TV Newsy Bits - Wednesday, December 6, 2006

What's happening on the television and entertainment scene?

What's the scoop, the skinny, and the story?

Here's what I found peeking around the Internet today:

• Rene Syler (not to be confused with Sylar the Brain-Eating Watch Repairman from Heroes) will be leaving The Early Show according to this AOL News article. Since so many of the blog readers here are probably more into The Early Show than into Today due to the Survivor, Amazing Race, and Big Brother coverage on the show, I thought this was worthy of a mention. I'll miss her, but as long as Harry Smith sticks around (and the ChenBot, of course) I'm okay with it.
• According to several online sources, when Lost returns in early February, it will be in the 10 PM ET/PT timeslot. From what I read, there are a few reasons for the change. First and foremost, they don't seem to want it to be up against American Idol for some odd reason. Heh, no one wants to be against that. As a viewer of AI and Lost, I'm glad to hear of the change. There's also the reasoning that it may increase their 11 PM news ratings. Um, okay.
• I'm currently watching (and taping) Blue Man Group: Inside the Tube on WNET, the NYC PBS affiliate. It's not as good as being there, but lots of fantastic BMG performances. May I have your attention, please? Please yell if you are paying attention. Give BMG some love!

The Suspension of Disbelief and Good TV

Yesterday morning as I was heading to work, I was mulling an article idea in my head comparing Lost to Heroes and why I'm enjoying Heroes more these days. I know the main reason Heroes is faring better with me is that questions are being answered, unlike with Lost. Don't get me wrong; I'll still watch the new episodes of Lost when the time comes.

Last night when I got home from a long day's work, I conked out on the couch and, as the Soup Nazi would say, "No TV for you!" Or, at the very least, no primetime TV for me as I slept through it all. When I awoke at an odd hour past midnight, I channel-surfed and happened upon American Masters: Rod Serling on the New Jersey PBS affiliate. Perfect!

Although I was way too young (and possibly not born yet) for his live television plays, I was very young when The Twilight Zone first aired. I admit that I remember more episodes from reruns than the original airings although my parents, perhaps without thinking about the ramifications, allowed me to watch the show.

I recall, at about the age of seven or so, an episode which featured Telly Savalas and a talking doll which he thought evil and kept trying to destroy. At that time, I had my own first-on-the-market talking doll. I was very nice to it because, after all, "if you're not nice to me, I'll kill you, too." I had nightmares for months after seeing the show. Hey, it didn't matter that the doll on the show was Talky Tina and mine was Chatty Cathy. I didn't want it to kill me.

But, what made The Twilight Zone work so well for adults, as well as children? The PBS show touched briefly on the reason (in my opinion) last night -- an expression commonly used these days in the graphic novel or comic book medium -- the suspension of disbelief. Basically, that means that in a work of fiction, the reader willingly believes that which he knows is indeed not real. To a point, the suspension of disbelief exists everytime we read a book, everytime we watch a fictional television show.

The hardest obstacle to the suspension of disbelief aren't the fictional cop shows, which are often at least loosely based on real cop-doings. The hardest obstacle to overcome is the limit of imagination. I'm talking pure fantasy stories such as Harry Potter, comic book superheroes, or a boy who can will folks to the cornfield for thinking bad thoughts. In order for these shows or books to entertain the viewer or reader, they must immerse them into the plot and the characters. On a level, it must be believable even though it's just a fantastic journey within the limits of man's imagination.

And that's where I feel Lost is losing it. We're into the third season of the show. Too many questions remain unanswered; too many tangents have gone unexplained. Plot holes exist. The first season was a bold move into the suspension of disbelief genre -- a welcome respite from mainstream television at the time. It used the premise so successfully achieved by The Twilight Zone so many decades before. But, now I feel it's become a bit stagnant. It's not moving forward each episode; it's not satisfying me as a viewer. Yes, I'm hooked. I'll watch in hopes that some of the mysteries will be explained. But I'm not as enamored with the show as I once was.

Then there's the new show on the market this season, Heroes. Again, utilizing the suspension of disbelief, the show challenges the viewer in a respect. You have to believe there can be superheroes, there can be magical powers. The show parallels the graphic novel medium, but takes things one step further. In watching this show, I get lost in the characters. Yes, I know deep down that the powers are total fiction, but for an hour each week, I believe they do exist. I believe "save the cheerleader, save the world." I believe an excited Hiro can bend time and space. I believe the fantastic.

