Tonight Show Shake Up

The Jay Leno Show is canceled; but they want to keep Jay, Conan and Jimmy. Talk about NBC wanting it all.
NBC reportedly planned to have Jay on at the 11:35pm slot, The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien at 12:05am and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon afterwards. But if that’s going to happen, Conan O’Brien has issued a statement that he won’t do “The Tonight Show” following Jay Leno.
“My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of ‘The Tonight Show.’ But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction.”
I’m Team Coco all the way. His statement has got to be one of the classiest and most eloquent responses to a news this messed up. NBC is just making messes all around. And Jay Leno’s smugness doesn’t help things one bit. I still can’t understand why he didn’t just retire altogether when he said he would leave “The Tonight Show.” And now with the way things are going, it seems like he’s going to go back to his old timeslot as if nothing changed. And Conan O’Brien! I love the man and his comedy way more than Jay Leno (This guy doesn’t even make me laugh.). I just wish things pan out for him in the long run; because he’s simply getting the shortest end of the stick here.

Simon’s Last Year

Simon Cowell is leaving American Idol after this season to concentrate on the American version of his Brit show The X Factor.
Well, that sort of throws the whole future of American Idol into a tailspin. After all, Simon Cowell IS the show. His opinions are the only ones that really really matter. Fox could only hope to find a suitable replacement that achieves even half of what Simon does for the show.
So I guess Ellen Degeneres, Randy Jackson and Kara Dioguardi are sure things for next year. Other than that, we could only enjoy the last few days of Simon Cowell on American Idol and only speculate on what will happen on the show’s tenth season.

January Pick-Ups

And onto some good news, here are shows that got early pick-ups for next season.
The Middle, White Collar, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Glee, Mad Men, Dexter, The Big Bang Theory.

Friends on TV

Right on the heels of Lisa Kudrow’s guest appearance on Courtney Cox-Arquette’s show Cougar Town, we’re hearing more shows from former friends are getting their own go signals. ABC has greenlighted to pilot the Matthew Perry-starring comedy Mr. Sunshine. |source| Meanwhile, Matt LeBlanc is forced to audition for the role of himself in the series/spoof Episodes for Showtime. |source|
I love seeing my favorite Friends stars on television. I deeply miss the show; and seeing them move on to (hopefully) good projects just feels great.

Top TV Obsessions for 2009
(in no particular order)

Friday Night Lights
Now on its fourth season, Friday Night Lights continues to be amazing. Despite moving on from old characters such as Lyla and Tyra, Smash and Street, the show proves that it could reinvent itself by splitting Dillon into two sides — East and West. Viewers now find themselves rooting for a whole new color, a whole new team… the East Dillon Lions.
This particular shift in the story gave us new and interesting characters as well as a lot more drama caused by the rift that the re-districting created. So far, not a single disappointing episode has come out… with Zach Gilford’s performance in “The Son” as a definite highlight.
With half a season left, I couldn’t wait to see what else the show has in store next year.

Chuck
When the show promised a game-changer by the end of season two, they definitely delivered everything they’ve got. The old Intersect is gone in Chuck’s brain; but Intersect 2.0 proves to be much more interesting than the first one… with Chuck doing kung-fu at the drop of a hat.
A long hiatus is not helping things, however. When the season ended in April, it was set to return March 2010. Thankfully, the season premiere has moved up to January 2010; but it is still a long wait from the awesome second season finale. Hopefully, 2009 brings more good things for Chuck, with guestings from Kristin Kreuk to Brandon Routh in the horizon.

Modern Family
This show is just so much fun to watch. I decided to check this out after its glowing review on Entertainment Weekly’s Fall TV Preview (my annual bible for what’s new that’s worth watching); and I wasn’t disappointed. Episode after episode, the family just keeps on giving the laughs. From Phil Dunphy to Manny Delgado, everyone has something funny to offer each and every episode. It’s definitely one of the best shows to come out this year.

