Austin360 blogs > TV Blog > Archives > 2006 > April
April 2006
New and real: ‘Oh, Baby …’
Funny how the two cable channels once known for artsy cultural programming have become famous (or infamous) for reality shows.
Bravo has “Top Chef,” “Blow Out,” “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and “Real Housewives of Orange County,” to name a few. A&E has “First Person Killers,” “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” “Dallas SWAT” and “King of Cars.”
Premiering tonight at 9 on A&E is “Oh, Baby … Now What?” No preview was offered, but this one at least sounds more like a documentary than a reality show.
The spotlight is on twentysomething actor Brad and his girlfriend Sara, parents-to-be of a baby named Hunter. How does this cute intruder affect Brad and Sara — and their social lives with friends? Will immature Brad step up and commit to Sara? Will either one of them be responsible enough to take care of poor Hunter?
“Oh, Baby … Now What?” comes from executive producer R.J. Cutler, whose credits include the Bill Clinton campaign film “The War Room” and, more recently, the rather formulaic TV series “Black.White.”
Sara’s pregnancy apparently was unplanned, and there is some concern in the early going that Brad may be unhappy enough about this change in lifestyle to jeopardize the couple’s future. And their friends aren’t terribly thrilled about the baby either, with some blaming Sara for “trapping” Brad with the pregnancy.
One thing we can count on with this and most other docu-reality shows is that these real people will be self-absorbed. Is there a human being in the universe more self-absorbed than “Blow Out” hairdresser Jonathan Antin? I think not. Let’s hope Brad and Sara aren’t quite as bad.
But if you’re a fan of this type of reality show, “Oh, Baby” at least has a more compelling concept than hair.
Rosie O to ‘The View’
So, former “Queen of Nice” Rosie O’Donnell will return to daytime TV as new CBS anchor Meredith Vieira’s replacement on “The View.”
Sounds like a fine idea to me. Although O’Donnell, a six-time Emmy winner, ticked off some of her fans with her lesbian coming-out after her own hit talk show departed, she was a perfect host.
O’Donnell is a stand-up comedian by nature, but she has also proven her acting chops. And, guests love visiting with her. Not just Tom Cruise, mind you, but a wide array of folks. She can be funny, but she’s also smart and current and plays well with others. And she can sing! Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and Star Jones Reynolds should be thrilled to have her.
Permalink | | Categories: Reality TV
KLRU’s ‘Downtown’ zeroes in on news
Toot! Toot! Toot!
That’s me calling attention to my colleagues, business editor Kathy Warbelow and business reporter Shonda Novak, who are featured in tonight’s installment of KLRU’s “Downtown” at 7:30 p.m.
In the second of three segments tonight, “Roll the Presses” follows the American-Statesman duo as they track down a story, cover a story and toss the final product on your doorstep.
Filmed last fall, the unfolding story by Novak is about commercial development in Austin’s Second Street district.
Next week, “Downtown” will feature American-Statesman fashion writer Jean Scheidnes on a similar reporting venture.
Yep, I picked Pickler!
I’m getting pretty good at this predicting stuff. Did I predict that country warbler Kellie Pickler would get the bump from “American Idol” on Wednesday night? Yes, I did.
Kellie’s excruciating rendition of “Unchained Melody” finally separated her from her fans; she received the lowest vote total and cheerfully said goodbye.
The 19-year-old North Caroline native, famous for not knowing what minx and calamari are, will be touring with the finalists this summer, so if you haven’t gotten enough of Kellie by now, there’s more to be gotten. Dates and cities have not yet been announced.
Adorable, big-voiced Paris Bennett had the next-lowest number of votes, so she’d better pump up the volume next week. Top vote-getters were Chris Daughtry (who I really think has the best shot right now) and Katharine McPhee.
Wanna make a car?
Sooner or later, reality TV is going to hit your happy button, and people who have always dreamed of designing their own car (that wouldn’t be me) might get psyched about Ford’s new idea.
The Detroit auto giant, which recorded a $1.2 billion loss for its first quarter of 2006, announced it is developing a reality show in which participants develop new concept cars. No network has yet signed up to take the series, but somebody surely will.
Here’s my question: Do participants have to join the auto worker’s union? Is this just a cheap ploy on the part of Ford to hire nonunion workers? If the reality plan calls for hundreds of contestants, we’ll know the answer.
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‘Idols’ on ice … who goes tonight?
You’d think warbling love songs would be a fairly easy challenge for the six remaining “American Idol” wannabes.
You’d be wrong. Guided by Italian warbler Andrea Bocelli and producer-composer David Foster, the half-dozen remaining contestants had a tougher time last night than they did last week, when they all did extremely well interpreting American classics.
Mega-star-in-the-making Katharine McPhee was dubbed “in a league by yourself” last week by usually cranky Simon Cowell. But last night, Kat’s rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” prompted criticism from all the judges, including Paula Abdul, who noted pitch problems. Simon told her flat out she chose the wrong song because she simply “isn’t as good as Whitney.”
Elliott Yamin fared better, prompting Paula to sob for joy and Randy Jackson to crown him “the bomb tonight.”
Paris Bennett’s “The Way We Were” seemed flawless to me, but Paula said she “over-sang” the song, and Simon slammed it as “old-fashioned.”
Frequent favorite Taylor Hicks didn’t impress the judges either with his rendition of “Just Once,” and Kellie Pickler landed in murky water yet again with an awful performance of “Unchained Melody.”
The night’s best turned out to be (no surprise here) Chris Daughtry, who closed the show with “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?”
Bottom line: Tonight’s vote will ship sweet Kellie Pickler back home. Unlike the others, she is not improving, and cute country corn has taken her as far as she can go.
Barring big changes in the next few weeks, I think Daughtry will win.
‘Lost’ star heading to jail
As ABC’s hit “Lost” cruises toward its May 24 finale, new episodes (at 8 tonight) will begin setting up the cliffhanger.
Tailies, Others and Main Cabin Folks are all heading toward something spectacular.
And that includes characters played by Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros, who were busted for driving under the influence in Hawaii last December.
Watros, a first-time offender, had already settled her legal slap with a fine and probation. But Rodriguez, who was already on probation for offenses in Los Angeles (including another DUI), had to appear in court Tuesday to figure out her fate.
Perhaps surprising to some, Rodriguez, 27, pled guilty (after initially pleading not guilty) and chose to serve a five-day jail sentence instead of performing 240 hours of community service.
“Lost” producers insist Rodriguez’s stint in the Big House will not affect the show’s production.
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May sweeps coming! Big whup?
There was a time — long, long ago — when the Nielsen ratings for November, February and May really mattered. The numbers were pumped up by massive, heavily-hyped miniseries, special series guest stars and wild plot twists.
Why? To help local affiliates fatten their advertising rates.
These so-called “sweeps” periods still exist. In fact, the May rating period begins Thursday (April 27) and concludes May 24. But sweeps aren’t nearly as important as they used to be. For one thing, there are now 56 (out of 206) metered markets that record ratings daily. New York is the biggest metered market; Austin is 53rd on the list. Stations here know how they’re doing every single morning.
Big-budget miniseries for sweeps are virtually dinosaurs these days. Nobody’s got the money for huge productions, and viewers don’t seem to have the patience to stick with a sweeping costume drama or murder-mystery for more than a couple of nights.
The focus of sweeps periods now is regular series, and in May, that means season-enders and, in the case of some, series finales.
Need to mark your TiVo calendar now? Here you go:
Taking a permanent hike will be “7th Heaven” (May 8), “That ’70s Show” (May 11), “The West Wing” and “Malcolm in the Middle” (May 14), “Will & Grace” (May 18), “Charmed” (May 21) and “Alias” (May 22).
Among the season-enders people will likely care about are “House” (May 23),”The Office” (May 11), “Grey’s Anatomy” (May 14), “Survivor” (May 14), “Boston Legal” (May 16), “Invasion” (May 17), “Desperate Housewives” (May 21), “24” (May 22), “Lost” (May 24) and “American Idol” (May 23-24).
