In order to promote their new show, Hammertime, A&E tv arranged for an impromptu Hammer Pants Dance break out in LIVE! On Sunset located at 8801 Sunset Boulevard West Hollywood:
Last night, Chuck came to a season [and maybe a series] conclusion. For those saw Chuck vs The Ring, I have only one question - Why are you letting Sam Kinison and an Indian lesbian ruin your wedding? Classic. As many people know, Chuck is on the bubble for next season and fans are not taking it quietly. A grassroots movement is underway to buy subway to signal NBC that the fans care about this clever show. Chuck himself gets in on the action:
As for me, I'm a big fan and hope to see Chuck again...
Dane Patterson, who lost 100 pounds in just eight weeks, was eliminated from The Biggest Loser last week. To close the show, they show a Where Are They Now segment and in this clip Dane is apparently now an above average marathoner. They showed him crossing the finish line to the January 31st Desert Classic Marathon in Phoenix in a time of 3 hours and 53 minutes. That's pretty damn good for a guy who is still larger than most people.
The truth is his "finishing" time was 5 hours 53 minutes and in order to complete the race in the maximum allowed time of 6 hours, he got a ride for 3 miles [17 to 20] so that he could be an official finisher. As a two-time marathoner, I feel sad that Dane didn't have the self-worth to just walk out the remaining miles and be satisfied with completing an incredibly difficult distance. As for NBC, this is not the kind of press the 4th place network needs. They blame an over zealous field producer for the misrepresentation but I think the blame should be spread around equally and this may signal a dramatic shift in viewing habits for those who seek inspiration in the Biggest Losers, which is very sad.
PS: Whoever provided the film that showed him coming in just under 4 hours [apparently the bulbs in the clock were not "working properly"] should feel the most shame because it had to have been doctored a little for this many people to not see the real time on first viewing.
2008 Olympic Gymnast Shawn Johnson Grammy Award Winning Rapper Lil' Kim
Sex and the City Actor Gilles Marini
Rodeo Athlete Ty Murray
Jackass and Wildboyz Performer Steve-O
Access Hollywood Co-Anchor Nancy O'Dell
Film and TV Actress Denise Richards
Retired NFL Linebacker Lawrence Taylor
Country Singer Chuck Wicks
Apple Co-Founder and Philanthropist Steve Wozniak
What should be interesting is Ty Murray and his wife Jewel both competing, Chuck Wicks dancing with his girl friend Jullian Hough, can bad boy and girl Steve-O and Lil' Kim live up to the family friendly program and will Steve Wozniak make it past the first day. Starting on March 9th, we will see...
First, I thought I was the only one with the complete Hollow Foreign Press action figure set? As for the end of the speech? Classic. So you can suck it Babsonlacrose, Dianefan, and Cougarletter. HusbandJeff, your ok because she loves you. Good job Tina. Keep up the good work [or you can suck it - just kidding].
When we last saw the staff of Sacred Heart Hospital, Dr. John "JD" Dorian continues to balance his new fatherhood with his continued on-again/off-again pursuit of Elliot, Dr. Elliot Reid continues to be close with JD while growing in her own role as a private physician, Dr. Christopher Duncan Turk and Head Nurse Carla Espinosa continue to work to figure out the whole newly married and parenting, Dr. Percival "Perry" Cox is loving his new title of interim Chief of Medicine, The Janitor [still unnamed] has a girl friend named Lady, Dr. Bob "Who's got two thumbs and doesn't give a damn" Kelso is retired but something tells me he will be back.
As we wait for the first two episodes tonight, here is a recap/funny bits from last year's strike shortened season:
Showtime's new dark comedy, United States of Tara, follows a typical family with one very untypical element - Tara the mother who is afflicted with dissociative identity disorder. Tara's disorder has four different personalities within herself, all vastly different from the other:
Tara - Tara is a hard working mother of two who paints nursery room murals. She loves her family and often feels guilty for the frequent bizarre events she puts them through, and sometimes doesn't feel like herself. Alice - Alice is the perfect homemaker who believes in good, traditional values. Alice bakes for the family and labels herself as old fashioned. Buck - Buck is Tara's only male personality; he loves beer and he loves motorcycles, has a habit of getting into fights and enjoys outings to the titty bar during evenings. He also differs from the other personalities by being left-handed. T - T is a wild, pot smoking teenager who relates well to Tara's daughter and loves to get some action and has a habit of stealing from the drug store.
Watching Toni Collette portray four distinct characters is an outstanding piece of acting and the writing how the family unit deals and protects her [from herself at times] looks very sharp. For a limited time, you can watch the pilot episode online via the Showtime VIP insider - password tara. This could be yet another Showtime series that is popular for it's true originality.
