TV with MeeVee

Concerned about "The Office" and "30 Rock?"

Last night's season finale of "30 Rock" and the penultimate "The Office" episode of the season have left some folks out there grumpy or worried. Not me. Bob Bianco at USA Today, usually a voice of sanity, sez "30 Rock" has gone downhill over the last few episodes by adopting a shotgun approach to wacky comedy, a la "Family Guy," and dragging Tina Fey's Liz Lemon into it. The recapper at TV Squad has some doubts too, albeit mostly about the return of the insufferable Dennis. Now, I agree that Liz Lemon has joined the inmates lately instead of just running the asylum. But it doesn't bother me. In fact I kinda like it. And how can you have doubts about a show with dialogue like this, as captured by TV Squad:

Jenna: "I can't watch American Idol, because I have perfect pitch."
Kenneth: "I can't watch American Idol, because there's a waterbug on my channel changer!"

Meanwhile, our friend Kathie over at GMMR, the most dedicated "The Office" fan I know, was thoroughly "underwhelmed" by last night's episode because, she sez, it just wasn't very funny. Moreover, she sees troubling signs for the future of Jim and Pam - Pam's once again dreaming of art school, Jim's chafing against the grimness of his Dunder Mifflin future. Myself, I thought it was a funny episode. And maybe this makes me a bad JAM fan, but I think the uncertainty and poignance of Jim and Pam's existence (as so ably portrayed by John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer) makes their relationship all the more compelling and deepens the show beyond Michael Scott's comic idiocy. That's what she said!

"Late Night" Announcement?

NBC just called a press conference for Monday concerning "Late Night." Presumbly it's the formal announcement of the plan to have Jimmy Fallon of "SNL" replace Conan O'Brien when Conan takes over for Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show." The only problem for NBC is grumbling from the Leno camp that maybe he doesn't want to go - or that he'll be happy to start a show on ABC or Fox once he leaves.

CW Sells Sunday By The Seashore

I hate to bust on the folks at CW while I'm begging them to renew "Reaper." But. Here's some crappy news. After failing on Sunday nights this year with advertiser-friendly "CW Now," the network is going the rest of the way and selling the timeslots to a media-and-advertising conglomerate. According to multiple reports (here, here, here and here, for instance), the network is pimping our eyeballs to the Media Rights Capital studio, whose backers include ad-business biggies. Media Rights will produce some shows to put between the ads, but it's going to be hard to take seriously whatever they put on. There's your paradigm shift of the week.

A Few Afternoon Links, Mostly About "Lost"

• Yet another take on last night's taxing "Lost." (Buzzsugar)
• And a note about the music. (Buddy TV)
• And despite the writers strike, we will get our full remaining quotient of "Lost" episodes. (Hollywood Reporter)
• Gay kiss on "Grey's Anatomy." But it's two dudes. (Televisionista)
• DVR viewing makes up 7.5 percent of all TV viewing, up 64 percent from a year ago. (TV By The Numbers)

"Heroes" Nabs Speedy "FNL" Cutie

It must be summer, because it's time for an endless stream of "Heroes" casting news. Blonder-than-blonde Brea Grant of "Friday Night Lights" is the latest to join the increasingly mammoth cast, word is she'll be playing a super-fast superhero who is described as the Joker to Hiro's Batman. The new character's name is Daphne, and she runs afoul of Hiro when she tries to rip off the Nakamura family.

"I'm stealing a secret that's been kept in Hiro's family for a long time that he's just now found," Brea Grant told The Associated Press during a break in filming in downtown Los Angeles. "He stops time right as I grab it, but in that second it took him to grab it, I almost make it out of the office."

It's going to be fun to see Hiro with an arch nemesis, especially a cute, female one. Daphne will be appearing in Season 3, which picks up where the truncated Season 2 left off. Since the title of the next volume of "Heroes" is "Villains," I'm guessing this won't be the last bad-guy casting we see.

