Tribune Blogs -- The Village Vidiot: TV with Vince Horiuchi

Freakin' Fuggettaboutit!

Gail Shister with the Philadelphia Enquirer wrote this interesting column about HBO's blisteringly graphic "The Sopranos," which is premiering on the cable channel A&E beginning Jan 10.

The big difference between these airings and what HBO showed is these will be edited down for more general audiences.

"That's b------t!" you're probably saying. "How can those b------s get away with this!"

The answer is I don't know how it will end up. But it should make for some interesting viewing, don't you think?

In fact, here's a funny interpretation from "MadTV" on just what an episode would be like under the knife.

"Heroes" is Coming to Save the Day!

OK, for those complaining that there isn't enough good television out there, tune into the Sci Fi Channel at 4 p.m. (or set the TiVo) and prepare for six hours of great entertainment.

The fall's best new series is "Heroes," and it's having a six-hour marathon for people to get acquainted with the group of strangers who discover they're developing superpowers.

Monday night's episode on NBC, which is not part of the marathon, was a spectacular segment that unlocks some of the basic story's secrets. It's time to suit up and catch up to this remarkably entertaining series. Here's a preview clip to get you going.

"The Nine" Pulled

According to this Zap2it.com article, ABC's thrilling serialized drama, "The Nine," has been pulled from its Wednesday schedule due to low ratings. "Primetime" will replace it in the meantime in that 8 p.m. slot. It airs on KTVX Channel 4.

That doesn't bode well for the show, which was the darling of the television critics, including myself, for its riveting story of what happened to nine hostages after a grueling 52-hour bank robbery and standoff.

Unfortunately, when a network decides to pull a series and puts it on hiatus, it never sees the light of day. ABC claims "The Nine" will be coming back in a new time slot. I sure hope so, but I'm not holding my breath.

That might mean that one of the show's stars, Scott Wolf of "Party of Five" fame, will have to look for new work if he wants to keep what I'm sure is his palatial Park City home.

Here's a peek at a preview of the show if you have never seen the series. And if you haven't, thanks a lot (heavy sarcasm).

Watch Out! Those Penguins Are Dancing for the Left!

You know, most television pundits are freakin' idiots.

Ok, I said it. The likes of Nancy Grace, Neil Cavuto, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and others get their jobs on national television networks like Fox News and CNN because they make stupidity, ignorance and prejudice seem so entertaining when they open their mouths.

Case in point this week: Beck and Cavuto both appeared on their television shows this week to lambast another supposed left-wing conspiracy. This time it's not something lurking in the walls of Congress after the Republicans got spanked over the mid-term elections.

No, it's about that damned penguin movie.

Yes, their target is that devilish "propaganda" movie "Happy Feet," which happened to be the #1 movie over last weekend (even beating the latest James Bond picture).

They claim the filmmakers are using insidious tactics by inserting a pro-environmental message into the movie - one about how the fishing industry is disrupting the ecosystem and causing the penguins to starve.

Both talk show hosts called the movie "an animated 'An Inconvenient Truth,'" referring to Al Gore's global-warming documentary.

Right. And "The Wizard of Oz" is a hideous attempt to use the collective Munchkins to promote socialism.

Here's clips from both shows. Beware, there's plenty of stupidity ahead. Discretion is advised.

Cavuto also used Holly McClure, entertainment critic for the Christian Broadcasting Network who also worked with Mel Gibson on a behind-the-scenes documentary on "The Passion of the Christ," to whine about the movie's message. I'm amazed on how "fair and balanced" Fox News can be.

The reason I bring this up tonight is because I just saw "Happy Feet" and thought it was one of the most energetic, soulful, and creative computer animated movies ever. It was even better than this summer's "Cars," which says a lot.

First and foremost, "Happy Feet" blossoms with music, dance, and wonderful characters. For the first time in years, a computer animated movie wasn't just about fuzzy animals making pratfalls and potty jokes. This is a happy movie about individualism, about finding yourself in the face of adversity and, yes, about saving our land before it's too late for everyone, not just humans.

