Posted by Adam Butler on December 2, 2010
Special to BlogHawgs.com from Kris Boyd
This one hurts. I spent a lot of time writing the latest bullet-point column that no one read–especially the Mustain/That Shiloh Coach/The Mississippi Coach bullet.
And, it received as many crickets as the BlogHawgs Heisman 5+1 does every week. Sad.
Kris Boyd is a local attorney and guest contributor to BlogHawgs.com.
Posted in Entertainment | 7 Comments »
Posted by Jeff on November 29, 2010
"Nice beaver."
As you’ve likely already heard, actor Leslie Nielsen passed away yesterday at the age of 84. Nielsen started his career in live television and dramatic roles but he became best known to our generation with his breakout comedic turn in 1980 in the disaster movie spoof, Airplane!
Nielsen once had a guest role on M*A*S*H. He played a gung-ho colonel in an episode called The Ringbanger. Some of you may not know that I have seen every episode of M*A*S*H at least twice. This one is one of the best and, filmed in 1973, it shows Nielsen exploring some of the comedic timing that he would soon perfect in Airplane!, the TV Series Police Squad, and the subsequent Naked Gun movies. (Want to see The Ringbanger episode? It will air on TV Land Thursday the 9th at 5:30 a.m. Set your DVR. (Yes, I knew it was coming up. TV Land is rotating into year one of the iconic Korean War dramedy.))
In the spirit of remembrance, it just seems fit to rattle off some great Airplane! and/or Naked Gun quotes. I’ll start with perhaps his most memorable:
Rumack: Can you fly this plane, and land it?
Ted Striker: Surely you can’t be serious.
Rumack: I am serious… and don’t call me Shirley.
Posted in Entertainment, Pop Culture | 5 Comments »
Posted by Adam Butler on November 22, 2010
Special to BlogHawgs (and YouTube) by Kris Boyd.
I am developing a complex.
Posted in Entertainment | 3 Comments »
Posted by Jeff on November 17, 2010
Duct tape, Bondo and a case of Busch fixes all.
Yes. This photo is real. I took it with my Blackberry tonight at 7:15 in the parking lot outside of a Chinese restaurant and a Wal-Mart in Fayetteville. I did not doctor it. No clue how to do that. I still can’t embed videos here.
I get on to Arkansans once in a while. Not as much as I used to but once in a while. I’d love to say that in Iowa this wouldn’t happen but it would. It’d just be Busch Light not Busch Heavy.
Just felt the need to share. Enjoy.
Posted in Commentary, Entertainment | 10 Comments »
Posted by Jeff on November 12, 2010
Jon Stewart stole my talking points!
A few weeks ago, I tilted at Cable News Punditry. I spent a few hours on that column and I thought I had summed up what’s wrong with television news broadcasts pretty well. Then Jon Stewart decided to give a rare interview to Rachel Maddow. Now, in my defense, this is Jon Stewart’s job. I’m just a semi-regular, part-time blogger. But in this segment, he knocks it out of the park.
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Posted by Jeff on November 5, 2010
Worstest!
Uber-Left political pundit, Keith Olbermann has been suspended without pay by MSNBC for violating his work contract. It seems Olbermann has donated money to at least three Democratic political candidates.
I could make an argument that MSNBC shouldn’t bother trying to take a “fair and balanced” stance. They shouldn’t.
I could make an argument that Keith is not really a newscaster and thereby should not be bound to contract requirements that prohibit campaign donations. He shouldn’t.
Instead I will simply say that Keith Olbermann (who I love) did the most hypocritical, bone-headed thing he could possibly do. He has spent the past six months or so bashing Rupert Murdoch for donating to right-leaning organizations while maintaining the pretense that Fox News does not lean heavily towards John Boehner’s office. And now, Olbermann has basically done the same thing. While he will be the first to tell you that he’s not balanced politically (he even joked about it after he was pulled from election coverage in 2008), he still should have known that this was dumb. He’s too smart to not know how to get around things like this. Dumb.
