Blogcritics

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

The 2007 Network Upfronts: The CW

Josh Lasser — Thu, 17 May 2007 15:22:07 EDT

So, let's get it out of the way, everyone can read this and then the complaints can start flooding in before the rest of the article is read, but let me just remind you: I didn't make this schedule, it is not my fault. That said, while we used to be friends, a long time ago, and while I've thought of you lately quite a lot, I won't be seeing you anymore. Sorry Veronica Mars, you're out. Have fun at the FBI, but we won't be visiting you there.They do however have some new shows that they wish to tout, not just the canceled stuff (like Gilmore Girls) so, here's what they've decided to put out there (new shows in bold):SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday7:00CW Now 7:30Online Nation8:00Life is WildEverybody Hates ChrisBeauty and The GeekAmerica's Next Top ModelSmallvilleFriday Night Smackdown!8:30Aliens in America9:00America's Next Top Model (repeats)GirlfriendsReaperGossip GirlSupernatural9:30The GameIt's a heavy on the reality schedule and there's only one new comedy, Aliens in America. In this 30 minutes of funny, a sensitive nerdy 16-year-old kid, with a hugely popular sister, has his world turned upside down by the arrival of an exchange student… from Pakistan. Drama-wise, The CW is sporting three new shows: Gossip Girl, Life is Wild, and Reaper. Taking the last one first, Reaper adds another sci-fi element to The CW's schedule. A 21-year-old slacker finds out that his parents, back in the day, sold his soul to the devil (I had no idea that such a thing was possible, selling someone else's soul, but now that I do, there are a couple of people I'm willing to make deals for). Now the poor guy has to serve as the devil's bounty hunter, tracking down evil escaped souls, Dog-style. Life is Wild moves a family from the concrete jungle of New York City to a game reserve in South Africa. There they find a wholly different kind of animal. Outcasts at first, the family eventually starts to work things out, and starts enjoying this new life (not that everything will be smooth, of course). In Gossip Girl, exec-produced by The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz, we enter the life of a super-rich, super-popular, super-girl (but not in the special abilities kind of way). Money however, we learn, does not buy happiness. As Weird Al noted though, it is possible to rent happiness, and I hereby suggest that.Then, there's the reality programming…CW Now is a newsmagazine, focusing on music, fashion, movies, technology. You know, like Access Hollywood, Extra, Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, that kind of thing. In a similar, or at least compatible, vein and airing right afterwards, Online Nation looks at blogs and user-generated content on the internet. The CW also has a couple of midseason reality shows like Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants and Farmer Wants a Wife, plus there'll be another Pussycat Dolls search. The first of these is a beauty pageant with the added bonus of there being mother and daughter teams fighting one another. And the second is exactly what it sounds like: a reality show where 10 women compete for the hand of one farmer. One Tree Hill will be back too… at some point, somewhere.Poor, poor Veronica Mars. Kristen, I want you to know though, if you need comfort, I'm here for you. All you have to do is e-mail. Please e-mail.

Josh Lasser, formerly known as "TV and Film Guy," and complete with a Masters Degree in Critical Studies in said areas, gives his opinions on TV, Film, and Entertainment in general. All of which he does in a shameless attempt to try to get paid to do the exact same thing. He's also quite proud to say that he's the editor of the Blogcritics Magazine Television Section.

The 2007 Network Upfronts: Fox

Josh Lasser — Thu, 17 May 2007 14:21:49 EDT

Well, this year Fox has done it again, they've put out multiple schedules for the coming season, one pre-Idol, one for January, and for the spring. And, as usual, it's a little difficult to figure out exactly what's going on where and when, and virtually guaranteed that just because they say something is going to happen in January or in the spring there is no certainty of it actually occurring (save that American Idol and 24 will be back).I've included two schedules here. They are the fall schedule and the spring one (in that order), I have not included the January one, but will discuss the differences below (new programs in bold):SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday7:00The OT 7:308:00The SimpsonsPrison BreakNew AmsterdamBack to YouAre You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?The Search for the Next Great American BandCops8:30King of the Hill'Til DeathCops9:00Family GuyK-VilleHouseBonesKitchen NightmaresNashville America's Most Wanted9:30American DadSundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday7:00King of the Hill 7:30American Dad8:00The SimpsonsPrison BreakAmerican IdolBack to YouAre You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?BonesCops8:30Family GuyThe Return of Jezebel JamesCops9:00The Sarah Connor Chronicles24HouseAmerican Idol ResultsCanterbury's LawNew Amsterdam America's Most Wanted9:30'Til DeathConfused yet? Well, let's add this to the mix. The January differences from the spring schedule are as follows: It's K-Ville in the Prison Break slot, 'Til Death in the Jezebel James one, Idol will run for an hour on Wednesdays at 9:00, not 30 minutes, and Friday and Sunday will still be the fall schedules.There, now that that's all sorted out, on to the new stuff…K-Ville. A cop show in New Orleans ("K" being Katrina, as in the hurricane). Marlin Boulet (how wonderfully Louisiana is that name?) is a member of the NOPD's Felony Action Squad. That's right, they go after the most-wanted bad guys. His new partner is a tough guy, serving in Afghanistan before the Big Easy, but he's still not comfortable with his partner's methods.New Amsterdam. This is the story "of a New York homicide detective unlike any other" (Because we've never heard that before). John Amsterdam, back in 1642, saved the life of a Native American girl, but took a sword wound for his troubles. The girl in turn saved his life, conferring upon him immortality. Only Amsterdam's good friend, Omar, knows the truth, but he has a few secrets of his own. Things get even more weird as the Native American's prophesy about a soul mate starts to come true.From Denis Leary and Jim Serpico, in January we get Canterbury's Law, a courtroom drama starring a rebellious lawyer, played by Julianna Marguiles (Carol Hathaway, if you will). Her son has disappeared and she and her husband have moved to Providence, Rhode Island, in order to distance themselves from the tragedy. However, Marguiles's work in the criminal justice system keeps bringing back the horror that she has had to experience.We all know, or should know by now, about Skynet and Sarah Connor. No? John Connor? His enemy and then friend, you know, the guy who will be back? No? Come on, The Terminator? Good. This show takes place following Sarah's destruction of the liquid metal Terminator (Terminator 2: Judgment Day). She and John are fugitives, and enemies from the past, present, and future are always a threat. There is no fate but what we make of it. Let's make it a good one, folks.The lone new fall comedy is Back To You, starring Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton. Their characters used to be an on-air news team in Pittsburgh, before Chuck (Grammer) moved up to the big time. Sadly, after an ill-timed tirade, he finds himself on the slide and working with Kelly (Heaton) again. Too bad they never really got along in the first place. Oh, there are also a couple of off-beat secondary characters to really add some spice.The new spring comedy, The Return of Jezebel James, features two estranged sisters. The sisters are opposites, one might even describe them as an "odd couple," that end up living together when one agrees to carry the other's baby. Jezebel James, if you're wondering, was the younger sister's imaginary friend, which the older sister has turned into a children's book (trust me, it'll play a part in the goings-on).Reality-wise, there's Kitchen Nightmares, The Search for the Next Great American Band, and Nashville. The last two of these focuses on would-be musicians, the first American Idol-style, and in the second, well, they're all dreamers trying to make it in Nashville. But it's not a contest-y type of reality show, it's just looking at the dreamers and dream-makers. Kitchen Nightmares has Gordon Ramsay going from restaurant to restaurant, trying to do good, to help the helpless, striving to put right what once went wrong, and, hoping that his next leap will be the leap home.

The 2007 Network Upfronts: CBS

Josh Lasser — Wed, 16 May 2007 11:29:14 EDT

Today it is CBS's turn to step up to the plate and unveil their new fall schedule. Will it be heavy on the sci-fi, like NBC, will it repurpose car insurance commercials, like ABC, or will they finally bite the bullet and go all CSI all the time?Actually, none of the above. This year CBS will go conservative, because their ratings are good enough that they can, and only introduce five new shows.On the bench for the time being will be reality stalwart The Amazing Race and The New Adventures of Old Christine. Both are currently scheduled to return at some point during the season, but come September they'll be shelved until they're needed. Completely gone is the relatively successful Close to Home and back leading off the 8:00 on Monday time slot is How I Met Your Mother.Without further ado, and with new shows in bold, here is CBS's fall schedule: SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday7:0060 Minutes 7:308:00Viva LaughlinHow I Met Your MotherNCISKid NationSurvivorGhost WhispererDrama Repeats8:30The Big Bang Theory9:00Cold CaseTwo and a Half MenThe UnitCriminal MindsCSIMoonlight9:30Rules of Engagement10:00SharkCSI: MiamiCaneCSI: NYWithout a TraceNumb3rs48 Hours: Mystery10:30 There it is, one new comedy, The Big Bang Theory; three new dramas, Cane, Moonlight, and Viva Laughlin; and one new reality show, Kid Nation. Easy as pie.The Big Bang Theory comes from Two and a Half Men producer Chuck Lorre and focuses on über-nerdy friends who, amazingly, have no problem conversing about the most in-depth scientific issues, but can't talk to women. Well, fish out of water-style, a sexy new single neighbor moves in and the nerds are speechless. Hilarity will ensue.The reality show, Kid Nation, gives 40 kids 40 days to build a new city in the ghost town of Bonanza City, New Mexico. The kids are between ages 8 and 15 and will be there, sans adults, trying to create a new Old West town. Unlike most reality shows, no one gets voted out of the town but anyone may leave voluntarily. I'm very curious as to how many times producers and/or cameramen had to step in and stop fights or fix problems (not that we'll ever know or be told that such a thing occurred). Drama-wise, Cane stars Jimmy Smits (woo-hoo) in a story about a large Cuban-American family running a rum and sugar business in South Florida (and George Lopez thought that Cavemen getting on the air would mean that all the Latino-based shows would disappear). When the family patriarch, played by Hector Elizondo, is offered an opportunity to get out of the sugar part of the business, his vocal family voice their opinions.Moonlight is a private investigator tale… with a twist. Mick St. John, PI, just happens to also be a vampire. Sadly for him, he doesn't get along with other vamps and spends a lot of his time protecting mere mortals from his undead brethren. Though he has resisted romance ever since he was bitten, nigh on 60 years ago, there's this new girl in town and Mick is considering his options.Lastly, there's Viva Laughlin, based on the British show Viva Blackpool. Executive produced by Wolverine himself, this “mystery drama with music” focuses on Ripley Holden who wants to run a casino in Laughlin. Ripley has some financing problems and is forced to go to another casino owner (played in a recurring guest star role by Hugh Jackman) to help. Things continue to slide as Ripley's ex-business partner is found dead. But, on the upside he's married to Mädchen Amick and there's music.Also picked up by CBS as a mid-season replacement is Swingtown, a show based in 1970s suburbia with couples examining the institutions of marriage and gender roles. It stars Jack Davenport and open marriages.So, the subject matter may not always be conservative, but the schedule is. It should also be noted that Without a Trace is moving back to its original Thursday nights at 10 time slot, flip-flopping with Shark. Does this fall under the theory that if he doesn't keep swimming (around the schedule) he'll die?

