TV Newsy Bits - Saturday, October 27, 2007

A goose enjoying calm waters in Westfield, New Jersey. When I was young, you didn't see many geese around. Nowadays, they're considered a nuisance around here. Yes, they're messy. But I still enjoy seeing them. Some months back a couple of geese set up housekeeping on the lawn of a church near my apartment. Whenever services were held, they'd chase any parishioners who didn't feed them. The geese mysteriously vanished after a month of Sundays.

I have Stephen King's It on in the background as I write this. I really should have written about Pennywise the Clown (as played by Tim Curry) for that TV Squad article. But, if it seems like this is very disjointed, blame the clown.

Last night's Bon Jovi concert in the new stadium in Newark wreaked havoc on commuting and I got home from work almost two hours later than planned. Grr. As a result, I ended up watching The Next Great American Band (for two hours), writing it up for TV Squad because I filled in for the regular writer, then I conked out.

Oh ... and I had to turn word verification back on -- I spent almost an hour yesterday removing comments left by a spambot. I don't think we need Viagra or suffer from erectile dysfunction. I'm sorry, but I had to do it.

In TV Newsy Bits:

• That review of The Next Great American Band is here.
• Buddy TV has a slew of interviews up -- Ebony Morgan from America's Next Top Model, Lacey Conner from Rock of Love and of more interest to me -- Sherea Lloyd from Survivor China.

Argh, It is drawing me in. I must watch.

"I'm the killer of worlds, the eater of children. We all float down here. Don't you want to float, too?" - Pennywise the Clown

TV Newsy Bits - Thursday, October 25, 2007

This is the only actual phone booth I've seen in years, located outside an old Verizon building in Westfield, NJ. Yeah, I messed with my photo with photo editing software to make it look spookier. In its own way, it's spooky enough -- the door is missing, some of the plexiglass panes are gone, it's covered with graffiti, but the phone itself still has a dial tone.

Could it be a phone to lives gone by? What kind of phone calls has the phone been witness to over the years? Mobsters talking about their rub-outs? (After all, it's New Jersey, y'know!) Bruce Springsteen lost after exiting the Turnpike? (Yeah, I doubt that!) Did Superman change his clothes there once? (Maybe, you never know!) People discussing their triumphs, their failures, and their grocery lists. Only the phone knows and it ain't talkin'.

In today's TV Newsy Bits (and a bit o' Bloggy Bits):

• Graphic artist and my blogging buddy Zoetawny is back online after her computer woes. Although she's in the area affected by the California fires, she's safe and well. Yay! (And welcome back, you've been missed!)
• My Kid Nation review is up over on TV Squad ... a teary episode last night, but I'm really getting into watching these kids.
• Speaking of Kid Nation, although I'll reply via email to a question posed, I'll bring it up here as well, because it's not the first time I've had the question asked. Yes, Guylan is a boy. If you notice, he's referred to as "he" by other kids on the show and on the CBS website page he has, it's very obvious. That long hair seems to be throwing lots of folks off -- but he's a boy, I tell you! His nickname is G-man.
• Scrubs returns tonight at 9:30 PM ET/PT in most areas and the network has a plethora of stuff going on for show fans -- there's the Widgets blog, the live-blogging on the official NBC show blog, and even a YouTube video from the executive producer of the show.
• When Survivor starts up tonight, I'll get an East Coast update post going updating the important events as the show airs here. My full review of the episode will be posted late in the evening over on TV Squad. As always, comments will be welcome on the update post -- I hope James squeaks through tonight!
• I'm not sure if it's a good marketing campaign as I can't remember what company the commercial is for (not a good thing, I don't think) -- but I'm loving the car commercial with the man singing "Rock me gentle, rock me slowly..." as first a squirrel drops in singing, then two birds, then a wolf. The look on the man's face when the wolf gulps a bird is priceless as is his initial reaction to the squirrel's appearance. Alas, though ... while entertaining as all get-out, it's probably not a good ad campaign as it doesn't reinforce the product recognition.
• I'm home today and on WGN, the Homicide: Life on the Street episode is the one with Lily Tomlin again "The Hat." No matter how many times I see it, I'm easily dragged in to watch again.
• TV is its own fantasy world and it's spawning virtual TV which seems a bit odd, but life itself is odd. So there. ABC Family has Rush'd -- with an online interactive series born of Greeks. Last night I noticed that C.S.I.: NY has its own interactive Internet "Second Life" show going on. Although my day job and writing gigs take up so much time, I know I won't be bored the next knee surgery. (Mind you, it's not scheduled at this time, but is indeed inevitable.)

