I Am A TV Junkie

Halloween Email From Wisteria Lane? My Friend Jeff Greenstein's Directoral Debut

Yup, even I'm watching Desperate Housewives this weekend (Sunday at 9, ABC) which honestly isn't usually a part of my DVR's repertoire. More on that in a moment but first please allow me a moment to digress.

I was thinking the other day about how it gets tougher to put yourself out there to meet people as you get older. I was a shiny 25 years old when I moved to Los Angeles and one of the first things I did was get involved in one of the EST offshoots that were raking in the cash at the time in the Hollywood community. I met in that series of seminars a couple of people who would be friends for a period of time, one who took me to a Tufts University alumni event where we met a really tall dance major from the school and his girlfriend at the time who I failed to convince to go to Rage in West Hollywood that night (I had been sans gay men the whole evening and ... well, hormones rage at 25).

That really tall dance major was Jeff Greenstein.

I relate the story for two reasons; a) It's so easy when you're young to go out and meet strangers. Or ... what happened to me? I used to be a social animal, and ... b) To tell someone out there that it's possible to make this happen for yourself. Jeff didn't have a relative in the business, he didn't make a human sacrifice to Satan, he didn't have to service a CAA agent.

He was fortunate to have a writing partner (Jeff Strauss) who worked as hard to make contacts as he did, they were polite and cordial with everyone whether they could help or not and they got very lucky to boot.

It also helped that they were funny. A gig on HBO's Dream On led to a gig at Friends for season one, then a pilot of theirs was picked up by Fox and they were in.

So yeah, if you do everything right and you're nice, good things can happen to you. Hey, that's basically what Conan said when he left NBC, remember?

After the jump, Jeff tells you himself about tonight's episode, which got him his Director's Guild card (yea!) and hopefully is just the first of many assignments.

Before you click, here's a link to the first of two preview clips (LINK). The second is after the jump as well.

Vote, Dammit! First Watch This Star-Studded (plus Criss Angel) FOD Clip

Yeah, Criss Angel. Well, it was good of him to show up. I guess.

And I'm assuming that Aziz Ansari was the final person to shoot, his comments are part of today's news cycle.

It IS a big TV star studded clip, though. Gillian and Don from Community, Kal Penn, Eriq LaSalle, Eric McCormack, Chris Gorham, Lake Bell, Alyssa Millano, Adam Scott, Rose McGowan ... oh just click the clip above and watch. They're all there and more.

So, as Modern Family co-exec producer Danny Zuker said the other day on Twitter: "Please vote! Unless you're a racist/homophobic/evolution denier. U should probably just go to the dentist."

He got his first hate tweets because of that, from tea party people. We were both surprised that they could read.

Glee's Dianna Agron Responds to PTC/GQ Photo Controversy

We've talked about Dianna's Tumblr blog before, she mostly posts photographs of her own and some lovely prose and occasionally a poem. This is very different for her and it seems a somewhat difficult task to discuss one of the many situations that arise when an actor works on a series and is asked to do promotion for the show.

(I found the blog through Dianna's Twitter acct., which you can follow by clicking here.)

I don't think she would mind that I posted the entire text of her post here, so I have and it's after the jump.

I'm sure you know how I feel about this. Yes, they play teens on TV but these people are hardly underage, Cory Monteith is almost 30, in fact.

Glee will always be a show in the crosshairs of the conservative watchdog groups. It illustrates a worldview that is in direct opposition to theirs. That it's so popular with kids makes it even more dangerous to these people. They'll make every attempt to knock the show down. I encourage them to keep trying, I think it does wonders for the ratings.

Case in point ... I wouldn't have even known that the Dianna and castmates Monteith and Lea Michele were on the cover of GQ without the Parents Television Council telling me they were.

Dianna's comments after the jump. But please, after that click over to her Tumblr site and enjoy her other stuff, too. She has a very nice sensibility to her prose and her photos are lovely.

Oh, one more thing ... I guess it takes the ridonkulous folk at the PTC to get me interested in blogging again. Who's next? Sarah Palin? Ben Silverman? Someone on my "list?"

And, one more other thing ... do you think the PTC ever thinks about the the performers caught in the middle of these controversies and what they then have to deal with in their personal lives once they start with the torches and pitchforks? Apparently Dianna Agron could have done without their stomping around. In that aspect the PTC becomes a bit like the Westboro Baptist Church protesters.

I'm just sayin'.

Obviously ...

... I'm really not feeling like writing about TV lately.

Let's hope I feel like it soon, though.

In the meantime I'm working on new design elements thinking that a shiny new format might reenergize me.

We'll see.

Send words of encouragement to ...

Time Warner Cable Announces Remote DVRing in Selected Markets

From TWCableUntangled.com:

We’re thrilled to announce that our customers across most of our footprint can now use our Remote DVR Manager to manage scheduled recordings on their DVRs at home from a computer or browser capable mobile device.

As of October 18th, 2010, we will be launching our Remote DVR Manager in the following markets:

•  
  • Carolinas region
  • Northeast region
  • New York City region
  • San Antonio, Texas
  • San Diego/Desert Cities

As of October 29th, 2010, customers in El Paso, Austin, Corpus Christi, Laredo and the Midwest (excluding NE Ohio and Green Bay) will also be able to use our Remote DVR Manager. We should also be able to launch Dallas in the 4th quarter of 2010.

I'm trying to get more specifics right now, like for example "Will there be web access to this or is it just for smartphones?"

UPDATE: Web access, too, for those of you without smartphones.

Updates here on the post as I get them.

Coming Soon! Meet Paul: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen -- February 2011

Yeah yeah, I don't do movies. But I'm doing this movie.

Pegg, Frost, Rogen, Bill Hader, Kristin Wiig, Jason Bateman, Sigourney Weaver, Jane Lynch, Blythe Danner, Jeffrey Tambor, David Koechner.

It's after the jump.

You've Seen Brian Williams' Daughter Do the Mad Men Theme, Now Check Out Her Ke$ha

They talked about Allison Williams this AM on the Today Show plaza, you've seen her Mad Men theme clip (this link).

Watch her take on Ke$ha (with yet another twist) in the clip above.

She's totes better than Scott Brown's American Idol wannabe daughter.

Video -- Sexytime With @CraigyFerg and The Good Guys' Jenny Wade

I've highlighted the image above to show you that it was the moment at the beginning of this interview when The Good Guys star Jenny Wade explained to Craig that she had seen other women on late night talk shows wearing dresses so short that when they cross their legs in that way their dresses ride up and show a great deal of thigh.

Craig did not understand the problem with that.

I, of course, immediately thought of women on late night talk shows wearing dresses so short that when they cross their legs in the OTHER way they tend to flash what's between their legs. And then of course I thought of ... okay, everybody now ... Jennifer Aniston.

But you knew it would be sexytime when Jenny Wade walked out from backstage. She was wearing this shiny skimpy top that you can see above, but when she walks in it (watch the clip, it's after the jump) it moves in such a way that it's all boobies comin' atcha, shiny boobies and ... well, just watch Craig's face.

You've probably just watched this week's ep of Jenny's show, now watch her flirt shamelessly with his chattiness, she seems to know exactly what to say to get his motor running.

And then, BONUS!, Craig with his pal Drew Carey from last night as well. After the jumperoni. Yes, see the incredible shrinking host of The Price is Right.

Tonight on the show join Craig when he makes the boss' wife, Julie Chen (The Chenbot!) turn red.

Video -- Your Rock Fantasies (and some others, right @CarrieKeagan?) Tomorrow Night on VH1

Yeah, that's Carrie Keagan (yes, AGAIN!) up above with Michael Rosenfield, member of the band Every Living Soul and one of the producers of this series along with Exec Prod Mark Burnett. Yes, I was invited to this party and no, I didn't show up because LA is just so far away for a night out now that I moved to San Diego.

But my younger self, the one that run out to Palm Springs for a "date?" Would have totally been there. Okay, I'm old. Not ready to be sent out to pasture yet but old. Old as in "Wow, this chair feels so good against my ass I'm staying here but not forever 'cuz I still bore easily" old.

This isn't just some thrown together unscripted show for VH1, this thing actually exists outside the box we call TV and you can click here and see how you can participate in a future event.

NY Daily News:

In this simple and brilliant concept, former professional players become "counselors" to the civilians who pay their money partly to get good advice and partly to rub shoulders with the stars of their growing-up years.

The way rock fantasy camps have evolved, that mostly means hard rock and metal stars. The campers here are divided into three five-person bands,and their main mentors are Kip Winger of Winger, Rudy Sarzo of Quiet Riot and Mark Hudson, who is best known for working with Ozzy Osbourne and Aerosmith.

Watch the clip, it's after the jump. Show premieres tomorrow, Saturday night, at 10 pm on VH1. Show site at this link.

Video -- G4's Adam Sessler Says "Stop Being a Dick" to Bullies

Sessler, G4's game guru, gets it right. Thanks.

And hey you, gamer with the over-the-top smack talk, that means you, too. This gay-hating rhetoric thrown around in gaming circles has got to stop.

Jersey Shore's J-Woww Debuts on TNA Wrestling Tomorrow Night

Seen here attempting to consume either Michael Cera's pizza slice (not a euphemism) or possibly his arm (also not a euphemism) the "documentary" star (per Temperance Brennan) and clothing-that-needs-to-be-hot-glued-to-one's-body designer Jenni Farley shows up Thursday on that "other" wrestling show (Spike TV, 9 eastern).

I have a clip for you, it's after the jump. Check out the Snooki lookalike that gets in her grill.

The Doctor (Yes, THAT Doctor), Now Immortal (because no one thought they'd get to 12?)

Yeah, I guess it's because no one ever thought they'd get to 12, and since they're at 11 something needed to be done.

Some backstory here ... I was not even aware that the story goes that a Time Lord has only 11 regenerations in him (or her ... you never know who Doctor #12 might be). Apparently this has been the case since the show debuted.

But in an episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures set to air at the end of the month on CBBC (their kids channel) Matt Smith will guest as The Doctor and very offhandedly mention that Time Lords can't die.

Guardian UK:

Fans of the show have been expecting an official moving of the goalposts for some time, but it was anticipated as part of the Christmas special, rather than in an after-school slot on the CBBC channel.

Back in 1976, 12 regenerations must have felt like a safely distant number to pluck from the ether. Now, however, with Smith playing the character in his 11th incarnation, circumventing the rule has begun to feel rather urgent. As JK Rowling hinted last week, once a hero has conquered the world, it is hard to put him away for good: we may also see an extension to the seven-book Harry Potter franchise, despite its very final ending and Nineteen Years Later epilogue.

And with the Doctor Who brand constantly expanding (including spin-offs that range from lunchboxes to the Doctor Who Live show currently on a 25-date, nine-city tour) it was hardly likely that the BBC was going to call time on the series.

So, no limit on regenerations now. Though I wonder if they'll have a Doctor #13. Wouldn't that be bad luck? Or maybe #13 is a Bizarro Doctor (you know, like Bizarro Superman), an evil Doctor that, you know, tears Amy's pantyhose and plays ring and run on River Song.

Or worse. Much worse.

BTW, about this Doctor Who live show? I have an illustrative clip for you, click this. The tour is UK only, obviously.

And, finally, I just took a look at WhoNA.com looking for the 11 Doctors action figure set pictured at the top of the page and I can't find it there, it also might be UK only, at least for now. If you know more, hit me up in the comment section.

Fall TV Season Breakups (Yes, Already)

Thought I'd share my current breakup stories with you, and here they are ...

1) Boardwalk Empire -- What really pisses me off about this show is that it's shot so that it looks somewhat like a sepia tone photograph. I'm very sure that if you were standing in Atlantic City on the boardwalk in the 1920s it wouldn't look like you were seeing it through dirty dishwater. Mostly, though, the subject matter just doesn't appeal to me.

2) Undercovers -- Wouldn't even be the best show of its kind on NBC's cable sister USA Network. As daring as they were with the casting (and it's never too daring when you're casting gorgeous people of any color) the writing reminds me of everything and anything else I've seen in this genre. And honestly Boris' performance is as bland as he is lovely to look at.

3) Outsourced -- It just took an episode. This one (LINK). Watch it, you'll understand. Oh sadness, why do you live inside things called comedy that I watch on TV and ambush me with your sad, sad ... sadness?

4) The Event -- I have decided that this is a show that will do okay, not too well but not too badly, for maybe a season -- no more than two -- and then just putter to a stop. I'm not gonna waste the time again (Heroes, FlashForward). And Zeljko needs to find a role as a loving father and husband who does something heroic because I'm done with him in shows as the evil guy (Big Love, 24, Heroes, Damages, True Blood) and small children will start crying at the sight of him when he goes out in public.

5) Nikita -- Shane West, this is somewhat you're fault, what with you walking around then stopping, folding your arms across your chest and making that sourpuss that then freezes on your face for the rest of the show. Also, the backstory for Alex's character? That really turned me off. I guess I don't only dislike child in peril stories but I also dislike stories about characters that have a history of being in peril in their past. Sometimes it's as simple as that little something that turns me off to the show.

6) Chuck -- I know, not a new Fall show but I have to sadly report that Chuck is no longer a part of my DVR queue. I had 10 episodes from last season that I never watched and had to remove at the beginning of this Fall premiere season (to open space for new stuff). There's a reason that you end up with multiple eps of a show on your machine left unwatched, and I think mine can be explained this way: I got tired of the whole "Save Chuck" thing, it got to be a chore to have to hear about saving a show over and over again each season at a certain time. I guess you can say that I have Save Chuck fatigue. Being a fan of a show shouldn't be a chore, it should be fun. Another thing, when Capt. Awesome got involved in the spying that was questionable, but Morgan? Really? And ... look out Mad Men and Rubicon because I find myself in the same situation with you. I have 10 eps of Mad Men and five of Rubicon sitting there wondering if I forgot about them. I didn't. I just think former is a bit too plodding in it's delivery of plot points and ever since I found out Elisabeth Moss chose Scientology over Fred Armisen I have not been interested at all in watching the latter.

On the horizon, I'm considering what to do about Better Together, Mike & Molly and Running Wilde. I gotta tell you, though, it's not looking good.

Video -- New Jersey is Taking Over Your TV (Bones, South Park, Even Bored to Death)

Oh Pauly D, what have your wrought? Apparently these shows, all having arrived on our TVs within seven days of each other, were conceived as those kids vacationing in Seaside Heights were GTL-ing their way into the zeitgeist.

Below is my favorite clip from Thursday's episode of Bones, where Temperance discusses something she discovered on TV one night not too long ago.

The full episode is at Hulu for you to watch, click this link.

Even Bored to Death on HBO, famously Brooklyn-centric, made the trip across the river last night. Jonathan (Jason Schwartzman) was being held by two thugs (an uncommonly Jim Norton and an even better Domenick Lombardozzi) looking for 20 grand to open a dungeon in Boston. Eventually Jonathan (with pals Ray and George) ends up in the NJ burbs at his parents' house where they get 10% of that total and $18,000 worth of Richard Masur (playing Ames' dad) posturing them back to their Zipcar and back over the bridge.

Finally, Wednesday on Comedy Central there's an invasion happening in South Park, an invasion of orange, orange skin.

I have a clip, it's after the jump.

Laura Ling's Next Act Takes Her to E!? What a Step Down!

Sometimes you just shake your head and wonder why.

So Laura Ling spends months in North Korean custody and gets sprung by Bill Clinto so that she can do a show at E! about (for example) Lotto winners and missing persons?

At her last gig at Current TV (which I'm guessing couldn't afford too keep her on staff) she did long form journalism about prison life, the Mexican drug wars, foreclosures in Vegas, product counterfitting, migrant workers and of course human trafficking, the story that brought her to the North Korean border area in the first place.

What she tells the NY Times today:

Ms. Ling, 33, said in a separate interview that E! was “really focused on dipping deep.” She spoke by phone from Cincinnati, where she had been reporting the teenage suicide program. It had already taken her to Miami and Phoenix.

“The fact that E! is committed to this type of show — that they believe that their audience is just as interested in watching substantive programs that cover substantive issues as they are in watching the Kardashians — is thrilling to me because I’ve always been trying to reach a younger audience,” she said.

Yeah, she used the words thrilling and Kardashians in the same sentence.

I'm sure the money's good but what of her career arc? I think people who looked at her work on Current and were hopeful about the future of investigative journalism will be sad to hear that her new show could be sandwiched between those pitifully stereotypical assholes on The Spin Crowd and that drunk slut Chelsea.

To see what Laura is leaving behind, click over to the Current Vanguard homepage and watch some of her old work. At this link.

Who's Coming To America? No, No, No ... Who's Coming to America!

The first two episodes of series 6 of Doctor Who will be set AND shot in the US. Doc, Amy, Rory and River Song (Alex Kingston) will come to the US for a two-parter.

Yes, this has never happen before and it's very exciting news ... until you find out some of the story is based in the Utah desert. Reasons I don't like this? 1) It's the Utah desert, why would I go there? 2) It's Utah, I might get stampeded by gay-hating fundamentalist Mormons and their multiple sister wives. 3) If you're gonna shoot in the US and you're not shooting in Cardiff-By-The-Sea, CA you're missing out on some ironic symmetry AND ... living five miles from there I could stalk the production.

Then again, they could be shooting somewhere else and saying it's the Utah desert.

You might remember that in series one, Doctor #9 (not #8, thanks commenter) Christopher Eccleston and Rose (Billie Piper) were in Utah where American rich boy Henry Van Statten (image left) has a Dalek in his basement.

(Frickin' Daleks with their plunger thing and moving like zombies. Hate Daleks, not in a fanboy way but in a "the sixties are over" way.)

Eventually the story, set in the 1960s, takes them all the way to the White House. Is there a casting notice for either Presidents Kennedy or Johnson? Or (gasp) Richard Nixon?

