Emmys Red Carpet Reaction

So I DVRed (yes i made that a verb) both E! and NBCs Red carpet coverage and first off I have to say that E! had much better coverage.  Not only did theirs start an hour before NBCs so we got to see more but the quality was so much better as well (this does not bode well since NBC is on the decline - even though I work for an NBC affiliate so I hope things pick up soon - fingers crossed for The Event -which I have seen the pilot and am going to post something about it soon).

You get Ryan Seacrest on E! (not a huge fan but he knows his way around the red carpet) and Billy Bush on NBC (not particularly impressed with him) not to mention the NBC side crew including Nate Burkus (who by the way is getting his own show this fall) and let me just say that Nate's questions about everyone's bathroom floor and what they looked like was getting old after the 1st person.  Not a big fan of that question, I don't care what someone's bathroom looks like I mean you can ask them how many dresses they tried on before they decided on this one but geez that's about all I care to know.

NBC also had horrible graphics.  That little wipe screen of their horribly designed Emmy Red carpet logo between Billy and Nate just way too plain, someone could have and should have designed something with some animation, better colors and the logo itself was just horrendous.  (I hate that I'm bashing my own affiliate but this red carpet show could have been much better and also as for the E! had a whole extra hour of coverage on them, I could have handled not having to do the 6pm news yesterday for more red carpet coverage!).  And someone could have let Billy know that there were still 30 seconds left when he threw to the Emmy's the audience could see the clock why couldn't someone tell him in his earpiece to stretch?

As for the stars and the fashion I have these as my best and worst dressed (I love that no matter what they thought of their fashion Billy or Ryan or Nate or anyone always says how great they look because they have to - hehe)

January Jones is definitely a WORST dressed in my opinion.  That dress was horrendous especially considering how great she looked last year.  And her hair had that bed head look which E! commented on as well at the end of their red carpet coverage.  Judge for yourself

As for the Best Dressed I have a few favorites Glee's Lea Michelle looked great in the Oscar De La Renta Navy strapless gown.  Clare Danes looked stunning as did Modern Family's Sophia Vergara

What did everyone else think of the Red Carpet?  Who had the best coverage of the red carpet?  (I didn't get to see TV Guide Channel's coverage cause I don't get that channel but if anyone saw that coverage and thought it was awesome please share) Sound off in the comments - Jimmy Fallon did an excellent job as the host, especially his opening number and tribute to shows that are no longer with us.  Overall the Emmys were pretty fun!

Summer Recap

Hello out there to all my blog readers (I know I'm kidding myself to think that more than 3 people actually read this thing).  It's been a while since I posted something and my posts have been scarce this summer but I have been watching a lot of summer shows but I've just been trying to enjoy the weather while I can and therefore haven't taken the time to sit down and post anything.

I started watching a few new shows this summer and several shows that were on last summer so I don't have a lack of shows to talk about but let's talk about some of the new hit shows I've been watching and then talk about some of the returning ones (despite the fact that most of the shows are ending for the summer by now and it's about time to gear up for the new fall season!)

Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family) was a great new show this summer based on yet another book series (ala Gossip girl) it mixes that high school drama with a little murder mystery and who doesn't love a mystery.  I know I'm 27 years old and probably should still want to watch these high school shows but I'm drawn to them for reason maybe it's because my high school experience really was nothing like these shows and I kinda wish it was...anyways...Pretty Little Liars has had its summer finale already but I think it's run this summer was great and worth picking up if you like the high school shows and like a good mystery.  It kind of has a little "Twin Peaks" feel to it because the premise of TP was who killed Laura Palmer (although they rushed right through and answered it fairly early in TP) but this show has yet to give us an answer to who killed Allison DiLaurentis (the uber popular girl who had a lot of secrets)?  Not only does it give us a high school murder mystery but we get to see Holly Marie Combs back on the little screen!