Posted in Entertainment, News, Politics | 9 Comments »
Posted by Adam Butler on November 3, 2010
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Posted by Jeff on October 21, 2010
Last night a friend of mine and I decided to attend a broadcast of BPL at the Catfish Hole in Fayetteville. $20 gets you a seat and all you can eat. I’m no Bill Simmons, but here’s my Running Journal:
Not from BPL. Even though it says BPL.
6:25 – Show up at Catfish Hole. Parking bad but it almost always is. People love the Hole. Waiting for buddy to show. Nice mixture of age groups. Lots of kids, lots of seniors.
6:30 – Buddy shows up. We get seated. The hostess mercilessly marches us past the lovely and very full buffet on way to seats. The chafing dish with hushpuppies is only ¼ full. Panic sets in. This could be the worst night of my life. Catfish Hole with no puppies…
6:31 – We don’t sit down. We turn around and head to the buffet. Drinks? Who needs drinks?
6:32 – At the buffet with plate in hand, kitchen dude brings hot, fresh pan of hush puppies. This could be the best night of my life. I load up with coleslaw, boiled shrimp, chicken tenders, and of course an embarrassingly large pile of hushpuppies.
6:33 – I say to buddy, “Tell me when you get embarrassed by my pile of food.” He, holding an equally impressive plateful, says, “No Shame in My Game.” Awesome.
6:35 – Start embarrassing myself in front of complete strangers. It’s family style seating so we don’t know anyone. Later found out we were at Chuck Barrett’s guest table. Not sure if they were relatives or friends. But they got to watch a gorging. Now we need drinks. Iced tea it is.
6:50 – A wave of applause starts up and we realize that Coach Petrino has entered the room. Knile Davis and Tyler Wilson are the players with him this week. Jim Lindsey also comes in.
6:55 – Some scurrying by producers and the business owner. Kids congregating around Petrino and the players to get autographs.
6:59 – People start calling the Hogs. I can’t break away from my chicken strip to raise both hands. Fair weather Hog fan.
7:00 – Chuck Barrett starts the show with Coach Petrino. They talk about the Auburn loss and about the players’ reaction. Typical coach speak minus any personality as is Petrino’s M.O.
7:08 – First commercial break. We contemplate going back for seconds but do not do so until it’s almost time to come back from commercial. The plan is in place to go at next break.
7:10 – Owner of Catfish Hole brings out a filet mignon and delivers it to Jim Lindsey. If you’ve never been to the Hole, they have the second best filet in all of Northwest Arkansas. Seriously it is incredible. For a fleeting moment I was jealous of Mr. Lindsey.
7:12 – Twelve year old next to me is playing some video game on his iPhone. Yep. A twelve year old is paying a video game on a device that I can’t afford.
7:18 – Commercial break. Buddy and I break for the buffet. Bad news: No more shrimp. Good news: Plenty o’ hushpuppies left.
Tyler does not look this goofy anymore.
7:22 – Chuck interviews Tyler and Knile. Pretty standard material again. Davis is funny. Chuck asks him how he likes Fayetteville. Davis, “Well I’m pretty young. I just stay in the dorm and out of trouble.” He just turned 18 last week. Unreal.
7:23 – Also unreal? The size of my distended stomach. Hushpuppy #32 did it.
7:37 – Chuck finishes up with the players. Wilson talked about how disciplined practices and leaning in when Coach Petrino talks to Mallett one-on-one helps him get better despite less playing time. Wilson is huge – both physically and mentally. He clearly will turn more heads when the gig is his.
7:40 – Chuck lofts a few more softballs from fans both online and in the room. He’s clearly excising questions like, “How ‘bout those SEC refs?” and “How are the players preparing to take on Houston Nutt?” and “What do you expect out of Ole Miss?” Oh and how about, “WILL RYAN MALLETT BE PLAYING ON SATURDAY?” I get it. This is Petrino’s gig. I’m sure he and Chuck have an agreement on what can and cannot be asked but this is getting as old as the fish is getting cold.