Drew mentions another perfect bid which according to Wikipedia "occurred on the 1970's nighttime version hosted by Dennis James, but because there was no Double Showcase Rule on this nighttime syndicated version (or at least at the time), the contestant only won their own Showcase. The podium purportedly displayed 00000." This occurred prior to the current incarnation of the show which debuted on September 4, 1972. In any event, pretty cool that he got it correct after all these years [and more than 6,900 episodes in all].
The original Knight Rider was campy and corny but totally worked in the mid 80's. Now NBC is attempting to resurrect the franchise with Michael Knight's son and a brand new KITT [Knight Industries Three Thousand]. After watching the pilot, here are the reasons it will be off the air before the end of the World Series:
3. The Cast.
The cast is just too darn pretty. We are to suspend belief and just accept that chiseled chin, super black ops trooper Michael Tracuer is the son of Michael [Mitch Buchannon/Germany's Favorite Singer/Heavy Drinker]Hasselhoff or that smoking hot Sarah Graiman [Deanna Russo]is the off spring of Charles Graiman [Bruce "A face only a mother could love" Davison]? The rest of the primary cast [which consists of either government officials on hand to watch over the project or really, really smart people who help run KITT] are also way too good looking for their jobs.
When will Hollywood stop casting models as nuclear physicist. I would rather see the guys from The Big Bang Theory running the lab instead of this group. The only plus in casting is Paul Campbell [Derek from the failed pilot Nobody's Watching] who looks and acts more like a nerd than a hero.
2. The Plot.
Instead of being a privately funded public justice program, the new Knight Rider is a quasi-government super agent program. The pilot's plot is so thin, that while escaping from a botched assignment, KITT takes a missile where the car is covered in an inextinguishable burning plasma. Since the inside temperature of the car is rising, the stars of the show are forced to undress [only to their under ware mind you] to stay cool. Yeah it will be the thin cocktail dress that would kill her. I guess it must have worked because before the lead characters pass out from the heat, they are not even sweating.
I'm not sure the writers even understand that the premise of the original show was "The Lone Ranger with a car". The new Michael has a side kick, government agents assisting and a team of people at the home base. And on top of that, they don't even know how to use KITT within the story lines or story within Knight Rider universe. In one scene, KITT informs him that a car is approaching but instead of blocking the on coming car or getting Michael inside, KITT sits by and watches a ex-black ops chick hop out and give Michael a quick beat down and she takes his target prisoner and drives off. In the very next scene, Michael and KITT are unable to catch a sick looking Bentley convertible [but he was able to have a full blown conversation with Sarah along the way] even though earlier they were able to crank KITT up to 377 miles an hour to try and put out a all consuming fire on it's shell.
Beyond the whole car problems, the show also falls into too many action/drama pitfalls. First you have the opening chase scene where numerous "guys in black" try to stop/detain our hero. Luckily he is a fighting master and can knock them all out with a couple of quick punches and kicks. For those he can't, he just runs away [with sweetheart Sarah in toe - in high heels no less] and luckily for them the bad guys can't shoot for shit. These guys couldn't hit the side of a barn from the inside. Are all evil organizations made up of shooting club's rejects? Must be because these guys are masters of spraying walls with rounds of bullets from automatic weapons but can't hit a single person along the way. Also the whole will they/Won't they hook up story between Michael and Sarah is a tired. It should honestly be retired unless your going to give it a real twist, like giving new meaning to the term "A guy who really loves his car".
1. The Car.
Firs off, a tricked out black mustang sticks out like a sore thumb. Yeah the original was an all black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am but there was something cool about the car's simplicity with all of it's power hidden in plain view.
Having all this new style in a Mustang body is only the beginning: Apparently the new KITT is really advanced. It is a transformer [so far we have seen Attack Mode and Pickup Truck Mode - which also includes subway track tire mode, ugh]. What's next, Helicopter Mode? Oh never mind, KITT can fly too and has an awesome Fast and the Furious under mount with a glowing KR logo and everything, which is silly since the car is named KITT and the driver's initials are MT.
Speaking of having everything, did I see a hospital in the glove box??? I know KITT is very advanced but a whole emergency department in the glove compartment? Sure that works fine when a guy gets his thumb cut off but what if Michael had a broken femur that needed to be set? I'd like to see him get his whole leg in that small compartment.
Lastly is the use of Val Kilmer as the voice of the new KITT. Not that it's him but viewers are expecting something from the Iceman, but all we get is a monotone compu-voice - which we should. It would work better with an unknown, a voice over actor or why not just hire William Daniels to reprise his role, he's still alive? I guess maybe they were just helping out a friend since Kilmer's last 4 films - Columbus Day, Felon, Delgo or Conspiracy - are all ones I'm sure most people have never heard of.
