Think that this week in television was amazing, with all the upfronts and season finals?? Think again!
The FINAL episode of LOST airs this Sunday (May 24, 2010) at 7PM. That's right - it's finally here .. the season finale!
I know that I will be watching the epic 2.5hr series finale with my fellow LOSTies, and tune into the epic Jimmy Kimmel LOST finale after-show.
Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
Thursday, May 20, 2010
LOST Series Finale This Sunday!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Ready, Set, Watch: Through a Dog's Eyes
I love dogs. Seriously, how can someone even hate a dog??
So anything with dogs immediately grabs my attention. Whether they're walking down the street, or even in an ad - I will stop dead in my tracks and give a little shoutout to the dog and/or its breed.
So naturally, I am TOTALLY watching Through a Dog's Eyes - a new PBS documentary that focuses on service dogs and the lives that they affect.
Best part about it?? It's narrated by Neil Patrick Harris.
LEGEN - wait for it because I hope you like milk - DARY.
Check out the trailer:
Through a Dog's Eyes airs on April 21st at 8PM, on PBS.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Gleeee!
It's been WAY too long since Glee had its fall finale, and while it seemed like April was so far away (new episodes come back on April 17th) we're about a month away, HOORAH!!!! The cast of Glee has been everywhere in the news, from their concert tour in May being sold out (see you there!), to being invited to the White House next month, to their upcoming Oprah appearance. YAYY!
Spoiler Alert: The folks at NY Mag have put together all the spoilers that have been all over the place. Read at your own risk, but be prepared to hear about lots of cool guest stars and musical numbers. It's gonna be so great! And click below for the new preview for the remaining episodes. Is it April yet??
Monday, February 8, 2010
Super Bowl Ads: The best
As Julia said in her post last week, I too am a fan of Super Bowl ads, especially because I like anything that can hold my attention for a minute or less. I was actually pretty into the game this year (YAY Saints!), but I was on the lookout for some great commercials. I don't think I was blown away by anything this year, but the below are some of my favorites.
Google
This is my FAVORITE of last night, and one of my favorites ever, dare I say. Simple, charming, moving, and pretty much sums up the Google brand and purpose in one minute, which really is what an effective ad should be. A love story told through a series of google searches, it was incredible storytelling, and probably more romantic in that one minute than some 2 hour rom coms. Amazing. Genius. Love Love Love.
Snickers
How much do I love Betty White? For an 80 some year old, she is still a firecracker who is adorable and feisty and just plain awesome. I cracked up at this ad, in which she is battered around on the football field and gets to use the line, "That's not what your girlfriend said." Hilarious.
Bud Light
Umm. I freaking love auto-tune. I know, one of these days it will no longer be funny, but until then, I am still gonna laugh at the ridiculousness that is T-pain auto-crooning, "Pass that guacamoleeeee." HAHAHAHA.
Late Show w/David Letterman
And of course, the most talked about ad this morning is the Letterman-Leno-Oprah 10 second commercial that put the rival late-night giants in the same room. Apparently a lot went into ensuring this was kept under wraps, including Jay sneaking into the Letterman studios in full disguise to tape the spot. Totally surprising, and pretty funny.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Gettin' Psyched for Super Bowl (Ads)!
On Sunday, millions(?) of people will be huddled around their HD TVs watching two football teams play against each other to win a bowl of sorts.
No? Hm ..
I honestly had no idea that the Super Bowl was this coming weekend, until a friend asked me if I had any plans for Sunday. I told him that I don't plan for things I don't care about (sorry, football fans), but he enticed me with my one weakness: commercials. With that said, I know that I will be glued to my TV, solely for the Super Bowl ads (YEAHHHHHH!)!! Millions of dollars spent on ads during a football game between teams comprised of players who get paid millions! That's my kind of Sunday!
Entertainment Weekly did their list of 11 Best Super Bowls Ads Ever and it's getting me super psyched for the big day!
Personally, this Fedex commercial is a fave, mainly because Cast Away was such a memorable movie for me:
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Adieu, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien aired last Friday. Conan ended his short stint as host on a classy note, making all the people who were on Team Coco sad to see their freakishly tall, red-headed friend go, but proud to have been supporters of such a tremendous man.
