MediaObsessed.com

I  hinted at the change coming and here it is.  While http://tvdork.wordpress.com has served me well in recent months I wanted full wordpress customization.  Out of this need came http://www.mediaobsessed.com. I will continue to post as tvdork over at MediaObsessed.  I consider it simply an evolution of this blog and its content.  Hopefully you’ll follow me over to the new site.

Site Update

So I apologize to anyone who’s been visiting the site lately just to see nothing new.  I’ve been working to set something new up, something that I hope will be better than tvdork.  On Monday everyone will be able to see what I’m talking about.

So once again thanks for returning, I promise I’m working hard not to dissipoint.  If only I knew how to read CSS code:)

Favourite Shows: Frasier

There are few shows that I love to the very end. Normally I cut a show once it starts to get bad, but in a few cases love overcomes! You’ve heard me blog about my love of X-Files and The Wing but my other love has been largely ignored on this site, Frasier.  Frasier remains my favourite comedy and also features two of my favourite on screen pairings, Frasier and Niles and Niles and Daphne.  I found the show in Seasons 3/4 after I had gotten addicted to Cheers in syndication and needed more.  I didn’t expect Frasier to be better than Cheers but it turned out to be.  To this day I love the show like no other.

That’s why I was delighted to find out that Peter Casey, creator and executive producer of the show had posted a 3 part column at Ken Levine’s  blog.  He talks about how Frasier made it on to the air, the pitch and the casting(the Lisa Kudrow debacle).  As someone who loved the show, I read the articles with a massive smile on my face.  If you’ve never read Levine’s blog I suggest you do so.  He’s a comedy veteran and without a doubt produces one of the best TV blogs on the interwebs.

Levine’s blog

Studio 60 Debate Gone Awry

Diana: So here’s the thing, Dan and I had intended to debate this weeks episode of Studio 60 but we ran into a problem: we both loved it. I can honestly say I never expected to love an hour of Studio 60 but alas hell has frozen over and Sorkin has escaped from his ego driven shithole to actually writing good hours of TV again. While this wasn’t the quality of say a West Wing Christmas episode it was certainly much better than most things on tv today.

Daniel: Alright, we both may have loved the episode, but, there’s one clear and distinct difference worth debating between Diana and I. You see, I contend that I have greater man love for Matt and Danny, than Diana. She says that her love for Bradley Whitford is unparalleled, I say, that her love of the mullet-haired wonder is nothing compared to my admiration for Perry and his buddy. I’ve always been a fan of buddy comedies and Studio 60 is yet another incarnation of this love. She can claim her love is above and beyond mine, but since the days of Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte in 48 Hours, Tom Cruise and Anthony Edwards, in Top Gun…I have professed my man love to the world.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: The Christmas Show(S1E11)

Wait for it folks….this is me eating crow.  Maybe it’s just that I love Sorkin doing Christmas but I thought tonight’s Studio 60 was a step short of delightful.  I didn’t even care about the unfunny sketches.  Decent amount of relationship progress tonight between all the usual suspects.  All in all a quality episode.  No super detailed recap tonight due to school.

Short recap below:

What TvDork Wants for Christmas:

 Some of these are actual buy-able items, most are this fans pipe-dreams.

1.  A years subscription to tvtracker
2.  ED on DVD.  Screw music clearances just give me my Stuckyville!
3.  Janel Maloney to guest star on Studio 60.  Must snark with Danny.   I don’t care if he’s with Jordan by then.
4.  Veronica Mars to stop sucking.
5.  Christopher off of Gilmore Girls.  STAT.
6.  Bree Van DeCamp to go crazy, get a lobotomy and take of her wig…..
7.  Grey’s Anatomy to start actually punishing their Doctors when they do things that should have their licenses revoked.  I can only suspend my disbelief so much.
8.  90210 Season 5 DVD’s.  TvTropolis only has the rights to syndicate 1-4 here and has therefore deprived me of Valerie.  No one deprives me of Valerie.
9.  X-files Seasons 4-9.  Yes, even 8 and 9.  I don’t care that it sucked.  I NEED them.
10.  Luke and Lorelai back together.  It’s just not fair.