ABC Family also began airing a new showed called HUGE this summer about a group of kids at a camp to lose weight.  Of course "Hairspray" star Niki Blonsky was a big reason I started to watch but the show has a lot of heart and is pretty funny in parts.  The kids are relateable because they have real problems, unlike the kids on Gossip Girl or similar shows (don't get me wrong I still love Gossip Girl and those types of shows) but there are a lot of kids out there who are self conscious of their weight and this show deals with not only their weight but other teenage issues.  Next week is the finale and it will be interesting to see how this show plays out beyond this season because it may be weird to have a show on in the winter about kids at a summer camp so ABC Family may have to stick to this being only on in the summer unlike their other programming.

Finally ABC Family has just started a new half hour comedy called Melissa & Joey.   It's kind of a revamped "Who's the Boss".  We get 2 90s child stars getting a crack at their own show here although the feel is that this show could have been made in the 90s so it draws me in because in my opinion the 90s were the peak of television in my era.  Melissa is a successful woman in government who is taking care of her niece and nephew and needs to hire someone to help out around the house - enter Joey the new Tony Danza aka male nanny.  The show hasn't hit a stride but I'm going to give it a chance.  I really just want to watch Clarrissa Explains it All instead haha.  I love the house which has a very 90s sitcom feel with the two sets of stairs (no house has two sets of stairs leading to the second floor in it does it?) and parts of it are funny but I could do without the "live studio audience" laugh track and the kids in the show haven't impressed me yet.

Moving on to USA network which already has one hit summer show that I love in Royal Pains (but we'll come back to that) and it can now add another hit show - which has been picked up for a second season already - Covert Affairs starring Piper Perabo and the hottie Christopher Gorham as well as Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes) Kari Matchette and Peter Gallagher is about a girl who joins the CIA after her boyfriend skips town (who also happens to be a spy but she doesn't realize it).  The CIA calls her up out of training relatively early to work in the field.  Piper Perabo plays Annie Walker the young CIA agent who works with Gorham the hottie blind tech guy as a spy but what she doesn't know is that the heads of the CIA are using her to get to her ex-bf spy.  All in all an entertaining hour of television and getting to look at Christopher Gorham isn't half bad either!

TNT debuted it's new cop drama Memphis Beat this summer staring Jason Lee (My Name is Earl)  I have been watching it all summer and I can say it is fun to watch.  It's not my favorite new show and I can't tell if it's a show that will get picked up again but I enjoy Jason Lee and the southern cop he plays not to mention he sings at the end of every episode and I really love when shows incorporate good music.  That is one of the reasons the WB/CW shows are so great because they introduce new bands in or have a lot of opportunities for musical guests (I'll try to take a blog entry some time soon to talk about how music influences my choice in programming).  Still the show is good but not great however worth continuing to DVR.

Of course I did post an article earlier this summer about NBCs miniseries Persons Unknown.  I have been watching it but it has been struggling on air.  NBC moved it from Mondays to Saturdays which is a death toll in itself but I think the show started off really well but it's been kind of dragging a little.  Last Saturday NBC aired an episode and then on Sunday released the next episode online only (it's never good when episodes get released online only).  Next week is the last 2 episodes of the show and then it's done.  I don't know if NBC had planned from the beginning for this to be a 1 summer show or if it had the potential to be renewed, I personally was under the impression that it wouldn't be coming back again from the beginning but I could be wrong however I don't think it will be coming back again if it had the option to or not.  As long as we get an answer as to why these people were taken, where they are and what the "program" is, I'll be happy.

AMC began it's new series Rubicon a few weeks back.  It's basically a conspiracy thriller and so far it's really intriguing.  I'm really behind in watching it, I've only watched the first 3 episodes but so far I like it.  AMC hasn't done too bad for itself with Mad Men and Breaking Bad (I wish I had watched that show from the start but I haven't seen an episode so I doubt I can get into it now) now it has Rubicon and this fall it will premier a new show called The Walking Dead (kind of a zombie show).  But if you like movies about conspiracy plots you'll love this show.  It's only about 6 episodes in so you can still start watching if you find the episodes online and catch up, or maybe they'll run a marathon.  But it airs at 9pm on Sunday's before Mad Men.

Since this entry is rather long I'm going to save my other summer viewing habits entry for another day but stay tuned in the coming days for that plus a fall preview I have already seen the pilot episodes of The Event and Nikita and will be seeing Outsourced tomorrow (I love that my job in news television is finally giving me some entertainment television perks).  I'll try to get you a little insight into these new shows without telling you what happens.

Anyone who reads this tell your friends to read :) also feel free to comment on what you like or don't like about these new summer shows or any other summer shows you watched that maybe I didn't catch on to.  I'm always listening for great things on TV!

Persons Unknown - This Might Actually be Worth Watching

I took a chance and watched NBC's "Persons Unknown" last night...and I have to say, It was decent.  It strikes intrigue in the viewer, which is always a good thing; however, i would like a little more character development in the coming episodes.  The premise is this - seven people are kidnapped and held hostage in an abandoned town all while being monitored with surveillance cameras.  They have drug implants in their leg so if they try to leave they get a dose of the drugs and faint.  This strange ghost town has workers at the hotel where they sleep and the Chinese restaurant where they are forced to eat, however none of the workers seem to know much either.  These seven people weren't taken from the same location either, one was in New York, another in San Fransico...So it leaves the viewer wondering where are they, why were they taken, and how will they get out of there?  It seems as if the kidnappers have been watching them before they were taken and they are continuing to monitor them in this ghost town.  It almost feels like a game because each of them recieved a fortune cookie at dinner and although we don't know what all of them said (because what they read could have been a lie) we know for sure that one reads "kill your neighbor and you'll be free", so that makes me want to see what happens with that!  I'll be sure to tune in to NBC next monday at 10pm, will you?
Here's the first episode from hulu

It's Time for Upfronts!

For those of you unfamiliar with the world of network television, upfronts week is the week when the networks unveil their upcoming fall line-ups for advertisers...And this my friends is the start of upfront week...in the wake of the massive killing spree that went on last week where several (in my opinion) good shows got the axe and were told you will not be renewed for another season this week brings the excitement of new fall shows and gives us the final say on which shows live and to see another season that may have been on the bubble...

Up first on the week is the struggling NBC (which is the affiliate I work for)
NBC gave the axe to the struggling Heroes and the epic Law and Order last week, however there is a glimmer of hope for fans of those shows as I've just read that the network has approached the shows executives about producing a movie or some kind of event to give the series closure...I don't watch Law and Order but I do watch Heroes and as a fan of television in general I like this idea. I absolutely hate when shows get the axe after they have already filmed the final episodes of that season and therefore there is no closure to a series...I mean have a little respect for the people who actually did watch the shows, let them know you care that they were dedicated to the show and cared about those characters enough that they watched even when others gave up and if you make them happy maybe they'll come back and watch a new show on your station...

So here is the new fall lineup for NBC trailers for the new series can be found here

MONDAY
8-9 p.m. Chuck
9-10 p.m. The Event (new)
10-11 p.m. Chase (new)

TUESDAY
8-10 p.m. The Biggest Loser
10-11 p.m. Parenthood

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. Undercovers (new)
9-10 p.m. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
10-11 p.m. L&O: Los Angeles (new)

THURSDAY
8- 8:30 p.m. Community
8:30-9 p.m. 30 Rock
9-9:30 p.m. The Office
9:30-10 p.m. Outsourced (new)
10-11 p.m. Love Bites (new)

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. Who Do You Think You Are?/School Pride (new)
9-10 p.m. Dateline NBC
10-11 p.m. Outlaw (new)

SATURDAY
Reruns

SUNDAY
7- 8:15 p.m. Football Night in America
8:15-11:30 p.m. NBC Sunday Night Football

SUNDAY (beginning March 2011)
7-8 p.m. Dateline NBC
8-9 p.m. Minute to Win It
9-11 p.m. The Celebrity Apprentice

Other mid-season shows (days and times TBD):
The Cape, Friends With Benefits, Perfect Couples, Harry’s Law and The Paul Reiser Show (all are new)
A new version of The Apprentice, The Marriage Ref and the new series America’s Next Great Restaurant starring celebrity chef/restaurateur Bobby Flay will also start mid-season