The 2007 Network Upfronts: ABC

Josh Lasser — Tue, 15 May 2007 11:05:52 EDT

In recent years ABC has done a wonderful job developing new scripted hour-long series. They’ve had cultural phenomena galore, from Lost to Desperate Housewives, to Grey’s Anatomy to Ugly Betty. To be sure, they have put out some clunkers, too (Day Break, which at the very least was interesting in concept though poor in execution), but on the whole, their hour-long programs have done well. They’ve been far, far less successful on the thirty minute comedy end however (as is true among all the networks).ABC is not poised to change this around for next season, as they are completely forgoing any sort of two-hour comedy block. At the opening of the fall season, ABC will have three comedy series on TV, all of them brand new. According to Jim is gone, George Lopez is gone, Knights of Prosperity is gone. Oddly, the unfunny, poorly written Notes from the Underbelly will be back once Dancing with the Stars completes its run. Come the start of the fall season, ABC’s lineup will look like this (new programs are in bold): SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday7:00America's Funniest Home Videos 7:308:00Extreme Makeover: Home EditionDancing with the StarsCavemenPushing DaisiesUgly BettyMen in TreesCollege Football8:30Carpoolers9:00Desperate HousewivesDWTS: Results ShowPrivate PracticeGrey's AnatomyWomen's Murder Club9:30Sam I Am10:00Brothers & SistersThe BachelorBoston LegalDirty Sexy MoneyBig Shots20/2010:30The three new comedies: Sam I Am, Cavemen, and Carpoolers all have “interesting” hooks. Sam I Am focuses on Sam (Christina Applegate), a woman who has just emerged from an eight-day coma with amnesia. She discovers that she wasn’t actually a very good person and tries to change that now. Having trouble figuring that one out? It’s easy, just think My Name is Earl, substitute Sam for Earl, a coma for a car accident, and amnesia for karma. See? Simple.Carpoolers has a bunch of men, all at different points in their lives. There’s the recently divorced playboy guy; the timid homemaker/breadwinner guy; the newlywed guy, the traditional, old-school guy. They commute to and from work together and discuss their lives.Then, there’s Cavemen. Please note that while I sometimes write jokes that fall flat, the following is completely serious: Cavemen is a show inspired by the Geico insurance caveman commercials. They live in the South in the present day, but are cavemen. They just want to be treated like everyone else, but they keep getting singled out because… they’re cavemen. One hopes that ABC has taken into account the history of racism in this country in general and the South in particular and that they will deal with these outsiders who are treated differently with some degree of tact.As for the dramas, as we all know by now, Private Practice is the Addison Montgomery spin-off of Grey’s Anatomy (the backdoor pilot aired as a special Grey’s two hour event a couple of weeks ago).Pushing Daisies focuses on a detective who can touch people and bring them back from the dead. He’s done this with his dead girlfriend, but if he touches her again she’ll die… forever. It’s a new kind of procedural.In the more traditional procedural vein is Women’s Murder Club, which has four high-powered women at its center: a detective, a D.A., a medical examiner, and a reporter. They are friends and solve crimes together, each using their unique talents.Because four seems like the right number of people to center a show on, Big Shots focuses on four male friends who are, corporately speaking, big shots, running companies, making deals, you know, that sort of thing. Women, as the audience will see, they’re not necessarily so good with.Lastly on the schedule for the fall is Dirty Sexy Money. Starring Peter Krause, the show focuses on a lawyer who steps into his father’s role as personal attorney for a high-powered family. He’s able to do good with the money he makes, but is drawn into their web of lives, deceits, and semi-nefarious goings-on.Appearing at some point down the line on ABC’s schedule will be Cashmere Mafia, which is the other Sex and the City a few years down the line show by Darren Star (who produced Sex and The City). This show should not be confused with NBC’s Lipstick Jungle, from Candace Bushnell who wrote Sex and the City.Of course, there are other series set to go on down the line too (even an Oprah series called Oprah’s Big Give).Dharma-philes will note that Lost is not listed above. It’ll appear though, there’ll be 16 episodes this coming season, but they’re going to hold them until they can do all 16 back-to-back (24 style).

The 2007 Network Upfronts: NBC

Josh Lasser — Mon, 14 May 2007 13:00:39 EDT

My goodness, the joy, the happiness, the wonder - NBC has released its schedule for the 2007-2008 television season! That’s right, the upfronts have begun, NBC is trying to figure out a way to stop the bleeding, something that they said last year would happen with this past fall lineup (Studio 60, anyone?). Needless to say, those plans didn’t quite work out and despite airing professional football in primetime, the network still saw its ratings drop. At least they’ve gone back to arguing that their shows are quality, and they say that quality is what they wanted all along in their press release.Well, until they start scrambling and changing things around before September even gets here, this is what NBC unveiled as their lineup, with new shows in bold (Sunday is the schedule for once NFL football ends in January): SundayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturday7:00Dateline NBC7:308:00Law & OrderDeal or No DealThe Biggest LoserDeal or No DealMy Name is Earl1 vs. 100 / The Singing BeeDateline NBC8:3030 Rock9:00MediumHeroesChuckBionic WomanThe OfficeLas VegasDrama Repeats9:30Scrubs10:00Lipstick JungleJourneymanLaw & Order: SVULife