Today's music non-sequitur:
Operator, oh let's forget about this call
There's no one there I really wanted to talk to
Thank you for your time
Oh you've been so much more than kind
And you can keep the dime.
-- Jim Croce "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)"

TV Newsy Bits - Wednesday, October 24, 2007

A lone streetlight lights up one of the few trees with any color this autumn during early morning drizzle. I took this photo this morning in Plainfield, NJ. We had a record-breaking wet spring, but have been quite dry since with way above normal temperatures. As a result, this year's fall foliage is stunted (leaves still green) or leaves basically turning brown and dying early without the gorgeous colors I love so much.

My thoughts and prayers go out to those blog readers and friends in southern California. When I was young, I lived for a few years there. One of my most vivid early childhood memories from that time was watching the mountains burn fueled by the Santa Ana winds. The latest is so much worse than anything I've ever seen. I hope everyone is safe.

In today's TV Newsy Bits:

• I have a brief introduction to the teams of The Amazing Race 12 set to be published shortly over on TV Squad. I'll be giving some more details here on the blog tomorrow. It sounds like an interesting cast.
• I'll also be writing my review of Kid Nation for posting on TV Squad later tonight.
• Oh, and not that it's all about me, but TV Squad writers got together and wrote about the scariest TV characters ever for a big Halloween post. My entry is here, but you can start here.
• I received a few new emails from Wireless -- they're inside sort of viral clues to Heroes. When I have some time tomorrow, I'll check them out and report my findings.
• I know that many of the Dancing With the Stars fans who hang out here weren't overly thrilled with Mark Cuban, but you might be interested in his blogging about being on the show -- it offers a neat insider kind of behind the scenes aspect. And, of course, I have to say that if it wasn't for Mark Cuban, I probably wouldn't be a blogger for TV Squad. He was the financial backing for the creation of Weblogs, Inc.
  

TV Newsy Bits - Sunday, October 21, 2007

I've decided his name must be Roofus. His fellow roof companion cat (four stories up) seems to have vanished, but Roofus still watches the birds daily from his perch in the sky. I believe he's part of the group of feral cats living in the area near the train station. That isn't the best of life a cat can have, for sure. A few months ago one of the feral cats in that area was diagnosed with rabies and a gang of big-headed strays roam the night.

I can't save them all -- I have my own two elderly cats saved from that sort of life as kittens. As I watch Roofus, I don't think he could ever adjust to a home. He comes and goes from the roof at will apparently getting up there through a condemned building on the block. Oh, well. I think the roof is safer for him than the city streets. Unlike my own cats who would probably fall off, he seems to know its boundaries. After all, I first spotted him and his companion about a year ago.

In today's TV Newsy Bits:

• Has Grey's Anatomy jumped the shark? This news article explores that very possiblity.
• I was watching last night's rerun of Without A Trace on CBS. The key missing character was played by the same young man who plays West this season on Heroes. Uh-oh. I think type-casting has affected my mind. I wanted him to remain vanished without a trace.
• Ellen DeGeneres took a few days off after the big Iggy Dog fiasco. I don't think she wanted the death threats to the folks at the dog rescue and I'd imagine she's horrified at how everything has gone. Me? I still think that while rescues do fantastic work, sometimes things should be looked at on a case by case basis rather than no shades of grey. My own family always had pets when I was very young. None of us kids ever would have harmed any size pet -- they were a part of our family.
• I watched The Next Great American Band on its premiere night this past Friday. I think I'll be following the show as my Friday night television watching is a bit of a vast wasteland. This coming Friday (10/26) I'll be sitting in to review the show for TV Squad for the regular writer as he'll be on vacation. After that, I think I'll be reviewing it weekly here. Anyone interested?
• Letterman's in reruns this week. Grr.
• Survivor's most recently ousted Aaron was interviewed by Fans of Reality TV. He said he was cast because he happened to meet someone who asked him to try out for the show. He seems to think that Amanda and Todd are the true Survivor fans of the game.
  

