Liberals Wonder: Is '30 Rock' racist?
It's gotta be, right? Just look at all that bling on Tracey Jordan.
Continue reading "Liberals Wonder: Is '30 Rock' racist?" »
December 09, 2009
It's gotta be, right? Just look at all that bling on Tracey Jordan.
December 04, 2009
'Monk' Finale Tonight
After eight years, USA Network's Monk concludes tonight with the second half of a two-part episode tying all the loose ends together--and introducing some new ones, S. T. Karnick writes.
Continue reading "'Monk' Finale Tonight" »
Dwight Schrute Sings 'We Are The World'
Fact: At 4:07, 4:19 and 5:55 (close-up) of the following video,
Dwight Schrute from "The Office" is standing next to Harry Belafonte during
Quincy Jones' iconic "We Are the World" Super Group benefit video.
Continue reading "Dwight Schrute Sings 'We Are The World'" »
November 25, 2009
The Lost JFK Tapes: The Assassination
If you are of a certain age where you remember the 1960s, get out the DVR and record National Geographic’s documentary of all original footage from that day and those immediately following. If you are not, do it anyway. It’s a great history lesson. Next airing Sunday, November 29 at 11:00 a.m. EST.
Continue reading "The Lost JFK Tapes: The Assassination" »
November 20, 2009
'Monk' Enters Final Weeks
.jpg "Image from 'Monk'")
The USA Network's first hit show, Monk, is nearing the end of its eight year run. It's a time for appreciating a show that became somethig special by daring to be simple, writes S. T. Karnick.
Continue reading "'Monk' Enters Final Weeks" »
November 18, 2009
AMC's 'Prisoner' Tries, But Can't Escape 1960s Ambiguity
AMC-TV's The Prisoner miniseries touches on some serious philosophical ideas--but ultimately it all falls apart because of 1960s-throwback ambiguity, S. T. Karnick writes.Continue reading "AMC's 'Prisoner' Tries, But Can't Escape 1960s Ambiguity" »
November 17, 2009
AMC-TVs 'Prisoner' Poses Philosophical Questions in Action Drama
The Prisoner, on AMC-TV, is an interesting adaptation of a classic 1960s television series, S. T. Karnick writes.
Continue reading "AMC-TVs 'Prisoner' Poses Philosophical Questions in Action Drama" »
November 16, 2009
'Equalizer' Star Woodward Played Exemplary Heroes
The late Edward Woodward was an exemplary actor, S. T. Karnick writes.
Continue reading "'Equalizer' Star Woodward Played Exemplary Heroes" »
Review: PBS Mystery 'Place of Execution'
Although many contemporary crime novelists strive for greater realism than their Golden Age predecessors, they fail more often than most would like to admit. The PBS Masterpiece Contemporary adaptation of A Place of Execution is a case in point, Curt Evans writes.
Continue reading "Review: PBS Mystery 'Place of Execution'" »
November 15, 2009
ABC’s “Flash Forward” Dealing with Deep Philosophical Questions
Characters in the drama wonder if having seen a vision of the future means that their lives are determined, writes Mike D’Virgilio
Continue reading "ABC’s “Flash Forward” Dealing with Deep Philosophical Questions" »
November 09, 2009
'Mad Men' Treatment of Hilton Praised
The current season of AMC-TV's acclaimed drama series Mad Men includes something unusual for contemporary Hollywood: an honest, decent, thoughtful businessman.
Continue reading "'Mad Men' Treatment of Hilton Praised" »
November 05, 2009
"Mad Men" And the Kennedy Assassination
AMC’s Mad Men’s latest episode powerfully deals with the beginnings of the wider cultural implications of the young president’s death, writes Mike D’Virgilio
Continue reading ""Mad Men" And the Kennedy Assassination" »
November 03, 2009
ABC's 'V' Casts Doubt on Obamania
The new ABC TV drama series, V, a remake of a 1980s series about an insidious invasion by extraterrestrials, may serve as a very sharp retort against uncritical public admiration for President Obama.
Continue reading "ABC's 'V' Casts Doubt on Obamania" »
October 30, 2009
PBS and the Great Hangover
Government broadcaster PBS is running a new, five-part series on a subject naturally interesting in our time: American Experience: The 1930s. Episodes are available for online viewing here.
The program is just what one would expect from PBS: earnest, well-researched, skillfully presented, and eager to lick the boots of government while criticizing individual freedom for everything wrong in the world, S. T. Karnick writes.
Continue reading "PBS and the Great Hangover" »
October 28, 2009
Rod Serling's brave new world of TV
Before 'The Twilight Zone,' sci-fi was for kids -- and writers didn't run series, says Susan King in the L.A. Times.
Continue reading "Rod Serling's brave new world of TV" »
October 24, 2009
Soap Star Mauceri Stands up for Dramatic Realism and Her Personal Values, Is Fired
October 20, 2009
ABC's 'Forgotten' Is Solid Crime Drama with Values
ABC's The Forgotten is a worthy addition to producer Jerry Bruckheimer's stable of TV crime drama series, S. T. Karnick writes.
Continue reading "ABC's 'Forgotten' Is Solid Crime Drama with Values" »
October 14, 2009
The Twilight Zone's Jewish soul
The Twilight Zone taught real truths about the human condition.
Continue reading "The Twilight Zone's Jewish soul" »
October 13, 2009
DirecTV's 'Friday Night Lights' Returns
After barely surviving last season, the excellent TV drama Friday Night Lights has been renewed for not just one but two years. The satellite service DirecTV saved the program last year when NBC was about to cancel it, by providing additional revenue for the right to show the episodes several months before they would appear on the broadcast TV network.
The show returns October 28 on DirecTVs The 101 Network, commercial-free, with the same arrangement as last year allowing the episodes to be shown on NBC next year. The fourth and fifth seasons of the show will consist of thirteen episodes apiece.
Friday Night Lights: Recommended.
October 09, 2009
Review, Video Clip: 'South Park' Season Premiere Praised
Keynotes:
The ceaseless flow of bad taste that South Park emits like lava from a volcano erupted again on Wednesday night. And what I mean by that is, I laughed until I choked at the season premiere’s highly irreverent salute to “celebrities that died over the summer.” . . .
South Park managed to hit a shotgun-spray of pop-culture targets with deadly, devilish accuracy: not the deaths of these people, but rather the endlessly-haunting media coverage of them; excessive piety; and crass exploitation.
October 08, 2009
ABC's 'FlashForward' Builds on Interesting Premise
The interesting new ABC series FlashForward is part of a trend toward movies and TV shows about megadisasters, S. T. Karnick writes.
Continue reading "ABC's 'FlashForward' Builds on Interesting Premise" »
October 07, 2009
Heaton and Team Offer Smart Sitcom in "The Middle"
The smart new sitcom The Middle presents a positive but realistic view of Middle America's pursuit of the American Dream.
Continue reading "Heaton and Team Offer Smart Sitcom in "The Middle"" »
October 06, 2009
'NCIS: Los Angeles' Off to Strong Start
NCIS: Los Angeles has finished near the top of the TV ratings in its first two weeks--for good reasons, S. T. Karnick writes.
Continue reading "'NCIS: Los Angeles' Off to Strong Start" »
October 02, 2009
Review: New ABC Sitcom 'Hank' Tries Different Comedic Approach
The new ABC sitcom Hank is rather short of big laughs, but is well-stocked with good ideas and sound values. But will ABC give it a chance? S. T. Karnick writes.
Continue reading "Review: New ABC Sitcom 'Hank' Tries Different Comedic Approach" »
Video: Jack Webb Schools Roman Polanski
Our thanks go out to Robert Champ for referring us to this item.
