Archive for August, 2010
Emmys 2010: The Opening Number
Aug 30th
Here it is, hands down the BEST moment from this year’s Emmy Awards – as Jimmy Fallon, a few of the Glee cast and a ragtag of other celebrities take to the stage for a rendition of Born To Run…
I loved the Kate Gosellin gag (good for her!), seeing Jon Hamm’s comedic side again and the always fabulous Jane Lynch in action. All in all it was a great way to start the show – even better than Neil Patrick Harris’ terrific ‘Put Down That Remote’ last year…(see below!)
As for the rest of the show though – here’s a few thoughts from my end…
- Jimmy Fallon: Great guy but not such a hot host. Aside from the opening he hardly did anything, aside from some very lame Twitter gags and an okay musical parody later in the show that mocked Elton John, Green Day and 24 (including a ‘why doesn’t Jack ever go the restroom gag’ that was older than Elton’s last hit). Not a patch on NPH last year…
- And speaking of great hosts… how fantastic was Ricky Gervais‘ presenting speech. After a succession of awkward autocue moments (oh Matthew Perry and Lauren Graham how I feel for you) More >
The X Factor: Annastasia Baker
Aug 28th
Next up, here’s Annastasia – a shortlisted performer from 2008 who’s now aiming to hit the finals…
As you’ll see from this clip, the audition doesn’t exactly go to plan with Baker at first attempting Proud Mary and coming across as Tina Turner lite (and really who can compete with Tina. What was she thinking!) Simon wasn’t exactly PC with his trannie comment – but he was right on the money. It was pure cabaret…
Changing gears Annastasia tackles Adele with much better results but though she passed through with 3 ‘Yes’ votes I see danger ahead. Clearly Baker doesn’t really know her sound or style yet and 2 years on from her last audition I question just how much she’s really grown…
But what do you think? Do you think Annastasia has what it takes? Or even with heavy producing do you still see her coming up short…
The X Factor: The Reason
Aug 28th
After a week of Auto-Tune and contestant scandals – all of which will only add to the show’s immense ratings – here’s the best of this week’s new X Factor acts…
First up, boyband The Reason – hoping to follow in the footsteps of JLS, The X Factor’s most successful group to date (see my Before And After piece for more on JLS and other X Factor alumni)
There’s a lot going for these guys. Two of the four are super hot. They sound great – with very strong harmonies. And the decision to take on Cheryl’s own hit ‘Fight For This Love’ was a smart one (the original is below for all you Americans who don’t know it)
Like Simon said, less is more – and when you’ve got the goods you don’t need crazy dance moves and vocal acrobatics… I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more from these guys down the line…
But what do you think? Did The Reason work for you?
Summer 2012: 15 TV Lessons We Learned…
Aug 28th
Summer is almost over so it’s time to put away those BBQ sets and beach towels for another year. But before we settle down for the Fall TV Season – here’s 15 Lessons We Learned From Summer 2010…
Networks Execs take note!
1) Scripted Network Dramas Are Dead: Witness NBC’s Persons Unknown (aka Persons Unwatched), ABC’s Happy Town and the Sunday night snoozers The Gates and Scoundrels. All four struggled to attract more than 3 million viewers a week and barely made it through their runs. And the only real scripted ‘hit’ of the summer, ABC’s Rookie Blue, was a middling 5 million rated cop show.
2) …But Scripted Cable Shows Are Hot: Where to begin – Rizzoli and Isles, Covert Affairs, The Closer, Haven, Melissa and Joey, Hot In Cleveland… this summer audiences switched over to cable big time, a cultural shift that will only continue in years to come… fact is viewers are loyal to shows NOT networks. If you want an audience now you have to work for it!
3) Weight Loss Shows Are On The Way Out: The Biggest Loser is still a hefty hit but too many copycat formats failed this summer… Dance Your Ass Off was down year to year, Vh1’s Money Hungry was an outright bomb More >
Guest Starring: Christina Hendricks ‘Undressed’
Aug 27th
Check out Mad Men’s voluptuous office manager Joan Harris as you’ve never seen here before…
Here’s actress Christina Hendricks back in 1999, playing Rhiannon on MTV soap opera Undressed… wow, Christina looks so different with short hair and a far less curvy figure! Interesting to see how much sexier Hendricks is now with a more years and pounds on her…
Funnily enough, Undressed, which ran from 1999-2002 also featured several other soon to be big names among its cast over the years- including a pre-Superman Brandon Routh, geek favorite Katee Sackhoff, OC star Adam Brody and One Tree Hill’s Chad Michael Murray. Not bad for a show that hasn’t exactly stood the test of time!
