I
STOLE THE TV The
Sarah Silverman Program returns to Comedy Central this week with
two very funny episodes. On Wednesday, October 8th Sarah smokes pot for
the first time and is faced with the kind of life changing revelations
that come with a new-found "shredded mini weeds" perspective.
After
one of the most vulgar scenes you'll ever see in any sitcom, a clear signal
that this show will not be tamed, Sarah and Brian set out to right the
wrongs of the world by taking on a corporation run by the always amusing
Gary Marshall.
The
next night there's another new episode where Sarah confronts the Mongolian
community in a thoroughly offensive but hilarious episode sure to leave
more than a few audience members picking their jaws up off the floor over
the unmitigated gall involved in bringing this program to life.
The
third season of The Sarah Silverman Program is off to a great
start.
The
Sarah Silverman Program airs Wednesday and Thursday nights this week
at 10:30pm on Comedy Central.
Coming soon:
a review of Chocolate News which, judging from the previews,
looks awful.
FROM
THE MAIL Seems
an awful lot of you are weighing in on Rosie O'Donnell's planned variety
show.
Chuck McKibben writes: "I'm a 61-year-old who has been in broadcasting
for 45 years (including 30 years as a commercial producer in New york),
and I really LOVE your site! I teach voiceovers these days, and I tell
my students to study the colorful history of TV by reading TVparty!
"Anyway,
here's an internet news item that got my goat yesterday, due to its total
clueless stupidity and lack of historical awareness. After reading this,
you may join me in feeling a need to set the record straight:
"Seems that Rosie O'Donnell is returning to the tube with a live
variety show. That's a good programming development in general, even if
one doesn't care for the host specifically. What bugged me, however, was
that some flack for the show made this idiotic comment on the web:
"Rosie O'Donnell is perfect to host this because, you
know, Rosie practically invented the talk-variety format!"
"Say what???!!!
"Then what kind of format was (and is) The Tonight Show, going
back to Carson, Paar and Allen? What did Joey Bishop, Mike Douglas and Merv
Griffin do, if not "talk-variety"? For that matter, if "talk-variety"
is defined as an affable, chatty, unscripted host, a live band, live studio
audience interaction and guests who perform as well as being interviewed,
then one has to go back to CIncinnati's Ruth Lyons' 50-50 Club and Paul
Dixon Show on the midwest's WLW-Crosley network of stations. (As you undoubtedly
know, David Letterman credits the wacky Dixon show as his greatest inspiration.)
Heck, "talk-variety" is what Arthur Godfrey and Don MacNeill did
on radio for decades before TV! "Talk-variety" just may be the
oldest broadcasting format of all. Rosie invented it like Al Gore invented
the internet.
"Seems to me that, increasingly, not only is the modern audience completely
ignorant of of broadcasting's rich history, but so are the people who make
TV. That's why TVparty is not just fun, but actually a valuable source of
media history. This baloney of crediting Rosie with the development of talk-variety
finally inspired me to write to you, to express my appreciation of your
site and the way it documents the tracks of TV through the sands of time.
Please feel free to quote me."
HAD
I WATCHED THE THING... A
couple of postings ago I pointed you to a clip that was sent by the publicist
for the new Smothers Brothers DVD set. Since I just watched the entire
DVD I didn't bother to look at the clip. Michael Ackerman points out that
the musical number, "Is from the mid '70s show for NBC and not
the '68 CBS show. Note the appearance of Don Novello in numerous roles--he
was not involved in the sixties show." Of course, he's right
- which means the number is not on the DVD, at least not the best of Season
3 collection. I know they're working on season 2 now - will there be an
episode or two of the brilliant 1975 run of shows
produced by Tom Smothers in a future collection? This would suggest
so since that episode would have to have been remastered recently.
MEANWHILE...
Jim Longworth, host of Triad Today, writes: Anne Francis
called me the other day and told me she had had something like 5 million
hits on her website since the Honey West DVDs were released.
She also said she wished she got something from it.
"Pam
and I attended the EMMYS and formal Ball afterward. The Ball was great.
We got to connect with old friends in the business.
