OPINION
Have You Watched Every Single Survivor?
Aug 23rd
So yesterday CBS unveiled the latest cast of Survivor – the usual bunch of hunks, babes and token oddballs!
But what most interested me about this year’s announcement was the realization that this was season 22 of the veteran reality show. Which got me to thinking – is there anyone out there who’s watched every single episode of the franchise? And at what point do most people say goodbye to a show like Survivor?
Personally I can’t imagine sticking with a reality show for 22 seasons, since invariably they become somewhat repetitive over time. I used to watch The Amazing Race but could only manage about 4-5 seasons before I got tired of the constant detours, missed flights, local challenges and manipulative editing (team B is clearly 2 hours behind team A – but look they’re suddenly neck and neck!)
Perhaps my longest reality flirtation was with America’s Next Top Model. I sat through 11 cycles of the show, and then came back for cycle 15 – but by the later stages I must admit I was fast forwarding through large chunks of the show (the tedious, heavily sponsored mini challenges, Tyra’s scenery chewing) and going straight to the photo shoots and judging. As I’ve More >
The Glee Project: What Did You Think Of THAT Result?
Aug 22nd
Hmm, not sure how I feel about this one!
If you watched last night’s season finale of The Glee Project you’ll know that the results are in and ultimately – everyone was a winner!
Yep it was gold stars all round as Ryan Murphy gave all four of the finalists a chunk of Glee screen time in the Fall.
Samuel AND Damian were the TWO main winners – each securing a 7-episode guest arc on the show, while Lindsay and Alex were runners up, but were still awarded 2 episode guest appearances on the show.
Was that the right decision? Remember last week The Glee Project featured NO eliminations, making the show a pretty pointless installment of the reality competition. Ryan Murphy must really like this final four.
So here’s my take!
101 Ways To Make TV Better: Stop Obsessing Over Rich People!
Aug 19th
We haven’t run one of our 101 Ways pieces for a while now – but this week’s topic is constantly on my mind!
This week saw the tragic suicide of Real Housewives ‘star’ Russell Armstrong, a sad real life event that looks set to become tabloid fodder for weeks and months to come. We’re going to be hearing lots of ‘he said / she said’ nonsense for the foreseeable future but one theory that has already been tossed around is that Armstrong was deep in debt, and yet continued to spend money to live up to the Real Housewives lifestyle. Now this I can believe.
And why wouldn’t he? After all if you turn on your TV screens most weeknights you’re going to be overwhelmed by images of wealthy people living large, grinning cosmetically enhanced smiles and generally flaunting their wealth in viewers’ faces.
There’s the aforementioned Real Housewives franchise, Platinum Weddings on We, pretty much everything on E, and most shows set in Manhattan or LA…
Some of I don’t mind. Platinum Weddings is pure fantasy and while I find it distasteful seeing how much money people will spend on just one day – it’s a fun show to watch and the TV More >
Quick Take: America’s Got Talent – The Wild Card Show
Aug 17th
Are we at the Semi Finals yet?
Nope, in typical America’s Got Talent style it was another Quarter Finals show last night, as 12 eliminated contestants returned for the series’ usual Wild Card Show. Meaning that once again it’s taken 6 weeks to go from 48 contestants down to 24! And I thought The Killing was slow…!
So did last night’s acts deserves a second shot. Hmm, by and large no to be honest. It wasn’t that many of the performers were bad – they just didn’t get through first time around for a reason. It doesn’t matter how many times you try and get America to like an act like The Fiddleheads who clearly don’t have their act together and aren’t ready for the spotlight yet. It ain’t gonna happen!
In terms of picking a Top 4 to progress through this week – it’s a little tricky as there are a lot of acts all grouped together in the middle that could feasibly make it through. But once again my top choice is going to be the Summerwind Skippers – an act that I was stunned didn’t make it through first time around. The Skippers upped the ante with an element of danger (albeit mild) More >
True Blood Series 4: What Do You Think Of The Season So Far?
Aug 16th
So have you been following the latest season of True Blood… and if so what are your thoughts so far?
I’ve been a big True Blood fan from the very start but as regular Remote Patrolled readers would know, I was NOT a big supporter of the messy Season 3 which suffered from far too many characters, dragged out story lines and a whole heap of plots that didn’t connect.
So I was pleasantly surprised when Season 4 started with a bang a few weeks ago – and since then the quality has remained pretty high. But of course I’m never satisfied and there are always holes to pick!
On the plus side I’m loving Marnie the witch – a worthy successor to the fabulous Maryann (when is Michelle Forbes going to get her own series I wonder?) I also like how the witches versus vampires storylines has given the season clear battle lines and a central thrust that was missing from last year’s show.
Quick Take: America’s Got Talent – The YouTube Special
Aug 10th
Hmm, maybe the idea of a YouTube inspired episode of America’s Got Talent isn’t such a great idea after all?
You may remember that this time last year AGT struck gold via classical child singer Jackie Evancho – one of only two breakout stars in the show’s five-year history. But unfortunately, this time around, lightning didn’t strike twice and I found myself sitting through the whole of last night’s show wanting and waiting to be wowed – and being disappointed time and time again.
Personally I find the whole concept of the YouTube special a bit unfair in the first place. While the rest of the show’s contenders have to slog through audition after audition, the YouTubers get a straight pass to the quarterfinals. As Piers said to singer Kevin Colis, ‘you could be just two songs away from a million dollars’. That doesn’t strike me as right…
Anyway, griping aside, who will be the four acts going through to the final 24 (yep, Nick revealed last night that there is another Wild Card show next week – they better bring back the Summerwind Skippers!). Well like last week I’m struggling to come up with four worthy winners again – but based on More >
Did ABC Pull The Plug On Desperate Housewives Too Soon?
Aug 8th
Uh oh – it’s all over for the ladies of Wisteria Lane!
As you’ve no doubt read online over the last few days, ABC has decided to make the upcoming 8th season of Sunday night hit Desperate Housewives the shows last. But did they make the right decision – or jump the gun a season too soon?
As regular Remote Patrolled readers know I’m a big Desperate Housewives fan and have been from day one. By and large I think the show has maintained its quality but I must admit I did start to get restless last season and found myself fast forwarding through some of the show’s duller storylines (three words – Susan’s kidney saga). But that said I think I was still hoping for an 8th AND 9th season of the show – especially as all the cast members had signed up for two more years in a series of protracted negotiations in the spring. After all the work that went into those deals why did ABC suddenly get such itchy feet?
On the one hand maybe the network are feeling ultra confident about their upcoming Fall line-up. ABC certainly has some promising shows in the hopper which we’re steadily previewing here on the More >
Quick Take: America’s Got Talent – Hollywood Week Four
Aug 3rd
Oh boy, where do we start with last night’s America’s Got Talent?
In a season that’s already been fairly dismal on the talent front, yesterday’s final ‘live’ Quarter Final show was pretty much the bottom of the barrel, as act after act crashed and burned in front of the judges. With one very notable exception, hardly anyone was deserving of a pass to the Semi-Finals. Most of all I felt sorry for last week’s Summerwind Skippers and Seth Grabel – both of whom would likely have walked to victory if they’d been placed in this week’s batch – but were instead sent packing due to the AGT luck of the draw…
Okay, so as usual let’s start with the four acts I think will make it through.
Take The Poll: Which Summer Show Most Deserves A Second Season?
Aug 1st
Once again it’s been a tough summer for the broadcast networks!
Last year Fox, CBS and notably ABC pushed for scripted programming – resulting in a series of costly misfires like The Good Guys, Scoundrels and The Gates.
So this year the networks largely went all unscripted, all the time. But the results haven’t exactly been earth-shattering – with all of the new shows struggling in the ratings and facing an uncertain future.
But which show deserves a second shot next summer. Take a look at the options below and pick the show you’d MOST like to see come back for a second season.
Don’t forget to vote via the Poll Section in the left hand side bar.
Quick Take: America’s Got Talent – Hollywood Week Three
Jul 27th
Week three of the America’s Got Talent ‘live’ shows and…
Hold on, can we first of all stop calling them ‘live’ shows. ‘Live’ means live – and yet you can clearly see AGT is full of screen wipes and edits, indicating a show that’s been shot earlier in the day and then tweaked. It may be ‘almost live’ but that’s not the same thing. Okay – got that off my chest!
Back to the show and once again it was obvious who rose to the top – and who came up short – so here’s my pick of the four acts going through to the Semi Finals…