Is True Blood Too Gay?
Aug 22nd
So recently I read a piece on the entertainment website Zap2It that got me thinking about everyone’s favorite vampire saga…
The piece in question was inspired by a recent tweet by Philadelphia Eagles player Todd Heremans who after a recent TB episode tweeted “So…caught up on ‘True Blood’ last night. Not a fan of how they get you hooked with the first two seasons then bring on a barrage of homosexuality…”
Of course Heremans’ tweet didn’t exactly go down well with fans of the show, many of whom complained to Todd’s bosses – leading to a retraction a couple of days later when Todd said “After speaking with Eagles management I realize that my tweet earlier was insensitive and tasteless, and for this, I deeply apologize. It was not my intention to offend or hurt anyone.” What do you think? Sounds like a forced apology to me…
Anyway, following the incident, Zap2It posed the question – Is True Blood Too Gay? on their site – and they’ve certainly elicited some rather interesting responses. Obviously there’s been a lot of support for the show – and for the gay characters and storylines – but there’s also comments like this…
Lenie 321: “Love the show but hate the gay More >
The X Factor: Katie Waisal’s First Audition
Aug 21st
If you want to succeed as a pop star you have to have personality – and Katie Waisal has it in spades…
Sure, the Madonna clone isn’t a vocal powerhouse and probably won’t progress too far in the competition but I’d far rather sit through an audition like this than another faceless rendition by a bland R&B singer or guitar strumming singer songwriter (yep, Idol, season 9 – that’s directed at you)
Katie is quirky, kind of crazy and all over the place – but she is hugely likable – though she’d probably drive you crazy in large doses!
Here’s Katie in action, struggling with her nerves, as she performs We Are The Champions (ugh!) and At Last (zzzzzz!)
So what do you think? Do you agree with Louis – or Simon in this case? Would you have put Katie through?
The X Factor: Gamu Nhengu
Aug 21st
Here’s another act making headlines in the UK on this week’s X Factor - ‘The girl with the flower in her Hair’ – aka Gamu.
She’s 18 years old, originally from Zimbabwe but now living in Glasgow – and there’s definitely something unique and interesting about her…
Gamu takes on the karaoke classic ‘Walking on Sunshine’ – a great song but one that’s been butchered over the years on shows just like this – and a track that’s notoriously difficult to sing…
But somehow Gamu manages to pull it off (though she struggles with the lower register in my opinion) – even putting her own spin on the song. Simon is quite right there is something very vintage about Gamu’s voice and with the right songs and production she could be a really quirky performer…
But what do you think? Did you fall for Gamu? And how far do you think she’ll go in the competition?
The X Factor: G&S (Gay And Straight!)
Aug 21st
Here’s one of the most memorable auditions from this week’s X Factor premiere over in the UK…
They’re called G&S (Gay and Straight) and comprise of Peter who’s gay and unemployed and Caroline who’s straight and manages a Burger King.
As you’ll see – the audition doesn’t go entirely to plan when it becomes fairly obvious that Peter couldn’t carry a tune even with a bucket, prompting guest judge Geri Halliwell (filling in for a pregnant Dannii Minogue) to request a solo performance from Caroline… she’s good – but let’s be honest – not THAT good…
Once again Simon was spot on with his critique – pointing out that Caroline lacks confidence and probably vocal ability. You think Steven Tyler is going to give an answer this succinct and on the mark?
So would you have passed Caroline? Or do you think she got the sympathy vote from Louis, Geri and Cheryl?
We’ll let you know down the line how Caroline fares in the competition… so keep checking in on Remote Patrolled….
Sneak Peek: The Deep
Aug 21st
First Look At The BBC’s New Underwater Drama…
Here’s a little preview of The Deep, the BBC’s latest big budget drama that’s been running in the UK over the last few weeks. Remind anyone of a certain James Cameron movie from the late 80′s perhaps?
The Deep stars Minnie Driver, Goran Visnjic (so that’s what he’s been doing since ER!), Sinead Cusack and James Nesbitt (a big name in the UK but hardly known here in the US) as a group of scientists exploring a new bio fuel deep underwater. But when disaster strikes the group find themselves 1000′s of feet down and struggling against nature – and each other – to get to the surface.
The dialogue is a little ‘action movie cliched’ and reviews have been mixed – but most seem to agree the show is a silly but fun romp – and personally I’d much rather the BBC was making shows like this than endless soap operas. hospital dramas and endless makeover and cookery shows. British TV truly is in a shocking state these dates and most Brit friends I know subsist largely on US dramas like Dexter and Breaking Bad, either as downloads or box sets.
Ratings wise the show has More >
