Category Archives: Television

June 15, 2007 · 8:54 am

Saying Goodbye to a Legend: Bob Barker’s Last Episode of ‘The Price is Right’

In the land of television game shows, the host is an important part of the equation. What would Jeopardy be without Alex Trebek’s trademark moustache…er, without his self-important readings of answers in fake accents? And seriously, would it be better if those letters just appeared themselves on Wheel of Fortune as opposed to Vanna White elegantly pressing that hidden button? And, while the models are certainly part of the appeal, hypochondriac Howie Mandel basically makes Deal or No Deal what it is. And yet, these hosts have proven themselves able to pick up on new game show trends and ride them for twenty years. Bob Barker took an aging pricing game format thirty five years ago and has kept it relevant, even while hipper game shows pop up every year. It is that accomplishment that makes Bob Barker the most impressive game show host of our time, and in the wake of his retirement today it is important that we remember what makes him so engaging.

The Price is Right: Bob Barker’s Final Episode

Syndication: Check Your Local Listings

Primetime: 8pm EST on CBS

The Price is Right hasn’t changed much over the years, at least since I started watching it at a young age. The pricing games still features old technology as opposed to flashy video screens, they never did update the bidding ones, and Bob Barker still holds his trademark wired microphone. And yet, somehow, that hasn’t mattered; while other game shows from this era are now long gone, The Price is Right remains.

I believe that to be entirely the job of Bob Barker. He has remained the focus of the series from day one, and has weathered many storms. I remember a point when Barker’s beauties were the talk of the series, but now they’ve turned into nameless models because that fad came to an end even as Barker persisted. There is something timeless about him, something that allows him to continue to affect generations in a way that attractive women could only dream of achieving.

The man became a pop cultural icon by being something that today seems so foreign: he’s relateable. Now as people are attracted to the rich, to the famous, Bob Barker comes across as someone you pretty well want to be your father or uncle. When people went on stage with him they felt like they could borderline molest him because he was so darn friendly, and I often wondered how he didn’t strangle some of them (Especially the slow ones. You don’t need the audience to help you).

I don’t know if the show will be able to survive without a relateable figure like Bob Barker, and I don’t think you can replace someone like him. I will leave you with proof of his legacy in the form of pop culture references and appearances. And with a reminder to help control the pet population. Seriously, if you don’t do it now, you should be smacked upside the head.

How I Met Your Mother – Showdown

It may be the most recent, but this episode in which Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) believes Bob Barker to be his father speaks to the above. Even though it is through a television, and is clearly naive, Barney completely and totally believes Barker is his father, and you can actually see how he connects with him through television. Plus it’s pretty well hilarious.

Happy Gilmore

In perhaps the greatest signal of his legacy, Bob Barker plays against type by knocking out Happy Gilmore in what became yet another example of his impact on a pop cultural generation.

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Filed under How I Met Your Mother, Television, The Price is Right

Tagged as Bob Barker, CBS

June 14, 2007 · 9:04 pm

‘Pirate Master’: Things Happened This Week!

[EDIT: Pirate Master was canceled in late July, and its remaining episodes will be streamed online every Tuesday at CBS.com.]

Last week I promised that I was going to stop watching slowly sinking Pirate Master…but after finishing up tomorrow’s For Your Consideration piece, I decided I’d turn on the TV and see what was going on. So, my impressions are only of the first 15 minutes…and I feel like I just transported into a bizarro world.

A Change in Leadership!

Azmyth, who didn’t even get to TALK in the first episode, is suddenly the captain of the ship. I assume this means that the team without the captain (Joe Don) on it lost the expedition, which is at least a necessary twist in the game. Also, Azmyth taking on an accent gave Cameron an opportunity to actually make an ad-lib!

Vive la Revolution!

Man, everyone seems really happy all of a sudden. I refuse to believe that this happened without the assistance of mind-altering drugs, can someone confirm or deny this? It seems way too sudden, as if Azmyth gave them all money…wait, did he give them all money? That seems possible.

People Have Opinions!

Much more like a Survivor tribal council, the people at “Pirate’s Court” had things to say, people to talk about, concerns, questions, and everything else you could imagine. Even one of the officers got to talk, which was just fascinating for me. Apparently with new leadership comes new energy and openness, which was certainly one of the show’s downfalls.

Things Happened!

I will assume things happened in the actual episode itself, but there was a tie! The crew is divided! The captain makes a fascinating and nearly incomprehensible decision! This has never happened before!

I don’t know about you, but I kind of like this game of just watching the last fifteen minutes: it’s much more interesting when I have to guess what has happened in the previous part of the episode. The show is still not perfect, but I have a suspicion that this episode might have it on a better track. Did anyone else brave the entire episode? Was it so soul-crushing that the conclusion couldn’t save it? Please let me know.

Next Week on Pirate Master: Sean is dead to Jay! Joe Don tests Jay’s loyalty! And a treasure surprise sends the pirates SPINNING! Looks like things might get even more interesting…but who knows.

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Filed under Pirate Master, Reality TV, Television

Tagged as CBS, Summer TV

June 14, 2007 · 3:37 pm

The ‘Little Mosque on the Prairie’ That Could: NBC shows interest in CBC Comedy

When CTV’s ‘Corner Gas‘ was picked up by WGN in the United States at some point last year, it was a bit of a surprise: not only is Corner Gas outrageously Canadian, it’s also not that funny…although I guess that that makes it fit right in at an American superstation, no? It didn’t seem like it had anything to make it stand out for an American audience outside of being a quirky attempt to play off of Canada’s reputation south of the border. However, things are different for CBC’s ‘Little Mosque on the Prairie’: it has a buzzworthy cultural commentary at its centre, and is apparently actually quite humorous. And, it appears that Ben Silverman (New Head of Programming for NBC Universal) is interested in the series for the American market.

For clips from the first season (Almost the entire shows, actually) and for some fascinating discussion on the various intricacies and cultural issues raised within the series, head to Little Experiences…, here on WordPress.

First off, I would expect to see the series picked up by USA Network (Irony is fun) as opposed to NBC proper, considering that NBC lacks a comedy slot and the production values aren’t quite ready for primetime network television (Just sayin’). Also, The CW is launching ‘Aliens in America’ on its Monday comedy block that covers a young pakistani who ends up smack dab in the middle of a suburban nightmare; two shows with such similar themes would be a bit overkill. However, even if only on USA Network, this would still be a huge coup for the show, and for CBC. The idea of having one of their own series picked up by an American network shows that their development cycle is putting out shows good enough to expand their market range, right? Right?

Actually, CBC might well be very, very nervous right now. Because Little Mosque on the Prairie is thus far the only successful, new, original, CANADIAN series they’ve launched in quite some time. And if that show is co-opted and taken into an American audience, what it proves is that CBC isn’t making content uniquely for Canadians when it can so easily be taken south of the border. This, anyways, will be the argument from the CBC critics out there. And I don’t know how I feel about it.

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Filed under Little Mosque on the Prairie, NBC, Television

Tagged as Canada, Canadian Upfronts, CBC

June 14, 2007 · 2:43 pm

Trading Places: The TV Shows That Should Switch Writers for One Week

If CBS gives the go-ahead, producers of two of the network’s highest rated programs might be switching writing staffs for a week. However, perhaps surprisingly, these two shows are Two and a Half Men and CSI:. One is a light-hearted innuendo-laden comedy. The other is a procedural drama that only occasionally wanders into the comedy realm. This is perhaps the greatest idea ever.

Now, I have no idea how it would work out for either show (Which excites me), but it does have me thinking: which other TV series should swap writing staffs for a week? And I came up with all sorts of options, but here are two to get us started.

‘The Office’ and ‘CSI: Miami’

This would address the question I’ve been dying to have answered: would CSI: Miami be more or less funny if the humour was intentional? Horatio Caine is basically the most ridiculous character on television, and through the joys of YouTube his unintentional humour has become a cult sensation. However, what would happen if the hilarious writers of The Office got to write lines actually meant to be funny, meant to elicit laughter. I’m imagining Horatio talking a lot like Dwight while investigating the recent marijuana incident…and it’s basically cracking me up right now. As for the other side of the coin, I think it would be interesting to see whether the CSI: Miami writers are actually capable of being funny…my bet is on no, but the other side would be totally worth it.

