The story behind the Erin Andrews peephole video is just getting silly at this point.
I have to admit that before the story about her peephole video broke, I had no clue who Erin Andrews was. I’ve never been big into sports, and couldn’t tell you the last time I turned on ESPN, so my lack of knowledge of who she is was to be expected. All of that changed as stories of this video cropped up online and her name appeared on every major blog out there.
For those who have somehow missed the story, Ms. Andrews is a well known personality on ESPN both for covering stories and being an attractive woman. While in an unknown hotel room, getting ready for work, she was curling her hair and going about her business while naked. Unbeknownst to her, there was a peephole in her room and an unknown person was shooting video of her.
The video hit the Internet, and while her identity wasn’t confirmed at first, ESPN’s legal department got involved and the video became one of the most sought after on the Web. The first site to have it, NSFWpoa.com, removed it, but it was too late, the cat was out of the bag and the video started showing up all over the Internet now that her identity had been confirmed.
While all of this is bad enough as it is, now some pundits are saying that she brought this on herself. I shall not name who they are as they don’t need any more attention heaped on them for their words, but there has been more than one person saying that they feel the way she dresses provoked this, and if she didn’t wear such skimpy clothing while on TV this wouldn’t have happened.
There are two issues with this train of thought, the first being the peephole, as far as can be determined, was not drilled specifically for her. There appears to be other victims of this pervert and she just got caught up in his slimy little racket.
As for the people saying the way she dresses as to blame… you are idiots. Are you the same people who sit around and say that women who dress a certain way and then get raped deserve it? Most of these people have now come out and said that they’re sorry this happened to her, but… But nothing! No one deserves to have their privacy violated in such a way. I don’t care if she showed up at work in a bikini, this does not give anyone the right to violate a person’s privacy in this manner.
Nothing like criticizing the victim who has not done one thing wrong except to be an attractive woman who happens to work on television. This woman has been violated, and you choose to lay part of the blame on her. Classy people… really classy.
It’s that magical time in every Doctor Who fan’s life where we get to see the first pictures of the next regeneration, and the first pictures of Matt Smith as the eleventh Doctor are… odd.
I have to say on first seeing these new pictures of Matt Smith as the eleventh Doctor in costume are just kind of… blah. Although, points for my mother who said, “Well, at least he isn’t wearing a piece of celery.” (A reference to Peter Davinson as the fifth Doctor) I don’t so much mind the bow tie, but the jacket is annoying the heck out of me. Sure they can’t all wear long coats, but the tenth Doctor (Christopher Eccelston) at least had a bit longer of one. I don’t know, this outfit is just not doing anything for me.
Also in these shots are the first images of Karen Gillan as new companion Amy Pond, and a slightly redesigned TARDIS. You can see more pictures at IO9, but be warned there is a spoiler to the first story of Matt Smith’s Doctor in them as someone returns from last season.
The nominations for the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards have been announced, and the big show for this year is 30 Rock with 22 nominations across all sorts of categories.
Some notes:
Jim Parsons being nominated for the role of Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory isn’t a surprise, but being in the “Lead Actor” spot is as it is an ensemble cast. Figured he would be in “Supporting Actor”.
Could this be the year The Amazing Race doesn’t win Outstanding Reality Competition Program? Doubtful. It’s won every year since the category came into existence. Other shows have actually asked them not to put themselves up for consideration which is just laughable. You can only win if they don’t run? Is that even a win at that point?
Thrilled to see Christian Clemenson is up for the role of Jerry on Boston Legal. Great part.
Neil Patrick Harris should win Supporting Actor in Comedy for the role of Barney on How I Met Your Mother hands down.
Glad Kristin Chenoweth got a nod for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for the role of Olive on Pushing Daisies. She was fabulous in that role.
I think 30 Rock will win for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy…
Likewise, I think Mad Men will win for Outstanding Writing in a Drama… (I really need to start watching that)
The Emmys will be on CBS on September 20th at 8E/7C, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.
Top Gear is the only thing I can ever remember getting me actually caring about cars as more than just a way to get from point A to point B.
Anyone who knows me knows that my extent of car knowledge is pretty much limited to where to put the gas. That’s it… it just isn’t my thing. Then a couple years ago I came across a show on BBC America called Top Gear… and I suddenly found myself caring about cars.
Okay, maybe “caring” is too strong of a word… I enjoy watching the hosts,Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, caring about cars. I still can’t do anything past putting gas in them.
Well, Duncan Riley over at The Inquisitr posted a video from the shows current 12th season which has yet to air in America that gives you an excellent taste as to why it is so easy to get hooked on a show about cars when you have no interest in them. In this particular clip, James May, known as “Captain Slow” to fans of the show as he doesn’t drive with the insane passion of Hammond and Clarkson, takes a ride with world rally driver Ken Block. I mark a lot of this shows popularity up to its amazing cinematography: it is on par with a lot of movies, and far above anything else on television.
I think it’s easy to see how this show gets the blood pumping even in a non-car person. Mix in their whip smart humor and you have a highly enjoyable show. If you ever have a chance to check it out, make sure to do so.
June isn’t over yet and already all of the major US networks have announced their premiere dates for this coming fall.
The CW is first out of the gate on September 8th, and from there on out it’s like one big rocket slide to October 16th with premieres just coming one after another in rapid fire succession. So get out your calendars and start marking the premieres of your favorite shows.