"A
couple of days later, Tony and Lauren Dow had us over to lunch at their
house in Topanga Canyon. I didn't realize Tony was an accomplished artist.
He showed us one piece of sculpture that is being sent to the Louvre next
year for a special exhibit.
"Locally,
the Humane
Society Furr Ball takes place on Oct 18 and George Hamilton
and Ali MacGraw are the celebrity guests. I have arranged to bring in
two of their movie posters (Where the Boys Are & Love Story) to auction
off after the dinner."
FRIDAY
TV STUFF
Norman Lear is developing a show for HBO that will focus on a 1970's family
of professional wrestlers.
MSNBC
stated in an article about Rosie O'Donnell's November live variety show
pilot: "Such classic variety titles as “The Carol Burnett
Show” and “The Ed Sullivan Show” were massive primetime
hits. Producers and networks have been trying to figure out how to revive
the variety show for decades. In 2004, ABC drew viewers with “The
Nick and Jessica Variety Hour,” but follow-up editions were less
successful."
Actually,
Carol Burnett's program wasn't that big a hit. Sure, it ran for 11 years,
but it never finished in the top 20 any season except the 1969-70 season
and only landed in the top 25 four times. Here's a portion of one of the
Burnett show's most memorable - and funny - sketches:
How badly do you want to be on TV? From the press release: Are you a Bridezilla?
Will you stop at nothing to make your storybook wedding come true? Have
you pushed fiancés, family and friends over the edge? WE tv’s
popular reality series BRIDEZILLAS kicks off its nationwide casting call
for season six at The Great Bridal Expo at locations across the country,
beginning Sunday, October 5, in Fort Lauderdale. Details below on cities,
dates and locations. For more information, log-on
to www.WEtv.com.
Bridezillas Casting Calls - Cities, dates and locations:
FORT LAUDERDALE Sunday, October 5 Broward County Convention Center
DALLAS Sunday, October 26 Fairmont Dallas
LOS ANGELES Saturday, November 1 Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles
ANAHEIM Sunday, November 2 Anaheim Convention Center
PHOENIX Tuesday, November 11 Phoenix Convention Center
SAN FRANCISCO Saturday, November 22 San Francisco Marriott Burlingame
SAN JOSE Sunday, November 23 Fairmont San Jose
How
bad does this sound? Ryan Seacrest is hosting a show called Mamma's
Boy featuring 3 mothers who help their sons pick a mate from 32 single
ladies. Look for it (or don't) Wednesday, Oct. 29 after Knight Rider.
CAN
YOU SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING?
Bob Huggins alerts us to this: "It appears that CBS/Paramount
is up to their music replacement shenanigans again with this new release
(remember “The Fugitive” season 2, volume 1?). A post at the
Home Theater Forum indicates that all but two of the episodes have been
“completely rescored” (see
post # 137). I suspect that we’re going to hear about
this in greater detail in the coming days and weeks."
THIS
'N' THAT
Somehow it escaped my attention that My
Three Sons
is now out on DVD (thanks Jay Blotcher). Maybe because I
never much liked that show but it was a big draw for over a decade and
this DVD set contains interviews with directors Fred de Cordova, Gene
Reynolds, and actress Doris Singleton.
Holy
2007 rerun! The Screen Actors Guild's National TV/Theatrical Negotiating
Committee is recommending a strike.
The
CW had so much success with Smallville that they're going back
to the well again, this time with The Graysons, a show that chronicles
the adventures of Dick Grayson before he became Batman's sidekick Robin.
By
now you've heard about Heather Locklear's DUI arrest - turns out she was
turned in by a former Us Weekly staffer; she likely called a
paparazzo who collected $27,000 for pictures of the TV star's sobriety
test.
Ratings
for the season opener of Dexter were boffo.