Additional wishes:  Stanley to get more screentime on The Office; Betty to finally dump Walter’s ass for Henry(he makes her palms sweat!); Pam to admit she wants Jim even if it’s too late; FOX Canceling The OC;  Death of the Aerie Girls; CW realizes what a giant mistake it is, drops the green and reverts back to The WB.

Waxing Nostalgic About Ed

I miss ED. That’s really all I have to say. It was a gem of a show that NBC abused and destroyed. Thanks to music copyright issues the DVD’s will probably never arrive and it’s YouTube presence is not big enough for my taste.

To say ED was a quality show would be an understatement. Every character had shining moments. The citizens of Stuckyville were crazy but not Stars Hollow crazy. The chemistry between Ed/Carol/Mike/Molly/Nancy was great, it really felt genuine. How can you beat a bowling alley lawyer? You can’t. Plus there was Warren, the antics of Phil and the $10 bets. It was brilliant. The show however ended up being destroyed by the one thing that kept it alive: Ed and Carol.

I was definitely one of those people that wanted Ed and Carol together and cheered when it happened at the end of season 3. Season 4 was incredibly wonky due to NBC’s influence in the writing. The network wanted all Ed and Carol. The show ended as naturally as it could have with Ed and Carol’s wedding.

Here’s hoping it makes its way to DVD one day, until then here’s the final scene of the show courtesy of YouTube:

Just Say No

That’s my advice to Renee Zellweger. Curious as to why I’m telling Ms. Zellweger to say no? Rumour has it, and by rumour I mean intern fabricated story in a British tabloid, that Zellweger is thinking of reprising her role as Bridget Jones in a third film. The rumour isn’t surprising since Helen Fielding resumed her Bridget column for a brief time last year. The column is of course being turned into a book(that I will line up for like a 10 yr old does for Harry Potter) so a movie doesn’t seem to far behind. But the last movie was HORRIBLE. Not that the book was much inspiration but Bridget Jones is one of those stories that never should have had a sequel. The original film was pitch perfect as was Zellweger as Jones. The subsequent offering left a bad taste in my mouth.

TvDork Announcement: Welcome Dan(Soapbox26)

If you’re a regular to this blog you know I write about Studio 60 about as much as I do Gilmore Girls. You’d think by sheer numbers alone that I’d be enjoying watching it. Not so much. Like our good friends over at FOX News I’m attempting to make TvDork a ‘Fair and Balanced’ blog(note the irony). Enter Dan Zaiontz, who from this day on will be my partner in crime with all things Studio 60. You see Dan loves the show. He’s the yin to my yang. Therefore in the coming weeks Dan and I are going to debate what we love and what we hate about the show. Kind of like a pop culture crossfire(but entertaining). Hopefully you’ll enjoy our debate as much as we will. We really like fighting about tv. At least I do. Without further ado here is Dan’s first column on Studio 60. I won’t debate this one cause I kinda like it.

Tales of a Television Idealist by Daniel Zaiontz

Tales of a Television Idealist

Why Sorkin’s Studio 60 is not only pleasing to the eye – it’s a glimmer of hope

By: Daniel Zaiontz

“IT’S NOTHING BUT REHASHED WEST WING,” says Diana Earle as she fervently types a response to me on instant messenger. Not one to regularly resort to Caps Lock when making her points, Diana is clear in terms of where she stands when it comes to matters of Sorkin.

“This is just horrible,” she writes the next Sunday of my new favourite show.
“It’s not!!!” I respond, with an impassioned plea. Three exclamation marks being the universal sign of “impassioned plea” in the instant message universe.

Indifferent Towards CW’s Tuesday Night

Tuesday has always been a great tv night for me. For years NBC had Frasier on Tuesday and then I migrated to The WB’s Tuesday night thanks to Gilmore Girls. Last year when it was announced Gilmore and Veronica would be together on the CW’s Tuesday night lineup I was ecstatic. Now I’m feeling like both shows are simply PVR worthy.