Tuesday, September 8th
8pm: “90210″ (The CW)
9pm: “Melrose Place” (The CW)
Wednesday, September 9th
8pm: “America’s Next Top Model” (The CW)
Thursday, September 10th
8pm: “The Vampire Diaries” (The CW)
9pm: “Supernatural” (The CW)
Friday, September 11th
11pm: “The Wanda Sykes Show” (FOX)
Saturday, September 12th
8pm: “COPS” (FOX)
9pm: “America’s Most Wanted” (FOX)
Monday, September 14th
8pm: “One Tree Hill” (The CW)
9pm: “Gossip Girl” (The CW)
10pm: “The Jay Leno Show” (NBC)
Tuesday, September 15th
8pm: “The Biggest Loser” (NBC)
Wednesday, September 16th
8pm: “So You Think You Can Dance” (FOX)
9pm: “The Beautiful Life” (The CW)
9pm: “Glee” (FOX)
Thursday, September 17th
8pm: “Bones” (FOX)
8pm: “Survivor: Samoa” (CBS)
8pm: “Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday” (NBC)
8:30pm: “Parks and Recreation” (NBC)
9pm: “Fringe” (FOX)
9pm: “The Office” (NBC)
9:30pm: “Community” (NBC)
Monday, September 21st
8pm: “Dancing With the Stars” (ABC)
8pm: “Heroes” (NBC)
8pm: “House” (FOX)
8pm: “How I Met Your Mother” (CBS)
8:30pm: “Accidentally on Purpose” (CBS)
9pm: “Two and a Half Men” (CBS)
9:30pm: “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS)
10pm: “Castle” (ABC)
10pm: “CSI: Miami” (CBS)
Tuesday, September 22nd
8pm: “NCIS” (CBS)
9pm: “NCIS: Los Angeles” (CBS)
10pm: “The Forgotten” (ABC)
10pm: “The Good Wife” (CBS)
Wednesday, September 23rd
8pm: “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (CBS)
8pm: “Parenthood” (NBC)
8:30pm: “Gary Unmarried” (CBS)
9pm: “Criminal Minds” (CBS)
9pm: “Law & Order: SVU” (NBC)
9pm: “Modern Family” (ABC)
9:30pm: “Cougar Town” (ABC)
10pm: “CSI: NY” (CBS)
Thursday, September 24th
8pm: “Flash Forward” (ABC)
9pm: “CSI” (CBS)
9pm: “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC)
10pm: “The Mentalist” (CBS)
Billy Mays, the television pitchman that has been a staple of late night television commercials for years, has passed away.
The St. Petersburg Times is reporting that Deborah Mays, Billy’s wife, found him dead this morning in their St. Petersburg, FL home. No cause of death is known at this time, but foul play is not suspected. He had been on a US Airways 737 flight yesterday that blew a tire upon landing, and was questioned by company representatives after wards, but did not request any medical attention. It sounds like this may have been more of a coincidence than anything.
Mrs. Mays has released only one public statement at this time:
Although Billy lived a public life, we don’t anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days. Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times.
An autopsy is expected to be conducted tomorrow, but is unknown when, or if, those results will be made public. According to the police, as of 6:00 PM local time last night he was discussing business with his father-in-law, and everything appeared fine with him health wise.
Mr. Mays was a television pitchman that advertised just about everything you could think of, including:
OxiClean
Orange Glo
Kaboom
Engrave It
Handy Switch
iCan
Mighty Mend-It
Mighty Putty
Hercules Hook
AwesomeAuger
Steam Buddy
Zorbeez
Big City Slider Station
The Ding King
His popularity made him a prime target for Internet memes making Billy Mays videos hugely popular on YouTube, many of them featuring alternate audio tracks that simply aren’t appropriate for mixed company. Do go take a look though, there are nearly 72,000 of them!
He teamed up with fellow pitchman Anthony Sullivan for a reality TV series called Pitchmen that tried to reveal some of the process behind the selection of what products they would choose to advertise, and the competition that existed between the two men as to who was better at the job.
While I have spoken severaltimes about how his commercials annoyed me, I certainly never wished the man any harm, and my deepest condolences go out to his family.
Really, what else can you say about the idea of a totally new Buffy, The Vampire Slayer movie that will probably not involve Joss Whedon, the creator of the concept? According to the Hollywood Reporter, that may be exactly what we are in store for.
The 1992 movie was produced by Kuzui Enterprises which still owns the rights to the character to this day. They obtained the rights after Fran Rubel Kuzui, the eventual director of the film, found the script by the then unknown Joss Whedon. Her husband, Kaz Kuzui, obtained the financing they needed and… it was a disaster. Although it technically made a profit on its modest $7 million budget, it only grossed $16 million at the box office, and it was viewed as a flop.
When it came time for the series, the Kuzui’s still owned the rights to Buffy herself, but not the characters created specifically for the series such as Willow, Xander, Angel and Spike. While the series was a success, and even went to spin off a seperate series, it appears that the Kuzui’s feel it could do with, you guessed it, a “reboot”.
Roy Lee and Doug Davison of Vertigo Entertainment are working with the Kuzui’s to secure a studio and funding to launch an entirely new relaunched franchise that would ignore the television series, and would be separate of the first movie. The plan is for a darker, eent-sized movie that would set up its own history, and hopefully launch a whole new franchise.
The problem is that at this time Joss Whedon is in no way involved with the project. While it isn’t unusual for reboots/relaunches to not involve their original creators, you are talking about a beloved property that has one of the most loyal fan bases out there. Die hard fans of Whedon and the original works will more than likely avoid this new movie like it has the plague. True, we aren’t the entire potential audience for this movie, but without the long time fans behind it, it’s easy to imagine things won’t bode well for this project.