Dexter
Though the Jimmy Prado storyline didn’t provide as much sparks for the show last year, Dexter bounced back quickly with the Trinity Killer in tow during the recently concluded season. John Lithgow’s amazing performance brought on the suspense we always expect from the show; and Michael C. Hall continues to pull his own weight as the Dexter who wants to have it all.
We have yet another long wait to see what happens next; but the finale offered up yet another game-changer that will surely make the next season interesting.

The Big Bang Theory
This show is honestly kicking How I Met Your Mother’s butt recently. I still love HIMYM; but TBBT is much higher on my comedy favorites now. I find myself constantly laughing at joke after joke.
Sheldon, as usual, is the revelation that keeps this show entertaining. Still, credit has to be given to the other characters because they pull their own weight when it comes to comedy… with Howard’s Jewish mom and Leonard’s mom (I loved the Christine Baranski episodes), even Penny and Raj provide enough laughs that are sustained throughout each and every episode.

True Blood
The show definitely officially became a hit this year, with ratings catching up to records set by The Sopranos by the end of the second season. Despite a disappointing finale, True Blood’s sophomore effort is still one that I got completely obsessed with. Sookie’s trip to Dallas, Eric’s obsession with Sookie, Jason’s new friends in the Fellowship of the Sun, and Lafayette’s personal journey since being held captive in Fangtasia kept things interesting. Forget about the Maenad and Tyra… those were forgivable given the other, more fun stuff the show offered.

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It’s the end of another decade; and what a decade it has been. Between 2000 and 2009, so many shows have come and gone. And when I think about it, most of my TV obsessions sprung within the past 10 years. From Smallville (which I used to love but now do not watch completely) to Veronica Mars (which I miss to this very day) to Friday Night Lights (the BEST drama right now) plus a bunch of new and amazing comedies (The Big Bang Theory, Modern Family) that replaced some classic favorites (Friends, Sex and the City), watching television pretty much ruled a part of my life the past decade.

Anyway, before moving on, you might want to read my year-end TV recaps since 2006 when I started blogging about TV. It might give some insight into how my TV watching has changed (or not) over the past 4 years:
TV in 2006
TV in 2007
TV in 2008

And now…. As a salute to the decade that was, here are some notable TV highlights between 2000 and 2009 (some personal, some general observations). The shows mentioned may not all be award-winning critical favorites; but I loved ‘em (maybe even left ‘em recently):

Smallville (2001-present)

From the time I heard about it being produced, I’ve been excited to check out Smallville, which is basically “Superman as a teenager.” The first season was everything I loved in a series: drama, action, comedy and a lot of teen angst. It became the first show I was truly obsessed with (at least in this decade). I visited websites, read spoilers, collected its music, even started a fansite of my own for the show.

The first few seasons kept me hooked, with the cliffhangers as events I always looked forward to. I kept on watching until half of the sixth season, when the stories just became less and less interesting. Plus, when I heard that the show was losing Michael Rosenbaum, quite possibly the best actor on Smallville; that was it for me. Now, the original executive producers have gone and the show still goes on… It’s now on its ninth season; and I have absolutely no idea what’s happening.

I still have the first three seasons in my DVD collection; and despite the show losing its quality in recent years, Smallville still remains in the back of my mind as a show that started my TV show obsession.

Meteor Garden (2001)

The first Asianovela I watched (and still a favorite). With only 19 hour-long episodes, the story ended quickly; but the mania that came along with it lasted quite a while. Four guys that made up the supergroup F4 became a sensation; and the Philippines never looked back. Asianovelas, until now, are a staple in television programming. Though imports still keep coming in, none of them could recreate the stir that Meteor Garden started.

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10 Outstanding Motion Pictures and TV Programs of the Year

“The Hurt Locker” has done it again. The drama about soldiers in Iraq who diffuse bombs landed on the American Film Institute’s Top 10 movies of the year the same day that it was named the top film of 2009 by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

Among the other dramas that made the cut were “The Messenger,” “Precious,” “A Serious Man,” “A Single Man” and “Sugar.” There was still love for comedies like “Up in the Air” and “The Hangover,” as well as family films like “Up” and “Coraline.”

The AFI awards gives nods to the “most outstanding achievements in film and television” and honors the creative ensembles in front of and behind the cameras. A luncheon to present the honors will take place on Jan. 15 in Los Angeles.

It was a good year for new television, according to the American Film Institute. The AFI’s TV Top 10 of 2009, announced on Sunday (Dec. 13) afternoon, features five programs that premiered this year, including the surprising inclusion of the Starz comedy “Party Down.”

Also making the AFI TV Top 10 were “The Big Bang Theory,” “Big Love,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Glee,” “Mad Men,” “Modern Family,” “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency,” “Nurse Jackie,” and “True Blood.”

The only show carried over from last year’s AFI TV Top 10 was “Mad Men,” meaning that “Breaking Bad,” “In Treatment,” “The Office” and “Life” must have done something to disappoint the AFI’s voting panel.

While the AFI honored a pair of TV movies/miniseries last year, with “John Adams” and “Recount,” this year’s list only saw value in series television.

|source|

Yay for the shows in BOLD… 7 out of 10… not bad. And though I’ve only watched the first season of Big Love, I wouldn’t argue that it’s a really good show. I’ve been reading up and everyone’s saying it only gets better and better. Anyway, I’m happy that organizations such as The American Film Institute recognize the greatness that Friday Night Lights brings to the table. I still don’t get why the Emmys don’t just get a freakin’ clue and nominate this show for some major awards.

As for the movies, I already have The Hurt Locker and Precious saved for viewing (can’t wait!).

Like I said on one of my Tweets last week, “The finales this year ROCK!” I’m serious. I’m loving the cliffhangers this year. I know most people hate them; but for me it is a great measure of how the following season looks from a distance. When those last few seconds of a show’s season finale wind down, instead of saying “Noooo!” to a great cliffhanger, I’m all, “That was awesome!” or “What a great ending! Right? Right?”

 

Kidney Now! Wow!

Finally!

Professor Mosby looking for "Mother" to "meet"…

Thanks to The TV Addict‘s March 2009 TV calendar, we know exactly what to expect this month. There are a number of sweeps stunts coming our way (Please refer to our crash course # 1 to understand what "sweeps" is. Plus, an answer to why it’s March sweeps this year and not the usual February sweeps.). Also, there are a couple of series and season premieres on the horizon. Here are some of the highlights:

March 3
Reaper returns to The CW for a second season!
I really missed this show. The latter part of the first season has gotten really interesting; and my brother and his wife are just getting into it. So there’s really no choice but to get the latest episodes.

March 5
[edited]
We meet the 12 finalists of American Idol season 8.
After this Wednesday’s results show, Thursday will be the Wild Card Round. Each judge gets to pick 2 contestants from the Top 36. They will perform and the final three finalists will be chosen by the judges on the same night. Exciting!

March 9
Summer Glau guest stars on The Big Bang Theory as herself.
The geeks are gonna go crazy over this Terminator star and I can’t wait to see what happens!

March 15
It’s the series premiere of Kings.
I’m not so sure what this show is about; but there’s some buzz. I’m just being the usual TV drone that I am.

March 16
Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill return.
It’s been a long couple of weeks since we last saw a new episode. I can’t wait to get my hands on them. Seriously. Everyone’s been asking me where the new episodes are. They’re finally back!

March 18
Better Off Ted premieres on ABC.
I’ve seen the promo; and I think it’s a good, quirky comedy that probably won’t be appreciated by most Americans (i.e. Arrested Development). Still, I love these kinds of shows; and I’m hoping audiences will wise up and watch it.

March 20
It’s the series finale of Battlestar Galactica.
I know I haven’t gotten all caught up; but this means I can buy the complete series on DVD soon (original, of course!).

March 30
Greek returns for a new season!
I missed this show a lot. It’s one of those light and fun shows that I really enjoy. Plus, last season’s cliffhanger really threw me. I have to know what happens next.