Today's music non-sequitur:
"The reason you're cool is because you're from the old school.
All the critics love you in New York."
-- Prince "All the Critics Love You in New York"

TV Newsy Bits - Friday, October 19, 2007

Yes, be considerate -- a good motto, a good way of life. The incongruous part of it all is that this is New Jersey, a NJ Transit train to be more precise. NJT has a new politeness campaign starting up, but I don't think it will make a huge difference.

I'll still end up being surrounded by the party crowd in the evenings heading towards the city. That woman who speaks loud Mandarin Chinese yelling into her cell phone will still sit in back of me no matter where I sit. Some fool will still put a full cup of coffee on the floor as if expecting it to remain upright. People will still put their nasty feet up on seats or even worse, take their shoes off. Someone will still have their iPod so loud I can hear the tinny sounds from half a car away. Me? Nope, I don't do any of those things. I occasionally sit with train friends, but we talk using "indoor voices." I be considerate.

Random mention: I'd be willing to coach the Yankees next year for only four million dollars. Have your people call my people and we'll get it done.

In today's TV Newsy Bits:

• As a tribute to the recently deceased Deborah Kerr, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will be airing From Here to Eternity and Separate Tables starting at 8 PM ET/PT this Sunday night.
• The folks over at Morty's TV have recent interviews with Daniele Donato and Evel Dick Donato from Big Brother 8. Beware -- the language is a bit rough on Dick's interview. One interesting thing to note on that one is that he said he has a DUI arrest in the past, but has never been arrested for domestic abuse (which was plastered all around the Internet). Both of these interviews are really long. Grab a cup of coffee and get to reading!
• Yahoo TV should be your new home for Seinfield stuff -- you can watch complete episodes, vote for your favorites and more.
  
• Celebrity Rides: Burt Builds a Bandit premieres tonight at 10 PM ET/PT on the DIY network. That's Burt Reynolds and, remember ... you can enter to win a classic Trans Am.
  
• Buddy TV has two interviews which will be of interest to many of the readers here. Wonder Twin Alejandro from Heroes, Shalim Ortiz, is one of them although I'm not too keen on the characters. The other interview is with Taylor Kitsch of Friday Night Lights.
  

Today's music non-sequitur:
"Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?
It took me years to write, will you take a look?
It's based on a novel by a man named Lear
And I need a job, so I want to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer"
--The Beatles "Paperback Writer"

TV Newsy Bits - Tonight's 'Survivor 15: China' - Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007

This is a photo I took a while ago, but some folks said it passed by too quickly in the video in which I used it. If you click on it, it should enlarge. I took it on a very narrow side street in Chinatown, Manhattan.

As per my usual practice, I'll be posting an East Coast Update post for tonight's Survivor: China shortly after the show starts here in the NYC area. Folks are welcome to drop by and visit in the comments once I get the post up. It looks like a good show tonight! My full review of the episode will be posted on TV Squad later this evening, but the important events will be updated almost live right here. So, stop on back!

In other TV Newsy Bits:

• You can check out my latest review of Kid Nation on TV Squad. (I swear one of these days when I typo it as TV Squid, I'm going to leave it be!)
• Sigh ... Joey Bishop died. When I was younger, I used to like to stay up late watch his show in which Regis looked like the kid he was at the time. Joey Bishop had been the last living member of the Rat Pack. Another era gone by.
• Entertainment Weekly (on the stands tomorrow) will have an interview with American Idol Carrie Underwood. You can check out the interview at their sister site ew.com.
• Court TV's series Murder by the Book will be returning with an all new group of authers on Monday, November 5, 10 PM in most time zones. The latest authors set for this second season are: Joseph Wambaugh (an old favorite police procedural author of mine), Sandra Brown, David Balducci (yes!), Harlan Coben (yes!), Lee Child, Lisa Gardner, Linda Fairstein, Nick Santora, and Linda Gage. Authors returning from last year are Lisa Scottoline, Faye Kellerman, and Jonathan Kellerman. I enjoy this series a lot as I'm a mystery buff in my reading habits. The authors each examine a case for their episodes.
• For any House fans out there, Buddy TV has an exclusive interview with Omar Epps and Jennifer Morrison.
  

Don't even THINK of parking here, but come on back to talk about tonight's Survivor!

Today's music non-sequitur --
"I know all too well the world takes a daily beating,
Please don't talk about murder while I'm eating."
-- Ben Harper

TV Newsy Bits, Bloggy Bits, Too - Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Fish gotta swim.

While it's probably one of the worst-composed photos of mine I'll ever post, it's the principle of the thing. There I was standing atop a boulder at the water's edge in Mindowaskin Park (Westfield, NJ) when a group of fish came to me as if I had called them there for a meeting. I told them my woes as they listened attentively but showed no emotion. They're probably more worried about being frozen in the upcoming winter than they are about my issues.

What kind of fish were they? I haven't a clue. They looked a bit like bullheads but are a lot smaller than the ones I remember from my childhood pond fishing days in upstate New York. These guys were about five to six inches long tops and would only be considered a meal if you're starving on Survivor.

In keeping with the thought of "fish gotta swim" -- AOL had more layoffs yesterday and more expected into December according to what I've read. I've had ties to AOL for about fifteen years as a member, AOL Community Leader, blogger, and more recently writing for Weblogs, Inc. My thoughts are with my friends in the company and those who left the building yesterday. AOL Journals Editor Joe Loong is amongst the dismissed. Joe was instrumental in supporting my blogging efforts at AOL Journals as he featured my Adventures of the 2-Faced Baseball and helped me with issues on my first Big Brother blog. Joe, you'll be missed on AOL, but a man with your mad skillz is going to be a great catch for someone. Fish gotta swim.

In today's TV Newsy Bits:

• I have a sadistic side to me. Yesterday, I looked forward to Richard Simmons being on Letterman most of the day. Yes, Dave is mean to him, but he keeps coming back. The segment didn't disappoint me at all and it wasn't quite like watching Paris Hilton almost cry a few weeks ago.
• I finished watching my season three DVD of The Wire after a marathon most of the night session last night. Oh, I know I'm so far behind the real world on the show, but I'm not going to spring for HBO just to watch it. Although I've been watching it on BET and I thought they were getting it okay, the DVDs are another world -- no blaring trashy chat line ads and seeing bits that were cut out in editing for BET make the show so much better. Rawls was in a gay bar? Oh, my! This show has moved into my top slot of favorite TV shows ever.
  
• Are you following the Ellen Degeneres Doggie Drama? Although I usually miss the show because I'm working most weekdays, this story caught my eye. I'm on Ellen's side of the battle. She rescued the dog, spent a lot of money on the vet and training, but it didn't get along with her pets already residing with her. I think she did the right thing by finding a loving family for the dog and the rescue place now has a huge black mark, as well as a bad reputation, for taking the dog from that loving family. You idiots ... the dog had a family and a home. Now it's got a kennel and staff once again. What are you thinking?
• AOL TV news has an interview with Floyd Mayweather, booted from last night's Dancing With the Stars. I actually briefly caught his performance the other night as I was channel surfing. I don't know if by not watching the show regularly it gives me a different perspective and I didn't see any of the other dancers (I was just passing through, y'see). But I thought he looked stiff at times and very much the amateur. Oh, I couldn't do any better, I know. But as I watched the bit I watched, I thought of my love for So You Think You Can Dance. I think I prefer to watch young'uns who aspire to be dancers than so-called celebrities on a dance show. Of course, your mileage may vary, but his performance didn't make me want to continue watching the show.
• How cool is this? I was just interrupted by the FedEx Man. The good folks at TBS just sent me a neat and spiffy battery-operated Frank TV wall clock and a promo reel on DVD for the show. Frank is Frank Caliendo and I'll report back on the promo. Right now I want to figure out where I'm going to put the clock!

Today's music non-sequitur --
Histories of ages past
Unenlightened shadows cast
Down through all eternity
The crying of humanity

'Tis then when the hurdy gurdy man
Comes singing songs of love
- Donovan "Hurdy Gurdy Man"

TV Newsy Bits - Monday, October 15, 2007

Nothing fancy, just a chipmunk who thought I wouldn't shoot him if he remained still. I shot him anyway ... with my camera. Photo taken at Mindowaskin Park in Westfield, NJ. (Where the park scenes for the TV show Ed were filmed.)

In today's TV Newsy Bits (and a bit o' Bloggy Bits):

• How are you folks doing with the comments in the Dancing With the Stars discussion post? Too many? Need a new discussion post?
• I'll be posting my Heroes recap/review later tonight and encourage show fans to stop back to visit.
• Entertainment Weekly and its website EW.com have an exclusive interview with Jorja Fox from C.S.I. -- she is indeed leaving the show citing both personal and professional reasons. It sounds like she wants more time to do what she wants to do family-wise and in other acting pursuits. As long as William Petersen isn't leaving, I'm okay with the news.
• Buddy TV has an exclusive interview with Joshua Gomez of Chuck.
• I had an exclusive interview with one of the chipmunks, but he decided he should refuse to comment. I'm not sure if it was Alvin, Theodore, or Simon.