In the immortal words of the Original Michael Knight, KITT they need you buddy. So one better jump in and help or this show will be gone faster than a black mustang with turbo boost.
Although the fall tv season no longer starts on a given week, tonight marks the unofficial begin of the new TV season with the 2 hour season premiere of Prison Break. With some 18 new shows on the schedule, there should be something here worth watching.
Monday
New Shows: Worst Week (CBS), America's Toughest Jobs (NBC) and My Own Worst Enemy (NBC) Best New Premise: Worst Week - Sam is an entertainment magazine editor who will do anything to please the parents of his girlfriend, Melanie...but instead becomes a one-man wrecking crew whenever he's around them. Show most likely to be back in 2009: America's Toughest Jobs - Even bad reality shows seem to make it back. Favorite Returning Show: How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Tuesday
New Shows: Opportunity Knocks (ABC), The Mentalist (CBS), 90210 (CW) Privileged (CW), and Fringe (FOX) Best New Premise: Fringe - FBI Special Agent Dunham teams with our generation's Einstein, Dr. Bishop, to investigate a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena, called "The Pattern". Show most likely to be back in 2009: Fringe because Abrams has a knack for creating very successful [Alias/Lost] shows. Favorite Returning Show: Eli Stone (ABC)
Wednesday
New Shows: Gary Unmarried (CBS), Stylista (CW), Do Not Disturb (FOX) and Knight Rider (NBC) Best New Premise: Do Not Disturb - A workplace comedy set at one of New York City's hottest and hippest hotels with chic decor, stylish staff and celebrity clientele. Behind the scenes, however, the upstairs/downstairs dynamic tells quite a different story. Show most likely to be back in 2009: Knight Rider because it seems like NBC will do anything to get this show off the ground again. Favorite Returning Show: None
Thursday
New Shows: Life on Mars (ABC), Eleventh Hour (CBS), Kath & Kim (NBC) and SNL Weekend Update (NBC) Best New Premise: Kath & Kim - Recently divorced Kim moves back in with her mom Kath however Kath is not about to cater to her princess daughter's every whim, as she has in the past. Show most likely to be back in 2009: SNL Weekend Update because it is by far the best of SNL. Favorite Returning Show: The Office (NBC)
Friday
New Shows: The Ex List (CBS) and Crusoe (NBC) Best New Premise: The Ex List - Bella learns from a psychic that she's already dated her future husband AND there's a catch: if she doesn't find him in the next year, she'll remain alone forever! Show most likely to be back in 2009: The Ex List because I think Crusoe is going to bomb. Favorite Returning Show: Life (NBC)
Make sure those DVR's have been reprogrammed to include the new shows you want to check out [and not the ones you no longer are interested in].
I haven't watched much Dancing With The Stars but I have to admit I kind of got into it last season with Kristi Yamaguchi, Jason Taylor, Cristián de la Fuente and Mario [I have blocked out the fact that Marissa Jaret Winokur came in fourth place]. This year's crop of stars is a larger group [13 instead of the traditional 12] and cover a pretty large age demographic [82 to 18 years old]. With the list of stars being announced yesterday, I thought I would put together a quick odds sheet on the pairings for season 7. just in case anyone is interested is some friendly wagering:
Cloris Leachman & Corky Ballas 100:1
Nothing against the 8 time Emmy award winning actress, but history has shown us that DWTS is a youthful pursuit. Plus having a first timer as a partner won't help any.
Susan Lucci & Tony Dovolani 50:1
On screen, Susan plays Erica "the woman you love to hate" Kane but in real life people like Susan and I expect her to be as elegant [or even more] than last year's surprise Priscilla Presley [and I think the older generation will vote for her].
Toni Braxton & Alec Mazo 25:1
Love her music but I have found her to be a little stiff, which just won't work on this show. Perhaps her partner, who won the first season, can loosen her up and surprise us all.
Jeff Ross & Edyta Sliwinska 23:1
Comedians have not done so well over the past 6 seasons so I don't have high hopes for Ross. Being a relatively unknown personality could be a problem in the early rounds and the bodilious Edyta will only carry him so far.
Ted McGinley & Inna Brayer 20:1
Not sure why but I am expected McGinley to have the moves on the dance floor but ultimately I think his propensity for joining a show just to have it jump the shark will be his ultimate demise. Hope he doesn't take the whole show with him.