I think the biggest letdown is that Parks and Rec (the biggest turn around show from last season to this season) got the shaft and has to wait till mid-season to start! Although NBC might just be prepared for the fact that "Outsourced" will fail in the first few weeks and then they can bring Parks and Rec in and save the day! Among the new shows that I might give a try to are of course the new JJ Abrams drama "Undercovers" about a married couple of ex-spies who get called back to the line of duty...The Event first of all is stars former Gilmore Girls diner oficianado Scott Patterson and it's about a government conspiracy so it sounds intriguing...I might give "Chase" a week or two to win me over...it's about U.S. Marshalls hunting down fugitives...the show that doesn't strike me as making it is "Love Bites" is an anthology series which means that each week will have a different set of characters therefore no attachements to characters can be formed (another example of an anthology series would be "The Twilight Zone"). I just don't know how it will work out with different characters every week but what do I know.

We shall see what the other newtworks have in store for us in the coming days. But as for NBC with only Parenthood (which is excellent) and the Thursday night comedies returning (including the mid-season Parks and Rec and The Marriage Ref - which I can't believe is a mid-season either, it's hillarious) as shows that I watched this year, NBC has a lot of wooing to do to win me over. I look forward to seeing the wrap up of Heroes and hopefully can get into at least 1 of their new shows (and hopefully the 1 I choose won't get axed early)

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FOX was also on the block today with it's new line-up...FOX was one station that I didn't have any shows I watch get the axe (well technically that's not true becasue I was watching Sons of Tuscon but it got cut after only a few weeks)  I love Glee, Fringe, Lie to Me and of course the Sunday Animation Domination.  I'm not sure what to think of any of their new shows, I'll have to wait to see some previews I guess so far the descriptions don't do enough to lure me in...I might try to pick up Bones in the summer, catch up and start watching this fall, we shall see...And although I think I'm done watching American Idol (especially if Simon Cowell leaves the show) I am happy to see that the results show is only getting a half hour this fall...1 hour is way too long, I just really want to see who gets kicked off I could care less about all the hoopla they put on during that hour! so here it is FOX's lineup

MONDAY

8:00-9:00 PM House

9:00-10:00 PM Lonestar (new)

TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Glee
9:00-9:30 PM Raising Hope (new)
9:30-10:00 PM Running Wilde (new)

WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Lie to Me
9:00-10:00 PM Hell’s Kitchen

THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Bones
9:00-10:00 PM Fringe

FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Human Target
9:00-10:00 PM The Good Guys

SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM America’s Most Wanted

SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM The OT (NFL post-game)
8:00-8:30 PM The Simpsons
8:30-9:00 PM The Cleveland Show
9:00-9:30 PM Family Guy
9:30-10:00 PM American Dad

Fox midseason schedule

MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM House
9:00-10:00 PM Lonestar / Ride-Along (new)

TUESDAY
8:00-9:30 PM American Idol performance show
9:30-10:00 PM Running Wilde (new) / Mixed Signals (new; spring)

WEDNESDAY
8:00-8:30 PM Raising Hope
8:30-9:00 PM American Idol results show
9:00-10:00 PM Glee

THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Bones
9:00-10:00 PM Fringe

FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Human Target
9:00-10:00 PM Kitchen Nightmares

SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM America’s Most Wanted

SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM The Simpsons (encores)
7:30-8:00 PM American Dad
8:00-8:30 PM The Simpsons
8:30-9:00 PM Bob’s Burgers (new)
9:00-9:30 PM Family Guy
9:30-10:00 PM The Cleveland Show

Here are descriptions of the new shows:

Raising Hope A single-camera family comedy from Greg Garcia (My Name Is Earl) about a family that receives an unexpected new member into their already flawed household. Stars Cloris Leachman and Martha Plimpton.

Running Wilde A romantic comedy starring Will Arnett as an immature playboy trying to win the heart of his childhood sweetheart, played by Keri Russell.

Lonestar From the creators of Party of Five, this Texas-based soap opera about big oil families stars Adrianne Palicki and Jon Voight.

