Author: Deb Medsker (Page 68 of 70)

Lottery winner sends Trump packing; gays steal Tribbiani’s lunch money and time slot

December 2, 2005 /

The power of the white-trash ‘stache knows no bounds. Seeking to regain its former ‘Must-See TV’ luster on Thursday nights, NBC has revamped its lineup to reincorporate the two-hour sitcom block that worked so well for them in the past. Jason Lee’s freshman hit comedy “My Name is Earl” moves from Tuesdays to anchor the key 9pm (8pm Central) Thursday time slot previously held by “The Apprentice.” Meanwhile, ratings-deprived spinoff “Joey” will be off the air until at least March, replaced by “Will & Grace.”

The Thursday-night makeover is a step in the right direction. Joey has been floundering for weeks, and, between Donald and Martha, audiences are suffering from “Apprentice” overload this season. There’s still another new round of the Rug-Wearing One’s ego-fest left to air in the spring, but so far the real estate mogul’s program is without a home.

Will it make a difference? CBS is already entrenched on Thursday nights, with “Survivor” and “CSI” a bone-crunching one-two punch, and “Without a Trace” a strong (and less aged than “E.R.”) follow-up. “Will & Grace” will likely do better than “Joey”, but even Will and friends are showing their age, and the ongoing guest-star stunt-casting is a thinly-veiled cry for help. NBC just might have to get used to playing second fiddle, especially with UPN (of all networks!) now making a dent on Thursdays as well.

Perhaps Joey’s writers need to work on a storyline in which he is stranded on a desert island for 39 days, forced to use only his sharply-honed forensic skills to solve the murder of a missing child…

My Name Is Earl, News, The Office, TV, TV Comedies

If the script calls for a hot nun, then cast a hot freakin’ nun, for God’s sake!

November 28, 2005 /

It’s Gabrielle’s turn in the piss-me-off hotseat this week, with her raging insecurity over the at-best-average-looking blonde nun who helped Carlos get paroled early.

Yes, Gabrielle, that’s right: Carlos, after longing to get out of jail so he could be with you, plans to leave you so that he can live out all of his sexual fantasies with…the devout Sister Mary Margaret. She is not a former model, like you are. She does not have your curves, your fashion sense, or your feisty Latina temper. She is, in fact, a walking Glamour Don’t. And surely that must make Carlos want her all the more…unless, of course, Gabrielle is simply demonstrating the emotional intelligence of a fourteen-year-old.

In other news, Lynette gets promoted after Nina is fired for inexplicably getting it on with the receptionist who looks like Jim Carrey’s mildly effeminate little brother; George may or may not be dead; and loyal viewers begin to realize that if they keep watching the show, the producers won’t have any incentive to make it stop sucking.

Desperate Housewives, TV

A very special episode

November 22, 2005 /

Hats off to Grey’s Anatomy for handling a character’s coming-out scene as an afterthought rather than an after-school special. Guy’s guy Joe the bartender (who bears no small resemblance to Ken Hudson Campbell, aka the Lust character from “Herman’s Head”) arrives at Izzie’s Thanksgiving celebration with his hot Asian boy toy in tow, and is met at the door by high-strung Cristina (Sandra Oh).

Joe: “Hi. This is my…boyfriend.”
Cristina: “Whatever. You got any liquor?”

That’s it. No fanfare, no soul-searching, no agonizing over just the right moment to drop the bomb. Just a slightly overweight, hetero-looking guy casually revealing that women don’t float his boat. Joe and Cristina might has well have been discussing the weather, for all the gravity of their conversation.

Kudos to the writers for recognizing that there doesn’t have to be a “very special episode” for every gay character on television. And extra props for instead emphasizing another issue that is all too real for many Americans, gay and straight alike: the importance of having alcohol on hand during the holidays.

TV

Here comes her 19th nervous breakdown

November 21, 2005 /

Well, it’s a day that ends in ‘y’, and that means it’s time for another woman named Mayer to abandon any semblance of rational behavior. This week, for once, it’s not Susan who’s embroiled in an embarrassing and public divorce from her sanity…it’s Susan’s mother.

Ms. Mayer the elder chooses the least likely, least opportune, and most unfortunate possible time to reveal the deepest of family secrets: during her own toast, at her own wedding reception. In front of the hundred-odd guests who only came to enjoy a nice party, some free booze, and perhaps a little wagering on how long marriage #4 will last, Mommy Mayer announces that Susan’s supposedly long-dead, war-hero father is alive and well — and living just across town.

Susan runs out in tears, Julie follows her, and everyone watching suddenly decides that Vincent D’Onofrio’s histrionics maybe aren’t quite as annoying as they had initially thought, and changes channels to watch “Criminal Intent.”

In equally improbable developments further down Wisteria Lane, Lynette undermines her husband’s childrearing efforts for the flimsiest of reasons; George manhandles a guy twice his size (and sets fire to the guy’s Porsche after conveniently finding his valet stub); and elderly, ailing Mrs. McCluskey gets medieval on supposed prowlers with a Taser.

The episode’s sole bright spot is a cameo by Danny Trejo, whose battle-scarred face and bad-guy image are put to delightful use as a man who appears to be a threat to Gabrielle, but has in fact been hired by Carlos to help her deal with her grief over her miscarriage. Danny’s best line? “If I were going to kill you, I wouldn’t use a balloon. It would take too long.”

The episode closes with the arrest of the mysterious Caleb. “Is this the man who broke into your house?” Gabrielle is asked, and she nods her head. Technically, though, that’s not true: original Caleb Page Kennedy was fired for “inappropriate behavior” (translation: he allegedly flashed his mice and manhood to unappreciative crew members), and has been replaced by a new actor. Thus, it’s new Caleb Nashawn Kearse who gets loaded into the squad car, while the junk-dangler remains scot-free.

And once again, in a mostly white neighborhood, an innocent black man gets hauled downtown. Heck, maybe this show isn’t so implausible after all…

Desperate Housewives, Gossip, TV

Broadcast Nets: “Ad skipping? What ad skipping?”

November 18, 2005 /

Pulling their heads up out of the sand long enough to conduct a joint press conference, the Big Four and Pipsqueak Two broadcast networks urged advertisers to count DVR playback audiences in their advertising guarantees.

One tiny problem: Research from multiple sources indicates that people with DVRs consistently skip upwards of 75% of all commercials during playback. The networks counter that DVR owners also tend to watch more television — 12% more, in fact.

That’s groovy and all, but if I’m an advertiser, I’m going: “Okay, so they watch 12% more TV, but they still skip 75% of the ads in it. That means they’re really only getting a net increase of 3% more exposure to ads…which means that 72% of my ads are still being skipped…and you want me to pay full price for that why, again?”

To which the networks respond: “Heh-heh. Um. Well. Gosh, look at the time. You’re awfully good with numbers, by the way. Have you thought about going into accounting? No? You’re going to stay right here? Huh. Okay. Hey, is that my phone ringing? I’ve gotta go.”

News, TV

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