Today's music non sequitur --
"Pleased to meet you,
Hope you guessed my name
What's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game." - Mick Jagger/Keith Richards "Sympathy for the Devil"

TV Newsy Bits - Sunday, October 14, 2007

A man waiting on the train into Manhattan on an autumn day. Taken at the Plainfield, NJ train station.

In today's TV Newsy Bits:

• Continuing to support my The Wire addiction without HBO, I've purchased seasons 1-3 on DVD and have my pre-order in for the fourth season which is expected to be released in December. Although I won't be seeing season five for a long, long time, I find it interesting that the theme song ("Way Down in the Hole" originally written by Tom Waits) for next season will be sung by Steve Earle who plays the recurring role of Waylon on the show. I've heard his version, but I like the 5 Blind Boys from Alabama (first season) and Tom Waits (second season) much better.
• I watched the new show Life on NBC in a repeat last night. It kept my interest. I'll have to check it out in its regular time. I like that the networks are often putting repeats of shows aired earlier in the week on Saturday nights. Life didn't initially catch my eye when I read about it and, if not for the Saturday repeat, I might not have ever watched it.
• The second episode of The Next Iron Chef is on the Food Channel tonight. The contestants are to create a simple culinary dish in their own style. Now, if I were there, I'd go with salmon patties. Okay, you know why I'm never on a cooking show, eh?

The return of today's music non sequitur --

This Broadway's got
It's got a lot of songs to sing
If I knew the tunes I might join in
I'll go my way alone
Grow my own, my own seeds shall be sown in New York City

Subway's no way for a good man to go down
Rich man can ride and the hobo he can drown
And I thank the Lord for the people I have found
I thank the Lord for the people I have found.
--Elton John "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters"

TV Newsy Bits - Friday, Oct. 12, 2007

It's just a duck. A duck at the park. It refused to catch fish for me, but was willing to eat bread crumbs.

Here are the TV Newsy Bits for today --

• If you live in the vicinity of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and you're a fan of The Office -- I have cool news for you! The Office Convention will be held the weekend of October 26-28. You can find out more about it here, but it sounds like quite the event. Al Roker will be there reporting for The Today Show, even.
• If you're a soaps fan, you might want to check out the exclusively on the Internet show Coastal Dreams. It takes things a step further and provides interactivity the TV soaps just can't do.
• Reality News Online has an interview with Dave Cruser, cast off of Survivor China just last night. Whoa, he's one smug dude. But I noticed that a commenter here on this blog ("Survivor" I believe was the blogger name used) called his nudity in that one challenge exactly right. "Unless it’s your orientation, having a crazy naked guy running at you is definitely going to make you think twice. And it did. If you have a naked guy running at you, you’re going to be that much less ready. Hence the skipping to make things jiggle."
• I still think Dave was annoying, but I think I'd be personally peeved more at Sherea -- especially if I had to work harder to cover her slacking.
• The Celebrity Spider has an expanded promotional bit on next week's Heroes -- mild spoilers within.
  

TV Newsy Bits, Bloggy Stuff, and Tonight's 'Survivor' Blogging Plans

Sometimes I just take photos of odd things. I liked the symmetry of the windows and mismatched gravel piles at this urban warehouse.

Once again this week, I'll be putting up a Survivor 15: China East Coast Update post for tonight's episode. That post will be updated as important events air here in the NYC area and comments are surely welcome! Later this evening my full review of the episode will be posted at TV Squad.

I'd like to extend belated birthday greetings to blog reader and commenter ORKMommy! I hope it was a great day full of family, love, calories, and gifts!

Also -- welcome back from Vegas, Nana in the NW. No, you better not tell us. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. ;-)

On a sadder note, my condolences go out to blog reader and commenter MEB on the loss of her best friend. Hang in there.

