Something is amiss at the National Broadcasting Company. 

1. Friday Night Lights will now premiere exclusively on DirecTV, months before it airs on NBC
2. Scrubs is tentatively scheduled to move over to ABC
3. Project Runway is moving to Lifetime (NBC Universal owns Bravo; both are claiming foul play)

NBC does not have a reality series goldmine like American Idol or Dancing with the Stars (in terms of ratings, Deal or No Deal is nowhere near as popular as those two) so letting go of these shows seems like an odd move. If Law & Order were my highest rated series, I’d be fighting to save any and all shows with built-in, dedicated fan bases like the ones listed above.

Is NBC going the HBO route? After Six Feet Under, Sex & The City and The Sopranos ended, the cable network offered up less than stellar programming to replace those beloved series’ and none were successful. Then they alienated and angered fans by canceling Deadwood prematurely. And now HBO has postponed all of their popular summer shows (Entourage, etc.) until fall, leaving them to air movies only, with absolutely no original programming.

NBC is facing the loss of ER after next season, one of their longest-running series. Their strongest night and lineup (Thursday) will take a hit with the loss of both Scrubs and ER, and all of NBC’s hopes will be pinned on 30 Rock, The Office and My Name is Earl.

It appears that some network and studio executives are out of touch with their core audiences these days (if it weren’t for the Writers Strike, they still wouldn’t acknowledge online viewers and those ratings). They don’t allow the opportunity for ‘appointment television’ because shows are constantly moved to different nights and time slots. Additionally, there is no time to develop brand loyalty (to a series or a network) because their hooks are too quick; too many new programs are yanked off the air for good after only an episode or two.

Is
there a major network shakeup in the works? Is NBC in panic mode yet? I
will be very curious to see which direction they take next…

Read More

My friend went to a taping of Ellen yesterday and was on TV today, dancing next to her. I was jealous (of the proximity, not the dancing). It made me think about the activities I’d like to experience at some point before I die, as well as the ones I already have.

I’m not trying to be morbid, but I am attempting to be a little less tightly wound, and adopt a carpe diem attitude. Recent back surgery forced me to contemplate/acknowledge my mortality for the first time, and I have made an effort to become more flexible (emotionally, mentally & physically) as a result. I simply need to relax, enjoy and appreciate life more than I have in the past (and for the future).

Most people keep lists of dream vacations. Me? Not so much. Here are a few random things I’d like to experience in my lifetime, in no particular order:

• Visit the set of Lost, or interview some of the cast
  

• Attend a taping of Ellen

• Throw out the first pitch at a major league ballpark
  

• Fly to Boston & Chicago for baseball games at Fenway Park and Wrigley Field

• See both REM and Bruce Springsteen live

• Watch the A’s win the World Series at home in the new stadium

• Go to the Emmy Awards
  

None of the above are career-related, but my dream job would be to either be on the writing staff of a television series or write a pop culture column for a newspaper or entertainment magazine. No big secret or surprise there.

I’m thrilled to have already had the opportunity to experience and participate in a few amazing events, including:

• Meeting Mary Lou Retton & attending the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles (I was a budding/failing gymnast at the time)

• Having coffee with Shawn Colvin in London before her show in 1993 (I was studying abroad, it was snowing outside, and she invited me in to watch rehearsal)

• Working as an ‘extra‘ on The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in 1994 (a story for another blog post altogether)

• Attending a private benefit honoring Ellen DeGeneres in 1998 for her groundbreaking coming out episode (and meeting the Indigo Girls)

• Being among the 73k fans watching the Women’s World Cup semi-finals at Stanford in 1999 (USA defeated Brazil)

• Hiking through the rain forest and cave-tubing in Belize

• Climbing to the top of the Duomo in Florence, Italy
  

• Seeing Barry Bonds hit #71 & #72 at PacBell Park in 2001, breaking the single-season homerun record (not a huge fan of the man, but it was electric in there)

• Watching The Incredibles and Cars at Pixar Animation Studios before they were released (both for events benefiting local education)

• Going to  Sundance in 2007 (the coldest days of my life)

• Sitting in the front row of the bleachers at the 2007 MLB All-Star Game in SF (and not getting pummeled by large men attempting to dive for homerun balls)

• Attending the Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice benefit show earlier this year

This summer, I will be going to Comic-Con in San Diego, and I’m pretty sure that it will wind up on the list above.

