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From the monthly archives:

August 2006

The VMAs

August 31, 2006

My ears have regained their ability to hear now that a decent interval has passed since the visiting Target Demo shrieked her rage at "My Humps" winning an award. So here are the notes on the night.
Things I liked: Jack Black's deliberately fouled-up opening (although I was surprised at the lack of a censoring lip-flap [...]

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Sci Fi's Hold on Wrestling

August 31, 2006

Just because I find it so laughable that Sci Fi considers wrestling part of its mandate, I pass along this announcement:
SCI FI Channel today announced it will keep its new hit program, ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling®), on the network through at least the end of 2007. ECW is produced by World Wrestling Entertainment®, the producer [...]

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Glenn Ford

August 31, 2006

My awareness of Glenn Ford's career was based mainly on seeing him in features on "Saturday Night at the Movies," "The Million Dollar Movie" and various late-late shows on TV. When I read that he had died (one obit is here), it took me a little time to remember if I had ever seen one [...]

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"Rock Star" Wednesday (Written While Telecast in Progress)

August 30, 2006

Things seem right for a multiple elimination tonight — so many contestants, so few weeks left. And midway through the show we've had a surprise of sorts: Everyone except Magni has been "at risk" in the vote.
Before that announcement, we got Lukas singing with Supernova on a new song that had me making a list [...]

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Couric Under Fire

August 30, 2006

Back in July, Katie Couric tried to demonstrate her seriousness in front of reporters by wearing pants — a distinct difference for someone who was so leggy on the "Today" show. In doing so, she probably encouraged viewers — like me — to study her wardrobe even more when she makes her debut on "The [...]

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Cavs-FSN Deal Official

August 30, 2006

Here's the essential part of the announcement:
The Cleveland Cavaliers and FSN Ohio have reached a new, long-term television rights agreement that greatly expands the 17-year relationship between the team and the network, it was announced today by Steve Liverani, Vice President and General Manager, FSN Ohio, and Len Komoroski, President, Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans [...]

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"Rescue Me" (Spoilers if You Haven't Seen Tonight's Episode)

August 29, 2006

Fingers crossed on technology: Since I saw tonight's season finale last week, I'm posting this with a timer set to display it after the telecast. Hope it works. If it doesn't, well, I warned you in the header about spoilers.
So let's consider tonight's show. I liked the bit on the dock. Very funny, especially since [...]

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Why Celebrities Shouldn't Write About Their Love Lives

August 29, 2006

Tom Arnold and his wife are separating. (The story's here.) After reading that, I reached onto my bookshelf for "How I Lost 5 Pounds in 6 Years," his 2002 autobiography. There I found that the woman he is now separated from is "loyal, honest, stunningly beautiful, and the sexiest woman I've ever seen." Also ''smart, [...]

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"Rock Star" Tonight, A Bit of "Celebrity Duets"

August 29, 2006

The Dilana melodrama continued tonight, and I'm not buying it. As the field of singers gets smaller (six tonight), the show wants more narrative to fill the hour. And, I still suspect, the show would like to dampen Dilana's vote totals some, or at least give the appearance of dampening it, so viewers go to [...]

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Diver Dan? Yes, Diver Dan

August 29, 2006

For those of you who have not forgotten a single frame of video from your childhood, comes this press release:
­Alpha Home Entertainment is pleased to announce the DVD premiere of the classic O60¹s serial, Diver Dan. The Diver Dan DVD will feature fifteen episodes of this fondly remembered underseaadventure.  Diver Dan will be available at [...]

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The Perils of Promos

August 28, 2006

So there we were, the bride and I, watching "The Closer" and talking here and there about what we thought had happened. Well, I was talking, anyway. I do that. Then, late in the show, as the pieces were falling together, TNT ran a promo that included a big scene from the episode we were [...]

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Emmy Winners on DVD

August 28, 2006

In case you're looking for shows and stars that won Emmys last night, here's some info.
SHOWS
"The Office" (best comedy): The British original and the first season of the U.S. version are on DVD. The second U.S. season arrives on Sept. 12.
"24" (best drama, best drama direction, plus best actor in a drama, Kiefer Sutherland): The [...]

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Good Morning World

August 28, 2006

Early Sunday evening I turned on the Emmys for a couple of minutes and saw Megan Mullally winning for best supporting actress in a comedy. "OK," I thought, like a cop ushering rubberneckers away from an accident. "Nothing to see here. Let's move on."
OK, so I was curious about some of the other winners, but [...]

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Golf Sunday

August 27, 2006

About 15 minutes ago, CBS finally came on with coverage of the Bridgestone golf championship here in Akron. I'd be pretty excited to watch — except CBS is running tape-delayed coverage from much earlier today (nor, at this point, does it have a graphic onscreen identifying this as taped coverage). Because of worries about the [...]

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Emmys, Saturday Notes (With More About "Nip/Tuck's" Nod to Akron)

August 27, 2006

Not sure how much of the Emmys I will watch tonight, since my teeth are ground down enough as it is. But if you're planning to tune in, check out my column in today's Beacon Journal on five things you should know before watching. (I just heard from a blog reader who noted I had [...]

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"Actors Studio" on DVD

August 25, 2006

Let us turn now to a television landmark. A series that through its dealing with social issues in the framework of an absurdist, island-bound comedy was able to make us confront our own sense of how we should get along with our fellow man — and woman. Let me further say that your work on [...]

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A Toast to Civic Pride!

August 25, 2006

You've probably seen this new survey of "America's Drunkest Cities." (If not, you can link here.) It's obviously a sham.
I've heard "the beer that made Milwaukee famous" enough times in my life (as well as telling that "beer that made Mel Famie walk us" joke) not to argue about the city that is number one. [...]

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"Rescue Me" Winds Down

August 25, 2006

The show ends its third season on Tuesday. (A fourth season has already been ordered.) I have seen the season finale, liked parts but didn't like a couple of significant elements. I can't explain why without spoiling some things. So I'll save that for a post after it airs.
For now, the season does end with [...]

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Melissa Joan Hart's Different Phases (Or Faces)

August 25, 2006

I found this release provocative, for reasons I'll get to after the excerpt:
Highlighting entertainment industry professionals whose life and work is a force for positive world change, the Tahoe-Reno International Film Festival (T-RIFF) today announced it will honor actor Melissa Joan Hart at this years festival.
Hart will be recognized for her conscious TV and [...]

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Yeah, That Was Dilana

August 24, 2006

Pretty strange to see Dilana apologizing all over the place on Wednesday night's "Rock Star: Supernova" telecast. Everything she said — and apologized for — was just a variation on themes she was hitting in mid-July when she talked to several larger gaggles of reporters visiting the mansion. (See my previous post, Notes from the [...]

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