In TV Newsy Bits:

• A personal reminder to me and any fans of the show -- Law and Order: Criminal Intent is now on USA at 10 PM on Thursdays.
• In NYC News -- Although Chuck Scarborough isn't my favorite anchorman, I'm kind of getting into watching the local news at 7 PM on WNBC. I don't care all that much for all of the celebrity gossip shows at that hour and if I work late, the timing is good.
• The My Name is Earl folks have a new video online called Respect the Meat. It doesn't want to embed properly here, but you can check it out there.
• Don't forget to stop by the Grey's Anatomy blog discussion post if you watch that one!
  

TV Newsy Bits - Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007

True, it's another not-TV photo, but when I see a cat four stories off the ground, I have to do it. How he gets up there, I don't know. This cat and his feline friend sleep on the fire escape of one building during the colder weather -- taking in the morning sun. They seem to be local feral cats who come and go at will. I think they must get up there from the back of the buildings somehow. Maybe they fly up there -- Cats in Capes!

On another note, heavy thunderstorms kept me offline most of yesterday evening. We needed the rain and the cooler temps, but I'd rather these storms happen in the overnight hours, please.

In the real TV Newsy Bits --

• My Kid Nation review for TV Squad should be up soon.
• I don't watch the show, but ... Wayne Newton got the boot on Dancing With the Stars? I thought his fans would keep him in until much closer to the end of the show. I must also mention that these folks who should be aging normally are frightening me these days.
• Another show I don't watch, but I know many of you do, is Project Runway. I found this NY Post article about it and thought there might be some interest here.
• TVGuide.com has yet another interview with Leslie Nease, recently ousted from China on Survivor.
• And... yikes! Did you hear about all of the doctors, nurses and other personnel fired or suspended in the George Clooney motorcycle accident brouhaha? Although Clooney has gone on record saying that he thinks the punishment is a bit severe, I think the hospital is right in their actions. I know I wouldn't want people releasing my private health information out and about to the press. Okay, I know the press wouldn't care about me. But it's the principle of the thing!
  

TV Newsy Bits - Monday, Oct. 8, 2007

Oh, I know this isn't a television image. It's a gas station I walk by on the way to the train each morning. They have a brand new spiffy lighted sign. Unfortunately, they offer break service (on both sides of the sign) as well as wheel alingment. If your wheels need to be alinged, it may be a symptom of a more serious problem. Tomorrow I may have to go in and set myself down in a chair in their office to have my break service.

I'll be watching and reporting on Heroes later tonight -- so, if you're a show fan, stop back!

Here are some other TV Newsy Bits of interest:

• Buddy TV has an exclusive interview with Chuck star Yvonne Strahovski. I personally watched one Chuck, but like the hour of How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory better.
• I found a very lengthy interview with recent Survivor castoff Leslie on the Fans of Reality TV website. Interesting read, but l-o-n-g.
  
• The DIY network has Burt Reynolds and car contest a'going on. According the the information I received -- "Celebrity Rides: Burt Builds a Bandit features the star and a top team of experts who lovingly restore the vehicles. Five great episodes of Celebrity Rides: Burt Builds a Bandit will air on Friday nights at 10 pm Eastern/ 9 Central, starting October 19.
  
  You don’t have to sit on the sidelines watching this amazing machine, you can win a Limited Edition Burt Reynolds Trans Am! Submit a video to Heavy.com telling Burt and his co-judges why you deserve the car. That’s right – you have to impress the man himself with your video.
  The deadline for submissions is November 30, so get a move on it.
  The winner will be announced on the series finale (December 14) and the winning video may be aired then too!"
  
  The video below will clue you in on the rules.
  

• Blog reader Sydney found an interesting interview with Jessica from Big Brother 8. Yay, Sydney!

TV Newsy Bits - Sunday, October 7, 2007

I want autumn. I want crisp cool nights, low humidity, and warm (not hot) days.

Make it happen before the snow is upon us, please. I've been resisting the urge to turn on the air conditioner here because it just seems so incongruous to even think of using it during what I consider the best weather times of the year. But I'll admit to running my fan.

In TV Newsy Bits:

TV Land is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Leave it to Beaver with a huge marathon all weekend. Now, of course I don't remember the show from when I was a toddler, but it was one of the earliest shows I can remember watching by the time I was five or so. Beaver, The Mickey Mouse Club (I had a child crush on Cubby and loved Spin and Marty), The Twilight Zone, Ed Sullivan, and the Lone Ranger were the TV mainstays of my really early childhood days. Alas, my mother never wore pearls around the house and my father, though he always sported a Ward Cleaver haircut, only wore a tie for social occasions. The Cleavers we were not.