There are a handful of alleged “specials” planned: CBS has a “Dynasty” reunion on May 2 (which is odd, since the prime-time sudser aired on ABC); ABC has another hokey David Blaine (the magician) show scheduled for May 8, a slimmed down Stephen King movie “Desperation” for May 23 and a timely crisis flick, “Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America,” on May 9; and NBC returns to its love of natural disasters with “10.5: Apocalypse’’ on May 21 and 23.
“Dreamz” dies at the boxoffice
Is anybody surprised that “American Dreamz,” the big-screen sendup of “American Idol,” bombed at the boxoffice last weekend?
The Fox series upon which it is based is wildly popular, raking in about 30 million viewers per episode for each of its two episodes a week. Fans of the singing contest take is seriously — seriously enough to spend hours on voting night dialing in their votes.
The movie, which was a spoof (Hugh Grant plays the Simon Cowell lead) and a slam of the beloved “Idol,” earned a pitiable $3.7 million on opening weekend.
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The new “new” — rerun clip episodes
Duped again!
I tuned in for what were supposed to be new episodes of “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy” last night and found a bunch of scenes from previous episodes cobbled together on both ABC shows.
It raises the question of exactly what “new” is, doesn’t it? Years ago, NBC touted its summer reruns thusly: “If you haven’t seen it before, it’s new to you.” Apparently ABC’s definition goes more like this: If you haven’t seen these clips together before, it’s new.
Well, I beg to differ.
I understand that networks horde new episodes in order to stretch a paltry 22-episode order through the May sweeps. And I understand that viewers miss episodes of ongoing series from time to time and might benefit from “catch-up” compilations.
But “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy” aren’t detailed mysteries or wacky conspiracies and don’t really need to be re-explained. They’re pretty straightforward and simple.
A complicated conspiracy show like “24” or “Lost” might warrant this latest definition of “new” episode. As we head into May’s season finales, I for one wouldn’t mind a refresher on both shows. From time to time, I lose track of who’s in and who’s out of Jack’s conspiracy, and lately I’ve been fairly lost on “Lost.”
But I really resent networks touting new episodes that simply aren’t. At least be honest and call it a rerun-clip show.
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Big D TV and a randy “Queen E”
Rumblings about the big-screen version of the ’80s television phenomenon big-screen version of ’80s TV show “Dallas” have been going on for months.
Now we hear that British director Gurinder Chadha, she of “Bend It Like Beckham” fame, will direct the Texas soap revival.
As speculated, John Travolta will play J.R. (the role made super-famous by Larry Hagman), and Jennifer Lopez will take on the whimpering Sue Ellen gig, played with great twitchiness by Linda Gray in the original.
No word yet on who will play the elder Ewings, Miss Ellie and Jock (or if either elder will even be alive), or Bobby and Pam. How about Nick Lachey and Lindsay Lohan for the younger duo? Smells good to me.
With the price of oil skyrocketing and oil companies on the receiving end of lots of hatred for all their profiteering, any storyline about Big Bad Oil will fit “Dallas” and J.R. perfectly. The timing couldn’t be better for this project.
Filming is scheduled to start in October, with the movie slated for late 2007. And, yes, if the production is to achieve even a smidgen of credibility, it’ll have to re-open the old South Fork Ranch outside of Dallas for filming.
HBO’s “Elizabeth I” not so “virginal”
Helen Mirren takes a truly remarkable turn as Queen Elizabeth I in HBO’s two-part bio-pic, beginning Saturday at 7 p.m. and concluding Monday at the same time.
She joins a long list of great dames who have tackled the role — Bette Davis, Glenda Jackson and Judith Anderson, just to name a few. But Mirren is head and shoulders above them all.
From the opening scene — a cringing sight in which the not-so-young monarch is examined to determine her fertility status — to her white-faced, lonely dotage, Mirren’s Elizabeth is simply riveting. One minute she’s vulnerable and sad, the next minute she’s a chillingly ruthless taskmaster. She’s lonely, haughty, lusty and sly. A bundle of starched contradictions.
Elizabeth reigned England for 45 years and, despite her nickname, may or may not have been virginal. The 4-hour film certainly implies that she was not, especially when it came to the love of her life, the Earl of Leicester (Jeremy Irons), and a secondary infatuation with the much younger Earl of Essex (Hugh Dancy).
Mirren’s turn is simply brilliant and is reason alone to check out this sometimes plodding two-part film.
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Cow TV? Why not!
Just when you think you’ve seen it all …
To promote its upcoming history-loving reality series “Texas Ranch House”, PBS today is launching MooTube.com, described by those wacky folks in public television as “the first 24/7 inside look at the daily life of Texas Longhorn cattle.”
The announcement is chock full of cute wordplay: “joining the ‘stampede’ to create new content platforms,” “bringing viewers a ‘bovine’s-eye-view of life on the range’,â€? etc.
Visitors to the site will get to witness riveting cow activities such as grass chomping, fly flicking, mooing and waterhole socialization. There is hope from the production crew that romance will blossom, but it seems unlikely that PBS would stream that video even if it did happen. This is, after all, billed as “an educational experience.”
This up-close and personal look at cow life comes courtesy of wireless “cow-cams” attached to the Longhorns’ collars. This is cutting-edge technology for sure, although the scientific value of the end results may be debatable.
The MooTube site also will feature “The Cow of the Day,” profiling a star bovine from the herd. First up is Watson 101, who holds the world record for the steer with the longest horns. Tip-to-tip, his horn span measures 100 inches.
“Texas Ranch House” is PBS’s latest “hands-on history series,” following in the hoofsteps of “Colonial House,” in which modern-day folks are sent to live in the past. The new series is scheduled to air May 1-4. Filmed last year at the Cooke Ranch, near Alpine in the Big Bend country, “Texas Ranch House” puts participants through the challenges of life in 1867 Texas. The cows may be perfectly content to moo in this environment, but the realities of life in the Old West are considerably harsher on the 21st-century humans.
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‘Alias’ returns … Do you care?
“Alias” returns with a two-hour episode (tonight at 7) to set up the series journey toward a dramatic conclusion on May 22.
This super-spy adventure has been gone so long I don’t have the foggiest idea what’s going on. I sure hope there are lots of catch-up scenes at the beginning.
ABC has supplied the following helpful info, to help jog the memories of those of us who can’t remember what happened last week, let alone what happened on a TV show five months ago:
Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) has been abducted and is being held on a ship where she’s being drugged and drifting off into hallucinatory adventures.
Her father, secret agent Jack (Victor Garber), is searching for her. The always serpentine Sloane (Ron Rifkin) is on hand to stir things up, as are Syd’s duplicitous mother Irina (Lena Olin) and double agent Vaughn/Micheaux (Michael Vartan).
Oh, and Syd is pregnant and about to have a baby — a girl, if we are to believe the tabloids. This particular story twist, you may recall, was necessitated by Garner’s real-life pregnancy with hubby Ben Affleck.
Although “Alias” had its fair share of glamour and buzz during its five-season run, ABC never treated it like a hit. Sure, there were lots of promotions, but the network shifted the show around the schedule so many times that even die-hard fans had trouble finding it.
Creator J.J. Abrams has hinted at the possibility of a big-screen movie in the future, a la “The X-Files,” to put a big flashy bow on the show’s conclusion, but given the shrinking audience, I doubt that’ll happen.
‘Idol’ final seven soar
If last night’s “American Idol” performance night proved anything, it’s that good singers respond to good songs. Trying to force a rocker into country or a country singer into show tunes can be risky. But singers who can carry a tune can do well with pop classics.
Coached by Rod Stewart, the final seven warblers picked standards from the “American Songbook” and nailed ‘em. Well, five of the seven nailed ‘em.
The star of the night was Katharine McPhee, who sang “Someone to Watch Over Me” and prompted all three judges to declare that she’s in a class by herself.
Chris Daughtry proved he can sing outside his heavy metal comfort zone with a fine rendition of “What a Wonderful World.”
Poor Kellie Pickler got lost in her presentation of “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” zinging off-key more than once and struggling to remember the lyrics. At the end, she shrugged instead of bowed and ‘fessed to the world, “I butchered it!” But I bet her fans will forgive her — especially since she was honest and funny at the end.
Ace Young, with slicked back hair and business suit, didn’t do so hot on “That’s All,” but he never seems to get the criticism he deserved.
Who goes tonight when the votes are revealed? I’m betting this will Ace’s exit. You can go a long way on looks, but not all the way.
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Austin’s WB to become new CW Network
Austin’s KNVA, currently home to the WB network, will switch to the new CW on Sept. 5 when the WB and UPN merge. The oddly named CW stands for corporate partners CBS and Warner Bros.
The fledgling network is expected to include successful programs, geared to young viewers ages 18 to 34, from both disappearing networks, including “Smackdown,” “Veronica Mars,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Smallville,” “Gilmore Girls” and “America’s Next Top Model.”
“We are very happy to have finalized an agreement for KNVA with the CW network,” general manager Carlos Fernandez said in an e-mail. “We’re looking forward to providing Austin and Central Texas the unique programming that will be the signature of this new, exciting network. Our partnership with the WB has been a solid one, and we expect even bigger things with The CW.”
There was speculation last month that KNVA, which is managed by LIN Television’s KXAN, might sign on with new Fox weblet My Network TV. That rumor swirled after KBEJ, a Fredericksburg station that serves San Antonio and Austin with UPN programming, signed up with CW. It was assumed that KBEJ would be Austin’s CW, too.
But after months of negotiations, LIN struck agreements with CW for four of its TV stations, including Austin. KBEJ, whose call letters will change to KCWX, will be exclusive to San Antonio.
KNVA, which launched in 1994 as an independent, became a WB affiliate the following year. It is owned by a company called 54 Broadcasters, of which KEYE anchor Ron Oliveira is a partner.
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Will ‘Idol’ wake up tonight?
I’ve got my digits crossed that this week’s “American Idol” will rebound from last week’s excruciating performances.
Songs of Queen? I don’t think so. None of the contestants was able to shine (or even weakly glow), and Bucky, in a long overdue decision, was voted off the “Idol” island.
Tonight the Final 7 will be warbling with advice and assistance from pop-rock superstar Rod Stewart. At least his songs are singable and not written for a rock group to perform.
And maybe this week the judges will wake up. Last week Simon was yawning through several performances, Randy occasionally gazed out into the audience as if he were searching for dolphins on the horizon, and Paula actually put her head down on the desk a couple of times.
It was not a good week for “Idol.” But I’m hopeful about tonight’s show.
Is this some kind of joke?
Cartoon Network has added “Saved by the Bell” to its hip late-night anthology “Adult Swim.” Are they kidding? The icky teen show, which ran from 1989 to ‘93 on NBC, has long been part of cable reruns, but is it edgy or cool, like the animated shows on “Swim”? Do bears run sprints around Town Lake?
Fans, popping off on the Adult Swim Web site, have not been particularly pleased. Some version of “What the heck?” has been the most common (and most favorable) response.
The network insists “Bell” is only on a two-week experimental tour, so it’s entirely possible it’ll be gone soon… . Possibly replaced by “Gimme a Break.” Or not.
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President Mackenzie returns
She’s baaaaack! At long last, the nation’s first female president — she of the extreme dimples, towering height and neon red lips — returns to the airwaves.
After a two-month hiatus, ABC’s “Commander in Chief” picks up the presidency of Mackenzie Allen (Geena Davis) tonight at 9.
The show started off with a bang last fall, but the return of “American Idol” helped sink the drama’s Tuesday night ratings from 17 million to less than 10 million. How will President Allen fare opposite CBS’s “Without a Trace” and NBC’s still-popular “ER”?
That’s anybody’s guess, but I have personal testimony to the loyalty of some “Commander” fans and the passion with which they responded to its disappearance. I must have received 50 e-mails and phone calls from people, demanding to know where the show had gone and when it would return. These weren’t just idle questions, either. These folks were ticked off!
Truth be told, I was never a huge fan of “Commander.” It can’t hold a candle to “The West Wing,” which artfully combines great drama with philosophical depth and a zesty dash of humor.
“Commander” is a domestic drama set in the White House, which seems like a rather disrespectful way to approach a show about the first female president.
Mackenzie, an Independent vice president who became president after her Democratic predecessor suffered a fatal stroke, is seen mothering her children and husband as much as running the country, which might make some folks leery of voting for a working mom for prez.
Does she have time to battle terrorists and political opposition if she’s busy fighting with a teenage daughter? How about that testy husband? Questions to ponder.
And Donald Sutherland’s super-creepy Republican speaker of the House is way too villainous. No shades of gray here. He’s pure evil … and lacks credibility.
“Commander” has an identity crisis (political drama or a domestic drama?), and the problem was exacerbated by creative upheavals. Original executive Rod Lurie (“The Candidate”) had trouble meeting production deadlines and was dismissed, so veteran Steven Bochco was brought in, but he lasted only a few weeks. Now Dee Johnson is at the helm.
Tonight’s episode finds Mackenzie fighting off embarrassment when her first gentleman hubby (Kyle Secor) is photographed in a compromising way with a female intern. Marital and political woes ensue, and the first family winds up in chaos.
It’s unlikely that “Commander” will rebound enough to be considered a serious candidate for a second season. My guess is ABC will burn off the remaining episodes and send President Mackenzie off into retirement.
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TV crooks, good and bad
My lukewarm feelings about “Thief”, FX’s new drama starring Andre Braugher as a professional crook, have now officially heated up to red-hot passion.
Last night’s episode (9 p.m. Tuesdays) was superb, from the starkly lit cinematography to the brilliantly crafted characters. Braugher, whose stint as Detective Pembleton on “Homicide: Life on the Streets” launched his star into the stratosphere, has finally found another role worthy of his fabulous chops.
As leader of a group of thieves plotting a $30 million heist from the government, Braugher’s Nick Atwater is smart and swift on the job, tortured and insecure at home. A recent widower, he’s mourning the loss of his beloved wife. And he’s struggling to establish a relationship with stepdaughter Tammi (Mae Whitman).
The father-stepdaughter interaction makes for some of the show’s best drama — carefully written and acted with commendable restraint. In less capable hands, this subplot might be maudlin and useless, but in “Thief,” the family element adds emotional depth and resonance.
Nick’s den of thieves also includes Yancey Arias (“Kingpin”) as Gabo Williams, Malik Yoba as Mo Jones and Clifton Collins Jr. as Bump Hill.
The show also involves a cop (Michael Rooker) who is trying to clean up his dirty reputation and a killer (Will Yun Lee) who has hired the Chinese Mafia to settle a score.
The pilot episode was good, but the series is now hitting its stride and promises to join FX’s impressive roster of of other fine dramas — “The Shield,” “Nip/Tuck,” “Rescue Me,” etc.
On the other hand …
NBC’s “Heist,” another anti-hero drama about a merry band of crooks, started off limp and is sagging to an almost certain halt. It looks doubtful that the show, which now airs at 8 p.m. Wednesdays, will finish its 13-episode run. In fact, it could be yanked after tonight’s installment.
The series, about a group of thieves planning to pull off simultaneous robberies of several Beverly Hills jewelers, has lost viewers every week since its March 22 debut. No big surprise, however, since it aired last week opposite mega-hits “Lost” and “American Idol.” No tears for this one.
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Online TV? Not for me!
I’m still trying to figure out if this is good news:
The Walt Disney Co. said Monday it plans to offer four ABC prime-time shows — including “Desperate Housewives,” “Lost” and “Commander in Chief” online for free beginning in May and lasting until the end of June.
The entire final season of “Alias” also will be available.
Do I really want to watch watch TV on my computer, the screen of which is a fraction of the size of my actual TV?
