29 February 2008

At the movies once again...

In the last three months, I've seen more movies than I did in one year (in 2006 to be exact) and the latest ones I saw the past week would have to be these:

Dan in Real Life Lars and the Real Girl In the Valley of Elah
The Water Horse - Legend of the Deep (Two-Disc Special Edition)

And from this batch of films, I think I found my new favorite romance in Dan in Real Life. I call it the "Say Anything for the 30 years old and up". The latter is an all-time favorite love story of mine. So now, it shares the spot with Dan In Real Life. These are the kinds of movies that make my heart go, "I want to feel THAT kind of love!"

SCRUBS may move from NBC to ABC

There have been rumors about this for quite sometime. And today, it's finally in the news.

Scrubs, which has been running on NBC since 2001, is moving to ABC.

This network switch is a rare thing. But it's interesting to note that while the show originally airs on NBC, it is in fact being produced by ABC Studios.

Scrubs was supposed to have its final run on NBC this season. It was to end with 18 episodes. But the send-off to this once groundbreaking series was cut short by the writers' strike. Six episodes have aired pre-strike. And five more are expected, to end their seventh and (supposedly) final season.

Read the complete news here.

As I understand it, their move to ABC next season should entitle them to 18 more episodes for Season 8?

This is great, great news as I'm not prepared to say goodbye to Scrubs this year.

Update: NBC cries foul over Scrubs move to ABC

28 February 2008

American Idol: Girls Night Round 2


Brooke was nearly perfect all the way through, so she would have to be my top pick tonight. She did Carly (the original singer), sounded like her a bit, sorta looks like her, too...look:

Carly Simon

The flaw I found in her performance? She was smiling. Sweetly. And it's a song about telling off someone, so there should be a little bit of anger in there, right? But she remains this sweet thing, as if she's singing to preschoolers. Which isn't so bad. For preschoolers. But she sang You're So Vain.

Ramiele.....Ahh! I'm sure plenty Filipinos would be ecstatic --- Ramiele got to teach Ryan Seacrest to say "Kamusta ka?" (How are you?). Her performance wasn't a show stopper but it was still a good one. Better than 5 or 6 people. Ramiele got out of her comfort zone, stepped out of the box and sang a disco song. The vocals were there (she is a Diva singer anyway), but the energy in her performance was lacking. But she should be safe.

And like last week, I can't put a third, fourth, fifth and sixth girl on my list yet. What's the matter with this group? They actually out sang the boys this week but I can't seem to complete my list!

Although, I could stand to listen to these girls' performances:
  • Alaina - Hopelessly Devoted To You is a hard song to sing and Alaina did struggle with it. She tried.
  • Alexandrea - She started alright but ended badly. That sounds a lot like what Randy would have said, but it is what it is (keeping it real, man!) - If You Leave Me Now
  • Carly - she screeched but she rocked, still. - Crazy On You
  • Syesha - Smooth. It could've worked better with a lot more practice, I guess. - Me & Mrs. Jones
The rest were mostly one big mesh of singers I can't care about as soon as I've switched the TV channel.

Don't like Amanda's hair. She's 22 going on 45.

Don't like Kristy Lee's "squat singing". She loses a lot of pretty points doing it.

Don't understand the judges, well mostly Randy and Paula --- on one girl they tell her to stick to what she likes to do best; on another girl they encourage her to get out of her comfort zone. And really, I don't get what that "relevant to this competition" crap is about. They've been saying it a lot, when does it stop? :P

Pilot Watch: NY-Lon, Mythological X, Can Openers

All these shows coming to CBS:

NY Lon - "revolves around a New York record store clerk and a London stock broker who, after a fateful encounter in London, embark on a cross-continental romance." I saw the original British series with Rashida Jones as the female lead sometime 2005. I don't remember much of it anymore.

Mythological X - "It centers on a woman who, after learning from a psychic that she already has dated the man she's supposed to marry, revisits all her past relationships in the hopes of finding him." Based on a show from Israel.

Can Openers - "centers on a twentysomething woman and her fellow residents who fight to survive the intensely competitive boys club that is the seven-year neurosurgical residency." Their answer to Grey's Anatomy?

Via

27 February 2008

American Idol: Boys Night Round 2

Migraine acting up, so keeping this short and sweet. Top 3:


- Eze rebounds and delivers. Told ya he's good.
- David H's got the vocal chops, no arguments there. Still waiting for Simon to say, "Best vocals in this contest".
- David Cook is like Daughtry with hair. But he sure knows what he's doing. And word nerds are attractive. Bitchin' at Simon isn't.
- David A. is a technical singer, so there's a reason why he's good. The problem I'm seeing in him? He doesn't sound "pop". And we'll see that even more once the Top 12 heats are up.
- Michael Johns had an off night. Maybe he's got bronchitis? Hee.
- Am dropping Jason Yeager in my Top 6. Although I'm not saying I didn't enjoy his performance. (What's the matter with me, why am I liking this cheeseball?) It's just that someone else deserves the position better. Like the other Jason.
- So whose arrogant, obnoxious response to Simon did you love or hate more? Eze? David Cook? Danny from last week?
- And I'm gonna put it out there --- I envy Danny's pretty, pretty hair! LOL!

26 February 2008

Pilot Watch: Ex Life, Zip and My Best Friend's Girl

More series under development, slated next season:

EX LIFE (A.K.A. EX MEN) (CBS) - Mid-Late 20s. A handsome, charming and funny everyman, he's completely shellshocked when his long-time girlfriend, Sara, jilts him at the altar. Carter moves into a "short-term housing" complex, where single men, much like himself, find strength in numbers. Carter befriends Gil, Frank and Stuart. Carter is delighted when Sara asks for reconciliation, and their postponed wedding is suddenly back on. However, thanks to his new friends, Carter finally realizes just how little he and Sara have in common - but the revelation comes mere moments before he says "I do".

ZIP (NBC) - Story of a guy (Steven Weber, Studio60) with no money living in Beverly Hills who, with the help of a colorful cast of accomplices, concocts one scheme after another in the hopes of making it big and securing a glamorous lifestyle for his three children.

MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL (CBS) - About two male best friends who own a bike shop and whose relationship becomes complicated when one starts dating the other's ex-wife.

25 February 2008

Pilot Watch: Crusoe

Of the recent pilot news I've been getting lately, this is what I'm gonna be anticipating big time, as I am a bit familiar with the story (high school book report from decades ago pays off haha!):
Watch out, "Lost" and "Survivor": NBC is bringing the original desert island castaway to primetime.

NBC has picked up "Robinson Crusoe," a drama series based on Daniel Defoe's classic novel, with a 13-episode order.

"Crusoe" reportedly came out of an unorthodox brainstorming idea of NBC's new chief Ben Silverman, who had asked his development team to generate a list of the most engaging stories ever told -- everything from "The Last of the Mohicans" to "Sleeping Beauty." "Crusoe" was at the top of that list. Also high on it and under serious consideration at the network are the tales of David and Goliath and of Jekyll and Hyde, sources said.

[snipped]

"Crusoe" will be an "adrenaline-charged version" of the 1719 novel with a contemporary feel and voice, including a 21st century take on race relations, but it will be a period drama, taking place in the 17th century when the book is set.

"It's part 'MacGyver,' part contemporary morality tale about race and personal discovery, part comedy and part 'Castaway' meets 'Survivor,' " Silverman said.
Via

23 February 2008

Helloooo Lovers of SATC. Longer trailer out!

  • Carrie is getting married to John James Preston aka MR. BIG, but something happens before the ceremony and it looks like the wedding didn't push through.
  • Seems Steve cheated on Miranda.
  • Charlotte adopted a beautiful Asian child. And is on the family way.
  • Samantha is still Samantha, still after younger men.

Click on the photo to be redirected to the link. Hurry though, the trailer vids are easily asked to be deleted and taken down by the studio.

22 February 2008

Bits and crumbs...

I'm happy to announce that --- I've finally gotten Big Brother off my system! USA's BB Winter Edition is currently running and surprisingly, I couldn't get past the first two episodes. In spite of the fact that Day 1 had instantly delivered the juicy stuff --- deception, arguments, connivance, sex in the bathroom cubicle and all the drama, I was not all that interested. I think that after following the format since 2002, I'm finally done with any kind of Big Brother series. I'm so proud of me. :)

Cashmere Mafia ended their season run the other day, which means, the torture I had imposed upon myself (by allowing myself to watch all 7 episodes of it ) also ended. Mum's the word on its return and I am not bummed about it. I wouldn't miss this show but it did leave me with fond memories of Lucy Liu's homage to the Grinch.



Jogging in fur is not my idea of cutting edge fashion.
The guy with her agrees with me.

Las Vegas is officially canceled.
Cane is in trouble, if anyone actually cares.
Moonlight's show runner has left the series, which could spell trouble.
Friday Night Lights may be kept alive on cable channels.

American Idol: Girls Night Round 1

If there was one thing I loved about last night's show, it was the fact that Simon was merciless. For a while there, I kept reading about how Simon has turned into Mr. Nice this season. Lets' face it, the reason why we're watching this show is to hear what Simon says and playing nice has not really been all that appealing. I'm glad he brought the nasty back.

If there was one thing I did not expect from last night's show, it would have to be the underwhelming performances from most of the girls. Early on, Ryan has pre-warned us. The girls are sick. Which means some of them may suck. It also means some of them may need to work harder, which was the case I saw. Some of girls did try harder, to the point of overdoing it. Underwhelming-ly overdone. Is that even possible? Truth is, I could only sum up two best picks.

The most measured performance of the night for me was Ramiele's, who I shall put in the #1 spot for the evening. Hers was a big song, but she didn't (to quote Randy) "slay" on it as one is expected to attack a song like, You Don't Have To Say You Love Me. If she did, it would have otherwise been a performance you would see/hear done on just about every other lounge act here. Yet Ramiel somehow managed to swiftly nail it. It was understated, controlled, measured. It wasn't a perfect rendition, but it did make an impact. Her candor about admitting that hair and make-up was the best part of the show tells me this tiny girl means business on stage...but can manage to relax while off it. Now, there's someone who really enjoys what she is doing.

