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From the monthly archives:

November 2006

"Survivor": A Week Late

November 30, 2006

Last week, so I've heard, was a really good episode of "Survivor: Cook Islands." I didn't see it; there was that whole Thanksgiving thing, and the DVR had a meltdown (albeit a rebootable one) that night. Still, I made sure to tune in tonight  and, well, not so great.
I'm not amused by Jonathan's bad behavior [...]

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"Jericho" And the Semi-Finale (With Spoilers)

November 29, 2006

It was tough enough when TV shows had cliffhangers at the end of their seasons, prompting endless speculation over the summer about what was coming — and endless frustration for fans of shows that did not come back. Now we're getting midseason cliffhangers to keep you coming back after hiatuses or cycles of reruns. "Lost" [...]

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NBC Shuffle, Including Another Air Date for "Crossing Jordan"

November 29, 2006

Here's today's announcement from NBC. Note that "Crossing Jordan" is now slated for return on Jan. 21.
NBC will re-shape its mid-season program lineup following the planned departure of  "Sunday Night Football" in January with the debut of the new reality series "Grease: You're the One That I Want" (8-9 p.m. ET) on Sunday, January 7 [...]

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"Veronica," "Gilmore," More Christmas Song Notes

November 29, 2006

Not my favorite episode of "Veronica Mars" last night. No big emotional kick, and the shortened story arc — while getting us to the point more quickly — left me feeling as if we had lacked details about the story and the characters. (More Mac! More Mac!) Wasn't crazy about the Logan-gets-revenge bit, either. Yes, [...]

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Christmas Song Time (Revised)

November 28, 2006

OK, folks, I am working on a followup to last year's look at unconventional Christmas music. (You can find last year's story — and links to some audio — here.)
I'm hoping to showcase some different songs in this year's piece. Thanks to your suggestions, will most likely include John Denver's "Please, Daddy (Don't Get Drunk [...]

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"How I Met," "Studio 60," "Two and a Half," "Big Day"

November 28, 2006

Last night was one of those where the things we know off-camera affect what we see on camera. How many times did the guys on "Studio 60" have to use the word "pregnant" before you began to think, oh, yeah, Amanda Peet? How much did you ponder Neil Patrick Harris's recent coming out while watching [...]

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It's a Hard Rock Life

November 27, 2006

      Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock are divorcing. Story on www.tmz.com, which also has a link to Anderson's divorce papers. They cite "irreconcilable differences," but that doesn't say much. In fact, it's just a box you check off on the legal papers.
     I have long been baffled by Anderson. She has had such [...]

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Looking Ahead: "Friday Night Lights," NBC's Thursday Comedy Block

November 27, 2006

Tomorrow night's "Friday Night Lights" landed on my desk about a week ago. I didn't wait long to watch it. My only regret is that I'll have to wait for another new one. I sometimes wish there was no football in the show, since that may have created bad expectations in the audience — about [...]

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Still Giving Thanks?

November 25, 2006

More hectic days. Cavs game Tuesday night with the bride. (Cavs beat the Grizzlies but let them get close near the end.) Interesting to see how timely some of the clips on the big-screen were; they had a bit of that terrible "Totally Awesome" '80s-movie parody. But vintage stuff still does the deal. And when [...]

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Robert Altman

November 21, 2006

The great if uneven director has died. (Associated Press obit here.) There was a time in the '70s when I would go to any movie with Altman's name on it; in various theaters I saw "MASH," "Brewster McCloud," "McCabe & Mrs. Miller," "Nashville," "California Split," "Buffalo Bill and the Indians," "The Long Goodbye," "Popeye," "3 [...]

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"Stop Laughing! It's Not Funny!"

November 21, 2006

That's Jerry Seinfeld, berating the audience at David Letterman's show as his "Seinfeld" co-star Michael Richards labored through an apology and explanation of Richards's recent race-baiting rant in a comedy club.
It wasn't funny, either. Richards was clearly pained by what had come from his remarks, and made an interesting contrast to Mel Gibson when Gibson [...]

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Michael Richards Tries To Make Amends

November 20, 2006

The following arrived this evening from CBS:
In an interview to be broadcast tonight, Monday, Nov. 20, on the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, comedian Michael Richards offers an explanation and apology for the racial comments he made this weekend during a stand-up routine at a
Los Angeles
comedy club.

Richards was featured via satellite from
Los Angeles
[...]

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The O.J. Dump

November 20, 2006

From Fox today:
News Corporation Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch today announced that the company has canceled publication of the book If I Did It as well as the corresponding FOX broadcast network special.
Mr. Murdoch said:  “I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project. We are sorry for any [...]

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Kiev's Top Rap Artist

November 19, 2006

Spent a semi-restful day, necessary after six straight on the job. But the Thanksgiving food shopping is done, caught a little football and settled in tonight with the bride and "The Amazing Race." Sure seems to be turning into a two-team fight, Models vs. Blondes. Not exactly Ohio State-Michigan, but what is?
Astonishing that the Cho [...]

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O.J. Simpson and Pete Rose

November 18, 2006

The hubbub over O.J. Simpson's book and TV special has had me thinking about Pete Rose. As those of you who haven't been vacationing on Mars know, O.J. has agreed to a TV special where he explains how he would have killed Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman — if he had killed them. (That alone [...]

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Ruth Brown

November 18, 2006

About three years ago I saw Ruth Brown in Los Angeles, singing as part of a PBS presentation to tout the "The Blues" series. Bobby Rush was also there, which was cool enough, but Brown — even in a semi-casual setting like this — was royalty.
Brown has died. (Obit here.) She was 78 years old. [...]

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I Am Going to Figure Out a Way To Make This Work

November 17, 2006

Today's Beacon Journal includes my piece on Calvin Trillin, my look at the new James Bond and "Casino Royale" and a HeldenFiles. I'll have another piece on Sunday and had to work ahead on some Thanksgiving things. Busy times, and a big reason why I haven't been here. (I am beginning to feel as if [...]

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Calvin Trillin

November 15, 2006

Since yesterday, Calvin Trillin has been meeting with classes and — tonight — giving a talk at the University of Akron. I have spent part of each day hanging around while he talked, and here and there talking to him as well. I have collected a lot of string, and I am beginning to see [...]

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More "Friday Night"

November 13, 2006

I have a sticky note on my desk listing the shows I want to write about here: "Saturday Night Live," "Jericho," "Veronica Mars," "Lost," "Studio 60," "My Name Is Earl," "The Office" … and "Friday Night Lights."
I'll take a moment now to deal with "Friday Night Lights," and not only because NBC gave out some [...]

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Back Again

November 12, 2006

For the last few days, every time I thought about posting here, I had other things to do. It's not as if I haven't been busy either, as you can see here. Note the Calvin Trillin advance, the review of '"Stranger Than Fiction," today's piece on celebrity breakups, a new DVD column and the ongoing [...]

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