A lot of sites are posting up Conan's farewell speech, but rather than falling in suite, I'd rather show one of my favorite clips from Conan's Tonight Show:
Additionally, my favorite Late Night with Conan O'Brien clip EVER (YouTube disabled embedding it, so click the link!): Conan and Mr. T Go Apple Picking
Friday, January 15, 2010
Jimmy Kimmel Finally Managed to Make Me Laugh
Jimmy Kimmel. You've had your own late night show for how long..? And I still don't get you. WHO ARE YOU?? Are you really supposed to be funny..?
Well, Jimmy Kimmel finally managed to make me chuckle last night, when he was featured on Jay Leno's 10 at 10 portion.
Some highlights include:
Jay: What's the best prank you ever pulled?
Jimmy: I think the best prank I ever pulled was I told a guy that 5 years from now, I'm gonna give you my show. And then when the 5 years came, I gave it to him and then I took it back instantly. It was hilarious. I think he works at FOX or something now.
Jay: Ever order something off the tv?
Jimmy: Like how NBC ordered your show off the tv?
Jay: What's the most number of lap dances you've had in one night?
Jimmy: Jay, my mother is watching this show, so. Actually, no wait a minute, this show's cancelled right, nobody's watching this show.
Check the whole awkward questionnaire here:
I love how all these other late night hosts are getting their little jabs in. Team Conan FTW, ya'll!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Update: Team Conan
Ok. This will be my last post on this topic, I swear. But as an update to my Leno vs. Conan post late last week, I am posting the following very eloquent response to the debacle articulated by the man in the middle himself, Conan O'Brien. Everyone, meet class. As if I didn't love him anymore, Conan's letter is the epitome of grace and class, all with a touch of his signature humor. I think many of you probably read this already, but I'm re-posting because I want everyone to know what a stand-out guy I think this dude is. What struck me most from this response is just how much Conan, who has only been hosting the Tonight Show for 7 months, understand and respect the history and legacy of the Tonight Show institution than NBC and his predecessor host Leno does. Tsk tsk. Honestly, Leno should be ashamed. He's the one who should be graciously giving the spotlight back to Conan, and this discussion shouldn't even be happening if he was half the classy person Conan is. People of Earth: Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over the Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both. But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule. Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy. So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of the Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more. There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work. Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.
Conan's Response:
In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.
Yours,
Conan
Friday, January 8, 2010
Mini-rant: Leno vs. Conan
Reports are surfacing this morning that NBC is canceling Jay Leno's low-rated prime time show and giving him back his old 11:35 late night timeslot. What would that mean for Conan, who is currently the host of that 11:35 slot? NBC is reportedly considering shrinking Leno's show to a half hour, and having Conan's show air at 12:05am. OK. Despite what this rant might sound like, I actually didn't really care about latenight show wars. To me Letterman is the best and as long as he is staying put where he is, I don't care. But, as this whole situation continues to become a mess and an exploding fiasco, I'm mad at NBC and at Leno for letting all of this happen.
Yes, airing an episode of Leno's show 5 times a week is vastly cheaper than filling that primetime spot with a drama/reality show double the budget. But from a creative standpoint, taking the exact same show, cause let's face it, Leno's 10pm show is not any different from his old Tonight Show, and airing it an hour earlier was pointless and a big fat waste of time and credibility on the already struggling network's part. And the only person I feel bad for in this whole thing is Conan, who is a brilliant entertainer, and who uprooted his entire life to be based in LA for the new Tonight Show. He's been dragged through the mud through this entire thing, while Leno has coasted by on preferential treatment, and now Conan is stuck in this awkward, weirdo position of having everything implode on him through no fault of his own. TMZ is reporting that the choice is up to Conan, and I seriously hope he walks away and screws NBC over. But, whatever happens, I'm on TEAM O'BRIEN. Ok, end rant.
Monday, December 28, 2009
2009 Entertainers of the Year: #5 and #4!
Last year, I created a list of my top 5 entertainers of 2008, and this year, I'm doing the same for the year 2009. I know we only have 4 more days left before the year's end, so before the week's end, I will post the 5 entertainers who have made their mark in pop culture. Last year's #5 went to Robert Downey Jr., and this year it is...
#5) The Glee cast.
No other tv show this season, new or returning, had as much buzz around it as the dramedy musical Glee. FOX took a chance on this one-of-a-kind show, and it paid off. While it is not a ratings juggernaut, it does average a healthy 8 million viewers a week, and the songs performed on the show are consistently in the top 25 iTunes songs chart. Sold out mall tours, the cast singing the National Anthem at the World Series, succeessful release of 2 soundtracks-- the show is heading strong into the new year, having been picked up for the rest of the season, no problem. Funny, smart, full of heart, and of course, those musical numbers! Such entertaining stuff. Though the show will not be returning until April 2010, we have plenty to tide us over (seriously, buy/download the soundtracks, STAT) as well as looking forward to the rest of the season when it does return (more musical numbers per episode! a Madonna-centric episode! surprise guest stars!). If the Glee phenomenon keeps going the way it has been, I would not be surprised to see them on this list again next year.
#4) Sandra Bullock
Like last year's #4 Britney Spears, Sandra Bullock had hell of a comeback this year. Ok, so she never really went away anywhere to have a comeback, but she basically solidified her place as a money-making leading lady with 2 big successful films this year. In the summer she starred in a romantic comedy called The Proposal, which surpassed everyone's expectations by bringing in over $300 million worldwide. Her latest effort, The Blind Side, is already on its way to raking over $200 million at the box office. Not only has she proven to be bankable, but she has just been nominated for 2 Golden Globes for each of the movies, and she's been steadily garnering Oscar buzz for the Blind Side. Not bad for an actress in her mid-40s, right? And a consistently working one at that! I personally really love her, so I'm super glad for all of the success she has had this year.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Another Reason To Love Glee
Glee is on hiatus till April 10, 2010. Yup .. 4 months away.
But just in case you're scared of Glee withdrawal, there's been a bunch of survival guides for the next looong 4 months .. this little gem popped up on the interwebs - Mark Salling (who plays Noah "Puck" Puckerman) made a little music video tribute for his Glee family and it's soo disgustingly sweet that Sue Sylvester might start throwing up rainbows and unicorns.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Last Christmas
We are 3 days into December, which totally means that it is.. full on Christmas music season. I may be soul-less by revealing this, but I DO NOT LOVE Christmas music. There, I said it. Sorry people, I must have no heart. There are a handful of Christmas songs I do enjoy though, and one of those songs happen to be Last Christmas, originally sung by the 80s band Wham. It is probably one of the most covered songs ever, with everyone from the Backstreet Boys to Coldplay to Taylor Swift releasing their own versions. I talk about this because, there is a site called Last Christmas.com, that keeps track of all the different versions of the song that is released. So far, in the 4 years they've been running the site, we've got 395 versions and counting, all over the world.
And because my current obsession is Glee, here is the Glee cast's version of the song. LOVES IT!!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Coming Soon to a TV Near You: Sh*t My Dad Says
I love finding hilarious Twitter accounts to follow .. because sometimes, seeing your friends update about what a crappy day that they're having just plain sucks (side note: sorry to all my Twitter followers -_-). And so when my coworker introduced me to ShitMyDadSays a couple months back, I was totally stoked. But apparently, so were some TV execs:
CBS has picked up a comedy project based on the Twitter account, which has enlisted more than 700,000 followers since launching in August and has made its creator, Justin Halpern, an Internet star. Will & Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick are on board to executive produce and supervise the writing for the multicamera family comedy, which Halpern will co-pen with Patrick Schumacker (The Hollywood Reporter)Alright! Time for me to go and create a Twitter account to get discovered..
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Happy 40th Birthday, Sesame Street!
By now you may have noticed the iconic Sesame Street muppets take over Google in the past couple of days. Big Bird, Cookie, Bert & Ernie, Oscar, Elmo, The Count, and the whole gang have drawn attention for being the featured Google Doodles, and in addition to that, they have been EVERYWHERE in the press. The reason for all of the hooplah is that Sesame Street is turning 40 years old today! November 10, 1969 was when the first episode aired, and so the 40th season kicks off today with the much publicized Michelle Obama appearance. Technically, Big Bird has been 6 for 40 years and Elmo is a forever 3 year old, but logic aside, the "World's Longest Street" has been entertaining and educating kids for 40 years, in more than 120 countries (some of them with their own versions of the show), with millions of people who are "Sesame graduates."
