Talkin' TV

I know I haven't been posting all that much television talk as of late. Perhaps I'm in a bit of the doldrums awaiting Big Brother with its live feeds and a bit too ambitious posting schedule here and on TV Squad. As of now, there are still no official announcements on casting or possible twists. Since it's due to start on July 8, I expect casting to be announced somewhere around the end of June.

My latest feature article on the show is up over on TV Squad -- A Wish List for Big Brother 12. As usual, those who don't like either the show or reality TV in general are posting comments. I never understand why folks who don't like something take the time to read, then complain. There are plenty of shows I don't like. Guess what? I don't watch them, nor do I waste time reading about them! That's the marvel of living in this technological era -- tons of TV channels from which to choose, shows on the Internet, movies on demand, a collection of DVDs and books. Let others watch what they enjoy. It's a big enough world for us all.

So, what have I been watching?

I've gotten hooked on Persons Unknown, reasons unknown. It's weird, perhaps a bit contrived. But, since it's only thirteen episodes and nothing else I'm hooked on is in the 10 PM Monday time slot, there I am. It seems obvious that the "kidnapping" of the mother has something to do with the grandmother. But then, many things aren't as they appear. It leaves me confused. But I'm mesmerized for the hour. Plus, it's created by the person responsible for The Usual Suspects. That was nicely done.

I like The Good Guys on FOX. Oh, I wouldn't panic if I were to miss an episode. However, it's a fun little romp through a non-realistic world of cops and robbers. The whole timing bit reminds me of the backwards Indian wedding episode of Seinfeld.

I've been watching both So You Think You Can Dance and America's Got Talent. Tonight I will record the latter as SYTYCD is two hours. I'm still not sure whether I like the idea of only eleven new contestants and the return of the best from the other seasons. While I enjoy seeing folks like Twitch again, it seems to limit the possibilities for new dancers on the show. I guess we'll see how it works for tonight's first real competition show. The fact that it will be live intrigues me. I'd surely fall on my butt! But, then again, I never thought I could dance. Well, at least since I stopped being a teenager.

What are you watching and enjoying?

'America's Got Talent' - New Season, New Judge, New Talents

Huh. I must be out of the loop. I didn't realize that David Hasselhoff has left his judging slot on the show. I'm sure it's because he has such other fantastic things happening in his career, right? When I heard Howie Mandell was taking on the judge position, I was a bit leery. I liked Howie when he started out as a stand-up comedian, but I was SO not into Deal or No Deal that it actually soured me on him. Plus, he's all kinds of OCD and stuff. I'm OCD enough for my own life, thank you very much.

But, surprise, surprise. He works for the show! Just like Nick Cannon is so much better than Jerry Springer in the host role, Howie is perfect for judging. He, unlike Sharon Osbourne who gets all emo (as the kids say) with Piers, challenges him and doesn't back down. He's actually funny with the contestants, too. It's a shame that the show will eventually butt up against Big Brother 12 next month and I won't be able to keep track of it. But, until I can't, I will.

I don't care for all who went through last night. I was familiar with one group -- The RingMasters out of Brooklyn. For some reason, this contortionist break dance crew is down to two members and there was no mention of them appearing on Randy Jackson presents America's Best Dance Crew (MTV) a few seasons back. They didn't win, but they were pretty amazing. I found a break.com video of one of their appearances on that show with the crew intact --


The RingMasters - Watch more Funny Videos

They had a woman with a cat-woman outfit and a whip who enthralled both Howie and Piers with her "painting" act. More like pole-dancing sans the pole! The only good thing about that act was the very end when she placed the painting bits together and posed. It actually was her face in the cat mask. She can go away now.

My favorite act of the night were the two little kids who started out the show, Future Funk. If they succeed, they're probably going to have to go for a name change. When I was searching around, I found someone else already has the name going. Sigh. The kids are cute and extremely talented for the tender ages of five and nine. They seemed to be having a ball, too. Hmm ... what was I doing at five? Um, well. I was taking tap dancing lessons. But let's not go there, please.



One of my other favorites was the French street performer dude, Haspop. As they did the pre-interview, I was expecting a dud. Well, how wrong was I? Folks like this guy are why I pay attention to street performers in the city. Some of these people are incredibly talented. I also must give a nod to one of my other summer show passions, So You Think You Can Dance. One of the reasons I'm hooked on that show is that they find people with Haspop-esque talents.



The sentimental favorite of the evening would be the ex-homeless veterans group who sang "Old Man River." They were perfect!



Did you watch? Your favorites? Remember, the auditions continue tonight!

Tonight's 'So You Think You Can Dance' and 'America's Got Talent' ... plus Julie's BB11 House Tour

Yikes. I've been posting so much today! Eep.



But I wanted to give folks a place to comment on So You Think You Can Dance and America's Got Talent. I'm watching the first one and recording the second.

And here's another BB11 bonus -- Julie Chen's tour of the BB11 house: