The (TV) Show Must Go On...

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Guilty Pleasure TV Viewing

C'mon, I know you have some shows that you watch when company is unexpected; shows you might not talk about at the office watercooler. After all, someone has to be watching Jerry Springer or Maury. No, those two aren't on my list, but I know they're someone's guilty pleasure. Okay, perhaps one is Connie Chung's guilty pleasure and that carries the Nielsen ranking.

What? My guilty pleasure shows? Hmmm ... I'm not sure if I'm ready to reveal my television viewing quirks to the world. Oh, okay. I'll spill the beans. Just promise not to laugh at me. Well, you can snicker at me; but no guffawing, please. I'm sensitive, y'know.

COPS: "Bad boys, bad boys. Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?" Yep, that's the first show which comes to mind when I think guilty pleasure TV viewing. Old episodes, new episodes - I'm there. I can't understand my fascination with this show other than I'm a bit of a crime/police buff at heart. In 1989 Bertram Van Munster, the same person behind The Amazing Race, was on the production staff. Heck, even the tune is catchy. Older episodes airing on Court TV have the entire song by Inner Circle at the beginning of the show. As for the people appearing on the show who aren't cops? Yikes! What is going through their minds? Not only are they out there doing stupid criminal nefarious doings and all, but they sign releases to let the show air their ne'er-do-well ways!

Leave it to Beaver: Thank the heavens for TV Land network! The Beaver was one of my favorite shows when I was a small child and, now as an adult, I know the episodes by heart. Watching them brings me back to more innocent days. No, my Mom wasn't anything like June Cleaver although, if memory serves, she did have a strand of pearls - she just didn't wear them around the house. My Dad looked a bit like Hugh Beaumont, but certainly didn't wear a tie much. Then again, my older brother had a friend reminiscent of Lumpy Rutherford and I've known a lot of Eddie Haskells over the years.

When I want blood, gore, veins in my teeth (um, wait ... that's Arlo Guthrie), I can watch a myriad of shows on the Discovery Health Channel. From Medical Incredible to the goings-on in trauma centers and emergency rooms, they have it all. They have a Medical Examiner show, as well. But that's all recreated drama. I want real blood, gore and veins in my teeth.

The People's Court: I tend to peep at the various court shows. Perhaps one day I'll write something up about the genre. But, my favorite? I'm so over Judge Judy after so many years! It's Marilyn Milian who's my choice of outspoken judge these days. I started watching this back in the days of Judge Wapner, then Koch, then Judge Judy's husband whose name is slipping my mind at the moment. Well, not really slipping it, but I'm too lazy to look up how to spell the last name. Judge Milian rocks.

On a bit of a regional level, another guilty pleasure is watching CBS2 Crew early mornings as I get ready to go to work. It's an early morning news/weather/traffic and such show out of Manhattan, NY. Yes, it will let me know if my train is running late and whether I should bring an umbrella or not. However, I watch it just as much for the smiles and the giggles as I watch Dave Price on Dance Fridays and the interaction between the crew.

A really late night guilty pleasure is watching the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Now, that show isn't anything to be embarrassed about watching, mind you. It's just the hour that it's on that's the problem. No way can I tell folks at work that I watch it when I'm often into the office by around 7 AM! I know when I hear that Cow of Time, it's way past my bedtime and I must be a crazy person to stay up that late!

So, there are a few of my guilty pleasure shows. Now it's your turn. What do you watch behind drawn curtains? And, why?

Saturday, March 04, 2006

'Survivor's' Bobby Mason on 'The Early Show'

Oh, this one is priceless! Bobby Mason spoke his mind on 'The Early Show' - you can read the whole interview at this link.

An excerpt:

Bobby didn't mince words when it came to his feelings about Courtney. "One of her personalities is cool," he said. "She's got like three or four that she tucks away and every now and then a nice one will come out and you'll make a deal with her. And then, the next day, that nice one won't wake up. She's a lunatic."

He had equally harsh words for Shane. "Shane is a smart guy," he said. "If he's going to talk about me, he better do it behind my back. He doesn't want to end up smashed somewhere in the ocean with his acid-washed jeans and that mullet."

Now, that would have been interesting. Is mullet a kind of shellfish? ;-)
(I know what it is, but it does sound like a shellfish, doesn't it?)

