Where Do I Start???

The past 24 hours have been quite active in the world of television.

First of all... did you see Lost last night? Was that one incredible piece of television, or what? With all due respect to my friend Bob, who found last night's episode to be somewhat of a disappointment, last night's Lost was one of the finest pieces of episodic television ever. As proven by last night's season finale, JJ Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and Carlton Cuse are television's reigning master producers.

Lost played the serialized-drama card EXACTLY right: in finally telling us both how the plane crashed and whether or not the ongoing "entering of the numbers" was a valid exercise (as opposed to it being just some kind of psychological experiment), they gave their loyal fans a HUGE and well-deserved payoff. At the same time, however, they managed to create an entirely new direction for the show - an almost 180-degree turn in perspective - that will have all of us Lost fans debating and wondering for the next three months.

It was quite the ride last night. Is it September yet??


Also happening in the world of television over the past 24 hours... NBC, as expected, has re-jiggered its Fall lineup. A rejiggering was certainly not unexpected. In fact, since ABC's upfront announcement that it would be moving its mega-hit Grey's Anatomy to Thursdays, most industry pundits, yours-truly included, expected NBC to shift its most-promising new Fall entry, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, out of the Thursday line-of-fire.

However, NBC dropped the programming equivalent of a bombshell on the telelvision world this morning with an announcement that it would completely overhaul its Fall lineup... a lineup that had just been announced a little over a week ago. A massive pre-Fall overhaul such as the one announced today by NBC is unprecedented. A couple of changes? Sure - of course. Happens with every network at one point or another. But changes to five nights of the schedule... a schedule which had just been put in place ten days ago? Completely unheard of.

The big, albeit expected, move is that of Studio 60 to Monday nights (and don't forget, you heard it here first!). But one move that no one saw coming is the shift of the peacock's stalwart Law & Order out of its longtime berth on Wednesdays to Fridays.

Also of note: Law & Order: Criminal Intent will now share Tuesday nights with its Dick Wolf sibling Law & Order: SVU. And what show has been annoited to fill the killer Thursday slot opposite Grey's Anatomy and CBS' CSI? None other than that NBC game-show dynamo Deal or No Deal.

Here's what the NBC Fall lineup looked like 10 days ago:

MONDAY
8:00 Deal or No Deal
9:00 Heroes
10:00 Medium


TUESDAY
8:00 Friday Night Lights
9:00 Kidnapped
10:00 Law & Order: SVU


WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Biggest Loser
9:00 Twenty Good Years
9:30 30 Rock
10:00 Law & Order


THURSDAY
8:00 My Name is Earl
8:30 The Office
9:00 Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
10:00 ER


FRIDAY
8:00 Deal or No Deal
9:00 Las Vegas 10:00
Law & Order: CI


SATURDAY
8:00 Dateline NBC
9:00 drama repeats
1 0:00 drama repeats


SUNDAY
7:00 Football Night in America
8:00 NFL Sunday Night Football


And here's the revised version of the Fall lineup:


MONDAY
8:00 Deal or No Deal
9:00 Heroes
10:00 Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip


TUESDAY
8:00 Friday Night Lights
9:00 Law & Order: CI
10:00 Law & Order: SVU


WEDNESDAY
8:00 Twenty Good Years
8:30 30 Rock
9:00 The Biggest Loser
10:00 Kidnapped


THURSDAY
8:00 My Name is Earl
8:30 The Office
9:00 Deal or No Deal
10:00 ER


FRIDAY
8:00 Crossing Jordan
9:00 Las Vegas
10:00 Law & Order


SATURDAY
8:00 Dateline NBC
9:00 drama repeats
10:00 drama repeats


SUNDAY
7:00 Football Night in America
8:00 NFL Sunday Night Football


You'll note that Crossing Jordan, which was due to sit on the bench until midseason, has been called into the game to fill Deal or No Deal's former Friday-at-8 slot. Taking its place on the see-you-at-midseason bench is former Monday-at-10 occupant Medium.

You've gotta feel sorry for NBC. This once-mighty peacock was once the home to Thursdays-at-9 classics such as Cheers, Seinfeld, Frasier, and Will & Grace. When they turn over this Thursday-at-9 legacy to a Howie Mandel game show, then you KNOW that this is a network in desperation.

What The CW DIDN'T Tell You Yesterday...

