I Am A TV Junkie

Video -- It's Always Sunny ... Season Premiere: Wedding Bells? McPoyles? Chaos? Sure!

So, who's gettin' married? I'm not gonna tell you, you gotta watch. Don't you want it to be the McPoyles and ... well, maybe they could all marry each other in some weird polyester robe wearing internet minister kind of ceremony.

It's not the McPoyles, though they ARE back this season, just not yet. You gotta wait until Halloween. I love the McPoyles.

(Hey, and where's the offbeat cable series for Jimmi Simpson who plays Liam McPoyle, anyway?)

I don't really know how to write about this show. These people; Mac, Dennis, his sister Sweet Dee, their dad (?!?) Frank and Charlie; they're horrible people. They learn nothing. They lead self-serving lives of hedonistic chaos.

They also crack me the fuck up.

But let's make it clear, there are not TV characters that are attractive in that "I betcha I would enjoy being Chandler Bing's friend" way. They lie and scheme and break the law and burn things down and hunt human beings and ... I just flashed on the fact that this series is chock full of revenge sex, lotsa revenge sex happens ... but I digress.

I don't quite know how they do it, but they do the most horrible things to each other and the people of Philadelphia, really irresponsibly horrible terrible -- you get me when I say they're just the worst? -- and you kinda wanna see what they'll do next.

It's why I watch two hours of the show every Monday night this past Summer and why I've been dying for the show to come back.

And it will, September 16 at 10 on FX.

All kinds of preview clips in a widgety thing from Hulu after the jumperoo.

Video -- Happy 9-02-10, Let's Go Retro with a Twitterbration

It's a celebration, only on Twitter. Okay, it's a sucky word. It's the best I could come up with.

Follow your classic Beverly Hills 90210 cast members on Twitter today, you might have to remind Brian Austin Greene it's a holiday though. After all there's all that Megan Fox distracting him each day.

We'll stop there with the originals. You can find the subsequent cast members yourself.

One Mad Man ... Three Mad Women ... Rolling Stone Cover

While I was loitering at Rolling Stone waiting for one of Chris Colfer's bar patrons in leather and denim to fall off the page and into my bed, I saw this.

I promise you all that I will get up to date on my Mad Men viewing (I'm behind four episodes) by the end of the weekend.

I promise. I'm current with Rubicon but I just haven't gotten to the SCDP gang what with the late Summer weather, out of town guests, weekend trips ...

Also way behind on True Blood, also mentioned on the cover (kind of).

Elisabeth Moss is looking very, uh ... busty (as they would have said at the time). Does any other woman actually look busty when sitting nearby Christina Hendricks, though?

Read an excerpt from the cover story at this link.

Gleeks, Especially Gay Gleeks, Best Photo Ever Right Here (via Rolling Stone)

Is there an Emmy for outstanding performance by an actor in a still photographic? Chris Colfer would totally win that award.

Rolling Stone photograph by Robert Tractenberg. More images from his Fall TV feature at this link. The header on the slideshow says, "Fall TV Special: Meet the season's best characters and most memorable scene-stealers."

Starts at this link with Chelsea Handler. Yeah, I know, she's not on my list of best anything. She's spewing fire from her sizeable mouth, just like Godzilla!

Why is that lunatic Minesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachman part of the group? She is a character, I'll give you that. She's also a bigot and a batshit insane.

Better photo? Handler and Bachman stuck in an elevator together with a bottle of vodka and a bible.

Video -- The Most Awful Thing Ever. And It's From Logo. Ugh.

And Mike Ruiz, I can't figure out why you're involved in this. It looks cheesy.

Should set the equality movement back to the stone age. Good goin', Logo.

Maybe the world will end before October 4th.

The A-List? How about just putting a big scarlet A on all of 'em (right smack dab in the middle of their waxed chests) and calling it a day? The kid who will only date rich guys? Disgusting, puerile, slimy, and in fine company with a menagerie of starfuckers.

Still can't figure out why Mike's involved. Mike? Why?

 

 

More from New York Magazine's Vulture blog, at this link. Or at this link. I hate this, I already hate the backlash from this. I hate gay men like this.

Oh boy, we can be as horrible as housewives from Jersey!

White Collar & Cuffs -- Get Peter's USB Flash Drive Cufflinks at Amazon

They are only $194.95 and ship from vendor The Purple Armadillo.

Just click the link below, shell out the coin and they're yours.

4GB USB Flash Drive USB Silver Cufflinks Cuff Links

Hat tip to White Collar creator Jeff Eastin via his Twitter account.

UPDATED: TMZ Report: Hostage Drama at Discovery Channel

UPDATE: Reuters (via ABC Online, Australia) is reporting that hostages are safe, gunman dead. More on the gunman, his demands, via RawStory.com. Coverage all over the web, including details of his remarks about "anchor baby filth" now and in the days and weeks ahead I'm sure.

No, not a show about a hostage drama on the Discovery Channel, this is an ACTUAL HOSTAGE TAKING EVENT at the Silver Spring, MD headquarters of the cable channel.

According to TMZ the guy taking possibly one hostage with a tank-like device strapped to him is one James Jay Lee. He was involved in a protest at the same location in 2008 and arrested at that time. He is armed.

The guy has a website that's impossible to get on right now.  (LINK) 

The site is called savetheplanetprotest.com. Can't tell you what it says there but I'm pretty sure no one expected that an eco-activist would go the firearm route.

BusinessInsider.com's The Wire blog has printed a list of the guy's demands, click here for it.

Fox and Foxx (the network and Jamie) Bring Affion Crockett Sketch Series to Primetime

What was the last sketch comedy show that made it to the primetime schedule? I seriously have no idea. I can't remember. I can't think of one since In Living Color.

Jamie Foxx (the Oscar winner) was on that show. He's executive producing this one, which Fox (the network) says today it's bringing to their schedule sometime during the upcoming TV season.

Foxx brings along with him a writer/producer/actor named Affion Crockett. From looking at the available YouTube selections it's apparent that his stock in trade is rap parody videos like this one where he spoofs Jay-Z and John Mayer and the whole LeBron goes to Miami thing.

I'm all for more sketch shows in primetime, and this is the way to do it. It's kind of a UK construction, find a comic with a strong viewpoint, let them control the writing process and hire the supporting cast.

I hope Fox can keep their hands off enough so that Foxx can clear the way for Crockett to make it work. Gotta give the guy with the strong viewpoint a chance to show it or it won't work. I figure that's where the Oscar winner with the clout and the history with the network comes in, to prevent the suits from watering down the show.

Press release is after the jump. Crockett's YouTube channel at this link.

Hey, Remember Those Missing Episodes of Better Off Ted You Never Saw?

First I guess I should ask, "Remember Better Off Ted?" Oh, of course you remember, it's yet another genius show I wrote about almost constantly a year ago so you know it had to be canceled, right?

Right. It was canceled. Great show. Victor Fresco? Brilliantly funny. The cast? Outstanding, great chemistry ... a half hour filmed show that actually went for the laugh out loud gag and succeeded.

Back at the beginning of the Summer during the NBA playoffs there was a chance that ABC would air the two missing episodes at some point but the series went a game too long and fans of the show were shut out.

And now you gotta pay to see them.

Three choices ...

1) iTunes

2) Netflix

3) Wait for the DVD (Amazon link) or buy the episode from Amazon (episode 12 not yet posted) (episode 13)

What a shame it's gone. Would have been nice to have BOT to insert into the Wednesday comedy block, huh ABC? It might have finally become the ratings winner you thought it could be. 

Video -- Tonight on Louie a Chance to Go to Heaven (but no, not really)

"You gotta have faith." Right?

Click here for a preview clip. That's the great veteran NYC actor Tom Noonan in the image above and in the preview.

Leave it to Louis C.K. to begin his episode of religion with a conversation in and around a glory hole in a gas station bathroom.

Three episodes left and I can't imagine the two after this one getting any more provocative than this one, which I saw thanks to the fine people at FX, who I thank.

If you have ever had a crisis of faith, or if you aren't a person of faith, or even if you just tangentially have a connection to being told to believe in something that seems completely outrageous on its face, you gotta see this episode. 

And I'm not entirely sure, but I think there's a pretty good chance that William Donahue from the Catholic League will scream himself red in the face afterward. Or at least he would if he didn't have so many pals at another Newscorp unit, that collection of schemers and scammers who work at the Fox Noise Channel.

(I think some Donahue-based controversy would be great for the show, especially with the two-episode season finale running next Tuesday night September 7.)

And I'll just say this as I close ... this half hour of television is the most honest portrayal I've ever seen of a parent and child discussing religion, and that final scene between young Louie and his mom may be the best single scene in the series.

