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1-20 of 33 articles from 2009 « Prev | Next »
Deconstructing the Decade from 'The West Wing' and beyond: Zap2it Andrea's favorite episodes
27 December 2009 5:01 PM, PST
| Zap2It - From Inside the Box
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Here comes round no. 3 of favorite episodes. My esteemed colleagues Rick and Hanh have picked their favorites and they each took considerable time preparing their list. I laughed at that -- until I sat down to do mine and it became a four-days-long project.
Here were my personal parameters for the list: 1. Each show could only have one episode on the list. 2. I would not repeat my colleagues' choices, which was particularly hard with "Buffy" and "Veronica Mars," as my top picks have been spoken for. 3. A two-parter counts as one slot on my list. My list, my rules. 4. There was a limit of 10.
Why a limit? Because my initial list had 22 entries and I realized I was basically just listing my favorite shows and then picking good episodes. I had to be more disciplined! The 12 I took off (for a variety of reasons) became "honorable mentions" of a sort.
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- editorial@zap2it.com
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"The Closer" Puts on Latex Funbags and a Matronly Dress
17 December 2009 6:30 AM, PST
| AfterElton.com
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There are two operative modes for The Closer. Half the time viewers get dark and gritty episodes —
usually involving a horrifically violent crime, a sympathetic victim, and Det.
Brenda Leigh Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) emotionally affected by the tragedy she's
investigating.
The second type of Closer
episode is basically lighthearted fluff. There's a crime involved, sure, but
the focus is more on Brenda Leigh's cat, or maybe her overly adorable parents
are in town and tagging along to crime scenes. Forced hilarity ensues.
I love The Closer
when it is gritty and dark, but those lighter episodes are so sugary they make your teeth hurt.
This week we got one of the fluff episodes. Blergh. You could
just tell from the opening shot of Brenda Leigh in a pink parka.
Too bad really, because it turned out to also be the week
the show chose to explore transgender issues. Beau Bridges
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- dennis
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'Friends,' 'ER,' reality TV top list of 10 most-watched episodes of the decade
3 December 2009 9:05 AM, PST
| Zap2It - From Inside the Box
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The #1 most-watched single episode of the aughts? The "Friends" series finale. What other shows made the list?
Reuters has released a list of the most-watched TV episodes of the last decade. Some are hardly a surprise; some are very surprising (and slightly depressing). The list is as follows (it does not include duplicate titles, so a show can only have their highest-viewed episode on the list):
1. "Friends," "The Last One," May 6, 2004, 52.5 million viewers
2. "Survivor: Pulau," finale, Aug. 23, 2000, 51.7 million
3. "Joe Millionaire," finale, Feb. 17, 2003, 40 million
4. "ER," "All in the Family," Feb. 17, 2000, 39.4 million
5. "American Idol," season six premiere, Jan. 16, 2007, 38.1 million
6. "Grey's Anatomy," "It's the End of the World as We Know It," Feb 5, 2006, 38 million
7. "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," May 3, 2000, 36 million
8. "Frasier," "Something Borrowed, Something Blue," May 18, 2000, 33.7 million
9. "Everybody Loves Raymond," "The Finale," May 16, 2005, 32.9 million
10. "Spin City," "Goodbye," May 24, 2000, 32.8 million
Interestingly enough, only three of the Top 10 are from the latter
»
- editorial@zap2it.com
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'Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney' series coming to WiiWare
18 November 2009 6:29 AM, PST
| Monsters and Critics
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Capcom today announced that three Ace Attorney games are scheduled for digital release on Nintendo.s WiiWare next year beginning with "Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney" followed by "Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice For All," and "Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials And Tribulations." Gamers can expect the first release sometime in January 2010; priced at 1,000 Wii Points ($10.00). Each game in the series presents twisting storylines and gameplay with comical anime stylings. In order to win cases, players will collect evidence, weed through inconsistent testimonies and overcome corrupt agendas. Present evidence with the wave of the Wii remote or press suspicious testimonies by wiggling it. The Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Episode 1 through 4) story kicks off with Phoenix
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- Hector Cortez
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'Phoenix Wright' arriving on WiiWare
18 November 2009 6:06 AM, PST
| digitalspy
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The Phoenix Wright series will be released on WiiWare. The Nintendo DS series of visual novel adventure games will be ported to the downloadable service in Japan early next year. Ace Attorney will be released on December 15, followed by Justice For All on January 26, both for 900 Nintendo Points (£6.30) each. The third and final release, Trials and Tribulations, will be priced (more)
»
- By Matthew Reynolds
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A Review of The Cleveland Show: Hancock's Previous Episodes
19 October 2009 2:11 PM, PDT
| Huffington Post
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Traditionally, television comedy chronicles the woes of being a shlubby, mediocre
American male, who is really a well meaning teddy bear underneath, but it is also a
defense of obnoxious people. Perhaps this is a reflection of the shows creators or their understanding of the real America. Regardless of what propels the writers to recycle this dynamic, their (and the actors) task is to encourage viewers
to empathize with these curmudgeons, make these prickly pears appear lovable, or, at least, watchable, as determined by TV studio executives.
The
list of sitcoms featuring black or white cantankerous males is endless, be it: The Honeymooners, All in The Family, Sanford & Son, Fawlty
Towers, The Jeffersons, Mr. Belvedere, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Frasier, The Simpsons, Mad About You, Married with Children, Scrubs, South Park, Family Guy, Entourage, My Name is Earl, House of Payne, Bored
to Death, and The Office.
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- Catie Lazarus
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Even the First Lady Doll Has Toned Arms!
16 October 2009 10:25 AM, PDT
| Momlogic
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Figures. Eventually someone would turn First Lady Michelle Obama into an action figure.
First Lady Michelle Obama may not have been pleased when dolls were made in the image of her two daughters, Sasha and Malia, but she seems to have no objections to new action figures fashioned after herself.
The three new Michelle Obama dolls are made by Jailbreak Toys (strange name for a toy company), the same manufacturer that produced the Barack Obama action figures during the 2008 campaign.
Each doll wears a replica of one of Michelle's headline-stealing fashion statements. The purple dress she wore when her husband won the Democratic presidential nomination, the red and black dress she wore on election night, and that little black and white number she wore on "The View." All of them have Michelle's toned arms. Each doll sells for 12 bucks. Collect 'em all!
Top 11 Most Controversial Dolls of All TimeThe "Lil'
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Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (October 16, 2009)
15 October 2009 6:47 PM, PDT
| AfterElton.com
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Last weekend's Equality March in Washington D.C. got me to thinking about how far we have — and haven't — come in the fight for gay equality. But since AfterElton.com focuses on pop culture, I'm going to look at things through that lens and leave the political analysis for Pam's House Blend, Americablog, Bilerico and the other assorted gay political websites that cover the topic.
One of the very first times American television addressed the subject of gay men (bisexuality was almost never addressed) was way back in 1954 when the L.A. based tabloid talk show Confidential File presented "Homosexuals and the Problems They Present." Hmm, I'm guessing it wasn't terribly flattering unless it was about how boring straight people looked in comparison to us 'mos.
San Francisco's public TV station did the first ever documentary, The Rejected in 1961 and it wasn't until 1967 that a television show first featured a gay storyline.
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- michael
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The Cleveland Show gets a full second season
15 October 2009 3:47 PM, PDT
| AOL - TVSquad
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Not that the future of this series was ever in doubt, but Fox has extended its original season-and-a-half order of The Cleveland Show to a full two seasons. Given the strong premiere ratings for the show, seasons beyond number two will likely be in the bag. If Fox didn't extend, they'd have to deal with an irate Seth MacFarlane who currently controls most of their Sunday night line-up.
Is The Cleveland Show going to end up being more popular than its progenitor Family Guy? Do these ratings simply represent a high initial interest in the new show that will wane over time? I have used the analogy of The Jeffersons spinning off from All In The Family, but did The Jeffersons ever beat All In The Family in the ratings?
Whatever the case, Seth MacFarlane doesn't have to worry about it for at least two seasons, and probably longer.
[Watch clips and free episodes of The Cleveland Show at SlashControl]
Filed under: Animation,
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- Brad Trechak
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New TV on DVD releases this week
28 September 2009 4:06 PM, PDT
| AOL - TVSquad
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Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.
This might not be the biggest DVD release day in history, but it's certainly one of the business. There's something for everyone this week, including a bunch of "Fan Favorites" DVDs for various sitcoms, including NewsRadio, All in the Family, and I Dream of Jeannie. That's a neat idea, though I wonder, if you're a big fan, wouldn't you already have the DVDs?
Oh, and remember Day Break, the ABC mystery series from a couple of years ago? You can get the Complete Series. I don't think I ever saw the end of that show. You can watch it on SlashControl, so maybe I'll start there before buying the set.
All in the Family - Fan Favorites
Ax Men - Season 2
Barney Miller - Fan Favorites
Bewitched - Fan Favorites
Continue reading New TV on DVD releases this week
Filed under: TV on DVD,
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- Bob Sassone
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The Cleveland Show: Pilot (series premiere)
27 September 2009 7:04 PM, PDT
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(S01E01) The Cleveland Show begins with the Family Guy crew in Quahog. After his divorce papers with Loretta are finalized and the prerequisite destruction of his house by Peter occurs, Cleveland decides to abandon his deli (you know, the one he never seems to be at anyway) and move to California. On an out-of-the-way detour, he stops in his old hometown of Stoolbend, Virginia and reconnects with an old flame.
Based on the pilot episode, the analogy that can be made is this: Family Guy is to All In The Family what The Cleveland Show is to The Jeffersons (with a little What's Happening!! and Good Times thrown in). Even the theme music is reminiscent of a 70's black sitcom, plus a few visual cues from Soul Train. The theme is catchy and even better than the Family Guy theme.
Continue reading The Cleveland Show: Pilot (series premiere)
Filed under: OpEd,
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- Brad Trechak
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Bewitched: Watch the Last Episode; "The Truth, Nothing But The Truth, So Help Me, Sam"
24 September 2009 10:59 AM, PDT
| TVSeriesFinale.com
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Starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, and Agnes Moorehead, Bewitched began its run in 1964 as the second highest-rated show for the year. The series remained in the top 20 for its first five seasons.
York left the show after five years, largely due to debilitating back pain following an accident on the set of a movie. He was replaced by Dick Sargent in one of the most well-known bits of recasting in TV history. Sargent carried on admirably but the show slipped into 25th place for season six.
The audience began to tire of the concept, scripts were being rehashed, and the face of television was changing. In its final year, Bewitched was aired opposite Norman Lear's groundbreaking All in the Family sitcom and Bewitched's viewership really fell.
Despite the poor ratings, it's believed that a ninth season
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- TVSeriesFinale.com
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The Golden Girls: Estelle Getty's Emmy up for Auction, TV Academy Not Happy
22 September 2009 4:29 PM, PDT
| TVSeriesFinale.com
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Prior to being cast on The Golden Girls, Estelle Getty had worked on stage but had very little on-screen experience. She struggled for a long time to make it as an actress but being cast as Sophia Petrillo was a career-changing event.
When the popular sitcom ended after seven years on NBC, Getty continued playing the role on the short-lived CBS spin-off, The Golden Palace, and then back on NBC for Empty Nest. The actress continued to act in a few projects but retired in 2000 because of illness. She died in July 2008 at the age of 84.
Getty won an Emmy Award for her work on Golden Girls in 1987. That sitcom, as well as All in the Family and Will & Grace, are the only shows in history in which all four main actors won the coveted award.
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- TVSeriesFinale.com
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Emmys: Hooray for 'Mad Men' and '30 Rock,' but how many repeat winners is too many?
21 September 2009 7:43 AM, PDT
| EW.com - PopWatch
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Well thank goodness Neil Patrick Harris and John Hodgman were a kick, huh? Because the list of Emmy winners themselves did nothing to shake up the ceremony this year. While the smooth host won praise and the telecast did seem fresher overall — loved the way they broke it into comedy, reality, miniseries/movie, and drama, all the better to clean the kitchen during the miniseries/movie segment — the actual choices were a bit of a yawn. That's not to say they weren't absolutely right in most major cases: 30 Rock (cast pictured) and Mad Men are truly worthy of praise, and furthermore, they still don't get ratings worthy of their greatness. But for the second year in a row, the pair took the top prizes. (It was 30 Rock's third consecutive best comedy win, putting it in the rare company of Taxi, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, All in the Family, and Frasier.
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- Jennifer Armstrong
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All In The Family For NBC, CBS Radio and MSN
10 September 2009 5:53 PM, PDT
| The Wrap
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By Josef Adalian
Three different conglomerates are coming together for a joint marketing initiative with one goal in mind: Building up the brand image for American Family Insurance.
As part of American Family's "The Family You Choose" campaign, the company is working with NBC Universal, MSN and CBS Radio/Katz Advantage to launch a series of integrated marketing initiatives designed to put the insurance company in a good light.
NBC U is launching "In Gayle We Trust," a 10-week digital series of comedic shorts from Brent Forrester (NBC’s &ldq
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- Adalian
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Maude: Angela Lansbury Hosting Tribute to Friend Bea Arthur
3 September 2009 6:03 AM, PDT
| TVSeriesFinale.com
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While theatre-goers knew Bea Arthur for her work in Mame, Fiddler on the Rood, and Bea Arthur on Broadway, those of us who love television will always remember the actress for her roles on shows like All in the Family, Maude, and The Golden Girls.
Arthur, who died in April, was indeed a veteran of both stage and television. Those two worlds will come together later this month for a special tribute to the Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress. Longtime friend and Mame co-star Angela Lansbury will host the event.
Among those either performing or offering remembrances will be Norman Lear (creator of All in the Family and Maude), Adrienne Barbeau (Maude), Rue McClanahan (The Golden Girls), Zoe Caldwell, Chita Rivera, and Billy Goldenberg, Arthur's longtime accompanist.
Celebrating Bea Arthur will be held on September 14th at the Majestic Theater
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- TVSeriesFinale.com
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Maude: Angela Lansbury Hosting Tribute to Friend Bea Arthur
3 September 2009 6:03 AM, PDT
| TVSeriesFinale.com
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While theatre-goers knew Bea Arthur for her work in Mame, Fiddler on the Rood, and Bea Arthur on Broadway, those of us who love television will always remember the actress for her roles on shows like All in the Family, Maude, and The Golden Girls.
Arthur, who died in April, was indeed a veteran of both stage and television. Those two worlds will come together later this month for a special tribute to the Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress. Longtime friend and Mame co-star Angela Lansbury will host the event.
Among those either performing or offering remembrances will be Norman Lear (creator of All in the Family and Maude), Adrienne Barbeau (Maude), Rue McClanahan (The Golden Girls), Zoe Caldwell, Chita Rivera, and Billy Goldenberg, Arthur's longtime accompanist.
Celebrating Bea Arthur will be held on September 14th at the Majestic Theater on Broadway. The public will be admitted on a first-come,
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- TVSeriesFinale.com
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Joss Whedon: Master of cult TV
2 September 2009 6:11 AM, PDT
| EW.com - PopWatch
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For the second class in our EW University course on TV Auteurs, Prof. Adam B. Vary offers this overview of the TV career of Joss Whedon, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Dollhouse. Also, check out this photo gallery of our favorite shows by four legendary showrunners.
What Stephen Bochco (Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, NYPD Blue), Norman Lear (All in the Family, The Jeffersons), and Rod Serling (The Twilight Zone) were in the 20th century television, Joss Whedon has become today: Nothing less than a television brand. His name alongside the "Created by" credit during the opening titles guarantees you are about to watch a show that swings for the fences; a show as keenly attuned to its female characters as its male ones; a show that tackles Big Ideas and Big Themes without skimping on Great Entertainment; a show that is unafraid to Go There, from allowing the
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- Adam B. Vary
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All in the Family: Watch the Final Sweet Moments of the Groundbreaking Sitcom
13 August 2009 11:13 AM, PDT
| TVSeriesFinale.com
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In its day, All in the Family was truly a revolutionary sitcom. Created by Norman Lear, it broke new ground in network television and was the first sitcom to openly discuss subjects like racism, miscarriage, menopause, homosexuality, and breast cancer.
All in the Family revolves around a blue-collar household that's owned by a bigoted working stiff, Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), and his sweet but dim-witted wife, Edith (Jean Stapleton). Living with them are their adult daughter, Gloria (Sally Struthers), and her liberal husband Michael Stivic (Rob Reiner). Recurring supporting characters are played by Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, Mike Evans, Mel Stewart, Betty Garrett, Vincent Gardenia, Danielle Brisebois, and Allan Melvin.
The show debuted on January 12, 1971 and CBS ran a disclaimer before it aired: "The program you are about to see is All in the Family. It seeks to throw a humorous
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- TVSeriesFinale.com
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All in the Family: Watch the Final Sweet Moments of the Groundbreaking Sitcom
13 August 2009 11:13 AM, PDT
| TVSeriesFinale.com
| See recent TVSeriesFinale news
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In its day, All in the Family was truly a revolutionary sitcom. Created by Norman Lear, it broke new ground in network television and was the first sitcom to openly discuss subjects like racism, miscarriage, menopause, homosexuality, and breast cancer.
All in the Family revolves around a blue-collar household that's owned by a bigoted working stiff, Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), and his sweet but dim-witted wife, Edith (Jean Stapleton). Living with them are their adult daughter, Gloria (Sally Struthers), and her liberal husband Michael Stivic (Rob Reiner). Recurring supporting characters are played by Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, Mike Evans, Mel Stewart, Betty Garrett, Vincent Gardenia, Danielle Brisebois, and Allan Melvin.
The show debuted on January 12, 1971 and CBS ran a disclaimer before it aired: "The program you are about to see is All in the Family. It seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices, and concerns. By making
»
- TVSeriesFinale.com
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