March 31
Cupid premieres!!!
It’s finally here! Rob Thomas’ second chance at making his old creation a hit… I really hope it’s as good, if not better, than the original. Please!

All the good stuff on TV was back this week and I couldn’t be happier. Of course, some of them will be gone a long time after this (like Gossip Girl taking a break for 4-5 weeks); but the others just came back on air (like Chuck). With the number of shows I’ve already watched this week and with my sudden abundance of free time (just refer to My Twitter for some clues), I want to do a quick recap because I don’t think I’ve done those in a long time.

How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory are really funny this week.
Barney’s video resume had me lol-ing the whole time. I could only wish we had a glimpse of what Barney put together for Robin’s video resume. My only guess is that it’ll turn up right before these two get together (Barney and Robin, I mean). Aside from that, there is the brilliant use of Alyson Hannigan’s pregnancy to illicit some laughs… in that she joined a hotdog eating contest and upon winning, got a really huge belly. Ted and Marshall’s stories are no match for the others; but I would just like to mention Ted’s hair in college… wow. (And not in a good way.)
As for the nerds of TBBT, the problem-solving in the beginning and everybody else walking out on Sheldon — funny. Sheldon’s hiding places for his money — really funny. Penny freaking out because of her guilt for borrowing the money from Sheldon — entertaining. The gang confronting Kurt to get Penny’s money — really entertaining. I’ve definitely fallen in love with this show especially with the laughs it brought on this season.

One Tree Hill is casting a movie!
James Van Der Beek is really funny as the jackass director; and how each of the characters responded to their movie versions certainly gave some laughs. The read-through was a bit — bad and I think some cameo appearances of real actors or actresses would’ve made things more interesting. Still, overall, I can’t wait to see where things go with this movie version. It could get really good or it could get really tiring and ridiculous fast.

Gossip Girl is more scandalous than ever.
Blair starts a rumor about a student and teacher having an affair (specifically Dan and Ms. Carr). Sure, with a teacher that cute, it’s possible that Dan can’t keep his hands off her. And that teacher is quite young that she could maybe get it on with a student. Of course, everything wasn’t true. However, this causes a rift in the Serena-Dan dynamic and in the end, they don’t quite make it out alive. And once that teacher was fired and once Serena and Dan officially broke up, the teacher and the student turn those rumors into reality.
I just found it funny that Ms. Carr (or should I say, Rachel) immediately jumped in the sack with Dan right after she got fired. Talk about being a bit of a s**t yourself. I don’t know where they’re going with this; because personally, I was a bit surprised that Dan and Serena threw in the towel quite suddenly. This better be good.
There’s a whole month of speculation before we see another episode. I guess fans like me will just have to power through.

Chuck is back!
The episode wasn’t as dizzying as I thought it would look without the 3D glasses. I just had to watch it despite the blues and reds in the background because I missed the show so much! Simply put, I’m just happy the show is back.

I’ve been having a rather uneventful week. I have nothing much to do; and I’m basically bumming it out at home. Next week’s gonna be crazy, though, so don’t feel sorry for me. Still, I find myself not posting about the shows I’m watching. I guess there’s just so many stuff to watch, I don’t have enough energy to write about them afterward. Sad? I guess.

Anyway, in order to exercise my hands and my brain even for a little bit this week, here are some random thoughts on some of my favorite shows and their most recent episodes [spoiler alert if you haven't watched them].

The Amazing Race Asia 3
Geoff and Tish are in the final 3! I wasn’t sure they’d get this far; but yay Team Philippines!!!
They are against Malaysians Ida and Tania and HongKong boys Sam and Vince. At this point, it’s never a good thing to predict who’s going to win; because despite the HK boys’ 4-hour setback, they might catch up with a simple "hours of operation" or flight delay. Anything goes; and I’m really excited to see who will win.