Rocco Dispirito & Karina Smirnoff 14:1
Rocco is a complete dark horse in this, given his profession doesn't naturally lend itself to performing. If his red hot partner, Karina, can get him into the dancing thing it could get interesting.
Warren Sapp & Kym Johnson 12:1
Ok Sapp is a former Professional football player and while other stars like Rice, Smith and Taylor have all done well but Sapp is a much bigger guy. Kym Johnson has done pretty well over the years but can she tame Big Boy Warren?
Lance Bass & Lacey Schwimmer 10:1
Lance has always come off very light hearted which I think the mainstay viewers will like but I'm not sure he has the moves away from the NASA training facility to go deep into the competition. Wonder if he will perform to Moon Dance?
Brooke Burke & Derek Hough 8:1
Brooke has been around the TV dial for a while now and has gained most of her fame based on her looks, which doesn't hurt for this show. I think people will find Brooke and Derek cute together just like they liked him and Shannon last year.
Maurice Greene & Cheryl Burke 8:1
Take one physically gifted runner and add a dancer who HATES to lose and you could have a pretty powerful team.
Kim Kardashian & Mark Ballas 6:1
Kim is one of those people who is famous for being famous but if she can keep up a nice girl image, I imagine her good looks will take her far. Hey they got her on to DWTS in the first place. Oh yeah, she also has the winning dance pro from last season so watch out for double K.
Cody Linley & Julianne Hough 4:1
Not sure if Cody is much of a dancer but he is part of the Hannah Montana phenomenon so he's got a built it fan base AND his partner is two-time DWTS champ, recording artist and all around hottie Julianne Hough. She could just win it again.
Misty May-Treanor & Maksim Chmerkovskiy 3:1
Athletes have fared quite well over the past 6 seasons and I expect two time Olympic champion to continue that tradition. Having a partner who has been to the finals in seasons 4 and 5 doesn't hurt either. Plus May-Treanor is used to having a partner and she hates to lose. Out of the gate, she is my favorite to win it all.
So there you have it. Now let the dancing [and the eliminating] begin!
Knowing their fan base, the guys over at Lost begun their third alternative reality game called the Dharma Initiative Recruiting Project. At a minimum, it gives us Lost fans something that is connected to the show while we wait another 5 months for season and along the way we get some show clues, which is what we really want. In this year's ARG, the Dharma [Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications Initiative]Initiative is recruiting new members to join their exploration into fields such as meteorology, psychology, parapsychology, zoology, electromagnetism, and Utopian socialology. As a tie into the game and as a bridge from season 4 to season 5, the following video was leaked during/after Comic-Con:
The video shows a transmission from 30 years ago by Dr. Pierre Chang [who is also known as Dr. Marvin Candle, Dr. Mark Wickmund and Dr. Edgar Halliwax from other orientation videos] who has knownledge of current events as well as those to come - like The Purge, which from his perspective will happen in about 14 years from the time he broadcast this video. He also urges that the DHARMA Initiative be reconstituted to finish the important work he and his colleagues had been engaged in which brings us back to the ARG. I can't wait to see where the games takes us and how it all ties back into Season 5.
In the wake of writers strike, some tv shows couldn't make it to a second season because they lost their steam with a 100 day hiatus in writing. In an effort to try and rebuild those returning shows, ABC has but together Starter Kits for 9 of it's returning shows, including Dirty Sexy Money, Samantha Who?, Eli Stone, Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters. The kit includes an overview of the show, highlighting the main characters, how these characters are connected and the ABC's of the show. This is a great way to try and reboot those shows which took a hit at the end of last year. Let's hope this helps Eli Stone [one of my favorites from last season] get better ratings this year.
Fringe, the new show from J.J. Abrams [Lost, Cloverfield, Star Trek] was "leaked" onto the net last week. Now knowing that Abrams doesn't do anything by accident, I am guessing this was done on purpose to help build the buzz regarding his new show, which will premiere on Fox on September 9th.
The show follows FBI Agent Agent Olivia Dunham [Anna Torv] who is now part of a super top secret government group investigating the unexplainable. Dunham will work closely with Dr. Walter Bishop [John Noble] to deal with all of the "Fringe Science" as it is called in the pilot. Dr. Bishop can only stay out of jail if his ultra-genius son Peter Bishop [Joshua Jackson] remains as his guardian. Rounding out the group of FBI types are Special Agent Phillip Broyles [Lance Reddick] who is in charge of the super group and Agent Charlie Francis [Kirk Acevedo] who appears to be one of Agent Dunham's superiors [for now].
Like other Abrams' shows, Fringe will have an overall mythology which looks to be centered on Dr. Bishop's work in the early 70's and his former partner William Bell, who is now CEO of a global company called Massive Dynamics - $50 billion-dollar organisation responsible for research, development and production in a variety of different areas include but are not limited to weapons testing, robotics, medical equipment and pharmaceuticals. In the pilot they call the mythology The Pattern. In one scene Broyles explains to Dunham the kinds of incidents include missing children return 10 years later without aging, plane omits sound and an hour later an earthquake erupts in that location, or coma patient wakes up to write down the exact locations of battle cruiser around the globe. This is what the show is calling The Pattern. A worldwide experiment. The question is who is running the Pattern and why. I'm guessing Massive Dynamics will play a major part in all of it.
The pilot was estimated at a cost of $10 million to make and some of the effects are pretty good and I really liked the mind meld sequence, which included a hint of Lost-like whispers. I also like the 3D location names layered on the scenes and the fact that hey sprinkle in a few scientific sounding terms like Pearl Autopilot System and Kelvin Genetics. A big plus for the pilot being based in Boston featuring Logan, Harvard, Southie and a reference to the Boston Marathon.
Given that this show will have lead-in's like House [in the fall] and American Idol [in the spring], I don't think ratings will be a problem. So if you are a fan of The X-Files, Lost, or Twin Peaks you might just like this show. Now if Agent Dunham and Dr. Bishop can just explain with the Smoke Monster is on the island we might get somewhere.
Having just finished season 1 of Six Feet Under on DVD [I know I am about 7 years behind on this but in my defense I didn't have HBO 7 years ago] and I really like this series. If you have not seen the show, go out and give it a try. The humor is dry, the language is raw and the sex is abundant. It mixes life and death well and other than coming to enjoy Michael C. Hall as David, which was difficult if you know him as Dexter, the characters are all very much characters.
Based on the first season only - just 13 episodes - I am going to predict the end of the series:
Episode 60 - Nate drops to the floor from a stroke caused by his arteriovenous malformation. In an attempt to save him, Brenda drives recklessly to the hospital to save him but accidentally hits her brother, who was biking, and crashes into a gas truck exploding into a fiery ball. Ironically, there in nothing left to bury.
Episode 61:
David dies from a freak suffocation when he is accidentally pinned under a 300 pound corpse which falls on top of him while being prepped for a viewing. If only Nate hadn't dies the day before he would have been there to save him. Keith overcome with sorrow decides to turn straight and become a deacon his local Church.
Episode 62:
Ruth has had a long forming love affair with both Nikolai and Hiram which tragically ends when she has an extacy flashback and and stabs them both during their very first threesome. Overcome with guilt she sets fire to the funeral home and it burns to the ground. Now there is nothing left of the home, Ruth or David, who was on the slab in the basement.
Episode 63:
Claire and Frederico decide to become partners and rebuild the business, from the ground up. Frederico is happy that he has finally become a partner but sad over the deep losses his "family" has had. Claire continues to abuse drugs and Frederico over the rebuilding process and in their final argument over which name is listed first on the business' sign, Claire pushes Frederico from the unfinished second floor all the way into the basement however he grabs her leg on the way down and they both fall 3 floors and die instantly.
Just then Nathaniel Sr. sits up suddenly in bed and we realize the whole thing was a dream and that he is alive, he still has the room, Nate is still in Seattle, David is still in the closet, Ruth is still the wall flower wife, and Claire is still sucking guys toes in her very own avocado green hearse.
In preparation for tonight's season finale, let's review this video - known as the Orchid Orientation Film, which was first shown at Comic-Com last summer [what a long set-up this has been and I can't wait for the payoff tonight]:
The video features Dr. Edgar Halliwax [also known as Dr. Marvin Candle and Dr. Mark Wickmund from other Orientation Film's] discussing what the Orchid station's real purpose is and how exactly the Casimir Effect helps in moving the island.
On a side note, check out the name and patch on Ben's jacket:
Hopefully we will also learn how a guy ended up in the dessert with a winter coat on without any foot prints in the sand.
When we last saw the staff of Sacred Heart Hospital, Dr. John "JD" Dorian continues to balance his new fatherhood with his continued on-again/off-again pursuit of Elliot, 
Knowing their fan base, the guys over at Lost begun their third alternative reality game called the Dharma Initiative Recruiting Project. At a minimum, it gives us Lost fans something that is connected to the show while we wait another 5 months for season and along the way we get some show clues, which is what we really want. In this year's ARG, the Dharma [Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications Initiative]Initiative is recruiting new members to join their exploration into fields such as meteorology, psychology, parapsychology, zoology, electromagnetism, and Utopian socialology. As a tie into the game and as a bridge from season 4 to season 5, the following video was leaked during/after Comic-Con:
