Monthly Archives: July 2007

July 10, 2007 · 10:31 pm

Karaoke Wars: NBC’s ‘The Singing Bee’ Stings First

It is an epic battle for the ages, and one that’s happening much sooner than we assumed it would. Last night and tonight, NBC and FOX will each air a reality show that basically devolves down to karaoke and lyrical skills. People have to sing lyrics of hit songs, and then they receive money. They’re basically the same show…in theory. But, based on tonight’s edition of The Singing Bee on NBC, and descriptions of FOX’s Don’t Forget the Lyrics, it appears as if we’re preparing for two different types of show.

How is this all happening, two shows almost identical making it to air? Well, NBC announced The Singing Bee as a fall show in May. And then, in early June, FOX announced that it had its own show, hosted by Wayne Brady, premiering in July. NBC, not taking too kindly to yet another The Contender/The Next Great Champ debacle (Where NBC’s Mark Burnett produced boxing reality show was beaten to air by FOX’s near identical show), rushed The Singing Bee into production to beat it by a night with Joey Fatone (Of N*Sync fame) as their host. I’m almost surprised FOX didn’t rush to air their edition on Monday, although it will have a cushy So You Think You Can Dance lead-in to match NBC’s America’s Got Talent lead-in.

But what about the shows themselves? In terms of NBC’s The Singing Bee, it’s actually a really interesting experience. Because, much like America’s Got Talent, it is really hearkening back to an older generation of variety and game show television. There are no million dollar prizes, no friends from home there to root them on, and the show begins and ends all within a single thirty minute episode. People are even pulled from the audience, even when you know it isn’t close to random. Does this make for good television? Well, sort of.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under NBC, Reality TV, Television, The Singing Bee

Tagged as Game Shows, Summer TV

July 10, 2007 · 8:01 pm

Canadian Idol – Week Three – The Top 7 Girls Perform

It’s the final week of the pre-Top 10 portion of Canadian Idol, and looking at tonight’s performers…I don’t know if there is a worthy Top 5 here. But, I can be proven wrong: here’s their opportunity to prove, once and for all, that they belong here. Tonight, it’s the girls’ turn to shine or, conversely, not shine.

Annika Odegard – “Ordinary Day” (Vanessa Carlton)

Dearest Annika, I am quite sorry for this…but that just doesn’t work. Much like last night’s opener Matt Rapley, the piano didn’t help you. In your case, you were very engaging performance wise but the voice didn’t hold up; this is the exact opposite of Matt whose performance didn’t improve but his voice stayed consistent. Annika isn’t a terrible singer, but that was vocally off for me. It was much better, more real, but I think it still needs a lot of work in the vocal department. In fact, it was really off key. (Also, is she dating that curly haired youngin’ she met during auditions? Or are they just friends? Any gossip, anyone?)

What the judges think: Jake thinks she has finally rediscovered himself, Farley thinks she let down her hair, Sass thinks she’s good, and Zack thinks it was good as well.

Worthy of Top 5? No. Look, this showed a lot of promise, but without that piano she was apparently terrible, and then she sings arguably worse but with a piano and she’s immediately infinitely better? She was more engaged and real, maybe, but the voice still isn’t mature enough to sell me on it. While she was relatively great for the judges compared to last week’s drudging, I don’t think she was any better here vocally.

Khalila Glanville – “For You I Will” (Monica)

This is more like it: after last week’s unfortunate song choice, Khalila chooses to belt out an R&B power ballad that showcases her voice well. She isn’t perfect, or overly original, but it is much more what she is trying to do. There were some rough moments, but her voice actually did a really good job of making its way through the song. It was a performance that doesn’t make you turn the channel, but at the same time won’t change your mind about her or the show.

What the judges think: Farley felt that she pushed her voice a bit more than usual, Sass thinks that she didn’t have enough wow factor, Zack thinks it was trying a bit too hard to hit a home run but has a ludicrous amount of positive things to say about her, and Jake thinks there was a couple of off moments but overall strong.

Worthy of Top 5? Yes. Even though she’s not perfect, Zack is right: she is mature and sophisticated and has room for growth within the competition.

Continue reading →

“Thar she Moves Timeslots, Mateys”: Pirate Master relocates to Tuesdays at 10

With about as much fanfare as you’d expect for a series struggling in the ratings, Pirate Master moves to Tuesdays at 10pm tonight due to the return of Big Brother for its eight season. The show will have a lead-in (Big Brother’s Tuesday edition), and should be able to do decently.

Still, is anyone really paying attention? From watching the CTV commercials for the series, it appears as if the series has yet to take a single honest-to-goodness twist. Survivor is a series that producers will always mix up when things get boring, but here they’re relying on the shipmates themselves to do the mixing…and they suck at it.

Will people tune in tonight to watch Pirate Master on its new night? Considering that CBS killed two shows within three months in this timeslot last year, something tells me “Arr, no” might be the answer we receive.