September 28, 2009
Abrupt End to 'The Beautiful Life'
The ax has fallen on the first casualty of the new TV season. S. T. Karnick explains why.
Continue reading "Abrupt End to 'The Beautiful Life'" »
September 25, 2009
ABC's 'Cougar Town' Ambivalent About Sexual Revolution's Consequences
ABC's new sitcom Cougar Town alludes to the tragic side of the Sexual Revolution, but it tries hard not to offend the progressive elite. Those are contradictory aims, S. T. Karnick writes.
Continue reading "ABC's 'Cougar Town' Ambivalent About Sexual Revolution's Consequences" »
September 21, 2009
Low-Rated Shows Dominate Emmys, Again
Once again, low-rated shows, largely with a negative attitude toward American institutions and the conventions of bourgeois life, dominated Hollywood's Emmy Awards for primetime television programming this year.
In the awards announced on Sunday night's telecast, the industry's elites once again demonstrated their disregard for their audiences' preferences and their intent to continue using their bully pulpit to turn the nation into a banana republic.
For details on winners and losers, see the Reuters report.
'Newlywed Game' to Feature Takei, Male 'Spouse'
TV's The Newlywed Game is bowing to the progressivist zeitgeist and including a homosexual couple among its contestants for an episode expected to air in October.
The show, which the great majority of Americans surely believed to be long gone and has aired for the past few years on the obscure, low-rated Game Show Network (GSN), will present an episode featuring former Star Trek actor George Takei and his mate, Brad Altman, who married last year during the brief period when such marriages were declared legal by a California court before the state's citizens ended the practice by voting it down in a referendum.
It seems possible that the episode will bring a brief increase in the show's ratings as curiosity seekers take a look, which is surely what its producers and GSN hope.
But given the huge amount of airtime already given to Takei and his sex life, there may not be much curiosity left to exploit.
September 20, 2009
Fox's 'Glee' Brings Variety to Network TV Drama Format
Fox's Glee may point the way toward a welcome increase in variety among network TV dramas.
Continue reading "Fox's 'Glee' Brings Variety to Network TV Drama Format" »
September 16, 2009
Leno Defended
After my highly critical review of the premiere episode of The Jay Leno Show, I think it's important to acknowledge that Leno has typically been a bastion of decency and fairness when compared with truly odious comedy talk-show hosts such as David Letterman and Bill Maher. For a good article on Leno's comic persona, see John Nolte's appreciation of Leno at Big Hollywood.
--S. T. Karnick
September 15, 2009
Leno Stumbles Out of Gate
The uninspired premiere episode of The Jay Leno Show does not bode well for either the comic or the beleaguered fourth-ranked TV network. Look out below.
Continue reading "Leno Stumbles Out of Gate" »
September 14, 2009
CW's 'Melrose Place' Remake Shows Promise
The CW network's new mystery-drama soap opera Melrose Place isn't art, but it might turn out to be good entertainment.
Continue reading "CW's 'Melrose Place' Remake Shows Promise" »
September 13, 2009
PBS Drama Episode Centers on Evils of Communism
The latest episode of PBS's Masterpiece Mystery includes a surprise: criticism of communism, S. T. Karnick writes.
Continue reading "PBS Drama Episode Centers on Evils of Communism" »
September 07, 2009
After All, It's Only a Cartoon Show
August 24, 2009
TV-Style Virtues Bring Strong Opening Box Office for 'Inglourious Basterds'
U.S. audiences appear to be wearying of mindless action blockbusters and vulgar comedies, choosing stronger stories and better-drawn characters in recent weekends.
Continue reading "TV-Style Virtues Bring Strong Opening Box Office for 'Inglourious Basterds'" »
August 17, 2009
ABC Cancels Two of Network's Best Shows
Proving once again its claim to the hotly contested title of Stupidest Television Network, ABC has canceled The Goode Family and Surviving Suburbia.
Continue reading "ABC Cancels Two of Network's Best Shows" »
August 07, 2009
USA's 'Monk,' 'Psych' Return; Final Season for 'Obsessive Detective' Arrives
It's the last season for USA Network's groundbreaking mystery-comedy series Monk. S. T. Karnick praises the show's accomplishments and influence.
Continue reading "USA's 'Monk,' 'Psych' Return; Final Season for 'Obsessive Detective' Arrives" »
July 18, 2009
Oh, Canada!
July 08, 2009
NBC's 'Philanthropist' Offers Bad Economics, Worse Melodrama
NBC's new series The Philanthropist means well but does its subject matter a disservice, writes S. T. Karnick.
Continue reading "NBC's 'Philanthropist' Offers Bad Economics, Worse Melodrama" »
June 28, 2009
Christian Serial Killer TV Episode Surprisingly Fair to Christianity
The most recent episode of Law and Order: Criminal Intent presents a serial killer who believes he's doing God's work, yet the story manages to be fair to religion and in fact present a positive view of Christianity, S. T. Karnick writes.
Continue reading "Christian Serial Killer TV Episode Surprisingly Fair to Christianity" »
June 26, 2009
The Next Next Generation
Fleeing from the beatification of Michael Jackson, I stumbled onto the TV show pilot, Virtuality, on Fox last night. Written by Ronald Moore and Michael Taylor, the show takes numerous Star Trek: The Next Generation staples and turns them on their head. It's certainly not perfect, but if I could be so bold, it's definitely television with more than one brain cell.
Continue reading "The Next Next Generation" »
June 18, 2009
Letterman Apologies Fail to Satisfy Protesters, MSM Battered Again
The intense public reaction against David Letterman's attack on Sarah Palin's family shows an increasingly strong public anger toward the mainstream media.
Continue reading "Letterman Apologies Fail to Satisfy Protesters, MSM Battered Again" »
Why the Letterman-Palin Saga Is Important
The media's continual and increasingly furious and itemperate attacks on all of those who don't agree with them politically are classic bullying tactics common to all authoritarian regimes.
Continue reading "Why the Letterman-Palin Saga Is Important" »
June 11, 2009
Letterman Sex 'Joke' Exemplifies Socialist Stranglehold on Public Discourse
Recent controversies over sex "jokes" exemplify the valid concern over the loss of decency in public discourse. The real victims are the American public, S. T. Karnick writes.
Continue reading "Letterman Sex 'Joke' Exemplifies Socialist Stranglehold on Public Discourse" »
June 02, 2009
O'Brien Plays It Safe, Smart in 'Tonight Show' Debut
Conan O'Brien played it safe in his debut as host of NBC's Tonight Show last night. That's a good choice, actually. Will it last? S. T. Karnick writes.
Continue reading "O'Brien Plays It Safe, Smart in 'Tonight Show' Debut" »
May 30, 2009
Seven Meritorious TV Series Mysteries
May 29, 2009
'Surviving Suburbia' Morality
This week brought another fine example of how U.S. network TV series often send laudable moral messages even when the context is one of seeming immorality. In "Burn, Bougainvillea, Burn!," the most recent episode of Surviving Suburbia, a new sitcom starring Bob Saget, there was the usual complement of sexual innuendo and leering, bawdy humor.
Yet the overall thrust of the episode was that the central character, Steve Patterson, a married suburbanite played by Saget, was trying hard to avoid putting himself in a situation where sexual temptation was likely to occur, while his wife and others were certain that he was indulging in lascivious thoughts and actions.
Continue reading "'Surviving Suburbia' Morality" »
May 27, 2009
Another 'Goode' Work by Mike Judge?
![Image from 'The Goode Family]](http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/WK-AP813_COVER__G_20090521161253.jpg "Image from 'The Goode Family]")
TV writer-producer-actor and filmmaker Mike Judge has a new TV series premiering tonight on ABC. It sounds like another winner for the politically incorrect satirist, writes S. T. Karnick.
Continue reading "Another 'Goode' Work by Mike Judge?" »
May 15, 2009
Fox's 'Prison Break' Concludes
Fox's Prison Break was a frankly plot-heavy melodrama, and a very good one of its kind, S. T. Karnick writes.
Continue reading "Fox's 'Prison Break' Concludes" »
May 14, 2009
CW's 'Supernatural' Presents Christian Ideas in Dark Melodrama
The CW drama series Supernatural has presented Christian ideas in a melodramatic but ultimately respectful way, and is well worth watching.
Continue reading "CW's 'Supernatural' Presents Christian Ideas in Dark Melodrama" »
May 11, 2009
ABC's 'Castle' Is Exemplary TV Series
Like the best works of popular culture, ABC's Castle is both entertaining and edifying, S. T. Karnick writes.
Continue reading "ABC's 'Castle' Is Exemplary TV Series" »
May 09, 2009
TCM Thrillers for May 11 - 17
May 06, 2009
Zombie Culture and the March of Socialism
Yes, vampires are still a hot media commodity, but zombies are vying to knock them off the cultural pedestal.
S. T. Karnick considers the terrifying facts.
Continue reading "Zombie Culture and the March of Socialism" »
May 05, 2009
Hulu.com May Be Upcoming Target of Antitrust Attack
As is sadly the case for all good things, the video Web site Hulu.com is likely about to come under attack by the government, specifically in the form of antitrust action by the Obama administration.
Socialism's great horde of media apologists has begun a strong drumbeat calling for the U.S. government to go after Hulu, the immensely and increasingly successful source of online streaming media content.
Continue reading "Hulu.com May Be Upcoming Target of Antitrust Attack" »
May 04, 2009
New 'Jonathan Creek' Movie Announced
Good news for those who enjoy intelligent TV mysteries: the Jonathan Creek Newsletter reports that a new ninety-minute TV movie special from the British TV mystery series Jonathan Creek will go into production this fall and will be broadcast around Easter time next year.
Producer-writer David Renwick announced that the episode will be called "The Judas Tree" and will again feature actress Sheridan Smith as Joey Ross, Jonathan's investigating partner introduced in the 2009 telefilm The Grinning Man. Renwick will direct, as he did with The Grinning Man.
Regarding the latter . . .
Continue reading "New 'Jonathan Creek' Movie Announced" »
April 28, 2009
Court Upholds FCC Authority over Broadcast Indecency
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the FCC's authority to impose fines on broadcasters for allowing obscene language on the air. S. T. Karnick analyzes the implications.
Continue reading "Court Upholds FCC Authority over Broadcast Indecency" »
April 20, 2009
'Mainstream Media' Mainstream No More
'CNN Sucks,' says an excellent article by Paul Chesser of The Heartland Institute in The American Spectator. The Mainstream Media have dug their own grave, S. T. Karnick writes.
Continue reading "'Mainstream Media' Mainstream No More" »
April 13, 2009
Stewart's Democrat Water-Carrying Blasted
The odious Democrat bootlicker Jon Stewart gets his tail handed to him in the Washington Times.
Continue reading "Stewart's Democrat Water-Carrying Blasted" »
April 10, 2009
Black Bird, Blonde Bombshells Featured in Upcoming Classic Thrillers
Turner Classic Movies presents a diverse variety pack of thrillers this week, Mike Gray writes.
Continue reading "Black Bird, Blonde Bombshells Featured in Upcoming Classic Thrillers" »
April 07, 2009
Web 'Superbrain' Predicted 'House' Plot Surprise
Last night's episode of the Fox Network medical-mystery series House included a Big Event meant to shock the show's viewers and send the story line in an interesting new direction, as one of the main characters of the series was killed.
This almost instantaneous accumulation and processing of information makes the web something of a superbrain. Yes, figuring out the plot twists of television shows may not be the most productive use of people's time and brainpower, but this somewhat frivolous achievement does indicate the impressive potential of the internet as a mass information processing tool.
This capability makes the internet simultaneously a potential source of astonishing public benefits and the most powerful generator of nonsense ever created.
An interesting side note (plot spoiler follows): Entertainment Weekly revealed this morning that Kal Penn, who played the character who died in last night's episode, will be leaving the show to join the Obama administration as associate director in the White House Office of Public Liaison.
I have no idea what that particular agency is, but I'm quite sure it's a good deal less useful than a good TV mystery series.
—S. T. Karnick
April 03, 2009
CBS Series 'Eleventh Hour' Ends Season on High Note
The season-ending episode of the CBS mystery-drama series Eleventh Hour illustrated the dangers of government power.
Continue reading "CBS Series 'Eleventh Hour' Ends Season on High Note" »
March 31, 2009
"Eleventh Hour' Outdoes TV News on Stem Cell Debate
An episode of CBS-TV's mystery series Eleventh Hour entered the debate over stem cells to make a strong and valid scientific point with important moral and political implications. It did more to educate viewers about the issue than the network's news programs have ever done.
Continue reading ""Eleventh Hour' Outdoes TV News on Stem Cell Debate" »
March 29, 2009
PBS Dickens Adaptation Politicizes and Vulgarizes Classic Novel
The latest PBS Masterpiece Classics adaptation of Charles Dickens's classic novel Oliver Twist demonstrates the urgent need for reform of the taxpayer-supported broadcasting service, S. T. Karnick notes.
Continue reading "PBS Dickens Adaptation Politicizes and Vulgarizes Classic Novel" »
March 21, 2009
'Battlestar Galactica' Crosses the Red Line—Honorably
No concluding episode could live up to the overall accomplishment of Battlestar Galactica, but last night's finale was an honorable try, and the series is one of the best ever.
Joshua Trevino assesses the finale and commends the series.
Continue reading "'Battlestar Galactica' Crosses the Red Line—Honorably" »
March 14, 2009
TCM Thrillers for March 16 - 22
March 05, 2009
CNN Cancels Hughley Show
By Jim Lakely
I didn't even know comedian D.L. Hughley had a show on CNN until the controversy over Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele's interview on his show blew up. And just days after D.L. Hughley Breaks the News gets its biggest publicity, CNN pulls the plug.
Don't know how smart that is, but I do know how dumb Michael Steele was on that show. It wasn't just Steele's idiotic comments about Rush Limbaugh's show being "incendiary" and "ugly." It was the way he just sat there and nodded in agreement when Hughley compared the Republican National Convention to a Nazi rally and said Republican's don't even care what "we [black people] think":
MORE . . .
Continue reading "CNN Cancels Hughley Show" »
March 02, 2009
Whose 'House'?
Conservative critics often miss the nuances in popular culture that actually affirm their worldview, writes Mike D’Virgilio.
Continue reading "Whose 'House'?" »
February 22, 2009
'Slumdog Millionaire' Too Good for Oscars?
Tonight Hollywood tells us once again what we should like—and they might just get it right, S. T. Karnick observes.
Continue reading "'Slumdog Millionaire' Too Good for Oscars?" »
February 19, 2009
Cable Woes Mark Change from TV Mentality to Web Culture
Among the luxuries taking a beating from the recession is a service until recently thought by most people to be close to a necessity: cable television. Subscriber growth among big cable systems fell significantly in the last quarter of 2008.
The three biggest systems—Time Warner, Comcast, and Charter Communications—were hit particularly hard.
In fact, Charter filed for bankruptcy protection after losing more than 75,000 subscribers in one quarter. The Dish Network satellite system lost 10,000 subscribers in the third quarter.
Verizon's fiber optic cable service is doing well, however, as consumers switch from a cable mentality to a Web viewpoint. Advertising Age quotes Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt as observing, "people, typically young people, are saying, 'All I need is broadband. I don't need video.' And obviously they are already saying they don't need wireline phone."
—S. T. Karnick
Are you ready to drop cable TV and move exclusively to Web viewing? Have you done so already? Comment here.
February 02, 2009
'Last Templar' Shows Value of Cultural Freedom
NBC's miniseries The Last Templar is an interesting antidote for those bothered by The Da Vinci Code and worried about cultural freedom in general.
Continue reading "'Last Templar' Shows Value of Cultural Freedom" »
January 12, 2009
Internet Blamed for Idiocy of 'At the Movies' Host
The decline of the mainstream media—a very good thing—is the real story behind an interesting L. A. Times article about Ben Lyons, a film critic on the syndicated TV show At the Movies. Critics and movie buffs alike both have nothing but contempt for the 27-year-old Lyons, son of former host and newspaper film critic Jeffrey Lyons.
Jeffrey Lyons was never any great thinker, or even a good one, but Ben Lyons makes him look like Samuel Johnson by comparison. The younger Lyons strikes the viewer as an ignoramus and a jackass, and the producers of At the Movies clearly made a horrendous mistake in hiring him.
Apparently they hoped to get frat boys and other Sports Center fans to watch the show, which only further confirms major stupidity on the producers of At the Movies.
Continue reading "Internet Blamed for Idiocy of 'At the Movies' Host" »
January 07, 2009
'Monk', 'Psych' Return This Friday, Other Classic Mysteries Not So Easy to Find
USA Network resumes original episodes of its top two shows—and two of the best programs on television—later this week as the mystery-comedies Monk and Psych return for new half-seasons of about eight episodes each.
Continue reading "'Monk', 'Psych' Return This Friday, Other Classic Mysteries Not So Easy to Find" »
January 06, 2009
FX Channel's 'Damages' Returns Wednesday
Season 2 of the interesting and suspenseful FX Channel series Damages begins tomorrow at 10 p.m. EST. Here's a link to my article on the Season 1 premiere episode, and a brief excerpt:
Damages, in short, is no Erin Brockovich, no simple left-wing morality tale in which one side is basically selfless and goodhearted and the other is entirely greedy and irresponsible. Damages is a much more balanced look at its characters' choices, and hence a great deal better in artistic terms.
Read the full article here.
—S. T. Karnick
January 02, 2009
NBA All-Star Event to Be Shown Live in 3D
Continuing the trickle of live 3D events in U.S. movie theaters, Turner Network Television's broadcast of the National Basketball Association's All-Star Saturday Night event on February 14 will be shown live in 3D in up to 160 screens in 80 digitally equipped theaters around the United States.
The NBA All-Star Saturday Night is not the actual all-star game but instead comprises the slam dunk contest, three-point shooting competition, and other such skills exhibitions. This is the first NBA event to be shown in theaters in 3D.—S. T. Karnick
December 30, 2008
Envirocommies Blast 'Top Gear' Segment
You can criticize anything except global warming shibboleths, the producers of the excellent BBC TV automobile show Top Gear have found out. They did some of their usual editing with a piece on the Tesla electric car to make the item spicier and more fun, the Guardian reports, and naturally the enviros went nuts, saying the program misled viewers.
It's a comedy show, people, not a documentary.
Oh, that's right, envirocommunists have no sense of humor.—S. T. Karnick
New Season of '24' Praised
An enthusiastic preview of the new season of Fox's action-drama series 24, which begins a week from this Sunday, is available on E! Online. It appears that the year off due to the writers' strike did the series a world of good, reinvigorating the writing and production team.—S. T. Karnick
December 26, 2008
TNT's 'Leverage' Christmas-Week Episode Includes Strong Religious Themes, Imagery
The latest episode of TNT's Leverage dealt intelligently with Christian themes and ideas two days before Christmas, S. T. Karnick writes.
December 24, 2008
'Frosty the Snowman' and the Meaning of Christmas
Frosty Theology
S. T. Karnick's article on the surprising theological content in the song and TV cartoon "Frosty the Snowman" has been published on Culture11.
December 19, 2008
Che Movie; Palin Haters; New Number 1 on TV
December 17, 2008
Cleveland Meterorologists Speak Out Against Global Warming Hysteria
Responding to the overwhelming trend among scientists who are concluding that manmade global warming is not a crisis and that the temperature of the earth is instead driven by sun cycles and other natural phenomena, journalists and weather forecasters across the nation are questioning the hysterical claims of a global warming crisis.
The latest to join the movement against global warming hysteria: professional meteorologists in frosty Cleveland, Ohio.
Continue reading "Cleveland Meterorologists Speak Out Against Global Warming Hysteria" »
December 06, 2008
TNT's 'Leverage' Shows Promise
TNT"s new series, Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton, is a worthy entry in two classic narrative traditions—the caper story and the vigilante tale.
Continue reading "TNT's 'Leverage' Shows Promise" »
December 05, 2008
TNT's Latest 'Librarian' Movie Premieres Tonight
TNT's Librarian film series is highly enjoyable entertainment with some serious and valuable points to make.
Continue reading "TNT's Latest 'Librarian' Movie Premieres Tonight" »
December 04, 2008
Another Perspective on 'A Colbert Christmas' . . . and Yet Another
Blogger calls unexpectedly sincere song "a remarkable event in modern popular culture," but conservative writer blasts the TV special and questions sincerity of Colbert's religious beliefs.
Continue reading "Another Perspective on 'A Colbert Christmas' . . . and Yet Another" »
December 03, 2008
NFL, Fox Try Out 3-D TV
Don't look for it in the home any time soon, but entertainment providers are experimenting with live 3-D presentations—in movie theaters.
Continue reading "NFL, Fox Try Out 3-D TV" »
December 02, 2008
Latest 'Monk', 'Psych' Christmas Specials a Success
The USA Network's latest comedy-mystery Christmas specials succeed in conveying not only the trappings of Christmas but also the more serious themes.
Continue reading "Latest 'Monk', 'Psych' Christmas Specials a Success" »
November 25, 2008
'Colbert Christmas' TV Special Includes Surprisingly Sincere Moment
TV comedian Steve Colbert's Christmas special is pleasingly nonpolitical, though not particularly funny. It has its moments, however, including a brief but surprisingly sincere reflection on the meaning of the season.
Continue reading "'Colbert Christmas' TV Special Includes Surprisingly Sincere Moment" »
November 04, 2008
Fox Announces '24' Premiere Date
After a year off because of the writers' strike and a need for the series' producers to recharge their batteries, the Fox espionage-adventure-political-thriller series 24 will return with a four-hour, two-night premiere block on Sunday, January 11, and Monday, January 12.
Continue reading "Fox Announces '24' Premiere Date" »
November 03, 2008
McCain Gives Likeable Performance on SNL
Sen. John McCain gave a surprisingly solid performance on Saturday Night Live on the weekend before the election.
Continue reading "McCain Gives Likeable Performance on SNL" »
November 02, 2008
'24' Trailer Released
The hit series 24, which did not run on TV last season because of the writers' strike, looks poised to make a strong run this year with a new jolt of energy.
The Fox Network will begin running new episodes of season 7 this coming January, and in the meantime it will set things going with a TV movie, 24: Redemption, on Nov. 23 at 8 p.m. EST.
Continue reading "'24' Trailer Released" »
'King of the Hill' Cancelled
Now in its thirteenth year, the excellent, long-running animated comedy series King of the Hill will end production of first-run episodes after work is finished on thirteen new ones just ordered by the Fox Network.
The show's final block of episodes will probably run in the 2009-10 season, according to reports.
Produced by Mike Judge, creator of Beavis and Butthead, the Fox series always took a sympathetic but satirical look at American life and had sound values at its core. Its picture of blue-collar life in the United States was done with sometimes achingly comic realism and without either rancor or rose-colored glasses. We'll miss it.
October 22, 2008
From the 'Duh!' File: Hollywood Republicans 'Feel Bullied'
It's always good when the mainstream media finally acknowledge the obvious. That's the case with the Hollywood Reporter's new story on Hollywood leftists' bullying of Republicans. It's worth reading for some interesting new details about the situation.
October 20, 2008
McCain, Palin Grab Big Ratings
Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin achieved the highest ratings in several years for two major TV network comedy shows in the past few days.
Continue reading "McCain, Palin Grab Big Ratings" »
October 19, 2008
McCain and Palin Hit the Comedy Trail
Trailing in the polls, Republican presidential ticket Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin have turned their attention to a crucial battleground: TV comedy shows.
Continue reading "McCain and Palin Hit the Comedy Trail" »
October 17, 2008
Lifetime Network Movie Shows Deaths, Pain Caused by Government Health Care Intrusion
A new Lifetime Network docudrama reveals the deaths and pain caused by the federal government's intrusion into doctor-patient treatment decisions.
October 16, 2008
U.S. Version of 'Life on Mars' Starts Well
ABC TV's American version of the much-lauded BBC police drama Life on Mars is off to a good start, but sustaining the show's quality will be difficult.
Continue reading "U.S. Version of 'Life on Mars' Starts Well" »
New NBC Sitcom Is a Likeable Timewaster
NBC's new sitcom Kath and Kim is funny but unduly trivial.
Continue reading "New NBC Sitcom Is a Likeable Timewaster" »
October 14, 2008
'Fringe' Updates 'X-Files' with '60s-Style Optimism
Fox's well-received new series Fringe is something of a throwback to 1960s escapist TV dramas. That's a good thing.
Continue reading "'Fringe' Updates 'X-Files' with '60s-Style Optimism" »
October 10, 2008
New CBS Show 'The Ex List' Makes Moral Points Behind Vulgar Surface.
Taking an approach that is increasingly common in contemporary fiction series television, the new CBS series The Ex List uses titillating and sensationalistic material to draw viewers in to a show that makes morally conservative points.
Continue reading "New CBS Show 'The Ex List' Makes Moral Points Behind Vulgar Surface." »
Evolve This!—BBC's 'Primeval' Series Pushes Radical Darwinism
TAC correspondent Mike Gray likes the characters and sense of adventure in the new BBC series Primeval, but wonders why it propagandizes for a radical notion of Darwinism that evolutionary biologists have rejected.
Continue reading "Evolve This!—BBC's 'Primeval' Series Pushes Radical Darwinism" »
October 09, 2008
No Letterman Let-Up on McCain Beefs
TV talk host David Letterman has gone off on Sen. John McCain again. The aging, unfunny comedian's arrogance clearly knows no bounds.
Continue reading "No Letterman Let-Up on McCain Beefs" »
October 06, 2008
SNL Piece Slamming Democrats, Leftists Sparks Controversy
Saturday Night Live's political humor has become more evenhanded, but right-wingers are still complaining.
Continue reading "SNL Piece Slamming Democrats, Leftists Sparks Controversy" »
October 02, 2008
Jonas Brothers React to Brand Attack
The Jonas Brothers band members showed the tediously vulgar English comedian Russell Brand how to behave, after his embarrassing performance at the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony.
This story from the BBC appeared last month, but I think it's worth bringing to your attention. It describes how the Jonas Brothers rock band reacted to comedian Russell Brand's ignorant attack on them during last month's MTV Video Music Awards program. In short, the preternaturally wholesome rock and rollers responded in a generous and gentlemanly manner:
Continue reading "Jonas Brothers React to Brand Attack" »
October 01, 2008
'Friday Night Lights' Returns—But on DirecTV Only
The excellent TV drama series Friday Night Lights returns to the air tonight at 9 EDT—but not on the network where it began.
The season premiere of Friday Night Lights on the DirecTV channel The 101 represents a new step in the satellite company's efforts to bring first-run programming to its subscribers, and is another step in NBC's attempts to find cheaper programming options.
Continue reading "'Friday Night Lights' Returns—But on DirecTV Only" »
September 29, 2008
Letterman Slams McCain for Having Better Things to Do
CBS talk host David Letterman ripped U.S. Senator John McCain on-air Friday night for canceling an appearance on Letterman's show in order to attend to the nationwide financial crisis.
Having devolved from a cheeky observer of human foibles into a crotchety, self-absorbed bore a full two decades ago, it's time for David Letterman to be put out to pasture. His belief that his lame, autopilot, late-night TV talk show is more important than the U.S. economy proves how self-important and out of touch he really is.
Letterman, who has openly supported Barack Obama on his program, opened his diatribe by complimenting McCain for his war record, but then launched into a cranky denunciation of the Republican candidate for daring to cancel a scheduled appearance on Letterman's show. Letterman then launched into the standard Democrat critique of McCain and Palin while claiming McCain is falling behind Letterman's preferred candidate, Obama.
Letterman's weak attempts at humor in his criticisms of McCain merely demonstrated the talk host's invincible arrogance:
September 26, 2008
Oversexed, Underinteresting TV Sitcom 'Do Not Disturb' Canceled
Fox's situation comedy Do Not Disturb is the first new network TV series to be canceled this season.
There was good reason for the cancellation of the show after only three episodes.
One, the ratings were spectacularly bad, with the show averaging a 1.6 rating and 4 share (percent of all TVs being watched at the time). A total of only 4 million people watched the three episodes.
Continue reading "Oversexed, Underinteresting TV Sitcom 'Do Not Disturb' Canceled" »
September 24, 2008
Emmy Winners, Presenters Slam Bush, Palin, Republicans in General
To the surprise of no thinking person, the honorees at this year's Emmy Awards ceremony, broadcast nationally Sunday night, used the occasion as an opportunity to foist their elitist, collectivist, coercive political opinions on a nationwide audience interested in looking at celebrities' clothes, not in hearing lectures.
The current Bush administration and the Republican candidates for president and vice president were the main targets, predictably. The Chicago Sun-Times report provides an informative post-mortem:
Continue reading "Emmy Winners, Presenters Slam Bush, Palin, Republicans in General" »
September 23, 2008
'Heroes' Returns
The first episodes of season three of the NBC series Heroes premiered last night.
I'll analyze these episodes as soon as I get a chance to watch and ponder them, but until that happy day, I'll refer you to the interesting recap from E! Online:
"So now...everything has changed."
The article is packed to the gills with plot spoilers, so be forewarned. For those not satiated after reading the E! piece, here's one from NJ.com.
Last season the show was marred by difficulties created by the writers' strike, and the producers struggled to establish a new story line with a different threat of catastrophe. The show was still watchable, but nowhere near as interesting and evocative as before. Ratings suffered as a result. It will be interesting to see whether the prooducers have managed to get the franchise back on its feet.
September 15, 2008
SNL Season Premiere Lays Egg
Saturday Night Live's season-opening episode was marred by blatant political partisanship and was surprisingly uninspired overall.
Continue reading "SNL Season Premiere Lays Egg" »
September 10, 2008
Brand Flops Before MTV Audience, Rebuked by Jordin Sparks
Embarrassing performance by MTV Video Music Awards host exemplifies intolerance of smug sexual radicals and moral relativists.
Continue reading "Brand Flops Before MTV Audience, Rebuked by Jordin Sparks" »
September 08, 2008
'Prison Break' Shows What's Really Important in TV Dramas
The Fox TV series Prison Break is a stark melodrama, but a good one.
Continue reading "'Prison Break' Shows What's Really Important in TV Dramas" »
September 03, 2008
Transgender TV
Homosexual activists are applauding the rapidly increasing numbers of "transgender" characters and people on television, but they say there's much more work to be done.
Continue reading "Transgender TV" »
August 18, 2008
Another Nice Mess: Laurel and Hardy on TCM
This Saturday brings a full day of Laurel and Hardy films on Turner Classic Movies. Rest assured: they are not to be missed.
Continue reading "Another Nice Mess: Laurel and Hardy on TCM" »
August 13, 2008
USA Network Renews 'In Plain Sight', Announces Four New Shows
August 07, 2008
ABC Tries Hand at 'Life on Mars'
ABC's new fall series based on the BBC time-traveling police drama Life on Mars debuts October 9. If it can stand comparison with the original, it will be an extraordinary accomplishment indeed.
Continue reading "ABC Tries Hand at 'Life on Mars'" »
July 21, 2008
A Tale of Two Romances in Primetime TV
Two episodes of TV drama series on the same night showed a mature, thoughtful understanding of romantic relationships.
Continue reading "A Tale of Two Romances in Primetime TV" »
July 17, 2008
New Episodes of Monk, Psych Start Tomorrow
New episodes of USA Network's excellent mystery-comedy series Monk and Psych start tomorrow.
Continue reading "New Episodes of Monk, Psych Start Tomorrow" »
July 15, 2008
A&E Returns to Drama After Long Absence
The new series The Cleaner represents the A&E network's long-overdue return to fiction series television.
Continue reading "A&E Returns to Drama After Long Absence" »
July 14, 2008
New Episodes of 'Top Gear' Coming to United States
The best nonfiction comedy program now on television is back with new episodes tonight.
Continue reading "New Episodes of 'Top Gear' Coming to United States" »
June 25, 2008
Better Characters Welcome at USA Network
Recent improvements to the USA Network TV series In Plain Sight show the value of character depth and likeability, both commercially and aesthetically.
Continue reading "Better Characters Welcome at USA Network" »
June 16, 2008
USA Network Series 'In Plain Sight' Works Best When Not 'Transcending Genre'
USA Network's In Plain Sight is a formula show that's intended to be more than a formula show.
Continue reading "USA Network Series 'In Plain Sight' Works Best When Not 'Transcending Genre'" »
June 13, 2008
Possible Hollywood Performers Strike Could Hurt Industry, Coworkers
The Screen Actors Guild is preparing to go on strike after its current contract with Hollywood studios expires at the end of this month. Expect their coworkers to suffer the most.
Continue reading "Possible Hollywood Performers Strike Could Hurt Industry, Coworkers" »
June 06, 2008
CBSs' 'Swingtown' Shouts Joys of Adultery
June 04, 2008
Green TV
April 30, 2008
Lifetime Network Pursues Homosexual Audience
The Lifetime TV network is pressing forward with a campaign to lure a younger, more urban, more homosexual audience, giving the lie to the notion that American homosexuals are endangered by widespread oppression.
Continue reading "Lifetime Network Pursues Homosexual Audience" »
April 28, 2008
Miley Cyrus, Unprotected Celebrity
The embarrassing Miley Cyrus Vanity Fair photo shows the value of public relations people—and why investing real money makes people more careful about what they do.
Continue reading "Miley Cyrus, Unprotected Celebrity" »
April 24, 2008
Fallon to Host NBC's 'Late Night'
Saturday Night Live alum Jimmy Fallon reportedly will take over Conan O'Brien's spot as host of NBC's Late Night next year.
Continue reading "Fallon to Host NBC's 'Late Night'" »
April 17, 2008
TV Networks' Audiences Slow to Return After Writers' Strike
The media industry publication Advertising Age reports that viewers are not returning in hoped-for numbers to the TV shows they watched before the writers' strike interrupted the television season, even though new episodes are airing.
The Advertising Age article suggests that the convergence between broadcast and cable TV audience levels may be even greater than in recent years. This bodes well for audiences, as it further undermines the power of the big networks and portends a possible increase of consumer choice as competition makes the networks more resonsive to their audiences' preferences.
This won't necessarily bring on a Golden Age of Television, as long as the most popular cable and broadcast networks are owned by a small cartel of media conglomerates, as they are today. Nonetheless, anything that further breaks up the networks' oligopoly is good for the public at large. Something good may thus come from the writers' and producers' mutual greed.
April 02, 2008
New Series 'Jezebel James,' 'Miss Guided' Inclined Toward Traditional Values
Two new network TV situation comedies show a more optimistic and positive approach to their subject matter. This reflects an increasingly strong trend in TV fiction programming.
Continue reading "New Series 'Jezebel James,' 'Miss Guided' Inclined Toward Traditional Values" »
March 26, 2008
The Art of Richard Widmark and Classic Hollywood
Hollywood actor Richard Widmark dies at age 93, represented Hollywood's heyday.
Richard Widmark, best known for his Academy Award-nominated performance as a giggling, grinning gangster in the 1947 film noir classic Kiss of Death and as an NYPD policeman in the 1970s TV program Madigan, represents a Hollywood long gone and greatly missed, where on-camera performers and others involved in making films saw themselves as professionals, not artists—and succeeded in creating real art much more often than today's more overtly ambitious and politically active generation.
Madigan was based on a very good film directed by Donald Siegel, which is well worth seeing.
For more on Widmark and his career, see the AP story.
March 25, 2008
Discovery Goes Green
A new TV network, Planet Green, is about to provide a forum for allegedly "eco-friendly" lifestyle choices. In reality, this entire movement will make money for opportunists and phonies and hurt everybody else.
Continue reading "Discovery Goes Green" »
March 20, 2008
David Mamet Swings to the Right
TAC correspondent Michael D'Virgilio analyzes the cultural implications of the political journey of David Mamet, another modern liberal mugged by reality.Continue reading "David Mamet Swings to the Right" »
March 11, 2008
HBO Lightens Up With New Detective Series
Could this be the start of a new trend toward greater optimism and positivity in the culture? HBO, for two decades the home of dark, unhappy, "edgy" TV series, is debuting a new show with a light touch.
Continue reading "HBO Lightens Up With New Detective Series" »
March 07, 2008
Fox Clones 'House' - Rather Successfully
Fox TV comes up with two new drama series featuring troubled geniuses.
Continue reading "Fox Clones 'House' - Rather Successfully" »
March 06, 2008
'Unhitched' Sitcom Reminiscent of 'Seinfeld'
Fox TV network debuts a sitcom that imitates Seinfeld—and actually works.
Given that the new Fox comedy series Unhitched is executive produced by the Farrelly Brothers—makers of lunatic and politically incorrect comedy films such as Dumb and Dumber, There's Something About Mary, Stuck on You, and The Heartbreak Kid—one would be forgiven for expecting the show to be "edgy," slapsticky, frequently obscene, and rife with somewhat disturbing ideas and images.
The show does have its share of Farrelly moments, but overall it tends to reflect the filmmakers' sweeter, goofier side. In fact, more than anything it's reminiscent of Seinfeld.
Continue reading "'Unhitched' Sitcom Reminiscent of 'Seinfeld'" »
March 05, 2008
The Light in "Dark" Fiction
"Dark" fiction can have highly positive values behind it, writes S. T. Karnick. From the Feb. 25 issue of National Review.
Continue reading "The Light in "Dark" Fiction" »
February 28, 2008
CBS Brings Mixed Martial Arts to Major Network TV
'Big Four' network brings original programming to Saturday nights, chasing MMA's upscale, young audience.
Continue reading "CBS Brings Mixed Martial Arts to Major Network TV" »
February 26, 2008
Oscars Draw Record-Low TV Audience
In addition to the low box office numbers for most of the films nominated for Academy Awards and those that won, perhaps the strongest evidence that Hollywood—like the U.S. cultural elite in general—has become very distant from its audience is the fact that the TV ratings for Sunday's Academy Awards show were the lowest ever.
Continue reading "Oscars Draw Record-Low TV Audience" »
February 21, 2008
Supercar Plus Lesbianism Equals Realism . . . Right?
This past Sunday NBC premiered a new movie, an updating of the 1980s series Knight Rider, about a young crimefighter aided by a supercar with artificial intelligence. The remake takes up the story of some of the characters' children, now young adults, as they move into roles analogous to those of their parents in the original show.
It is, of course, a romance with an entirely fanciful premise with possible positive meanings at heart, and must be accepted as such if one is to appreciate it at all.
Too bad the film's producers failed to do that. An early scene establishing the important character of a female FBI agent shows her concluding an interracial, lesbian one-night stand.
Now that's realism!
Now we'll believe in an artificially intelligent, nanotech supercar piloted by a touseled-haired mesomorph, now that they've acknowledged that there is such a thing as lesbianism.
Yes, that is precisely what a nitwit might think.
February 20, 2008
Monk and God
In the absence of God, humans seek ultimate control over the world—and never find it. TAC correspondent Dean Abbott examines the religious implications of the USA Network show Monk.
Continue reading "Monk and God" »
February 18, 2008
A Defense of Pop Fiction
Here's a preview of an article coming soon on another site. I've been working with the editor for a week to get this published, and an updated version will run eventually, but in the meantime here's a version that is timely because the season-ending of Prison Break will run on Fox tonight at 8 EST.Continue reading "A Defense of Pop Fiction" »
February 15, 2008
'Dexter' Comes to CBS
This Sunday night at 10 p.m EST, CBS attempts to bolster its writers-strike-depleted primetime lineup by bringing over a program from pay cable, Showtime's Dexter.
For those not familiar with the show, Dexter is a limited series based on the first in a series of novels about a Miami police forensic consultant whose expertise happens to be based in great part on the fact that he is a serial killer.
Continue reading "'Dexter' Comes to CBS" »
February 13, 2008
Clemens and the Constitution
As former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens testifies before a congressional committee investigating allegations of the use of performance enhancing drugs in the sport, the observations in my Tech Central Station article during the last big government investigation into the matter apply as strongly as ever:
Continue reading "Clemens and the Constitution" »
February 11, 2008
Jack Bauer Drought Likely
For those wondering when new episodes of network primetime TV series will begin appearing if the writers strike ends Tuesday as expected, there's a good AP article on the subject here.
Short answer: the rest of the season will be a mess. New episodes of popular fiction series will be scarce, and new episodes of most fiction shows that began this season are unlikely.
The worst news is for fans of the popular Fox series 24. The show will probably not return until early next year, according to reports.
Thus the writers union has accomplished what the worst supervillains in the world could not. Now that's power.
February 06, 2008
"Underfunded" Returns
This Friday at noon EST the USA Network will rerun the comedy-espionage-mystery movie Underfunded, which premiered last fall. Co-written and co-produced by David Breckman, a writer for USA's Monk, the film depicts the travails of a Canadian spy who must endure numerous problems created by the organization's pathetically low budget.
It seemed originally that the film was the pilot for a forthcoming series, but the hoped-for show has not come forth yet. Nonetheless, Underfunded is good fun and worth a look. For more information, see my original review here.
January 31, 2008
'Eli Stone' Tackles Heavy Issues with Light Touch
The new ABC tv series Eli Stone deals with some serious issues—most importantly the question of whether our time is a congenial one for religious truths. Central to the story is the premise that the title character may actually be a religious prophet.
Continue reading "'Eli Stone' Tackles Heavy Issues with Light Touch" »
January 29, 2008
Jacobson's Back, Protesters Unsatisfied
ESPN2 morning co-anchor Dana Jacobson is back at work after a week's suspension for her drunken, foul-mouthed tirade at a public dinner.
At the beginning of the Jan. 28 program, the first since her suspension, Jacobson offered a rather cryptic apology:
I want to once again say how truly sorry I am for my poor choices and bad judgment that night. I've taken responsibility for what I did say and do that night.
What's cryptic about it, of course, is the phrase "what I did say and do". Certainly no one should expect her to apologize for anything she did not do, so the use of the word 'did' is redundant and indeed confusing.
Evidently her intent was to imply that she did not say the most offensive thing attributed to her: "F— Jesus!"
Yet neither Jacobson nor her ESPN bosses has denied that she said it. Hence the use of the word 'did' is obviously intentional dissembling.
Continue reading "Jacobson's Back, Protesters Unsatisfied" »
January 26, 2008
'Torchwood' Goes Openly Homosexual
The scene depicts polymorphously perverse series protagonist Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) with guest star James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
I was not impressed by the first season of Torchwood, as it is rather too cute and the special effects too cheap to make up for the snarkiness of the whole affair. The short-lived U.S. series Firefly was far superior. Not recommended.
For additional information about the series, visit the BBC America Torchwood page.
Update: In the original version of this article I used the words 'sex scene' to describe the sequence, which may have been technically accurate but certainly had the unfortunate effect of suggesting that the scene includes pornographic effects. That is an inaccurate impression, according to reports. Hence I have changed the term to avoid any potential confusion. As it happens, it took me rather a long time to figure out a phrase that wouldn't sound too creepy or would too weakly describe the scene, and I'm not altogether sure that I have succeeded.
January 24, 2008
Christ-Hater Skates,Thanks to Elite Prejudice Against Christians
Providing further proof that America's elites are delighted when people of low mental ability use Christians and Christianity as punching bags, ESPN has suspended sports-show anchor Dana Jacobson for one week after she indulged in a drunken, foul-mouthed public tirade that included an astonishingly vulgar curse directed at Jesus Christ.
The one-week suspension is very revealing of the mentality of the management team at the Disney-owned sports network, given that the same behavior would have gotten anyone not in the media fired, and it would have gotten a media person fired had it been delivered against an accredited victim group—cf. the termination of radio host Don Imus and basketball commentator Tim Hardaway last year.
Continue reading "Christ-Hater Skates,Thanks to Elite Prejudice Against Christians" »
January 14, 2008
Salute to Val Lewton
Turner Classic Movies is presenting a documentary on filmmaker Val Lewton, produced and narrated by Martin Scorsese, tonight at 8 EST with a repeat presentation at midnight.
Lewton (b. Vladimir Ivan Leventon in Yalta, Russia) was a highly talented writer and producer whose atmospheric suspense and horror films of the 1940s for Hollywood's RKO studio are much admired by film critics and scholars and the more tasteful and well-informed of today's filmmakers.
Continue reading "Salute to Val Lewton" »
Sarah Connor, Woman As Protector
The title of Fox's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles definitely captures show's real emphasis. The Terminator character, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film series, is the hook to get people to tune in, but the real focus of the show is the character of Sarah Connor (Lena Headey), mother of the man who will one day save the world.
Continue reading "Sarah Connor, Woman As Protector" »
January 12, 2008
Masterpiece Theater Does Austen
Starting this evening at 9 EST and over the next four months, PBS will broadcast The Complete Jane Austen. The series runs through April 6, and will include adaptations of all of Austen's novels, plus Miss Austen Regrets (Feb. 6), a film biography detailing the never-married author's "lost loves."