With a fairly large gap following my first choice, Brooke would have to be my second best pick for the evening. Of course, this comes from someone who admits to liking Yeager's Moon River yesterday. What can I say? I'm also all about the sappy, cutesy, goody goody sunshines and rainbows. David Cook (also from yesterday) did the rock version, Brooke did the "happy" version. Both versions I have enjoyed on different levels. And I would like to see that kind of variety on Idol this year.

The rest of them, I didn't get. I heard big voices, powerful voices that fell flat. Some high registers, lots of shrieking and screaming, lots of blonde girls, lots of girls whose name starts with an A.

Girls out sang the guys? Hmmm, could be true. But the boys' singing style were at least varied. Most of the girls sounded the same.

And they can blame it on bronchitis. But that's 2 hours of my life I'm never getting back.

20 February 2008

Paula Abdul is losing it!

Paula Abdul's "drunken" state is already a running gag on Idol. It didn't bother me before; but I don't know what is up with her this season. She sounds and looks ten times worse.

Often lucid, she at least gets her message across...then. Now, it's harder to get what she's trying to say. I find myself gesturing to her on TV sometimes, to double time it up and get the words out of her mouth.

We're still in the early stages and Paula has had every bit of her "Paula is drunk again" moments. My favorite part would have to be this, from Renaldo's audition (see photo).

And what was that about "colors" tonight? Was she tripping and high? Was she seeing a kaleidescope of colors? Oh, yeah...I forgot. The theme was the 60's. Paula was so in that moment then.

Maybe...just maybe, Paula needs to be ON something, if you're sitting next to guys like Simon and Randy Dawg?

On another note, and despite her lucid state on Idol, Paula cuts a dance record with Randy Jackson and relaunches her singing career. The record will be released soon. Watch Dance Like There's No Tomorrow (It is heavily synthesized as Paula was never about the vocals even then. But I have to admit, it is quite catchy) ---

American Idol: Boys Night Round 1

It's the boys' first round and at this point, I would have to say that it is really easy to pick who the Top 3 guys will be. I think I'd have to go with the the biblical choice: Two Davids (Archuleta and Cook) and a Michael (who's also a John[s]). Those were the top three favorites of the night.


The fourth spot could go to the other David (Hernandez), if only he learns to relax a little. On TV, he comes around as "thinking while performing", a phrase I've heard said so many times on Idol and it just makes me look out for those performers who do it (thinking). Which means, David is trying way too hard and not nearly getting it right. Simon and I are on the same page when it comes to him. What was that song he sang, again? It was a love song, wasn't it? I think he was trying to convey "intensity" and "deepness" but the vibe I got from him was stalker - trying - to - plot - my - death. Those looks he did for the camera were piercing, alright. But if a guy was singing a love song for me that way, it would make me really uncomfortable. And worried for my safety. Fortunately, he does have great vocals. David H's voice is cool and smooth. So, I'm still rooting for him, regardless of what I just said. Hah.

Jason Castro and his guitar is a good contender as well, so I'll put him in 5th. I'm seeing not just a singer but an artist, who may draw his own niche in this competition. Good. I like contestants better like that.

My pick for spot six would either be Jason Yeager or Chikezie Eze. They would have to be my wildcards. I'd go with Yeager because I'm just as sappy as he is. Moon River is my favorite classic and Yeager has great vocals. Even if Simon said it was verging on cruise ship singing, I would have enjoyed that one on the cruise ship and I would have requested he sing it the next night! As for Eze, I'm still counting on him to WOW us and the judges sometime. Preferably next week. Or he goes next.

Danny Noriega, the guy (gal?) with chock full of personality, might just slide into Top 6, too. Because the public wants someone they can mock on TV and they might vote to keep him till they tire of him (a lot of people loved to hate Sanjaya). Already, Noriega's getting the brunt of it (the mockery) on other communities I visit. And I feel sorry for him because, to be fair, he does have talent.

Who's the first to go this week though? I'm not so great with guessing how the public votes but forgettable performances of the night were that of Luke Menard and Colton Berry. But hey, if Colton leaves, I know where he's going to be on next --- singing at the Ellen Show.

Knight Rider 2008

I can't really say reviving this series into a TV Movie was a good or bad idea.

There is no doubt the car is super fantastic. In that sense, the show's lead star delivered. KITT 2008 can change its make into any shape or form (think Bumblebee from Transformers 2007). It also has the power to heal itself via nano technology. The special effects? Ahh-mah-zing! The show is, first and foremost, all about the car anyway. The car chase scenes were, obviously, excuses to demonstrate its power and I had no problem in that area.

But there were two things I didn't like about the car --- KITT's voice (Val Kilmer) was not as audible (but that could just be me. Time for some Q-tips!). And is KITT programmed to also mimic Oprah or Dr. Phil? Driving at a really fast speed while trying to get away from the bad guys, KITT takes the time to ask Sarah of her past relationship with Mike. Therapy on wheels?

There were a few other things I didn't like about the TV movie. Take away all the special effects and zeroing on the plot --- it's pretty much your basic crapfest. They've got the car working perfectly fine, mechanism and all that (Kitt even has a sense of humor!), they forgot to fine-tune the story. And the actors? There's a noticeable lack of chemistry.

Let me sum up the plot in the most simple way:
  • Bad guys after this technology genius old man is working on for the Pentagon.
  • When they can't get to him, they go after his daughter, who also helped worked on it.
  • KITT warns daughter (Sarah). Sarah is also a genius.
  • Car chase.
  • KITT saves Sarah.
  • Car chase.
  • KITT brings Sarah to childhood sweetheart Mike (programmed to do so). Mike is the typical problematic guy with a good heart. Background: Army Ranger. Currently: loser or something.
  • Mike hesitates helping Sarah at first, got problems of his own, you know. But ends up with her, as expected.
  • Car chase, car chase, car chase.
  • Genius Old Man is still alive. Enlists the help of an old friend (the pretty mechanic from the old Knight Rider series). Tries to contact KITT and his daughter. Agrees they meet somewhere.
  • All the while, FBI friend of genius old man is looking for him, too. And learns of the planned rendezvous. Alerts the sheriff, who is in cahoots with the bad guys. I think I should mention she is a Lesbian because that seems to be important to the story, if this show was to continue in the fall season.
  • Everyone gets to the place all at the same time.
  • Gunfire. Someone is killed. Mike acts like he's sad about it. But the actor doesn't deliver the right emotion.
  • Bad guys' plans averted. Police arrest them.
  • Genius old man and FBI propose something to Mike. He can't confirm and get on board with it, coz still sad about someone being killed. (Alright, not Sarah).
  • Funeral scene. We get a cameo from the original KITT driver, Michael Knight.
  • And in the next scene, Mike is on KITT and heading to a new mission.
To the show's credit, Knight Rider (2008) is a better remake than Bionic Woman. With a few changes, it could be one of next season's biggest hit, if they do decide to proceed with it.

Here's a two minute preview:

19 February 2008

Knight Rider Zooms With High Ratings

On Sunday night, the TV Movie, Knight Rider premiered with around 12.71Million viewers watching it, taking the second best spot of the night (right after Extreme Homemake Over). The TV Movie is a test to see whether or not the show gets picked up for the Fall Season. And it looks like it will be back...
"Knight Rider" averaged a 7.1 rating/11 share according to Fast National Ratings from Nielsen Media Research that showed there are still some fans willing to give this 1980s franchise from Glen A. Larson a chance. That includes a 6.9/10 in its first hour, second only to "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on ABC, and an even stronger 7.3/12, easily winning the 10 p.m. timeslot over ABC favorite "Brothers & Sisters," which struggled despite the "Extreme Makeover" lead-in, according to Zap2it.

The first hour of "Knight Rider" beat "Cold Case" on CBS as well as comedies like "Family Guy" and "American Dad" on Fox. The second hour also beat the network premiere of Showtime's "Dexter," which earned a 5.2/9, just half a ratings point behind "Brothers & Sisters."

All of this despite a very weak lead-in for the NBC show from "American Gladiators." The first hour of that series season finale earned just a 3.2/5, taking fourth place behind "60 Minutes" on CBS, "America's Funniest Home Videos" on ABC, and NASCAR coverage on Fox. While "Gladiators" did improve in the next hour, it was only by a ratings point likely pulling in some of the Daytona 500 crowd from Fox. It was enough to give NBC a second place showing for the hour, but was still behind ABC, but ahead of "Big Brother 9" on CBS and animated comedies on Fox.

On top of its strong overall ratings, "Knight Rider" also easily captured adults between the ages of 18 to 49, a key demographic for advertisers, leading NBC to a demo win over the other network, despite finishing third overall in households (while finishing second in total viewers ahead of CBS). | Source
I haven't seen it yet (I recently discovered what sleep is like and it is heavenly!), but I did a run-through and I think I will be enjoying this later. Not feeling the lead characters though but we'll see.

Incidentally, Dexter also premiered on network television last Sunday (it originally runs on cable, no censorship) to okay ratings. I have finally, finally caught up with this on Fox/Crime and I must say briefly, Michael C. Hall? So great!

I'm going back to bed for some more of those ZZzzz's (so that I can talk and blog better next.)

18 February 2008

Makeover done!

So, I did it again. This site's wearing a new look, which I'm not sure I love entirely. I'm still getting used to it.

How do you like it?

Oh, if you're on my network list, blog roll, or what else you call those....you can find your name in this blog's footer.

I'm off to watch something now.

Another theme change heading this site's way. Yeah, sorry....

Once again, I'm going through a phase and I want to do some theme changes to my site(s). This always happens when I get something new. Bought one new item of clothing?? Completely change the way I store all clothes in the closet. New shoes? Re-arrange the shoe rack and come up with a new storage system, preferably with labels and tags. New kitchen utensils? Time for a kitchen make-over.

Sometime ago, we've adopted Phoebe. Over the weekend, Phoebe was joined by her older sister, Eve. And everything about her just screamed beautiful outside, that I wanted what I was seeing inside to be the same. As much as I want to change every theme on every website I visit to complement Eve, the one thing I can truly control, of course, are my own websites. Besides, I learned today that the TV sites I write for 451Press are also going to get a makeover soon. So, I took that as a sign to get things rolling on my end. We're going to get things really pretty.

At about 10 am, I was done with two of my blogs already (Hooray for me!). You can check the changes here and here. Looks alright? Yes? No?

Anyway, you should see this blog with a different look real soon. Or as soon as this headache disappears coz tweaking those sites? No joke. My eyesight is so getting strained.

16 February 2008

Eli Stone Misses

The long description: Eli Stone is a drama series about lawyer who experiences a life-changing moment, when he begins to hallucinate about people, places and situations, causing him to re-examine the choices he makes in life.

The short description: It's the male Ally McBeal.

The series started with a promising pilot, which I thought was fun and fresh. But three episodes down the line...I think it lost me. Like the show's running theme, I lost my faith in it. Although I really, really want to love this.

What happened to Eli Stone? Some story lines just don't mesh well or tie together, it's beyond realistic. The hallucination sequence will probably tell you, realism is far from what this show is betting on. Still, the stories aren't tight enough to hook me in. There are quirky shows; and there are shows that seem to just put stuff in there, call it a crazy TV series, and mess with the viewer. For me, that's what happening to this show. It's like I'm watching it pull tricks from a hat so that it can keep me entertained. But as soon as the trick is done, it doesn't leave that much of an impression.

The saving grace I think would have to be Eli himself (played by Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie's British ex-husband), who still keeps the show mildly interesting with his comedic timing.

I'd like to stick around and watch its upcoming episodes, but I'm not as excited as before, that I can say.

Reviews for Eli Stone:

Hollywood Reporter
Washington Post
The Watcher Chicago Tribune
San Francisco Gate

Lipstick Jungle, revisited

After some hesitation, I caught up with the second episode of Lipstick Jungle early today. If you've been reading this blog long, you probably know how much I loathe the pilot episode. Between my first viewing of the show last year and today, something must have happened. Because Lipstick Jungle, while not exactly a show I would put in the "great" category, has improved on the second episode. Those tweaking and changes they did to the show paid off, I guess. It's either that or three other things 1) my taste have turned a notch lower; 2) the strike has forced me to tolerate and take in anything I can watch; 3) Cashmere Mafia, its twin of a series, is so much more loathesome.

Anyhow, whatever it is, at least I've got something new to watch for awhile. The show will only stay on till March 20. And after that, I can quickly forget about it, as new episodes of the shows I really love and matter return.

Reviews of Lipstick Jungle (created by Candace Bushnell):

EW's Ken Tucker

LA Times
NY Mag
Boston Globe
NY Post


15 February 2008

Lost S4 E3 The Economist


Meanwhile, Sayid, Miles and Kate reach the barracks where The Others used to reside. They find Hurley tied up and locked inside a closet and Hurley tells them Team Locke has left him behind when he suggested they let Charlotte go. Hurley tells the three, he thinks the rest of the Losties are heading towards Ben’s house. They snooped around the area and Sayid finds a secret room inside Ben’s house. It has a number of passports (all Ben’s) and some money or notes in different currency (and probably in different years). Before they could check the area further, Sayid, Miles and Kate are cornered by Team Locke. Hurley suddenly appears and apologizes for lying. | Click for RECAPS IN FULL.

14 February 2008

Strike Watch: Could SAG go to the picket lines next?

Hollywood Reporter dishes that all eyes are on SAG, as their contract with the AMPTP expires June 30. Should there be a possible breakdowns during the negotiations, will we see the stars in the picket lines next?
SAG officials won't say when they might launch negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers to replace a contract that's set to expire June 30. But a burgeoning rapprochement with sister performers union AFTRA makes much more likely the prospect of informal talks with studio chiefs of the sort that led to WGA and DGA contract deals.

"We're always open to having discussions," SAG president Alan Rosenberg said Wednesday.

He declined to elaborate.

News Corp. COO Peter Chernin and Disney chief Robert Iger were the most hands-on in hashing out deal terms with the writers and directors, and many believe those executives or other top media bosses also will engage with the actors unions before their formal negotiations with the AMPTP. An affable and loquacious labor leader for all his reputed militancy, Rosenberg has held previous sit-downs with such executives as CBS Corp. topper Leslie Moonves and Warner Bros. chief Barry Meyer during his more than two years in office.

But until just last weekend, inter-guild squabbling threatened to complicate any dialogue between labor and management.

SAG and AFTRA seemed to be going down diverging paths as the calendar counts down toward a June 30 expiration of their current AMPTP agreements. Rosenberg and SAG national executive director Doug Allen were regularly chastising AFTRA for perceived incursions onto SAG turf, and the duo pushed the SAG board to order a membership referendum on breaking with a decades-long tradition of bargaining jointly with AFTRA.

Then the board reversed course Saturday, halting the referendum and underscoring an interest in negotiating jointly with AFTRA. Key considerations seemed to be opposition to sabre-rattling from SAG New York leaders and the tentative agreement secured by the WGA on early Saturday morning.

Also, top actors like George Clooney and others have started to speak out against any overtly confrontational approach to the upcoming contracts. So whether for reasons of political practicality or a genuine interest in getting started, it now appears contract talks of some sort might happen sooner rather than later.

Rosenberg is said to be still leaning toward a late spring date for launching formal negotiations. Yet informal talks with one or more studio chiefs could happen at any time now.

To goose the process, Clooney, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and others have been strategizing over how to pressure Rosenberg into changing his thinking on the timing of formal discussions. For starters, the actors took out ads today in publications including The Hollywood Reporter.

Helpfully, SAG and AFTRA already have held several committee meetings on wage and working conditions issues. So should the A-listers succeed in getting SAG officials to launch negotiations by sometime next month, labor-side negotiators should be primed and ready to go.

On Wednesday, SAG's Allen issued a brief statement in response to press inquiries about the pressure from well-known guild members and the prospect of early negotiations with the AMPTP.

"Our ongoing member outreach has included, and will continue to include, conversations with high-profile television and movie actors, as well as input from our member-driven wages and working conditions committee meetings," the SAG exec said. "We are jointly conducting these wages and working conditions meetings with AFTRA (and) this process will conclude in the March. We will bargain with management at a time that will most benefit our members."

American Idol: Rating the Top 24


Did you like last night’s results? They weren’t kidding when they said this batch is the most talented lot, huh? It looks like it’s going to be a really tough competition this year. Most everyone I know (friends, family) has no clear favorites yet — because it’s so much harder to choose!

But if I have to break it down according to categories, this list below would probably how I would group the Top 24 contestants.

In seven seasons of watching American Idol, we should all very well know by now that “voice” isn’t the only thing that will get you far. Some other factors have to come into play, such as —a convincing performance, the audience impact and (like it or not) producer pimping :P. | Click for the TOP 24 RATINGS.

Dates of your favorite shows' return

I don't know about you, but I feel like it's Christmas in February, what with all the TV news I read on my feeds daily. My TV is alive again! Thanks to the fact that the strike is now over and we're seeing confirmation of when series returns.

From EW:

BACK TO YOU (Fox)
RETURNS Feb. 26
EPISODES TO AIR 11
INSIDE SCOOP Three eps were shot pre-strike; eight more will follow. An Xmas-themed script may be changed. (Santa becomes Easter Bunny?)

THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
RETURNS March 17
EPISODES TO AIR 9

BONES (Fox)
RETURNS April 14
EPISODES TO AIR 4+
INSIDE SCOOP Four eps are in the can, and Bones will shoot at least six more; the extra episodes have yet to be scheduled.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS (ABC)
RETURNS Late April
EPISODES TO AIR 4 or 5

COLD CASE (CBS)
RETURNS March 30
EPISODES TO AIR 5

CRIMINAL MINDS (CBS)
RETURNS April 2
EPISODES TO AIR 7

CSI (CBS)
RETURNS April 3
EPISODES TO AIR 6

CSI: MIAMI (CBS)
RETURNS March 24
EPISODES TO AIR 8

CSI: NY (CBS)
RETURNS April 2
EPISODES TO AIR 7

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
RETURNS Late April
EPISODES TO AIR 4 or 5

ER (NBC)
RETURNS April 10
EPISODES TO AIR 6

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (NBC)
RETURNS Possibly in fall
EPISODES TO AIR To be determined
INSIDE SCOOP NBC is weighing whether to bring back this low-rated critics' pick; if not, it could wind up on another network.

GHOST WHISPERER (CBS)
RETURNS April 4
EPISODES TO AIR 6

GOSSIP GIRL (The CW)
RETURNS Early April
EPISODES TO AIR 5 or 6
INSIDE SCOOP Pssst! The CW is strongly considering running new episodes of this cult freshman serial over the summer.

GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
RETURNS Late April
EPISODES TO AIR 4 or 5

HEROES (NBC)
RETURNS Fall 2008
EPISODES TO AIR 22+
INSIDE SCOOP Heroes plans to resume production in April; extra episodes could air next season. Story focus: supervillains on the loose!

HOUSE (Fox)
RETURNS To be determined
EPISODES TO AIR 4 or 5 planned

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (CBS)
RETURNS March 17
EPISODES TO AIR 9

LAW & ORDER: SVU (NBC)
RETURNS April 15
EPISODES TO AIR 5 or 6

LOST (ABC)
CURRENTLY AIRING For 10 episodes
INSIDE SCOOP Lost will take a break in mid-March before resuming the next month; the 16-episode season arc will be told in 13 episodes.

MOONLIGHT (CBS)
RETURNS April 11
EPISODES TO AIR 4

MY NAME IS EARL (NBC)
RETURNS April 3
EPISODES TO AIR 8+
INSIDE SCOOP On Earl's list: Atone for his absence. There's talk of expanding some of these eight episodes into hour-long affairs.

NCIS (CBS)
RETURNS April 8
EPISODES TO AIR 7

NUMB3RS (CBS)
RETURNS April 4
EPISODES TO AIR 6

THE OFFICE (NBC)
RETURNS April 10
EPISODES TO AIR 5 or 6

PRIVATE PRACTICE (ABC)
RETURNS Fall 2008
EPISODES TO AIR 13+

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (CBS)
RETURNS April 14
EPISODES TO AIR 6

SAMANTHA WHO? (ABC)
RETURNS Late March
EPISODES TO AIR 6+

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (NBC)
RETURNS Feb. 23
EPISODES TO AIR To be determined

SHARK (CBS)
RETURNS To be determined
EPISODES TO AIR 4

SMALLVILLE (The CW)
CURRENTLY AIRING For 8 episodes

30 ROCK (NBC)
RETURNS April 10
EPISODES TO AIR 5
INSIDE SCOOP What's in store? Spills Tina Fey via e-mail: ''Liz has a pregnancy scare.'' Even better, ''Jack may get called to serve his country.''

24 (Fox)
RETURNS Early '09
EPISODES TO AIR 24 (duh!)
INSIDE SCOOP For once, Jack Bauer isn't running out of time. Eight eps are done, and production will resume soon for an uninterrupted '09 season.

TWO AND A HALF MEN (CBS)
RETURNS March 17
EPISODES TO AIR 9

UGLY BETTY (ABC)
RETURNS Late April
EPISODES TO AIR 4 or 5
INSIDE SCOOP Exec producer Silvio Horta says a few plotlines will have to be tweaked. Which makes us wonder: Early labor for Wilhelmina?

WITHOUT A TRACE (CBS)
RETURNS April 3
EPISODES TO AIR 6

Saturday Night Live returns Feb 23 with host....TINA FEY! And then March 1, they will have Ellen Page (Juno).

13 February 2008

American Idol: Hollywood Round Favorites

I usually take it with a grain of salt when someone from Idol makes a claim about this season being “the best yet” or having the “best batch of talented singers”. But for American Idol 7, I think I would have to buckle under and believe it. Last night’s Hollywood round did deliver some of really good talents and as a fan of the show (and of music), I’ve rounded up my favorites. Rumors are going around, these people have made it Top 24, too… | Click for my American Idol Top Choices this week.

The Strike is OFFICIALLY OVER

Well, it was coming anyway, but just to put it on record...

The writers strike has officially ended.

The Writers Guild of America announced just before 7 p.m. that members voted to lift the strike order with a 92.5% endorsement. WGA West president Patric Verrone - the most visible figure during the 14-week strike - made the announcement.

"The strike is over," he said. "Our membership has voted, and writers can go back to work. This was not a strike we wanted, but one we had to conduct in order to win jurisdiction and establish appropriate residuals for writing in new media and on the Internet. Those advances now give us a foothold in the digital age. Rather than being shut out of the future of content creation and delivery, writers will lead the way as TV migrates to the Internet and platforms for new media are developed."

The official tally showed 3,492 voting yes and 283 voting no.

The announcement capped over three months of walking, talking, picketing, chanting, strategizing, ballyhoo and bluster from both sides as the long and winding road of the strike came to an end at a ballot box in Beverly Hills.

The vote on lifting the strike concluded a mere three days after the WGA cinched its contract agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in the wee hours of a Saturday morning. The strike vote was held over a 48-hour frame, with members able to vote in person at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills and Gotham's Crowne Plaza Hotel, or via fax.

Source

Tagged!

Dear friends,

Thanks for the tag! They're helping build up this site's presence. But I'm trying to build another blog, so I hope it's okay if I play tag over here. If I've tagged you, please check over there as well.

:)

Live from New York...it's Ellen Page!

Ellen Page is really the current favorite this season. She's scheduled to open Saturday Night Live. The show will be back on Feb 23, after a strike-imposed shutdown last November. No word on who the host will be but E! has reported Ellen will be there March 1st, a week after the Oscars, where she is nominated for Best Actress.

Big Brother 9 Opens tonight; Goes head to head with American Idol

The theme this season is all about pairings. Eviction would have to come in two's.



This is the first winter edition of Big Brother USA (they normally just air one season during summers) and will last 90 days.

12 February 2008

Pilot Watch: Still Untitled Project Resembling Juno

Here's the synopsis:

Fifteen-year-old Amy Nicholson, pregnant after having one uncomfortable sexual encounter with the school's Don Juan, Ricky, tries to figure out a way to deal with her dilemma, as all around her peers face the reality of their own sexual (or non-sexual) choices. Unable to face her loving but "nice" middle class parents, Amy confides in her best friends, Lauren and Madison, who are supportive but not too helpful, and struggles to deal with her feelings for Ricky at the same time she's being wooed by the sweet and possibly smitten Ben. | TV Guide

ABC Family, which carries Kyle XY and Greek, has already made a six-episode order for this yet untitled series, written by Brenda Hampton, who gave us 7th Heaven.

11 February 2008

Spoilers: J.J. Abrams' Fringe

An entry on IESB has claimed first dibs on the script of Fringe, a new series under development and written by J.J. Abrams. The series will star Joshua Jackson, as the high school drop-out with an IQ of 190, who will be teaming with a female FBI agent investigating the paranormal.

Here are some excerpts...
We begin – in true Abrams fashion -- on an airplane. Some mysterious fellow injects himself with a drug that causes his skin to melt. His skin melts someone else’s skin and their skin melts someone else’s skin and so on until no one’s got any skin left and the flight is nothing but monsterously deformed corpses.

At that same moment, our female lead Olivia Warren is having secret motel sex with her love, John Scott. Both are FBI agents and are forced to have this secret tryst to prevent their superiors from ripping apart their frowned-upon office romance.

John delivers one of the worst monologues ever committed to paper, confessing his true love and explaining why they must keep it secret at all costs.

For its pilot episode, the show has a spending budget of $10M. It's been described as a cross between Xfiles and Twilight Zone.

10 February 2008

Strike Watch: Pending votes, the strike is deemed OVER.

TV Junkies everywhere can start celebrating. A resolution to the strike has been reached, and pending votes, which should take place in the next 48 hours, the 3-month long strike is already over.
"There was cheering for everything and standing ovation after standing ovation for all the leadership, especially Patric Verrone and Dave Young. There is no question in my mind that because of the atmosphere in that room this strike will be called off. There is no gearing for a fight. It's over."

WGAW President Patric Verrone announced that there would be a vote of the membership over the next 48 hours on whether or not to lift the strike. Presumably this vote will be done electronically. I'm told that Verrone said specifically that the decision to call off the strike, regardless of the WGA Negotiating Committee's or the WGAW Board's or WGAE Council's recommendation, was to be in the hands of the membership. Pending that outcome, the 10-day ballotting process for members to accept the tentative deal would begin. So Hollywood may get back to work by Wednesday. | Deadline Hollywood

There are some kinks to iron out, mostly about legalities of the contract. But essentially, the fat lady sang. And it was a beautiful. :)

So where does that leave your favorite shows? Here's a quick rundown, courtesy of LA Times:

Airing new season in March, continuing production when workers are back:
# The Tudors
# Dirt

Likely To Come Back in March/April/May, with new episodes:
# Desperate Housewives
# Grey's Anatomy
# Samantha Who?
# Ugly Betty
# Boston Legal
# Brothers & Sisters
# Two and a Half Men
# How I Met Your Mother
# The Big Bang Theory
# NCIS
# Criminal Minds
# CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
# CSI: Miami
# CSI: NY
# Without a Trace
# Cold Case
# Ghost Whisperer
# Numb3rs
# Back to You
# 'Til Death
# Bones
# The Office
# 30 Rock
# Law & Order
# Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
# My Name Is Earl
# Medium
# ER
# Gossip Girl
# Smallville
# Supernatural
# One Tree Hill

Will probably be back next season (Sept 2008-May 2009):
# Private Practice
# Pushing Daisies
# Dirty Sexy Money
# Heroes
# Chuck

Will move to air next season (Sept 2008-May 2009):
# 24

No clear status yet (if up for renewal or not, if coming back to air or pushed to next season) :
# Women's Murder Club
# Cashmere Mafia (currently airing)
# Carpoolers
# Friday Night Lights
# Life
# Las Vegas
# Scrubs
# Lipstick Jungle (currently airing)
# Moonlight
# The New Adventures of Old Christine
# Welcome to the Captain (currently airing)
# The Unit
# Shark
# Rules of Engagement
# Jericho (1st of seven episodes done airing this Tuesday)
# Swingtown (not even aired yet)
# Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (currently airing)
# Aliens in America
# Girlfriends
# The Game
# Everybody Hates Chris
# Dexter
# Californication
# Brotherhood
# House
# Prison Break
# Reaper
# Miss/Guided (not even aired yet)
# Eli Stone (currently airing)

Presumed goners:
# Bionic Woman
# Cane
# K-Ville
# Life Is Wild

Strike Proof (Production completed, half-completed before strike, will air as scheduled):
# The Shield
# In Treatment (currently airing)
# Lost (currently airing)
# October Road (currently airing)
# Men in Trees (currently airing, or will air soon)

Summer Production will not be affected (to air later in the coming season):
# Damages
# Rescue Me
# Nip/Tuck
# It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
# Weeds
# Entourage
# Big Love
# Flight of the Conchords
# Tell Me You Love Me

I have nothing on Burn Notice and Greek, which should have began production already so that it would air in the Summer... Hmmm.

09 February 2008

They finally said it: Wilson is dating House!

From House's last episode (S4 E12)...

House: Oh, my God. What are you two doing here? I just had a sudden yen for fusion.
Wilson: (talking to Amber) I put a different restaurant in my date book. I’m firing my assistant.
Amber: That’s ok. Hi, Greg. And I call you Greg because now we’re social equals.
House: And I call you Cutthroat Bitch. I don’t try to hide what an ass I am.
Amber: I assume you’d like to join us? It’ll be easier to observe our interaction if you’re at the same table.
Wilson: If we ever get seated.
Amber: Excuse me.
Wilson: (Amber walks towards the host) No, no!

House: Look, now she’s going to hit him in the face with your testicles.
Wilson: She tends to treat…. She tends to treat every event like it’s the last copter out of Saigon.
House: She’s the Anti-Wilson. A force for evil.
Wilson: She has an annoying quality. Maybe two. If I was perfect, I’d date perfect.
Amber waved to them to join her at a table.
House: You liked that!
Wilson: It’s annoying, but she’s good at it.
House: Wait a second, you like her personality. You like that she’s conniving. You like that she has no regard for consequences. You like that she can humiliate someone if it serves… Oh my God! You’re sleeping with me.

Movie Tripping

Once again, managed to watch a few flicks with most TV shows out...

The choices have been interesting and varied. I saw a few crappy ones, especially the last one from this batch of images:

Sweeney Todd
Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer The Nanny Diaries (Widescreen Edition)Nancy Drew
Rocket Science Mr. Magorium\'s Wonder Emporium (Widescreen Edition)Once
Across the Universe (Two-Disc Special Edition) Martian Child The Kite Runner