‘Heroes’ and ‘Battlestar Galactica’

Admittedly, this one is somewhat less about comedy. However, I think that this would be a very interesting experiment because I think that Heroes’ writing staff would learn a lot about character development and sustaining multiple storylines. While Battlestar has its slow episodes, its characters have been so well developed that they often don’t resonate. If Heroes writers could pick up on that, they might be able to survive an entire season at a stronger pace. Meanwhile, I would love to see what Ronald Moore and David Eick could do in the Heroes universe considering their success on the Sci-Fi series.

Okay, so that’s it from me on this subject (I have more, don’t get me wrong, but I figure I should give people a cchance). Are there any other shows that you think might be ready for a crossover opportunity? Is there another show you think might benefit from The Office’s hilarity or one that could be helped by Lost’s mythology? What writers do you think should spend time on Wysteria Lane with some desperate housewives? Are there any writers that you think might benefit from spending some time in Jericho? Feel free to comment below.

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Filed under Battlestar Galactica, CSI: Miami, Desperate Housewives, Heroes, Jericho, Lost, NBC, Television, The Office

Tagged as CBS

June 14, 2007 · 11:00 am

For Your Consideration: Supporting Actresses – Hayden Panettiere and Jenna Fischer

[In Week Two of Cultural Learnings’ 59^th Annual Emmy Awards Nominations Preview, we’re looking at possible contenders for the Supporting Actress awards in both drama and comedy. Today, we present our seventh and last set of candidates. For last week’s Supporting Actor candidates, and all of the Supporting Actress candidates, Click Here]

Supporting Actress in a Drama

Hayden Panettiere (Claire)

Heroes

When I previewed Heroes’ pilot back in August, I had the following to say about Hayden Panettiere’s performance as Claire: “The texas cheerleader is perhaps the most grating of the characters, although there is still nothing inherently negative there.” I don’t really know what that even means to be honest with you, but I do know that my opinion of Claire turned around drastically as the series went along. Perhaps more than any other character, Claire allowed us a glimpse at someone coming to term with their powers in a real way, without the grand world-saving idylls of people like Peter or Nathan. While her story started as her against her father, it was clear as time moved forward that he was simply protecting her…and then it all made sense. As part of this ensemble cast, Hayden Panettiere got to be the only actress to understand her powers not through some sort of contrived plot device, but through natural progression and understanding as the season wore on. I might not have been squarely in her court in the beginning, but I am now willing to submit Hayden Panettiere for Emmy consideration.

There is something instantly appealing about Claire, even if I found her grating in the beginning. A young girl realizing she has powers, she is forced to face the perils of high school while also hiding her true self from all those around her. This period provided some good material for Hayden: her on the autopsy table was a moment to remember, and her friendship with Zack was certainly one of the show’s most convincing outside of Hiro and Ando. However, that period of Claire’s life was really just the life she knew; as she struggled to figure out her relationship with her parents, she became curious. As she became officially part of the Petrelli clan after meeting her fire-starting mother, suddenly she was faced with a different dilemma: now that she knew who her real family was, where did her true allegiance lie?

And that is where the character came to a real high point. Now an integral part of the series mythology not just due to the ‘Save the Cheerleader, Save the World’ talk, Claire was forced to choose a side between her new family (Led by her triumphant hero Peter) or to remain loyal to her father as she knew him, Noah Bennet. As Claire’s story came into full view, it was clear that Panettiere was up to the task. Claire’s discovery of her true past, and of her true future, were compelling almost entirely because Panettiere never allowed the role to completely overcome her. Whereas other actresses might have been unable to handle the transition gracefully, I came to believe Claire’s transformation from high school cheerleader to world-saving heroine because it never jumped to extremes or gave into its gimmick (I’m looking at you, Ali Larter). While Heroes’ cast is certainly diverse, none of the other supporting actresses can claim as solid a season as Hayden Panettiere, and it’s why she is most likely to gain Emmy attention.

Episode Selection: “Company Man” (Aired February 25^th, 2007)

Remember last week where I discussed how this is the episode for which Jack Coleman (Mr. Bennet, Claire’s father) should be considered for an Emmy? Well, I have to say the same for Panettiere, who holds her own in this episode that gives her what I believe is her most genuine hero moment of the entire series. With her father in jeopardy, Claire shifts into full-on hero mode by going out of her way to help her father and save them all from a nuclear meltdown. By establishing her love for her adopted father, even in the wake of his betrayal of her, Claire was given just as much depth in this episode as her father. Panettiere waltzes through it all with a sense of childhood playfulness in the flashbacks and genuine heroism in the present, without playing things too harshly in the process. It is a strong performance, and one that is likely to garner her Emmy attention once her dramatic conclusion arrives at the end of the episode.

YouTube – “Company Man”

Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Jenna Fischer (Pam)

The Office

Oh Pam. In my first attempt to write this paragraph I really just wanted to talk about Pam as if she actually existed and I could in some way shape or form influence her. I think that is what has always been what makes Pam interesting: her ability to be so damn real you want to reach through your screen and strangle her for being such an idiot, especially this season. I think this says a lot about Jenna Fischer’s character, because she always made me care: not always in the best ways, mind you, but I always felt that Pam’s fate was important to me personally. And this season, I watched Pam spiral into a place that wasn’t happy, and saw as everyone around her basically treated her like she was just another character. If she had stayed in that rut all season, I don’t think I could have possibly considered her for an Emmy award…but then the end of the season happened. Those final two episodes were everything they needed to be for Pam: a chance to speak her mind, and a chance to return to her old self. And in the process, Jenna Fischer finished a character arc worthy of Emmy consideration.

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Filed under Award Shows, Emmy Awards, Heroes, NBC, Television, The Office

Tagged as Emmys, For Your Consideration

June 14, 2007 · 8:00 am

Why You Should Consider Taking a Trip with ‘Traveler’

I hadn’t watched the Traveler pilot since last summer when I sat down last week to catch up on what I’d missed thus far. By all accounts (Those being that of my parents, who had been watching the series weekly), the series appeared to be on track for decent drama, so I figured that catching up might not be a bad idea. In the end, I’m quite glad I did: Traveler has developed into a succinct, well-made serial drama that should be garnering better ratings than its current averages. The series has managed to pull together its disparate parts into something cohesive and strong, and after last week’s “cliffhanger” ending it is clear that this story is only beginning. And, well, I think people might want to tune in for the end. Traveler has done a number of things right, and they’ve all contributed to its serial success.

Consistency of Character

Jay is the lawyer, always thinking of lawyer-like things. Tyler is the trust fund kid with parental issues, and has never wavered from this fact with his paranoid and impulsive behaviour. The FBI agents are even getting their own characters, but they’re simple and not complex for the sake of being complex. The characters are not full of depth, but for what this series is trying to put together there is just the right level of consistency for the series to work. While Jay’s girlfriend has yet to become much more than a cliché, at least they’re not attempting to pass her off as anything more.

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Filed under ABC, Television, Traveler

Tagged as Summer TV

June 13, 2007 · 3:00 pm

Pilot ‘Previews’ and Pilot ‘Reviews’: Television Media and the 2007 Fall Shows

Recently, major entertainment websites and print media have begun to receive their DVD Screeners for the fall’s new shows. With only a glimpse of the shows being revealed at the Upfronts nearly four weeks ago, journalists are now getting a chance to see the entire episode that convinced a major network to give that show a spot on it schedule. However, they can’t tell you what they really think about them: based on Screener regulations, they are only able to offer a “preview” of the pilots. There will be no reviewing of this fall’s new shows as long as the Screener people get their way.

