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March 2008
Klutzes gone, ‘Dancing’ takes off!
Now that the gigantic (and gigantically clumsy) magician Penn Jillette and wooden tennis pro Monica Seles have been voted off the dance floor, “Dancing with the Stars” is getting good.
Tonight (7 to 8:30 p.m. on ABC) we’ve been promised a scorching hot tango by rapper-turned-hoofer Mario. And, by the way, the romance rumors already are swirling about Mario and his professional partner Karina Smirnoff. Both deny, natch, but the duo really can steam up the room.
It’s way too early to tell where this season will wind up, but in the early going, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi has been getting the best scores from the judges — and deservedly so. Let’s face it, figure skaters are trained to be graceful, and many of the women skaters have ballet training.
But as Kristi pointed out in the first episode, when asked if she had an advantage over other competitors, she’s not used to moving her feet without skates on — and she’s not used to even walking in high heels, let alone spinning.
Priscilla Presley has surprised viewers and judges with her dramatic moves. It’s a crying shame her face doesn’t move as gracefully has her body.
As always, voting viewers will have the final say. If the judges give fabulous scores to a team that nobody votes for, that team doesn’t have a prayer. It’s a popularity contest as well as a dance contest, so contenders have to do the work and work the crowd.
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This week’s TV picks
Hundreds of channels, hours of programming. So much to watch, so little time. Here are some highlights to get you started on your week of viewing.
Sunday
“Cold Case,” 8 p.m. on CBS — This excellent but under-rated mystery drama, which bounces between then and now, returns with new episodes after a long absence due to the writers’ strike.
“The Capture of the Green River Killer,” 7 p.m. on LMN. The network’s first original miniseries (Part II airs 7 p.m. Monday) follows the true story of Detective Dave Reichert (Tom Cavanagh) as he tracks a serial killer who preyed on prostitutes and runaways in the Seattle area in the 1980s and ‘90s. Based on Reichert’s book “Chasing the Devil,” the gruesome saga is a well-crafted true-crime adventure.
“The Tudors,” 8 p.m. on Showtime — The second season of the sexiest portrayal ever of a British monarch arrives tonight.
Monday
“The Hills,” 9 p.m. on MTV — The pseudo-improvised reality series returned last week after a three-month hiatus, but it’s not too late to catch up. The show, which takes place among the young and beautiful Hollywood music and fashion wannabes, focuses on best friends Lauren and Heidi and their playboy love interests.
“Dancing with the Stars,” 7 p.m. on ABC — With clumsy magician Penn Jillette and wooden tennis pro Monica Seles gone, the celebrity competitors look pretty good this season.
Tuesday “Hell’s Kitchen,” 8 p.m. on Fox — Sadistic chef Gordon Ramsay cracks the whip over another batch of fledglings willing to subject themselves to his relentless abuse. Screaming, head-banging, fire … it’s all happening in Ramsay’s kitchen.
Wednesday
“Criminal Minds,” 8 p.m., and “CSI: NY,” 9 p.m. — Both crime dramas return with new episodes.
Thursday
“My Name Is Earl,” 7 p.m. on NBC — Earl succumbs to a fever-induced coma and drifts through strange scenarios, one of which includes a guest appearance by celebutant Paris Hilton. It’s an hourlong episode, so set your recorders accordingly.
“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” 8 p.m., and “Without a Trace,” 9 p.m. — New post-strike episodes for both.
“Rock the Cradle,” 9 p.m. on MTV — A new reality series attempts to find out if kids of famous rockers have (any) talent.
Friday
“Battlestar Galactica, 9 p.m. on Sci Fi — The fourth and final season begins tonight.
Saturday
“March Madness,” all evening on CBS — This is semi-final action, so round-ballers will be super-excited.
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” 7 p.m. on ABC — For non-sports fans looking for a good movie, this 2001 offering is superb.
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‘Project Runway’ winner heads for ‘Ugly Betty’
Christian Siriano, the oddly coiffed winner of Bravo’s mega-hit reality show “Project Runway,” will ratchet up the cool factor on “Ugly Betty” in an episode to air during the May sweeps.
No word on exactly what Siriano will do on “Betty,” but he and Elle fashion director Nina Garcia are scheduled to film their joint appearance in early April. ABC has hinted that Siriano will “encounter” the Mode staff, including swishy-fun Marc and transgender glamour-girl Alexis.
“Runway” smoothie Tim Gunn already has graced the offices of Mode, and Victoria “Posh” Beckham strutted her stuff last fall. Other guest fashionistas have included Vera Wang and Kenneith Cole.
The over-the-top and totally colorful “Ugly Betty” returns on April 24 for five new episodes to end the season.
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Time Warner’s Weather Radar Channel moving to digital-only tier
Weather nerd alert!
Time Warner Cable is moving the Color Weather Radar Channel to the digital-only tier, effective April 10.
Why? Allegedly to add lots of bells and whistles to the previously basic Sven-narrated radar picture. But it doesn’t take a genius to know that this is just another nudge by Time Warner to move customers from basic service to digital. More channels, yes; more money, you bet.
To make the move even more annoying, Cable Channel 44, where weather radar currently resides, will be blank after the new-and-improved weather radar channel moves to Digital 355.
Why not just leave the old-fashioned weather radar on the soon-to-be-empty Channel 44? Time Warner spokesman Roger Heaney, who is always polite and pleasant, didn’t know but figured it was a “technical problem.”
What’s the big deal with the digital-level radar channel?
“We’ll be able to provide customized, community-level imagery,” Heaney said. “The enhancements they’re making requires it to be on digital.”
Heaney said the digital weather radar channel will customize the radar image right down to your neighborhood and, through the miracle of digital transmissions, automatically know where you are — or at least where your cable box is.
Heaney also said moving the weather radar channel off the lower tier opens up the possibility of adding three or four HD channels in the future, for which he says customers are clamoring. More HD, less weather. Really?
Time Warner customers who are not on digital service, Heaney says, can still catch weather updates every 10 minutes on Time Warner’s local cable news channel, News 8. And, of course, weather radar is plentifully available on various Web sites.
But that’s not exactly the same as watching the big red and purple storm blobs roll in as Sven calmly describes “possible tornadic activity in the area.” Those of us already on digital no doubt will relish the fancy technology, but we’ll miss Sven’s comforting monotone and the hypnotic images of Central Texas weather.
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Austin writer-producer Rob Thomas super-busy
Former Reagan High School journalism teacher Rob Thomas, a San Marcos High and University of Texas grad, is churning out three series pilots for next season.
This is the busiest Thomas, who is best known for “Veronica Mars,” has been since he left Austin for Hollywood in 1997 to work on the WB’s “Dawson’s Creek.”
Thomas’s new projects include an updated version of “Beverly Hills, 90210” for the CW, a revised version of his own romantic drama “Cupid” for ABC and an untitled hourlong ABC dramedy about a matriarch and her family of criminals who decide to go legit after the patriarch winds up in jail. No casting has been announced on any of the new shows.
Now you see it, now you don’t!
That was quick! Fox has pulled the plug on the sitcom “The Return of Jezebel James” after only two episodes. Effective this week, the Friday comedy, starring Parker Posey and Lauren Ambrose as sisters, will be replaced by a repeat of “Bones.”
In its final airing Amy Sherman-Palladino’s first show since “Gilmore Girls” show averaged a pitiful audience of 3 million viewers.
And in other ominous news from Fox, “Canterbury’s Law,” a terrific legal drama starring Juliana Margulies, has been moved from Mondays to Fridays — possibly on its way to the graveyard as well.
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KXAN back on Suddenlink Cable
After months of wrangling, KXAN and Suddenlink Cable have reached a retransmission agreement, and now viewers in Pflugerville, Georgetown and Leander can watch weatherman Jim Spencer again. And for the first time, they can see KXAN in high-definition.
KXAN was bumped off the Suddenlink system in Williamson County on Dec. 31, leaving viewers without NBC programming for almost a week, until NBC station KCEN in Temple joined Suddenlink’s lineup. Neither KXAN’s corporate owner LIN Television nor the Missouri-based Suddenlink would divulge details of the arrangement. But effective Tuesday, KXAN’s local news, syndicated programming and NBC shows were back up and running in 30,000 Suddenlink households.
“The terms are confidential, but I will say we’ve always stated that it’s about fair market value, and we’ve received fair market value,” said Eric Lassberg, general manager of KXAN.
The dispute between Suddenlink and KXAN did not affect the more than 300,000 households in Central Texas that have Time Warner Cable.
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‘Scrubs’ resurrected? ‘Prison Break’ renewed
“Scrubs,” that brilliantly hilarious little sitcom that gets no respect, is back in production.
Never mind that the show and NBC decided last summer that this season would be its last. And never mind that the writers’ strike pumped holes into a plan to have the show go out with a grand finale.
The episode being filmed this week is the fifth of only five that NBC ordered before the strike, for a total of 13 planned for the show’s seventh and allegedly final season.
In one of those only-in-Hollywood plot twists, ABC Studios produces the NBC series, and according to Hollywood trade publications, ABC is in negotiations to bring “Scrubs” over to the alphabet network for an eighth season in the fall. Star Zach Braff and the rest of the principal cast are on board to continue.
Would reruns stay on NBC? Could NBC refuse to relinquish the license agreement? It’s a complicated web, so stay tuned.
More ‘Prison Break’ for sure
Fox, on the other hand, has announced an uncomplicated pickup of the gritty drama series “Prison Break” for a fourth season.
The serialized saga starring Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller as prison inmates-turned-fugitives-turned-inmates again-turned fugitives again will move its production base from Dallas to Los Angeles for the new season. (The show was initially set and filmed in Chicago.)
“Prison Break” did fairly well paired with “24,” scoring well among men ages 18 to 34, but the renewal is considered a leap of faith considering last season’s ratings sagged among the general viewing audience.
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‘Jericho’ — Nuts not enough
Peanut passion notwithstanding, CBS has pulled the plug on “Jericho” — again.
The final episode of the post-apocalyptic drama airs Tuesday night at 9, the network has announced.
You might recall that ardent fans of the drama flooded CBS’s offices last season with nuts, e-mails and angry phone calls after “Jericho” was canceled due to low ratings. Perhaps to stop the nut flow but probably more to launch a promotional campaign touting “back by popular demand,” CBS reversed itself and ordered more episodes.
But CBS canceled the show again late Friday, with entertainment boss Nina Tassler proclaiming that the six millions viewers watching the resurrected show just weren’t enough. In fact, the audience for the heavily-touted return was substantially smaller than the audience the show had acquired when it was first canceled.
“Without question, there are passionate viewers watching this program,” Tassler said in a statement. “We simply wish there were more.”
When CBS revived the dead series, the network must have suspected that hit status wasn’t in the stars because executives ordered two endings to the new batch of episodes: a cliffhanger and a finale. Tomorrow night, we’ll see the finale.
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This week’s TV picks
Hundreds of channels, hours of programming. So much to watch, so little time. Here are some highlights to get you started on your week of viewing.
Sunday
“The Sound of Music,” 6 p.m. on Family Channel — It wouldn’t be Easter without a repeat of this 1965 classic starring Julie Andrews and based on the true story of the warbling Von Trapp family.
“Women’s NCAA Basketball,” 6 p.m. on ESPN2 — The women’s version of March Madness hits the hoops.
Monday
“Canterbury’s Law,” 7 p.m. on Fox — Arguably the best new show of the spring season, this legal drama starring Julianna Margulies keeps getting better.
“CSI: Miami,” 9 p.m. on CBS — In the first new episode since the writers strike, David Caruso returns to pose, whip those sunglasses on and off and deliver his trademark sing-song, “What do we have here, Alex?”
Tuesday
“ ‘Til Death,” 8:30 p.m. on Fox — The downbeat comedy starring Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher as a ball-and-chain married couple searching for a spark returns with new episodes.
“Autism: The Musical,” 7 p.m. on HBO — This odd documentary follows five autistic children and their families over six months as the children write, rehearse and perform a full-length musical.
Wednesday
“Men in Trees,” 9 p.m. on ABC — New episodes of this Anne Heche comedy-drama continue with Marin and Jack returning from New York to find that Cash needs a kidney transplant. The episode is titled “A Tale of Two Kidneys.”
Thursday
“March Madness,” 6 p.m. on CBS — College basketball dribbles into the regional semi-finals tonight. Check the American-Statesman’s sports Web site for teams and times (http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/ncaa/index.html).
“Figure Skating: World Championships,” 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2 — If you prefer ice to wood under foot, this is the place to be.
Friday
“March Madness,” 6 p.m. on CBS — College basketball regional semi-finals continue.
“Figure Skating: World Championships,” 6 p.m. on ESPN — More graceful turns by the world’s best.
Saturday
“March Madness,” 6 p.m. on CBS — College basketball’s regional tournament finals.
“The Godfather,” 7 p.m. on AMC — This is the 1972 original and best of Mario Puzo’s famed gangster chronicle, with Marlon Brando in the role of a lifetime.
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Not a hoops fan? TV’s a wasteland
If you’re not a slavish fan of college basketball, March can be a trying time for couch spuds. March Madness equals March Sadness for us non-hoopsters.
Last night I watched the garishly costumed ice dancers competing in the World Figure Skating Championships on ESPN. Most of them looked like waiters in a German beer-hall, splashed with bad makeup and hopped up on amphetamines. Not pretty. I love figure skating, but ice dancing is a travesty.
I also tried, for a short time, to renew my appreciation for ABC’s “Lost,” which used to be one of my favorite series. But I very quickly remembered why I drifted away more than a year ago — the writers have been chasing their tales in search of plotlines, leaving the characters to do little but wander — sweaty, dirty and tragic — through the island jungles.
When I actually burst out laughing as one character pushed her way through the palm branches, only to be killed by some unseen menace, I knew “Lost” was irrevocably lost for me. I could be wrong, but I don’t think this sci-fi saga was intended to be a comedy …
For about 15 minutes, I landed on the bizarre fantasy-legal drama “Eli Stone” on ABC. Interesting concept, maybe in the hands of David E. Kelley, but poorly executed here. When lawyer Eli drifts into one of his fantasy fits — earthquakes, monster attacks, faded British rock stars — the transition is clumsy and poorly integrated into whatever slender thread of a story exists.
The show might have set out to be an exaggerated version of “Ally McBeal,” (remember the dancing baby and various soul singers in the restroom?), but “Eli” has turned out to be a bit of a mess.
Just keep telling yourself: April will be better.
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‘20/20’ hops on hookers
You could smell this “special” coming the minute former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s call-girl scandal broke a couple of weeks ago.
Friday’s “20/20” (8 p.m.) is a two-hour edition by Diane Sawyer that ABC claims has been in the works for two years. Maybe. But the timing for airing obviously had a lot more to do with Spitzer’s salacious dabblings and subsequent resignation than any dramatic new findings Sawyer uncovered in a legal brothel in Nevada or a plain old illegal house of sex in Philadelphia.
Whatever. The breathless Sawyer likely will get big ratings for “Prostitution in America: Working Girls Speak” (9 p.m. tomorrow).
As a nod to the latest developments, Sawyer added some interviews with high-paid prostitutes who ply their trade among the powerful and wealthy, men like oh, say, a political scion from New York.
Sawyer’s take on prostitution is that these are women “in crisis,” not women who choose to sell themselves for a power trip over men. ABC indicates it will be a “serious look” at the sex industry from the women’s point of view.
Smug and grumpy Amanda bites the dust on ‘Idol’
I realize Amanda Overmyer, the 23-year-old Grace Slick wannabe from Indiana, was an important rocker element in the otherwise bubblegum pop-and-blues kids on “American Idol” lineup this season.
But frankly, the Bride of Frankenstein with the platinum streaked bangs scared me. She had about a four-note range, mostly in the screaming decibel level, and she didn’t seem to give a flip whether she made the cut or not. When she heard last night that she was voted off the show by voters, she shrugged, belted out another horrendous rendition of the Beatles’ “Back in the U.S.S.R.” and then stomped off the stage.
Ta-ta and good riddance.
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“Dancing” lady hoofers need work
Oh, my. The women took to the dance floor Tuesday night on “Dancing with the Stars” — and paled in the light cast by the exceptionally hot guys on Monday night. Hello, Mario and Jason!
As expected, Olympic Gold figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi took the highest scores from the judges and was virtually flawless in her performance. She says she’s not unfairly advantaged by her skating background because skaters perform flat-footed and are not accustomed to wearing high heels OR moving their feet. But dance and ballet training are very much a part of figure skating, so her posture, arm position and flair for the dramatic are superior from the get-go.
Actor/model Shannon Elizabeth was better than most model types have been — fabulous legs and a micro-mini to show them off. But her cha-cha was more slinky than superior, and she’ll have to pick up the pace to not get shipped off like beauties of the past.
Tennis great Monica Seles, who didn’t even attempt to wear high heels, looked like a mannequin clomping through her dance (proving that not all athletes can control their bodies), and Broadway giggler Marissa Jaret Winokur exhibited way more smiles and excitement than her clumsy dance displayed. Regardless, Marissa is destined to be a fan favorite just because she’s so darn cute and infectiously enthusiastic.
The big surprise? Priscilla Presley, because who knew her body could move when her face is so frozen by “procedures” that she can’t even smile wide enough to show her teeth? Priscilla, at 62, is the oldest competitor ever to appear on the show. Expectations were low, not because of her age but because she looked desperately unhappy to be there. But she glided through her foxtrot with little effort and wound up with a near-perfect “death spiral” at the end. Even sulky daughter Lisa Marie smiled in the audience.
And finally, profoundly deaf actor Marlee Matlin stunned the judges with her grace, fluidity and confidence. Without hearing the music, she floated through her dance and had the crowd shouting and weeping at the end. Inspiration, however, will not carry her through to the end, so we’ll have to see whether she can handle more difficult dances in the future.
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‘Dancing’ with stars and clunkers!
The guys were first up on the new season of “Dancing with the Stars” last night, and the half-dozen wannabes have, as the judges all said, a lot of work to do.
Only two were remotely pleasant to watch: Miami Dolphins defensive player Jason Taylor and 21-yearold R&B/pop sensation Mario. Both young men produced squeals of delight from the studio audience — and, presumably, a few female oglers at home.
With music in his bones (he does a little dancing on stage as a singer), Mario looked like a natural — graceful, sharp and full of charisma. Football fellow Jason looked a bit uneasy at first, prancing around a dance floor for the first time. But he’s so long and elegant-looking, with that blinding smile and soon-to-be-better dance steps, you just get the feeling that he might be the one to watch. Remember Emmitt Smith? Yep, some football players can cut a rug. Maybe it’s that competitive fire.
The most likely to be bumped quickly? Penn Jillette, the talkative half of the juggling illusionist team of Penn and Teller. Penn is large and clumsy and makes those turns like a battleship in a too-tight harbor. Also likely to exit soon? Radio host/comedian Adam Corolla. If you’re going to talk while you’re competitive dancing, you’ve got a focus problem. And he’s got one.
There’s always one “Dancing” contender who’s not very good but who charms voters into thinking he should continue, and that’s actor Steve Guttenburg this time. He was just so happy to be there he couldn’t stop yammering after his not-so-hot dance performance. Audiences love a happy hoofer, especially one with severely limited skills (we identify with him!), so I’m looking for Steve to stick around.
Chilean actor Cristian de la Fuente might have hot latino blood, as he mentioned multiple times in his predance feature segment, but he looks more like a bullfighter. Hunched back, dangling arms — not good. He’s very handsome and could improve, but expectations run high for a gorgeous latino, and Cristian was a major disappointment.
The ladies take to the dance floor tonight at 8:30 p.m. on ABC. Tennis great Monica Seles looks shockingly tall, doesn’t she? Let’s see if she can dance …
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Old shows, new episodes tonight … do we care?
TV promotion departments are sort of like campaign spin rooms these days.
In primary season, if a candidate loses an election, the focus just shifts to the next state’s contest — or a victory is touted if a pack of delegates is awarded if the contender lost.
Now that production has caught up with the end of the writers strike, networks are trumpeting the return of fresh episodes as if it were a new season. Never mind that we’ve already had a new season — last fall, remember? And never mind that this newly relaunched strike-shortened season will screech to a halt yet again come May.
Nevertheless, excitement abounds as CBS touts the return of its Monday-night comedy lineup tonight: “The Big Bang Theory” (7 p.m.), “How I Met Your Mother” (7:30 p.m.), “Two and a Half Men” (8 p.m.) and “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (8:30 p.m.).
The fact that, with the exception of “Two and a Half Men,” throngs of viewers weren’t exactly clamoring for these shows last fall makes no difference. CBS wants us to be tickled pink that they’re back now.
A bigger deal likely will be ABC’s new edition of “Dancing with the Stars” (7 p.m.), which really should be a relief to reality fans who can’t stomach NBC’s new competitor, “My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad.” Feh. At least there’s something pretty to look at on “Dancing.”
Will American women swoon over ABC’s hunky Brit on the new season of “The Bachelor?” (ABC, 8:30 p.m.) I don’t know. Lots of fans felt cheated by Austin bachelor Brad Womack’s decision not to decide last time. The point of the dating game is to PICK SOMEONE!! Brad sort of picked, but then didn’t follow through. Not satisfying.
Check out tomorrow’s TV column (in the newspaper and on Austin360.com) for a guide to catching up where some of your favorite series (scheduled to return soon) left off all those months ago.
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This week’s TV picks
Hundreds of channels, hours of programming … so much to watch, so little time. Here are some highlights to get you started on your week of viewing.
Sunday
“John Adams,” 7 p.m. on HBO — Based on David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, this seven-hour miniseries takes an extraordinary look at the life of our second president. The story begins with the Boston Massacre, gallops through the American Revolution and concludes with his death on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Watching Paul Giamatti morph into the role takes a while to digest, but Laura Linney hits it out of the park as his wife, Abigail Adams, and Tom Wilkinson is magnificent as Ben Franklin. Back-to-back episodes air tonight, and the series continues on Sundays through Apr. 20.
“Unhitched,” 8:30 p.m. on Fox — From the Farrelly Brothers, the wacky guys behind “Dumb and Dumber” and “There’s Something About Mary,” this new sitcom looks at thirtysomething dating, when choices can be slim and slightly wounded.
Monday
“Dancing with the Stars,” 7 p.m. on ABC — The sixth season begins tonight, and the celebrity hoofers include three professional athletes: Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi and tennis pro Monica Seles.
Tuesday
“The Riches,” 9 p.m. on FX — The strange comedy-drama saga about a family of travelers continues as Wayne and Dahlia try to hang onto their stolen identities and stay one step ahead of the law. Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver are back as the hubby-wife team.
Wednesday
“March Madness,” 6 p.m. on ESPN2 — College basketball gets super-serious with the championship tournament under way. CBS picks up the action Thursday. Check the NCAA online listings for specific teams and times (www.ncaa.com/home).
Thursday
“Lost,” 8 p.m. on ABC — After tonight’s episode, this unraveling sci-fi drama takes another long break (until April 24), so enjoy the latest as the Survivors and the Others continue their strange waltz.
Friday
“Hannah Montana,” 6 p.m. on Disney — The first new episode since January brings the tween superstar back. Squeal with delight!
Saturday
“Blades of Glory,” 7:30 p.m. on HBO Â — For silly fun, check out this slapstick comedy movie featuring Will Ferrell as, yep, a figure skater.
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Hip history on HBO: ‘John Adams’
HBO serves up history for the hipsters in a new miniseries about the oft-overshadowed second president of the United States, John Adams.
Based on David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “John Adams” arrives Sunday at 7 p.m. with back-to-back episodes and then continues on subsequent Sundays through April 20. I realize that will bump into the return of hipper shows like “Desperate Housewives,” but trust me when I tell you American history can be just as cool as the shenanigans on Wisteria Lane.
Paul Giamatti portrays Adams as bright, patriotic, petulant and wildly egotistical. This is a founding father who abandoned his family for years at a time for a noble cause but seemed immune to the hardships he placed on his loyal wife Abigail (brilliantly played by Laura Linney).
The story begins with the Boston Massacre and ends with Adams’ death 50 years after the Declaration of Independence. Filmed in Williamsburg, Va., and several locations in Europe, “John Adams” is gorgeous looking, with fabulous cinematography and soaring theme music reminiscent of the score from “Lonesome Dove.”
At the helm — and no doubt one reason for the lavish budget — is the producing team of Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, the creative and financial pockets behind HBO’s “Band of Brothers” in 2001.
McCullough’s book is more than 750 pages long, so even at seven installments the miniseries had to narrow its focus. The emphasis here is on Adams’ role as nagger-turned-diplomat, the guy who persuaded the 13 original colonies to break from Britain and then, miraculously, wound up as the first U.S. diplomat to the U.K. Talk about a hat trick.
Along the way he alternately lock horns with and befriends Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane), Benjamin Franklin (Tom Wilkinson) and an incredibly wooden-looking George Washington (David Morse).
Sunday night’s first installment moves sl-o-o-o-o-o-w-ly at first, but the pace picks up in the second hour. Director Tom Hooper makes sure to scatter attention-grabbing scenes from the book: Adams and his sons up to their elbows in manure on the family farm, Abigail and the kids getting small pox vaccinations — the early process involving globs of dead victims sores and a sharpened bone. Ick and more ick.
It’s a richly entertaining and informative journey that will make you feel better about indulging guilty TV pleasures like “Desperate Housewives.”
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Obama drama in development
Didn’t you just know it was going to happen?
A documentary is in development about the extraordinary life of Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama. According to Variety, actor Ed Norton (“The Illusionist,” “Painted Veil”) is behind the project, along with directors Amy Rice and Alicia Sams.
The project has no distribution company yet, but it’s probably a safe bet that one will sign on sooner rather than later. This is probably intended for the big screen, but wouldn’t we rather see it on HBO? Yes, we would!
Norton started this project before Obama declared his candidacy for the 2008 run for the White House. The filmmakers’ access to Obama began with the Illinois senator’s visit to Africa, the homeland of his late and long-estranged father, in 2006.
The ending to this bio-political saga, of course, has yet to be written. It will either wind up with Obama’s inauguration as president in January 2009 — or his defeat by Sen. Hillary Clinton for the nomination before the general election.
The plan is for the doc to premiere in mid-2009.
‘ER’ is old, but not dead yet
NBC is increasingly likely to bring back “ER” for its 15th season in the fall. That makes the scripted series third only in longevity behind “Law & Order” (18 seasons) and”The Simpsons” (19 seasons).
Although “ER” hasn’t been the Top 5 hit it was in the 1990s, it has seen a resurgence thanks to some of the latest cast additions, most notably John Stamos. The show has averaged 9.5 million viewers, which isn’t bad for this strike-riddled season. The show is set to return with new episodes on April 10.
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Lisa Kudrow to launch another comeback … And Britney?
Lisa Kudrow, who played ditzy Phoebe Buffay all those years on “Friends,” is plotting a return to NBC, but it won’t be a sitcom this time.
Although her cable series “The Comeback” (about a defunct comic actress returning to a sitcom) flopped in its pseudo-documentary style, Kudrow is tackling an American adaptation of a BBC series called “Who Do You Think You Are?” The documentary-style show is a major hit in Britain, where each episode traces the genealogy of a famous person, from family disasters to exciting successes past and present.
No word on what American actors will allow the new show to delve into their family history, but the BBC version has analyzed the ancestral trees of Jeremy Irons, John Hurt, Nigella Lawson, Graham Norton and David Tennant. Kudrow and original show producer Alex Graham will co-produce the new series, which will compete for a place on NBC’s fall schedule.
Britney comeback No. 99
Is this going to be another trainwreck in the making? We hope not.
Britney Spears, the pop tart who can’t seem to keep her undies on or a full head of hair in place, is making a guest appearance on the March 24 episode of CBS’s “How I Met Your Mother.”
Her appearance on the MTV Music Video Awards was less than stellar, what with the glazed eyes, ill-fitting costume and wooden dancing. But maybe the CBS sitcom crew can wake her up this time. Rumor has it she’ll play a receptionist for Ted’s dermatologist — and she’ll make a play for Ted.
Will Spears show up for this week’s shooting? The producers think she will, but Spears has been less than dependable since her life spiraled into a whirlwind of paparazzi, custody disasters and forced rehab. But she did a respectable job on an episode of “Will & Grace” years ago, so maybe ….
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KEYE’s Allison Smith gone … ‘The Saint’ returning?
Time sometimes gets away from us, and before we realize it, someone we’re used to seeing on TV isn’t just gone for a little while, she’s gone for good.
Allison Smith, KEYE’s hard-working and wonderfully competent weekend and fill-in weeknight sports anchor has moved to Los Angeles with her husband. Bummer.
“We would love to have kept Allison,” said KEYE’s news director Suzanne Black. “She’s a terrific person.”
We’ll try not to begrudge Allison her personal happiness, but we’ll miss her.
The new weekend/fill-in sports anchor is Chris Pelikan, hired from a station in St Louis. Yes, he’s been on the air for a while, but (duh), we thought maybe he was either a third sports anchor or temporary replacement. He’s full-time and permanent.
Sorry for the late welcome, but welcome to Austin, Chris.
Return of ‘The Saint?’
Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana, famous for such hard-hitting, gritty crime dramas as “Homicide: Life on the Streets” and “Oz,” are this close to helming a revival of the light-hearted, 1960s crime series “The Saint.”
British actor James Purefoy (Mark Antony in HBO’s “Rome”) is at the top of the list to star in the show as Simon Templar, the super-rich sophisticate who specializes in helping the less fortunate.
“The Saint” revival was originally on TNT’s development list last year but was dropped and now is searching for a network home. A two-hour pilot starts production later this spring … surely someone will step up to the plate and pick up the series. Please?
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February Nielsens: KVUE top dog in local news, ‘Family Guy’ big in late-night
The Nielsen ratings for February are in, and the big news isn’t that KVUE continues to hog the lead in local news ratings. Or that KXAN remains in second place with KEYE giving it a run for its money.
No, the big news in February is the late-night competition. Was “Nightline” No. 1 in our highly educated TV market? No, that was No. 2, followed in order by “The Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS and then “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” No, dear readers, the top-rated late-night show in Austin was (drum roll) “Family Guy” reruns on KTBC.
Now, back to the news ratings. At 5 p.m., Austin’s Univision station KAKW finished behind our four English-language network affiliates but ahead of KNVA’s reruns of “Everybody Loves Raymond.” That’s a move up for Univision.
Austin continues to favor “ABC’s World News” among the network newscasts, with “NBC Nightly News” in second place and the “CBS Evening News” last.
At 6 p.m., KVUE remains top-rated, but KXAN is a very close second. At 10 p.m., again with KVUE on top, KXAN and KEYE are neck-and-neck.
KTBC’s late Fox 7 News, which runs for an hour at 9 p.m. (instead of up against the other guys at 10 p.m.), had extremely strong ratings this time around — maybe because the writers strike has caused prime-time ratings to sag or maybe also because we’re in the heat of a blockbuster run of “American Idol.” Or maybe because Central Texans just like Fox 7 News.
FEBRUARY NIELSEN RATINGS
5 p.m. local news
KVUE - 7.1
KXAN - 3.6
KEYE - 3.0
KTBC - 2.3
KAKW - 1.9/4
KNVA (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) - 1.2
5:30 p.m. network news
ABC - 7.3
NBC - 4.8
CBS - 3.4
Univision - 2.2
KNVA (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) - 1.3
6:00 p.m. local news
KVUE - 6.5
KXAN - 5.3
KEYE - 3.9
KTBC (“TMZ”) - 2.6
KNVA (“Friends”) - 1.7
10 p.m. local news
KVUE - 6.1
KXAN - 5.3
KEYE - 5.1
KTBC (“The Simpsons”) - 4.4
KAKW - 2.7
[KTBC (9-10 p.m.) - 6.2]
(A rating is 1 percent of the 602,340 TV households in the Austin viewing area.)
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Ilona Torok leaving KVUE
Ilona Torok, KVUE’s top-rated morning meteorlogist, has resigned to spend more time with her family and to pursue a teaching career.
Friday was her last “Daybreak,” so Torok has already said goodbye to the 2:30 a.m. wake-up call she endured for five years. But she’ll be filling in for chief meteorologist Mark Murray next week while he submerges himself in South by Southwest, so her last time on the air will be the 10 p.m. newscast on Friday, March 14.
“This is really a personal decision,” Torok said. “My time at KVUE was wonderful. They gave me every opportunity to grow and hone my skills.”
Torok, who joined KVUE in February 2000 on weekend newscasts, said she hopes to teach high-school science in the Austin area and is pursuing an alternate certification program to do so.
Until her replacement is hired, KVUE’s Tom Harris and George Kanuck will fill in for the morning news.
Basic cable’s original productions step up
It took longer than I thought it would, but the cable networks are finally shedding their inferiority complexes and competing like big boys against the broadcast networks.
TNT, FX and USA have done exceedingly well in the summer with original series such as “The Closer,” “Nip/Tuck” and “Monk.” AMC’s 1960s advertising saga “Mad Men” earned high praise and ratings, too, last summer, as did USA’s Miami-based detective drama “Burn Notice.”
Why not step up the original productions and take advantage, especially now that the broadcast networks are bleeding viewers?
Yesterday TNT, which produces basic cable’s highest-rated series (“The Closer”), announced that it has about a dozen series in development for next year. Executives at the network said their goal is to have all-original productions on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays by 2010.
The first two newcomers will be “Raising the Bar,” a legal drama from Steven Bochco that stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Gloria Reuben, and “Leverage,” starring Timothy Hutton as a former insurance investigator who decides to help the folks he used to gouge.
Unfortunately, TNT, in its desire to become a full-fledged original entertainment network, also is working on several reality projects.
Speaking of summer …
Perhaps in response to the warm-weather popularity of cable series, NBC has decided not to wait until summer to launch its summer reality series.
“American Gladiators” is set to debut May 12, followed by “Last Comic Standing” on May 22, “Fear Itself” on May 29, “Nashville Star” and “Celebrity Circus” on June 9, “America’s Got Talent” on June 24 and “The Baby Borrowers” on June 25.
Do you smell a trend? Yep. Summer means low-cost reality shows. At least we have the Summer Olympics to look forward to, starting Aug. 8 on NBC.
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This week’s TV picks
Hundreds of channels, hours of programming … so much to watch, so little time. Here are some highlights to get you started on your week of viewing.
Sunday
“The Wire,” 8 p.m. on HBO — The fifth and last season finale is an episode that runs about 35 minutes longer than the usual one hour. Creator David Simon, who launched his career at the Baltimore Sun, and Clark Johnson, the actor who directed the pilot and tonight’s finale, bring the show to a satisfying conclusion.
During its critically praised run, the series has examined the underbelly of Baltimore — a hopeless war on drugs, failing schools and, in the final season, the flawed newsroom of the Baltimore Sun. The season’s focus, and tonight’s conclusion, has been on a deceitful reporter and an equally deceitful police detective.
Monday
“Canterbury’s Law,” 7 p.m. on Fox — Juliana Margulies stars as Elizabeth Canterbury, a crusading, vodka-swilling, deeply troubled defense attorney who loves tough cases and the media spotlight that goes with them. Don’t look for high ethical standards at her firm; she’ll do anything to get the job done. Denis Leary, star and creator of FX’s “Rescue Me,” is one of the executive producers of this well-crafted drama.
Tuesday
“American Idol,” 7 p.m. on Fox — This two-hour episode showcases the final dozen, six guys and six gals, singing their little hearts out.
Wednesday
“March Madness,” 6 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN2 — Yes, it’s that time again. College basketball’s confusing and exciting month gets under way with conference tournaments.
Thursday
“Smallville” (8 p.m.) and “Reaper” (9 p.m.) on the CW — Both sci-fi shows return with new episodes.
Friday
“The Return of Jezebel James,” 7 p.m. on Fox — “Gilmore Girls” creator Amy Sherman-Palladino presents anoffbeatcomedy about a young careerwoman (Parker Posey) who arranges for her younger sister (Lauren Ambrose) to carry a baby for her when she can’t conceive. Who is Jezebel? She’s the young sister’s imaginary childhood friend and the inspiration for a best-selling book published by the older sis. It’s a nice show with a terrific cast but probably doomed on Friday nights.
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‘Lights’ flickering back on?
Did all those little plastic footballs swamping NBC’s Burbank offices do the trick?
According to the trade rag Deadline Hollywood Daily, NBC is just a signature away from closing a deal with satellite service DirecTV to share production costs and first-run distribution of “Friday Night Lights.”
It’s unclear exactly how this proposed third season would work, and we haven’t been able to reach producers in California this morning (in fairness, it’s 7:30 a.m. as we write this!). But any opportunity we find to be optimistic about our beloved Dillon Panthers, we’ll take.
Speculation is that “FNL” would run concurrently on DirecTV and one of NBC’s cable networks, probably USA, where “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” was positioned most of last season. But it’s also possible “Lights” also will air on NBC’s broadcast schedule. Before the DirecTV deal floated to the surface, NBC had been fishing for partnership with the CW and TNT.
“Lights” has been in limbo since its shortened 15-episode season ended in early February, thanks to the writers strike. The last episode aired in February, but the Austin-based production had been shut down since the first week of December.
Will we have to switch from cable to satellite to see a third season of our Austin-as-Dillon drama? I doubt it. If this deal goes through, I bet we’ll see the show on cable — with the potential for joining NBC’s schedule as a replacement series if a new fall show turns toes up next season.
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Cable news networks call the winner … eventually
After trumpeting the do-or-die nature of Super Tuesday II for weeks, the broadcast networks elected to stick with regular programming last night.
Maybe they thought viewers might be sick of Texas and Ohio and the Barack vs. Hillary War. Or maybe they just didn’t think. Probably the latter …
Anyway, the coverage fell to the cable news networks, and throughout the evening, they were all dancing carefully around the Democratic primary contest between fruntrunner Barack Obama and steely challenger Hillary Clinton. Even when it looked like Ohio would go for Clinton in a landslide, the cable nets cautioned viewers that it was too soon to call because certain urban areas had not reported.
Ditto the results from Texas, which none of the pundits seemed capable of explaining. What was this odd primary-and-caucus system? Why can’t those Texans pick one or the other? CNN’s Anderson Cooper looked perplexed, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews giggled and spewed and Fox’s Brit Hume, when he wasn’t looking terminally bored, just sighed.
Both primaries turned out to be close, but Texas was such a nail-biter that caucus results were still inconclusive at midnight. Zzzzz. A girl’s got to get her beauty rest, you know?
With most of the news outlets getting data at the same time, there wasn’t much of a competition over who called which primary result first.
The biggest plus or minus, when it comes to viewers actually getting information, falls to the graphics. MSNBC rolled results through by party, rather than state: all of the Texas Republican results, all of the Ohio Republican results, all of the Rhode Island results, all of the Vermont results. Then … vice versa for the Democrats. This plan didn’t strike me as nearly as useful as running both parties’ tallies by state.
CNN and Fox used the state-by-state system, with CNN’s graphics a bit clearer than Fox’s — mostly because Fox, as usual, tried to put too much stuff up on the screen at once.
Everybody was careful to mention Republicans from time to time, even though John McCain’s official nomination status was never in doubt. Mike Huckabee’s gracious concession speech was carried in full by all of the cable networks, followed by McCain’s incredibly sincere and deeply boring reading from a TelePrompTer. If McCain doesn’t stop adding “my friends” to every line he delivers, he’s going to make us all go mad by November.
In terms of big contests, we’re finished with primary season until Pennsylvania on Apr. 22 — surely that one really will end the Hillary-Barack smackdown. Just be glad we don’t live and watch TV in Pennsylvania. If you thought ads went negative in Texas, imagine how much nastier they’re going to get in the next few weeks there.
Permalink | | Categories: News coverage
Texas stars in another Super Tuesday on cable news
“American Idol” could be exciting tonight, and Fox’s new immortal cop drama “New Amsterdam” (which I’ve seen and believe has potential) could stir attention.
But come on, folks. Aren’t Texas couch potatoes going to tune in for the finale of our long-awaited and heavily advertised presidential primary? Color me there. Tonight at least some of the results will be revealed in our presidential primary.
We hope there will be a conclusion, but the closeness of the Democratic showdown between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama could drag the story line out. Plus, the caucuses that will be held after the polls close at 7 p.m. could hold up final results as well.
Texas hasn’t been this excited about politics in a very long time. And I can’t remember the cable and broadcast network newsies invading our turf to this degree in the nearly three decades that I’ve lived here.
CNN (housed in its multimillion bus-turned-studio) will be here, and so will crews from MSNBC and Fox News. Reporters from ABC, CBS and NBC will be scattered around the state. Local stations are blowing out their newscasts to an hour or more, depending on what happens.
I’ve been flipping around the cable news networks since way before the first Super Tuesday (Feb. 5), and there’s no question that occasionally the 24-hour news cycle is chock full of hype and hysteria.
Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews are so fired up on MSNBC you sometimes wonder if one or both of them is going to explode. Fox’s Bill O’Reilly has been more subdued than usual, but that’s probably because drama about Republicans has been minimal. Mike Huckabee is fun to watch, but John McCain has the nomination in his pocket.
And I worry that CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Candy Crowley and Dana Bash have logged so many on-screen hours during the primaries that they’ll have to take sabbaticals before the nominating conventions this summer.
Have millions of ordinary couch potatoes suddenly turned into political junkies? Maybe. Let’s hope. The ratings have been encouraging. CNN set a cable news record with its Democratic debate in Austin last month, drawing 8.3 million viewers.
And last week’s Democratic debate in Ohio on MSNBC turned out to be that network’s biggest audience in its history, with 7.8 million folks watching.
I’ll be glued again tonight, so I’ll have to catch up on “Idol” news with my friend and colleague Gary Dinges’ “Idol Chatter” blog tomorrow.
Is ‘Scrubs’ ending its run or starting a new life?
What does it mean when two networks go to war over a series that had announced its retirement? Or revealed its cancellation, depending on which story you believe.
Trade papers Variety and Hollywood reporter broke the news that ABC is interested in picking up “Scrubs,” which will wrap up its seventh and allegedly final season on NBC in May. Both NBC and the “Scrubs” creative team announced last summer that the wacky hospital comedy, which has been moved to more days and times than any other show on any network schedule, would call it quits.
Although NBC showed no interest in ordering more episodes beyond the current season, the network is now rattling its lawyers at ABC for poking its corporate nose into NBC’s license agreement with the show. Presumably NBC has some sort of noncompete clause with “Scrubs.”
I was sitting on the front row of a press conference last summer when the producers of “Scrubs” said the show would end after the 2007-8 season “by mutual agreement with NBC.” So if NBC doesn’t want it, does that mean nobody else can?
If ABC is interested in producing a new 18-episode season for fall ‘08, with Zach Braff and cohorts on board, it seems remarkably grumpy of NBC to stand in the way of “Scrubs,” a show beloved by critics and a sizable core of fans but a show that NBC seems determined to kill.
‘Quarterlife’ bites the dust
Speaking of NBC, the network presumably wasn’t too happy with its first-ever Web-to-TV series, “Quarterlife.”
Last Tuesday’s debut of the show, based on Webisodes created by Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick (“thirtysomething,” “Once and Again”),attracted a pathetic 3.1 million viewers.
The poor rating was not due to lack of promotion; NBC had been hyping the show for weeks before its premiere.
Need a Windsor fix?
Hard-core Anglophiles can take a fine wallow in tonight’s special edition of “20/20,” which takes viewers behind the palace walls and follows the sometimes mysterious Windsors.
“20/20: The Royal Family” (7 to 9 p.m. tonight on ABC) is hosted by Barbara Walters and features footage from more than a year of unprecedented access to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, her husband, her dashing sons and, of course, her beloved corgis.
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This week’s TV picks
Hundreds of channels, hours of programming … so much to watch, so little time. Here are some highlights to get you started on your week of viewing.
Sunday
“Dirt,” 9 p.m. on FX — New season of Courteney Cox’s weird melodrama about life in the gritty world of tabloid journalism.
Monday
“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” 7 p.m. on Fox — The two-hour season finale of the TV spinoff of the blockbuster sci-fi movies, with the series focusing on Sarah on the lam with her son.
“20/20: The Royal Family,” 7 p.m. on ABC — A two-hour up-close-and-personal look at the modern Windsors, featuring Queen Elizabeth barking at her corgis.
Tuesday
Results of the hugely important Texas and Ohio presidential primaries start trickling in after the polls close at 7 p.m. The broadcast networks have no scheduled prime-time specials, but CNN, Fox News and MSNBC will have coverage.
“New Amsterdam,” 8 p.m. on Fox — A new drama about an immortal New York cop who has looked the same for 400 years. Gorgeous Nikolaj Coster-Waldau stars.
Wednesday
“Project Runway,” 9 p.m. on Bravo — It’s the finale. If you’re a fan, start planning the fashionista gathering you always have for this show. If not a fan? Don’t call, drop by or in any way bother those who are. They will not be amused.
Thursday
“American Idol,” 7 p.m. on Fox — Another quartet of losers bites the dust. The heartbreak is excruciating.
“Breaking Bad,” 9 p.m. on AMC — If you haven’t seen this dark comedy-drama about a chemistry teacher-turned-drug dealer, check it out. Bryan Cranston, formerly of “Malcolm in the Middle,” stars.
Friday
“The Dog Whisperer,” 7 p.m. on National Geographic — Cesar Millan teaches dogs and hopeless owners to behave. Not much else is on Friday; might as well discipline your dogs.
Saturday
“Pride & Prejudice,” 7 p.m. on Oxygen — The lavish 2005 film version of Jane Austen’s classic novel, starring Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen and Judi Dench.
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