Seriously. This kid just turned 18. Awesome.
7:45 – Petrino shows signs of life. On Davis: “He is young. He wanted come to school early. He said he didn’t care about prom. So he came up early and later we had to send him back to Texas for prom.” Big laugh.
7:47 – Finally a decent question: “What do you expect facing another running quarterback?” Petrino’s response get a moderate chuckle, “Well, he’s shorter.” Zing!
7:50 – Buddy and I deduce that 200 people leaving at the same time will cause a traffic jam at a restaurant with only two exits.
7:55 – Last commercial break. Buddy and I leave out fire exit. (No alarm. It was unlocked.)
7:57 – Tune to ending on radio. Finally hear Chuck ask some pertinent questions about Ole Miss.
8:07 – Arrive home and put on pants that fit better around distension.
It was fun. Glad I did it but without an all-you-can-eat buffet, I’d have been less excited.
Posted in Entertainment, Sports | 12 Comments »
Posted by Jeff on October 14, 2010
How Punditry is Taking Over My TV
I hate to say this and please don’t quote me but… Rush Limbaugh was ahead of his time. From 1992 to 1996 Limbaugh had a 30 minute television show that was syndicated across the United States. Ratings were enough to keep him on the air for four years but eventually the individual stations’ ratings forced him off air. His ego would only allow him to say that he preferred radio to TV but the reality is that the show was wearing thin.
Bill O'Reilly
About this same time, Roger Ailes, who had produced Limbaugh’s show hired Bill O’Reilly to do a political commentary show on the new Fox News Channel. And that, my friends is what started it. O’Reilly was certainly not afraid to say what he believed. Or perhaps what he believed would make people watch. O’Reilly was an immediate hit for Fox News and because of it spawned numerous other clones.
Fox News, in trying to maintain its trademark, “Fair and Balanced” image added Hannity & Colmes in 1996. I have long been a fan of Alan Colmes. His radio show used to air on the same station as Limbaugh’s here in NWA back in the early 90’s. But on this show, Colmes tended to lean further to the right than the liberal viewers expected from him and after 13 years of fending off Sean Hannity’s lopsided conservatism, Colmes left the show.
Glenn Beck
Seeing the ratings success that Fox News was earning with these right-wing pundits, CNN Headline News (now HLN) tried adding its own by bringing Glenn Beck aboard in 2006. After only two years, Beck left for the safer studios of Fox News where he now has an enormously free reign over his own content. Beck has quickly turned unabashed punditry into a combination of Sunday morning televangelism and Saturday at midnight UHF conspiracy mongering. The show is vastly unwatchable. Someone is watching but even the most conservative people I know can’t tolerate more than one segment of his show.
Keith Olbermann
Not to be outdone, MSNBC decided to give Keith Olbermann a try at news commentary. Countdown with Keith Olbermann premiered on March 31, 2003. Olbermann quickly found an audience for his left-leaning show that made a lot of hay attacking Bill O’Reilly for his views and for what Olbermann felt were disingenuous or hypocritical comments. Their feud was legendary and lasted for over half of a decade until Beck came around and gave Olbermann someone a little more “out-there” to lambaste and to label the Worst Person in the World.
Others have come along… Greta Van Susteren, Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz, Lawrence O’Donnell. But where did the news go?
I miss the old Headline News. Remember the old format? Every half hour, the same news wheel: News at :00 and :30. Dollars and Sense at :15 & :45. Sports at :20 & :50 (Jerome Jurenovich, anyone?) and lifestyles (entertainment news) at :25 & :55. It was great. You always knew exactly when the news would be on or the sports or whatever. Don Harrison, Chuck Roberts, Lynne Russell. Van Earl Wright! They came on, they read the news, they moved on. I miss that.
But just presenting the news doesn’t sell ads anymore. If it did we wouldn’t have to put up with Nancy Grace droning on about all the bad people in America every night. For whatever reason, people prefer to hear the talking head’s opinion on the news as well. And sadly, the more divisive (O’Reilly on the right, Olbermann on the left) the better. I guess I will just DVR Brian Williams and call it good. The cable news channels just won’t tell the news straight. It doesn’t sell. And yes, I blame Limbaugh.
My TV says I should vote for Sarah Palin
Posted in Entertainment, Pop Culture | 6 Comments »
Posted by Jeff on October 5, 2010
"Forget Moose! When's Award-Winning-Movie-Producer Season open?"
I haven’t watched it yet but the new show, Parker Spitzer on CNN has been posting some Sarah Palin bashing today. The first came from screenwriter Aaron Sorkin of West Wing and The Social Network fame. He calls her “remarkably, stunningly, jawdroppingly incompetent and mean.”
Later in the day another clip was posted to CNN’s site with director Oliver Stone. Stone calls her a “moron” and an “Andy Griffith character.” He said he would never make a movie about her because it would just empower her further. He goes on, “if she wins (an election) then we deserve what we get.”
Maybe I need to watch this show.
Posted in Entertainment, Politics | 3 Comments »
Posted by Jeff on October 5, 2010
Traditional Dramas Becoming a Lost Art
Freeze Dirtbag!
A couple weeks ago, I lamented the loss of traditional, hour-long dramas on TV. I still remember trying to stay up late to watch Hill Street Blues. My parents were actually more concerned about me getting to bed before 10:00 p.m. than they were about the content of the Steven Bochco series. Usually I could get away with staying up until Sergeant Esterhaus said his famous line, “Hey hey hey… Let’s be careful out there.” Other nights if the episode featured Bruce Weitz’s great undercover cop, Mick Belker I could con a few more minutes out of Mom & Dad. Eventually I grew out of bedtimes and was able to enjoy Captain Furillo, Bates, Coffey, Renko & Hill.
I missed most of the drama series that started during my high school and college years but I picked the habit back up with another Bochco production, NYPD Blue. Dennis Franz was clearly the soul of this show but when it first came on, it was the shock factor that got people watching. ABC had approved some mild nudity and one-fourth of their affiliates (including northwest Arkansas’ 40/29) refused to show the pilot. That controversy powered the cop drama but Franz’ Andy Sipowicz was the fuel in the engine. Sipowicz was an alcoholic cop with a temper and very little ability to control his disdain for bad guys and for authority. He made the show and all other characters were just there to compliment him. Franz won four Emmy’s for playing Sipoowicz.
The Original Cast of ER
Originally developed by Michael Crichton, ER came out at the exact same time as another medical drama called Chicago Hope. I actually started watching the latter at first because of my love for actor Mandy Patikin (“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”). Hope did not hook me and I veered over to ER based on what I had heard about George Clooney and Anthony Edwards’ work. It was actually Julianna Margulies that got me interested. Her character, Nurse Hathaway was complex, intense, and approachable. I blame her 100% for sinking my Thursday nights for more than a decade. But when she left, the true beauty of ER came out. All of the characters were likeable on some level. Even those that were written to be heels were still interesting and fun to watch.
The West Wing
The West Wing was an incredible show. This is one that fellow BlogHawger Brett Kincaid got me to start watching. It did not take long for me to fall in love with this masterpiece from Aaron Sorkin. The labor that Sorkin put into the scripts and the overall concept was noticeable and beloved at every turn. The banter between characters, the ticks and quirks were all part of what was incredible about this series which was canceled after seven seasons (too expensive). The show would never have survived after President Bartlett but the last season with Alan Alda as a Republican and Jimmy Smits as a Democrat running for president was a tribute to what politics should – but never will – be. Alda won another Emmy (to go with his numerous M*A*S*H prizes) as did four regular actors and the series itself. The West Wing might be the first series that I purchase on DVD. I’m not much of a DVD guy. But this one would be worth it.