1 Comment

Filed under Pirate Master, Reality TV, Television

Tagged as CBS, Summer TV

July 10, 2007 · 9:46 am

’24’ is Out of Africa and Out of Ideas

Yesterday, Michael Ausiello broke some news, or gossip more specifically, about 24‘s 7th season. You know, the one that was supposed to shake everything up and totally reinvigorate the series after a rather awful sixth season? Well, it turns out that FOX decided that producers went a little bit too far this time around: they wanted to go to Africa. And, well…

According to sources, the 11th-hour time-out was called after the network put the kibosh on a costly plan to shoot a number of episodes in Africa. Producers briefly toyed with the idea of finding a location in Los Angeles that could sub for the continent, but they ultimately decided to ditch the whole concept and start over from scratch.

That’s right folks: start over from scratch. Mary Lynn Raksjub (Chloe), who will be back this season, notes that this delay was unexpected and will certainly set things back a bit. However, more importantly, I think it highlights the real problem that 24 has right now.

They’re damned if they do, and they’re damned if they don’t.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under 24, FOX, Television

July 9, 2007 · 8:07 pm

Canadian Idol – Week Three – The Top 7 Guys Perform

It’s the final week of the pre-Top 10 portion of Canadian Idol, and looking at tonight’s performers…I don’t know if there is a worthy Top 5 here. But, I can be proven wrong: here’s their opportunity to prove, once and for all, that they belong here. On a non-musical note, Idol is working with Ronald McDonald House to build a vacation home for families with sick children. Details on the auction being organized to raise funds can be found at Idol.ctv.ca.

Matt Rapley – “I’ll Be There” (The Jackson Five)

Matt is incredibly honest in telling us that he basically just stands around when he performs. So, this time, he sits around and performs while playing the piano. His voice sounds pretty damn impressive considering that he is also playing the piano, but sitting down is the last thing he needed to show more energy in his stage performing. It was interesting to see it, and it does prove him as a real musician, but I don’t think it allowed him to showcase anything we didn’t already know. Still his best performance thus far.

What the judges think: Jake felt he was too close to the mic but was glad to see the piano, Farley felt that he needed more energy, Sass thinks that it was smooth and beautiful, but Zack believes that he hasn’t demonstrated enough maturity or standing for something enough to make a record. Zack doesn’t think he’s at that level.

Worthy of Top 5? No. I’m with Zack, he just doesn’t have enough energy or artistry involved. He’s just a completely and utterly bland performer, even behind his piano. He’s not terrible, he’s just nothing. And that’s almost as bad.

Greg Neufeld – “Daughters” (John Mayer)

Greg wants an intimate moment on stage, and we get to see a lot more rehearsals this week. This is good, because it makes more sense when Greg is sitting on the stage. He performs the song from there, and it’s good…but as the Elder points out: “Greg Neufeld is to John Mayer as Mika is to Queen.” I didn’t feel it was all that intimate, but it was the opposite of Rapley. In sitting down, he actually grounded his annoying dancing and allowed the energy to flow through vocal dynamics and singing, of all things. It’s an engaging performance of a song that worked for his voice, even if even John Mayer hates its popularity.

What the judges think: Farley felt it was great, Sass felt he nailed it, Zack feels that he might have some issues with being too perfect for the public but thinks he is very, very good, and Jake thinks that you can never be too perfect and that Greg is, in himself, a show.

Worthy of Top 5? Yes. No matter how much we bring up “Rocket Man” (Which went unmentioned tonight), I think that Greg is a seasoned performer that could be a strong addition to the Top 5…especially considering the other options.

Continue reading →

The ‘Sorry’ State of Entourage: Season Four In Review

You may have noticed that I haven’t blogged about Entourage in the past few weeks, and this is because I haven’t been able to watch the episodes when they air on Sunday. However, even if I had, there is nothing in those episodes that is, well, all that worthy of blogging. This slate of episodes have taken all of the life from the series, turning what was once an engaging show into something I get very little enjoyment from. Last night’s episode, “Sorry, Harvey” was just another installment in what appears to be a season filled with episodes that show little to no plot advancement and it’s like we’re sitting around waiting for them to get to Cannes already. And that, well, is a ‘sorry’ state indeed.

Continue reading →

5 Comments

Filed under Entourage, Television

Tagged as HBO, Summer TV

July 8, 2007 · 10:40 am

Duelling Reviews: The Critical Divide on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Reviewers across the world will be sinking their teeth into Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix over the next few days, but don’t let the early Rotten Tomatoes score [EDIT: It was at about 90% when this was written, and has fallen below 70% as of Monday Evening] fool you: this film will likely end up dividing critics more than any other in the series. Why? Well, the reviews are going to fall into two camps:

Those who embrace the film’s anti-authoritarian, traditional film plot, and those who wanted to see more whimsical Quidditch matches and other such magic.