In addition to the Google Doodles, the celebrations roll on. Yesterday 64th and Columbus (right outside the Sesame Workshop offices) was named '123 Sesame Street,' and November 10 is now Sesame Street Day. Here's to another 40 years (and more) of making a difference in children's lives!
Some fun links:
Google blog's post on the creation of the Google Doodles, love the behind the scenes photo shoot!
Sesame Street: A Celebration of 40 Years of Life on the Street A giant coffee table book is a treasure trove of everything Sesame. We got this in the office yesterday, and I have to say the book is pretty amazing. And really heavy.
25 Classic Sesame Street Visits Celebrities love the Street: this season will feature celebrities such as Jason Mraz (HOORAH), Cameron Diaz, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ricky Gervais, Kobe Bryant, Adam Sandler, etc.
Sesame Street's official YouTube channel: I'm LOVING the Mad Men parody!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Gleeeeeeee!!
The Office will always remain my number one favorite show on TV, but this season, I have fallen in love. With FOX's AMAZING new show Glee, which makes me want to shout GLEEEEEEEEE! for the way it makes me feel. This is what being in a new relationship feels like, right? You want to talk about him/her/it all the time, you want to introduce all of your friends to him/her/it, it makes you smile whenever you think about him/her/it. Well, since I have no real human being in my life right now to feel that way about, I'm just gonna settle for feeling that way about Glee. Sometimes it's hard for me to fall in love with a show cause it inevitably and inexplicably gets canceled (I still miss you, Pushing Daisies and Veronica Mars...), but I LOOOOOVE Glee and it looks like many people do too. Here's a round up of EVERYTHING GLEE.
* I love Entertainment Weekly, and this cover story on Glee proves why.
* A Madonna themed Glee episode coming next year, courtesy of the Material Girl, who gave the show the rights to all of her music! I love her post 90s stuff, so I hope they use some of her newer stuff rather than her 80s music.
* Fox is cashing in on the Glee-mania, by releasing a DVD of the first 13 episodes of the season in December. Titled, "Glee Season 1: Road to Sectionals," it will make a nice holiday gift since it is scheduled to hit stores Dec. 29. Of course you can wait for the entire season to be over, but that DVD won't be in stores until mid 2010.
* It doesn't even seem like there has been 10 Glee performances already, but LA Times ranks their Top 10.
* While waiting for the release of the official soundtrack on Nov. 3, I've been listening to this Imeem playlist nonstop. LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Hulu, I Love You - NOOOOOO!
Hulu is one of the greatest things on earth. I can watch tv episodes because the bf hates America and discourages the purchase of DVDs. But with talks hinting at the possibility of being charged to view shows on Hulu .. what am I to do??
At an industry summit in NYC on Oct. 21, News Corp Deputy Chairman Chase Carey revealed that online video hub Hulu will begin charging users for content as soon as 2010, according to Broadcasting and Cable. Carey told reporters that a subscription system is likely, although some content will probably continue to be offered free of charge. “I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of our content. I think what we need to do is deliver that content to consumers in a way where they will appreciate the value,” he said.(ew.com)
I mean, I guess it's no big deal, especially since most networks show new episodes on their own sites. But even so .. damn you, Hulu.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Here Comes the Bride..
Less than one week until THE MOST ANTICIPATED WEDDING OF 2009:
Mark your calendar, kiddies! Jim and Pam tie the knot on Thursday, October 8th.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
I Tech You To School: Buying a TV
So I get asked this question pretty often... "Dude, can you help me choose a TV?"
And this is what I usually tell them... "Shut yo face before I end your..."
Actually, I don't say that. The first question I usually ask is, "You want LCD or Plasma?"
They usually reply, "Which one's better?" and so here begins my advice.
It depends on what you plan on using it for. The short answer is that if you want a TV with very low maintenance, go with a LCD. If you want the best picture quality and don't mind paying a little attention to upkeeping your TV, go with a Plasma. But, if that was the answer I got, I'd be a little dissatisfied, so I'll give you the long answer, in hopes that you'll be able to make an educated consumer choice.