Amid all the hoopla at The CW's upfront presentation yesterday were behind-the-scenes cries of outrage by legions of Everwood die-hard fans. You see, Everwood was not renewed for Fall by The CW.

However, the secret behind the Everwood cancellation is that up until about a week ago, Everwood WAS part of The CW's Fall schedule. BUT - the last-minute renewal of the very-popular 7th Heaven meant that something on the schedule had to go in order to make room for the show. The unlucky show which drew the short straw? Everwood.

Had 7th Heaven NOT been renewed, The CW's Sunday and Monday schedules would have looked like this:

SUNDAY
7:00 America's Next Top Model encores
8:00 Everwood
9:00 Runaway

MONDAY
8:00 Everybody Hates Chris
8:30 All of Us
9:00 Girlfriends
9:30 The Game

And just in case any of you doubt the word of TV Boy, here's a screen-capture of a page that had been built for The CW's brand-new website... a website which just went live this week in order to promote the new network's Fall schedule.

Go ahead and visit the new site... and guess which page ISN'T part of the site? Sorry, Everwood-ians... you came thiiiiiiiis close.

Fall 2006 - Fox and The CW

Day four of the 2006 upfronts, and both Fox and The CW took to their respective center stages for the announcements of their Fall lineups.

For Fox, the emphasis this Fall will be on drama. Fox is hoping to build on the success it's had with shows such as House and Prison Break. Fox will introduce new dramas on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and its only new comedies will show up on Thursdays.

Here's what the Fox Fall schedule looks like (with new shows in bold):


MONDAY
8:00 Prison Break
9:00 Vanished


TUESDAY
8:00 Standoff
9:00 House


WEDNESDAY
8:00 Bones
9:00 Justice


THURSDAY
8:00 'Til Death
8:30 Happy Hour
9:00 The O.C.


FRIDAY
8:00 Nanny 911
9:00 Trading Spouses


SATURDAY
8:00 Cops
9:00 America’s Most Wanted


SUNDAY
7:00 comedy repeats
7:30 comedy repeats
8:00 The Simpsons
8:30 American Dad
9:00 Family Guy
9:30 The War at Home

In January, look for the return of American Idol on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, along with the return of 24 on Mondays.

As for the new shows debuting this Fall...

VANISHED
Yet another serialized drama in the style of 24 and Prison Break, Vanished follows the disappearance of and subsequent search for a prominent US Senator's wife.

STANDOFF
If Fox has its way, the letters CNU will become as popular as the letters CSI. Standoff tells the story of the FBI's Crisis Negotiation Unit (or CNU), a group of top-ranked FBI negotiatiors that never met a crisis they can't handle.

JUSTICE
Jerry Bruckheimer is behind this new one-hour drama which focuses on a "dream team" of four
lawyers who join forces to take on the country's most controversial cases. Victor Garber, late of Alias, heads the cast.

'TIL DEATH
This new sitcom vehicle for Everybody Loves Raymond's Brad Garrett features Garrett as half of a middle-aged married couple (along with Joely Fisher) whose marital battle scars provide a sharp contrast to the idealized view of marriage held by their neghbors, a young newlywed couple.

HAPPY HOUR
Another sitcom, this one following the adventures of a conservative, straight-arrow kind-of guy from Missouri who gets talked into giving up his quiet life for a move to the fast-paced world of Chicago.



As for The CW's Fall plans, well... about the biggest change in The CW's world seems to be its logo, because there's not a lot of new programming. The CW, in merging the schedules of UPN and The WB, are adding only two new shows. So, either they have a LOT of confidence in the UPN/WB programming, or else they had a REALLY bad development season.

Either way... here's a look at The CW's Fall lineup (with new shows in bold):


MONDAY
8:00 7th Heaven
9:00 Runaway


TUESDAY
8:00 Gilmore Girls
9:00 Veronica Mars


WEDNESDAY
8:00 America’s Next Top Model
9:00 One Tree Hill


THURSDAY
8:00 Smallville
9:00 Supernatural


FRIDAY
8:00 WWE Smackdown


SATURDAY
no programming

SUNDAY
7:00 Everybody Hates Chris
7:30 All of Us
8:00 Girlfriends
8:30 The Game
9:00 America's Next Top Model (encore)

Receiving an 11th hour midseason order for 13 episodes was teh presumed-to-be-dead Reba. Also returning at midseason will be Beauty and the Geek.