Bob’s Burgers A new animated series about a man, his family and a burger joint.

Terra Nova A time-traveling drama back to prehistoric earth from executive producers Steven Spielberg, Peter Chernin, Brannon Braga and David Fury (it has yet to be scheduled).

Ride-Along A Chicago-based cop drama starring Jason Clarke. It’s from Shawn Ryan (The Shield)

It's Sad to See You Go

So it's been a while since I posted a new story and in this time several shows have been axed 3 of which I watched every week, so let's break it down in this short post.

1. Eastwick - show about 3 witches in a small New England town.  Ok there was already a great show about 3 sister witches in a big city a few years back, a little show called Charmed...it was great, of course on the little WB that could (all the good shows were on the WB when it was just the WB and not the CW, CW lacks in several areas but we'll save that for another day)  The show got axed mid-production so it probably won't wrap up any story lines which bugs the crap out of me.  I want to know the link to Darryl VanHorne and Sebastian Heart and what he has to do with the 3 witches from the past and the new witches.  Plus who doesn't love Lindsay Price and Rebecca Romaine?

2. Trauma - as can be seen in an earlier post i had high praise for Trauma, and still do.  Maybe if NBC didn't have ratings killers like Jay Leno on then shows like this could have a chance to live out a full season.  I still think the characters are better developed and have more potential than any other new medical drama but hey i don't get to choose what goes on the air.  All I have to say is somehow Mercy is still on the air and that show is flat out horrible!

3. Dollhouse - and finally the one that really grinds my gears...this Joss Whedon (God of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame) sci-fi show on FOX is great.  I agree with some of the critics out there who felt that it started off as a show where each episode had a new client and then trouble ensues but the point was to get across how the dollhouse functioned and to see the inter-workings of that particular house in LA.  Cut to this season (especially after the announcement of cancellation) and you get one of the best suspense sci-fi thriller shows on TV.  You never know what is going to happen next and the unraveling of the Rossum Corp. has been dramatic to say the least and very interesting.  Hard to believe there are only a few episodes left for good...I blame FOX for this one.  It's like they weren't even trying to get people to watch it.  They never advertise for the show, they put it on Friday night at 9pm (at least last year it was led in by The Sarah Conner Chronicles) following a comedy program you can't lead into a sci-fi drama with a comedy (especially the stupid one that actually did lead into it).

A few other shows have been canceled already including Ashton Kutcher's CW show The Beautiful Life:TBL (like no one saw that coming) and ABC's Hank starting Kelsey Grammar, but the 3 above will be missed the most.

See you in the New Year everyone

P.S. to those of you wondering, I finished watching Twin Peaks and let me just say this...what a strange show!

Something to hold all you Lost fans over to Feb 2, 2010 here is a Spanish promo made by the station Cuatro for the show that creator Carlton Cuse dubbed the best promo for Lost he's ever seen

Boom Goes the Dynamite: Trama is NBC's big hit this fall

Thank God for DVR and Hulu or I would never be able to watch all the shows i watch (networks and ratings need to take better account of all the people out there who watch shows online and after the fact on DVR so if a good show doesn't make big numbers cause say there's a ton of good shows on the same night, then it won't get canned!)  I digress, Trama started off with a great helicopter crash which takes place a year earlier to set the emotions for the rest of the cast (great idea).  The cast is likeable and the explosions are realistic enough (for CGI).  This medical show has much more depth than say NBCs other new medical set show Mercy, I watched the premier of Mercy last week and it was not nearly as good as I'd hoped it would be but I'll give it another week to prove me wrong.  However, I think Trama is a nice replacement for the loss of ER (NBCs most memorable medical show).  Plus I love most shows set in San Francisco, it's just a great backdrop for wide shots and intros and filler.  If you have yet to watch Trauma or you watch Two and a Half Men, or Gossip Girl, or Lie to Me at 9 on Monday i don't blame you those are all GREAT shows, but check out Trauma on hulu.com or set your DVR next week to tape it, it's got the chops to make it if it can get the ratings...

Happy Watching