Thursday, March 02, 2006

'Survivor: Exile Island' Ep. 5 or "For the Love of Cod, Stack Those Skulls!"

Yeah, yeah, yeah ... I know. The Survivor folks name each episode to their liking. But I want to name the episodes myself. They called tonight's show "For Cod's Sake." Boring! Tonight's episode was "For the Love of Cod, Stack Those Skulls!" Yep, that's my title. Much better, eh?

Twelve are left. Who wll be voted out tonight?

After the inevitable lengthy recap, the show opened to Bruce and Aras squabbling about priorities, thinking of the tribe as a whole, rock garden building and on and on. Aras tells the cameras that he wishes he could get sent to Exile Island just to get away from Bruce. Well, we know what he won't find if he's sent there.

Let's just head off to the Rewards Challenge to get away from all the fussing and fighting. Playing for fish, beans, rice and wine, the tribes had to work together and depend on each other in sort of a bucket brigade challenge. Three tribemates were on marked areas in a line perhaps ten to fifteen feet away from each other. Another had to run to a boat to retrieve the items and each tossed to the next person. The last person had to chop off the head and tail of the fish and add them to the stash. The fish were the stumbling block due to size and the fact they were very slippery.

Casaya won, winning all the foodstuffs and wine. La Mina didn't go home empty-handed, though. They had their choice of rice or beans. Regretfully, they chose the beans. (Duh! Don't they know what beans do to your digestive system? @@ <-- patented Jackie eyeroll) They went home with the beans, but without Terry. Casaya once again chose to put him on Exile Island.

Day 12 and Casaya returned to a flooded camp, no fire to cook the fish they had won. Sashimi! Sushi! Cirie balked, but I saw she was eating the raw fish with everyone else. They should be happy, but of course they aren't. Bruce is ticked off at Courtney because she's doing yoga in his rock garden. Bobby and Bruce think that others have stolen their sleeping spots so they lock themselves in the outhouse and down the last bottle of wine. While in there, they bonded and promised not to vote for each other. Don't believe that saying "my word is bond." Perhaps it was the wine promising not to vote for each other. Cirie is practicing her flying; flying under the radar, that is. She's decided she'll let them all kill each other off and then she'll rise like the Phoenix from the ashes of destruction.

Over at La Mina, Austin and Nick found out what lots of beans will do to a rather empty stomach. Not pretty. We'll move right along.

So, it's the morning of Day 13. Courtney absolutely freaks out about the wine. Bruce didn't admit right away to drinking it, though caught with the empty bottle in the outhouse. Bobby confessed to the crime. He and Courtney got into a shout down and, before you knew it... it's Day 14 and the Immunity Challenge is ready to start.

The IC had the tribemates diving down in the ocean to four different coffins to retrieve skulls. (Who thinks of these things?) Once the skulls were all retrieved, they had to assemble a skull puzzle with a gold skull atop the others in a pyramid formation. Whoa! La Mina is back! They won immunity! It's about time!

Then it starts -- the scheming and backstabbing. Aras is hellbent on getting Bruce gone while Shane campaigns for Bobby's ouster. Shane is worried that Bobby will take up with Nick and Austin if he makes it to the merge. Bobby wants Courtney out. Danielle grabs the girls, then Shane, and gets the Anti-Bobby Movement going again. Cirie is just happy that no one is thinking of her even though she was told she would be next at a previous Tribal Council.

At Tribal Council itself, the voting was pretty spread out. Bobby was gone with 3 votes. Bruce had 2 votes while Courtney and Aras each had one.

"Bobby, the tribe has spoken. You must leave the Tribal Council area immediately."

So there ya go. That was the episode. Now, a few thoughts of my own (not that I haven't been a bit opinionated throughout this):

This is the most we've ever seen of Bobby and now ZAP, gone!
Dan is looking deathly skinny.
I'm liking Cirie more each week. She works and works to fly under that radar.
Terry has definitely benefited by being sent to Exile Island -- it's like paradise to get away from the others. He's the healthiest-looking guy on the show.
Courtney gets on my nerves and I'm not liking Bruce so much these days.

If I had to choose who I want to win, I'd have to go with Terry. But I think I'd like to see Cirie have a shot at it, too. No Shane. I don't want him to win even though he's getting a bit more bearable each week.

Who are you rooting for now that we're getting to know the cast?

TV Newsy Bits - Mar. 2, 2006

Who's got those bits?
I've got those bits!
Whatcha doin' wit' the bits?
I'm passing them onto you!

Here are the TV and entertainment related newsy bits links I found on the web today:

'American Idol' East Coast Update: Booted

Heather Cox and Brenna Gethers (I called that one!)
David Radford and Jose "Sway" Penala (I was half right)

'Survivor: Exile Island' - East Coast Update - Tribal Council

Bobby was voted out.

3 votes Bobby
2 votes Bruce
1 vote each Courtney and Aras

'Survivor: Exile Island' - East Coast Update - Immunity

La Mina won Immunity.
About time!

'Survivor: Exile Island' East Coast Update - Rewards/Exiled

Casaya won the Rewards Challenge. Terry was chosen for Exile Island... again.

Tonight's 'Survivor: Exile Island' Blogging Schedule (3/02)

Once again, as important events on the show occur (deaths, who goes to Exile Island, any hidden Idol finding, reward challenge, immunity challenge and the boot)... I'll be slapping up quick details here. If you're on the West Coast and like East Coast airing show night spoilers, this is the place for you.

Within moments after an entry here, blog entry links will be added to my Jackie's Survivor Blog/Web Links Reference

There isn't an immediate way to get notice of an entry, but you can check here or there during the time the show airs in the east. A hint -- sometimes the new entries don't show immediately on the main blog page, but if you hit the February archive in the sidebar, it will show.

Sometime after the show (hopefully before 11 PM ET), I'll be posting a full recap and would love to know your thoughts about the episode!

* West Coast 'American Idol' fans who want East Coast spoilers -- after I post the 'Survivor' boot, I'll check my tape and post the 'American Idol' boots.

Survivor fans ready?

'American Idol' Schtuff!

As you may have noticed, I didn't blog about the ten girls this week. Why not? Because I was bored, unimpressed and annoyed by song choices and how even my favorite American Idols girl contestants sang! Sheesh! I tried to make a blog entry but my entry was as boring as the show night itself. So, I squashed it and hoped the guys would make a good showing last night.

Oh... I think they certainly did, don't you?

Taylor Hicks suited up and looked charming. His song choice was "Easy" by the Commodores (though I'm thinking the big hit was someone else, a Carradine maybe?). I don't think it was his best performance I've seen, but he performed it well enough. He really should stop crouching as he sings, though. Simon was the only judge not happy with it.

Elliott Yamin was absolutely superb singing "In the Mood for Love." I closed my eyes and just listened to his beautiful voice. The song was a great vehicle for his talents. Even Simon was happy and called it a great performance.

Then up was Ace Young singing "If I'm Not Made For You." Not my favorite song choice, nor my favorite performance of his, but good. He'll get votes anyway, I think.

The shocker of the night for me and I'm lovin' this kid more and more each week -- Gedeon McKinney! I cannot believe he's only seventeen! He's gotta be channelling ghosts from the past like Sam Cooke, gotta be! He sang "A Change is Gonna Come" with every nuance of soul the song possesses. Again, even Simon was impressed.

Kevin Covais sang "I Heard Through the Grapevine." He danced a bit, let down his hair a bit (figuratively) and had a good time with it. I enjoyed the performance. So did Randy and Paula. Simon? No!

Jose "Sway" Penala took the stage next and sang Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed." He did it technically well, but I personally wasn't really moved by it. Neither were the judges.

Will Makar did a good job with Kenny Rogers' "Lady." At least I thought so -- I thought it really showed how nice his voice really is. Paula thought it was too safe; Simon thought it sounded like a good audition for Cats (or insert any Broadway show).

Bucky Covington sang a Garth Brooks song I'm not too familiar with. He did okay, but didn't rock my world. Nor the judges.

David Radford was up next with Frank Sinatra's "The Way You Look Tonight." Well, the way he looked to me was a bit off. Or, to be more precise, the way he sounded. He should have done fantastically with that song and he just didn't bring it. I like him anyway.

Chris Daughtry took the stage and brought the house down with "Hemorage." Best performance of the night and Simon called him the only performance which really stood out.

My boot predictions?
Brenna, Heather, Jose and Bucky.
Your predictions?

I'll be taping the show so I can update the blog with Survivor: Exile Island East Coast updates. But, once I post the Survivor boot, I'll check my American Idol tape and get those boots posted for those on the West Coast who like East Coast spoilers!

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

TV Newsy Bits - Mar. 1, 2006

What? Did I neglect Bits yesterday? Well, maybe nuthin' happened! Yeah, that's it!

Oh, but I have your entertainment and television related newsy bits web links for you today!
I sure 'nuff do.

Woohoo! 'The Amazing Race' is BACK!

Thank you! Thank you! Teams of two adults! No families! (Not that there's anything wrong with the family structure or values, of course. Just keep 'em off of The Amazing Race.) No hobbling the race to child safe stuff!

It's back! The guts, the glory ... the Amazing Race!

The season premiere reminded me just why I got hooked on the show in its first season. A lot of the racers are regular folks that I could know. They have had their runs with actor/model types. But on the whole, it's the plain old normal people with normal relationships having a whirlwind adventure that goes beyond their wildest dreams that keeps me watching. As a viewer, I get to vicariously live through it all, experiencing cultural rituals in countries where I'll probably never visit in my own lifetime. I get to see both the stunning natural scenery and the hustling streets of cities in foreign lands. It's sort of like when I was a small child reading a book and letting my imagination go wild, full of wonder and amazement. Watching this show gets the adrenalin rushing and last night was a great start for what looks like a very promising season. It is the Amazing Race.

That said, last night's premiere started off in an area I'm actually familiar with due to my skiing years -- Colorado. When Phil yelled go, it was a scramble to get on the earliest arriving flight of three to Sao Paolo, Brazil. As things sometimes go, getting on the scheduled earliest flight doesn't necessarily mean first arrival. Due to delays, some of the teams lucked out. Once in Sao Paolo, teams faced a Detour which had them choose between assembling a motorcycle or riding a helicopter seeking a clue from specific buildings. I couldn't believe the Double-D's chose building the bike! Where were their minds? Left 'em on Pike's Peak or what? Then the teams had to take part in a cultural singing-dancing-big boa snake-candles ceremony to get the next clue which led them to the Pit Stop.

How did last night's show compare with my sight unseen thoughts on the teams? The name links below lead you to my original thoughts while I note my take on the teams now --

Lake and Michelle: I called it. I compared them to Jonathan and Victoria. Sure enough, he's overbearing, but I think I like her a lot more than I liked Victoria. Did I hear another racer refer to him as "Scott Peterson"? I'm sure I did. I'll have to rewatch my tape, but I know someone said it! Was it Jeremy? Sorry, Lake. I want you gone.

Dani and Danielle: Okay, I'll admit to being slightly off on these two. Their Staten Island accents aren't as noticeable as I thought they would be. They also have more spunk than I thought they would have. I think they're going to have to navigate better and make smarter decisions on tasks to stay in the race, but they could indeed make a showing. Another team (Jeremy and Eric, I believe) nicknamed them the Double-D's. It fits.

BJ and Tyler: Oh, these guys are a hoot! In my original, I was worried about them hamming it up for the cameras and being total clowns, but thought they looked fun. Well, fun they are - zany, crazy and smart, too. I think they're going to be big contenders for the win. And, I'm going to enjoy watching them. It's great to see people having fun on the race while doing well at it. Cool. Other teams are calling them the Hippies.

Yolanda and Ray: Hmmm ... I think I predicted them fairly well. I think he's a simmering pot ready to burst into a boil. I don't feel the annoyance I get while looking at Lake (above), but I think he's going to get frustrated too easily and it'll be Yolanda keeping the team going in the long run.

Scott and John: Well, I didn't make any real predictions on them. Perhaps because there was nothing to predict? First ones gone. Looking at how they ran the first leg, I don't think I would have wanted a whole season of them, anyway.

David and Lori: Another spot on call in my first entry on them. They are nice people, just as I thought. I know some may think the love bit is a bit too much. After all, they're no Tom Cruise jumping on a couch or anything of the sort! But I like them. They both remind me of people I know and they're both really loving the adventure. I'd like to see them do well, but their lack of worldly traveling experience may snag them at any time. They're The Nerds.