Hopefully someone will come to their senses and kill this before it gets anywhere close to being a reality.
The CW has released their new schedule. New shows are in bold.
MONDAY
8PM GOSSIP GIRL
9PM ONE TREE HILL
TUESDAY
8PM 90210
9PM MELROSE PLACE
WEDNESDAY
8PM AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL
9PM THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE
THURSDAY
8PM VAMPIRE DIARIES
9PM SUPERNATURAL
FRIDAY
8PM SMALLVILLE
9PM AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL Encore
New The CW Fall Show Descriptions
MELROSE PLACE
In an elegant Spanish-style apartment building in the trendy Melrose neighborhood of Los Angeles, a diverse group of 20-somethings have formed a close-knit surrogate family. Sydney Andrews (Laura Leighton, the original “Melrose Place”) is the landlady, still beautiful at 40, and a central figure in the lives of all her tenants, especially handsome and rebellious David Breck (Shaun Sipos, “Shark”). Sydney started an affair with David despite her turbulent history with his estranged father, Dr. Michael Mancini (Thomas Calabro, the original “Melrose Place”). Both father and son learned through experience that Sydney was not above using blackmail to control people. Another tenant, high-powered publicist Ella Simms (Katie Cassidy, “Supernatural”), once considered Sydney her mentor, but their friendship was destroyed by betrayal, and Sydney threatened to evict Ella and ruin her career. Sydney also played a pivotal role in the career of Auggie Kirkpatrick (Colin Egglesfield, “All My Children”). After they met at an AA meeting, she became Auggie’s sponsor and encouraged his dream to become a chef. Now a successful sous chef at the trendy restaurant Coal, Auggie has been avoiding Sydney since she began drinking again. The other tenants include Lauren Yung (Stephanie Jacobsen, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”), a medical student in desperate need of money to pay her student loans, and Jonah Miller (Michael Rady, “Swingtown”), an aspiring filmmaker who has just proposed to his live-in girlfriend Riley Richmond (Jessica Lucas, “Cloverfield”), a first-grade teacher. The newest tenant, 18-year-old Violet Foster (Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, “7th Heaven”), has just arrived in LA with her own secret connection to Sydney. When a bloody body is found floating in the courtyard pool, David is the leading suspect. However, as the police are soon to discover, almost everyone living at Melrose Place had a reason to want the deceased out of the way. An updated version of the popular 1990s series, MELROSE PLACE is from CBS Television Studios with executive producers Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer (”Smallville”). Oscar-winner Davis Guggenheim (”An Inconvenient Truth”) is the director and executive producer of the pilot.
Sean’s Take: Well, since The CW has no standards for success it seems, why not bring back another dead show. Like all the other CW shows of this style, it will find some sort of audience.
THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE
The life of a high-fashion model appears glamorous and sexy, but as every new model quickly learns, behind the beautiful faade is a world of insecurity and cutthroat competition. Two teenage models who are about to discover this world for themselves are Raina Collins (Sara Paxton, “Last House on the Left”), a stunning beauty with a secret past, and Chris Andrews (Benjamin Hollingsworth, “The Line”), a strikingly handsome Iowa farm boy. When Raina makes an unforgettable impression at a show introducing the new line from designer Zac Posen (appearing in a cameo role), she steals the spotlight from her friend Sonja (Mischa Barton, “The O.C.”). Sonja has been out of the country for mysterious reasons and is now desperate to reclaim her standing as the reigning supermodel. While Raina and Sonja live at the top of the fashion food chain, Chris is starting at the bottom, having just been discovered by agent Simon Lockridge (newcomer Dusan Dukic) of the Covet Modeling Agency, which is owned by former supermodel Claudia Foster (Elle Macpherson, “Friends”). At his first photo shoot, Chris’ inexperience almost derails his career until Raina comes to his rescue, showing him how to relax and work the camera. That afternoon, Raina brings Chris to the “models’ residence” where she lives along with other young hopefuls, including Marissa Delfina (Ashley Madekwe, “Secret Diary of a Call Girl”), Egan (Jordan Woolley, “As The World Turns”), Issac (Corbin Bleu, “High School Musical 2″) and the current alpha-male-model known as Kai (Nico Tortorella, “Twelve”). At an exclusive industry party that night, Chris is again impressed by Raina’s generosity when she steps aside to make sure Sonja lands a job that will resurrect her career. However, after an ugly scene with Simon, Chris is left to question whether he can survive in this world of dangerous excess and fleeting fame. THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE is from Katalyst Films in association with CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television with executive producers Ashton Kutcher & Jason Goldberg (”True Beauty,” “Punk’d”), Karey Burke (”True Beauty”), Mike Kelley (”Swingtown,” “Jericho”) and Carol Barbee (”Swingtown,” “Jericho”). Christian Duguay (”Coco Chanel”) directed the pilot.
Sean’s Take: Well, at least they are up front about this show just being about “beautiful” people for once.