Why is that? I think it's because the show actually moves forward a bit each week, unlike Lost as of late. Questions are actually answered and each show ends with a cliffhanger making me hungry to devour the next episode. That's how the suspension of disbelief should work. It shouldn't be tossing notes in a hat to have a smoke monster one week and a giant polar bear the next, without an explanation for the existence of either. It shouldn't be a guessing game and tons of theories gone rampant on the Internet. For the suspension of disbelief to work well, a story needs to be believable to an aspect where the viewer (or reader) actually believes, if but for a moment in time.

I believe in The Twilight Zone. I believe in Heroes. At least I do when I'm watching them. Lost and Star Trek, not so much.

TV Newsy Bits - Monday, December 4, 2006

Yikes! It's really starting to feel like winter here! All I want to do is put on my warm robe and fuzzy slippers and settle in to some good television watching.

I think I'll do just that.

Some of the shows I usually watch are repeats tonight (How I Met Your Mother, The Class), so I'll surf around, maybe even check out the holiday shows. One thing I won't miss is tonight's "fall finale" (don't you hate that new fad?) of Heroes.

A hero will die according to the promo commercials. Ack. It can't be Hiro, and I hope it's not Micah - he's such a cute little kid. Maybe it's the artist; he's always having drug woes plus Hiro found him dead by Sylar. Maybe he was time-traveling and now's the time. I don't know. But I'll know in a few hours.

In TV Newsy Bits:

• Blog reader Sue from the Bay Area sent me this link to an article about the Cho Brothers from The Amazing Race 10. It's an interesting read. They said Peter (of Peter and Sarah) got a "bad edit." But they also hinted that Dustin and Kandice were ruthless. Check it out and thank you, Sue!
• Location spoilers for The Amazing Race 10 finale show (Sunday, December 10) can be found in this article. It doesn't spoil the winner, just locations.
• For The Biggest Loser fans, I found an article about past contestants and how they've been doing with their weight control.
• It's all over the news that an ex-cast member (recently killed off on the show) of Prison Break was driving in an accident in which a teenaged boy died. Lane Garrison, age 26, was driving with two 15-year-old girls and a 17-year-old boy in his SUV. It was after midnight when the car crashed. Now, is it just me or is there something wrong with this picture? Police have indicated that alcohol may have been involved.
• Rick Schroder, ex-Silver Spoons child actor and NYPD Blue adult actor, will be joining the cast of 24.

That's it for now. Is it time for Heroes yet?

Holiday Television Programming - December 4 - 8

Is Jack Frost nippin' at your nose yet? Even if you live in the warm weather states, sometimes you need that snow fix to get you in the mood for the holiday season. Thanks to television, you can have all the snow and ice you need while looking out the window at the holiday-decorated palm trees! Um, no. I can't do that here - I have actual seasons. But I recall my living in Southern California days and decorating the cactus. Oh, we could see snow on the far-away mountain tops, so it was like Christmas indeed... sort of, kind of.

This list isn't totally inclusive and won't reflect any local holiday programs outside of the New York City area, but it'll give you an idea what shows are out and about this week as we careen towards the holidays at breakneck speed:

Monday, December 4:

• QVC and HSN allow you to do all your holiday gift shopping from home all the time. (As do Amazon and EBay, but this is all about television, y'see.)
• 2 PM ET/PT - Lifetime, The Christmas Wish (movie)
• 5 PM ET/PT - HGTV - Holiday Design on a Dime
• 7 PM ET/PT - ABC Family - Rudolph's Shiny New Year
• 8 PM ET/PT - AMC - Miracle on 34th Street (movie)
• 8 PM ET/PT - ABC Family - The Year Without a Santa Claus
• 9 PM ET/PT - Lifetime - Under the Mistletoe (movie)
• 9 PM ET/PT - ABC Family - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of the Misfit Toys

Tuesday, December 5:

• 9 AM ET/PT - HGTV - Holiday Workshop - back-to-back episodes for an hour
• Noon ET/PT - Lifetime - On the 2nd Day of Christmas (movie)
• 6 PM ET/PT - HGTV - A Very Merry Curb Appeal
• 7 PM ET/PT - ABC Family - 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
• 7:30 PM ET/PT - ABC Family - The Story of the First Christmas Snow
• 8 PM ET/PT - ABC - Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
• 8 PM ET/PT - ABC Family - Once Upon a Christmas (movie)
• 8 PM and 10 PM ET/PT - AMC - Miracle on 34th Street (movie)
• 9 PM ET/PT - Lifetime - Call Me Claus (movie)

Wednesday, December 6:

• Noon ET/PT - Lifetime - Eve's Christmas (movie)
• 1 PM ET - WNET (PBS, NYC) - Andre Rieu: Christmas Around the World (music)
• 2 PM ET/PT - Lifetime - A Dad For Christmas (movie)
• 7 PM ET/PT - ABC Family - Pinocchio's Christmas
• 7 PM ET/PT - Cartoon Network - A Lost Claus
• 7:30 PM ET/PT - Cartoon Network - Dr. Seuss' Grinch
• 8 PM ET/PT - ABC Family - Twice Upon a Christmas (movie)
• 8 and 10 PM ET PT - AMC - Miracle on 34th Street (movie)
• 9 PM ET/PT - Lifetime - His and Her Christmas (movie)
• 9 PM ET/PT - HGTV - A solid block of gift shows starts
• 10 PM ET/PT - Discovery - Holiday Mythbusters

Thursday, December 7:

• 1 PM ET/PT - HGTV - Decorating Cents: Home for the Holidays
• 2 PM ET/PT - Lifetime - The Man Upstairs (movie)
• 4 PM ET/PT - HGTV - Home to Go for the Holidays
• 6 PM ET/PT - AMC - Miracle on 34th Street (movie)
• 7 PM ET/PT - Cartoon Network - Bill and Mandy Save Christmas
• 7 PM ET/PT - ABC Family - Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
• 8 PM ET/PT - ABC Family - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (movie)
• 8 PM ET/PT - FOOD Network - The Essence of Emeril "Christmas Holiday"
• 9 PM ET/PT - Lifetime - Recipe for a Perfect Christmas (movie)
• 9 PM ET/PT - FOOD Network - All Star Holiday Party
• 10 PM ET/PT - FOOD Network - Paula's Southern Christmas

Friday, December 8:

• Noon ET/PT - Lifetime - A Song for the Season (movie)
• 2 PM ET/PT - Lifetime - Crazy for Christmas (movie)
• 7 PM ET/PT - Cartoon Network - Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
• 7 PM ET/PT - ABC Family - Jack Frost
• 8 PM ET/PT - CBS - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
• 8 and 10:30 PM ET/PT - ABC Family - The Polar Express (movie)
• 9 PM ET/PT - CBS - Frosty the Snowman
• 9 PM ET/PT - Lifetime - Santa Who? (movie)
• 9:30 PM ET/PT - CBS - Frosty Returns

All through the week, daytime television talk shows Rachael Ray, Martha, and Ellen DeGeneres have holiday-themed content.

Have a holly jolly TV week, folks!

'The Amazing Race 10' - Ep. 12 -or- "Giant Hot Chicks Run Amok in Barcelona'

I can't believe that next week is the season finale. And, mind you, not one of those fake fall finales like Lost, Jericho, or Heroes - this season's TAR is almost history!

Speaking of history, in all of the previous seasons, not one all-female team has made it to the Final Three, the huge determining factor for this show. This season started off with two very strong female teams. Remember Jamie and Kelly? They were gone too soon for all the promise they held. The other strong female team is Dustin and Kandice. I refer to these teams as strong as they both have the physical strength and are in good shape. Since men tend to win, it takes strength, right? Hey, maybe not.

Four teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?

We last left the teams at a Berber camp in the desert near the Atlas Mountains in North Africa. Tyler and James (Model Rehab BoyToys) had arrived first, so they were the first to receive the clue and leave from the camp. Dustin and Kandice (Evil Blonde Beauty Queens) were saved from Philimination last week as they had arrived last. Because they weren't eliminated, they're marked for elimination in this week's leg. That means they have to come in first at the Pit Stop or face a 30-minute penalty. With it down to four teams, that could very well mean elimination for them. I noticed that Tyler and James had about a 45-minute lead on them taking off from the camp.

The clue led teams to Casablanca, Morocco. The route through the mountains was full of switchback roads similar to what I've seen in places in the Rocky Mountains, but much more treacherous without guardrails. Yikes! The teams had to drive it and, somehow, the Blondes scooted through and made up a lot of time. Best quote of the drive goes to Kim, "I can't believe all the dogs out here." Um, they're goats, not dogs. Rob didn't let her live that down for a while.

One thing I found interesting is that Casablanca has Shell gas stations. That struck me as a bit odd.

Once in Casablanca, the teams faced a Roadblock - a task only one member of a team can do. This one, though a traditional native food one, wasn't as bad as most as long as the person wasn't a vegetarian. It was buying, grinding, spicing, handing off to a chef to cook, then eating camel meat.

The BoyToys and Blondes were the first teams there and both actually seemed to enjoy the meat. Later on Lyn had a problem with it being too hot (fresh off the grill hot, not spicy) and Rob had deferred the task to Kimberly. She was the only one to really gag and fuss. "Awesome, possum!"

From there, teams all ended up on the same flight to Barcelona, Spain, despite a gap between the BoyToys/Blondes and 'Bama Moms/Rob and Kimberly (Bickering Couple once again). At the airport, Dustin and Kandice tried to get back in with Tyler and James, but the boys are burnt on the beauties. As a matter of fact, all three teams are deadset against the Blonde Bombshells at this point. Too bad, so sad.

I wanted to like them when I first saw their profiles and, I have to admit, they're a good team. But the incident when they passed off the car they crashed to another team by taking one belonging to another team ticked me off to no end. That move could have cost the team stuck in the damaged car the race had it broken down. That one move was one of the most mean-spirited things I've ever seen on the show. Scheming and plotting, I understand. But that move went beyond that.

Once in Barcelona, teams hit yet another bunching point awaiting the opening of Parc del Laberint d'Horta, which contains a labyrinth or maze in which they had to find a clue and find their way back out. I found it rather amazing that the 'Bama Moms made it out first, as did the other teams. They certainly don't have the edge when it comes to a footrace, but they can make some good moves. I like Lyn, but I'm not too keen on Karlyn's personality.

The Blondes thought to borrow a cellphone and make arrangements for a taxi, but then told them to only pick up blonde women. The other teams made similar arrangements, albeit sans the blonde requirement. Sure enough, there were problems when the teams emerged from the maze. Tyler/James and Lyn/Karlyn had to scramble for a cab.

The next stop was a Detour, a choice between two locally-influenced tasks that both members of the team have to complete. This one was a hoot! In Lug It, teams had to find 9½-foot-tall giant costumes, get in them, and walk a mile to receive the next clue. In Lob It, teams had to look for a clue in a mound of tomatoes while locals were lobbing tomatoes at them.

Tyler and James wanted to take the same Detour as Dustin and Kandice, figuring they would go for the physical task - the giant costumes. They figured right. In their minds, they want to beat Dustin and Kandice in a footrace to the Pit Stop. Of course, both of the other teams want to beat the Blondes, too. Who will beat them first?

Rob and Kimberly chose Lob It and we once again saw them break down, apart, and just shy of implosion. Under stress, these two do terrible. They had already bickered during the food when Rob berated her for retching while he didn't have the guts to even try for the food Roadblock. The tomatoes broke her down totally, it was almost the end for the team. She tried to quit, but he kept at her. And, they actually found the clue, as did the 'Bama Moms a bit later (they squabbled, too). To me, the task looked impossible, but both teams choosing it fared better than Lug It.

Memorable line from Lug It and the actual name for the episode, "Dude, I'm such a giant hot chick now!" It was said by one of the BoyToys. But, being a giant hot chick doesn't mean first place.

Rob and Kimberly hit the Pit Stop in Barcelona first, winning a trip to Barbados and crying a lot. Next up, in a very surprising move, were Lyn and Karlyn. The BoyToys didn't quite get their footrace with the Blondes, but secured third. And, last and eliminated - Dustin and Kandice.

Who woulda thunk it? The 'Bama Moms beat out the Blondes? Unbelievable! In their parting words, they didn't say it was a rewarding experience, a thrill of a lifetime. Nope. Nothing like that. They're upset they didn't win. Go figure.

Are you ready for next week's finale?