So far, I have not given HBO its much-needed praise. But now I will. The Sopranos may have single-handedly changed how television is perceived. You simply cannot look at the cable channel offerings now, like Breaking Bad and Mad Men and not tip your hat to David Chase’s wonderful series. James Gandolfini and company made compelling TV out of the work of a New Jersey crime family. Chase had a lot of room to work at HBO. The lack of editorial restrictions and HBO’s willingness to let the series float for a while allowed the creative team and actors to change the game for television. This series actually made me pay for HBO for one season. After that I used Netflix but as I am nothing if not… thrifty, to me this is a sign that it was a good show. HBO’s bottom line agreed with me.
Where are these shows now? Am I missing them? I mentioned Breaking Bad but I haven’t seen it yet. I know Friday Night Lights is good. But when? I can’t handle shows like 24 or Lost that require watching episodes in order.
What shows did I miss? Let’s hear it.
TV Loves You. TV Would Never Hurt You.
Posted in Commentary, Entertainment | 17 Comments »
Posted by Brett Kincaid on October 4, 2010
Big news this morning for fans of The Dan Patrick Show – which includes many of us. After more than a year of broadcasting on The 101, DirecTV’s original content channel, the show will now be syndicated and aired live daily on Fox Sports Net. This means that all of us that do not have DirecTV can now watch Dan & The Danettes everyday.
“I’m proud that the show we’ve developed will be seen by even more fans,” said Patrick. “DirecTV took a radio show and seamlessly developed it into a hybrid of radio and television in one show. And it’s not stagnant. It’s not us doing a radio show with two cameras showing us talking. We will show you the good and bad of what goes on during a show and during the breaks. If we screw up, we can’t hide it.”
Dan Patrick is the man. He has tremendous interviews and a great cast of characters that make the show run. When I was a DirecTV subscriber, I really enjoyed watching his show. We moved to AT&T U-verse in January, so I’ve not been able to watch in almost a year. I’m definitely looking forward to setting the DVR everyday – and I already listen at my desk.
Posted in Entertainment, News, Sports | 9 Comments »
Posted by Jeff on October 1, 2010
Rick Sanchez was mercifully dumped from CNN’s lineup. This guy was not good and while I am not sure if Eliot Spitzer will be much better, removing Sanchez was a great start. Sanchez however, feels that he lost his job because of Jews at CNN and Jon Stewart. If you have 20 minutes, listen to all of this but I think after 5 you will get the picture.
(Sorry, Adam and Brett haven’t taught me how to embed yet.)
Posted in Commentary, Entertainment, News | 4 Comments »
Posted by Jeff on September 28, 2010
Microwaven anyone?
For those of you who lived in Fayetteville in the 1988 – 1992 era, you likely remember a band that played up and down Dickson called, “BE.” They were called “Plan Be” at first but changed their name around ’90. That band consisted of drummer, Duke Boyne and three brothers by the name of Summerlin; Paul, Talley, & Mark. Duke and all three brothers are incredible musicians. Talley sang (frontman, Adam!) Paul played bass and keyboards. Mark was the lead guitarist.
Mark has become a producer and now writes, produces and performs with the artist, Seal. On Tuesday night, Seal performed on Dancing With The Stars and Mark played lead and sang backup vocals. I’m sure that clip will be gone soon. So click soon.
It was actually a pretty good song. I mean it wasn’t Be’s party favorite, “Strip Poker With a Fat Girl” but it was good.
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Posted by Jeff on September 28, 2010
So last night, my wife and I were enjoying the mindlessness of Dancing With The Stars. I had never watched this show before last week. I am still uncertain what drew me to it this week. But then last night happened and I figured it out.
You don't boo Baby! You boo the Half Governor.
After her routine, actress Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing) received her scores and on the LIVE broadcast was a smattering of boos. Grey specifically asked “Why are they booing?” Her scores were not that bad. Cut to a live interview with Tom Bergeron and… Sarah Palin.
I immediately assumed that there were a few liberals in the live audience that did not like the fact that the former governor of Alaska was there at all. In case you hadn’t heard, her daughter, Bristol is participating in the competition. How she is a “star” I do not know.