Chuck
The show’s sophomore season has been nothing other than entertaining. I continue to root for Sarah and Chuck to get it on. Casey continues to be my favorite character. And the gang at BuyMore keeps that high standard of being a really weird place to work in. The recent storylines (Sarah’s high school reunion, Bryce’s return, Chuck’s ex Jill) have also fueled the characters and their motivations for the rest of the season. I now see why NBC grabbed the opportunity of ordering more scripts of this great show. I can’t wait to see what else they have in store especially after the recent reveal of Jill as a rogue agent.

Friday Night Lights
Season three is still maintaining that winning streak… coming out with one great episode after another. Season two’s murder plot is now light years away and the show is back to what made it great in the first season. Personally, I didn’t mind the Tyra-Landry murder storyline… they twisted it into something that made sense; but it definitely felt separated from the real heart of the show. Now, the Taylors, the Riggins brothers, the Garritys, the McCoys, the Colettes, the Saracens, even Crucifictorius (Landry’s resurrected band)… everyone… get just the right amount of coverage that slowly but surely endear me to each and every person I meet in Dillon, Texas. I just love these characters so much. This is one great show not many people are watching.

Gossip Girl
The scandals continue. Serena’s got a new guy (who I don’t really like to be quite honest). Nate can’t choose between Vanessa and Jenny. We see some sparks return for Rufus and Lily. Blair and Chuck continue their "game" or whatever it is they’re doing. And Dorota is more adorable than ever. There are a lot of things still happening on the Upper East Side and I can’t stop watching.

Grey’s Anatomy
Izzie’s with Alex; and that’s what makes me happy. So WTF is Denny doing in the show? He’s been dead to me a long time ago. Why do they have to make him come back over and oVeR AND OVER!!! I am inclined to believe the brain tumor rumors just to make sense of this ridiculous storyline; but apparently Shonda Rhimes denies that that is the case. Other than that, I’m loving Kevin McKidd as Major Hottie. He’s bringing new life to the self-absorbed doctors of Seattle Grace. Also, I’m happy that Mer-Der is going strong. That’s what keeps me glued to the show despite situations mentioned above.

How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, 30 Rock
It’s hard to make notes about comedies; but I’m still loving these shows. They continue to make me laugh and that’s what matters.

True Blood
I am hooked on this show like V (and you know what I mean if you watch the show). I said it before. The world they created is really and truly fascinating. It’s a no holds barred depiction of vampirism and just how dark things could get when it comes to this type of subject. I’m loving the mystery. I’m loving the weirdness of the characters. It’s shocking yet entertaining every single time and it keeps me interested. The finale’s next week and I can’t wait to see what happens.

I guess this is enough for today. I’m going to bed.

Oh, and PS, I loved Jon Hamm on SNL and the show hosted by Paul Rudd produced a winning skit with Justin Timberlake and Beyonce as guests. Just wanted to throw it out there.

Given that my Internet was down for the past couple of days (I only used our office computer to post my mini rant entry yesterday.), I wasn’t able to post my latest entry in a timely manner. Anyway, better late than never; so here it is.

Aliens in America 1×15 “The Muslim Card”
Raja experiences his first crazy girl relationship without him attempting to have one. Because of his inherent niceness, he attracts Mental Mindy into thinking that they are in love. Of course, Raja realizes just how crazy and annoying this girl is after spending some time with her. At first, he uses Islam to create an “insurmountable” obstacle between them; but apparently, she is willing to convert just so she could be with Raja. Raja learned a lesson that simply being honest … even if it means hurting someone in the process may not always be bad, depending on the circumstances (and the people involved).

I think Aliens in America is still a great show; and it never fails to entertain me episode after episode. This one is no different. The situations that both Raja and Justin get into are funny yet they lead into a bit of character development. They learn from each other’s culture; and the show delivers a social statement by being funny without being too preachy.

How I Met Your Mother 3×17 “The Goat”
Barney and Robin vow not to mention what happened between them to anyone… especially to Ted. The secret, however, proves to be difficult to keep because of the guilt Barney feels. In an attempt to clear his conscience, he hires Marshall to look into “The Bro Code” and find a loophole. In the end, everything still comes out in the open and Ted decides that he and Barney should probably not be friends any longer.