Smallville: “The Quest for Plots”

Show: Smallville
Episode: “Quest”
First Aired: 5/8/08

Reason #73 as to why “Smallville” should go off the air: Too many episodes inspired by/modeled after/ripped off from major motion pictures. Two weeks ago it was “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” last week was “It’s a Wonderful Life,” this week we get “The Da Vinci Code.” It may not be as obvious as the others but the checklist is there. Evil monk? Check. Elderly antiquities expert? Check. Quest that ends in a church? Check. There’s even a cryptograph (though in this milieu it should be spelled Krypto-graph). Perhaps it’s time the show runners trade the small screen for the big screen since it’s obvious that’s where they want to be.

Assuming the Tom Hanks role is Lex, hellbent on uncovering the secret behind the Veritas cryptograph as it relates to the Traveler - AKA Clark (not that Lex knows this). Luthor hires the antiquities expert to decipher the construction and history of the graph. He also seeks to decipher the mysterious symbols carved into his chest during an attack. (Hmm, where have we seen that before?) His search for both brings him to an ancient church in Montreal that houses a clock built by the same architect of the graph.

Humping Puppies and Archuleta. In The Same Item.

Our friend Aaron Barnhart of the Kansas City Star gives three items for the price of one in this blog post. The clip of the weatherman reacting to the live shot of humping puppies is pretty funny. And Aaron's TV interview clip is funny too - "Live from the Oval Office at the Harry S. Truman Museum!" has a surreal quality, for starters.

But the real reason to read the post is for Aaron's thoughts on Thursday's "American Idol," beginning thusly: What many of us hadn't counted on would be how quickly David Archuleta's audition for the Kathie Lee Gifford Up With Jesus and the U-S-A Tour went from refreshing to annoying to pure agony.

Exactly. And there's more where that come from. And just to tie this all together, TMZ.com has an item on the lad and his religion, David Archuleta's Missionary Position.

Lunchtime Links! Almost As Good As A Nooner!

Big, big Thursday night, lots of news and insights today...

• 
• William Baldwin spills the beans - "Dirty Sexy Money" will move to Thursdays next year. (Televisionista)
• Correctly pointing out what's so much fun about this year's blindside-intensive "Survivor" - Cirie! (TV Squad)
• Detailed exigesis of last night's bedeviling "Lost." (TV Squad)
• Recap of "CSI's" comedy episode. (Buddy TV)
• Ditto "My Name Is Earl," which actually is a comedy. (Buddy TV)
• Dreadlocks Boy talks about getting punted from "American Idol." (TVG)
• A less successful "American Idol" reject gets busted for pervy online chats with kids. (NYDN)
• Univision is a big deal in the ratings, si? (TV By The Numbers)
• Sex scandal at the Weather Channel? Is it legal to use "sex" and "Weather Channel" in the same sentence? (TSG)

"Lost" Scorecard: Destiny Is A Fickle Bitch

Okay, it took me about ten minutes to get my eyes uncrossed after that ending. That was a full-tilt boogie, "Lost" style. I think I'm looking forward to seeing the half-baked theories that the internet comes up with almost as much as I'm looking forward to seeing the next episode. Given what we've learned, and what's been hinted at, there are many billions of crackpot theories now available to the obsessive fans. Not that I would have any idea about that kind of thing.

Given what we know about his history, "destiny is a fickle bitch" seems like the perfect motto for Benjamin Linus. I'm surprised he doesn't have it tattooed across his butt. Ben is a man who knows about the winds of fate, and which way they blow, and they are most definitely, err, blowing Locke. Clearly Ben's not exactly excited about losing his slot as the golden boy, but then again he's also probably going to stop getting slapped around by lady luck quite so much. It's a mixed bag. Speaking of mixed bags, what's the score?

Tonight's Picks: Friday, May 9

On "Doctor Who," The Doc and Donna make some awful discoveries on the Ood Sphere. Like for instance that sci fi is the only thing worth watching on Friday nights.

On "Moonlight," Mick has to face up to a few things when the grandson of his World War II buddy goes missing.

The search for earth takes an unexpected turn on "Battlestar Galactica," and Starbuck reaches new levels of crazy.

Best. Decapitation. Ever.

I can't tell you how many times I would be willing to watch this video of Mr. Redlegs, the Cincinnati Reds mascot, being decapitated in a tragic/wacky accident, because I've watched it at least twenty times already and it's still funny. I mean, it's no bug sex, but then again you can watch it without feeling like a pervert.

