(S14E02) We continue 'America's Next Top Model' from last week's photoshoot cliffhanger. The nude photoshoot goes off without much of a hitch about religious morals or modesty. Either way, the shoot was borrowed from a challenge on 'Make Me a Supermodel' which had the same exact concept. The second photoshoot continues to stretch the definition of what a beauty shot is. Beauty shots should be zoomed in even closer than what we saw.
We saw the new and improved opening sequence; it's going to take me a while to get adjusted to it. It's still Tyra-centric and now with a 70s/funk vibe. This episode was also 90 minutes long, which threw off the tempo of the show. I was waiting for the show to end, but it just kept going. Speaking of editing choices, why isn't last season's winner Nicole in the CoverGirl lounge?
I don't know why, but I was thinking up until this show started that we were still losing one guy and one girl; but the days of the competition being split evenly are over. We're only losing one tonight, so one of the genders is going to be completely safe. It's hard for me to guess who's going home, though, as last night's episode was one of those nights in which I questioned what show I was watching as compared to the judges.
They, apparently, were watching some sort of star-studded tribute to The Rolling Stones, while I was watching a hot mess. The contestants seemed way over-praised, in general, while the one who wouldn't have made Mick Jagger question all of his career choices, Crystal Bowersox, was unduly criticized. It was crazy-town last night, so I'm really interested to see who America ultimately thinks should go.
That Betty White Mother's Day episode of 'Saturday Night Live' on May 8 just got a whole lot more interesting. Today, the news broke that Amy Poehler is having a baby. This will be baby number two for Amy and her brilliantly funny spouse Will Arnett. It'll also throw the production schedule of Amy's NBC sitcom 'Parks and Recreation' into a tailspin, but the network has been aware of her delicate condition for weeks and they've been making arrangements.
According to The Wrap, Amy's on screen character, Leslie Knope, will not be having a baby. That would be catastrophic for Leslie, since the career woman who dreams of climbing the political ladder from Pawnee, Indiana, to the state capitol and beyond, is a single lady. An out of wedlock baby might not be a catalyst to bigger and better things.
One man bands have always creeped me out. They never brought joy or happiness to my life. Even as a very, very small (in height, not width) child, they always looked like steampunk jukeboxes trapped inside some kind of twisted mechanical music machine that mocked their every step with annoying oompah-pah tunes.
One man, or rather two of him, have changed my perception on that phobia forever. Musician Fredrik Larsson has put together a beautiful rendition of TVs greatest tunes using nothing but a keyboard, an acoustic guitar and a DNA perfect clone of himself.
Trust me when I tell you this: the 'Charles in Charge' theme never sounded this, well, listenable.
One that seems to have fallen under the radar is this epic "spin battle" between two contestants in the final throes of the episode. Both of these mighty Whammy warriors bring their scores to an astronomical amount that could rival the majesty of Mount Olympus, only to come crashing down to game show doom.
Check out this bit of "Game Show Thunderdome" where two women enter, but only one leaves ... and then, technically, the other but without any money or sense of personal dignity.
Wow. Winnie Cooper is going to be a mom. That's right, the kid we watched - some of us in original broadcast episodes and not reruns - is having a baby. 'The Wonder Years'' actress Danica McKellar is pregnant. It's the first child for her and husband Mike Verta.
Danica told People magazine, "I'm nearing the end of my first trimester and I'm so excited - I've been bursting to tell people." The 35-year-old veteran of 'The Wonder Years' -- and brainiac mathematician -- has been working on a new book, her third, called 'Hot X: Algebra Exposed.' It comes out in August if you're ready to pre-order it!
'Modern Family' is a repeat tonight, so I figured it would be a good opportunity to give fans a little taste by posting the quick talk I had with Ed O'Neill in January. It was the last day of the press tour, and the critics were in the middle of an epic day of set visits; one of the most fun aspects of the day was that were able to wander through the sound stages at 'Family' and talk informally to the show's stars.
I found O'Neill in the kitchen of the house where his character, Jay Pritchett, lives with his trophy wife Gloria (Sofia Vergara) and old soul stepson Manny (Rico Rodriguez). As my fellow critics were beckoning me to get on the bus to go to the next set, I asked Ed a few questions about how Jay has changed this season, and what he thinks the legacy of 'Married... With Children' might be.
Each week Michaels will visit a different family and try to help them with their eating habits, health and exercise. She'll replace their Ding Dongs with carrot sticks, their ice cream with lettuce, and will break into their cars and steal them so they're forced to walk everywhere.
Getting people to eat better and exercise are noble goals, I just hate having another another of television taken up by yet another reality show (and a spinoff of one still on the air yet). I like scripted shows.
Hey, why not make this a scripted drama? Maybe call it 'Sara Summers, Health Investigator.' Each week Sara (played by Jennifer Garner) infiltrates a family, posing as a long lost relative or as a friend, and secretly helps them eat better and lose weight. Maybe there can be a mythology to the show and an evil organization hell bent on stopping people from getting in shape.
When I first saw the headline that Tom Selleck was going to star in a new drama for CBS, my mind instantly went to 'Jesse Stone,' the fine series of TV movies based on the books by Robert B. Parker. I think it would make for a great TV series, but alas, this is a completely different show.
Selleck is in talks to play the lead in a new drama for the network that would center on a family of cops in New York. Selleck would play the police chief and other members of his family would include Donnie Wahlberg (playing his son) and Len Cariou (playing his father). The show used to be called 'Reagan's Law' but now they're changing the name.
I'd rather see some Jesse Stone movies (or how about a 'Magnum, P.I.' reunion?), but if it keeps Selleck at CBS that means they'll be more Jesse Stone movies, so that's a good thing.
I'm not sure if Apple Computer head Steve Jobs is going to be thrilled about this, but it could be fun. 'Seinfeld,''Curb Your Enthusiasm,' and 'Borat' writer/director Larry Charles is doing a new TV show for Epix based on the blog that writer Dan Lyons did called The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs (which was later a novel, 'Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs'). The new show will be called 'iCon,' which was also the name of a Jobs biography by Jeffrey Young and William Simon.
As a Mac guy, I will definitely watch this. Charles himself says that he is "attempting to do nothing less than a modern 'Citizen Kane.'" (Spoiler: his laptop's name is Rosebud!)
I'm sure this will be a hit with Mac fans and they're probably excited to see a weekly TV show based on their hero (though the character in the show will be "fictional"). I bet a lot of viewers are just surprised that there's a cable channel called "Epix."
I was recently surprised to learn that not only is 'Highlights Magazine' still being published, it actually owns the domain name highlights.com (which you would think would have gone to something far more profitable than a magazine - a hair care products link farm, perhaps).
'Highlights' was one of the few pleasures of my childhood trips to the dentist's office, the others being the toy at the end of the visit and a dentist who had a very liberal nitrous policy. Every six months, I spent an hour split between enjoying the games and puzzles in 'Highlights' and burning a hole through my stomach-lining with dentist-inspired fear.
One feature of 'Highlights' that always stood out to me was "Goofus and Gallant": a teaching aid using two brothers, one of whom always did everything wrong - Goofus - and one who always did everything right - Gallant.
Since most TV executives are like children anyway, I figured the "Goofus and Gallant" model would be ideal to teach them a few things about how to improve their product.
All some TV viewers have to see in this trailer for the new HBO drama 'Treme' are the words "From the creators of 'The Wire'." But even if you didn't watch that show you might be impressed by this cast: Khandi Alexander, Steve Zahn, John Goodman, Clarke Peters, Rob Brown, Kim Dickens, Wendell Pierce. It's about New Orleans and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and premieres April 11.
The other day when Animal Planet announced 'Taking on Tyson,' a new reality program about former heavyweight boxing champion -- and ex-convict -- Mike Tyson's love for pigeons, you had to be a little skeptical. It's hard to imagine the bruiser having a soft spot in his heart for fowl, but he does.
The late night wars have just gotten more interesting. Fox and recent short-term host of 'The Tonight Show' Conan O'Brien are closer to hammering out a deal that will bring a brand-new late night talk show starring Coco to Rupert Murdoch's network.
It would certainly change the whole late night landscape, but it depends on several factors that haven't yet been determined. For example, what would be Conan's start time? 11 P.M.? 11:30 P.M.? Also, it appears his Fox show would start with smaller budget from his 'Tonight Show' run, but that would likely increase in the future if the show gets good ratings.
So, assuming this deal goes through, when you watch late night you will have a choice of Letterman, Leno, O'Brien, Kimmel, Fallon, Stewart, Colbert, or Ferguson. If you're a total insomniac, you also can watch Carson Daly. Who will you be watching? Who should bow out at this stage?
'Jimmy Kimmel Live' is in reruns this week and that means that Kimmel is free to go on some East Coast talk shows. Last night he was on 'The Late Show' and talked about the whole Leno/Conan/NBC fiasco and his part in all of it. It seems to me that Letterman just enjoyed the whole thing, not in a mean spirited way but just the way that he says here, because it reminded him of old times at comedy clubs.
'Breaking Bad' comes back for its third season this Sunday on AMC (10PM ET / 9PM CT), and after watching the last few episodes of season two, the new season can't come soon enough. The dramatic ante was upped for meth-making science teacher Walter White (a role for which Bryan Cranston won another Emmy) and his partner Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), and the season ended with the fallout of Walter's actions spreading from his family to the greater Albuquerque area.
Creator and executive producer Vince Gilligan is the man behind the dark but wryly amusing world of 'Breaking Bad.' After watching the first two season three episodes while I was at the TCA tour in January, I got a chance to sit with Gilligan poolside at the Langham Huntington for a few minutes.
We talked about the "holy crap" moment of season two, on how he and Cranston see Walter differently, how many seasons he envisions the show running, how Walter might transform over the season's run, and what it's like to be on the same network as 'Mad Men.'
Stay tuned for interviews with the cast later in the week.
(SPOILERS AHEAD! Stop here if you haven't seen season two yet...)
Everybody sharpen your fangs. The best vampire series on television today, 'True Blood,' returns to HBO for a new season on June 13th.
When last we left Sookie and Bill, he was ready to propose before suddenly vanishing while Sookie was in the little girl's room. Of course, those that follow 'The Southern Vampire Mysteries' by Charlaine Harris know what's going to happen next. Or do they? Perhaps Alan Ball will decide to take the franchise in a different direction.
Seriously, 'Twilight' fans can keep their sparkly Robert Pattinson and their Team Edward or Team Jacob. 'The Vampire Diaries' is barely palatable. 'True Blood' is the best vampire series on the air since 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and for those that don't agree I will roshambo you for it.
What aspect of the new season are you most looking forward to? Which characters do you want to see more? Are you on Team Bill or Team Eric?
(S01E01)"Would you shoot me if you got the chance?" - Boyd Crowder
"You make me pull, I'm gonna put you down." - Raylen Givins
Here at TV Squad HQ, no one really jumped at the chance to review the premiere of 'Justified,' and that's not meant to belittle or embarrass any of the writers (except for one, you know who you are and my mother still hasn't forgiven you). We're a busy bunch.
That's why I feel so very fortunate that I got to watch it because it's one damn fine hour of kick-ass television and it's well on it's way to be one of the best hours of the year so far.
(S01E03) "You know Crosby, however hard you think it is having a kid, just double it." - Adam to Crosby as Crosby cleans kid puke out of his car
This week, things have slowed down a bit, compared to the land speed record that last week's episode achieved. And the show has started to grow on me a little bit.
It scored some great moments of sentiment and honest drama that were endearing and drew me a little closer to the characters, but it's still lacking in that other, all important area of the dramedy: the comedy.
I don't know why, but I was thinking up until this show started that we were still losing one guy and one girl; but the days of the competition being split evenly are over. We're only losing one tonight, so one of the genders is going to be completely safe. It's hard for me to guess who's going home, though, as last night's episode was one of those nights in which I questioned what show I was watching as compared to the judges.
That 
Wow. Winnie Cooper is going to be a mom. That's right, the kid we watched - some of us in original broadcast episodes and not reruns - is having a baby. 
Do we need another reality show on NBC about losing weight? IT DOESN'T MATTER. We're getting one anyway. Jillian Michaels, from the same network's 
When I first saw the headline that Tom Selleck was going to star in a new drama for CBS, my mind instantly went to 
I'm not sure if Apple Computer head Steve Jobs is going to be thrilled about this, but it could be fun. 
I was recently surprised to learn that not only is 'Highlights Magazine' still being published, it actually owns the domain name 
The late night wars have just gotten more interesting. Fox and recent short-term host of 
Here's tonight's TV lineup (all times Eastern).
Everybody sharpen your fangs. The best vampire series on television today, 