Jeremy and Eric: First place at the Pit Stop, eh? This team is stronger and more personable than I thought in my pre-show entry. I still don't know which one is Eric and which is Jeremy, though. I think I'll call them both Jericmy. They are the Male Eye Candy Team. Okay, that's my own nickname for them. I like Male Eye Candy. So there.

Fran and Barry: Oh, no! I had such high hopes for these two as an older team showing the young ones how it's done! It is not done by going past a clue a kazillion times while the clock is ticking! It's not done by choosing to build a motorcycle when you have no clue how to do so! I'm hoping they redeem themselves, but the promo for next week doesn't look too promising for them.

Joni and Lisa: I predicted they would be fun to watch and have a good time. Well, I rescind the first part. I found these two annoying. The only time I got a kick out of watching them was when the one made faces out of the helicopter window. They scream too much and I really don't need to know if one peed in her pants or not. I just hope they cleaned the helicopter seat. Nicknamed by themselves as the Glamazons (@@ -- gotta roll my eyes at them, gotta); nicknamed by other teams as the Frosties.

Monica and Joe: The self-proclaimed MoJo Team. I didn't have a solid take on them in my pre-show bio bit and I don't have one now, either. They seemed to be easily frazzled during the first leg and were lucky to make it through. I can take or leave them. I guess I'd rather they stay in the race than Lake, but...! Other teams are calling them Barbie and Ken.

Wanda and Desiree: This is another team I'm finding hard to call. They have the language down, but Mom Wanda is way too excitable and antsy for me. I like Desiree. I think they're going to hang in for a while, though.

My overall thoughts on the premiere?
I liked the helicopters over Brazil a lot. I want to do it! I found the clues leading to the helicopter/building destinations very confusing. It's good the teams (except for Scott and John) weren't as confused as I was or they'd be out to sea with the 'copters.

I thought the assembling the motorcycle bit was to doom most teams to failure. I can't imagine putting one together quickly and it actually starting. It seemed a task made for Lake, but that's about it.

I liked peeking in on Brazil. The Amazing Race shows how things really are in the countries they visit. From clubs with snake rituals to traffic jams to homeless on the streets, it's interesting to me. I would have also liked to see more of the country's beautiful natural scenery, too.

Last night's arrival order of the teams can be found here.

What did you think? What teams caught your interest? Like the show? Hate it? Has it redeemed itself from last season's Child Safe Version? I'd love to read your thoughts!

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

'The Amazing Race' Season Premiere: East Coast Update Arrival/Philimination

This is just a quick east coast airing update especially for those in other time zones who like show night spoilers. A full review will be posted tomorrow due to a looooong night of TV watching!

Teams arrived at the Pit Stop in this order:
1. Jeremy and Eric (won $10,000 each)
2. BJ and Tyler
3. Wanda and Desiree
4. Dave and Lori (I adore these two!)
5. Lake and Michelle
6. Mojo - Monica and Joe
7. Ray and Yolanda
8. Fran and Barry
9. Dani and Danielle
10. Joni and Lisa

11 and Philiminated: John and Scott

Monday, February 27, 2006

TV Newsy Bits - Feb. 27, 2006

Bits! Bits! Two bits! Four bits! You name it!

Here are the entertainment/television related newsy bits links I found out on the web today:

'Apprentice 5' Debut or "How Many Mensa Members Does it Take to...?"

Well, maybe I'll be more faithful about watching The Apprentice now that it's in a new time slot away from Survivor and C.S.I. That's my thinking, anyway. The last few seasons I've been hit or miss on the show. If I didn't tape it, no big deal. Sometimes I taped it and never watched. Since there are no favorites on my viewing slate in the Monday at 9 PM slot, as long as my interest stays, I'll be watching. Oh. And blogging about it, too!

The first shows are always a bit hard to report on as I'm not sure of all of the candidate names, so here's some quick impressions on those who seemed to stand out in the premiere:

Tarek - This guy reminds me of Dr. Will from Big Brother 2, perhaps not as quick on the uptake. His claim to fame is that he's a Mensa member. Ohhh, I'm so impressed, aren't you? I was liking him at the start, but he didn't come through in the end.
Lenny - The Russian who knows East Brunswick, NJ. I think he's going to be very interesting to watch. He has his own ideals. They'll probably work against him in the long run.
Summer - Lots of hair. Not a team player.
Allie - A Harvard business school grad, blonde, cute and smart. I like her. She has spunk.
Lee - I think this one is perhaps not polished enough to make it through to the end, but he's honest. That could be to his own detriment.
Brent - Oh. My. God. Where did they get this guy? I know he's an attorney, but...! Yes, he had some good ideas, but the way he presents himself and his ideas are a turn off.
Sean - The Brit. Or, at least the accent. Perhaps not strictly British. I suppose I could check the site to jolt my memory. His accent seemed to impress Allie and the female clientele. We'll see.

Yes, there are other candidates; I could rattle off some names. But those are the ones at the forefront of tonight's episode and the ones who made either good or bad impressions on me.

Trump chose Tarek and Allie to be project managers, then had them do a schoolyard pick of their teams. The last chosen was Brent who commented he was used to it from school athletic events. I'm no armchair psychologist, for sure. But I think his lack of personal self-esteem may be why he turns to being so overbearing and egotistical. He really overdoes things and practically screams for attention, then wonders why he's ignored.

In my opinion, the task assigned was a bit "eh." The teams had a Goodyear blimp each to design the marquee pushing customers to Sam's Club where they would sell or upgrade as many memberships as they could. The only cool thing about the task was that I'm actually familiar with the Sam's Club in East Brunswick, NJ -- one of the ones chosen for the show.

Allie's team named themselves "Synergy" after striking down Brent's suggestion of "Killer Instinct." (Again, I ask... where did they get him?) Tarek's team decided on "Gold Rush." In the task itself, I could see that Synergy had more of a solid plan. They played off the Sam Club slogan "Big Deal" for the blimp marquee, then set up at the front of the store with free manicures and such. They snagged the customers the second they walked in and their approach was very upbeat. The customers fell for it (and for Sean's accent). Brent first wanted them to offer haircuts, but the women voted him down. It turned into the manicures, so technically his idea played a wee bit into things. I guess he planted the seed for the thought process. I'll give him that much.

Meanwhile, Gold Rush really had no solid plan. The blimp told people to stop today, but didn't really indicate what was going on, if anything. They gave away gift bags with no gifts in them. Heck, instead of the 485 Sam's Club tote bags they handed out, they could have made it 200 and had cheapie gift stuff in 'em. Summer, a restaurant owner, was asked to call local restaurants. She made one call and not an incredibly into it call at all. Then she gave up.

Trump said something about changing the team and how they would rid themselves of the team members they didn't want. Then it cut to who was sent up in the blimp. Synergy chose Brent and one of the women. Gold Rush sent Summer and Lenny up. Supposedly Lenny was sent because he knew East Brunswick.

In the end, Synergy sold 43 memberships while Gold Rush sold 40. To the boardroom with Mr. Mensa and his team! Before the boardroom, most seemed to agree that Summer wasn't a team player, didn't do the one thing asked of her and should be fired. Lee was a bit of a holdout -- he felt that the project manager (Tarek) holds the ultimate responsibility, that they didn't have a creative plan, etc. He told Tarek his thoughts, but Tarek was bound and determined that Summer should go and asked Lee to be quiet in the boardroom. Lenny had a talk with Summer telling her that they're both Tarek's targets and that she should be quiet in the boardroom.

Sure enough, when it came to choosing who would go to the boardroom with him, Tarek chose Summer and Lenny. But, because Lee didn't keep quiet and spoke his mind, he took him in as a third. In a talk between George, Carolyn and Donald, they seemed to have their minds set on firing Summer. Tarek almost blew it for himself with his childish choosing of Lenny and even moreso by selecting Lee because he didn't back him up. But, in the end, Summer blew it for herself by interrupting Trump and insisting on talking when he was almost ready to fire Tarek.

"Summer, you're fired."

Trump told Tarek that Summer saved his ass prompting Lenny to say, "But not for long." Thoughts of the Wicked Witch saying, "I'll get you and your little doggie, too" rushed through my mind when he said it. Once along in the boardroom, Trump turned to George and Carolyn and said, "Tarek's highly overrated." Now, c'mon Donald! It was you who rated him as such! Mensa doesn't always mean common sense, nor people skills! Sheesh!

Overall I think this season's off to a good start despite the "eh" task. It's definitely off to a better time slot!

Did you watch? What did you think?

Actor Dennis Weaver Dead at 81

This is quite a streak of actors who impacted my childhood passing away over the weekend. In today's news, it was reported that actor Dennis Weaver died this past Saturday.

When I was a young child, my father's favorite television show was Gunsmoke. Of course, back then most homes only had one television (if any at all), so watching it was the only choice. Whenever any of us hurt a knee or ankle growing up, we ended up being called "Chester" after Weaver's character on the show. I called someone with a broken toe Chester a year or so ago. All I got was a strange look. I guess it's an age thing.

This obituary really delves into Weaver's accomplishments. Dennis Weaver was much more than your typical actor in Hollywood. He will be missed, but his work and ideals will live on.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

TV Newsy Bits Weekend Edition - Feb. 25/26

Although there are three passings to report this weekend, there are also some other entertainment and television related newsy bits I found while carousing the web.

So, what's the buzz? Here goes:

RNO: Ruth Marie ('Survivor: Exile Island') Interview

Reality News Online has its Ruth Milliman interview up at this link. Yeah, more of "I was betrayed!" and "Sally outplayed me!", but a few new tidbits o' insight into things.

Here's an excerpt:

RNO: Considering the dire food situation your tribe was in, did the fact that Sally lost the fishing spear ever come up in discussions of who should be voted out?

Ruth-Marie: Prior to Misty’s departure, it certainly was discussed that Sally was going to be the one going home and part of the reason was due to the lost spear. In the game of Survivor, you are always looking for a reason to send people home. However, it was discussed that Misty “underperformed” a bit in the challenges that week therefore providing an opportunity for Sally to be saved.

Aha! So, Sally's losing of the spear hasn't gone unnoticed! I think it may still come into play in voting, but the Boys Club mentality is dooming her even more. What do you think?

Fare Thee Well, Don Knotts and Darren McGavin

I was saddened to hear that Don Knotts passed away Friday at the age of 81. There are many obituaries regarding him out and about the web, such as this one or even this one. To be honest, I didn't know he had won five Emmy Awards. All I know is that Don Knotts was a brilliant actor who created the memorable role of Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show, a character I loved in my childhood days. No one else could have done what Knotts did with the role. He was the total Barney Fife package from the sight gags to the voice, he embodied Barney. Some years later I liked what he did with the Furley character on Three's Company, but in my mind he'll always be the superb Barney Fife.

Darren McGavin also passed away this weekend. He was 83. For me, his m

ost memorable work was that on Kolchak, the Night Stalker. I loved that show and he was Kolchak all the way! Obituaries on the web for McGavin can be found here. Yes, he was perhaps more famous for other roles such as playing the father on The Christmas Story, but for me it was the Kolchak role I'll remember the most in my sometimes rather unusual television viewing habits.

A sad weekend indeed, rest in peace.

Friday, February 24, 2006

Getting Psyched for 'The Amazing Race'

Tuesday! Tuesday! Two hours of The Amazing Race! I'm so ready for this season, aren't you? No more "safe" race; it's logging the second largest mileage count in series history! Woohoo!

From Tuned In: 9th running of 'Amazing Race' returns show to familiar format:

"It's the most number of miles we've done in that short an amount of time," Keoghan said. "People clearly wanted the international element. They missed it. The places are as much the stars of the show as the people themselves. That was illustrated when you look at season eight. People were missing that exotic element, the fish-out-of-water element. That is a huge hook."

The 11 teams racing for the $1 million prize immediately head for foreign soil, flying out of Denver to Sao Paulo, Brazil, and along the way, nicknames for contestants quickly emerge: "Ken and Barbie," "the Frat boys," "the Hos," "Scott Peterson," "the hippies," and "the Frosties" for a team of prone-to-screaming sisters with frosted hair (they're hilarious).

Then there are several articles in the Australia online news pages, like this one. I find it very interesting that the same series which starts here on Tuesday starts there on Thursday. Not even enough time for jet lag, eh? Here's a tidbit from that one:

Keoghan says the distance of 96,540km is the secondest-longest Race in the history of the show, which throws a huge array of challenges at the competitors.

"It has a dramatic impact on the teams and we have an abundance of fresh locations this season, everywhere from Russia to the Middle East."

A seasoned traveller, Keoghan says culture shock and jetlag all lead to friction and tension during the race.

So... what are you doing on Tuesday night?