I guess I am not the only one who assumed the worst in people.
Posted in Entertainment, Politics, Pop Culture | Tagged: DWTS, Jennifer Grey, Sarah Palin | 4 Comments »
Posted by Jeff on September 28, 2010
Reality and Andy Warhol
The Original Reality Show Villain with Jeffrey Ross
The advancement of Reality TV over the last decade has been one that I have resisted. I just can’t seem to get interested enough in the basic premise of most Reality Shows. Most people agree that MTV’s The Real World got the ball rolling some 20 years ago. I only watched one year of this in its entirety and that was San Francisco with Puck and Pedro. Puck singlehandedly created the “Reality Show Villain” which led to others such as Omarosa (The Apprentice), Jonny Fairplay (Survivor), and Richard Hatch (Survivor). All he did was blow snot rockets and eat peanut butter with his fingers. What’s the big deal?
Hell's Kitchen's Gordon Ramsey did not get his mouth washed out with soap often enough as a child.
I have dabbled with some new reality shows. I watched the first year of The Apprentice. It was good but it withered after a while. I also watch American Idol fairly regularly. We’ll see if either J-Lo or Steven Tyler can make it as engaging as Simon Cowell. I’m not holding my breath. I love Top Chef on Bravo. That is Reality TV done right. They recruit and cast actual chefs that are already established and respected in the industry. It’s good stuff unlike Hell’s Kitchen which is almost unwatchable for the barrage of bleeps covering Gordon Ramsey’s profanity laced insults of greasy spoon cooks who are only there for the Warhol 15 minutes of fame. Undercover Boss was pretty good last year. This one will likely run out of steam pretty quick as employees start wondering why the new guy they are training has a camera crew. You can’t go to that well too many times.
But back to Warhol. The iconic American painter said on more than one occasion that “in the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.” Reality TV gives people an excuse to try to force that 15 minute issue and in many cases extend it. Sadly though, many people who have tried to interpret what Warhol meant are right on the button. The most common interpretation is that the “people” Warhol refers to likely do not deserve to be famous even for 15 minutes. But TV executives are good at finding people who don’t deserve fame and thrusting it upon them. It may not make quality TV but it increases ratings.
I could try to formulate a list of the Worst Reality Shows ever but why reinvent the wheel? Temptation Island made their list. Former Razorback, Rossi Morreale tried to extend his career on that show. I’d probably add the Bachelor and all of its iterations to the list. Ask yourself this. Are the people on the show totally willing to embarrass themselves in order to be on the show? Do you really think that all 20 of those women are there to find their soul-mate? How about Rock of Love? Bret Michaels settling down anytime soon? Ugh.
People who evaluate television separate reality TV into Competition and Program. Competition is the more popular as a whole. That includes the outstanding… Top Chef, Amazing Race, Survivor and the not so outstanding… Hell’s Kitchen, Bachelor, etc. The other type is Reality Program and it includes great shows like Dirty Jobs, Mythbusters, & American Pickers (my pick for Emmy winner next year). And I suppose the best example of Reality Program dreck would be Jon & Kate Plus 8. Or whatever Kate Gosselin is calling her deluded, self-absorbed, intent-to-exploit these days.
Before I close, I would be remiss if I did not mention one of the greatest moments in Reality TV history: Joe Millionaire. If you missed this, you missed the greatest, most prolonged punk-out in TV history. The story is simple. Fox tried to milk the “Get Famous Quick” mentality by creating a fake show and telling the potential women that the bachelor, Evan was a millionaire. Except he wasn’t. If you believe their promo, he drove a backhoe for a living. Anyway, the final girl selected was a sweetheart and after she was informed of the ruse, she and Evan split a million dollar prize. Here’s a stat that I bet you didn’t know: The final episode of Joe Millionaire drew 40 million viewers. (Typical shows on Fox average 4-16 million viewers.) The only reality show to do better was the finale of year one of Survivor when Richard Hatch won a million dollars (that he didn’t bother paying taxes on.) I honestly thought that Joe Millionaire would be the end of Reality Competition shows. I’m a genius, huh?
OK. So, do I watch Reality TV? Yes. I enjoy Top Chef (and its spinoffs). I also like Undercover Boss a great deal. I’m told that the Biggest Loser is good but it makes me feel guilty to eat a Klondike bar while watching. There is good programming out there. But there are way too many shows that head the other way. And I hope it goes without saying that if there’s a “Celebrity (Fill in reality show name here)” then you’ve jumped that proverbial shark. So, just go away. Andy Warhol insists.
Posted in Commentary, Entertainment | 10 Comments »
Posted by Jeff on September 21, 2010
(A new column.)
I love TV. I’m still not proud of it but I watch a lot of TV. And well, this week is Christmas for TV lovers. It’s the start of the New Fall Season. There are a number of shows that I am excited to see coming back and a couple that I am looking forward to and that I hope are as good as they appear from commercials. Let’s start with what I am waiting to see come back…
Returning Shows
(Show, Channel, Day & Time (CDT))
Glee, Fox, Tuesday, 7:00
I will not stand here and be shamed for watching Glee. This show is good. And it’s good for a lot of reasons.
1. These might be the most talented actors on TV. They bust their backsides to learn songs, record the songs, learn dance routines, and then act it all out every week. I hope that they get a massive raise next season because they deserve it.
Mike O'Malley from Glee
2. The supporting cast (who don’t generally sing) are all great too. Mike O’Malley is the most underrated in the supporting cast. His portrayal of a tough-guy father of a gay son is as much hilarious as it is touching. O’Malley was actually nominated for an Emmy for this role. She’s more than a supporting cast member but Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester did win the Emmy for her work. Sue is given all of the lines that make you laugh and cringe at the same time. She’s a breath of fresh air on the tube.
3. It’s just plain fun. Watch it.
Modern Family, ABC, Wednesday, 8:00
I admit that I only started watching this because Ed O’Neill (family patriarch, Jay) is in it. The Married with Children star makes everything good. (I even liked Dutch!) But then I discovered a slew of impressive actors playing hilarious characters. The best of them has to be Ty Burrell who I, along with most of the world, missed on the short-lived Kelsey Grammar vehicle, Back to You. I’m told he was great on that show as well. Burrell plays Jay’s son-in-law, Phil. He’s a goofy real estate agent with three kids and a harangued wife, played by Julie Bowen (Boston Legal). Jay’s son is a gay lawyer who has adopted a baby girl with his partner, stay-at-home dad/crooning clown, Cameron. The actor who plays Cameron, Eric Stonestreet won an Outstanding Supporting Actor Emmy as did Modern Family for Best Comedy. It is laugh-out-loud funny and usually has a good family-spirit to it.
Jim Parsons with his Emmy for Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory, CBS, Thursday, 7:00
This show would be pretty mediocre without Emmy winner Jim Parsons as one of four nerdy friends. Johnny Galecki plays the much-annoyed roommate, Leonard but he’s never much funnier than he was when he starred in Roseanne as Darlene’s boyfriend. That’s OK though because he’s not supposed to be the comic element. Sheldon, Raj, and Howard are the funny ones and even Penny (Kaley Cuoco) is starting to get some good lines. Chuck Lorre mans this show and he knows how to make hits. But I’ll speak more of him when I preview Mike and Molly. BBT is at times gut-busting and others, laugh-track weak. But it’s worth 22 minutes on a DVR if for no other reason to see Parsons make Sheldon one of the Greatest TV Characters of all time. (Hrmm… I capitalized that. Column Idea!)
Community, NBC, Thursday, 7:00
I started watching this last year because I thought Chevy Chase was going to be cast as a professor at Greendale Community College. It seemed like a perfect choice for casting. It turns out he’s a non-traditional student at the school and his character is one of the few that is consistently cliché. I’m also not a huge fan of Joel McHale (The Soup). He stars as a lawyer who faces disbarment if he doesn’t go back and get a new degree.
OK, the entire premise is shaky, the two known actors are either miscast or marginally unlikeable but Community really works. Why? Mostly because it is just so weird. I’ll admit that it requires a huge suspension of disbelief. But really, most shows do. Take a chance on it and look for Danny Pudi as Abed, a student who tries to place everything that happens into the context of a movie or a TV show that he has seen. Also watch for Ken Jeong as Señor Chang, the nasty Spanish teacher that says what just about any teacher wishes they could.
Others Receiving Votes…
The Office, Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, Undercover Boss, 30 Rock
New Shows (or not new shows that I want to start watching)
Mike and Molly, CBS, Monday, 8:30
This show is getting a small amount of buzz because it features two lead actors who are obese and because it’s another Chuck Lorre production (Two and Half Men, Big Bang Theory). What caught my eye is that one reviewer said that Lorre will treat the weight issues differently and without typical gags. Also, many have noted that Lorre is notorious for deciding what is not working in his shows and cutting them out. (See also Sara Gilbert’s axing from BBT.) We’ll see. **UPDATE** I watched this last night and it was pretty funny. The first 15 minutes were typical sitcom drudgery but it rallied hard and had us laughing hard at the end. Good start.
Outsourced, NBC, Thursday, 8:30
I may get burned here. The promos for this show had me rewinding my DVR. There’s a great potential for laughs since most Americans get very annoyed when they figure out that their call has been forwarded to India. I mean we’re pissed enough that the new Dell computer is on the blink and now we have to speak to someone named, “Carl” who has broken English and sounds like Apu from the Simpsons? Anyway, as long as they can crank out some laughs without offending the wrong people it might work.
The Defenders, CBS, Wednesday, 9:00
It looks like the Jim Belushi vehicle might become another dramedy but that might be OK. The 9:00 hour has been a wasteland to me since ER went off the air. I have never found anything worth watching. That’s sad to me because I loved NYPD Blue, Boston Legal, The West Wing and many other hour-long dramas. I miss them. Maybe this show will fit the bill.
The Event, NBC, Monday, 8:00
If The Defenders doesn’t hook me, maybe The Event will. However, in the past I have failed miserably at following serialized dramas. If this show, which is billed as a cross between Lost and 24 requires that I watch every episode in order, I may be in trouble. Despite a DVR that is cleaned out and ready to start recording, I have trouble with this type of show. Life sometimes does not allow staying on top of TV shows. Doesn’t that stink? Well the hype is legitimate so maybe I’ll give it a shot.
The Good Wife, CBS, Tuesday, 7:00
I know why I didn’t start watching this last year. I love Julianna Margulies. I have loved her since ER. I was just worried that I would get sucked in and then they’d cancel it. Like Sports Night and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Well, they didn’t so here I go. I hope I didn’t miss too much.
Others Receiving Votes…
Raising Hope, Parenthood, Cougartown, Outlaw
Next Week: Reality TV…
Posted in Entertainment | 27 Comments »
Posted by Jeff on September 9, 2010
BlogHawg Interactive Game! Which is Snooki? This one (A)...
MTV’s Jersey Shore cast member, Snooki was chewed out by a judge, given a $500 fine and ordered to do community service for a drunken display last month. The reality TV… *gulp* …star swore that it was not scripted and apologized to the police and anyone she offended. The best part was when the judge called the Human Road Cone out for trying to be a Lindsay Lohan wannabe.
...or this one (B)?
Posted in Entertainment, Pop Culture | 15 Comments »
Posted by Adam Butler on August 27, 2010
I know this has been making the rounds for awhile, but it’s awesome, so I am posting it. The dude on the Zero Turn Radius Mower slays me.
Posted in Entertainment, Pop Culture | 10 Comments »
The Irony Bowl 2010.
Posted by Adam Butler on November 23, 2010
Enjoy.
Posted in Commentary, Entertainment, Sports | 7 Comments »