Gilmore Girls is slowly improving but that’s not saying much. The Lorelai/Christopher marriage has turned out to be a disaster for the show. Having a scene where Lorelai isn’t with Christopher is so rare now. Last night actually seeing her with the townies was jarring. Obviously the show is building up to what I can only hope will be a fulfilling end to this relationship and a jumping off point for the rest of the season but right now it’s painfully boring. Until that happens in Feb sweeps there is little incentive for me to stay tuned to the show, not even the return of Luke with a spine will do it. However Paris dancing with Doyle made me smile. Oh how I miss her crazy antics.

I didn’t have a problem last season with Veronica Mars, sure it was padded but no more than your average Lost episode was. Veronica is the type of show that picks up steam half way through the season and then hits it out of the park. This season is different. After the conclusion of the 1st of 3 mystery arcs I’m feeling unfulfilled. In previous years when I found out that the culprits were Aaron and Beaver I was more involved in storylines. The Hearst rape arc did nothing for me, neither did finding out it was the tag team of Mercer and Moe. Seriously, could Logan have worse judgement with people? The boy is a crazy magnet(and I include Veronica as one of the crazies). The highlights of the episode were the return of Mac(what felt like old school Mac with witty t-shirts in tow) and the return of pissed off Logan. I could care less that he dumped Veronica, she deserved to be dumped but when Logan bashed the car to get in jail with Moe and Mercer I was so happy. That’s the Logan Echoll’s I spent 2 seasons loving, not the stupid Duncan carbon copy he’s been most of the season.

Here’s hoping both shows pick up when they return in the new year(Gilmore has one new episode remaining). Veronica is still way better than Gilmore could ever dream of being but much like Gilmore this season it has been a pale imitation of its former self.

Melrose Place: Season 1

When I was younger I fell in love with 90210. No matter how horrible it got I stuck it out to the very end. For some reason the show struck a cord with me even though I despised most of the characters. At the same time one of my friends was in love with Melrose Place. I had never seen the show and through it’s entire run I only watched one episode, the series finale because said friend forced me too.

It’s nearly a decade later and I finally understand what my friend saw in the show. A few weeks ago I bought Season 1 of Melrose Place on DVD. The first few episodes were definately rocky(and by rocky I mean HORRIBLE) but since then oh how it’s picked up. I’m addicted to the show. I’m 10 episodes in and I’m already starting to ration the remaining 22 episodes. SOAPNet isn’t available here in Canada so I’ll either have to wait until the later DVDs come out or find some other way of getting my hands on them. If anyone has any suggestions let me know.

I’m so excited for the upcoming episodes. Kimberly and Amanda have yet to be introduced, Sandy’s still around and Michael and Jane are happily married. I can’t wait to see the show fulfill its true soapy potential.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: B-12 (S1E10)

Studio 60′s back with another quality episode. Mark McKinney(Kids in the Hall) is introduced as the new story editor Andy. I’m really liking his character, especialliy his relationship with Lucy and Darius. Matt has little to do in this episode and I like that I get a week off from Matt saving the world. Martha’s also back but she does nothing. Jordan snaps at a reporter and it backfires horribly, once again her job is in jeopardy. The big reveal comes at the end of episode when Danny realizes that Jordan’s pregnant. Full recap below.

It Was Great While It Lasted

This past summer I fell in love with a tv pilot. It was gripping, exciting and intelligent. I watched it 3 times and circulated it to everyone who I thought would give it a shot. That show was The Nine. Today ABC announced they’ve pulled the show from their schedule with no announced return date. It’s not surprising considering how low the ratings were and how expensive the show must have been to produce but it still hurts like hell. The Nine was one of the few shows in a very long time that blew me away.

Here’s hoping the remaining episodes(if they don’t make it to air) will make it online and then to DVD. There’s no doubt in my mind that The Nine will make it onto Brilliant But Canceled in the next few years.

I guess Raver can go back to 24 now. Damnit.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: The Option Period(S1E09)

Once again Studio 60 rebounds from 3 decent episodes with another boring preachy one. I really don’t know what to think about this show anymore. Just when I think it’s horrible they have a good episode and then just when I start to have faith they have a bad episode.

I honestly can’t think of a single highlight tonight aside from Lucy Davis. I applaud the Studio 60 crew for giving her an actual character rather than a cameo like the Ugly Betty folks did.

But who am I kidding, you don’t want to hear me bitch about the show.  Odds are you found this blog by searching Studio 60 so without further ado here’s the full recap of The Option Period:

Welcome Home Mrs. Hayden

3 times. 3 freaking times. That’s pretty much all I can think of saying right now. If you’ve read online in the past few months you knew that Lorelai and Christopher were gonna get married. So yeah, that happened. But that’s not the big deal. The big deal is that Lorelai said ‘I love you’ three times. Never in a painful way, like her two ‘I Love You’s’ to Luke were in last years ultimatum. This was a different Lorelai. A gleefully happy Lorelai. A version of the character that just broke my heart.

We don’t see the wedding. We do however see Lorelai and Chris arriving home where he says what is destined to become an infamous line, ‘Welcome Home Mrs. Hayden.’ He leaves the room and Lorelai plays with her ring, suddenly looking different.

Also Lorelai does mention that Rory should be there when they get married but Chris quickly talks her out of it. This moment alone shows how not-Lorelai, Lorelai is right now. I hope there’s some serious angst on Rory’s behalf regarding this.

Here’s hoping the writer’s can dig themselves out of this one. Lorelai Gilmore doesn’t exist anymore. It seems fitting. Tragically so.

Fall Season in Review

Every new season turns out to be surprising.  Shows you thought you’d love end up failing and shows you were iffy about end up becoming favourites.  You never expect it but it always happens.

The Failures:
I loved Smith but it was gone in 3 episodes.  Raved about the pilot of The Nine but it’s failing horribly in the ratings.  I blame The Nine’s failure entirely on ABC’s programming department.  At first glance putting The Nine with Lost must have seemed like a brilliant idea but Lost is exhausting.  I love both shows but after Lost I want to do either one of two things; sleep or rush online to figure out what I just saw.  Scheduling another detail heavy serial with Lost just doesn’t work.  The Nine would probably fair better on a night with a mismatched lead-in.  Sometimes opposites do attract.

Good Week!

So in case you haven’t heard this has been a good week for tv programming.

First came official news that Weeds and Dexter were picked up by Showtime!  I know both those pickups were obvious but getting confirmation that the amazing Weeds is coming back definitely soothed the nerves.

Then came the rumour that Studio 60 wasn’t dead but on its way to a full season.  Studio 60 started off great then nearly self imploded.  However in recent weeks the show has been steadily climbing in quality.  A full season should more than allow it to become the show it deserves to be.

But personally the best news of all for me was the banishing of Six Degrees off of Thursday at 10pm, only to be replaced by Men in Trees!  I suggested ABC take this step in my blog a couple of weeks ago.  Men in Trees has proven to be beyond reliable to ABC on Friday nights.  Now it has a chance to shine on Thursdays with the help of Grey’s.  I think it’s a great timeslot for the show since it’s a light and fluffy alternative to ER and Shark.  Here’s hoping it immediately does better than Six Degrees in the new slot.

CBS Posts Unaired Smith Episodes

Personally I thought Smith was one of the gems this fall season.  No one else did and the show was canceled after 3 episodes.  I was sad.

CBS has now posted the final 4 episodes on their website.  But that’s not the best part.  Apparently CBS also got the producers to write what would have happened with the show.  How awesome is that?
It’s always sad when a show gets canceled but I really like how the networks are providing closure to both the show and the fans.

The episodes are here and are FREE!  Yay to CBS for doing this.

Election 2006

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER,  RE-ELECTED REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA

“I love doing sequels. This without any doubt is my favourite.”

That my friends was just too good not to post.  California could not be more entertaining.