As far as storytelling goes, I’m happy that they didn’t drag this secret on for a number of episodes. They just let the truth come out in one go. It’s a testament to how bad they are at keeping secrets OR how good they are as friends. (Just depends on how you look at it) It was sad but understandable how Ted reacted to Barney’s betrayal of “The Bro Code.” In the end, I’m curious how Ted really feels about Robin after this (Is she really forgiven?); but his feelings about Barney are pretty clear. Only time will tell if the Barney-Ted relationship will ever be the same again.

Oh, the only thing I didn’t like about this episode was the goat. Pure time killer, to be honest. And in the end, it didn’t even matter as a story. Still, the whole Bro Code thing and Barney’s (as usual) awesome performance more than makes up for it.

The Big Bang Theory 1×14 “The Nerdvana Annihilation”
Sheldon, Leonard, Raj and Howard all pitch in to buya time machine from eBay thinking that it’s a miniature when in fact, it’s a life size prop from the actual movie. The whole predicament about sharing this gargantuan “toy” made for some hilarious moments. The whole “fast forward” bit they did made me laugh really hard. I continue to love this show; and it honestly gets better and better every single time.

30 Rock 2×14 “Sandwich Day”
It has been another laugh out loud funny episode of 30 Rock. The return of Liz’s ex Floyd has been extremely entertaining to watch. From the scene of Liz giving him the keys (that blower bit was hysterical) to their argument mentioning Ikeas, Ghostbusters and Cleveland, their relationship continues to be an interesting part of our heroine’s life.

As for Sandwich Day, the idea and the execution were both brilliant. It’s amazing how crazy people can get over some sandwiches. I gotta get me some of those…

Oh, and as for Jack Donaghy leaving GE, I’m hoping and praying he’s going to come back as soon as the next episode. 30 Rock won’t be 30 Rock without Jack.

With the impending scarcity of new episodes due to the writers’ strike, I’m focusing my attention elsewhere… local television and local cable. There’s a lot of changes going on; and I wouldn’t want to miss out. I’ll keep you updated; but here’s what’s worth knowing for now:

Solar channels are moving to FREE TV. Clearly, Solar Entertainment realized that without the subscriber base of Sky Cable, they might not be able to maintain the viewer base they currently have. So, effective 01/01/08, ETC will be seen on SBN 21, C/S will be on RPN 9 and 2nd Avenue will transfer to RJTV 29. I don’t know where JackTV is moving to at the moment (or if they’re going to free TV); so if anyone can inform me, please leave a comment. Check your channel guide for more information.

Moving In To JackTV. Speaking of Jack, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Saturday Night Live are moving to JackTV. New shows The Big Bang Theory, Aliens in America and Pushing Daisies will be moving in as well.

Sky Cable’s New Channels. Velvet is geared towards the female audience; and so far, the only shows worth watching here are The Soup, So You Think You Can Dance and reruns of America’s Next Top Model. I don’t really like The View or Good Morning America that much. The former has women that are too talkative for their own good; and the latter is a bit more serious than The Today Show (which is a morning show I like). However, if you don’t mind old episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond & Charmed and a new show Life Is Wild which no one’s talking about, then knock yourselves out with this channel. Oh, and New Years’ Eve, they’re airing Justin Timberlake’s Futuresex/Loveshow Concert; so watch out for that.
Maxxx is another channel; and it skews towards the male audience. The only show I like here is Attack of the Show, which is a gadgets / technology / pop culture / anything in between show. Other thanthat… ho-hum.
Other channels that are coming are Balls, KidsCo, FoxCrime and AXN Beyond.

Where Some Shows I Like/Love Will Be At. New shows are coming to Asia; and I’m beyond thrilled to deliver the latest news:
* Reaper and Dirty Sexy Money will be on Studio 23.
* Dexter will be on Fox Crime.
* Damages will be on AXN starting January 8 at 10pm.
* As mentioned earlier, The Big Bang Theory, Aliens in America and Pushing Daisies will be on JackTV.