On the side of the more traditional film plot, we’ve got a few reviewers who are actually labeling the film the best yet:

Time’s Richard Corliss:

Another mystery–whether a new director (David Yates) and scriptwriter (Michael Goldenberg) can build on the intelligent urgency of the past two Potter films–is cleared up in the first few minutes as Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) performs some impromptu magic to save an ugly Muggle. The confrontation is swift, vivid, scary and, to the audience, assuring: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be a good one. Perhaps the best in the series, it turns out. The tone and palette are darker, the characters more desperate and more determined. Playtime is over; childhood is a distant memory or just a dream. For Harry and his friends, it’s time to grow up and fight Voldemort or surrender to him.

Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under Cinema, Movies

Tagged as Harry Potter

July 7, 2007 · 3:07 pm

‘Jericho’ Rerun Report: Week One Ratings a Mixed Bag

While certainly not a depressing defeat at the hands of the Summer Television ratings decline, CBS’ Jericho returned last night (Cultural Learnings Jericho Rerun Report – “Pilot”) with ratings that are considered a mixed result. There are some positives, but since this is just the pilot it’s hard to tell how being a serial will affect future weeks.

From PIFeedback:

The return of CBS’ Jericho, also a repeat, was the most-watched show at 9 p.m., with 4.74 million viewers — 210,000 behind the encore of lead-in Ghost Whisperer. Demographically, Jericho was second among adults 18-49, with a 1.1/ 4.

The Good News:

– Jericho won its timeslot in viewership, something that Close to Home had done in the weeks previous.

– Jericho held onto a large chunk of its Ghost Whisperer lead-in (4.95 Million Viewers)

The Bad News:

– The show finished behind last week’s episode of Close to Home considerably in total viewers, and by a small margin in Adults 18-49.

– The show failed to be even close to competing with Friday Night Smackdown! in key demos.

All in all, I’d say it’s a disappointment in the fact that the show couldn’t elevate CBS’ ratings over last week’s crime procedural. Still, the show maintained a great deal of its lead-in and there is still a chance that next week could see the series perform slightly better. However, it will actually face more competition next week when FOX burns off its remaining episodes of Drive in the timeslot.

And if Jericho can keep these numbers steady throughout the summer, I think CBS will be pleased.

10 Comments

Filed under Jericho, Ratings, Television

Tagged as CBS, Rerun Report

July 6, 2007 · 10:00 pm

‘Jericho’ Rerun Report – “Pilot”

Welcome to the 1^st Edition of the J.R.R., or the Jericho Rerun Report, where we’ll be reviewing the rerun episodes airing throughout the summer. This is a unique edition of the J.R.R. since I’ve already seen this particular episode. So what’s it like watching a 2^nd time around? Well, it’s kind of a mixed bag.

On the one hand, things move incredibly quickly in the early part of this episode with what is a lot of exposition crammed into about four minutes. We see Jake return to the strains of Brandon Flower and The Killers, entering into Jericho and providing a wide cast of characters with alibis as to his location for the past five years. The Navy, the Army, Minor League Baseball. We meet Stanley, Bonnie, Dale, Skylar, and all of the other casts of characters. What we learn? Jake’s been gone for a while, he’s mysterious, and he’s got daddy issues.

I actually think that this is a serious problem with the pilot: everything moves too darn quickly. It seems as if they were trying to fit all of this into a very short period of time, and it just doesn’t work that way. Here we’re getting years of history, family struggles between Eric and Jake, and we’re not even eight minutes into the episode. Starting out slow might have allowed the series to develop at a more natural pace. Instead, all of the “cool” setup is included in the pilot to “sell the show”.

And, to be honest, it sold me on the show’s potential quite quickly. The iconic shot in the image above is a stunning visage, and takes your breath away at first glance. The problem is that for the following ten or so episodes, it wasn’t about bombs and aftermath at all. It became a series about a community trying to return to a normal life, which we only got to see for about seven minutes. It’s hard to get attached to something that you only got to spend seven minutes with, you know?

Continue reading →

5 Comments

Filed under Jericho, Television

Tagged as CBS, Rerun Report, Summer TV

July 6, 2007 · 2:02 pm

[Not] For Your Consideration: Drama Series – “Heroes”

[As part of Cultural Learnings’ For Your Consideration Emmy Nominations Preview, the next two weeks will feature 7 Drama Series and 7 Comedy Series worthy of Emmy consideration. However, invariably, we don’t like all of them. Even some shows we watch, well, aren’t exactly Emmy worthy. So, [Not] For Your Consideration was born. For all of Cultural Learnings’ Emmy Coverage featuring Supporting and Lead Acting candidates, check out our For Your Consideration Index.]

Outstanding Drama Series

Heroes (NBC)

In preparing to write these pieces, I knew that I was going to have a problem with Heroes. I have a lot of opinions about this series, and admittedly not all of them are positive: despite enjoying the series immensely at certain points, at others I cringed and wondered just why I was watching it. So, knowing that I would likely end up writing an article about its season as a whole, I tried to distill my thoughts into something positive, but tentative. But then I realized that would not work, and that I needed to be honest. And so, here we are, with what is my first venture into this territory. Because, you see, even though it officially made the Drama Series Top 10…I don’t think that Heroes should be considered for an Emmy award for Outstanding Drama Series.