Press release after the jump. I just hope we get to see a nehru jacket or two. And some big hair.

Not on Matt, his hair is big enough. 60s hair? All backcombed and teased, Amy should definited have some big hair.

Maddow Video -- House Candidate Art Robinson Makes the Mistake of Underestimating Rachel

Dude, you're not doing yourself any favors. Sprinkling radioactive waste over the oceans to get rid of it? Dude, you're a horse's ass.

Fail. If you vote for him you're an asshole.

Barney Stinson is Selling Suits in Turkey? Does Neil Know About This?

I know that's a copyrighted CBS image of Neil Patrick Harris as Barney and he's selling suits in this store in Turkey. And, marked down from it's original price of 159,95 Turkish Liras to 99,00 (outside the US the comma and period in money dominations are reversed).

I wonder if Neil knows he's hawking erkek takim elbise, or men's suits, in the Mideast?

Well, he does now.

And, such a deal.

Video -- Michael Urie Hit by Car, Crazy Lady Attempts to Think His Injuries Away

From FunnyOrDie.com, where not a single pop psychological phenomenon goes by without being mocked.

But seriously, folks, you saw that E! reality series Pretty Wild. That woman raised her kids in accordance with the teachings in The Secret. One of her kids ended up involved in the notorious "bling ring" case, breaking into celeb homes and stealing their stuff.

Is that what you want? For your kids? For you? For Michael Urie?

Today Show Video -- Watch Harry Hamlin & Lisa Rinna Find Out Their Store is Being Robbed on Live TV

This is great TV if not great news. Belle Gray is Lisa's store in Sherman Oaks, CA. Apparently this morning at 7:15 local time it was being robbed while Lisa and Harry were on with morning drinking buddies Kathie Lee and Hoda (less drinky and more thinky about what you're saying might be a good idea) talking about their new reality series and new books.

(Books, huh? Seems like Harry & Lisa aren't the only ones being robbed if you know what I mean. Seriously folks, if you're looking for a book to read the last place you should look is to actors and actresses expanding their brand footprint. There are plenty of wonderful books written by actual writers that you should consider first.)

Their reality show? I won't watch it but I won't judge you if you do. You can see a trailer for it by clicking this link. It's on TV Land, starts tomorrow at 10 pm eastern.

Video -- Nobody Says the Word "Arrogance" as Arrogantly as Carly Fiorina

Wait for it, it comes at the end of the ad. How is it that the director of this ad let this go without checking it? It would seem to me that if you're trying to make the point that one's opponent is arrogant you should probably give the line a bit more sincerity than the performance delivered here.

And another thing ... why is it arrogant to ask someone to address a public official by their title? It seems to me that the person Boxer is asking to address her by her title should respect not only her position (he WAS addressing a Senate subcommittee after all) but respect my decision and the decision of the residents of the State of California to put her in the job.

And still another thing ... is that same hearing the man testifying called all the male members of the committee "Senator," but not Boxer. There's nothing arrogant about demanding to be treated the same as everyone else, I do it all the time as a gay man as I continue to demand the same civil rights as other Americans.

Enormous mistake from the Fiorina campaign. The only thing the ad does is cement feelings about Fiorina, whose offshoring of Hewlett-Packard jobs and entitled demeanor already make her a very unattractive candidate.

Excuse Me While I Watch Some TV

My friends are waiting for me, see?

Seriously, I really need to catch up on some TV watching. I can't write about shows without watching them. Well, I could but that would be cheating.

Back tomorrow. It's raining and overcast today here, a perfect day for the pup and I to curl up with my DVR.

Enjoy your day!

Rick Sanchez's Jewish Problem Gets Him Fired From CNN

No, it didn't get him tased, bro, it got him fired.

So apparently Sanchez, the guy who reads tweets on CNN during the day and makes believe he's a news anchor, got on the radio to promote his new book and ripped into Jon Stewart and The Daily Show for perceived slams against him and then went all Mel Gibson on CNN contributor Pete Dominick's Sirius show where he claimed that he was passed over for the 8pm slot (taken by Parker-Spitzer next week) because it's run by Jewish elitists and they would never hire an Hispanic guy for the job.

And now he no longer has a job, and no airtime to promote that book (although I'm absolutely sure that O'Reilly would have him on).

Would you have realized that Sanchez is Hispanic if his name wasn't Sanchez? Me neither.

I guess everyone was surprised by the whole anti-semitic thing, though.

Can't wait to hear what The Daily Show does with this on Monday.

Bye Rick, I'll take you often the invite list for my Purim Carnival.