Now, while I haven’t quite been able to find any documented reason for why this is, allow me to speculate. I believe that the studios are afraid of the power that journalists wield when deciding whether a show is good or not. They fear that critics might be, well, critical of the work that they’ve done, and that said criticism will reduce the potential of that show in the fall. It’s a win-win for the studios, they believe, if all people can offer is vague commentary on the episode. Take for example TheTVAddict’s “preview” of Sarah Connor Chronicles (Pictured), FOX’s midseason entry:

THE GOOD: The action packed pilot had this TV Addict on the edge of his seat for the entire hour.

THE BAD: How exactly are they going to keep the action quotient up each and every week? If the season finale of HEROES taught us anything, it’s that with great power comes great respon… err, I mean – it’s that television budgets aren’t very conducive to an action packed weekly series.

For studios, they see this as fantastic: the good comment does little but help the show, and the writer isn’t able to offer enough substantiation for their complaint for it to feel definitive in the eyes of viewers (And let’s face it, that’s not even really a bad thing. Just a cautionary warning). These studios believe that they’ve found a way to protect their pilots from the savagery of the internet.

But what differentiates a preview from a review? Does it mean that you can’t be negative, or that negative comments are frowned upon? Or can you not discuss any details of the pilot? Or are you unable to offer examples of anything? And are people even paying attention to these guidelines? Well, let’s find take a look and find out just what that difference is.

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Another One Bites the Dust: The CW’s ‘Hidden Palms’ Will Make Quick Exit

While there was no question that The CW had no intentions of keeping Hidden Palms around next season after its terrible opening numbers, the series has been given its walking papers a little bit sooner than expected. Four of the five episodes of the show remaining after tonight’s episode are going to be burned off in two-hour installments over the next two weeks; as a result, the show will have its series finale on July 4th, according to TheFutonCritic.com.

The show was pretty well doomed to failure: launched without a successful lead-in and with sharp competition from FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance? in its key demographics, Hidden Palms was never going to make a huge impact. Reality TV has basically staked summer as its territory, even as some of those shows fail to sail through the summer seas, and it appears that serial drama just isn’t a huge draw. Traveler, which airs its fourth episode tonight on ABC (10pm) has been surviving with decent ratings, but it certainly hasn’t broken out even comparably to the dreadful celebrity impersonator show airing before it.

So, for fans of The CW’s summer drama, enjoy the month of June. Afterwards, another summer program drowns in its attempt at being the next seasonal sensation.

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Filed under Hidden Palms, Television, The CW

Tagged as Summer TV

June 13, 2007 · 11:35 am

For Your Consideration: Supporting Actresses – Adrianne Palicki and Becki Newton

[In Week Two of Cultural Learnings’ 59^th Annual Emmy Awards Nominations Preview, we’re looking at possible contenders for the Supporting Actress awards in both drama and comedy. Today, we present our sixth set of candidates. For last week’s Supporting Actor candidates, and an index of all candidates, Click Here]

Supporting Actress in a Drama

Adrianne Palicki (Tyra)

Friday Night Lights

In a sea of supporting actress candidates, selecting Adrianne Palicki for Friday Night Lights was difficult. Much of my praise for Zach Gilford last week actually doesn’t apply to Palicki at all: his performance is about subtlety and teenage anxiety, whereas Tyra Collette is brash and acts far closer to Palicki’s real age of 24. However, what I realized as the season went on is that Tyra is a character with a great deal of depth beyond her apparent surroundings. While early season storylines had her sleeping with young oil executives (Which was sketchy for a 17-year old and never quite fit), she developed into a much stronger character as the season wore on. She may have been that bad girl who was on the wrong side of the tracks, but by midseason she was the girl who acted tough because her life was falling apart around her. While she might not excel at playing a teenager, Adrianne Palicki excelled at playing a girl who faced trouble with her head held high until she just couldn’t handle it anymore. And that performance is worthy of Emmy attention.

Tyra is the requisite bad girl, in direct contrast to Minka Kelly’s sugar sweet Lyla Garrity. She’s the bad influence on the coach’s daughter Julie, the love interest for resident bad boy Tim Riggins, the object of the nerdy Landry’s desires, and the special project for Guidance Counselor Tami Taylor. However, somehow Palicki managed to make each of these relationships incredibly compelling. Her scenes with Julie were playful, being just subversive enough without being deplorable. Her relationship with Riggins is complicated, with her feelings being varied and wavering at a realistic pace. Her scenes with Landry provided some great comedy late in the season, and working with Tami showed the bad girl side of Tyra breaking down.