The Complete Jane Austen will consist of new adaptations of Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Sense and Sensibility, plus previously produced versions of Emma (featuring Kate Beckinsale) and Pride and Prejudice (starring Colin Firth).
Continue reading "Masterpiece Theater Does Austen" »
'Monk,' 'Psych' Mid-Season Premieres Strong
Last night's mid-season premiere episodes of Monk and Psych, both on the USA Network, were very entertaining and inspire optimism that both series are going to have a good year.
The Monk episode had a strong story, a relatively uninspired but workable mystery, some very funny scenes, a good subject area (a religious cult), and several superb character points.
Monk's assistant, Natalie (Traylor Howard), was not used very promenently, as Monk spends much of the episode separated from her, and Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) does not get to do much, either, but Jason Gray-Stanford has a couple of very funny moments as Lt. Randall Disher, and the guest actors, particularly Howie Mandel as the cult leader, were very good. And Tony Shaloub was in top form as Adrian Monk.
Continue reading "'Monk,' 'Psych' Mid-Season Premieres Strong" »
January 11, 2008
Tie-In Novels for 'Psych,' 'Burn Notice'
After the success of several tie-in novels featuring characters from the USA Network detective-comedy series Monk, written by TV mystery veteran Lee Goldberg, two more USA Network series will get the same treatment, according to an item on The Blog of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers.
TV writer William Rabkin has agreed to write three original novels based on Psych, with the first going into print in January 2009, and Tod Goldberg will produce three books based on Burn Notice, with the first installment due out in July 2008, when the series' second season will begin on USA Network.
Continue reading "Tie-In Novels for 'Psych,' 'Burn Notice'" »
January 10, 2008
DVR Alert: 'Monk' and 'Psych' Return
USA Network's superb comedy-mystery series Monk and Psych return to action with new original episodes tomorrow night, at 9 and 10 EST, respectively.
January 09, 2008
Fox's "Damages" on DVD
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that the FX legal drama Damages will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray disc on January 29. The three disc set, nearly ten hours in length, will include all thirteen episodes of the first season of the suspenseful drama series starring Glenn Close and Ted Danson.
As noted earlier on this site, the main innovation of the show is its willingness to take a realistic look at the character of the crusading lawyer:
Continue reading "Fox's "Damages" on DVD" »
Fox's "Damages" on DVD
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that the FX legal drama Damages will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray disc on January 29. The three disc set, nearly ten hours in length, will include all thirteen episodes of the first season of the suspenseful drama series starring Glenn Close and Ted Danson.
As noted earlier on this site, the main innovation of the show is its willingness to take a realistic look at the character of the crusading lawyer:
Continue reading "Fox's "Damages" on DVD" »
January 08, 2008
BBC's Excellent "Life on Mars"
My favorite BBC programming has always been its mystery series, and the best of those are not the ones that mimic American programs but those that have the most British feel to them.
Unfortunately, the BBC has almost fully assimilated former Prime Minister Tony Blair's "Cool Britannia" notion, turning the government media service into a bastion of vulgar flash and nonsense designed to appeal to sex-addled teenagers of all ages.
Hence it's a happy day any time the BBC accidentally puts out one of its increasingly rare programs of intelligent and sensible entertainment. Life on Mars is just such a one and is not to be missed.
Continue reading "BBC's Excellent "Life on Mars"" »
December 21, 2007
Cohen Retires Famous Characters
Comedian-actor Sacha Baron Cohen is retiring two characters that made him famous—and notorious.
He has announced that he will no longer portray the characters of Borat Sagdiyev, a fictional Kazakh journalist notable for his amazing ignorance, anti-semitism, lack of respect for women, and overall vulgarity, and Ali G, a young English yobbo version of the same character.
"I am never going to play them again," he told the London Daily Telegraph.
Continue reading "Cohen Retires Famous Characters" »
December 12, 2007
Thanks but No Bloody Thanks, Sen. Kerry
Senator's thinly veiled threat of congressional action to ensure fans see New England football game is emblematic of what's wrong with America's government today.
Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) has decided to step forward to handle one of the great crises of our time.
No, not the War on Terror, concerns about global warming, or increasing access to good health care.
Continue reading "Thanks but No Bloody Thanks, Sen. Kerry" »
December 07, 2007
Monk, Psych Christmas Specials Premiere
Tonight USA Network presents two mystery-comedy Christmas specials.
At 9 EST (repeated at 12 a.m.), is the annual Monk Christmas special. The comedy-mystery program is a limted series appearing in two sets of episodes per year, in summer and midwinter, so USA Network wisely presents a Christmas episode each year to help sustain viewers' interest during the long layoff.
The USA Network describes tonight's episode, "The Man Who Shot Santa," as follows: "Monk becomes a social pariah when he shoots a man dressed as Santa Claus. Can he clear his name and foil a larger criminal plot in time for Christmas?"
After Monk, at 10 EST (repeated at 1 a.m.), is the first-ever Psych Christmas episode. USA Network describes it thus: "The scoop: Christmas with the Gusters is ruined when evidence in a murder case leads the police right to Gus' dad. Phylicia Rashad and Ernie Hudson guest star as the Gusters in the premiere of 'Gus' Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy'!"
Those who enjoy mysteries, comedy, and Advent, will definitely want to watch these.
December 06, 2007
Heroes Audience Shrinks Due to Producers' Missteps
Program's mistakes show the importance of narrative coherence.
The NBC TV show Heroes, a widely acclaimed program just a year ago in its first season, slid badly in audience numbers during the first half of this year's TV season, and has lost much support among the show's fans.
In fact, in response to the criticisms and decreasing ratings, a couple of week's ago the show's creator and driving force, Tim Kring, apologized to the fans, saying that his team had underestimated the viewers' willingness to sit through long expository sequences as opposed to wanting the action to move forward.
Continue reading "Heroes Audience Shrinks Due to Producers' Missteps" »
December 05, 2007
The Splendid Mr. Rickles
I haven't got around to seeing Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project yet, but I certainly will. The documentary on the veteran stand-up comedian, who is now 81 years old, premiered last Sunday night on the HBO cable network and was shown at the New York Film Festival a couple of months ago.
According to reports, the movie was directed with evident affection by comedy filmmaker John Landis. (To see the Variety review click here.)
Rickles has that effect on people, and he has always been highly respected by other comedians.
Rickles is well-known for his tart-tongued improvisations in which he picks on members of the audience and celebrity guests and upbraids them for presumed character flaws and stereotyped ethnic characteristics.
Continue reading "The Splendid Mr. Rickles" »
December 04, 2007
Interview with "Saving Grace" Creator Nancy Miller
Saving Grace is truly one of the best programs on television today—serious, intelligent, creative, and with a strong set of positive values shining through its gritty subject matter. The series' producers are as willing to confront the dark side of American life today as anyone, yet they never give in to fashionable bleakness or despair.
On the contrary, the program delivers a realistic sense of hope while never papering over the difficulties involved in living right in a greatly imperfect world. The combination of police drama and frank, explicit spirtuality is fresh and successful, and the lead character's reluctance to give herself over fully to what is good and true is something with which most viewers can sympathize.
Continue reading "Interview with "Saving Grace" Creator Nancy Miller" »
November 30, 2007
TV Networks Are Making Big Money Online: Report
There's good news and bad news for the TV networks in recent figures released by Starcom, a leading media buying agency.
The good news is that the TV networks are making a substantial amount of money off of ads shown during online, streaming video releases of their programs. The bad news is that the writers want a slice of that rapidly growing pie.
Continue reading "TV Networks Are Making Big Money Online: Report" »