At least for this fallen Catholic it was.

Video -- Jewel, Sarah Palin, Todd, Crabs, Coffee, & Bob Marley

Watch this, click here. It's from FunnyOrDie.com.

Video -- What's Up With Emmy Winner Jim Parsons' Weight?

He looked elfin.

No, not effin', elfin. He's lost a bunch of weight, it seems.

Jim, stop it. Eat something. There are plenty of great restaurants near the Warner Bros. lot and even the commissary has some decent faire.

If this is about worrying that your show is entering the heated 8 pm Thursdays network competition it's just not worth the worry.

Recap season three of the show with a clip at this link.

Watch Jim accept his statue at this link.

Video -- Blah blah blah Emmy Awards blah blah blah

See, even Emmy herself had to take a nap. And honestly, can you blame her? She's holding the world up above her head all the time and she's bound to get tired.

Me too. 

I watched it, it was ... well it came in under three hours, that's something, right?

I dunno, kinda dull for me. None of the shows I really love got the call to come to the stage.

Truest words spoken on the Emmy stage? Edie Falco saying, "I'm not funny." Neither is her show. It's great TV but it's just not a comedy. How about separating the acting nominees into half hour and hour long show categories?

Edie talks to Jason Kennedy from E! about that issue and more, watch by clicking this link.

On top of that, let's think about asking the voters to watch more than one episode of the nominated shows and performances.

It's not like they don't have the time, they work in TV they don't dig ditches for a living.

Opening number was fine. Watch it by clicking this. Cory Monteith has lost a bunch of weight over the summer, I betcha we see him shirtless this season on Glee. Jon Hamm shimmying? I need that on a constant video loop. Hamm singing? I don't think that was him, though I DO think it was Joel McHale singing, which places another tool in his box. 

Hehehe, I said tool and box.

Fallon is at his best when he gets a group of people together, on his show or on this show. Which says a lot about Fallon.

One more thing, because I don't really care much about who won and lost (except, for some strange reason, John Noble from Fringe, who didn't get nominated AGAIN!) ... What's up with not wearing a tie, Emmy nominees? You got nominated for an Emmy and in some cases won one, Eric Stonestreet. Put on a damn tie! Have some respect.

That's all. You can tell me what you liked and didn't in the comment section.

Global TV Talent Show Auto-Tune Crisis -- What Happens Next?

The British tabloids couldn't be happier. They love a good controversy and this one's as big as they come for a TV show. The image above is how the UK Mirror broke the story.

(Because it IS just a TV show, right? No? What is that you're saying? It's a viable employment search strategy? Only if you have very very tall hair and lots of energy and then you might just get a couple hit singles and a reality show but if you invest the proceeds properly it might send you to college.)

The thing is there are rules about such things because all these shows from Idol to AGT/BGT to X-Factor are ostensibly game shows and there are rules and laws that apply.

Now today there's word that Susan Boyle's first performance on Britain's Got Talent was manipulated to make her sound better which bring up the issue of the drama created when her second appearance on the show didn't go as well as the first. Basically it seems the show created the drama by manipulation of the performance alone, doesn't it?

AND ... if that's the case what happened in the finale (she lost to a dance crew) and afterward when there were reports of a tailspin in the fragile Boyle's psyche is particularly distressing.

This all broke in the London tabs because of this performance from Gamu Nhengu (CLIP) on the show this past week. On first listen I have to say that without knowing ahead of time I wouldn't have recognized the telltale signs of the Auto-Tune technology, that slightly robotic-sounding thing, especially noticeable during what Cheryl Cole calls her "quirky woo-hoo-hoos."

From the Guardian UK:

After Saturday's show viewers flocked to Twitter and Facebook to complain about the heavy-handed use of digital pitch effects – particularly on Gamu Nhengu's version of Walking on Sunshine, which she belted out with a spooky, computer-like precision, a bit like Mariah Carey impersonating Robocop. It seemed clear that Nhengu had been lined up as a favourite and this had been scripted as the big star-making moment.

I can see why producers (Cowell included) were interested in making her a favorite, she has a very compelling backstory (watch the clip for details).

Like everything in this world, it wasn't a problem until they got caught. Now it's a big problem, ethically, legally and if the audiences for these shows dwindle because of the news, financially.

And with Cowell working to bring X-Factor here for the 2011 season, someone better fix this.

Now would be a good time.