Tag Archives: tv shows

New “News Shows”

Hands down one of my favorite TV shows of all time is “Frasier.” The now defunct NBC comedy (which you can still catch in syndication) was masterfully written starred some of the funniest actors around. The verbal sparring between Kelsey Grammer (Frasier Crane) and David Hyde Pierce (Niles Crane) was by far the most hilarious material I have ever watched (over and over and over again). Those two were simply brilliant on that show. Sigh. I really miss “Frasier.” While it will never be resurrected, I take solace in the fact that Kelsey Grammer will be returning to television this … Continue reading →

Celebrity Updates: Barkley, Seinfeld, and More

In between the bits about Brit and the parts about Paris there come stories about celebrities whose work should really be grabbing headlines, but typically don’t. Such is the case with basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. The all-star athlete showed he is able to score big on and off the court when he treated 100 Lake Tahoe-area firefighters to dinner Saturday night. Barkley toured the devastation of a nearby wildfire that destroyed 254 homes last month when he was in town to play in a charity golf event last week. The fire displaced 3,500 residents and caused more than … Continue reading →

TV: Who’s Coming and Going

ISAIAH WASHINGTON It didn’t take Isaiah Washington long to bounce back from his “Grey’s Anatomy” firing. The actor is getting a second chance to flex his acting muscle on a new network—-NBC. Executives there just announced they offered Washington a role on a new drama and prospects for his own network series. Network big wigs announced Washington would be joining its new series “Bionic Woman” for five episodes. According to NBC, Washington will play “a mysterious person who is brought into the enigmatic scientific organization” responsible for creating bionic Jamie Sommers. The actor and NBC Universal Studios also are reportedly … Continue reading →

D’Oh… The Simpsons Are Going To Vermont

Don’t count out the underdog. It’s a lesson 13 other Springfields learned the hard way today. In a contest to crown the Springfield of all Springfields, tiny Springfield, Vermont beat out more than a dozen other like-named cities for the right to host the premiere of “The Simpsons Movie.” Thousands of “Simpsons” fans were asked to cast their online ballots on “The Simpsons Movie Springfield Challenge” website. In the end Vermont (population 9300) got 15,367 votes, edging out Springfield, Illinois, which received 14,634. Next week the sparely populated Vermont city will host the film’s premiere in its 100-seat movie theater. … Continue reading →

Life Imitating Art

If you are a fan of TV’s “The Simpsons” then you must have been overjoyed to see that some 7-Eleven stores have temporarily turned into Kwik-E-Marts, the fictional convenience stores frequented by characters on “The Simpsons.” About a dozen 7-Eleven stores across the country completely transformed their shops (both inside and out) into Kwik-E-Marts, while most of the 6,000-plus other 7-Elevens in North America are selling items featured on the animated show including Buzz Cola, KrustyO’s cereal and Squishees, the slushy drink knockoff of Slurpees. The store transformations are part of a campaign to promote the July 27th opening of … Continue reading →

No Barbie Dolls For Bindi

Forget about Barbie, for 8-year-old Bindi Irwin playtime is all about Blackie—-her black-headed python. Would you expect anything less from the daughter of the late crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin? In addition to Blackie, Bindi recently revealed that she spends quite a bit of time with Corny, her “lovable” corn snake (the one she sleeps with every night). Then there’s Jaffa her koala; Ocker, her favorite cockatoo; and Candy, her pet rat. The junior “Crocodile Hunter” is hoping to give her pets some serious airtime on her new TV show so the rest of the world can get to know them … Continue reading →

The Queen of Queens

For the last five years or so I have been an avid fan of the CBS sitcom “The King of Queens.” Believe it or not, it is one of the only shows on television that my entire family will sit down and watch together. (I know… don’t ask.) Well, tonight (after a nine-year run) the popular show comes to an end. (Reruns will continue to air in syndication, but the original shows end tonight.) That means no more hilarious squabbles between Kevin James and Jerry Stiller’s characters (first he departs from my favorite Thursday night show “Seinfeld” and now Stiller … Continue reading →

Goodbye “Gilmore Girls”… Hello Maytag Repairman

Television is losing a fan favorite. “Gilmore Girls,” a drama about an independent mother and daughter, is ending its run after seven seasons. The show used to be one of the most popular sagas on the WB lineup, but last year it moved to the CW network (when WB and UPN merged) and ratings dipped. Yesterday, network executives announced it will be pulling the plug on the series that some described as a show filled with “memorable and lovable characters.” The series stars Lauren Graham as single mom Lorelai Gilmore and Alexis Bledel as her equally sharp and beautiful daughter. … Continue reading →

“Cavemen” Craze

I have a friend who loves the cavemen from the Geico commercials. The ad seems to be on all the time. It features cavemen (they look like rejects from the defunct TV series, “Land of the Lost”) who appear insulted by a Geico pitchman’s claim that the company’s website is so easy to use that “even a caveman can do it.” My friend used the line the other night when I asked him if he could help me reconfigure a program on my computer. “Of course,” he said, my request was so easy “even a caveman could do it.” (Silly … Continue reading →

A “Spicy” New Reality TV Show

Okay, try to refrain from rolling your eyes until after you’ve read this entire blog (or at least half of it). Just when you thought there was not a soul left in the world for TV producers to recruit for a reality series—BAM—one comes out of the woodwork. According to news reports, former Spice Girl, Victoria Beckham is reportedly in talks to appear in her own reality TV show. While nothing has been set in stone, a source close to the project tells news reporters that a decision is imminent. The premise of the show (which sources say is being … Continue reading →