From
the press release: HELL’S KITCHEN is back for more as Chef Gordon
Ramsay looks for the BEST of the BEST to work beside him in the HOTTEST
kitchen on Earth! The nationwide casting call starts Wednesday, October
1, and we’re in search of America’s culinary elite who have
not only the SKILLS, but also the STAMINA to cook alongside the infamous
CHEF GORDON RAMSAY. CASTING for chefs 21 years of age and over who are
outspoken and competitive:
MONDAY,
OCTOBER 6, 2008
2:00 PM-5:00 PM
Scottsdale Culinary Institute
4301 N Scottsdale Rd., Suite 260
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2008
5:00 PM-10:00 PM
Barcelona
15440 N Greenway Hayden Loop
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2008
10:00 AM-3:00 PM
The Artistry
942 Peachtree St. NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2008
10:00 AM-6:00 PM
Boston Hyatt
Boston Park Plaza
50 Park Plaza (at Arlington St.)
Boston, MA 02116
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2008
11:00 AM-3:00 PM
Hard Rock Café
801 4th Ave.
San Diego, CA 92101
MONDAY,
OCTOBER 13, 2008
Washington, D.C.
Location TBD
SUNDAY,
OCTOBER 19, 2008
Dallas, TX
Location TBD
SUNDAY,
OCTOBER 19, 2008
Chicago, IL
Location TBD
MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2008
11:00 AM-5:00 PM
Sutton Place
1015 Second Avenue (between 53rd & 54th St)
New York, New York 10022
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2008
Las Vegas, NV
Location TBD
NEW
SHOW RATINGS
Doing well: The Mentalist, Fringe, 90210. Not so great: Knight
Rider, Worst Week, Gary Unmarried. Just palin bad: Opportunity
Knocks, Privileged.
Last
week's top 30 ratings (total viewers):
Dancing With the Stars - Monday (ABC, season premiere), Desperate Housewives
(ABC, season premiere), Grey's Anatomy (ABC, season premiere), Dancing
With the Stars - Tuesday (ABC), NCIS (CBS, season premiere), Sunday Night
Football (NBC, Philadelphia vs. Chicago), CSI: Miami (CBS, season premiere),
Criminal Minds (CBS, season premiere), Dancing With the Stars - Wednesday
(ABC), The Mentalist (CBS, series premiere), CSI: NY (CBS, season premiere),
Two and a Half Men (CBS, season premiere), Survivor: Gabon (CBS, season
premiere)
60 Minutes (CBS, season premiere), House (Fox), The OT (Fox), Brothers
& Sisters (ABC, season premiere), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC,
season premiere), Sunday Night Pre-Kick (NBC), Cold Case (CBS), Without
a Trace (CBS, season premiere): 11.28, Worst Week (CBS, series premiere),
America's Got Talent (NBC), Heroes (NBC, season premiere), The Amazing
Race 13 (CBS, season premiere), Ugly Betty (ABC, season premiere), How
I Met Your Mother (CBS, season premiere), Bones (Fox), The Unit (CBS,
season premiere), Law & Order: SVU (NBC, season premiere).
'TVParty.com,
a TV history website... its links to Amazon.com help sell TV DVDs."
- Boston Globe
"All
the coolest, strangest, most absurd shows and peculiar tube trends ever
-- they're all part of the wallow that is TVparty!"
- Diane Werts, Newsday
'A
twisted walk
down memory lane!'
- Sharon Edry, TV Guide
'Top
Five Sites! Interviews and articles... are must reads.'
- London Sunday Times
'It's
too good to be true. Put together by Billy Ingram, TVparty.com has gossip,
scandal, sex, singing, dancing, action, drama and celebrities with their
'original parts''
- LA Times
'An ingenious tribute that elevates the TV past to artlike proportions.
Site guru Billy Ingram has compiled features both over-the-top and museum
worthy, blissful nostalgia for those born in the '40s or the '80s. A+
- Entertainment Weekly
'Every decade expresses its kooky collective unconscious on the tube,
celebrated affectionately at Billy Ingram's TVparty. Ingram provides a
hilarious glimpse into the American pop psyche.'
- Yahoo
'TVparty is hands
down the best site on the Web for classic TV.'
- Discovery Channel
'Get the
inside scoop on all your favorite classic TV shows at TVParty.'
- USA Today
"...revisits trends and traumas of TV's past."
- Baltimore Sun