Although I don't watch The Bachelor, a local contestant was ousted by the show this past week. So, of course, the local news is full of her. This Reality TV World interview shows she really wanted to win. I just don't get it. Perhaps because I'm an avowed spoiled single person, I just can't think people actually go on a show like The Bachelor for love. For money, for fame, but love?

I was looking over Evel Dick's (BB8) MySpace page. I'm not on the list of people he wants to meet. I'm so crushed.

Not.

TV Newsy Bits - Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Well, this is interesting as I'm both a Law and Order: SVU watcher as well as a Lost fan ...

I just finished watching tonight's new SVU and the guest star creepy dude was played by actor Keven Tighe. Now, Kevin Tighe also played John Locke's father in Lost. Guess what? Both characters on both shows used the name Cooper and it wasn't the real name of the character in both instances. Weird, I say!

I think I might watch too much television. I thought of Amber from Big Brother 8 yesterday. Scary. Here's what happened ... I got off my train and took the elevator up to the ground level from the tunnel. I shared the elevator with both a black man and a Latino man. When we got up to the ground level, there was a group of Orthodox Jewish men with flowers and candles. They let the black and Latino men pass by, then stopped me.

"Are you Jewish?" they asked.

Huh? I immediately thought of Amber -- my nose! My name! I wondered why they didn't stop the black man to ask him! Although I wondered if I would get a free candle or flower if I said I was, I told them no. Then I saw the Sukkah-Mobile in the parking lot. It had the canvas walls, but the times they are a'changing. It was kind of cool, though. I've seen sukkot on streets, but never one built on the back of a pick-up truck. Happy Sukkot!

In television viewing, I watched Cavemen tonight. Never again. I actually enjoyed the show following it -- Carpooling. But I don't think it's worth sitting through Cavemen to get there. I'll stick with Bones, thank you.

An article I wrote yesterday for TV Squad was published today. It's about bizarre reality television shows including Celebrity Shark Bait out of the UK.

TV Newsy Bits and Bloggy Stuff

The link to my TV Squad review of last night's Kid Nation is right here -- it hadn't posted yet when I mentioned it in my last entry.

As for tonight's Survivor 15: China blogging -- I'll be doing East Coast Updates on important events in the show (immunity and the boot), then my review will be posted over on TV Squad later in the evening. If you wish to discuss the show while it's airing, of course you can feel free to jump in the comments of the East Coast updates! I'll be listening ... er ... reading.

Don't forget, fans of Grey's Anatomy, there is a discussion post for you to talk about tonight's episode with your friends right here.

Someone asked in comments if I'll be deleting the build-up of comments in the DWTS discussion post. I don't like to delete comments because once gone, they can't be retrieved, plus some folks get upset when I do. Plus, it's very time-consuming on this end for me to delete tons of comments one by one. We'll see how things go. If it looks like things are getting unwieldy, I might post a new discussion post weekly or something.

Now to the real TV Newsy Bits!

I'm sure there are some folks out there who watch the NBC Thursday primetime block -- My Name is Earl, The Office, and E.R., right? If you're a fan of those shows, NBC has some big doings going on tonight online for them.

For My Name is Earl, after the special one hour episode 8-9 ET, there will be a 30 minute live blog chat with executive producer Greg Garcia. For The Office, after the special one hour episode 9-10 ET, there will be a 30 minute live blog chat with executive producer Greg Daniels starting at 10 PM ET.

ER airs from 10-11 ET, then is followed by a 30 minute live blog chat with star Parminder Nagra and writer/co-executive producer Dr. Joe Sachs starting at 11 PM ET.

TV Newsy Bits - 'Survivor' Interviews Online

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I'm looking forward to watching a new Cold Case tonight after roughly goofing off all day. I always give a sigh of relief, although I also miss 'em, when the live feeds for Big Brother end.

Today, I watched some of the rerun recently completed So You Think You Can Dance episodes on cable -- I still adore Hok! And, I watched the finish of the entire first season of The Wire on DVD. It makes me want to get out my Homicide: Life on the Street DVD set and go through that, too. Too bad there just aren't more hours in a day off, eh?

Oh, thinking of work, I completed the work project I had been putting off. Woowoo, I made a DVD. I'm not overly thrilled with it, but it's done and no longer a monkey on my back.

