2010 Pilot Watch: The Best of the Winners

By on Jun 2, 2010 in Tinseltown |

Now that the big four networks have released their fall lineups (oh, and The CW, too), I can talk about the new shows which excite me most—with the added bonus of knowing that each of them will air for at least one episode! Will all of these shows be Emmy-worthy? Probably not. But, sight unseen, I think the following nine shows (ranked in descending order of can’t-wait-ness) are the most original and/or interesting. Mr. Sunshine This comedy, coming to you from ABC, almost sounds too good to be true. But it is, luckily for us, and the trailer holds as much promise (and as many laughs) as the one for Modern Family did a year ago. Matthew Perry plays the manager of a mid-level sports arena in the throes of a mid-life crisis, and Allison Janney plays his “highly erratic” boss. (“John Cougar Mellencamp is playing here Wednesday night. I’d very much like to make...

“Lost” Props Going Once… Going Twice…

By on May 17, 2010 in Fandom |

As the final season of Lost wraps up, an auction of the props is already in the works.  Profiles in History is organizing the event, which will happen this summer in Los Angeles. So far, the website lists a hundred items, and that number is bound to grow. In the gallery below, I’ve included the sixteen items I’d want most—those that I think are most emblematic of the show. If anyone wants to buy them for me, I wouldn’t say no! My contact information is on this website! [cincopa 10607849]

The Prime Times: Get Your Fill Edition

By on Apr 18, 2010 in In Brief |

Yes, this installment of The Prime Times is chock-full of fortifying TV scoop. Yumm-o! Steven Spielberg is in talks with FOX to develop a dinosaur drama! (That sentence begged for an exclamation point.) The project, tentatively titled Terra Nova, would see a family from the future travel to prehistoric times. But obviously, it might be too ambitious a project to produce: think of how hard it’d be to round up all the dinosaur actors in Los Angeles and fly them out to some remote jungle to start filming. ABC family renewed Greek for a fourth season, which creator Sean Smith says will be its last, telling Entertainment Weekly, “We’re all looking at this as an opportunity to come back, wrap up the show, and end strong. ABC Family could’ve ended it, but they gave us this opportunity and I don’t want to squander it.” A&E is getting back into the drama...

The Redemption of Katherine Heigl

By on Apr 5, 2010 in Tinseltown |

Katherine Heigl, best known for her award-winning turn as Dr. Isobel Stevens on Grey’s Anatomy, has given us several reasons lately to dislike her. Two years ago, she opted to not compete for an Emmy, citing poor material that season on Grey’s. Last year, she griped to David Letterman last year about long days on the set—when apparently it was her movie-promoting schedule that caused the cram. And this year, she abruptly left the show to which she owes everything after finding success as a big-screen A-lister. Katherine Heigl was actually the reason I started watching Grey’s five years ago, having been a fan of hers from Roswell. But all of those comments and actions alienated me and a lot of other fans. I didn’t even bother considering the possibility that they were taken out of context—that maybe there was another side of the story. But for the most part,...

The Ex List

By on Mar 26, 2010 in Inner Monologues |

When in the course of television viewing it becomes necessary for one person to dissolve the sentimental bands which have connected him with certain programs, a decent respect to the producers of those shows requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. In other words, Judgment Day has arrived, my friends. My backlog of television has reached mammoth proportions, and it’s time to cut some shows loose in the pursuit of sanity! Maybe I will revisit these shows again, but its curtains for now. Flashpoint This hostage-negotiation drama was supposed to be an American/Canadian collaboration. But CBS hasn’t exactly jumped at the chance to air the new episodes, so I’m wondering if it will ever be shown Stateside again. I checked this show out because of Enrico Colantoni (who played Veronica Mars’s pop), but I found myself enjoying both...

Oscar, Plain and Tall

By on Mar 8, 2010 in Recaps |

I had intended to “live-blog” the Oscars last night, but technical difficulties totally cock-blocked that idea. So instead I’m “live-plus-same-day-blogging” it, to borrow a Nielsen term. I was very excited to see this year’s broadcast because it seemed to have a lot more hype and energy than broadcasts past—and because director/choreographer/SYTYCD-judge Adam Shankman was producing. But it didn’t seem outstanding to me—just ordinary. I’ll explain: Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin were good hosts, but the jokes weren’t as hilarious as I was expecting. And their opening monologue was upstaged by Neil Patrick Harris’s song-and-dance. Next year, I vote Ricky Gervais. Or, for that matter, Tina Fey and Robert Downey, Jr. I’m glad the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers were featured during the Best Score pastiche, but their...