I can’t believe that this entire post was inspired by a friend dancing onscreen with Ellen for three seconds, and I’m not sure I even had a point. Oh well. I know that my List of Things To Do Before I Die will be amended and updated shortly and often, because there are far more places I’d like to travel to and events I’d like to attend.

Thanks for reading yet another entry of rambling and lists. Good night!

Read More

If you are a fan of Friday Night Lights or Jericho, you might want to consider switching/subscribing to DirecTV or Comcast.

In a recently announced deal between DirecTV and NBC, the third season of critically acclaimed series Friday Night Lights will air first on the satellite service, and months later on NBC.

Now there is a rumor floating around that Comcast may do the same with CBS, reviving the recently canceled fan-favorite show Jericho.

In my opinion, it isn’t a coincidence that both FNL and Jericho are being resuscitated so soon after the resolution of the Writers Strike. International attention to the digital media distribution of television and film was long overdue, and major networks/studios are only now beginning to research and acknowledge the number of online viewers. NBC and CBS are the first to boldly explore new distribution territory, figuring out ways to save and offset the production costs of beloved shows by licensing them to other mediums such as DirecTV and Comcast. If successful, the life of a series may no longer be determined by conventional ratings alone, giving hope to the cult classics and outrageously underrated shows with smaller yet feverishly dedicated audiences.

I
find these to be fascinating, positive developments in the
entertainment industry, and applaud the efforts of both the very
passionate fan campaigns and network executives/show runners who are finding creative methods
to somehow save their shows.

Many people will focus on the small percentage of people who subscribe to either DirecTV and Comcast, and what that means for Jericho and FNL. Call me an optimist, but I am choosing to wait and see how the future of both shows is determined through distribution by cable and satellite services vs. traditional networks. These deals represent a significant change to an archaic system, with the potential to alter the future of television as we know it.

Read More

And I’m back.

While visiting family this weekend, a few common questions arose over cocktails: which shows do I watch, and how many hours a night do I spend watching movies/TV and then blogging?

Well, here is a glimpse at my viewing agenda this week…

TV/TiVO

• NCAA Women’s Basketball Final (I’m a Bay Area & Pac10 girl; go Stanford!)
  
• 30 Rock (returns on Thursday)
• Canterbury’s Law (Damages lite)
  
• Dirt (total guilty pleasure)
• John Adams (HBO miniseries)
  
• Medium (Anjelica Houston has been a great addition)
  
• The Office (returns on Thursday)
• The Riches (not loving new season yet)
  
• Samantha Who? (returns tonight)
• Scrubs (returns on Thursday)
  
• Survivor (finally admitting that I watch it online)
  
• Top Chef

Netflix

• Pirates of the Caribbean 3
• X-Files, Season 9, Disc 1
  

iPod/iTunes

• Jericho, Season 1

I am also looking forward to the return of Bones and Brothers & Sisters next week, as well as Season 1 of The Wire on DVD.

As for the amount of time I spend on this hobby…I estimate that I watch three hours per weeknight; either a movie on DVD or television on TiVo/online/iTunes/DVD. On the weekends I tend to watch an additional movie or two, and several episodes of shows I’ve missed.

As for my blogs, I alternate posting entries on both blogs every other night for about an hour each. I am also online for an average of 3-4 hours every night after work, reading news and other blogs, and preparing my own.

And so I’m off to post a Lost blog, and then catch up on last week’s Men in Trees. The weekly viewing commences now.

Read More

At last count, I own just over 260 DVDs (not including multiple discs in box sets of TV series, trilogies and collections). You’d think that I’d have a fabulous media shelf in place to admire my babies collection, but no. You know those under-bed plastic storage bins from Target? Imagine several of those, filled to the brim with DVDs. Hidden. Sad.

When I grow up, I want a floor-to-ceiling media cabinet like this:

I am always loaning out stacks of movies to friends on maternity leave (and there have been an alarming number of those in the last two years), so I made a list to keep track. And of course it’s alphabetical.

This is my current inventory, including absolute favorites and guilty pleasures alike. You might notice that a few are marked with an asterisk; those are the ones I cannot take credit for or don’t want to admit owning, films which my better half and I disagree on.

Let’s
make this a little more interesting. The first person to correctly note
both the actor and actress who appear the most in the movies from the list below will win an iTunes gift card.

MOVIES

• 9 to 5
• Absolute Power       
• Ace Ventura, Pet Detective   
• Ace Ventura, When Nature Calls
• Adaptation
• The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
• All the President’s Men               
• Almost Famous                
• Amadeus   
• Amelie         
• American Beauty                             
• The American President   
• Anchorman            
• Annie Hall   
• Antonia’s Line   
• As Good As It Gets              
• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
• Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
• Austin Powers in Goldmember           
• Basic Instinct
• Batman Begins
• Best in Show
• The Big Chill                 
• Blazing Saddles           
• Bonnie & Clyde
• Boogie Nights
• Bounce*            
  
• Bound               
• Bowfinger             
• Boys on the Side
• Bridget Jones’ Diary    
• Bridget Jones, Edge of Reason
• Brokeback Mountain
• Bruce Almighty
• Bull Durham
• Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid           
• Casablanca   
• Casino Royale           
• Charlie’s Angels   
• Chasing Amy
• Chicago        
• A Christmas Story
• Closer   
• Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
• Contact   
• The Contender
• Cop Land           
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
• The Cutting Edge*  
  
• Dances with Wolves   
• Dead Again   
• Dead Calm
• Dead Poet’s Society
• The Departed
• Devil’s Advocate     
• Diner         
  
• Dirty Dancing
• Donnie Brasco               
• EdTV   
• Election
• Elizabeth
• Enemy of the State           
• Erin Brockovitch   
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
• Far and Away
• Far From Heaven           
• Fargo   
• A Few Good Men
• Field of Dreams
• Finding Nemo        
• A Fish Called Wanda 
• Forrest Gump   
• Four Weddings & a Funeral       
• Freeway   
  
• Galaxy Quest           
• The Game   
• Garden State        
• Gattaca
• The Gift
  
• Girl, Interrupted       
• Gladiator               
• Go            
• The Godfather (trilogy)
• Gods and Monsters
• Gone With the Wind
• GoodFellas   
• Good Night, and Good Luck
• Good Will Hunting
• Gosford Park   
• Hannibal
• Heathers
• Heavenly Creatures
• High Fidelity   
• The Holiday
• The Hours                
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame
• The Ice Storm       
• In the Line of Fire
• In the Name of the Father       
• Indiana Jones (trilogy)               
  
• Inside Man
• The Island        
• It’s a Wonderful Life               
• Jaws
• Jerry Maguire   
• The Jewel of the Nile           
• JFK
• Juno
  
• Keeping the Faith
• Kissing Jessica Stein 
• Knocked Up
• L.A. Confidential               
• L.A. Story
• La Bamba
• The Last Samurai
• Legally Blonde
• Life as a House
• The Life of David Gale
• Little Children
• Little Miss Sunshine 
• The Lord of the Rings (trilogy)
  
• Lords of Dogtown
• Love Actually
• Magnolia               
• Mask               
• The Matrix (trilogy)
  
• Memento
• A Mighty Wind
• Minority Report
• Mission: Impossible (trilogy)
  
• Monsters, Inc.        
• Moonstruck
• Moulin Rouge
• Much Ado About Nothing               
• Mystic Pizza 
• Mystic River
• The Natural
• The Notebook
• Notting Hill             
• No Way Out
• Ocean’s 11   
• Office Space
• Once
  
• The Opposite of Sex
• Out of Sight           
• The Outsiders
• Parenthood                
• The Pelican Brief
• Pink Panther Film Collection (the 5 original movies)
  
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl               
• The Player               
• Playing by Heart 
• Postcards From the Edge             
  
• Presumed Innocent
• Pretty Woman
• Pride & Prejudice   
• Pride & Prejudice (BBC version)
• Primal Fear           
• The Princess Bride
• Prizzi’s Honor
• Psycho               
• Pulp Fiction              
  
• Rain Man
• Rear Window               
• Rebecca   
• The Remains of the Day 
• A River Runs Through It
• Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
• Romancing the Stone
• Romeo + Juliet
  
• The Rookie
• The Royal Tennenbaums
• Rudy
• Saved
• Say Anything
• Sense & Sensibility           
• Shawshank Redemption   
• Shrek    
• Shrek 2
• Sideways   
• The Silence of the Lambs   
• Silverado
• Sin City                           
• Six Degrees of Separation
• Sixteen Candles                 
• The Sixth Sense               
• Sleepless in Seattle
• Sliding Doors
• Spaceballs   
• Spanglish           
• Spellbound
• Spellbound (03)                
  
• Star Wars (all 6 films)
• Stealing Home       
• Steel Magnolias
• Stranger Than Fiction               
  
• Strangers on a Train   
• Stuck on You   
• Suicide Kings   
• Superman Ultimate Collectors Edition (all 5 films)
  
• Sweet Home Alabama   
• Swordfish
• The Talented Mr. Ripley           
• Thank You For Smoking        
• Thelma & Louise               
• The 39 Steps
• The Thomas Crown Affair
• There Will Be Blood
  
• Thirteen Days     
  
• To Catch a Thief           
• To Die For
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Tootsie   
• Top Gun
• Total Recall
• Traffic               
• The Truman Show
• The 25th Hour
• Underworld
• The Untouchables
• The Usual Suspects
• V for Vendetta        
• Vertigo
• A View to a Kill
• The Village   
• Waitress
  
• A Walk On The Moon
• When Harry Met Sally
• Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory           
• Wonder Boys  
  
• The Woody Allen Collection (8 films)
  
• Wyatt Earp       
• The X-Files: Fight the Future
• X-Men
• X-Men: The Last Stand
  
• You Can Count On Me
• Young Frankenstein   

TV

• 30 Rock, Season 1
• Arrested Development, Seasons 1 – 3
  
• Best of Will Ferrell – SNL
• Damages, Season 1
• Extras, Season 2
• Friday Night Lights, Season 1
• If These Walls Could Talk 1 & 2
  
• The L Word, Seasons 1-2
• Lost, Seasons 1-3
• The Office, Seasons 1-3
• Queer as Folk, Season 1
• Sex & the City, Season 1-2
• Six Feet Under, Seasons 1-2
• The Sopranos, Seasons 1-3
• Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Season 1
• Survivor, Season 2
• Wonderfalls, Season 1

Hey, everyone has a hobby. This is mine.

So get cracking. Take a look at the lists above and see if you can figure out which actor and actress appear the most in the DVDs above. All entries must be left as comments below.

Thanks for playing! Good night, and good luck.

Read More

Is it me, or does there seem to be a serious drought in quality movies and television right now?

Usually the crap movies debut shortly after the Oscars, and the potential blockbusters and award-winners are released later in the year so they are remembered and considered. But it’s almost April, and I feel like we’re stranded in the arid entertainment desert without an oasis; no country for old men, women or children.

The only films I’m interested in shelling out $10 for in the next month or so include George Clooney’s Leatherheads with John Krasinski from The Office, and Smart People with Dennis Quaid, Ellen Page and Sarah Jessica Parker. I will more than likely wind up waiting to rent them both, but I like to pretend that I get out more than I actually do.

Obviously the Writers Strike has affected the current television landscape, and we’re experiencing a lull between new episodes of many popular shows. It doesn’t help that new series’ are being prematurely yanked after only one or two episodes or moved to a different date/time, before we’re given a chance to date and fall in love. I’m disappointed with Fox’s decision to essentially kill Canterbury’s Law by moving it to Friday nights; it is a pretty decent series and I like Julianna Margulies. And where will Cashmere Mafia wind up, if it even returns at all?

I have also been enjoying new episodes of Top Chef and The Riches while watching the unaired remainder of the canceled series Kitchen Confidential on Hulu (clearly I have a thing for Bonnie Somerville).

But enough of the gloom and doom; many shows are coming back very soon. For a complete list, see Maureen Ryan’s excellent summary.

April 3: My Name Is Earl

April 7: Samantha Who?

April 10: The Office

April 10: 30 Rock   

April 10: Scrubs

April 13: Desperate
Housewives

April 14: Bones

April 20: Brothers and Sisters

April 24: Grey’s Anatomy

April 24: Lost (2nd half of Season 4)

April 24: Ugly Betty

April 28: House

If I come across as cranky, let’s blame the sinus bubble that has taken up residence behind my right eye. Good times!

Oh, and my healthy holistic friends suggest that I purchase and use a Neti Pot, which supposedly cleans up your sinuses for an entire allergy season.

Yeah…I’m probably not going to buy some hippie genie lamp to stick up my nose and filter water through the other side. Seriously.  Click on this demo with the zombie woman. It freaks me out, and I couldn’t help but create this little ditty as I watched it with morbid curiosity:

I’m a little teapot, short and stout.
Stick me up your nose, then pour your nasal out.

Um, no thanks.

Have a nice weekend!

Read More