 

Mascot Loses His Head

Thanks, BWE!

Bug Sex! Performed By Isabella Rossellini! So weird!

WTF! is in this case literally appropriate, because "Green Porno" is about insect - and worm, and spider, and snail - sex. It's the most mind-bendingly strange work I've seen lately. You'll have to see it for yourself  to believe it. Isabella Rossellini wrote, stars in, and often directs this series of shorts first shown at the Sundance Festival and now available for streaming on the Sundance Channel site. It's also available on mobile phones via Helio. In fact, "Green Porno" was conceived both out of thoughts about ecology and a desire to experiment with art for mobile. Seriously, this is wonderfully strange stuff, with the still quite beautiful actress ("Blue Velvet") applying her abundant charm to topics like worm anuses and fly humping. She acts them all out by herself, in full-body costumes so simple yet so vivid as to be almost abstract, like the sets. "Green Porno" made me think of everything from German expressionist filmmaking to 1960s kid shows. Did I mention the worm anus?

 

"Smallville" Not So Super After Cast Departures?

The news that Allison Mack aka Chloe may be leaving "Smallville" after this season leaves CW in an ugly mess. Michael Rosenbaum has already decided that he won't be coming back as Lex Luthor, and Kristin Kreuk will only return as Lana Lang for a handful of episodes. That's in addition to the previous departures of the grownups from the show - Annette O'Toole and John Schneider as Martha and Jonathan Kent and, just recently, John Glover as Lionel Luthor. Really, who's left?

Well, Tom Welling as Clark Kent and Erica Durance as Lois Lane, that's who. And you have to wonder if they're enough - remember Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher in "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman?" I don't think the "Smallville" audience is old enough to make the comparison, actually. But should the CW pony up a wheelbarrow of cash to keep Mack on board for what presumably will be the final season of "Smallville." Or is there a chance they'll pull the plug right now? Well, that begs the question of what else CW has to put on the air. And the answer is, um, well, er...But if "Smallville" were to self-destruct, it would make "Reaper's" prospects for renewal better, anyway.

"30 Rock" Season Finale Sneak Peek

While it's not moving to ABC like "Scrubs," "30 Rock" does end its season tonight with an episode called "Cooter." Here's a clip from a scene with star Alec Baldwin and guest Matthew Broderick...

"Gossip Girl" Updates

"Gossip Girl" will get a super-sized 24-ep season next year to make up for hours lost to the writers strike, says E! Online's Kristin. She also reports that the show will shoot its first few episodes of next season in the Hamptons. Michelle Trachtenberg's evil Georgina will be back as a regular next season, sex TV Squad. And finally, the TV Addict rolls out a whole slew of preview pix for next week's big wedding episode/season finale. We'll drop just one on you here. Hmmm, wonder what they're talking about?

Morning "Hillary, Girlfriend, It's Over" Links

• Speaking of cute but not especially talented dudes on "American Idol," as we have been for the last couple of days, Ace Young is going to get whacked on "Bones" next week. Another "Idol" runnerup who I don't even remember - Brandon Rogers? Really? - is also on the ep, which focuses on a barroom singing contest. But just to be nice I'll run a pic of Emily Deschanel from the ep instead. (TV Squad)
• The cops made it official against departing "CSI" star Gary Dourdan y'day. (TMZ)
• Who can afford to maintain an "Extreme Makeover" home?? (Philly.com)
• Bruce Boxleitner joins "Heroes." That ought to get younger viewers excited. Uh, not. (TV Guide)
• Dating show for the mentally disabled? Eeek. (TMZ)
• Sutton-at-Hone councilors in Kent can eat my shorts. (UK Daily Record)
• "Ugly Betty" crew members losing their jobs as the show moves to Taxbreakistan New York are bitter that California hasn't done more to keep productions. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)

"Scrubs" NBC Finale Preview Video

Ok, Ok, we all know "Scrubs" is moving to ABC next season, and tonight is its last episode on NBC. Contractual reasons - Hollywoodese for "honor among thieves" - prevents anyone from actually mentioning the ABC deal. But here's a clip from tonight's "fairy tale" finale, introduced by Zack Braff...

Tonight's Picks: Thursday, May 8

Aw, I put "MILF Island" in there just to mess with your head. Actually it's more of "Survivor: Micronesia - Fans Vs. Favorites" tonight on CBS, and I gotta say I'm loving this richly plotted season of jaw-dropping doublecrosses and betrayals. By the end of tonight, we'll have our final four.

Tonight on "CSI," Gil Grissom and the team take on an unfamiliar foe: comedy. Well, sorta. This is the second half of the big writer-swap with "Two And A Half Men," and they'll be investigating the offing of a comedy diva a la Rosanne or Cybill Shepherd. And look for the "TAAHM" guys in an eyeblink cameo.

The season finale of "30 Rock" brings Jack a Washington job that he hates - and Liz a pregnancy scare. Yikes!

"American Idol" Trims Its Dreads

Well, they got it right tonight on "American Idol," and I don't mean the horrible singing and kindergarten-level dancing during the group version of "Reelin' in the Years." That was the worst thing I've heard on "Idol" in weeks...unless you count Jason's versions of Bob Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff" and Bob Dylan's "Tambourine Man" on Tuesday night's performance show; he managed to forget Dylan's line about the jingle jangle morning. It was awful and he knew it. He laughed during tonight's results show as he related, "Someone said I shot the tambourine man." Great line. And then he got the very-much-expected news that he is going home. Like all ejected contestants, he then sang goodbye via the song that got him ejected, and this time he managed to screw up Marley's words. Buh bye - and none too soon. Next week: Syesha vs. David vs. David.

More Meth In The Winnebago!

AMC has renewed "Breaking Bad" for a second season, this time for 13 episodes instead of seven. Who knew that a little show about cooking crystal meth and dying of cancer and other cheery subjects could be so compelling? Who knew that AMC would score with original drama? Who knew that the year's newest anti-hero would be the dad from "Malcolm in the Middle," staggering around in the desert in his tightie whities and waving a .357.

God I loved this show, even after an attempt to dissolve a body in acid led to the grossest housecleaning scene in the history of television. Bryan Cranston stars as Walter White, a nebbishy high school chemistry teacher who learns he has terminal cancer and turns to cooking meth to provide for his family after he's gone. But like "Weeds," at its best "Breaking Bad" also uses the drug angle as a wedge to pry open the inner lives of its characters.

Many of us wondered how it was going to work as a series, and Cranston said in an interview, " 'M*A*S*H' was able to stretch the Korean War to 10 years. So we can make cancer work, can’t we?" I guess they did.

Afternoon "Only Five More Hours Till Jason Goes Buh-Bye" Links

• "American Idol's" Tuesday night ratings were down more than 3 million viewers from the week before - apparently a bunch of people just decided that Paula's judging screwup was the last straw? (TV By The Numbers)
• "Life On Mars" is the pilot that just won't die. Last year's plan to remake the BBC hit has turned into an actual pilot, but... (BuzzSugar)
• A private-eye spinoff for "House?" (TV Guide)
• "Monk" and "Psych" go back to cable. (Buddy TV)
• GLAAD is in favor of the gay marriage on "Brothers & Sisters." Who knew? (Buddy TV)

Actors Strike Possible? Now There's A Happy Thought

No, no, a thousand times no. But yes. The producers' group, the AMPTP, called a halt to negotiations with the Screen Actors Guild yesterday, saying their demands are unreasonable. Meanwhile, negotiations between the AMPTP and the other actors union, AFTRA, are about to begin. And the actors' contracts run out at the end of June. Be afraid, be very afraid. Nikki Finke, who was the go-to news source on the writers strike, says this is very bad news. And I can't help but agree. I hope, though, that cooler heads will prevail, as another strike this soon could be the end of TV as we know it. And that would be a bad thing, right? Right?

Lindsay Lohan - And A Move - On "Ugly Betty"

ABC will move production of "Ugly Betty" to New York for next season's episodes. New York State production tax credits are the main reason, although the show is set in New York and the pilot filmed there. Many production staffers may be dropped, and the writers will stay in LA, so it sounds like a big mess. And speaking of big messes, the seemingly sober, career-challenged tabloid queen Lindsay Lohan has signed for a guest role on the season finale and the first five episodes of next season. She'll be playing an old classmate of Betty's, a mean girl who has now fallen on tough times. Check out America Ferrera and LiLo the first official pix from this weekend's shoot, which looks like a gym class flashback...