LCD's are very easy to plug in and watch. LCD's aren't plagued by the many issues that Plasmas have. You don't have to worry about burn in, which happens when you leave something static on your screen for too long (ie. a game scoreboard, the little logo at the bottom of some tv channels). So if you plan on watching nothing but Sportscenter on ESPN, LCD is probably the way to go. Also, you don't have to worry about the glare from a bright room with a LCD, which is something that Plasma owners have to deal with. Additionally, the general rule is that if you're looking for a TV under 42", you want to go with a LCD. There's not too many Plasmas you can purchase that is under that size. For all this low maintenance though, you're gonna lose out on picture quality. With LCD's, colors usually don't "pop" off the screen and with fast movie motions like explosions or car chases, you're gonna get pixelation.
Plasma TVs are everything opposite of LCD's. Yes, you do have to worry about burn in, BUT if you properly break in your TV for about the first 250 hours or so, this becomes a nonexistent issue. Breaking in a TV entails lowering all the brightness and color settings to low and avoiding content that has any type of static images. This means no black bar DVD's, no SportsCenter, no History Channel (damn that big yellow H at the bottom right!), etc.. And I'll tell you this much, those first 250 hours are a pain in the butt. 250 hours are more or less 24 hours of looping a DVD for 11 days straight. (Yea, I did it.)
Also, with plasmas, you have to be conscious of where you're placing the TV. If your TV is facing the opposite of a bright window, forget watching TV in the daytime. The sunlight will be all in your face and it'll just not be very pretty. But once you figure these things out, man oh man, that picture is sweet. Colors are vivid, HD content is super crisp and clear... it's great. Plasmas inch for inch are usually about a 1/4 cheaper than LCD's too.
The brands you want to stick with are as follows:
LCD: LG, Samsung, Vizio, Westinghouse
Plasma: Panasonic, Panasonic, Panasonic... and Pioneer (best in class). If you have that kind of money, in which case... hook a brotha up!
Size wise, I always recommend buy the biggest you can afford. An average TV has a life span of 6-10 years depending on how well you keep it. You have to think of it as an investment. The last thing you want is to move and find that the TV you have is too small for your living room and now you're squinting to watch that tiny 32" screen from 20ft away. The general math though is, for every foot of distance you are sitting from your TV, you want 7" of viewing space. So 5 feet from your tv? You want 36". 8 Feet? 42" 10 feet? 50". You get the idea. Happy TV watching!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Kanye West on The Jay Leno Show
In a recent post, Jen wrote an open letter to Kanye West, calling him out on being a total douchebag at the VMA's. Well, soon after stealing the mic and sharing his opinions during what was supposed to be Taylor Swift's moment, Kanye popped a CAPS LOCK blog post at Taylor Swift, APOLOGIZING IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE THAT'S HOW 'YE DOES IT! I guess after he calmed down, Kanye replace the CAPS LOCK post with something a bit more sincere: I feel like Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents when he messed up everything and Robert DeNiro asked him to leave…That was Taylor’s moment and I had no right in any way to take it from her. I am truly sorry.
Originally slated to appear alongside Jay-Z and Rihanna as the musical act for The Jay Leno Show, Kanye actually sat down with Jay Leno to discuss the VMA incident:
I love how Kanye came out on stage very apprehensively, and not the usual "I AM THE BEST" swagger like he usually does. So just seeing that in him (you know, besides him being on the verge of tears after Jay Leno asked him about his mom - which btw, Jay Leno deserves an Emmy for asking, because 'Ye is cuhraaaazy) made me believe that Kanye is sincerely sorry.
Alright, let's move on, folks.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Fall TV Returns!
While I HATE HATE HATE the fact that summer is pretty much over, I am super excited that the sucktacular summer TV season is also coming to a close. Move over America's Got Talent and the countless other mind numbing shows networks have shoved down our throats for the past 2 months. The Office! Gossip Girl! Fringe!! I AM SO EXCITED. Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello put together this nifty guide for the season premieres for all your shows. Get your remotes out and your DVRs ready!
Ok, so I'll see you guys in December when all the shows go on hiatus again! Bye!
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