I don’t think so. In fact, absolutely not. Besides the relatively tiny screen, the sound on my computer isn’t anywhere near as good as it is on my Big TV.
And, yes, video streaming has improved since its first stop-action, fuzzy-looking birth. But it’s still not nearly as good as the crystal images of HD or any version of digital TV.
Plus, the reason these ABC shows will be pulsing through your computer for free is they are ad-supported, which means sponsors such as Ford, AT&T, Procter & Gamble and Toyota, will be popping into these shows on a regular basis. Computers don’t have that fabulous little DVR function that allows you to zap through ads. At least not yet.
I know this free-TV streaming is considered a Big Deal. The Wave of the Future, in fact. But I still relish watching my favorite shows in the comfy room in my house with the big leather couch and the big-fat real TV. Call me crazy.
But that’s just me. Congratulation to those of you who are always on the move, always moving with your computer and never want to miss an episode of “Lost,” “Desperate Housewives” or “Commander in Chief.” Good for you.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: TV Technology
‘West Wing’: And the winner is …
Alert TV blog readers know that I was unblogged for a couple of days last week — forced to attend a lavish birthday party for a dear friend in Washington, D.C.
Poor me. I never would have gone — at the peak of the glorious cherry blossom season and an overall Nation’s Capital tulip explosion — had I not been forced. I would much rather stay here and write blogs, but this annoying friend insisted I come to D.C., so I did.
Anyway, as a result, I haven’t watched more than a couple of minutes of television (local news in D.C. is pretty darn fabulous) since last Wednesday.
But before I left, NBC kindly sent last night’s episode of “The West Wing,” which I would have missed but, due to their kindness, immediately gobbled up. So …
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t seen Sunday night’s installment of “The WW,” read no further.
In a squeaker of an election, Democrat Matt Santos won the presidential election. Big news, you say?
According to the New York Times, the election was originally going to go to Republican Arnold Vinick after it became clear that “The West Wing” would not be returning next season.
Why the change of plans? After John Spencer died from a heart attack in December, executive producer John Wells and his writing staff decided losing the election and veep candidate/friend Leo McGarry was too much sorrow to pile on Santos. Viewers might recoil in horror.
So Santos won, and the next few episodes will be devoted to the constitutional crisis the situation produces regarding how to replace the winner’s deceased vice president. Woven through the political stuff will be serious mourning for the late Leo and a gathering of past characters (including Rob Lowe’s Sam Seaborn) for Leo’s funeral.
By the time the May 14 finale rolls around, presumably we will also look back on President Bartlet’s two terms as commander-in-chief and see his bittersweet exit from the White House. If you’re among those who feel “The West Wing” passed its prime a few years ago, check out this farewell journey anyway. The past few episodes have been among the show’s very best … and are likely to only get better as we head into May.
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NBC’s Couric makes jump to CBS official
Same blog, second verse …
Yesterday we predicted, that by week’s end, “Today” host Katie Couric would announce that she’s heading to CBS.
This morning, on the occasion of her 15th anniversary with NBC’s top-rated morning show, the 49-year-old Couric did exactly that. What had long been planned as a celebration of Couric’s stint on “Today” suddenly turned into The Big Announcement with sad faces all around.
“I wanted to tell all of you out there who have watched the show for the past 15 years that after listening to my heart and my gut — two things that have served me pretty well in the past — I’ve decided I’ll be leaving ‘Today’ at the end of May,” she told viewers.
Couric didn’t come right out and say she’ll be anchoring the “CBS Evening News” and reporting for “60 Minutes,” but that’s the plan. I guess NBC was willing to let her break the departure news on “Today,” but it wasn’t going to let her promote her future on a rival network.
The move has been expected for so long that the announcement was a big yawn, which is a shame since the woman most often described as “perky” is going to make history in September when she becomes the first solo female anchor of an evening network newscast.
Why did Couric decide to make such a drastic change and abandon her comfort zone? As Couric pointed out on “Today” this morning, “Sometimes change is good.” And as she heads toward her milestone 50th birthday, Couric undoubtedly would like to re-establish herself in serious news.
People who only know her grinning face from “Today” may not know that Couric covered real news for ABC and CBS before shifting to the sometimes goofy morning slot. She covered political conventions, government agencies and all manner of breaking news stories. She can do it again — but it will take a while for her to lose her cloying image as a flirting, giggling chatterbox with Hollywood stars.
Couric sure isn’t leaving for the money. Her CBS salary reportedly will be in the same $15 million annual range as her current NBC contract. But she is said (by all those New York tabloid papers) to have turned down a $20 million salary to stay at NBC.
What will happen to “Today” at the end of May, when all the tears and memories are wiped away?
Meredith Vieira of “The View” is the leading contender to partner with Matt Lauer, but Ann Curry and Campbell Brown also have been mentioned.
If Couric’s jump from the top-rated morning show to the third-rated evening news show boosts CBS out of the basement, she’ll be heralded as a hero. If, however, her hard-news anchoring skills come up short and the program declines or (worse) is ridiculed, Couric could face an unhappy end to an otherwise brilliant career. It’s a risky move.
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Couric’s jump coming soon
The Katie Couric soap opera could reach its dramatic climax at the end of this week. That’s the speculation swirling in the TV news biz now.
Sources say NBC, where perky Couric, 49, has anchored “The Today Show” since 1991, will make the announcement instead of CBS, where she is expected to take over the evening news anchor post from Bob Schieffer. (Dan Rather, you’ll recall, stepped down last March, and Schieffer began his lengthy interim stint at that time.)
In the early going at least, it sounds like both networks are trying to take the high road here, which is surprising. Claws could come out down the road, however.
Couric’s contract with NBC is over the end of May, so she will continue with “Today” until then. Exactly when she’ll begin anchoring the “CBS Evening News” is unclear — right away? In the fall when new shows debut? Smart money says Couric will become the first female solo anchor of a network evening newscast in September — amid near-hysterical hoopla.
This speculation has been going on for so long the announcement is destined to be anticlimactic. Analysts already have weighed in that Couric is likely to boost CBS’s news ratings temporarily but probably won’t have a dramatic long-term effect. NBC News has been entrenched in the top spot for years, through Tom Brokaw’s departure and Brian Williams’ arrival. And not even the death of ABC’s Peter Jennings had much effect on that network’s ratings.
The biggest impact in Couric’s move could be on “Today.” Meredith Vieira, formerly of CBS and ABC News and currently of ABC’s morning gabfest “The View,” is the leading contender for Couric’s morning gig. It’ll take at least a year for all this to shake down, so stay tuned.
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‘West Wing’ election still hanging
Weeks ago NBC crowed that the April 2 episode of “The West Wing” would decide the drawn-out election.
Not quite true, as it turns out. Yes, last night’s episode did deal with Election Day, right down to the countdown to polls opening and polls (except for California) closing.
One minute Democrat Matt Santos had it in the bag, but the next minute Josh was melting down about the exit polls being suspicious. Was Santos really heading to victory or were the exit polls depending too heavily on minority and women voters?
We didn’t see Republic Arnold Vinick much — if at all. I don’t remember seeing him once, but I might have blinked.
The big news from last night’s episode (if you recorded the episode and not yet watched, READ NO FURTHER!!) was hardly a surprise — Santos’ veep candidate Leo McGarry croaked. We knew that was coming because actor John Spencer died in December. We did not know Leo would die on Election Day. Now we do.
Much has been speculated about the plot ramifications, and if I were a betting woman, I’d stick with my original dream scenario: a bipartisan ticket, following Santos’ victory in a squeaker, with Vinick as veep.
Or, Vinick could win and Santos could join the bipartisan ticket as veep. The show’s not coming back next season, so there’s no reason to assume the Democrat will win simply so that the White House staff of President Bartlet could remain in place.
So it will be next week before a presidential winner is declared and we face the possible constitutional crisis about what to do with the second-in-command-elect position.
“The West Wing” isn’t the big hit it once was, but it’s still one of the best-written, best-performed dramas on television. The finale is May 14, and it should be grand.
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