a look at the highlights for the upcoming week. In addition to more Fox premieres, we have several new personalities to prepare for:
TUESDAY
CBS Evening News: The long awaited debut of Katie (or Katherine?) Couric. Will she be able to turn the perkiness off at night?
The View (ABC syndication): The premiere of of Rosie O’Donnell. My Tivo is ready…let the catfights begin!
House (8pm on Fox): Will House’s limp return? And will Hugh Laurie’s British accent come back with it?
Standoff (9pm on Fox): Romance between hostage negotiators? Now that we already know the plot, do we have to watch?
Nip/Tuck (10pm on FX): The Carver is gone but Kimber’s vanity was still attacked. I’m guessing she still won’t be fat anytime soon.
THURSDAY
‘til Death (8pm on Fox): Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher play an old married couple who have to contend with annoying newlyweds…and My Name is Earl, and Survivor and Ugly Betty...
Happy Hour (8:30pm on Fox): It’s has something to do with a newly single dude, his new roommate and the neighbors he meets. Kind of sounds like Joey and in a similar time slot. We can guess what will happen from here.
FRIDAY
Nanny 911 (8pm on Fox): Do parents home on a Friday night really want to be reminded about why they aren’t going out?
Gallery: The Week Ahead in TV
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FOX Adds Primetime Game Show to Roster
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Games, Prime Time, ABC, FOX, NBC,
Not one to miss out on the game show mania, a la Deal or No Deal (NBC) and upcoming 1 vs. 100 (NBC) and Set for Life (ABC), FOX will now be offering their own primetime game show to the mix. The Rich List will debut later this season, produced by the British company that brought you The Weakest Link (ugh!) and Dog Eat Dog (double ugh!). The show will challenge teams of strangers by having them complete lists of topics, from trivia to textbook topics. To add to the excitement, the teams will wager on how many answers they expect they can provide—highest bid gets to complete the list. And of course, if they don’t make their estimated number, the other team goes on to face another team. According to Mike Darnell, head of alternative programming at FOX, “This is a truly original concept, unlike anything else currently on air, which promises to be exciting and addictive viewing.” Don’t expect any famous American talent to host the show, as British morning show host Eamonn Holmes will helm The Rich List.
Read More 
| Zap2it
Gallery: FOX Adds Primetime Game Show to Roster
The Week Ahead in TV
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Prime Time, Reality, FOX, Alias, Talent,
Now that we’ve gotten past the premieres of Prison Break and Vanished, we can ease into another week of programming highlights:
TUESDAY
Celebrity Duets (8pm on Fox): The latest Simon Cowell production debuts with Hal Sparks (Queer as Folk), Lucy Lawless (Xena) and Chris Jericho (WWE) among the eight celebrity contestants belting it out for the title.
WEDNESDAY
Bones (8pm on FOX): Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz return for the show’s sophomore season.
Justice (9pm on FOX): Victor Garber (Alias) helms yet another legal offering. I cross my fingers for him.
THURSDAY
MTV Video Music Awards (8pm on MTV): The awards show finally returns to New York after several years away in Miami. Hurricane Ernesto is disappointed that it doesn’t have a glam-filled occasion to ruin.
Gallery: The Week Ahead in TV
Constantine Maroulis Takes it to Broadway
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, FOX, American Idol, Talent,
Constantine Maroulis, finalist from season 4 of American Idol, will be joining the cast of The Wedding Singer on Broadway. According to Playbill.com, negotiations are under way for Maroulis to join the musical, although the character has not yet been announced. Maroulis was last seen squinting and pouting on Idol, but seemed to do little after that, except for showing up in the Idol audience (still squinting and pouting). Prior to taking on the Idol competition, Maroulis graduated from the Boston Conservatory of Music, appeared in indie films and off-Broadway shows. His highest profile gig was touring with Rent. While competing on American Idol, it was revealed that he was the lead singer for a hard rock band, but left the band to try his hand at Idol stardom. He will join The Wedding Singer on September 8th.
Read More | Reality TV World
Gallery: Constantine Maroulis Takes it to Broadway
Federline’s TV Rap Debut Receives Mixed Reviews
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Award Shows, Music, FOX, Internet,
K-Fed made his rappin’ debut on Sunday night’s Teen Choice Awards. The verdict is in—and it ain’t good. Introduced by his scantily clad (and very preggers) wife, Britney Spears, Federline commanded the stage in a less-than-thrilling rap performance. Performing his new single “Lose Control”, the kids at the awards show seemed to receive it fairly well, but critics and internet message boards were buzzing with the lame attempt by Federline. Case in point, check out this lyric: “Don’t hate because I’m a superstar! And I’m married to a superstar! Nothin’ come between us no matter who you are!” Ugh. The train-wreck that is Britney and K-Fed is still chuggin’ along, or so it seems. Youtube.com even has the performance, if you are so inclined to check it out. While bloggers and online posters with any speck of taste critiqued the rap debut, hip-hop folks were even less kind. Elliot Wilson, editor in chief of XXL magazine, made this comment: “I just think we ignore him. He’s a joke, basically. I just don’t think he gets it. He doesn’t get that he’s Britney’s man and it’s hard to take him seriously.” Time will tell if this live showing will have any positive impact on his record sales. The release of his album is set for October.
Read More | Yahoo! News
Gallery: Federline’s TV Rap Debut Receives Mixed Reviews
Study Finds Fewer Gay Characters on TV
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Comedy, Drama, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, Desperate Housewives, ER, Grey’s Anatomy, The CW, The Office,
OK, so here’s a curious study—finding that the number of homosexual characters on television has decreased for the 2006-2007 season. Only nine homosexual characters will be on network-TV series, down from 10 last year. This information was released from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Interesting, I suppose, since the study looked at 679 series lead or supporting characters in the new season, and only about 1.3 percent are gay, lesbian or bisexual. GLAAD looked at the 95 new prime-time comedies and dramas from six major networks. While shows like Ellen and Will & Grace paved the way for more diverse roles, the numbers are still relatively low when looking at the total number of characters that the study analyzed. The characters were identified on the following shows: Help Me Help You (ABC), The Class (CBS), Brothers & Sisters (ABC), Fashion House” (MyNetworkTV), and Hidden Palms on the CW network. Returning shows include Desperate Housewives (ABC), The Office (NBC), and ER (NBC). Recurring gay, lesbian or bisexual characters are also in the series Ugly Betty, Big Day, The Simpsons, The War at Home and Grey’s Anatomy. GLAAD president Neil Giuliano commented on the study, saying, “It’s clear that the broadcast networks have a long way to go before they accurately reflect the diversity of their audience and our society.”
Read More | CBS News
Gallery: Study Finds Fewer Gay Characters on TV
Fall Programming Begins Now
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Drama, Prime Time, FOX, Prison Break, The O.C.,
ATTENTION TIVO USERS: IT’S TIME TO START FIRING UP THOSE SEASON PASSES..
The official start of Fall may still be a month away, but fall programming for the major networks begins tomorrow. Okay—maybe only for one network. Forced to deal with the upcoming Major League Baseball playoffs, FOX is hoping to whet our appetites now by teasing us with their lineup. Once we’re properly addicted, the network will then regular interrupt our candy intake with sports coverage.
So come this Monday, August 21, we will see the return of last year’s hit, Prison Break. When we last left the convicts, the boys had just made their escape from the big house and the feds were still hot on their trail. This season, we will see the addition William Fichtner (Invasion) as an FBI agent brought in to find the jailbirds.
Following Break will be the debut of another drama, Vanished. Vanished’s premise will revolve around a senator’s wife who is mysteriously MIA. Those investigating the missing persons case will eventually discover that her disapperance has to do with a centuries-old plot. I wonder how long they can keep that one up?? I predict the show will be gone before we know it.
As for the rest of the FOX lineup—we will see the remainder of the premieres in the weeks to come, with the bulk of the shows airing the first week of September. Then there’s The O.C. The Mischa Barton-less show won’t even crack its premiere until November 2nd. Apparently finding a waif to fit in her shoes takes time.
Gallery: Fall Programming Begins Now
Celebrity Duets Announces Crooners
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Talent,
We previously reported on one of Fall’s talent competitions, called Celebrity Duets, matching celebrities with famous singers to see who amongst them has the greatest singing chops. American Idol’s Simon Cowell brings the latest entry to the talent show genre, proving that celebrities who are not famous for their singing can sing with the best of them.
The lineup includes: Chris Jericho (WWE wrestler), Xena‘s Lucy Lawless, Cheech Marin, gymnast Carly Patterson, Alfonso Ribeiro (of Fresh Prince fame), Queer Eye‘s Jai Rodriguez, Hal Sparks of Queer as Folk and actress Lea Thompson. Each week, they will be paired with a different “recording superstar” (Clint Black, Michael Bolton, Belinda Carlisle, Taylor Dayne, Peter Frampton, Macy Gray, James Ingram, Wynonna Judd, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Kenny Loggins, Richard Marx, Brian McKnight, Aaron Neville, Smokey Robinson, Randy Travis, Dionne Warwick, and Lee Ann Womack have so far been announced).
Celebrity Duets premieres Tuesday, Aug. 29th on FOX.
Read More | Access Hollywood
Gallery: Celebrity Duets Announces Crooners
American Idol Contestants Turn Out in Droves
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Talent,
The American Idol wannabees in New Jersey were estimated around 16,000, as auditions were held for the latest installment of the talent show, returning to Fox in January. The sixth season of the show is currently holding audtions in seven cities nationwide. The contestants only have 20 seconds to wow the judges, so it’s a pretty rapid-fire decision about whether or not a contestant moves to the next phase. Patrick Lynn, the show’s coordinating producer, said “To me it’s not about the numbers. It’s about finding the right person.” Those who survive the first round audition again in Manhattan; if successful there, yet another round before the Hollywood invitation.
(You can find all the American Idol 6 posts here.)
Read More | Acess Hollywood
Gallery: American Idol Contestants Turn Out in Droves
American Idol Songwriter Competition
Posted by Wendy Michaels Categories: Music, FOX, American Idol, Talent,
I’m sure I can speak for many when I say that I get totally sucked into and hooked on American Idol. I try to resist, but I just can’t stay away—season after season, I can’t wait to see who will be crowned our next American Idol. When the two finalists remain to duke it out, however, things take a turn for the worse. The moment I’m speaking about is the time each sings the cringe-worthy “original” song. Each year, the song fails to deliver—mediocre at best, completely uninspired. Perhaps this has been a common gripe from Idol fans, because a spokesman for series creator Simon Fuller said that there will be an additional competition on the next season, allowing songwriters to compete. Both professional and amateur songwriters will be considered, and the winner will write a song for the finalists. The crappy songs of previous seasons have actually been written by industry songwriters or producers—and have typically become best-selling records. Go figure. Fuller told the Los Angeles Times that the songwriting contest will attempt to better match songs with the contestants. The next season of American Idol begins in January.
Read More | Yahoo! News
Gallery: American Idol Songwriter Competition
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