And yet, I think the scene that I most enjoyed was Tyra heading into Jason Street’s hospital room with a bottle of liquor and shooting the shit while getting plastered. She was there to make a statement, screw with Lyla’s head, and yet she never quite took it to the level of outright “I’m going to screw your boyfriend”. She was this bad girl, so capable of being so, and yet she had some sense of a moral guideline. That moral guideline became even more clear as her academic future and her strained relationship with her mother became clear, including her battles with her boyfriends. Suddenly, her early season actions gained context they did not have before, and the result was that Palicki’s performance seemed that much better in hindsight. She is no household name, but Palicki crafted a character in a way that is worthy of Emmy consideration.

Episode Selection: “Mud Bowl” (Aired March 28^th, 2007)

I don’t want to call this episode Emmy bait, because that takes away from Adrianne’s strong performance…but it was Emmy bait. Waiting for Landry at a fast food joint in the pouring rain, Tyra encounters a rather creepy male. As Landry is late, Tyra gets up to leave and is followed by the man who attempts to rape her. She fights him off with a cigarette lighter, and falls into Landry’s arms as he arrives. Palicki’s performance in the episode is incredibly powerful in what could have been a tough storyline to pull off, and she’s also great in the rest of the episode as she warms up to Landry and all of his charm. To see this “bad girl” devolve into a mess following this traumatic situation was one of those moments where you realized how real Friday Night Lights was, and Palicki’s portrayal of Tyra is what makes that possible in this episode. But since that scene can’t be watched, here’s a scene of Tyra interacting with Matt and Landry.

YouTube – “Mix Tape”

Supporting Actress in a Comedy

Becki Newton (Amanda)

Ugly Betty

A lot of what I discussed about Michael Urie’s performance in Ugly Betty goes as well for Becki Newton. She was also introduced as a catty coworker who would attack Betty mercilessly, and was as one-dimensionally funny as a character could get early in the season. However, like Marc, Amanda grew throughout the season into someone more caring, compassionate, fragile. Perhaps realizing that Betty wasn’t herself interesting enough to carry every storyline, B Plots began going the way of Marc and Amanda, and the result was three-dimensional characters that stood on their own accord. While she might not be a big name like Vanessa Williams, Becki Newton was always up to the task of being a vicious critic when necessary while always being able to show Amanda’s more sensitive side. That ability to balance conniving and concerned, caring and villainous, puts Newton into consideration for an Emmy Award.

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‘Lady or a Tramp’: Donald Trump as Role Model for Young Girls

‘The Apprentice’ was designed as an opportunity for Donald Trump to spread his business knowledge…on paper. In reality, it was all an attempt to spread his massive ego. I don’t know if it is because he’s delusional, but Donald Trump seriously believes that he is the moral guideline for the nation. And it is this side of Trump, this side of self-involved tomfoolery, that emerges within FOX’s in-development ‘Lady or a Tramp’.

Series, which will combine the competition and self-improvement aspects of reality television with the sizzle of the tabloids, is an adaptation of the British series “Ladette to Lady.” On that show, party girls are sent to the U.K. charm school Eggleston Hall, where they are taught “how to go from throwing a kegger to throwing a tea party,” Goldman quipped. Girls are required to wear tweed skirts and pearl necklaces, and taught the finer points of skills like flower arranging and needlework. Contestants then face challenges in those areas, with one girl expelled from the school at the end of each episode. “Tramp” will follow a similar format and also show ample footage of the girls partying.

Now, Variety notes Trump’s attempts at self-improvement, but I believe that this is once again a feeble attempt to extend his fame. Producers of the show are quick to admit that they’re cashing in on (I’d say exploiting) the tabloid rumours swirling around Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, and really that’s all that is occurring here. And it’s mildly alarming.

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