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
Four months after the tragic car accident that killed their parents, 17-year-old Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev, “DeGrassi: The Next Generation”) and her 15-year-old brother, Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen, “Everwood”) are still trying to cope with their grief and move on with their lives. Elena has always been the star student; beautiful, popular and involved with school and friends, but now she finds herself struggling to hide her sadness from the world. As the school year begins, Elena and her friends are fascinated by a handsome and mysterious new student, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley, “Army Wives”). Stefan and Elena are immediately drawn to one another, and Elena has no way of knowing that Stefan is a centuries-old vampire, struggling to live peacefully among humans, while his brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder, “Lost”) is the embodiment of vampire violence and brutality. Now these two vampire brothers – one good, one evil – are at war for Elena’s soul and for the souls of her friends, family and all the residents of the small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. Based on the series of books by L. J. Smith, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES is from Alloy Entertainment and Bonanza Productions Inc in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios with executive producers Kevin Williamson (”Dawson’s Creek,” “I Know What You Did Last Summer”), Julie Plec (”Kyle XY,” “Wasteland”), Leslie Morgenstein (”Gossip Girl,” “Privileged”) and Bob Levy (”Gossip Girl,” “Privileged”). Marcos Siega (”Dexter”) directed the pilot.
Sean’s Take: Well, we all knew this was coming. Vampires are hot again… this has a built-in audience… now lets see if it’s any good.
New The CW Midseason Show Descriptions
PARENTAL DISCRETION ADVISED
After spending all of her 15 years bouncing from one foster family to another in Portland, Oregon, Lux (Britt Robertson, “Swingtown”) has decided it’s time to take control of her life and become an emancipated minor. Her journey through the legal maze leads Lux to her biological father, 30-something Nate “Baze” Bazile (Kristoffer Polaha, “Mad Men”), who owns a bar, lives like an aging frat-boy with two slacker roommates, and is astonished to learn that he has a teenage daughter. Lux is equally astonished when Baze reveals that her mother is Cate Cassidy (Shiri Appleby, “E.R.”), a star on the local “Morning Madness” radio show, along with her on-air partner and real-life boyfriend, Ryan Thomas (Kerr Smith, “Eli Stone”). Lux has been listening to Cate’s voice on the radio as long as she can remember, so she feels an instant connection with the mom she’s never met. Baze takes Lux to meet Cate, who is shocked and saddened to learn that Lux has grown up in foster care, but thrilled to finally meet her beautiful daughter. When a judge decides that Lux isn’t ready for emancipation and unexpectedly grants temporary joint custody to Baze and Cate, they agree to try to get past the awkwardness and make a belated attempt to give Lux the family she deserves. PARENTAL DISCRETION ADVISED is produced by Mojo Films in association with CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television with executive producers Liz Tigelaar (”Brothers and Sisters,” “What About Brian”) and Gary Fleder (”October Road”). Gary Fleder directed the pilot.
Sean’s Take: This on The CW? It almost sounds too… nice. Oh well, they have had a gap since Gilmore Girls ended.
Sean’s Overall Take on The CW
How is this “network” still running? Smallville is going into season 9? They aren’t even on the air two nights a week! I really have no clue how they keep going.
CBS has announced their lineup for the fall season. New shows are in bold.
MONDAY
8:00-8:30 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
8:30-9:00 PM ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE
9:00-9:30 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN
9:30-10:00 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: MIAMI
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES
10:00-11:00 PM THE GOOD WIFE
WEDNESDAY
8:00-8:30 PM THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE
8:30-9:00 PM GARY UNMARRIED
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: NY
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR
9:00-10:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION
10:00-11:00 PM THE MENTALIST
SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES
8:00-9:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE
9:00-10:00 PM THREE RIVERS
10:00-11:00 PM COLD CASE
New CBS Fall Show Descriptions
ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE is a comedy starring Golden Globe Award winner Jenna Elfman as Billie, a single woman who finds herself “accidentally” pregnant after a one-night stand with a much younger guy, and decides to keep the baby… and the guy. A newspaper film critic, Billie is barely surviving a humiliating breakup with her charming boss, James (Grant Show), who’s still trying to resume their relationship. Suddenly expecting a child with her “boy toy,” Zack (Jon Foster), Billie and Zack make an arrangement: to live together platonically. Billie’s party girl best friend Olivia (Ashley Jensen), and Abby (Lennon Parham), her conventional, younger married sister, eagerly look forward to the new addition and offer their own brands of advice and encouragement. But when Zack and his freeloading friends, including Davis (Nicolas Wright), start to turn her place into a frat house, Billie isn’t sure if she’s living with a boyfriend, a roommate, or if she just has another child to raise. Lloyd Braun, Gail Berman, Gene Stein and Claudia Lonow are the executive producers for CBS Television Studios. Pamela Fryman directed the pilot.
Sean’s Take: It almost sounds like a reversal of her hit show Dharma & Greg, except this time she’s the semi-responsible one. Whatever, it’ll probably last a couple seasons.
NCIS: LOS ANGELES is a drama about the high stakes world of undercover surveillance at the Office of Special Projects (OSP), a division of NCIS that is charged with apprehending dangerous and elusive criminals that pose a threat to the nation’s security. By assuming false identities and utilizing the most advanced technology, this team of highly trained agents goes deep undercover, putting their lives on the line in the field to bring down their targets. Special Agent “G” Callen (Chris O’Donnell) is a chameleon who transforms himself into whomever he needs to be to infiltrate the criminal underworld. His partner is Special Agent Sam Hanna (LL COOL J), a former U.S. Navy SEAL who has seen action in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and a surveillance expert who uses state of the art monitoring equipment to look out for those in the field and feed them crucial information. Both Callen and Hanna report to Special Agent Lara Macy (Louise Lombard), the OSP team leader responsible for directing the operations and making life-or-death decisions. Assisting the team is Special Agent Kensi Lo (Daniela Ruah), the exceptionally bright daughter of a slain Marine who lives for the adrenalin rush that comes with undercover work, and Operational Psychologist Nate Getz (Peter Cambor), adept at getting into anybody’s head, profiling the target and monitoring agents’ states of mind before, during and after missions. Armed with the latest in high tech gear and sent regularly into life-threatening situations, this tight-knit team relies on each other to do what is necessary to protect national interests. Shane Brennan (”NCIS”) is the executive producer for CBS Television Studios.
Sean’s Take: Like the endless CSI shows, I am sure this one will have no problem finding an audience.
THE GOOD WIFE is a drama starring Emmy Award winner Julianna Margulies as a wife and mother who must assume full responsibility for her family and re-enter the workforce after her husband’s very public sex and political corruption scandal lands him in jail. Pushing aside the betrayal and crushing public humiliation caused by her husband Peter (Chris Noth), Alicia Florrick (Margulies) starts over by pursuing her original career as a defense attorney. As a junior associate at a prestigious Chicago law firm, she joins her longtime friend, former law school classmate and firm partner Will Gardner (Josh Charles), who is interested to see how Alicia will perform after 13 years out of the courtroom. Alicia is grateful the firm’s top litigator, Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski), offers to mentor her but discovers the offer has conditions and realizes she’s going to need to succeed on her own merit. Alicia’s main competition among the firm’s 20-something new recruits is Cary (Matt Czuchry), a recent Harvard grad who is affable on the surface, but will use any means to ensure that he, not Alicia, secures the one full-time associate position that’s available. Fortunately, Alicia finds an ally in Kalinda (Archie Panjabi), the firm’s tough in-house investigator. Gaining confidence every day, Alicia transforms herself from embarrassed politician’s scorned wife to resilient career woman, especially for the sake of providing a stable home for her children, 14-year-old Zach (Graham Phillips) and 13-year-old Grace (Makenzie Vega). For the first time in years, Alicia trades in her identity as the “good wife” and takes charge of her own destiny. Tony Scott, Ridley Scott, Robert King, Michelle King, Dee Johnson and David Zucker are the executive producers for CBS Television Studios.
Sean’s Take: Good cast, but it will need strong scripts to survive. Sounds mildly interesting, though.
THREE RIVERS is a medical drama that goes inside the emotionally complex lives of organ donors, the recipients and the surgeons at the preeminent transplant hospital in the country where every moment counts. However, dealing with donor families in their darkest hour and managing the fears and concerns of apprehensive recipients takes much more than just a sharp scalpel. Leading the elite team is Dr. Andy Yablonski (Alex O’Loughlin), the highly-skilled workaholic lead organ transplant surgeon, whose good-natured personality and sarcastic wit makes him popular with his patients and colleagues. His colleagues include Dr. Miranda Foster (Katherine Moennig), a surgical fellow with a rebellious streak and fiery temper who strives to live up to her deceased father’s excellent surgical reputation; Dr. David Lee (Daniel Henney), a womanizing surgical resident who’s broken as many hearts as he’s replaced; Ryan Abbott (Christopher J. Hanke), the inexperienced new transplant coordinator who arranges the intricately choreographed process of quickly and carefully transporting organs from donor to patient; Dr. Sophia Jordan (Julia Ormond), the head of surgery and a dedicated medical professional; and Pam Acosta (Justina Machado), Andy’s no-nonsense operating assistant and best friend. In this high stakes arena, in which every case is a race against the clock, these tenacious surgeons and medical professionals are the last hope for their patients. Carol Barbee, Curtis Hanson and Carol Fenelon are the executive producers for CBS Television Studios.
Sean’s Take: The same plot each week? I mean, yes, it works on shows like CSI, but each week being orgna donation? This sounds like it would get boring pretty darn quick.
New CBS Midseason Show Descriptions
ARRANGED MARRIAGE is a series that brings the tradition of arranged marriages, which is still practiced successfully by many cultures throughout the world, to the U.S., where it is virtually an inconceivable option for most single Americans. Three adults who are anxious to get married, but who have been unsuccessful in their own search for a mate, choose a life-altering path. They rely on their closest family and friends, those who love and know them best, to choose someone for them to marry based on shared goals, values, experiences and the commitment to make it work. The series intimately documents these three arranged marriages, starting with the first meetings of the families and the wedding day; and then follows the couple through the day-to-day joys, challenges, and emotional tumult that results from their arranged union. Emmy Award nominees Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth are executive producers for Magical Elves Inc.
Sean’s Take: … ugh. I hope this flops just on the concept.
THE BRIDGE is a drama about a tough and dedicated police officer who is voted to become the police union’s dynamic leader. To serve the public as well as his 8,000 fellow officers, charismatic Frank Leo (Aaron Douglas) battles criminals on the street, corruption in the ranks and his own bosses. On the force is his able partner and confidante Tommy Dunn (Paul Popowich), who rides with Frank across the bridge that spans the divide between the rich and the poor in the area they patrol; Staff Sergeant Bernie Kantor (Frank Cassini), a voice of reason and moral sounding board; Jill (Inga Cadranel), a detective with a lot of attitude who is moving up the ranks; Billy (Theresa Joy), a young female cop who is determined to prove herself to the guys; and Ed Wycoff (Michael Murphy), the shrewd Chief of Police. Abby St. James (Ona Grauer) is a sharp prosecutor who begins working with the police union, and shares a mutual attraction with Frank. In his new position, Frank Leo takes on the politically-motivated department brass… and makes many powerful enemies in the process. Craig Bromell, Adam J. Shully, Laszlo Barna, Alan Di Fiore and Robert Wertheimer are executive producers for E1 Entertainment, 990 Multi Media Entertainment Company and Jonsworth Productions in association with CTV and CBS Television Studios.
Sean’s Take: Cop shows are having a hard time of it lately, not sure how this will do to be honest.
MIAMI TRAUMA is about a team of expert surgeons who work at one of the premiere trauma facilities in the country, where only patients with life threatening injuries are treated. Dr. Matthew Proctor (Jeremy Northam) is new to the trauma team, after a tour of duty in a MASH unit during the Gulf war. Dr. Eva Zambrano (Lana Parrilla) is a workaholic surgeon who is more comfortable in her scrubs than she is out in the real world. Dr. Christopher Deleo, “Dr. C.,” is a playboy who thrives on the high-stakes of trauma medicine and is, by his own description, a genius redneck. Dr. Serena Warren (Elisabeth Harnois) is fresh out of medical school, and head nurse Tuck Brody (Omar Gooding) keeps the doctors on track and the patients’ families updated in this chaotic corner of the medical profession. Together, this team of doctors excels in the “golden hour,” the 60 minutes after being critically injured, when a patient’s life hangs in the balance. Jerry Bruckheimer, Jeffrey Lieber and Jonathan Littman are executive producers for Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television Distribution.
Sean’s Take: So… it’s yet another medical drama. These are hit and miss shows, no clue what this one will do.
UNDERCOVER BOSS is a new reality series that follows high level corporate executives as they slip anonymously into the lowest level jobs within their companies. Once undercover, they’ll get their hands dirty with the rank and file, find out what their employees REALLY think of them and discover how smoothly their companies are REALLY run. In the process, these senior executives learn about themselves, the perception of their company and the spirit of their work force. Stephen Lambert is the executive producer for Studio Lambert, Ltd.
Sean’s Take: Sounds like it could be interesting, but feels more like a cable show than a network show.
Sean’s Overall Take on CBS
They’re sitting pretty at number one, why should they take risks? This is actually the most sensible schedule we’ve seen yet. Not sure why they moved The Big Bang Theory, but other than that, a solid schedule.
SUNDAY
7-8 p.m. “Dateline NBC”
8-9 p.m. THE MARRIAGE REF
9-11 p.m. “The Celebrity Apprentice” (season premiere; two-hour edition)
This is normally where I break down the new show descriptions and give you my take on each one, but seeing as NBC did not see fit to provide official descriptions, I guess I won’t be doing that. I will say that you can see that when you actually see The Jay Leno Show on the schedule, you see just how much it has impacted the traditional schedule: Shows are all shifted around, others are canceled (Medium got canceled and snapped up by CBS all in the same breath), it looks like an abstract painting of a schedule as opposed to an actual one. NBC is making a huge gamble on moving Jay Leno into prime time, and I have already written about how I expect it to do badly. There is no way they will cancel it, but boy are they going to be scrambling to figure out how to make up for it.
I have no clue what to make of the fact they have consigned Saturday nights to repeats. It’s like they said “Why should we bother?” In short, NBC is currently in fourth place iamongst the major networks, and with this schedule I hope they like that spot.
“The Bachelor” will air Monday nights from 8:00-10:00 p.m. following the run of “Dancing with the Stars,” and “Scrubs” and “Better Off Ted” will air at 9:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., respectively, following the run of “Dancing with the Stars The Results Show.” “LOST” will return at an undetermined time during the season.
New ABC Show Descriptions
“COUGAR TOWN”
Courteney Cox stars as a recently divorced single mother exploring the honest truths about dating and aging in our beauty and youth obsessed culture.
“Cougar Town” stars Courteney Cox as Jules, Christa Miller as Elle, Busy Philipps as Laurie, Dan Byrd as Travis, Brian Van Holt as Bobby, Josh Hopkins as Grayson and Ian Gomez as Andy.
The series is from ABC Studios. Bill Lawrence is executive producer/writer/director, Kevin Biegel is writer/co-executive producer, and Courteney Cox and David Arquette are executive producers.
Sean’s Take: While not my cup of tea, this might have some longevity to it. It’s a timely issue in our society as women are owning their sexuality much later into life than they used to. Might go to a second season, I’m not sure yet.
“THE DEEP END”
Each year one of LA’s most prestigious law firms recruits four young lawyers from the finest law schools worldwide. The only way for these first-years to survive is to support each other even as they compete against one another in the cutthroat arena of high-end law. Sex, greed, romance, betrayal it’s all part of being a first year associate at Sterling Law.
“The Deep End” stars Matt Long as Dylan Hewitt, Ben Lawson as Liam Priory, Tina Majorino as Addy Fisher, Norbert Leo Butz as Rowdy Kaiser, Leah Pipes as Beth Bancroft, Billy Zane as Cliff Huddle, Sherri Saum as Susan Oppenheim and Clancy Brown as Hart Sterling.
The series is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television. David Hemingson is executive producer/writer. The pilot was directed by Michael Fresco.
Sean’s Take: I don’t know why, but I’m getting a real Dirty Sexy Money vibe off of this one. Any time ABC tries to focus on “sex” and “greed” they pretty much bungle the job. It just isn’t who they are.
“EASTWICK”
Three very different women find themselves drawn together by a mysterious man who unleashes unique powers in each of them, and this small New England town will never be the same. The series is based on the popular movie “The Witches of Eastwick” and on the novel of the same title by John Updike.