As for the new shows premiering this Fall...

RUNAWAY

Donnie Wahlberg leads the cast in this new drama about an Iowa family that, to all those around them, appears to be just an average American family. In reality, each of the family members is using an alias, as the entire family is on the run from the legal system because the family patriarch was unjustly accused of a very violent crime. Think The Fugitive meets Family.

THE GAME

This Girlfriends spin-off follows a group of women who all just happen to be wives or girlfriends of professional football players. One of those Mowry twins is in this show - does that count for anything?

Fall 2006 - CBS

It’s day three of the upfronts, and so it must be time for the CBS presentation!

"Stability" is the word of the day at CBS, as the eye will be making VERY FEW changes to its lineup. One major change for CBS is the cancellation of its long-running Sunday Night Movie. Personally, I’ve been an advocate of dropping the Sunday movie for MANY years now… so I say “it’s about time, CBS!”

Here’s a look at the CBS Fall schedule (with new show in bold):

MONDAY
8:00 How I Met Your Mother
8:30 The Class
9:00 Two and a Half Men
9:30 The New Adventures of Old Christine
10:00 CSI: Miami


TUESDAY
8:00 NCIS
9:00 The Unit
10:00 Smith


WEDNESDAY
8:00 Jericho
9:00 Criminal Minds
10:00 CSI: NY


THURSDAY
8:00 Survivor: Cook Islands
9:00 CSI
10:00 Shark


FRIDAY
8:00 Ghost Whisperer
9:00 Close to Home
10:00 Numbers


SATURDAY
8:00 Crimetime Saturday
9:00 Crimetime Saturday
10:00 48 Hours Mystery


SUNDAY
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 The Amazing Race
9:00 Cold Case
10:00 Without a Trace


Of note on CBS’s midseason plate is the new drama Waterfront, the Joe Pantoliano drama which tells the story of a Providence, RI charismatic-yet-ethically-challenged mayor (hmmm... does that sound like any mayor of Providence you've ever heard of??). Also, look for a return (undoubtedly for its final season) of King of Queens at midseason.

As for the new shows debuting in the Fall:

THE CLASS
CBS won a bidding war for this first comedy from Friends co-creator David Crane and director James Burrows. It’s the story of group of twenty-somethings who reunite twenty years after having shared a third-grade class.

SMITH
Ray Liotta heads up an ensemble case in this drama about a band of career criminals. Yes, this is definitely a twist on CBS’s usual “good guys fighting crime” point-of-view. Virginia Madsen is also featured.

JERICHO
CBS is going after the Lost crowd with this Wednesday post-apocalyptic entry in which a small Kansas town finds itself isolated from the rest of the world in the aftermath of a nuclear mushroom cloud. In a time slot VERY heavy with reality shows, this one may have a chance of standing out. Skeet Ulrich and Gerald McRaney lead the ensemble cast.

SHARK
Rhode Island’s own James Woods (yes, another Rhode Island connection on CBS!) stars as a super-confidant defense attorney who, after a life-changing event, decides to switch sides and bring his cutthroat tactics to the prosecutor’s office. Jeri Ryan is also featured.


Taking many people by surprise was the move of The Amazing Race to the pivotal Sunday-at-8 time slot (pushing Cold Case to 9:00). Personally, I would have kept Cold Case at 8, and slotted Smith at 9, in the hammock between the established shows Cold Case and Without a Trace. Smith’s “from the criminals’ point-of-view” storytelling would have been a natural fit for the Sunday-at-9 slot, as this slot has been the long-time home of that other little “from the criminals’ point-of-view” show, The Sopranos.

** ** ** ** **

Yet Even More Rumors from the Upfronts...

- The CW's Fall lineup will likely look like this: Mondays - 7th Heaven at 8, Runaway at 9; Tuesdays - Gilmore Girls at 8, Veronica Mars at 9; Wednesdays - America's Next Top Model at 8, One Tree Hill at 9; Thursdays - Smallville at 8, Supernatural at 9; Fridays - WWE Smackdown at 8; Sundays - Everybody Hates Chris at 7, All of Us at 7:30, Girlfriends at 8, The Game at 8:30.

- The CW will introduce a new logo at their upfront tomorrow. It should look something like this...

- Fox is aiming to give Brad Garrett’s new sitcom 'Til Death a weeknight-at-8 time slot.

Fall 2006 - ABC

Today is ABC’s turn in the upfront parade, and “bold” is the word of the day: the alphabet network is making a HUGE move with the relocation of Grey’s Anatomy from Sundays to Thursdays. ABC is betting big that Grey’s large and dedicated audience will follow it to a very lucrative night in what promises to be a very-competitive time slot (facing CSI and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, just to name a few). We haven't seen this type of gutsy programming move since 2000, when CBS moved then-rising stars Survivor and CSI to Thursday nights in hopes of challenging the then-invincible NBC Thursday "must-see TV" lineup. This move of Grey's to Thursdays can't be going over too well at NBC, as the peacock had counted on a more open field on Thursdays for the launch of its new Studio 60. So don't be surprised if NBC shifts Studio 60 to Mondays before the start of the Fall season.

Also announced by ABC: there will be no repeats of Lost in the 2006-07 season. Instead, Lost will kick-off the Fall season by running seven new episodes straight, with no repeats. Lost will then “get lost” until late January/early February, at which time it will return will all-new episodes running straight through May.

Here’s the ABC Fall lineup (with new shows in bold):

MONDAY
8:00 Wife Swap
9:00 The Bachelor
10:00 What About Brian


TUESDAY
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
9:00 Let’s Rob…
9:30 Help Me Help You
10:00 Boston Legal


WEDNESDAY
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
9:00 Lost
10:00 The Nine


THURSDAY
8:00 Big Day
8:30 Notes from the Underbelly
9:00 Grey’s Anatomy
10:00 Six Degrees


FRIDAY
8:00 Betty the Ugly
9:00 Men in Trees
10:00 20/20


SATURDAY
8:00 ABC Saturday Night College Football


SUNDAY
7:00 America’s Funniest Home Videos
8:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9:00 Desperate Housewives
10:00 Brothers and Sisters


Shows awaiting a midseason launch include Set for the Rest of Your Life (a game show), which will run in place of the Tuesday edition of Dancing with the Stars. The George Lopez Show and According to Jim (what is it going to take to kill this show – a wooden stake?) are set to return to the schedule at midseaon to inherit the Wednesday Dancing with the Stars timeslot. Now... I don't know if you noticed, but... although George and Jim will be returning at midseason, for the first time that I can ever remember in the history of network television there are no returning half-hour comedies on this network's Fall schedule.

Also at midseason: Supernanny will fill-in for The Bachelor on Monday nights. And filling in for Lost during its hiatus? A new show entitled Day Break, starring Taye Diggs in a dramatic variation on the movie “Groundhog Day.”

PrimeTime Live will return to the schedule in one form or another, and there will be another season of American Inventor. Also announced by ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson: there may be a two-hour movie follow-up to the now-cancelled Commander in Chief... and if the movie were to be a success, it could (in theory, anyway) lead to a revival of the series.

As for the new shows set to debut in the Fall…

LET’S ROB…
Donal Logue is an again janitor whose dream of opening a bar seem to be slipping away. His solution to the problem: convince his friends to join him in robbing the Central Park apartment of Mick Jagger.

HELP ME HELP YOU
Ted Danson heads back to prime time in this single-camera comedy about group therapy. While not the greatest show you've ever seen, thankfully it's not another Dear John (despite the presence of Jere Burns in both shows).

THE NINE
Nine people find themselves linked forever after being held hostage in a botched bank-robbery attempt. Tim daly, Chi McBride, and Scott Wolf star.

BIG DAY
This show takes the core concept of 24 (the story of one day is told through 24 episodes) and reworks it for a half-hour comedy. This show will follow over 22 episodes the course of a couple’s wedding day. Considering this show’s time slot, something tells me that we’re not even going to make it to the actual ceremony (despite the fact that, in the pilot presentation, they managed to work in a reference to the theme from What's Happening!! - come on, how could you not love that?).

NOTES FROM THE UNDERBELLY
A woman set against ever having children learns that she’s pregnant in the half-hour sitcom. The pilot presentation of this single-camera comedy actually offered glimpses of a smart show. However, thanks to its time slot, who wants to bet that this show is cancelled before they ever even get near the delivery room?

SIX DEGREES
A new hour from Lost’s J.J. Abrams, this drama applys the “six degrees of separation” theory to a group of six strangers who slowly discover that their lives are intertwined.

BETTY THE UGLY
Based on the telenovela Betty la Fea, this one-hour dramedy follws the life of Betty Suarez, a “square peg in a round hole” trying to survive in the world of high fashion.

MEN IN TREES
Anne Heche finds herself snowbound in an Alaskan town in which men outnumber women 10-to-1 in this one-hour drama. Think Sex and the City meets Northern Exposure. John Amos is also featured.

BROTHERS AND SISTERS
Ally McBeal’s Calista Flockhart leads an ensemble cast in a story about a large family dealing with life’s ups and downs. Betty Buckley, Balthazar Getty, and Rachel Griffiths are also featured in this very-soapy hour that I'm sure ABC is hoping will be the next Grey's Anatomy.



** ** ** ** **


Even More Rumors from the Upfronts ...


- The CW has just finalized a deal to bring back Veronica Mars for a third season. The deal calls for 22 episodes, but gives The CW an option to cut the order after 13 episodes (in case of disastrous ratings).

- Look for a surprise renewal by The CW for One Tree Hill... and look for The CW's cancellation of Everwood.

Fall 2006 - NBC

First out of the gate during "upfront week" is NBC, with a major overhaul of its poorly-performing prime-time lineup.

At today's upfront presentation, NBC's Entertainment President Kevin Reilly was conciliatory in acknowledging that NBC's performance has been less-than-stellar this past season. To quote Reilly... "the last couple of seasons have not been much fun."

Here's what the peacock's new Fall lineup looks like (with new shows in bold):

MONDAY
8:00 Deal or No Deal
9:00 Heroes
10:00 Medium


TUESDAY
8:00 Friday Night Lights
9:00 Kidnapped
10:00 Law & Order: SVU


WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Biggest Loser
9:00 Twenty Good Years
9:30 30 Rock
10:00 Law & Order


THURSDAY
8:00 My Name is Earl
8:30 The Office
9:00 Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
10:00 ER


FRIDAY
8:00 Deal or No Deal
9:00 Las Vegas
10:00 Law & Order: CI


SATURDAY
8:00 Dateline NBC
9:00 drama repeats
10:00 drama repeats


SUNDAY
7:00 Football Night in America
8:00 NFL Sunday Night Football


Yes, it's true - Monday Night Football is switching nights and networks; goodbye Mondays on ABC, hello Sundays on NBC (with a pregame show at 7, and game-time itself at 8). At the conclusion of football season, NBC’s lineup will consist of Dateline NBC, America’s Got Talent (the Regis Philbin-hosted talent contest from Simon Cowell which is actually debuting this Summer), The Apprentice, and Raines (featuring Jeff Goldblum as an LAPD detective who speaks with the dead).

ER will run in two 13-week blocks (with no repeats), making room at midseason for the new drama The Black Donnellys (the new Paul Haggis drama about a group of Irish brothers and their involvement in organized crime).

For midseason, NBC has licked up situation comedies, Andy Barker PI (featuring Andy Richter as a private investigator) and The Singles Table (a sitcom about a group of people who meet and become friends at a wedding after all being seated together at the wedding’s “singles table”). Also, watch for the returns of Crossing Jordan and Scrubs at midseason.

As for the new shows debuting in the Fall:

Heroes
This drama follows the lives of ordinary people who discover that they have extraordinary abilities. Although this show will be looking to appeal to fans of Lost, don't expect heroic ratings for this one.

Friday Night Lights
A sports-themed family drama, this new series follows the people of a small Texas town that's obsessed with its high-school football team... and it will undoubted be promoted ad nauseum during NBC's Sunday night football telecasts. I know that NBC is high on this series, but for me, it was just one big cloying, manipulative yawn.

Kidnapped
A serialized drama following the kidnapping of a wealthy New York family’s son. Dana Delaney and Timothy Hutton star. If you like the 24 arc-style of storytelling, then you just might enjoy Kidnapped.

Twenty Good Years
Odd-couple-ish sitcom featuring John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor as mis-matched friends who decide to live every day as if it were their last. Mr. Tambor, Arrested Development this is not. Between the less-than-top-notch material and the very tough time slot, don't look for Twenty Good to last years.

30 Rock
Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin star in this sitcom set behind the scenes of a television variety show. SNL alums Tracy Morgan and Rachel Dratch also star. This single-camera sitcom showed a lot of potential in the pilot, with great performances and several genuine laughs... BUT - if this show is to survive, a time-slot change will likely be needed.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme return to prime-time television with this one-hour drama set behind the scenes of a late-night comedy sketch show ("Friday Night in Hollywood"), ala Saturday Night Live. Bradley Whitford, Amanda Peet, and Matthew Perry star. This show has the highest buzz of the season, and NBC is clearly trying to capitalize on a slight-weakening in CSI's armor. Despite the blatant Howard Beale "I'm mad as hell" ripoff in an otherwise outstanding pilot, Studio 60 looks to be a 5-star winner. Keep an eye on this one.

** ** ** ** **

More Rumors from the Upfronts...

-CBS will pick-up the new Joe Pantoliano set-in-Providence-and-based-on-Buddy Waterfront series

- If ABC moves Grey's Anatomy to Mondays, then Fox will seriously consider moving House to Sundays.

-King of Queens will get a 13-episode order from CBS, and New Christine will live for another season

- ABC may turn Saturday nights into a "sports night," with college football and NASCAR racing.

- CBS is looking harder and harder at killing its Sunday movie, and in its place running two hour-long dramas, including Thursday-night hit Without a Trace.

Fall is in The Air

The broadcast networks’ annual upfront presentations, in which they announce their Fall lineups, kick-off this Monday afternoon with our friends from NBC.

With just three days to go, early versions of NBC’s Fall 2006 schedule are leaking, and here’s the word on what’s been going on inside the heads of the powers-that-be at 30 Rock:

In one early mock-up of the lineup, veteran drama ER stays place on Thursdays, with the new Tina Fey sitcom and comedy Community Service opening up the night (and Earl and The Office staying put from 9-10). In this same version of the lineup, the highly-touted new Aaron Sorkin drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip turns up on Monday nights. Studio 60 would join another new drama, The Black Donnellys, on Mondays, and current Monday resident Medium would shift to Fridays.

However, another version of the schedule has NBC shifting ER to either Tuesday (or possibly even Wednesday), to make room for Studio 60 in the Thursday-at-10 slot.

New drama Heroes is rumored to be heading to the leadoff slot on Tuesdays, and another new drama, Kidnapped, would then be sandwiched in-between Deal or No Deal and Law & Order on Wednesdays.

The Apprentice has already been renewed for another season, although it’ll likely sit on the bench until midseason.

Stand by for the complete and official NBC update on Monday afternoon (immediately following the peacock’s upfront presentation)...

** ** ** ** **

Prayers Answered?

Let’s say that you’re a fan of 7th Heaven on The WB.

Last Monday, you watched the series finale. The last episode. The WB even confirmed in its promos for the show that last Monday’s episode was the finale – the end of a 10-year run. Chances are that if you were a fan you were sad to see it go.

Well… not so fast, Heaven fans. Your prayers may have just been answered.

Word began leaking out this afternoon that Spelling Television (producers of 7th Heaven) and The CW (successor to The WB) have reached an agreement to “un-end” 7th Heaven and bring it back for an 11th season.

The resuscitation of 7th Heaven would be quite a coup for the fledgling CW network; Heaven has been The WB’s highest-rated program for many years, and was a very strong competitor in its Monday-at-8 time slot.

Even if you’re not a fan of heaven, then at least look at this way: Heaven’s return leaves one fewer open time slot on The CW for Blue Collar TV. And that’s a blessing in disguise, if you ask me.

Spoiler Boy

Naysayers! All of you!

I’m currently accepting apologies from all of you who gave me that “you are completely out of your mind” look when, on Wednesday morning, I dared to deliver the news that Chris Daughtry was the contestant who was going to be voted off the island (whoops - sorry, I’m mixing my reality-show metaphors) on Wednesday’s live American Idol results show. I tried – oh, how I tried – to tell you that my “prediction” was not actually a prediction, but instead a statement of fact based on actual voting. But nooooooo… you wouldn’t believe me. After all, how could I know such a thing? The general sentiment among many of you was “you blew it this time, TV Boy.”

Well, a simple “I’m sorry, TV Boy” will suffice. However, if you truly want me to sense your sincerity, then a gift of baked goods will do quite nicely. Extra points for chocolate-centric goods, thank you very much.

As many of you know, I’m not the world’s biggest fan of American Idol. In fact, the one-and-only lasting pleasure that I’ve taken from Idol is the music of that special little so-bad-he's-good guy, William Hung.

At best, I’ve been following Idol only remotely this season. And from what I’ve seen of the show this season, Daughtry seemed to be the contestant who combined genuine vocal talent with actual marketability. His great voice (a sort of Creed-meets-Ed-Kowalczyk-from-Live kind-of thing) and strong stage presence seemed to be a winning combination. BUT – as I’ve lectured time and time again, Idol is NOT about talent; rather, it’s a popularity contest. Season after season, viewers early-on in the proceedings pick a favorite, and then usually tend to vote for that same person week after week, regardless of the quality of that person’s weekly performances.

Daughtry was a favorite of many viewers. But, apparently not enough viewers. Cry not for Daughtry, though. He’ll do just fine, career-wise. In fact, Daughtry already has a job offer from rock band Fuel. Due to his Idol contract, however, he's unable to accept any offers for at least 90 days.

Going forward, though, please keep one thing in mind: when TV Boy tells you that something is going to happen on television, IT HAPPENS.

Now… who wants to know what happens next week on Lost? If you do, then just let ol' Spoiler Boy know.

What... No Billboards?

Last week, the producers of Lost planted a fake commercial within Lost for the fictional "Hanso Foundation." This alternate-reality-meets-actual-reality campaign continued this week, as a newspaper ad for the fictional Hanso Foundation turned up today in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Check it out...

As you can see, the "ad" references "Bad Twin," the manuscript that Sawyer was reading in last week's episode of Lost. Damn... this is getting good.

So, what'll be coming next for the followers of Alvar Hanso? Your guess is as good as mine.

** ** ** ** **

Dishonorable Discharge

With the series finale of The West Wing coming up this Sunday, NBC had planned to telecast a one-hour retrospective of The West Wing in the hour preceding the Wing finale. However, last week NBC announced that it was scrapping the retrospective in favor of a repeat of the first-ever episode of Wing. Seemed like a strange decision on the network’s part; after all, this is NBC, and NBC is famous for its long-goodbyes whenever one of its long-running series is about to turn out the lights for the last time. From the final days of Seinfeld to Frasier to Will & Grace... NBC has been famous for its clip-laden retrospectives.

This week, however, the truth behind the decision has come to light… and it looks as if the cast of The West Wing ended up sinking the retrospective. Yes, you read that correctly: the cast. The reason? Money. It seems that several of the cast members were asking for a serious salary in return for an appearance in the special. Unfortunately, the budget for the look-back was not large enough to accommodate the stars’ demands. So... goodbye televised retrospective. How’s THAT for gratitude? Classless move, ex-West Wingers.

Michael... What Have You Done?

If you haven’t yet watched last night's episode of Lost, then STOP READING RIGHT HERE. Instead, go to http://dynamic.abc.go.com/streaming/landing and watch it for yourself (and yes, it’s free). Then, by all means, come on back here.

Now, for those of you still reading…

Lost did it again. They pulled out one of those episodes that had everyone talking from the moment the show ended. All I can say is... "welcome back, Michael!"

Lost hasn't created this level of buzz since last season's final episode (with the raft, the Others, the kidnapping, and the hatch... just to name a few of that episode's plot elements). By the time last night's show came to a close, you were immediately reminded why Lost is the best show on television today (with all due apologies to the Rhode Island public-access pseudo-classic Millioncdz Productions for my brazen usurping of their tagline).

Oh, and did you remember to watch ALL of the commercials during last night's Lost? If you didn't, then you missed the first salvo in The Lost Experience. It all starts here... http://www.thehansofoundation.org/.

If you thought that last night's episode was good, then just wait until you see what's coming up in the series' final three episodes of the season. Now don't worry - I won't spoil anything for you by giving away all the plot details, but I'll at least tell you this: two more characters from the past will be returning.

By the way - the Lost season 2 DVD will hit the marketplace on October 3. And that manuscript ("Bad Twin") that Sawyer was reading in last night's episode? It's available today... http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?z=y&btob=,&isbn=1401302769.

As for my reference to Millioncdz Productions... if your curiosity gets the better of you and you just have to see what I'm talking about, then you can check out the show on Rhode Island public access channel 18 (Providence, North Providence, Kent County) on late-Saturday / early-Sunday at 2:00am.

But if you know what's good for you, then you'll keep your curiosity in check. Trust me on this one.