Random Musings

The New York Times isn’t a fan of the new season of Gilmore Girls. Considering the ratings are down substantially from last season I’d say they’re not the only one.

According to Entertainment Weekly Milo Ventimiglia hates Peter Petrelli’s hair on Heroes too. Creator Tim Kring thinks it’s cool. Tim Kring is no longer cool.

Veoh has started to post exclusive clips of Veronica Mars every week. They have the first 4 minutes of tonight’s show posted.

8th Season Unlikely Now?

Variety announced today that Lauren Graham is going to Executive Producer a group of shows with her production company Good Game Entertainment. Two shows have apparently already been picked up.

As great as this is for Graham I wonder what it means for Gilmore Girls. It’s no secret that Graham has wanted more control on the show in recent years and rumours have been flying that in order to get her back for an 8th season the CW would offer her a producer credit. Now that she’s got a full slate of shows in active development I wonder what the odds of her returning to Gilmore Girls will be.  She’s working with the WB which produces Gilmore so maybe she’ll stay with the show.

While I understand the show is not what it once was, it still deserves an 8th season to reunite Luke and Lorelai and have one final season that doesn’t focus on annoying relationships.

Harriet Says Stupid Things Too!

Unfortunately I can’t post a detailed recap of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip tonight because I am currently in the middle of the midterm from hell.

I will however say that tonight’s episode was my favourite of the series because it focused entirely on the characters.  There was no comedy present except for a single sketch integral to the plot.

Good cast interaction.

It’s tragic that Lucy Davis of The Office had one line of diologue since she’s freaking Lucy Davis, but alas I don’t have time to do my usual ‘I hate Sorkin’ spiel.

Oh and I hate To Be Continued’s.  Freaking sweeps.

Coolest Person Ever: Kristin Chenoweth

Picture this folks: you’re dating a guy, you end up telling him lots of stories about your life. You break up with him and the next thing you know he’s modeled a character in a highly publicized series after you. And by modeled I mean carbon copied. That’s what happened to Kristin Chenoweth when Aaron Sorkin decided he wanted a ‘cool Christian’ in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

An article in Saturday’s Toronto Star asked Chenowith how she felt about her life ending up on tv. She’s surprisingly cool about it and continues to support Sorkin and the show. Honestly if I were in her position I’d be a little bitter, and by a little I mean I’d want to kill him. Even though Harriet is a great character that is just such a breach of trust.

Other interesting tidbits in the article, Chenoweth used to do Nancy Grace impressions at home with Sorkin…Harriet’s best impression so far has been Nancy Grace.

The first time I ever saw Chenoweth was as a Jr. Agent on Frasier. I wasn’t exposed to Broadway as a child so I knew little about her singing abilities until Wicked became popular. Then she ended up on The West Wing, one of my favourite shows of the past decade.

Chenoweth goes against the modern stereotypes of Christianity and she makes her opinions clear. She seems like a genuinely cool person, especially when it comes to religion.

Note to Lost:

I love you, I really do but you have some big problems this season:

1. I don’t care about the new Losties. I also think you’re treating the viewers like idiots by just subbing them in. I loved Kiele Sanchez on Related(mock away) and Rodrigo Santoro could not have been prettier in Love Actually. But keep in mind pretty people need to have some substance to keep me interested in their characters.(Insert Kate insult here. I won’t insult her myself because I love Kate. Love her.)

2. When you kill someone could you make it a little less obvious. Try not doing it in their flashbacks. The only truly shocking Lost death was Libby because no one had a clue that was coming. I remember yelling out loud. Please, more moments like that.

3. Put the teams back together. The action on the island is BORING compared to what’s going on with The Others.

4. The cast needs to be purged. You added two new Losties plus The Others and delegated so many regulars to cameo status. There’s just too many characters. Feel free to have a massacre soon. Just save Jack, Kate and Sawyer. Hell if it’s a good death feel free to kill Kate or Sawyer too.

HOWEVER you still rock. Here’s two reasons why: