Going Crazy

I'm ready for new content. Oh, I know this is not the time to complain, but the AMPTP needs to get their act together and pay these writers what they're worth so I can find out what the FRAK is happening on that Island!

So, I wanted to nerd out with my little sister and have a BSG marathon (she's never seen it). We'd make Chief Tyrol hooch (or pomegranatinis, whichever tastes better), watch the miniseries, watch key episodes that tell the story, watch Razor and then complain that, after watching 3 seasons in 24 hours (over two days of course) that there is no more BSG until next year. However, when I went to iTunes to download said episodes, I find that not a one of them is up for sale. More use of the word "frak" as I try to figure out what happened and I'm embarrassed to say that I missed the news that, since NBC is no longer satisfied with the pricing system that iTunes set up, all NBC owned stations (Sci-Fi, USA and others) shows were pulled. Zhe shi shen me lan dong xi!? So we watched Firefly instead (which still involved hooch (Kaylee's this time), with the space adventures we longed for, and the weekend was saved by Joss Whedon.

This just in: Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report will both resume production January 7, without their writing staffs. This return date follows a scheduled two-week, end of year hiatus. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert issued this statement about their announced return: "We would like to return to work with our writers. If we cannot, we would like to express our ambivalence, but without our writers we are unable to express something as nuanced as ambivalence." (emphasis mine)

The response from WGA: "Comedy Central forcing Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert back on the air will not give the viewers the quality shows they've come to expect. The only way to get the writing staffs back on the job is for the AMPTP companies to come back to the table prepared to negotiate a fair deal with the Writers Guild."

The same thing happened with Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno. It will be very interesting seeing where these shows go.

As networks have been gearing up to sit it out for the long haul with midseason shows and reality shows, I find that the different descriptions of the same shows are making me curious. Of course, I'm going to watch the new American Gladiators, the cooking shows, maybe the design shows, but I'm not sure if I want to venture into the singing show territories now that even American Idol are running out of good singers... To the one person reading who I seem to always piss off about The Big Bang Theory, what shows do you think I should check out as reality becomes the nature of the tv beast?

I Know Hasselhof's Not Gonna Do It 'Cause He's A Drunk!

That was my boss's reaction when I told him that they were remaking Knight Rider.

So, Knight Rider, huh? It was a pivotal show from my past, a show I could still watch now (and I did when it was on one of the HD channels this past summer). Unlike Thunder Cats, which I won't get into.

Michael Knight will be played by Justin Bruening except his name will be Mike Tracer and he'll be MK's son. He's an ex-soldier, bitter, disillusioned, jaded, lost, etc., etc. KITT is a Mustang Shelby GT500KR when he's driving around like normal, but he can also "transform" into other looks, the no driver look and the "attack" mode. In "attack" mode, he looks kind of Fast and Furious ricer-ish.

And there's a girl who seems, based on the premise, as if she will be an integral part of the show. So, will Mike Tracer be as much of a ladies man as his old man, who, coincidentally, will be a special guest star on the series? I wonder how long it will be before they have Hasselhof on full time because he's a train wreck and we like watching collisions?

The one aspect of all of this that keeps my attention is the fact that KITT will be voiced by Will Arnett. G.O.B. from Arrested Development! The man who is in love with Kenneth from 30 Rock... That makes me know one thing. KITT will definitely be a smartass.

How will it do as a show? Here is the premise: The inventor of KITT is attacked by men sent by "The Client" but suffers a heart attack. KITT is activated in order to protect the daughter of the inventor when the men lose their one hope of deciphering something with the inventor's heart attack and also programmed to find the one man that could help them both. Mike Tracer. And of course Mike and the daughter, Sarah, played by Deanna Russo, have a history. But KITT is nigh invulnerable, so be prepared for some remote access action.

I think it will do as well as the first Knight Rider. I mean, Knight Rider wasn't exactly the cream of the crop of television. We liked it, some elements lasted, but in the annals of television history, Knight Rider lingers at the bottom of the top 200. Knight Rider Redux (although I guess we'll know if it's redux or just part... what, 3, cause we all remember Knight Rider 2020, right?) will be okay... but only if they actually have writers.

If You Wanted To Know...

This guy keeps a list of people, as they come in, who are out of work because of the writer's strike. That list is in no way comprehensive.

Mutant Enemy Day will be the time when fans of Joss Whedon will join the picketing writers to show their support for the strike. Whedon is the creator of shows like Buffy, Angel, and Firefly. Joining the fans will be Whedon himself, as well as a few writers, Tim Minear, Jane Espenson, Ben Edlund as well as a few actors, Eliza Dushku, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion and Summer Glau. (I'm a bigger Firefly fan - maybe if I watched the whole Buffy/Angel series, I would change my mind...) If I could get on a plane to Los Angeles right now, that's where I would go.

Wow, That's A Good Idea

In a move that falls under "fantastic idea", CBS President and CEO Les Moonves says that CBS plans to integrate some Showtime series into the current primetime schedule at midseason if the strike continues. Shows they are thinking about include Dexter, Weeds and Brotherhood - edited for broadcast tv of course. I would love to watch the first season of Dexter again and get caught up and I'm sure there are a few who would like to check it out for themselves, as well as Weeds and Brotherhood. Not only will it give viewers new, non reality, content, but it will possibly also encourage more people to pay for Showtime when the strike is over and the shows move back to their homes. 

For more information on the on-going writer's strike, check out this summary by United Hollywood.

Tanya Huff's series Blood Ties, about Henry VIII's illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, an ex cop, Vicki Nelson, and the complicated relationship they have solving supernatural crimes together in Canada, plays on Lifetime. The real Henry Fitzroy died of consumption, but in Tanya Huff's Blood series, she theorizes that he did not die at all, but was turned into a vampire. It's an interesting series. Lifetime, though, decided to offer the last two shows of the season for download only. With the writers striking primarily for their stake in the future of online media, it was a pretty brash move for Lifetime to make. Tanya Huff thought so as well. She normally writes about the show for Lifetime, but she refused to do so for the final two shows and goes so far as to mention torrenting the show (though doesn't encourage it) so that fans still get to watch it, but the networks don't make the money off of it.

That writers are even mentioning torrents is something else altogether. Torrents are files you download to watch or listen to anything from movies to music. That's all part of the illegal downloading saga that has been going on since Napster. TV shows are a bit more sketchy, since they start out free. You only have to pay if you want to get them all at once without commercials. While torrenting may make networks mad at the moment, this may be something that could come back and bite the writers on the ass later. I mean, there is a bit of a convenience thing to watching shows online - and you can deal with 4 30 second commercials in a 30 minute show or up to 8 in an hour. While torrents allow you to watch any show, whether online or not, commercial free, it takes a little time to download them and you could be done with the online version of 30 Rock before you finish downloading. The disadvantage to networks concerning the whole torrenting thing is that they usually air shows the next day and torrents are available within the hour after the show has finished airing. So people who work nights can come home, download their shows and watch them all before the first synopsis hits the internet or they get spoiled by ESPN's Colin Cowherd on their morning drive. But for writers, if they start making money on webisodes and online downloads, then torrenting will cut into their bottom line - so suggesting torrenting (they couldn't be encouraging something illegal, could they?) is something that should be done lightly. And maybe it was done lightly, but in the end, some people will do it and find their lives tremendously streamlined for it. 

The rest of us will just watch last season shows from Netflix and by the time we're ready for this new season, the strike will be over.

When the Talks Progress

The news blackout has been lifted and statements were released late Thursday by both sides - the AMPTP and the WGA. The AMPTP offered a new contract to the WGA containing clauses covering several areas of new media including streaming, content made for new media and programming delivered over digital broadcast channels. The AMPTP claims the entire value of the "New Economic Partnership" will deliver more than $130 million in additional compensation, though it's unclear whether that's per year or over the 3-year life of the contract. WGA is taking a close look at the proposal, but initially has categorized it as a "massive rollback." Meanwhile, WGA also presented the justification for their economic proposal on Wednesday which could cost the industry $151 million over three years, representing what WGA says is a 3% increase. More on all this when the talks resume on Tuesday. Here are excerpts of the statements provided by both sides:

AMPTP:

The AMPTP today unveiled a New Economic Partnership to the WGA, which includes groundbreaking moves in several areas of new media, including streaming, content made for new media and programming delivered over digital broadcast channels. The entire value of the New Economic Partnership will deliver more than $130 million in additional compensation above and beyond the more than $1.3 billion writers already receive each year. In response, the WGA has asked for time to study the proposals. ... talks [resume] on Tuesday, December 4.

WGA's responds first to the AMPTP proposal and then talks of their proposal presented on Wednesday:

Thursday morning, the first new proposal was finally presented to us. It dealt only with streaming and made-for-Internet jurisdiction, and it amounts to a massive rollback.

For streaming television episodes, the companies proposed a residual structure of a single fixed payment of less than $250 for a year's reuse of an hour-long program (compared to over $20,000 payable for a network rerun). For theatrical product they are offering no residuals whatsoever for streaming.

For made-for-Internet material, they offered minimums that would allow a studio to produce up to a 15 minute episode of network-derived web content for a script fee of $1300. They continued to refuse to grant jurisdiction over original content for the Internet.

In their new proposal, they made absolutely no move on the download formula (which they propose to pay at the DVD rate), and continue to assert that they can deem any reuse "promotional," and pay no residual (even if they replay the entire film or TV episode and even if they make money). ...

On Wednesday we presented a comprehensive economic justification for our proposals. Our entire package would cost this industry $151 million over three years. That's a little over a 3% increase in writer earnings each year, while company revenues are projected to grow at a rate of 10%. We are falling behind.

For Sony, this entire deal would cost $1.68 million per year. For Disney $6.25 million. Paramount and CBS would each pay about $4.66 million, Warner about $11.2 million, Fox $6.04 million, and NBC/Universal $7.44 million. MGM would pay $320,000 and the entire universe of remaining companies would assume the remainder of about $8.3 million per year. As we've stated repeatedly, our proposals are more than reasonable and the companies have no excuse for denying it.

Conan O'Brien will pay the salaries of his nearly 80 non-writing staff members of his show for the immediate future out of his own bank account. David Letterman's company Worldwide Pants likewise is paying the non-writing staffers of The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Staffers at NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, however, will be laid off as of today. NBC had agreed to pay Tonight Show non-writing production staff through the end of November. As to the production staff of Saturday Night Live were laid off in the third week of the strike. Information via Cynopsis.

Wow.

So I guess we'd better be prepared for the slew of reality tv that is going to emerge in the next month or so. To note, though: Lipstick Jungle will be debuting earlier to fill in for the writers strike stopped ER. The reality show I'm looking forward to is the new American Gladiators. Starting Sunday, Jan. 6, it will play in Chuck's Monday 8pm timeslot on NBC.

Speechless

Video... who needs it on their page?

I wanted it... I didn't have it... so I am providing a couple of links for actors in support of the Writers Guild Strike

Speechless: http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1323277051&channel=1321270825

http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1328166657&channel=1321270825 (this one goes on for way too long, but it's funny, especially when they start arguing. "Call for quotes.")

Are You Ready?

I love television. I like the excitement of it, I like the humour and drama in it, I love the escapism of it, but most of all, I love the entertainment of television. Lately, however, it seems that the lives of writers is garnering much more entertainment value, almost more than tv itself.

3 weeks now the writers have been striking. They've been striking for their own work, work that is receiving awards and page views and advertising. But everyone is losing. The non writerly people who have no show to run and who are losing pay because of someone else. The studio execs who are resting a little easy now because shows are still on and people are still checking out the shows on the web, but if they don't come to a decision, that will end very soon. The writers who are not getting paid and who, if they cave now and back down, will have had a pointless strike, wasted everyone's time as well as not having gotten at least one thing they did deserve, a piece of their own internet pie. The viewer who, very soon, will be forced to look at reality tv or go back to paper (I will be reading if there's not tv). I suppose I could write about reality tv - I like a few... food ones and that crazy Who Wants To Be A Superhero - but in the end, reality tv just doesn't provide the pure escapism I want.

Which means I will probably submerge myself in last season's DVDs. Maybe I will rewatch the last 3 seasons of Veronica Mars. Maybe I will re-watch 30 Rock. For some of you who are just catching up to TV, I have a few titles you should check out, but that will be for another time. So enjoy the remainder of your new shows and remember that you want the writers to get some of what they ask for. I know I do.

With the Strike Underway...

Now that the Writer's Strike is under way, here are more shows and what they are doing once they run out of episodes.

Dirt (FX) has up to script #7 for their 2nd season written. They are prepping #206 for a late November shooting.

Dirty Sexy Money (NBC) - They are shooting #11 for season 1, prepping for episode 12 and they have other scripts written, but it's unclear if production will go on.

Eli Stone ( a midseason show) - are prepping for episode 11 of season 1. It's unclear if there are other written scripts.

Ghost Whisperer (CBS) - shooting episode 12 of their third season but have not additional scripts written.

Heroes - Production has shut down

K-Ville - The finished shooting their 10th episodes. It is unclear whether they have other written scripts or if they will continue production.

Numbers is propping episode 12 of season 4 but have no additional scripts.

October Road (midseason) is shooting episode 10 of season 2. They have written scripts to episode 13.

Ugly Betty is shooting two more scripts and then they will be out of scripts.

Fox is creating a new lineup for January. Of course, if the strike ends, they may go back to before, but like I said before 24 is out and other shows will start earlier. The Sarah Connor Chronicles will start Jan. 13, Prison Break will return on Mondays as well on the 14th of January, American Idol will start on the 15th of January. A new reality show I hadn't heard about The Moment of Truth, will start on the 23 of January and House will follow the Super Bowl (as opposed to 24, I assume) February 3rd.

ABC will show the first 8 episodes of Lost, but beware, episode 8 is a cliffhanger and it will not be resolved until after the strike, unless the strike resolves before episode 8.

If you know of any other shows/networks that are making changes because of the strike, then let me know in comments.

Writers Strike

I don't know if I've always been a union girl. I never really had a reason to think about it. 

I lived in California during the public transportation strike and when the local grocery store workers were striking for better benefits. Despite the inconvenience, I found myself really pulling for these workers and hoping that by staying away (even though it meant spending way too much at the gorgeous Whole Foods and Trader Joe's), I was doing a good thing for their negotiations. 

Now that the Writers are striking, I am torn. I guess torn is not the right word, since I am 100% for the writers standing for their rights. There is no way in hell that internet downloads of shows should not be adding money to the pockets of the people who write them. Writers just want their fair share. As much as I want shows to continue, I want writers to get their fair share. As much as any of us can complain about content (or lack thereof), there are a lot of shows we like and anyone who's tried their hand at writing knows that it is hard work to come up with new content every week. 

I listen to ESPN Radio incessantly. It's almost an obsession. Colin Cowherd was talking about the WGA strike and how important writers were to the process. They are like the offensive line. The less you hear about the offensive lines, the more touchdown passes Brady has thrown was his example. If writers weren't important, he stated, then De Niro would win an Oscar every year. But good acting can be eclipsed by bad writing. Jon Stewart is funny, but his writers help make him brilliant. Pretty much every late night show is going to reruns because of the strike.

Anyway, just so you know the status of some of your shows, here's an abbreviated list:

* 30 Rock is shooting it's 10th episode for this season through November 9th and then will shut down

 

*Big Bang Theory, Carpoolers, Desperate Housewives, The Office, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Rules of Engagement, Samantha Who?, Two and  Half Men, and Without a Trace have shut down.

*Show runners that share writing duties for shows are also walking (Shonda Rhimes of Grey's Anatomy and many SAG members are also in support of the WGA strike). Studios are threatening the pay of anyone non-writing related or who have non-writerly duties who are stopping work in support of the striking writers.

There are plenty of video about people who are striking and why they are striking...

There are plenty of websites that are talking about the details of the strike...

While we, as tv viewers, won't miss much for the remainder of this month, we will start to feel the pinch, especially as the new year starts. First off, no 24 until the strike is over. The show runners don't want to run it if the episodes currently recorded will end before the strike does. Lost, however, will play their current 8 recorded shows starting in February. They realize that most of their fans are willing to wait for the remaining 8 shows. 

The thing I dread is that tv will become over populated with reality shows. What reality show would you like to see? Which show do you never hopes sees (or re-sees) the light of day?

Joss Whedon and Writer Strikes

The last time Joss Whedon had a show on Fox, the network and the viewers didn't get it and it only lasted a few episodes. In fact, they got it so little, that they aired the shows out of order.

I was one of the viewers who didn't get that show. It was Firefly. Firefly was a space western, full of grit and glory, thievin' and whor.... well, you get the drift. I had no clue that it would become one of my favourite shows long after it had ceased to exist on the networks. It was Serenity, the movie based on the show that would close out some of the storylines for many fans, that captured my attention. I watched the series from that and now I wish that I had been among the few who trusted Whedon to do something grand with this odd storyline.

Now, Fox has ordered a series from Whedon called Dollhouse. From the information: The scifi project is about a group of men and women used for different assignments and between those assignments their minds and memories are wiped and they live in a dollhouse type environment. One of the women, Echo, played by Eliza Dushku, tries to find out who she was before her memory was wiped. I've been waiting for Joss Whedon to do something else for so long that I hope this one stays on the air... 7 episodes have been ordered.

In other news, news that affect those who write or want to write but should also make the television fans nervous, is that the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have still not come to an agreement about amending the antiquated DVD distribution compensation for writers, that is, raising residual rates for writers based on sales of DVD,  including download sales. That seems to be the roadblock for the AMPTP, who don't want to compensate writers for download sales.

And what's this I hear about NBC pulling out of iTunes, not just because they wanted to vary the prices of shows or bundle shows together, but also because they wanted a piece of Apple's hardware sales? Wow. That took a lot of cojones to even ask for something like that. 

So, what do you think about the strike, or NBC's need of apple hardware sales? Are there any other Joss Whedon fans out there and what do you think of this new show? Do you think Fox will be willing to stick by it for the full seven episodes?

TV Casualty

Bye bye Viva Laughlin, we hardly knew you and apparently, we did not love you.

I think the stories and the idea of the show was good and so did the talent hired for it. I missed it myself, saving it for an online viewing because the previews with singing and dancing didn't seem so great.

I wrote my predictions for the fall television premiere season here and I had a feeling Viva Laughlin would go down.

Other shows I don't expect to be renewed after this season?
Fox
Unhitched (which hasn't premiered yet)
The Return of Jezebel James (not yet premiered)
I thought K-Ville would be good, but it should not be renewed.

NBC
Journeyman (although I actually like the show once I understood the premise)
Chuck (slightly interesting upon further watching, but completely preposterous)
Lipstick Jungle (yet to premiere)

ABC
Caveman (duh)
Carpoolers
Dirty Sexy Money
Big Shots (I'm glad I guessed Cancelled on this one because it is a completely skeezy show)
Miss-Guided (yet to premiere)
Eli Stone (yet to premiere)

CBS
The Big Bang Theory (just got picked up for remaining 2nd half of the season episodes)
Viva Laughlin
Swingtown (yet to premiere)
Moonlight (just got picked up for 4 more episodes - I was wrong and it is slightly interesting)

Of course, statistically, only 30% of shows make it to a new season. I picked Fox to have the biggest number of new show make it to a second season, but they've pushed back a few of their shows, notably New Amsterdam, and they have a lot of mid season premieres and reality shows (although I think Nashville was cancelled as well).

So go over here to check out my fall 2007 premiere predictions and tell me what you think.

(and yes, anonymous Big Bang Theory lover, I know nothing - but that's the fun of writing in this medium.)

The Big Bang Theory

Proving that I do know what I don't like, but proving that I don't know what others like, the horribly unfunny Big Bang Theory has just received renewal notices for the 2nd half of the season.

bleh!

In other news: CMT has ordered 6 episodes of Gone Country, scheduled to debut in January. Rather than depending on amateur performances, this show takes 7 established performers from a variety of entertainment and music, and see if they can become the next big country superstar. Production is currently underway in Nashville. Agreeing to participate are Bobby Brown, Carnie Wilson, Dee Snider, Diana DeGarmo, Julio Iglesias Jr, Maureen McCormick and Sisqo.

Ummm, this is the show that CBS should have renewed. I think this will definitely be worth tuning in to in the comedy department while it will be funny to me, I commiserate with those who truly love country music.

What Are YOU Watching?

As the second week of premieres comes to a close, what are you watching? What does your week look like? If you were nerd enough to put it on a calendar, what does that look like? Inquiring tv mind want to know. And by mind, I mean me. So spill!

You Don't Know Jack

Of all the things you should be playing today, you should be online playing You Don't Know Jack. (<---here's a hint, click the link). If you've never played this game, it's a way to test just how much useless knowledge resides in that old noggin'. Now, I know most of you brag about how useless the knowledge living in your brain is, ...Jack just helps your prove it. And although the Jellyvision writes are obviously quite cheesy, they will coax a laugh out of you. And if you're a bit competitive like I am (although I seem to be getting about half the score of the high scorer, which makes me want to smash things) then this well definitely get your heart racing, your blood boiling and your useless head trivia in a knot. It's like true love, with right and wrong answers!

Aye, Aye, Aye

I love the smell of premieres in the evening!

Believe it or not, writing about television isn't my normal job. In the course of traveling, dealing with hotels with internet access that doesn't work or cost more to access a day than what I pay in a month, I am pitifully less punctual with posting my premiere previews.

Do you know what I'm doing right now? Watching my DVR, that's what I'm doing. I have 4 days to move out of my apartment and I'm curled up on my couch with an afghan, boxes and sundry strewn around me, catching up on all the shows I missed.

It's hard when you regularly watch television with someone. You have to save certain shows to watch with them. And if they read your blog (they do) and they find out what happens and realize that even though you said you only watched it with them, you weren't watching it for the first time. (Women! We're such liars!) Of course, the shows you regularly watch with others are the good ones, like The Office or Lost or Battlestar Galactica (yes, big fat tv nerd right here) so you're left with the shows that have been on for so long, even if they are good, they no longer warrant comment or procedurals that, even if you watch a different one on a different night and enjoy them, they're all really the same thing. This, however, is not my biggest problem.

My biggest problem is trying to figure out a way to watch every show I want to watch. If I add up the hours, watching television is a full time job. Too bad no one pays me to do so. It would be so gratifying if watching television and writing about it was my life, but, as I've already been told in comments, there are other much more qualified people writing about the same thing. Oh, my little television parlour tricks work on The Honey, who is a newbie television watcher, but they don't fool "others", who shall remain nameless... oh, wait... But I digress.

It gets very hard when you can't afford the million dollar Tivo that records every show in the world and makes you an espresso every morning, so you have to stick with the Cox (GLOOOOORIOUS) HD DVR which will get you two HD shows recording at the same time. But what happens when you have more than 2 shows that you want to watch in the same hour, like that hour when Reaper, House, and The Unit (or something like that) are all on... or Private Practice, Bionic Woman, and something else on the CW (Gossip Girl?) and you have to choose and you pick Bionic Woman because of Katee Sackhoff even though you've been an Addison Montgomery Shepherd fan from the beginning?

These are just scenarios (I haven't even checked to see if they actually are on at the same time) that happen to all of us tv addicts. We have to get creative because the DVR/Tivo will hold only so much. Fortunately for us, we can watch certain shows online, buy them on iTunes, and still have space for recording purposes. Not only are most of our favourite shows online, which would minimize the cost of buying from iTunes, but it also helps us stay honest when it comes to downloading shows. Of course, I'm not sure of the legality of downloading shows from torrent sites since they're on tv for free, but the increase in last season dvds for sell before or right at the current season makes it a grey area.

Next, we'll talk about exactly which shows should go where...

Kid Nation

It's seems sort of semi-tragic to put a bunch of kids in a town with the hopes of doing something that adults couldn't do, but not because they won't be able to succeed where adults have failed. They seem like a plucky bunch who probably won't back down easily. No, the tragedy is that they believe they can come to some sort of consensus better than adults can. It is a grand experiment, but an experiment that will ultimately fail, simply because the hand of adults is so firmly in it. Maybe if they had a year, the kids could come up with some sort of system of working that would be better. But just like other reality shows, they are divided into teams, given some sort of hierarchy and given meaningless tests (the "fill the bottles with water" challenge while in some ways useful - the kids learned to rely on each other and work together- but isn't because it doesn't accomplish anything else) to determine where they work and what "class" of people they were for that week. Yet it is this very reason that the show is interesting. Watching kids come to adult realizations and watching kids just be kids. It is a very big social experiment done by someone whom I'm not really sure cares that the kids get something out of it.

Tuesday Premieres - New and Returning

Reaper (CW 9pm) and Cane (CBS 10pm) have their series premiere this upcoming Tuesday and the buzz on both is very good. Personally, I like the wacky/spooky vibe that Reaper gives off as it begins the tale of a guy who finds out his parents sold his soul to the devil. Wackiness ensues, supernatural powers are discovered and demons are captured. Fans of the show Supernatural, also on the CW, thought that Reaper would siphon ratings from Supernatural. However, Reaper is very different in scope and tone from Supernatural, so fans should have no fear. I'm pretty psyched about this show.

Cane is also an anticipated premiere. The story of the rivalries inside and outside of a Cuban-American family running their sugar cane and rum dynasty sounds completely delicious. And of course the talented Jimmy Smits heads the cast, and his track record says we should expect good things from the show.

My most looked for premieres, though, are the season premiere of Bones and House. I mean, yes, I want to see NCIS because of how things ended with Tony and I want to check out The Unit to find out what happened to our favourite secret military men who were hung out to dry by the gov't they serve, but what I really want to know is how House is going to cope without Doctors Cameron, Foreman and Chase. Are they really off the show? Oh, I know the House haters have absolutely no interest in this show (every episode is the same!!!), but I love Hugh Laurie in this role and pretty much eat every show up.

Of course, my interest in House pales in comparison to how much I can't wait to see Bones. Every single character is adorable to me. I love Brennan and Booth as a team and individually. I definitely have a girl crush on Emily Deschanel's Temperance Brennan and I love how different David Boreanaz is as the Booth character. And you gotta love a guy who can wear funky belt buckles and socks as a G-man. Of course, the very cute couple of Angela Montenegro and Jack Hodgins finally decide to get married and what happens? They can't, so they run off to their honeymoon anyway. When Bones returns, will the honeymoon be over? How will Booth's and Brennan's relationship progress? What other rubbish will happen that only romantic hearted girls like? Yeah, that's me and I can't wait for this rubbish to return! Bones is a smartly written, funny, and insightful character driven show. You should be watching.

The Fall Season Is Here

These next few weeks are a tv nerd's wet dream as every single show we've been obsessing over FINALLY returns. This season slate of new series also show real promise.

My DVR is holding a few shows, like Kid Nation (8pm CBS), which premiered this past Wednesday, along with America's Next Top Model and Gossip Girl on the CW. The return of Kelsey Grammar in front of the camera along with Patricia Heaton promises good things (Fox 8pm) followed by Chef Ramsey's potty mouth and oh so fun bullying of some poor saps in his new series Kitchen Nightmares (Fox 9pm). The Honey and I watched the British version and we. can't. wait!

The new season kicks off in earnest next week with new and returning shows overflowing the hours everyday but Saturday.

Fox brings back its Animation Domination. The CW premieres CW Now and Online Nation and CBS uses Cold Case and Shark as their Sunday anchor.

The much anticipated return of How I Met Your Mother as Ted and Robin have broken up on good terms, Marshall and Lily are married and since all last season we knew Robin was not the Mother from the title, now hopefully we get to get a glimpse at who the "mother" might actually be.

Heroes (9pm NBC) returns as well with Hiro transplanted in ancient China, Sylar escaped and the guy who is worse than Sylar, the real boogey-man, is out there... waiting... watching. Oh, and Veronica Mars' Kristen Bell will be on the show, which guarantees my butt in the seat for this one.

Three new shows, Chuck (8pm NBC), The Big Bang Theory (8:30pm CBS) and Journeyman (10pm NBC) round out the Monday premiere night. Chuck's premise is a little rough but somehow this computer geek nerd ends up with all the secrets of the government in his head. He is first a target, then an ally to the government. Chuck will get a look because Firefly alum Adam Baldwin has a role as an agent. I miss him as Jayne. The Big Bang Theory is basically science nerds geeks looking for sex. Get it??? Big BANG Theory!!! . It will probably not get past episode 3 (if it makes it that far) and if it stays as funny as the teaser makes it out to be, it will not be renewed if it goes the full season. Journeyman is about a guy who can go back in time and change things. But I think he has no control over when he goes back in time. Riiiiiight. I guess we all are going to have to find out about this one.

Tomorrow, we talk about 2 new show, Reaper (9pm CW) and Cane (10pm CBS) as well as a few of my most anticipated returns.

My Emmy Picks

Some categories are easy. Some are harder and others are just plain impossible. To see the nominations list, see this post (or just scroll down).

Best comedy series: 30 Rock. I have to say that I anticipated and enjoyed the stories told by the office, but 30 Rock really surprised me this year. I mean, I thought I would like it, but I found it a little slow initially. Then one day, it was just hilarious. If I had to go with the most consistently funny, I would pick The Office, but the show that caused the most surprised laughter moments, it was 30 Rock. However, if The Office wins, I will not be made.

Best Drama: House. I was never a Sopranos watcher. I tried to watch an episode when it moved to A&E, but just gave up on it. Hugh Laurie, to me, is a compelling man to watch and the fact that the show was the same every week and yet I still couldn't wait to catch an episode tells me that, as a drama, it was very impactful. Now, the most drama filled show is Grey's Anatomy and just because I'm a sappy girl and like my soaps, I wouldn't be mad if GA got it. House deserves it.

Lead Actor in a Comedy: Alec Baldwin. I think Ricky Gervais is funny, so if he gets it for Extras, I will be happy for him, however, I haven't seen a full episode. I will make up for that oversight this weekend. I also like Steve Carell, but once again, it is about who had the best laughs overall for me.

Lead Actor in a Drama: Denis Leary. Last season of Rescue Me was very intense. Denis Leary's Tommy Gavin was both strong and weak, fully realized in a person and realistically so.

Lead Actress in a Comedy: Tina Fey. 30 Rock was the best comedy because of Tina Fey's Liz Lemon. Everything about this character is hilarious. And she interacts hilariously with every single character on the show. No one on this list is as funny as Tina Fey. And for the record, all of the desperate housewives had too much drama to be nominated for lead in a comedy series, but Teri Hatcher's Susan Mayer...Delfino would have been a better choice.

Lead Actress in a Drama: Kyra Sedgwick. The Closer is the best drama to me. I never could get into Brothers and Sisters and although I like SVU, it gets old. I hear Mariska Hargitay had some very good storylines last season, but I didn't really catch them. The Closer anchored my summer viewing schedule and I know if it were a fall season show, I would skip another show to watch it. Edie Falco will probably win it though. I hear she's a powerhouse when it comes to the acting game.

Supporting Actor in a Comedy: Rainn Wilson. Dwight Shrute is the funniest human being on the planet. Neil Patrick Harris as Barney is a close second. Jeremy Piven will probably win. Unless Entourage really sucked... which I heard it did. Ed Helms' Andy Bernard should have gotten a nomination. That would have made this category really hard with Rainn Wilson still winning hands down.

Supporting Actor in a Drama: Masi Oka. Hiro worship aside, I really enjoyed Hiro, from the excited man-child who discovered he could bend time and space to the sad man-child who loses the woman he comes to love and loses his powers, to the triumphant man who is the only one that can truly beat Silar... aww, it's all Hiro worship. Otherwise, I would be gnawing my nails to nubs over whether it should go to John Locke or Ben from Lost. I think John Locke had the best most interesting journey that was more than ably portrayed by Terry O'Quinn. Ben was more than creepy and Michael Emerson does a good job making us fear him and want to believe the words that are coming out of his mouth. T.R. Knight will probably get it because he was involuntarily outed.

Supporting Actress in a Comedy: Jenna Fischer. Conchata Ferrell is the funniest thing about Two and a Half Men, a sitcom I do not like. Jaime Pressly is hilarious as Joy and I think Vanessa Williams plays one of the most interesting characters on television, yet Jenna Fischer had the funniest character this past season. I'm surprised that 30 Rock's Jane Krakowski didn't get a nomination nod. She is what pushed the show over the edge for me (the botox episode - I laughed so hard I thought I was going to die; Rural Juror... oh my word, she was funny).

Supporting Actress in a Drama: Sandra Oh. The Grey's girls had a really good season of acting and storylines. I like Rachel Griffiths and her character on Brothers and Sisters, but I did not like the show, so I didn't watch. Not a Sopranos fan, so my pick is Sandra Oh's Christina Yang. She was the character I most rooted for. I think it was because her tact and drive were compelling to me.

These picks are not perfect, but at least they're mine.

As for the writing, the best writing in a comedy category had two scripts from 30 Rock, two from The Office and one from Extras. If one of those doesn't win best comedy category, then there is something legitimately screwed up with this voting process. The Office chose Gay Witch Hunt, the first episode from the third season where Michael outs Oscar, and The Negotiations where Michael finally gets a raise for himself. 30 Rock's offering, on the other hand, is Tracy Does Conan, where Tracy Morgan goes off his meds and is basically crazy on Conan O'Brian's show, and Jack-Tor, where Jack has to act on The Girl Show and where Tracy refuses to read the cue cards (Alec Baldwin was hilarious as someone who couldn't act his way out of a paper bag), two very funny episodes. I haven't seen the Extras, but it was the Daniel Radcliffe episode. 30 Rock should win it and Jack-Tor should get it.

In the best writing in a drama category, there are 3 nominations for The Sopranos, which I will ignore, a Battlestar Galactica episode, the season 3 opener which was a 2 parter and a Lost episode, the season finale, which was a hell of a shocker. If they'd nominated the BSG season finale, I think it might have beat Lost. I think the Lost finale should win it all!

Primetime Emmy Awards

On September 16, when I'm trying to figure out where I can run at a conference in Florida, you will be watching the gala affair that is the Emmy Awards.

For those of us who love television, the Emmy's mark that much looked for and much detested time of the year. That's because we have our favourite shows that we think should be awarded, but we see them get run over by bigger, longer running shows or be pushed aside to make up for not awarding someone else the year before. The nomination is a long, drawn out process that is not enlightened by those who watch a lot of tv... us.

So what I'm going to do is give you a list of nominees and then see about creating a poll so that you can pick your favourites.

Maybe next year, we can have an actual poll with results and people who win things. But for now, it will be pure tv nerdly fun.

Best Comedy Series
30 Rock
Entourage
The Office
Two and a Half Men
Ugly Betty

Best Drama Series
Boston Legal
Grey's Anatomy
Heroes
House
Sopranos

Lead Actor in a Comedy
Alec Baldwin - Jack Donaghy in 30 Rock
Ricky Gervais - Andy Millman in Extras
Tony Shaloub - Adrian Monk in Monk
Steve Carell - Michael Scott in The Office
Charlie Sheen - Charlie Harper in Two and a Half Men

Lead Actor in a Drama
Kiefer Sutherland - Jack Bauer in 24
James Spader - Alan Shore in Boston Legal
Hugh Laurie - Dr. Gregory House in House
Denis Leary - Tommy Gavin in Rescue Me
James Gandolfini - Tony Soprano in The Sopranos

Lead Actress in a Comedy
Tina Fey - Liz Lemon in 30 Rock
Felicity Huffman - Lynette Scavo in Desperate Housewives
Julia Louis Dreyfuss - Christine Campbell in The New Adventures of Old Christine
America Ferrera - Betty Suarez in Ugly Betty
Mary Louise Parker - Nancy Botwin in Weeds

Lead Actress in a Drama
Sally Field - Nora Walker in Brothers and Sisters
Mariska Hargitay - Detective Olivia Benson - Law & Order: SVU
Kyra Sedgwick - Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson in The Closer
Minnie Driver - Dahlia Malloy in The Riches
Edie Falco - Carmelo Soprano in The Sopranos

Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Jeremy Piven - Ari Gold in Entourage
Kevin Dillon - Johnny Drama in Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris - Barney Stinson of How I Met Your Mother
Rainn Wilson - Dwight Shrute in The Office
Joh Cryer - Alan Harper in Two and a Half Men

Supporting Actor in a Drama
William Shatner - Denny Crane in Boston Legal
T.R. Knight - George O'Malley in Grey's Anatomy
Masi Oka - Hiro Nakamura in Heroes
Terry O'Quinn - John Locke in Lost
Michael Emerson - Ben in Lost
Michael Imperioli - Christopher Moltisanti in The Sopranos

Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Jaime Pressly - Joy Turner in My Name Is Earl
Jenna Fischer - Pam Beesly in The Office
Conchata Ferrell - Berta in Two and a Half Men
Vanessa Williams - Wilhelmina Slater in Ugly Betty
Elizabeth Perkins - Celia Hodes in Weeds

Supporting Actress in a Drama
Rachel Griffiths - Sarah Whedon in Brothers and Sisters
Sandra Oh - Christina Yang in Grey's Anatomy
Chandra Wilson - Dr. Bailey in Grey's Anatomy
Katherine Heigl - Izzie Stevens in Grey's Anatomy
Lorraine Bracco - Dr. Jennifer Melfi in The Sopranos
Aida Turturro - Janice Soprano in The Sopranos

Of course, in anything where you have to pick a best, someone gets left out. Michael C. Hall's Dexter Morgan in the serial killer drama, Dexter, should definitely have gotten a nod. I haven't quite enjoyed an actor making me like the "bad" guy, who is really a good guy, but still a serial killer, as much as I've liked what Michael C. Hall is doing with the Dexter character.

While Ugly Betty is funny, I can't believe that it got the nod versus How I Met Your Mother. I mean, season two got off to a really weird start with Marshall and Lily split, but I am sure I laughed harder at HIMYM than I did at Ugly Betty. It should have been in the drama category.

Rescue Me should have gotten a nom for best drama. It's good to see Denis Leary's Tommy Gavin in the best actor for a drama category.

Even though Everybody Hates Chris wasn't as funny in the 2nd season, I'm surprised that Tichina Arnold or Terry Crewes, who play the mom and dad of Chris, weren't nominated in the supporting actress and actor category in comedy. As the show goes on, these two characters have gotten better - which means funnier.

Why in the HELL is there no nominations for Friday Night Lights???? Every frakkin' person on that show deserves a nom. If I had to choose ONE person, I couldn't. Connie Britton as the coach's wife, Tami Taylor, stands out in a reprisal of her role from the movie is particularly noteworthy, but so is Zach Gilford's Matt Saracen and Kyle Chandler's Coach Eric Taylor. I particularly love the character of Buddy Garrity played by Brad Leland just because he incites the most emotion. This show held my attention, made me tune in in real time as opposed to watching it Saturday from my DVR.

Speaking of "frak", BSG did get a nom in the writing category for the Occupation/Precipice episodes (the opening episodes of season three), but there really should have been some kind of nomination for the last two shows, Crossroads 1 & Crossroads 2. I admit that season three had a few missteps, but Crossroads 1&2 really did a good job of reinvigorating my interest in the story the writers were telling.

Masi Oka is my favourite. He made me enjoy Heroes, a show that was not as well written as it could have been. He was a definite favourite from that show, even though the writers wanted us to like other characters as well, but I'm not sure if he should win over Lost's Terry O'Quinn or Michael Emerson.

So, what about you? Do you have a character or show that you thought was exceptional last season that deserved a nomination? What about actors? Who should NOT be on the list? Don't be shy, leave your comments. Good healthy debates are more than welcome.

Tomorrow, my Emmy predictions in the main categories and why we should care about the best writing in a comedy or drama series.

Who Wants It More?

I have always been passionate about football.

Well, really, it started with basketball. I come from a basketball family.

So I played soccer. Because I couldn't play football.

So I was mildly (MILDLY?) excited about the first game of the season. The defending champions, the New England Patriots Indianapolis Colts go against the team I wanted to go all the way, the New Orleans Saints.

Don't get me wrong, I am a Falcons fan. But once the Falcons were out and the Saints were still in it last year, that's who I wanted to see win. Maybe it was because of Katrina. Maybe it is because of Drew Brees. When he messes up and gets mad at himself, he still looks like a cute puppy. A cute, angry little puppy.

But... thanks to WMGT, the first 5 minutes of the first game of this new season was in SD. Standard Definition???? C'mon, 41!

I always thought that paying that much for a television was idiotic. Until I saw a game in HD. Oh, yeah. hhgregg knows what they're doing. All the screens filled with college football, beckoning to me so that the idea of "saving up" for what is basically a television was not ridiculous.

Until we got that sucker home. We plugged in our wires and our cable box and watched crazy shows about nothing. The sun rising. Animals just sitting and staring. Slumberous narrations, all for the sake of a pretty picture. But what a pretty picture it was. For us, more than worth it.

And football looks fan-freakin-tastic!

I thought for sure the Saints would be hungry to rectify last year's miss of the Superbowl. Alas, those jokers were not. However, since I have both Reggie Wayne and Reggie Bush on my fantasy football team, I was a confusing mass of cheering. Since I was rooting for the Saints, my husband kept wondering why I would raise my hands in victory at an Indianapolis touchdown. Fantasy football makes you cheer for crazy things.

Finally, WMGT got their act together and for the most part, the game was in GLOOORIOUS HD.

Because that's how you have to say it.

Go American Football!

BBCAmerica... We Will Be Assimilated!

The first and last time I saw Doctor Who was in the 80s. He had this curly mop of hair and the most fantastic scarf I want to knit now. Last weekend, by chance, I noticed that they were showing the first televised season of Dr. Who recorded in 16 years. Christopher Eccleston was our good Doctor (the ninth) and he was, in a word, Fantastic. It turns out he only intended to play The Doctor for a year. David Tennant took his place as the tenth Doctor.

Christopher Eccleston also played Claude, the invisible guy who helps Peter Petrelli in Heroes.

If you want to learn more about Doctor Who, check it oBut here.

Of course, when you watch a different channel, you find yourself paying attention to the other things that are on. So, as of this Saturday, my DVR will be full of Sci-Fi Saturday offerings. First, it will be the next season of Doctor Who. It is not the current season, which shows on the Sci-Fi channel, but it is a way for me to catch up with this new Doctor. Also, I will be watching Torchwood, a spin off of Doctor Who starring Captain Jack Harkness, a fellow who traveled with the Doctor and Rose towards the end of the season.

I've been hearing good things about Jekyll, a series that just ended here.

I am in love with British shows that way. They have short seasons, yet they tell so much story and though they leave you wanting more, it is very satisfying how they end.

But it is more than being able to watch shows like Coupling, Footballers' Wives, Life on Mars. It's also that a lot of these shows are heading stateside, most particularly as American remakes.

One notable show is The Office, which is a remake of a British show of the same name. It took until the end of season 2 and all of season 3 before the American version began to have the same squirm factor as the original, and that squirm factor is what adds to the sense of humour to me. But other shows like Big Brother (not British, but European) and Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares are imports that have proven or will prove successful.

So, in a couple of years, will we see the success of British television translated into American for our viewing pleasure? Coupling was made and canceled after 4 episodes, Life on Mars is slated to be remade, and several shows premiering this fall season owe a debt to their own British show... Viva Laughlin to Blackpool, Life is Wild to Wild at Heart, The IT Crowd, which will be a midseason replacement, to a show of the same name, Life on Mars, Football Wives...

But there is a lot of cancellation as shows that jump the ocean don't always succeed here. Sometimes, the re-creators don't trust the views and take away many of the things that made the shows good in the first place. The Office was lucky enough to have the writers of the original show be writers and producers as well.

The funny thing is, British viewers like American shows and will often import the American remake of their familiar British shows. And for those of us who can understand the accent, if not always the innuendo, we do our own importing of British shows, hoping to catch the original even as we hope the shows are not forever scarred in our mind from their remake.

Kyle XY

It surprises me how much I get into sci-fi. After all, I'm more interested in a good story, not a peak into what could possibly be living in the vast outer reaches of space or what new technology a few years will bring. I just finished watching the 2005 season of Doctor Who on BBC America and I'm super excited about the tenth Doctor. I haven't watched Doctor Who since I was little when it was the Fourth Doctor.

But this post is about Kyle XY. Kyle XY tells the story of a boy who has no memories but does have the love of a family who eventually adopts him. The thing is, he was allowed to develop in utero until his 16th year. That gave him a higher capacity/higher functioning brain that any other person his age. But this is more than a sci-fi tale of a super brain; it is the story of a family trying to get along with a new member and making the most of the situations that come because of what he knows. In turns hilarious and poignant, it is a most enjoyable way to relax on a Monday night.

What I like most about this show is that Kyle is a do-gooder. His word can be believed. But in this season, he keeps a lot of secrets and breaks a lot of promises for the sake of those he loves. Yes, there's teen angst. Laurie dealing with losing Declan, Declan becoming reclusive because Kyle suddenly stops trusting him, but in answer to that angst, Kyle finally being with the girl of his dreams, Amanda. Even little brother Josh gets some action as a cute gamer chick enters his life.

Yes, Jessie, the super smart, unloved "sister" of Kyle - since they both came to life the same way - whose bouts of darkness coincide with computeresque mind adjustments made by Emily, the tracker pretending to be Jessie's sister and the corporation Madacorp, who have their hand in trying to gather and destroy what is hiding in Kyle's brain. But when Jessie begins to discover the truth, what she's learned from being around Kyle and his peeps pushes her over the edge... figuratively and literally.

It's a show worth getting into, Season one is out on DVD and Season 2 can be purchased on iTunes. And if those shows are part of the half priced group, well, then, lucky you.

Meet Me At the Tube... It's Goin' Down

NBC and iTunes... get ready to RUMBLE!

According to several sources, NBC may be leaving iTunes. Or Apple may be letting NBC go. Whatever. To some people, this news is "so what?" Who pays $1.99 for a show that's free anyway? Well, fortunately for iTunes and NBC, the answer equals moola because more than 50 million shows have been sold through the iTunes Music system so far (EDIT: As of Sept. 5, 2007, it is 95 million shows sold), between 30-40% of which belongs to the Universal NBC TV family. You know, NBC, USA, Sci-Fi, etc.

Oh, NBC, you cheeky monkey, why are you so stubborn. Let's see, tv is free, yet somehow, iTunes has convinced us that paying 1.99 for a television show if we missed it, if it isn't free on your site, or if we just want to watch it again is a good thing, even though we grumble because we shouldn't have to pay 1.99... I mean, there are so many ways to get a television show for free, you'd think that we would ignore iTunes. Yet we don't because it is easier. Easier until that season comes out on hd dvd and then we buy it from you. So why would you, NBC, want us, the viewers, to pay up to 4.99 per show, or to bundle shows together where we would have less control over what we get. And it would be sad if someone had to steal all of their BSG episodes from their DVR when they could have paid iTunes and you for the episode. You're counting on your viewers not being technologically savvy and I'm sorry to say they're not. I guarantee you, if you sell your shows yourself for higher than we could have gotten on iTunes, I'm pretty sure you'll have a wide variety of technogeeks, wanting to be honest, who will forever be upset that you forced them to get your shows dishonestly. What I don't understand is why you can't keep your shows on iTunes and do your own thing. Because you're know you're wrong, NBC!

Dexter Season 2 will be out soon. Of any show that I've decided to watch, this was the one I was initially the least interested in watching. I heard of this show with a serial killer as the main character and I couldn't imagine how I would be okay with rooting for a serial killer. In my tv world, you root for and care for the main character. How could a serial killer be sympathetic? Well, Dexter Morgan (played exquisitely by Michael C. Hall, whom you may best remember from Six Feet Under) has proved that a serial killer can be a sympathetic character. Many people have decided against watching because it seems as if there could be nothing redeeming about the show, yet somehow, it is. Maybe you shouldn't watch it. Maybe you should hold on to your... whatever it is you want to hold on to by not watching a show about a serial killer. You may find yourself rooting for him in his kill, laughing as he remembers his first kill, or even hoping he doesn't get caught - which I think we who are fan will be hoping for this next season. Check out tvguide.com for the Dexter Season 2 trailer and if you want to have a bit of fun, scare the crap out of your best friends by sending them kmail (that's kill mail) from Dexter Morgan.

My friends loved it!

The Case for a Big Fat TV Nerd

Television.

Some people want to get rid of it because it keeps them for living their lives. Television is to blame when we don't spend time with our families, is the impetus for water cooler talk (in fact, revived the term water cooler talk) and is the reason why some of us get lost in the lives of others.

Television is my escape. Although I have never dressed up or attended a convention, my television fanaticism is not far from it. I've tried to deny it sometimes, I guess, though I have been in love with television from the first show I ever watched.

So my prejudices will come out. My favourite shows may be talked about ad nauseam. My least favourite genres may be put down, even if you like it. But your comments are welcome as long as they are either productive, funny, or informative. Or anything else that moves this television conversation along.