It's the end of the year, I'm playing tag!

My last post for 2007 comes in a form of a tag via Honney and her new home online.

Here’s the rule: Remove 1 question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged. Whoever does the tag will have blessings from all.

1. At what age do you wish to marry? I told myself at 18, I'd marry at 25.
2. What color do you like most? Yellow
3. If you have the chance, what would you probably say to your beloved one? Right now it's "WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD!"
4. Where is the place that you want to go the most? Anywhere those racers from The Amazing Race go to.
5. Which part of you that you hate the most? My upper torso. It's a lot like Hayden Panettiere's of Heroes...only she's 18 and can get away with it. Get back to her 15 years from now, and we'll see.
6. When you encounter a sad moment, what would you do? Cry.
7. What are you afraid to lose the most? Family. This computer.
8. If you win $1 million, what would you do? Invest. Share. Spend.
9. If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her? Or would you keep it to yourself and observe from afar? If by celebrities I love, I'd observe from afar, worried that I might get a restraining order.
10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you. Sweet, pretty, devoted mother.
11. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half? Must Get Me.
12. Till now, what is the moment that you regret the most? I made a lot of mistakes. Have a lot to be sorry for. But I would do them all over again. Except those mistakes that cost me $. Those, I will never do again. LOL.
13. Which type of person do you hate the most? Stupid, ignorant people.
14. What is your ambition? Teacher, behind the scenes at a TV production, Librarian, Veterinarian, Pre-School owner, Forensic Scientist, Mother. I've got more but except for one, it all remained that --- ambitions.
15. If you had one wish what would you wish for? I would wish for more wishes. LOL!
16. How would you celebrate new year? Home, watching TV.
17 Name one of your body part your hubby or boyfriend tells you he adores. I have no idea anymore, LOL.
18. It would be 2008 in a few days, do you have a new year’s resolution? Can never fulfill it, so...no.
19. Who’s your role model? Recently, Nora Holden Walker.
20. [My question] What do you look forward to in 2008? A good change of pace.

Tagging back these bloglinks:
Agnes
Amor
Dyeni
Gwacie
Jannesse
Jhaney
Jho
Lelila

Thanks for playing!

Happy New Year!

Here come the new TV shows for 2008!

Cashmere Mafia

• Premieres Jan 6
• Based on the book by Candice Bushnell, the creator of "Sex and the City"
  
• Will it give Gossip Girl a run for most fashionable show on TV? Or is it Desperate Women in the Workplace? Or SATC2.0 or 10.0 judging by how many times every other show became "like Sex and the City"

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

• Premieres Jan 13
• Have they changed anything since I've last seen the pilot episode?

Breaking Bad

• Premieres Jan 20
• From the people who gave us XFiles. Although this isn't anything sci-fi, "Breaking Bad" means someone has reached a turning point and became far worse than he already is. Maybe it's like that movie, "Falling Down"? Stars that henpecked dad from "Malcolm In The Middle". Imagine him becoming bad?

In Treatment

• Premieres Jan. 28
• Stars Gabriel Byrne as a psychotherapist. Reminds me of the short-lived series Huff.
• Adapted from an Israeli TV Series.

Eli Stone

• Premieres Jan. 31
• From the same people who gave us "Brothers & Sisters" and "Dirty Sexy Money".
• I've already watched the pilot, giggled at some scenes, I quite enjoyed it. I will definitely be tuning to this one.

Welcome to The Captain

• Premieres Feb 4
• From the teasers alone, I think I'm also going to follow this.

Lipstick Jungle

• Premieres Feb. 7
• The other series that's similar to Cashmere Mafia (see first video). But between the two, I prefer CM over this.

Quarterlife

• Premieres Feb 18
• It's a show for this generation of bloggers, video bloggers and social networking on the internet. It's not a gadget or tech show, make no mistake.

New Amsterdam

• Premieres Feb 22
• See my mini-review here.

[Cashmere Mafia], [Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles], [Breaking Bad], [In Treatment],[Eli Stone], [Welcome to The Captain], [Lipstick Jungle], [Quarterlife], [New Amsterdam]

My Top List for 2007

After providing you all those Top TV 2007 links from credible reviewers in my past entries, it's now my turn. I am in no means credible as they are and there are so much more shows I need to check (but I've been lazy to do so) but indulge me please. :)

It has not been a banner year for TV this season and for me personally, as I've said this a couple of times before --- I have been hating 2007. It's been bad, yes. But there's also a tiny glimmer of hope and sunshine every now and then. It's the same for some of the shows I have watched this year....that tiny glimmer of hope and sunshine.

On hindsight, I think I would remember this year and this season best. Mostly because of the things I had to weather through (life-lessons learned) and the shows TV had to offer (short as the are, they were some of the best shows I've watched in a while).

On with the recognition...

Best Reality Series: The Amazing Race. The show is still doing it for me after a dozen installments. With some reality shows, I'd just as soon walk away from it because it has become predictable and, well, scripted in a way. Not so with TAR, which promises and consistently brings something different every time. This current season run has also been great for the show, as it earns one of its highest rated episodes ever (Season Premiere for TAR 12).

Guilty Pleasure: Big Brother And I'm not talking about the Pinoy Edition...because that, I had given up. I'm referring to the crazy edition that is Big Brother USA 8 last summer. Watching people connive against each other is a form of escapism, which is what the show promotes. I will and cannot ever do that in real life. But on TV, as bad as this may sound, I enjoy real people doing it...and for what? Money!! It's the lowest form of entertainment, but 7-8 Million people find something amusing in that. I'm glad I'm not inside the house but I'm equally thrilled people go crazy in there.

Best Comedy: It's a triple tie!

• The Office - this season wasn't there best but having to dissect through each episode for Watchingtheoffice makes me appreciate it more than usual.
  
• Samantha Who? - it's a surprise hit and surprisingly very funny
  
• Ugly Betty - its second season has edged over the first, and save for annoying Betty, I'm enjoying everyone else's part in this series.
  

Runner-Up: 30 Rock - when people said last year it was like Arrested Development, I couldn't see the comparison. Now I do.

A comedy I could not undertand: Flight of Conchords - I tried to get pass two episodes at least. I just don't get it. Is the singing supposed to be funny? It made me sleep, really.

Best Drama: Brothers and Sisters - hands-down. A sappy family drama that manages to produce some clever writing in there. Sure it borders on daytime soap almost (that's like telenovela for us here ---- incredible story lines and all that drama) but I need that kind of drama once in a while.

Runners-up:

• Lost - the ending made me get up my seat and wail, "Noooooo!"
  
• I would've picked Friday Night Lights but I haven't been so invested in it like last season. It's still a good show, though and I remain a regular viewer. But there's just something missing. Maybe after the strike, I'll find what I'm looking for in it.
  

Best New Series: Pushing Daisies. I have ran out of adjectives to praise it.

Runners-Up:

• Chuck - I'm glad I invested in it, because the show got better and better with each episode
  
• Dirty Sexy Money - here's another family story that is a cross between Brothers and Sisters/Arrested Development. What's not to love about that?
• Burn Notice - Like Samantha Who? I was mighty surprised at how entertaining this show was. I welcome it's return in mid-2008.
  

Wishing it bars up: Life - I enjoy the series, I love Damian Lewis (haaaay....). But as with any procedural crime series, I would memorize the sequence and routine by now. Although, that isn't so bad since it's the same feeling I have for House. And to this day, I still love that show.

Worth Checking Out:

• Greek - an entertaining college comedy
  
• Damages - with Glenn Close. Glenn Close is enough reason to watch it.

Will watch again before 2008 is here:

• Mad Men - I think I stopped watching after episode four. I think I got insulted at how they treated women...can't remember exactly. But I'm convinced to give it another try after reading all those reviews and praises.
  

I have watched too much TV in 2007!

CANCELED/SHOW IS OVER:
Andy Barker, PI
Big Shots
Carpoolers
Dresden Files
Drive
Extras
Grease, You're the One I Want
Felicity
In Case of Emergency
Journeyman
Justice
Kidnapped
Knights of Prosperity
On The Lot
Painkiller Jane
Pinoy Big Brother Season 2
Rome
Sopranos
Standoff
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
The Black Donnelly's
The Class
The Job
The Kill Point
The Wedding Bells
Traveler

CABLE VIEWING:
American Dad
America's Next Top Model
Family Guy
Late Night With Conan O' Brien
MadTV
Project Runway
That 70's Show
The Late Show with David Letterman
Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Without A Trace

NOT FINISHED/DROPPED FROM LINE-UP:
Aliens in America
America's Most Smartest Model
Big Brother Aus
Big Brother UK
Bionic Woman
Creature Comforts
Criminal Minds
Dexter
Dirt
Dr. Who
Flight of Conchords
Gossip Girl
Kyle XY
October Road
Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2
Prison Break
Reaper
Supernatural

WILL CONTINUE WATCHING:
24
30 Rock
American Idol
Australian Idol
Back To You
Battlestar Gallactica
Big Brother US
Brothers & Sisters
Californication
Chuck
Damages
Everybody Hates Chris
Friday Night Lights
Grey's Anatomy
Heroes
House, MD
How I Met Your Mother
Jekyll
Kid Nation
Last Comic Standing
Lost
Meadowlands
My Name Is Earl
Private Practice
Pushing Daisies
Robin Hood
Scrubs
Smallville
The Amazing Race
The Big Bang Theory
The Office
The Riches
The Shield
Ugly Betty
My Boys
Mad Men

So, how were the shows you've watched this year?

Online Comedy from SilverPolish Productions

I received an invite in my email last week, pointing me to Silver Polish Productions, a group composed of three young men who makes webisodes for airing on YouTube. They currently have five 2-minute episodes there and it's a story about two guys who are bent on making their first major movie.

Going with satire and comedy, the writing and acting aren't exactly Emmy-worthy but for first-timers, I see a lot of potential. As it is an independent production for the web, with none of that TV magic we are so used to, I expected little from it in terms of the technical side. And yet, surprisingly, they were able to produce a little show worth spending a couple of minutes of your time.

Where this may bring, it's still a matter of time before we know it. But I am glad that with the strike forcing the likes of me, a TV junkie to go on a TV Diet, I found another alternative. I'll be looking forward to more webisodes.

Here's the first episode from Silver Polish Productions (there's more on their official site):




[Silver Polish Productions]

Heroes Villains Teaser

Apparently, at least five episodes of Volume 3 (which is technically still part of Heroes Season 2) has been done even before the Writers' Strike. These episodes are awaiting NBC's decision on when to air it. Because of the strike, it has obviously been pushed.

Just before Christmas, this video teaser of Villains surfaced on the internet. According to TV Guide, these are scenes from Episode 12 and 13, following the closing of the chapter, Generations:

So before I start with the information about Volume 3, we got a confirmation today that one of the 3 (yes 3)...alternate endings had Nathan dying via the virus. This was rumored as the possible Vol. 2 finale, but was changed at the last moment. However, we were unable to get a confirmation about the other two endings because they still might be used somehow.

Now for Volume 3. I have some interesting news....which could be considered great, but not so great because it all depends on the strike...!?

So a very good source for Heroes just confirmed to me that almost 5 episodes of Heroes Vol. 3 have been filmed and that about 8 episodes were written. This is very interesting news because I have not heard them talk about this any where and I am kind of curious why they would not want to air what they might have.

Well apparently it is all up to NBC who is waiting to see what happens with the strike.

Our source also confirmed that the volume that was called Exodus might actually occur after all and they called it Volume 2.5. For those of you that have no idea what Exodus is, well apparently Volume 3 was initially called Exodus, but was scrapped when the ratings were being hurt and then the writer's strike occurred.

Plus, there seems to be that there is still a possibility that Origins could happen!! The highly anticipated spin-off was indefinitely canceled after the strike began, but there is a back door chance that Origins will still happen.

So depending on how soon this strike can get cleared up there might be an opportunity for us to get some new episodes....!!

Now like I said this is great info, but unless we get some sort of news from the strike I do NOT see NBC airing any episodes unless it seems like there is a natural cliffhanger with the current lot of available scripts and episodes.

So I wish I hand someting more, but for now this is all we have.

Via this myspace blog

[Heroes]

Knight Rider Teaser

Will Arnett, formerly of Arrested Development (as Gob Bluth) and husband of SNL star Amy Poehler, lends his voice to Knight Rider's KITT in the 2008 remake of the said television series.

The teaser below:



[Knight Rider], [Will Arnett]

More TV Top 10 for 2007

Briefly...

• Spent the most part of Christmas rewatching episodes of Band of Brothers. With all the shows I could choose to watch and catch-up on, my holiday spirit beckons I should watch this series again. It's been six years but I still am in awe of its beautiful story. And I've been crushing on Damien Lewis big time, hah!
  
• Watched the pilot episode of Eli Stone. Its got that Ally McBeal feel to it. Not as wacky but definitely funnier. When it's going to air on TV isn't set yet. But I would wait in anticipation for succeeding episodes. I couldn't get that George Michael song off my head either.

And on to more important things: the Top TV List gathered from all over the net. Hover on the listed entries to follow:

1 Best and Worst of 2007 TV from Globe And Mail

2 Best of TV 2007 from Star Telegram

3 Breakout Stars of 2007 from New York Post

4 Breakout Stars of 2007 from Film.Com

5 The Underrated Stars of 2007 from Zap2it

6 TV Gal's Favorite...
- TV Moments of 2007
- Characters of 2007
- Quotes of 2007
- Shows of 2007
(not much new shows from her, though)

7 The Watcher's Top 10 for 2007

8 Chicago Sun-Times Top 10 for 2007

9 Entertainment Weekly's Best and Worst TV of 2007

10 TV Guy's Top 10

Most common on all those list? MAD MEN.

Christmas 2007

Dear folks,

I bring you my favorite Christmas song.

May you have a blessed Christmas.....

Minds

SAG Nominations

Screen Actors Guild Awards airs on January 27. And the Actor may go to....

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

• JAMES GANDOLFINI / Tony Soprano – “The Sopranos” (HBO)
• MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan – “Dexter” (Showtime)
• JON HAMM / Don Draper – “Mad Men” (AMC)
• HUGH LAURIE / Dr. Gregory House – “House” (FOX)
• JAMES SPADER / Alan Shore – “Boston Legal” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

• GLENN CLOSE / Patty Hewes – “Damages” (FX)
• EDIE FALCO / Carmela Soprano – “The Sopranos” (HBO)
• SALLY FIELD / Nora Walker – “Brothers & Sisters” (ABC)
• HOLLY HUNTER / Grace Hanadarko – “Saving Grace” (TNT)
• KYRA SEDGWICK / Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson – “The Closer” (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

• ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy – “30 Rock” (NBC)
• STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott – “The Office” (NBC)
• RICKY GERVAIS / Andy Millman – “Extras” (NBC)
• JEREMY PIVEN / Ari Gold – “Entourage” (HBO)
• TONY SHALHOUB / Adrian Monk – “Monk” (USA)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

• CHRISTINA APPLEGATE / Samantha Newly – “Samantha Who?” (ABC)
• AMERICA FERRERA / Betty Suarez – “Ugly Betty” (ABC)
• TINA FEY / Liz Lemon – “30 Rock” (NBC)
• MARY-LOUISE PARKER / Nancy Botwin – “Weeds” (Showtime)
• VANESSA WILLIAMS / Wilhelmina Slater – “Ugly Betty” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

• BOSTON LEGAL (ABC)
• THE CLOSER (TNT)
• GREY’S ANATOMY (ABC)
• MAD MEN (AMC)
• THE SOPRANOS (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

• 30 ROCK (NBC)
• DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
• ENTOURAGE (HBO)
• THE OFFICE (NBC)
• UGLY BETTY (ABC)

WHAT?! NO PUSHING DAISIES! No Brothers and Sisters for Ensemble Drama? >:( Booooo!

[Screen Actors Guild Awards],

Pinay Pride on Ellen

She's the current toast of Filipinos everywhere. Fifteen year-old Charice Pempengco, was first discovered at age 12, in a local network's singing competition. A year later, when someone posted videos of her performance on YouTube, the world took notice. Including Ellen de Generes who often finds raw and interesting talents on the video sharing website to feature in her show.




[Charice Pempengco], [Ellen de Generes]

2007 TV Highs and Lows

ABC

High

• Gave us Pushing Daisies, a show which had lots of promise. Despite what naysayers claimed, it delivered
• Gave us Samantha Who? It doesn't have the best story line, at best it's so-so...but you've gotta love all the women in this show.
• Gave us Dirty Sexy Money, the Gossip Girl for the older set.
• Solid ratings for Grey's Anatomy despite the poor storyline.
• Amazing comeback of Desperate Housewives, which I read is back to its Season 1 form in terms of plot development.
• Will give us Lost Season 4 in Jan. 31
  

Low

• Cavemen. Enough said

CBS

High

• Gave us back to back episodes of The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother
• Still holds CSI's lead, even while Sara leaves the show.
• Gave us Kid Nation...whatever you say, that show was better than expected.
  

Low

• Cane, Viva Laughlin. Enough said.

FOX

Satisfactory

• House shake-up. Gave us new characters who are thankfully interesting. But it isn't quite like before.
  