I did a bit of digging around online today and found some interesting Survivor interviews to share with you.

The first one is from Jokers with Yau-Man, perhaps my favorite castaway ever. No, scratch that. He IS my favorite castaway ever, no perhaps about it! While the whole article is worth reading, here are some key points:

• Yau-Man was recruited for the show. He said they were looking for older Asians because they have so few applying.
• The castaways are given a very brief safety course on what they can eat or not on the island (or other locales, too, I would think). I always wondered how Sue Hawk knew about tapioca!
• He hasn't talked to Dreamz since the NYC reunion show. He doesn't want the decision about the truck to ruin his life.
• He says Jeff Probst is only about his height -- he looks taller on the show.
• He said the pre-jury booted were kept in "Losers Lodge" - tents on the island until the last one came in, then they received a vacation.
• The jurors had to stay in Losers Lodge as they had to go back every three days for tribal council. The only entertainment they had were books.
• They can't talk about the show at Losers Lodge.

I also found some Chicken interviews (the first boot on China) --

• Fans of Reality TV
• Reality TV World

The most interesting thing in those for me was the fact that Jaime, Sherea, and Peih-Gee had approached him to set up an alliance, then called it off fifteen minutes before the tribal council saying it was too early for alliances. They didn't show that on the show. Hmmm... he also says Ashley (the wrestler) was not only sick, but she's a physically weak person despite her profession. Hmmm...

TV Deaths in the News

Yes, a new update on the Big Brother 8 live feeds is still in the works, but a few news issues caught my eye and I wanted to mention them.

First, Tom Snyder died. I used to be addicted to his show and thought of him as a thinking-man kind of interviewer. May he rest in peace.

Second and a bit more shocking, one of the contestants from the recently canceled Pirate Master series has committed suicide. TV Squad has the story up. Cheryl, the one who was a deputy district attorney in Nevada, lost her boyfriend to suicide in June. Sigh. They pulled the show, but the remaining episodes are available at the CBS website. Cheryl was the fourth person eliminated.

TV Newsy Bits - Wednesday, July 11, 2007

First and foremost, I'd like to thank everyone for their kind words regarding my TV Squad writing gig. I wouldn't have been hired if not for all the folks who have faithfully read this blog (and previous ones). You've made it into a community and it's you who kept me going!

I'll still be writing East Coast Updates here on the blog -- letting folks know who's going home on Thursday nights, so make sure you tune in tomorrow! I'll also be continuing coverage of the boot (East Coast time) on So You Think You Can Dance. Here, the feeds reports will continue in a bulleted list format while I'll delve deeper into things and cover more extensive material there. I'll probably not roll my eyes a lot there, but you know I want to! Eventually, when I can get my volume woes worked out on my BBReloader, I should be posting YouTube clips of feeds here.

Onto the TV Newsy Bits I found "out there" --

• Can't get enough of Melissa and her soul-patch? Reality Check with Gina and Fans of Reality TV both have interviews with the most recent chef ousted from Hell's Kitchen.
• Several sources including EOnline! and Zap2It have articles about the return of The Apprentice on NBC.
• I received a press release from the CourtTV folks today. Remember, a while back I mentioned they have a brand name change and lots of other changes planned for early 2008. Um, the new name of the channel will be truTV. No, I would not lie. It's true. Or tru. Or truTV.
• The OC Register has some tidbits on the upcoming Survivor: China. Interesting reading!

TV Newsy Bits - Thursday, June 28, 2007

There's no word on whether Jessi from So You Think You Can Dance will be able to perform tonight. If she's physically able, she'll have to dance for her life.

I'll be live-blogging the important results as the show airs here on the East Coast. It doesn't start until 9 PM ET, so please stop back to check for a post started around that time. That, but of course, would be 6 PM PT.

In other TV Newsy Bits:

• Tons of Big Brother 8 news is out and about today. For the lowdown, use this link to bring up all of my entries about the upcoming season.
• According to ET Online, Apolo Ohno will join the dancing tour for Dancing With the Stars. He'll only be on the tour for five performances.
• Celebrity Spider reports that Jack Osbourne is being sued by a Muncie woman for his "work" on Armed and Famous. Apparently her home was mistakenly raided. She must be after the bucks, eh? Otherwise, she should be suing the Muncie Police, not Osbourne.
• The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that America's Got Talent is a ratings winner for NBC.