Whats Hot On TV

While People.com published an article with the title of Ellen Finally Gets Her Man, I couldn’t help but think as I looked at another People.com article, that Ellen got her man and her woman.

Since Ellen has moved to the Warner Brothers studio lot, she has had a running gag going. She is close to both George Clooney’s and Clint Eastwood’s offices. While she had a tour of Eastwood’s office, and even had him on the show a few times, Clooney remained elusive.

Ellen tried everything she could think of to get George on her show. When she would show up on his doorstep, he was never around, and she then started sending over gifts and people meant to trap him. She sent baskets of goodies, the Rockettes, and even a marching band. Continue Reading »

With the definite change in American Idol season 8’s auditions, it’s making me wonder whether the judges are truly being more gentler with the auditioners or whether it’s in the editing. If it’s the judges, it can’t be blamed on the case of Paula’s obsessed fan, as these auditions were filmed before that even happened. Yet, it could be that Editing has decided to mold the show and target it a certain way. Either way, it’s working, leaving people not much to complain about.

Those that are truly the bad auditions really aren’t being made fun of too much, and it’s not that the judges aren’t being given any material to work with. In the Kansas City auditions, the one that sticks out the most is Michael Nicewonder. He wore a singing medal he won in elementary school and had a five-year-old fortune cookie fortune taped to the back. He was only told his songs were too gloomy. Michael felt Simon Cowell was being his usual mean self, but to tell this guy only that his songs were too gloomy, really was being kind. It’s like the conversation I have with my son. Just because you disagree with what I’m saying doesn’t mean I’m yelling at you. Continue Reading »

Executive Producers had said we would see less bad auditions this season on American Idol, and that was before Paula Abdul’s obsessed fan killed herself in front of her house. To do the right thing, they really have to make sure that follow through with that this year, or it would just come off very badly for them. While they still were still number one in the ratings last year, they weren’t running away with it quite as much as they were in earlier seasons, prompting them to make a few changes. With the show kicked off Tuesday night, was it enough?

For the most part, I think they toed the line in the right direction. It’s a very thin line between entertainment and going too far to make fun of the contestants. Frankly, some deserve the attention to their nuttiness, as they audition with the intention of coming off crazy, as they know it will get them on TV. Yet, some people are seriously deluded, thinking they have honest to goodness talent. If you only showed the good auditions, they honestly wouldn’t be as entertaining, and you would have no one watching. Yet, if you make fun of the delusional folks, as the judges did to Paula’s obsessed fan a few years back, you just come off as crass and mean-spirited. Continue Reading »

I just can’t get past how wrong this seems to be. It was bad enough for Jason to be involving his own son in this mess of him picking a possible new wife and stepmom for him, but now they’re involving the kids of the single moms on the show as well? It just seems to be so selfish on the adults’ part.

Jason’s son is now involved in the show even more than he was last season. He was introduced to Deanna, and I understand it was an at home visit designed to meet the family, and Ty is definitely Jason’s whole world, so a major part of his family, yet it’s not like meeting someone’s parents. Meeting his 4 year old son was great for Deanna; it was good for her to understand how important he was to Jason in order for her to understand if she was choosing Jason, she was also choosing Ty. Yet, it opened this little boy up to a world of confusion and vulnerability. How did Jason explain to him that she came that one day to meet him, and now she’ll never come to visit again? How did he even explain he was on the show to begin with? “I’m going on TV to meet a lady that might say yes and become your new mom!” Continue Reading »

I could write about several things that stood out on last night’s Golden Globe Awards, the amazing standing ovation tribute to Heath Ledger, Tina Fey telling the internet world to suck it, Miley Cyrus sticking out her tongue, etc., but what I really feel I need to address is Mickey Rourke.

Rourke has always been one for the gossip pages. He’s been called dirty and “the human ashtray” (courtesy of Kim Basinger). Lately, it was clear he had some type of plastic surgery, and quite frankly, it didn’t look good. It’s like his face was stretched way too much or something, accentuating his lips. In chats of plastic surgery gone bad, his name is brought up often.

Last night, though, we saw a different side to Mickey Rourke, yet another face, if you will. We first had some really kind words aimed in his direction from Bruce Springsteen. The Boss won a Golden Globe for singing the theme song to Rourke’s film The Wrestler. He talked of Rourke calling him up and asking him to sing and write a song, then explaining a little about the film. He told Springsteen, “Some people invent themselves in their pain, and they turn away from love and the things that strengthen and nuture their lives. This is a guy that hadn’t figured that out.” That’s pretty astute coming from the human ashtray. Continue Reading »

Just when you think The Bachelor isn’t proving to be that exciting of a season, they stick something in at the end that has the ladies gasping and in tears, and Jason Mesnick looking like he’s ready to hurl himself over the railing. The last thirty seconds of the season’s preview tonight were the most exciting of all.

Compared to some of the more recent seasons, there just didn’t seem to be too much excitement. No one was slipping Jason their underwear and no one was passing out before the rose ceremony because of too much champagne. No one stripped down and jumped in the pool, and no one was showing off with pushups. All the ladies tonight seemed to be on their best behavior. While it’s good for them, we’d kind of gotten used to those shocking introducing shows. The most excitement we had was a woman that assured Jason she wasn’t a stalker, yet knew everything about him down to the name of his brother’s current date, and another woman cutting in on the Brazilian’s salsa dance.

I have to admit, though, that Jason made some puzzling picks as well that only seemed to lead to the lack of excitement. There are always some ladies that just don’t seem to stand out enough and that you figure are going home first in the bunch. Nothing against the plain janes of this world, as I see myself in that category as well (and the quiz I took today comparing me to Debbie Reynolds certainly seemed to back that up), but they just don’t seem as exciting as the stunning women that appear on The Bachelor, and they usually don’t get picked. Yet here was Jason selecting a few of them to move on. Editing didn’t even show that much of the women, as it seemed like they didn’t find them all that exciting either. Continue Reading »

I am trusting that all those celebrating are having a great holiday. I hope you all understand me taking the day off from offering up the What’s Hot On TV List. I had the programming of new iPods to oversee as well as a sick daughter on my hands today, preempting not just my daily programming list, but our Christmas plans as well. It just wouldn’t have been right to expose her possible illness to everyone at the Christmas gathering today, and it also wouldn’t have been right to leave her not feeling well while I sat researching and writing up my list for a few hours.

After a day of watching iCarly on a tiny little iPod screen today, then watching too many hours of The Christmas Story marathon (and when I say too many, I mean I normally like this movie, but five hours of it was just too much), I switched it up to Rocky when the marathon was finally over. What a refreshing change of pace this is, both from the marathon, as well as something a little different after watching a lot of holiday programming this month.

Fret not, I’m already hard at work on tomorrow’s list of What’s Hot On TV, which probably won’t have too many original things on there since it’s Friday and the day after Christmas. We should all be hitting the great sales tomorrow anyway. I think I’ll be spending part of my day at the pediatrician’s office, though.

Until then, I hope everyone is having a warm and safe holiday!

Photo courtesy of imagedownloads.blogspot.com