Low

• 24 Season 6
• The upset that is KVille.
• The disappointing Back To You, which started on fire but quickly fizzled out.

NBC
Satisfactory

• Picking up Life and Chuck for the season.
• Retaining 30 Rock and Friday Night Lights.
• Over-all programs on NBC are top-notch, when speaking of quality. They just can't get viewers to watch it.

Low

• Bionic Woman didn't live up to the hype
• Cancelation of Journeyman
• Heroes was bad the first half of Season 2.

Cable Programming
High

• Damages and Mad Men
• The end of The Sopranos was both high and low. Confusing ending, which upon evaluation, was the perfect ending. But it's sad the show is gone on air.
  

EW's Best TV Episodes of 2007

Read the stories behind these pictures on
Entertainment Weekly

[Best TV of 2007]

Extras Finale was Extra Fantastic!

Extras is British produced TV series about best friends Andy (Ricky Gervais) and Maggie (Ashley Jensen, Christina of Ugly Betty to most people) who are working their way towards becoming bonafide actors in the glitzy world of entertainment. Along the way, they have to deal with demoralizing situations faced by a movie/tv bit player, or what Andy calls as a "background performer".

The show is particularly interesting because not only does it have an amazing guest list of big named Hollywood stars playing appalling versions of themselves (Daniel Radcliff, Kate Winslet, Ben Stiller, Clive Owen), its brand of comedy is the kind Gervais and co-writer Stephen Merchant is known for: cringe comedy, self incriminating comedy, characters making a fool of themselves. And yet it works with viewers because those cringe-worthy situations are applicable in real life. We empathize with the characters. We know how it feels to be embarrassed.

In Season 1, viewers are showed how Andy and Maggie cope with their jobs as bit players, in that it's never easy to break into the business. In Season 2, Maggie is still a struggling extra while Andy becomes a popular TV comedy actor. His show is a top-rater in the UK but because it was a character that had to wear silly wigs and say funny catchlines (that loses its luster eventually), Andy gets no respect as an "actor". He has the money but no integrity.

In the 80-minute season finale that aired this week, Andy has decided he's had enough of his current job. He tries to get what he can't have: respect as an actor. He quits his TV series and hires a new agent who promises him bigger things. But all his agent gives him are things he didn't want: photo ops with slutty celebs, roles in crappy hit TV series, more fame but no Oscar award. He wants a job that would make the industry take him seriously.

Maggie, in the meantime, gives up on becoming a bit player. She's getting old, acting parts for her age bracket are scarce and she can't forever be a background performer. In contrast to Andy, Maggie just wants whatever TV job she can get and it wasn't happening anymore. With no savings, she moves in a pathetic apartment and gets a job as a cleaning lady.

In a very interesting twist....Andy joins UK's Celebrity Big Brother --- which is like saying that's where desperate actors go to revive their sagging careers. At one point, Andy realizes what he has made for himself and attempts to speak his mind on Big Brother:



If anyone else is wondering why Ricky Gervais wins actor trophies over better known celebrities, there's why. To deliver a performance like that is extra special.

[Extras], [Ricky Gervais], [Ashley Jensen]

The X Factor UK - Leon

Once again, I made a mistake in predicting the winner for this year's XFactor, a singing contest ala-Idols in the UK. Psychic, I'm definitely not.

Who won? The Darkhorse - Leon.

Everytime Leon performed in the earlier rounds, I would cringe or fast forward the video, because more often than not, he'd have pitch problems. But 3 weeks before the finals, he grew into his craft. He sounded better. The song choice was better. A contest like this does really something to one's confidence, no?

The Winner's Song was When You Believe (from the animated movie Prince of Egypt) and Leon's style --- something that can be mildly compared to Bing Crosby, fit it better. So maybe that's why he won.


LEON, Winner X Factor

Rhydian, the runner up I thought was gonna win it, did a good rendition as well. But it lacked the heart Leon gave to the song:


RHYDIAN, Runner Up

The finale was an absolute treat. The contestants were made to sing a total of four songs and every number was entertaining.

Watch finale videos on the official YouTube Channel for The X Factor.

[The X Factor], [The X Factor Leon], [The X Factor Rhydian]

News Links

I'm actually veeeeeeeeeeery exhausted today so, instead of a chatty post, would you care for some TV news links?

• Watch the extended trailer of LOST SEASON 4
• Who was killed on Dexter's Season 2 Finale (Spoiler)?
• Leno and Conan return on Jan. 2. Dang! I've got no more ETC on cable that time.
• Top TV Moments of 2007 from EW
• Bionic Cancelation?
• Survivor's next edition starts Feb 7: Fans vs. All Star Favorites. Maybe I will watch that this time.
  
• I AM GONNA WATCH THE SERIES FINALE OF EXTRAS! Whoohooo!
• Finally, a Samatha Who Interview ... tried searching for any Samantha Who stuff on the net before, found little I'm interested about
  

Jump and dance to this, I dare you....

Oooh dear lord....I'm trying to resist posting this, but my fingers aren't listening. It's cheesy as mozzarellas! But I love mozzarellas. So it goes without saying I love this piece of....crap. LOL! No, it's not crap, I take that back. It's...iconic? Just watch and listen. Or get up and dance.



As a five or six year old, this was the TV theme song I always jumped and danced to whenever I hear it on TV. I think I was even encouraged to take Hawaiian dance lessons because of this.

Wheeee, am shakin' my booty!

[Hawaii Five O Theme Song]

Dead Like Me Movie Trailer

Dead Like Me was a TV series that ran two seasons and inspired the critically acclaimed show Pushing Daisies.

It's a story of a young girl named George who is killed in the pilot episode (via a freak accident) and becomes one of the "grim reapers". In every episode, George has to find people who are about to die (or become dead...like her), take their souls and guide them to the afterlife.

The show is now made into a movie (or direct to DVD?) and here's a first look at the trailer:



[Dead Like Me]

AFI's Top 10 TV Series for 2007

Dexter
Everybody Hates Chris
Friday Night Lights
Longford
Mad Men
Pushing Daisies
The Sopranos
Tell Me You Love Me
30 Rock
Ugly Betty

• I've no idea what Longford is...so I let my fingers do the walking and found out it's not exactly a series but a TV Movie. | Read: Longford
• I tried watching Tell Me You Love Me, which Time Magazine also picked as its Top 10 --- I COULDN'T STAND IT.
• Mad Men is consistently on the "honors list". It will win one major award, is what I predict.

Source AFI

[AFI Top 10 TV Series 2007]

The X Factor UK - Rhydian

I think I haven't made an entry for this year's X Factor competition, have I? The talent show, headed by Simon Cowell, is on its fourth season in the UK. Shayne Ward started here and although he isn't quite popular in the Philippines, he's pretty well-known in some parts of Asia.

The X Factor also discovered Leona Lewis, who Simon says is going to be the next Mariah Carey. Nearing her first year as a professional recording artist, Leona is making a name in the UK....the rest of the world will come in the future.

This year's competition featured a guy with a unique vocal timbre --- Rhydian. He is classically trained but he's doing his best dishing out contemporary songs. When he first auditioned, he was this cocky bloke who thought he was God's gift to the show. And you know what? I wasn't so impressed by his attitude at first, but as the weeks progressed he has proven himself to be humble performer and showed me why he had the right to brag about his singing ability.

Here's why:


"Phantom of the Opera"


"You Raised Me Up"


"Bridge Over Troubled Waters"

Last Saturday, the contestants were down to three (from originally 12) and of course Rhydian was in it. The grand finals is tonight and If I were the lone judge, it's no contest. He will definitely win it over the competition.

[Rhydian], [The X Factor]

It is done...

After two days, I think I am done with tweaking this site's new template. I couldn't figure out how to fix my post footers, since the comment link is way bigger than I would like it to be. But I can't read too much into the codes, I know very little CSS.

For now this would do. So...ta-dah!!! Welcome to a new TOO MUCH TV blog!

ABC Line Up In January

I've covered NBC and CBS late winter to early spring schedules respectively. And yesterday, ABC has released theirs. It's a relief to know Lost is definitely going to be back! For awhile, news surfaced claiming it was returning in April. Lost will take over Grey's Anatomy when the episodes run out. A Thursday slot for Lost, which used to air on Wednesdays? Will the move pay-off? I'm guessing it might, since it's the only series with a fresh episode in this line-up. It's up against Celebrity Apprentice and a very tired season of Smallville.

Also, great to know Samantha Who? has remaining episodes left. It might just be able to complete the season if the strike is over by January. Big Shots is still in the line-up because it has three episodes to go. The show was canceled just days ago. Looking forward to the new show Cashmere Mafia. Yay for Miranda Otto!

MONDAY (JAN)
8:00 p.m. "Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann"
9:30 p.m. "Notes from the Underbelly"
10:00 p.m. "October Road"

MONDAY (FEB)
8:00 p.m. "Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann"
9:00 p.m. "Samantha Who?"
9:30 p.m. "Notes from the Underbelly"
10:00 p.m. "October Road"

MONDAY (MAR)
8:00 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars"
9:30 p.m. "Samantha Who?"
10:00 p.m. "The Bachelor"

TUESDAY
8:00 p.m. "Just for Laughs"
8:30 p.m. "Just for Laughs"
9:00 p.m. "According to Jim"
9:30 p.m. "Carpoolers"
10:00 p.m. "Boston Legal"

TUESDAY (MAR)
8:00 p.m. "Just for Laughs"
8:30 p.m. "Just for Laughs"
9:00 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars the Results Show"
10:00 p.m. "Boston Legal"

WEDNESDAY
8:00 p.m. "Wife Swap"
9:00 p.m. "Supernanny"
10:00 p.m. "Cashmere Mafia" ("MEN IN TREES" beginning Feb 27)

THURSDAY (JAN)
8:00 p.m. "Ugly Betty"
9:00 p.m. "Grey's Anatomy"
10:00 p.m. "Big Shots" (after special premiere of "Cashmere Mafia" on Jan 3)

THURSDAY (FEB)
8:00 p.m. "Ugly Betty"
9:00 p.m. "Lost"
10:00 p.m. "Eli Stone"

FRIDAY 8:00 p.m.
Drama encores
9:00 p.m. Drama encores
10:00 p.m. "20/20"

SUNDAY (MAR) 7:00 p.m.
"America's Funniest Home Videos"
8:00 p.m. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
9:00 p.m. "Oprah's Big Give"
10:00 p.m. "Desperate Housewives"

Writers Guild TV Nominees 2007-2008

Even as they are picketing in front of the studios, the Writers Guild takes a break to honor their own in this year's nominees for the WGA Awards:

DRAMATIC SERIES

• DEXTER, Written by Scott Buck, Daniel Cerone, Drew Z. Greenberg, Lauren Gussis, Kevin Maynard, Clyde Phillips, Scott Reynolds, Melissa Rosenberg, Tim Schlattman; Showtime
• FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, Written by Bridget Carpenter, Kerry Ehrin, Carter Harris, Elizabeth Heldens, David Hudgins, Jason Katims, Patrick Massett, Andy Miller, Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, John Zinman; NBC
• MAD MEN, Written by Lisa Albert, Bridget Bedard, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Tom Palmer, Chris Provenzano, Robin Veith, Matthew Weiner; AMC
• THE SOPRANOS, Written by David Chase, Diane Frolov, Andrew Schneider, Matthew Weiner, Terence Winter; HBO
• THE WIRE, Written by Ed Burns, Chris Collins, Dennis Lehane, David Mills, George Pelecanos, Richard Price, David Simon, William F. Zorzi; HBO

COMEDY SERIES

• CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, Written by Larry David; HBO
• ENTOURAGE, Written by Marc Abrams, Lisa Alden, Michael Benson, Brian Burns, Doug Ellin, Alex Gansa, Tim Griffin, Dusty Kay, Stephen Levinson, Ally Musika, Wes Nickerson, Rob Weiss; HBO
• FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, Written by Damon Beesley, James Bobin, Jemaine Clement, Eric Kaplan, Bret McKenzie, Iain Morris, Duncan Sarkies, Paul Simms, Taika Waititi; HBO
• THE OFFICE, Written by Steve Carell, Jennifer Celotta, Greg Daniels, Lee Eisenberg, Anthony Farrell, Brent Forrester, Mindy Kaling, Ryan Koh, Lester Lewis, Paul Lieberstein, B.J. Novak, Michael Schur, Justin Spitzer, Gene Stupnitsky, Caroline Williams, Larry Wilmore; NBC
• 30 ROCK, Written by Brett Baer, Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Dave Finkel, Daisy Gardner, Donald Glover, Matt Hubbard, Jon Pollack, John Riggi, Tami Sagher, Ron Weiner; NBC
  

NEW SERIES

• DAMAGES, Written by Jeremy Doner, Mark Fish, Davey Holmes, Glenn Kessler, Todd A. Kessler, Willie Reale, Adam Stein, Aaron Zelman, Daniel Zelman; FX
• FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, Written by Damon Beesley, James Bobin, Jemaine Clement, Eric Kaplan, Bret McKenzie, Iain Morris, Duncan Sarkies, Paul Simms, Taika Waititi; HBO
• MAD MEN, Written by Lisa Albert, Bridget Bedard, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Tom Palmer, Chris Provenzano, Robin Veith, Matthew Weiner; AMC
• PUSHING DAISIES, Written by Chad Gomez Creasey, Dara Resnik Creasey, Bryan Fuller, Abby Gewanter, Jim Danger Gray, Lisa Joy, Kath Lingenfelter, Rina Mimoun, Jack Monaco, Scott Nimerfro, Peter Ocko; ABC
• THE SARAH SILVERMAN PROGRAM, Written by Dan Fybel, Rich Rinaldi, Rob Schrab, Jon Schroeder, Sarah Silverman, Dan Sterling, Harris Wittels; Comedy Central

The ceremony will be in February 2008.

[Writers Guild Awards]

TV Nominations: Golden Globes & Satellite Awards 2007

I'm putting the nominations of these two award giving bodies together since they are essentially the same group: The Foreign Press. Although Satellite Awards broke away from the Golden Globe group and their ceremony will be days ahead of the other one. Have they nominated the same shows or people? And who's the more credible body?

Miniseries or Movie

Golden Globes: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," HBO; "The Company," TNT; "Five Days," HBO; "Longford," HBO; "The State Within," BBC America.

Satellite: [MINISERIES]“Jane Eyre” BBC/WGBH; “The Starter Wife” USA Network; “The Company” TNT; “Five Days” HBO; “The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard” BBC/Kudos Productions. [MOVIE] “The Wind And The Willows” Masterpiece Theater, PBS/BBC; “Mitch Albom’s For One More Day” ABC; “Longford” HBO/Channel 4; “Life Support” HBO; “The Trial Of Tony Blair” Channel 4 Television; “Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee” HBO.

Actress, Miniseries or Movie

Golden Globes: Bryce Dallas Howard, "As You Like It"; Debra Messing, "The Starter Wife"; Queen Latifah, "Life Support"; Sissy Spacek, "Pictures of Hollis Woods"; Ruth Wilson, "Jane Eyre (Masterpiece Theatre)."

Satellite: Ruth Wilson ”Jane Eyre” BBC/WGBH; Ellen Burstyn “Mitch Albom’s For One More Day” ABC; Samantha Morton ”Longford” HBO/Channel 4, Queen Latifah “Life Support” HBO; Debra Messing “The Starter Wife” USA Network; Sharon Small “Inspector Lynley Mysteries” PBC/BBC.

Actor, Miniseries or Movie

Golden Globes: Adam Beach, "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee"; Ernest Borgnine, "A Grandpa for Christmas"; Jim Broadbent, "Longford"; Jason Isaacs, "The State Within"; James Nesbitt, "Jekyll."

Satellite: Toby Stephens “Jane Eyre” BBC; Jim Broadbent “Longford” HBO/Channel 4; Robert Lindsay “The Trial Of Tony Blair” Channel 4 Television, Aidan Quinn “Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee” HBO; David Oyelowo “Five Days” HBO; Tom Selleck “Jesse Stone: Sea Change” CBS.

Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie

Golden Globes: Ted Danson, "Damages"; Kevin Dillon, "Entourage"; Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"; Andy Serkis, "Longford"; William Shatner, "Boston Legal"; Donald Sutherland, "Dirty Sexy Money."

Satellite: Andy Serkis “Longford” HBO/Channel 4, Michael Emerson “Lost”ABC;
Masi Oka “Heroes” NBC; Justin Kirk “Weeds” Showtime Networks; T.R. Knight “Grey’s Anatomy” ABC; Harry Dean Stanton “Big Love” HBO; David Zayas “Dexter” Showtime Networks.

Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie

Golden Globes: Rose Byrne, "Damages"; Rachel Griffiths, "Brothers & Sisters"; Katherine Heigl, "Grey's Anatomy"; Samantha Morton, "Longford"; Anna Paquin, "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee"; Jaime Pressly, "My Name Is Earl."

Satellite: Vanessa Williams “Ugly Betty” ABC, Judy Davis “The Starter Wife “USA Network, Chandra Wilson “Grey’s Anatomy” ABC, Jaime Pressly “My Name Is Earl” NBC; Polly Bergen “Desperate Housewives” ABC; Rachel Griffiths “Brothers And Sisters” ABC.

Series, Drama

Golden Globes: "Big Love," HBO; "Damages," FX Networks; "Grey's Anatomy," ABC; "House," Fox; "Mad Men," AMC; "The Tudors," Showtime.

Satellite: “The Riches” FX Network; “Dexter” Showtime; “Mad Men” AMC; “Friday Night Lights” NBC; “Grey’s Anatomy” ABC; “Brothers And Sisters” ABC.

Actress, Drama

Golden Globes: Patricia Arquette, "Medium"; Glenn Close, "Damages"; Minnie Driver, "The Riches"; Edie Falco, "The Sopranos"; Sally Field, "Brothers & Sisters"; Holly Hunter, "Saving Grace"; Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer."

Satellite: Minnie Driver “The Riches” FX Network; Kyra Sedgwick “The Closer” TNT; Ellen Pompeo “Grey’s Anatomy” ABC; Sally Field “Brothers And Sisters” ABC; Jeanne Tripplehorn “Big Love” HBO; Glenn Close “Damages” FX Network.

Actor, Drama

Golden Globes: Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"; Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"; Hugh Laurie, "House"; Jonathan Rhys Meyers, "The Tudors"; Bill Paxton, "Big Love."

Satellite: Eddie Izzard “The Riches” FX Network; Michael C. Hall “Dexter” Showtime; James Woods “Shark” CBS; Hugh Laurie “House” Fox; Bill Paxton “Big Love” HBO; Denis Leary “Rescue Me” FX Network.

Series, Musical or Comedy

Golden Globes: "30 Rock," NBC; "Californication," Showtime; "Entourage," HBO; "Extras," HBO; "Pushing Daisies," ABC.

Satellite: “Ugly Betty” ABC; “Flight Of The Concords” HBO; “Extras” HBO; “Chuck” NBC; “Weeds” USA; “Pushing Daisies” ABC.

Actress, Musical or Comedy

Golden Globes: Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?"; America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"; Tina Fey, "30 Rock"; Anna Friel, "Pushing Daisies"; Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds."

Satellite: America Ferrera “Ugly Betty” ABC; Tina Fey “30 Rock” NBC; Julia Louis-Dreyfus “The New Adventures Of Old Christine” CBS; Felicity Huffman “Desperate Housewives” ABC; Anna Friel “Pushing Daisies” ABC; Patricia Heaton “Back To You” Fox

Actor, Musical or Comedy

Golden Globes: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"; Steve Carell, "The Office"; David Duchovny, "Californication"; Ricky Gervais, "Extras"; Lee Pace, "Pushing Daisies."

Satellite: Lee Pace “Pushing Daisies” ABC; Alec Baldwin “30 Rock” NBC; Steve Carell “The Office” NBC; Stephen Colbert “The Colbert Report” Comedy Central; Ricky Gervais “Extras” HBO; Zachary Levi “Chuck” NBC.

[Golden Globes], [Satellite Awards]

Lost Season 4 Trailer - High Quality

As shown in a New York movie threater:



Whoooweee!

[Lost]

Almost done...

Site changes are nearly complete. I stayed up till 2 AM last night, figuring out what I really want for this blog. And then woke up at 5 AM, still without any direction.

I wish I could stick with my aqua green theme, but it just doesn't work with this template. I've decided to keep it plain and simple with the color. For whatever reason, I am partial to a lot of browns lately. Brown is the color of poverty, LOL....and with Christmas depleting most of my cash flow, I'm definitely in that state right now. Then again, brown is the color of the earth....which is actually my element. :)

I'm trying to come up with a newspaper feel for this site, with the photos and the ads providing the loud colors, while everything else is basic and subdued. Are you getting that vibe?

I'm still not done....working on a good lay-out. As if there's still so much more I can do here. Darn free blog host! I've got 690+ post on this blog. It's too difficult to migrate to another server now.

Keep tuned in...

Don't Panic!

There isn't much I can do to change the look of TOO MUCH TV completely. But I'm still going for a site make-over, as this blog badly needs it.

Stay tuned...

Pushing Daisies S1 E9 Corpsicle

Episode Summary: After a shocking turn of events, Ned tries to make peace with Chuck. Meanwhile, Emerson tries to get him to concentrate on their latest case, an insurance adjustor found frozen solid. And scent expert Oscar Vibenius (guest star Paul Reubens) returns, trying to figure out what’s so different about Chuck and Digby.


RECAP HERE
*If you don't see it yet, please check back 10 AM Eastern Time

[Pushing Daisies]

It's official: Journeyman canceled

I just wrote about it earlier, but now it's official. Journeyman's journey has indeed ended.

The journey is coming to an end for NBC's freshman series "Journeyman."

NBC had until Tuesday to give a full-season pickup to the time-travel drama starring KevinMcKidd. The network let that option lapse, practically canceling the 20th Century Fox TV-produced series, which posted its lowest adults 18-49 rating (1.7 rating/8 share) on Monday without a "Heroes" lead-in. The network already tried out "Life" in "Journeyman'"s Monday 10 p.m. slot last week.

Despite the writers strike, "Journeyman" was able to complete its 13-episode order.

The remaining two original segments will air as scheduled, an NBC spokeswoman said.

Via Hollywood Reporter

[Journeyman]

Time Magazine's Top 10 New Shows 2007

1. Mad Men
"The year's best new show is a time machine: It recreates the style, mores and ideas of 1960 with astonishing detail and even more astonishing clouds of cigarette smoke."

2. Flight of the Conchords
"Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie send up everything from David Bowie to French film to their own beloved homeland as "New Zealand's fourth most popular folk parody duo" scratch out an existence in New York and belt out instant classics about racist dragons and killer robots, plus the most killer (and only) binary solo you've ever heard. "

3. Tell Me You Love Me
"Sex, they say, is mostly in the mind. Well, that's not literally true, as this hardcore relationship drama shows graphically. But it is as daring and honest in portraying the minutiae of its characters' inner lives as it is in showing the details of their sex lives. "

4. Planet Earth
"This breathtaking American presentation of a British nature miniseries was remarkable for high- and low-minded reasons: It was a vivid argument for preserving Earth's biodiversity, and a great justification for getting a big-screen TV."


5. Pushing Daisies
Playful, fantastical, and art-directed within an inch of its life in candy colors by Barry Sonnenfeld, Daisies is as romantic as it is outlandish. "

6. The Sarah Silverman Program
"Whether adopting a homeless man as a pet or sleeping with God (and then blowing Him off), Silverman puts the most adorable face imaginable on clueless self-centeredness. "

7. The Riches
"A family of backwoods grifters on the run comes across a fatal car accident, and they do what comes naturally: swipe the dead man's identity and the McMansion he was about to relocate to. So begins a darkly rollicking story of opportunity, identity and class. "

8. Yo Gabba Gabba!
"The most delightfully bizarre kids' show since Pee-Wee's Playhouse is a marriage of club music, edgy animation and surreal imagery that will convince you someone slipped something into your Fruity Pebbles."

9. The War
"This 15-hour documentary — a docu-elegy, really — relied on the memories of surviving soldiers and contemporaries to bring the emotional truth of the war to life (a much harder job, after 60 years of war movies)."

10. Kid Nation
"It was buried in controversy before it ever aired and received indifferent ratings once it finally did. But after all the posturing, this reality show about 40 kids repopulating a ghost town in New Mexico turns out simply to be an intriguing, even earnest little show about group dynamics and ethics (free of the usual "voting off the island" competition)."

Time Magazine's Top 10 Returning Shows 2007

1. The Sopranos Final Season
"David Chase stripped the show down, one unsentimentally eliminated character at a time, to its dark core: a study of a fascinating, evil man. As brutal in its family-vacation scenes as in its gangland whackings, this final season left us with nothing, and everything. "

2. Lost Season 3
"Like a boulder on a desert-island mountain, a Lost season starts slow, but after a dithering first six episodes, season 3 was an awesome force. "

3. 30 Rock Season 2
"This year 30 Rock morphed from a funny office comedy to a subversive TV satire and outrageous character showpiece."

4. Friday Night Lights Season 2
"Though it stumbled this fall with over-the-top plots, this remains network TV's finest slice of life, with a heart as big as Texas. "

5. Big Love Season 2
"The second season of this man-and-wives drama became more outrageous (with the introduction of the bizarro polygamist Greene family), more exciting (with a showdown between suburban protagonist Bill and the rural compound he spurned) and more emotionally real (with rich detail added to the three "sister-wives" relationships). "

6. The Office Season 3
"In its third year, the sitcom deftly played the office love triangle (sorry, Team Karen), balanced wackiness and poignancy and pulled off the brilliant flip-the-script move of promoting temp Ryan to become Michael's corporate boss."

7. The Colbert Report
"Stephen Colbert's nightly ego-blast started out as a punditry parody and has evolved into mass-scale interactive performance art. "

8. The Shield Season 6
"As Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) sees the endgame of his corrupt police career draw closer, The Shield's sixth season focused on the complicated friendship/rivalry between him and protégé Shane (Walton Goggins, doing his finest work). Meanwhile, with Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder) rising to precinct captain, the drama has continued to be a brilliant study of urban and ethnic politics. "

9. Weeds Season 3
"The third season of Jenji Kohan's suburban send-up about pot-dealing mom Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) raised the stakes for its characters as Nancy found it ever more impossible to keep her family separate from the fallout from her working life."

10. Top Chef Season 3
"The producers played well off the move to Miami, making use of the area's local Latino food culture and glammy nightlife. But as always the secret was casting, and cocky eventual winner Hung was just the best of a talented, compelling kitchen crew. "

Samantha Who? S1 E9 - The Break - Up

I'm trying to find some good stuff for Samantha Who? online. For a TV show that's supposedly the #1 comedy this season, I can't find any. :(

Anyway, if you find some amusement with these sneak peeks below, local TV Studio23 is bringing this next year. These are from this week's episode (9th):






[Samantha Who?], [Studio 23]

Big Shots Canceled!

The problem with Big Shots I think stems from the idea that guys in this series, big shot executives at that, deal with their troubling relationships like women. There's even one episode where they got all whiny about their love life.

It's a different kind of male bonding and so unlike the one you see on a program like The Man Show, for instance. In the real world, men do pine over their failed relationships, but I think it's harder for viewers to get it on TV.

It's a show treated like Sex and The City or Desperate Housewives but the central characters are Men. So, who's gonna be the target audience for it? Confusing.

ABC has benched freshman dramedy "Big Shots."

The network has pulled the remaining three scheduled episodes -- two originals and one repeat -- of the series starring Michael Vartan, Dylan McDermott, Christopher Titus and Joshua Malina.

The network will air repeats of another freshman series, medical drama "Private Practice," in the Thursday 10 p.m. slot on Dec. 13, 20 and 27.

This could be a tryout behind "Grey's Anatomy," the series that spun it off.

"Shots," which landed the coveted post-"Grey's" time slot in May, was greeted with mixed reviews and a cold reception by viewers.

Still, given the dearth of original scripted programming the networks are facing with the strike stretching into the new year, ABC plans to air the remaining three original "Shots" episodes in January.

"Shots," along with fellow rookie drama "Women's Murder Club," have not been picked up for a full season. The other three ABC freshman one-hours, "Practice," "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Pushing Daisies," have received back-nine orders.

Via Hollywood Reporter

[Big Shots]