Morning Links on Jason Castro's Last Day on "Idol"

Man, last night was uhg-leee on "American Idol." Dreadlocks Boy is definitely going home, unless there's some sort of rift in the time-space-tweener girl continuum. So we're counting down the minutes to the results show. In the meantime...

• "Hannah Montana" ratings took a big hit this week. Could it really be that ginned-up Vanity Fair photo controversy? Does that at least give us an excuse to run the picture again? (TV By The Numbers)
• Obsessive analysis of the identity of the last Cylon mole on "Battlestar Galactica." (Cellounge)
• The "Veronica Mars" Cruise. Oh dear. (Cruise to Mars)
• "Smallville" season finale spoilers. (TV Addict)
• Josh Radnor reassures fans about the return of "How I Met Your Mother." (TV Squad)
• Last night's episode gives fresh evidence why "Reaper" must be renewed. More Gladys!!! (TV Squad)
• Our friend Tim Goodman's Monday column had some plain-talk common sense for network executives. Which will of course be ignored. Sigh. (SF Gate)

Tonight's Picks: Wednesday, May 7

Rocker Dave, Cute Dave, Dreadlocks Dude and Syesha. Who will weep and sing and go home? Who will live to sing another day? "American Idol" rocks. In the television sense.

"Audition: Barbara Walters Journey" finds the aging anchorwoman and celebrity chronicler peddling her new memoir in an hourlong special hosted by Charlie Gibson. ABC, don't ever change.

Tonight on Bravo's "Top Chef": "Wedding Wars." Some bride is going to be very, very sorry.

"American Idol" Liveblog

We're here, we've got burgers and red wine, we're ready to rock with "American Idol." Or was that, mock?

• Wouldn't it be funny if one night Ryan said, "THIS...is Two And A Half Men!" That would be funny, right?
• Is that Meadow Soprano getting the first celeb-in-the-audience shot of the night?
• Ryan makes extra sure the judges know they'll be critiqueing after each number. So Paula doesn't get confused.
• The contstants can choose anything from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to sing tonight. I was going to complain about the show choosing KISS for background music, but then David Cook chooses Duran Duran, "Hungry Like The Wolf." His version rocks OK, I guess, but it lacks the coke-era irony you want from a Duran Duran cover. Randy and Simon are underwhelmed, but Paula sez it leaves her with a big appetite. Ugh. Run away, David, run away!
• Is anyone else creeped out by the cellphone ad where Meatloaf's teenaged TV son sings about loving him till the end of time. Wasn't that song about fucking? Now it's about cellphone plans? Is this a microcosm of everything wrong with rock'n'roll in the '00s?
• I thought Syesha might be on the way out but WHOA! That's an I-want-to-stay-on-the-show dress if I ever saw one. But she's going to tackle "Proud Mary" - "by Tina Turner?" Somewhere John Fogerty is having palpitations. But it is the Ike & Tina version of the song. Randy loves it, says she's gotten in the game at the right time. Paula, of course, loves it. Simon calls it a "shrieky" imitation of Tina. Sorry, but I'm with Simon. Ryan concludes the feedback with some leering remark about her hips getting in the game.
• Dreadlocks boy is singing Bob Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff." He sounds good but completely without emotion. It's the song of a fugitive on the run for his life. He sounds like a dorm dude whose girl bogarted the last bong hit. Closing his eyes and raising a fist doesn't make it any better. I think the judges are going to eat him. Randy begins "DUDE." He says it was really karaoke, and there was nothing special about it. EVEN PAULA says she "wasn't crazy about" the performance. But then she says his artistry shines through. Simon: Utterly atrocious! Like a first-round audition massacre...I don't know what you're thinking! The only similarity was the hair. They're beating the crap out of him and Paula tries to stop it. Jason's grinning like he doesn't care.
• Cute David is singing "Stand By Me." It's perfect for his register. But the seagulls on his dark shirt are distracting the hell out of me. Judges mostly love it, although Simon says he could have whistled and he would have sounded better than Jason.