“Eastwick” stars Rebecca Romijn as Roxie Torcoletti, Lindsay Price as Joanna Frankel, Jamie Ray Newman as Kat Gardener, Paul Gross as Darryl Van Horne, Sara Rue as Penny, Veronica Cartwright as Bun, Johann Urb as Will, Jon Bernthal as Raymond and Ashley Benson as Mia.
The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television. Maggie Friedman is executive producer/writer. The pilot was directed by David Nutter.
Sean’s Take: … no, no and NO. It worked as a movie, it will not work as a television series. I am just boggled how this even got past concept to pilot. Bad, bad, horrible idea. If this makes it past six episodes I’ll be shocked.
“FLASH FORWARD”
When a mysterious event causes the entire world to black out, humanity is given a glimpse into its near future, and every man, woman and child is forced to come to grips with whether their destinies can be avoided or fulfilled.
Adapting award-winning author Robert J. Sawyer’s revolutionary novel, executive producers David S. Goyer (visionary co-writer of “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight”) and Brannon Braga (”24,” “Star Trek: Enterprise”) invite you to embark on a journey to answer the question, “if you knew what your future held, what would you do?”
“Flash Forward” stars Joseph Fiennes as Mark Benford, John Cho as Demetri Noh, Jack Davenport as Lloyd Simcoe, Sonya Walger as Olivia Benford, Courtney B. Vance as Stan Wedeck, Brian O’Byrne as Aaron Stark, Christine Woods as Janis Hawk, Zachary Knighton as Bryce Varley and Peyton List as Nicole.
The series is from ABC Studios. David S. Goyer is executive producer/writer/director. Brannon Braga is executive producer and co-wrote the pilot. Other executive producers are Marc Guggenheim, Jessika Goyer, Vince Gerardis and Ralph Vicinanza. Guggenheim will be the showrunner, along with Goyer.
Sean’s Take: It was a novel, and you think you can take it to series length? Maybe a mini-series, but an ongoing serial? Seems like another one of those “would have worked in another format” deals.
“THE FORGOTTEN”
From executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer comes a crime show in which a team of dedicated amateurs work on cases involving unidentified victims. After the police have given up, this group must first solve the puzzle of the victim’s identity in order to then help catch the killer. They work to give the deceased back their names, lest they become — The Forgotten.
“The Forgotten” stars Rupert Penry-Jones as Alex, Reiko Aylesworth as Linda, Michelle Borth as Candace, Bob Stephenson as Walter, Anthony Carrigan as Tyler and Rochelle Aytes as Detective Grace Russell.
The series is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Warner Bros. Television. Mark Friedman is executive producer/writer, Jerry Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman are executive producers, KristieAnne Reed is co-executive producer and Danny Cannon is executive producer/director.
Sean’s Take: I don’t know on this one. Jerry Bruckheimer is the man behind the CSI franchises, so he knows how to rope an audience, but it feels a bit too much like Cold Case from CBS to me. And the group being amateurs feels a bit odd. Don’t know on this one, not sure there has been much like it, will have to hook viewers pretty quickly to go long.
“HANK”
Kelsey Grammer stars in this timely comedy as Hank Pryor, a titan of industry who suddenly finds himself out of work, almost out of money and around a wife and kids for whom he’s never made much time. Despite his recent setbacks, however, Hank is confident he’s on the road back to the top. He knows he is destined to return to greatness. And he is just not the greatness he imagines.
“Hank” stars Kelsey Grammer as Hank, Melinda McGraw as Tilly, David Koechner as Grady, Macey Cruthird as Maddie and Ryan Wynott as Henry.
The series is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with McMonkey Inc., Grammnet Productions, Werner Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television. It is written by Tucker Cawley. Tom Werner, Tucker Cawley, Kelsey Grammer and Mike Clements serve as executive producers. The pilot was directed by James Burrows.
Sean’s Take: This is either going to be a huge hit or a huge flop, there is no middle ground on this one. For it to be a hit, it would require people to want to revel in what has happened to the real titans of industry in the USA as of late. However, that could also be its undoing as people watch TV and movies generally to forget the miseries of real life. I love Kelsey Grammer, but this concept is going to walk a real tightrope with viewers on how much they want to visit this subject this soon after all of the economic issues.
“HAPPY TOWN”
Haplin, Minnesota, “Happy Town,” is approaching almost a decade of peace after being riddled for years by unsolved kidnappings. But in the wake of this small town’s first crime in seven years, some dark truths are being revealed about some familiar faces. They say every town has its secrets that doesn’t even begin to describe Happy Town.
“Happy Town” stars Geoff Stults as Tommy Conroy, Lauren German as Henley, Amy Acker as Rachel Conroy, Dean Winters as John Haplin, John Patrick Amedori as Andrew Haplin, Sarah Gadon as Georgia Bravin, Jay Paulson as Larry Root Beer’ Rogers, Robert Wisdom as Roger Hobbes and Sam Neill as Merritt Grieves.
The series is from ABC Studios. Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg are executive producers and co-writers. The pilot was directed by Gary Fleder, who is also an executive producer.
Sean’s Take: Again… series length? What is up with ABC and the mini-series length show concepts going to full series? My feeling is pretty much a disaster here.
“THE MIDDLE”
The Hecks are a middle class family living in the middle of Indiana, just trying to keep their heads above water. Emmy-winner Patricia Heaton stars as a wife and mother of three in a comedy about raising a family and lowering your expectations.
“The Middle” stars Patricia Heaton as Frankie, Neil Flynn as Mike, Eden Sher as Sue, Atticus Shaffer as Brick and Charlie McDermott as Axel.
The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television. Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline are executive producers/writers and Werner Walian is producer. The pilot was directed by Julie Anne Robinson.
Sean’s Take: Eh. Standard sitcom fare, very bland and middle of the road. This is the network that kept According To Jim on the air for eight seasons, this one will probably last for some time.
“MODERN FAMILY”
Today’s American families come in all shapes and sizes. Shot from the perspective of an unseen documentary filmmaker, this comedy takes a modern look at the complications that come with being a family in 2009.
“Modern Family” stars Ed O’Neill as Jay, Sofa Vergara as Gloria, Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell, Eric Stonestreet as Cameron, Ty Burrell as Phil, Julie Bowen as Claire, Sarah Hyland as Haley, Rico Rodriguez as Manny, Nolan Gould as Luke and Ariel Winter as Alex.
The series is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television. Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd are executive producers. The pilot was directed by Jason Winer.
Sean’s Take: I liked this show when it was called Sherman Oaks (except the filmmaker played a role in that). Could be funny, will have to see an episode before I pass final judgment.
“SHARK TANK”
From Mark Burnett, executive producer of “Survivor” and “The Apprentice,” and Sony Pictures Television comes “Shark Tank,” an exciting new reality show that gives budding entrepreneurs the chance to make their dreams come true and become successful and possibly wealthy business people. But the entrepreneurs must first try to convince five tough, multi-millionaire tycoons to part with their own hard-earned cash and give them the funding they need to jumpstart their ideas.
In these trying economic times, it’s difficult for an individual possessing a dream or even a working small business poised for growth to get a loan for a risky venture. Whether it be an imaginative enhancement for an existing product, a family recipe that has all the ingredients to become a profitable culinary treat, or the latest technological gadget that could take the world by storm, most of these dreams die an early death because no one dared take a financial chance on someone with an unproven and oftentimes outrageous proposal. Many of these people now see “Shark Tank” as their last chance at success. Some have been laboring on their ideas for years or even decades, have invested large amounts of money, and are being pressured to throw in the towel by friends and family. Others have simply never had access to the means to live out their dreams, until now.
Enter the Sharks of “Shark Tank” Barbara Corcoran (Manhattan real estate titan), Kevin Harrington (king of infomercials), Robert Herjavec (technology tycoon), Daymond John (fashion mogul) and Kevin O’Leary (venture capitalist) five multi-millionaires who lifted themselves up by their bootstraps to make their own entrepreneurial dreams come true and turned their ideas into empires.
Each week ambitious entrepreneurs from across the country will present their breakthrough business concepts, products, properties and services to the panel of ruthless investors. Their goal is to convince these merciless moguls to invest their own dollars in the concept. Convincing real-life millionaires to part with their own money is no easy task, because when the idea is poor, the Sharks will tear into the ill-prepared presenters and pass on the idea with a simple, “I’m out!” — sending them running for the exit.
But these Sharks aren’t just out for blood, they too have a goal: to own a piece of the next big idea. Entrepreneurs will be asked to give up a percentage of their companies’ equity to the Sharks in order to get the investment they need. But when the Sharks hear a really top-notch idea, and more than one of them wants to sink their teeth into it, a war between them will erupt. Then the once-desperate entrepreneur can rejoice when the Sharks reveal their true interest in the product and bid up the price of the investment.
Sean’s Take: Well, this is based on the British show called Dragon’s Den. If they do it in limited “cycles” like other reality shows, it may work. I love the original version, but how many times has a USA network screwed up a British concept?
“V”
“V” is a re-imagining of the 1980’s miniseries about the world’s first encounter with an alien race in which the aliens call themselves The Visitors, and have a seemingly friendly agenda that may or may not be a cover for something more malevolent.
“V” stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack Landry, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie Stevens, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.
The series is produced by HDFilms in association with Warner Bros. Television. Scott Peters is executive producer/writer and Steve Pearlman and Jace Hall are executive producers. The pilot was directed and executive produced by Yves Simoneau.
Sean’s Take: Could be great, could be horrible. The V mini-series was great, V: The Final Battle was okay, V: The Series was a complete train wreck. This is a “re-imagining”, but I am sure the basic concepts will stay intact, but lets just hope there is no “star child” malarky to mess the whole thing up.
Sean’s Overall Take on ABC
I know I didn’t do this with the Fox line-up, but there is something really glaring at me in ABC’s schedule: Wednesday night is all new. I’m not sure I can ever remember a network taking a gamble like that. There is no proven show to anchor the night, and that is a huge risk for them to give it a go.
Also, moving Ugly Betty to Friday nights is a bad sign this show is on its last legs. Friday’s are like the graveyard of the television schedue, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see it go for a limited run this year.
It looks like ABC is going to stir things up this year, and I’m not so sure they’re doing it in the right way.
The story behind the Erin Andrews peephole video is just getting silly at this point.
It’s that magical time in every Doctor Who fan’s life where we get to see the first pictures of the next regeneration, and the first pictures of Matt Smith as the eleventh Doctor are… odd.
The nominations for the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards have been announced, and the big show for this year is 30 Rock with 22 nominations across all sorts of categories.
June isn’t over yet and already all of the major US networks have announced their premiere dates for this coming fall.
Billy Mays, the television pitchman that has been a staple of late night television commercials for years, has passed away.
No.
MELROSE PLACE
THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
NBC had their turn at the new season announcements today, and… well… it was interesting.
It’s time for 
“EASTWICK”
“HANK”
“V”
