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Issac Hayes South Park

After years of bashing everything under the sun, it looks like an episode about Scientology may have been the straw that finally broke Isaac Hayes’ back.  The musician, best known in recent years as the voice of ‘Chef’ on South Park, has finally reached his satirical limit and quit the show.  Apparently, he felt the show’s reputation for religious bashing had finally gone too far.  In a statement given to People magazine, the 63-year-old Hayes states: “There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins.”

Given his willing participation in previous episodes, co-creater Matt Stone wonders if Hayes’ decision has something to do with Scientology specifically, and not religion overall.  Turns out that ‘Chef’ is a Scientologist in real-life (who would have guessed?).  As many faithful followers of the show know, a November episode of the show was devoted to bashing the often-criticized belief.  According to Stone, it was only when that episode aired did Isaac’s opinions come forward.  “(We) never heard a peep out of Isaac in any way until we did Scientology. He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin.”

No word yet as to how the creators will do away with the character…


Read More |  People


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Survivor Panama ShaneThe members of Casaya return back to camp after their first tribal council in some time.  Shane is still reeling from the decision that the women made to vote Bobby off that night instead of Bruce.  While Bruce is within earshot, Shane lashes out at Danielle in their sleeping quarters and berates her for making a bad decision.  He tells Danielle that he wants out of the alliance because the girls are disorganized.  Danielle thinks he’s a lunatic who’s lost his mind and she decides that she doesn’t need him bashing her anymore.  Since Courtney was not present to hear Shane’s outbursts,  Cirie takes the pleasure of alerting her the next morning to her intentions.  After learning of the news, Courtney proposes kicking Shane out next time and gets Danielle on board.  Later, Shane tells the ladies that while he would break the alliance, he unfortunately swore on his son’s name to stick with them.  The woman make it easy for him (and themselves) and absolve him of his promise.  Meanwhile,  Cirie gets to sit back and laugh while the alliance apparently starts to deteriorate.

Click to continue reading Survivor: Panama: Salvation and Desertion


King of QueensYou know the saying - it isn’t all about money. But sometimes, in television, it is. The popular comedy The King of Queens—which features the daily life of a sweet delivery driver and his somewhat shrewish wife—was glaringly absent from CBS’s renewal announcement, which left many viewers asking ‘Why?’ It seems a contract dispute is the reason. The show’s leads, who reportedly make $500,000 an episode, are asking for more money based on the show’s popularity.

The King of Queens has aired for eight seasons with decent ratings. So far the network isn’t budging. Does this signal the end of the popular comedy? What do you think? With individual salaries that add up to about $12 million dollars per season, are the actors just being greedy? Or does the network owe them some respect?

Read More | Monsters and Critics


Six Feet UnderSix Feet Under, the quirky and addictive HBO drama chronicling the adventures of a family who owns a funeral parlor, went out with one of the most creative finales in TV history. If you were a fan or have always wanted to see what all the fuss is about, there’s great news - Bravo will air the complete series, purchased for a cool $15 million. That’s a lot of cash, but likely will be worth its price when the show garners big ratings.

We can’t wait to tune in.


Read More | TV Fodder


House MDGood news for Hugh Laurie fans: the fan and critical favorite House M.D. has been renewed for a third season on FOX. Hugh Laurie plays Dr. Gregory House, a brilliant but seriously conflicted physician with a knack for both diagnoses and alienation. Surrounded by a talented cast including Robert Sean Leonard and Omar Epps, the show also boasts some of the best writing and acting on television. Always a ratings powerhouse, House M.D. broke all records last month when it scored its highest ratings ever. Newcomers can catch the repeats on the USA network. (Check your listings for local times and dates.)

We’re thrilled at this news - it’s always nice to see quality recognized.


Read More | TV.com


ShakiraIn an interesting bit of news, latina rocker Shakira will be debuting her new video, Hips Don’t Lie, on Verizon’s V-CAST service. This means that V-CAST subscribers will be able to download and view the new single before television viewers get the opportunity to do so. The video, which also features Wyclef Jean, will be seen on TV and other distribution channels at a later date. We expect that mobile television devices will continue to clinch exclusives like this, especially now that Microsoft’s UMPCs are in the mix.


So the Final 12 have finally been decided—and many may be shocked by those who fell by the wasteside.  TV Envy did predict the loss of Kinnick Sky and Will Makar, but we can’t say that we’re surprised about the loss of Ayla Brown and Gedeon McKinney. 

Ayla’s rendition of ‘Unwritten’ was definitely questionable, but we thought that her likeable personality and basketball alter-ego would make her a fan favorite.  Based on last night’s performance alone, though, the viewers made the correct choice.  Despite some questionable notes, Melissa McGhee’s performance did surpass Ayla’s.

As for Gedeon McKinney—one can only guess that his ‘record of the world’ made a lasting impression in more ways than one.  By voting him off now, the viewers are spared 12 more weeks of his impressionist paintings.  TV Envy still thinks that Gedeon’s singing was better than Kevin Covais’, but overall it’s easier to tolerate a cute 16-year-old than a young man in an old body.

(You can find all the American Idol 5 posts here.)


Gedeon McKinneyOnce again, the male contestants put out a better overall showing than the ladies—but only six will make it through on Thursday.  How did they individually fare? Find out after the jump. As an aside, we are glad that Paula decided to lighten up on the cleavage this evening, opting instead for a gigantic flower of some sort. Good stuff.

Click to continue reading American Idol 5:  Week 3 - The Men


American Idol MandisaWith eight girls remaining and only six slots left, Tuesday night’s competition was obviously a very important one for the ladies.  Overall, the performances were a vast improvement over last week—but were they good enough to get them in the Final 12?  Once again, feel free to check out our notes and judge for yourself.

Click to continue reading American Idol 5: Week 3 - The Ladies


Bachelor ParisPerhaps it wasn’t true love after all: Travis Stork and his chosen love, Sarah Stone, have broken up less than a week after Stork chose Stone in the final episode of The Bachelor: Paris. The couple claimed that the restrictions on being seen together until the show ended placed a strain on the relationship. Stone claims that if she and Stork had met somewhere other than the show, the relationship would have worked out. What do you think? Is this proof that ‘reality’ television isn’t so real after all?


Read More | Access Hollywood


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