Why Cavuto and Beck, two narrow-minded yahoos who wouldn't know what's precious on Earth if you shoved it in front of their ignorant faces, think that it's nothing more than a "propaganda" film is beyond me. Guess after the mid-term elections, they ran out of targets in Washington.

See the movie this weekend. You won't regret it. And Cavuto and Beck will just have to find someone else to whine about.

We're Off to See a New Wizard

They're at it again. Network executives are throwing those words around. You know, words like "re-imagining" and "re-inventing."

This time, they're using them in association with a new remake, or "re-imagining," of "The Wizard of Oz" for a new generation.

According to this story in Variety, the Sci Fi Channel is making a 6-hour miniseries called "Tin Man" that is supposed to take the classic tale "to the next level and make it relevant, modern and fresh to a new generation."

Well so much for "The Wizard of Oz" being a timeless classic. According to Sci Fi executives, it's apparently dated, old-fashioned and unable to be enjoyed by anyone under the age of 60.

This is exactly why classics should never be remade, and that network executives need to get an education in film and have at least some institutional knowledge in the the industry for which they work for.

Um, Sci Fi guys, the reason "The Wizard of Oz" is a great movie is because it still is "relevant, modern and fresh to a new generation." The only ones who are not "relevant, modern and fresh" are you.

No Soup For Him!

The tale of comedian Michael Richards' racist tirade takes a bizarre turn Monday night when he appeared on "The Late Show" with David Letterman to apologize to the public.

Richards, also known as the wild and eccentric Cosmo Kramer on the hit television classic "Seinfeld," appeared on Letterman's late night show via satellite during guest Jerry Seinfeld's visit. It seems Seinfeld had asked Richards to come on to explain what happened Friday night when Richards went into a racially-poisoned outburst while two black men were heckling him in the audience. Honestly, I don't know what to think about his apology. It felt uncomfortable just listening to him, and I think this is the kind of incident that could kill his career forever. It's certainly not doing wonders for Mel Gibson's career.

For those of you who don't know what happened first Friday night at the Laugh Factory comedy club in Los Angeles, here's a clip of Richards' outbust taken by an audience member with a video camera. The video is courtesy of the site, TMZ.com, which was then posted on YouTube. Beware, there is rough language in the clip so discretion is advised.

And here's a clip of Richards on Letterman's show from Monday night. You decide about the sincerity of his apology.

O.J. Cut from Fox Deal

It turns out Fox got some morals. Or got antsy that it could lose a lot of valuable viewers from its network if it shows a special about how O.J. Simpson might have killed Nicole Simpson Brown and Ron Goldman.

The network decided kill the book and the Fox television special "O.J. Simpson: If I Did It" when it realized it would be tasteless to show such a special. Hmmm. I wonder how long it took them to come to that conclusion?

Anyway, here's The New York Times story describing it.

And here's my Monday column opining about the whole sordid matter.

Finally, here's a promo for the special that won't be.

I've Been Bamboozled!!

Oh No! It turns out "The Office" didn't cold call me. If you look a few postings below, I wrote about getting a phone message from Dwight Schrute (aka Rainn Wilson) from the NBC comedy. He was peddling the second season DVD set of "The Office."

I thought it was an evil marketing ploy from NBC/Universal and mentioned that I was on a do-not-call list and shouldn't have gotten the phone call.

It seems the message came from my diabolical brother in law, Danny, who logged into NBC.com and the site for "The Office" where it has a "Get a Call from Dwight" item.

For that, I apologize NBC/Universal. It turns out you didn't invade my privacy with an advertising ploy. I know you guys would never do that.

Let the Battle Begin

So how many of you stood out in the bitter cold the last couple of days to get a PlayStation 3? I just want to know how many so I can stay away from you.

Well, it's Friday, or "VG Day," and those of you wanting the hottest video game console are back in your homes, sleep-deprived, but button mashing with the best of them.

Hope it was worth it.

I, along with fellow gamer, Sam Vicchrilli, have written a package on the impending fight between Sony and Nintendo. You can read it here. I also wrote in my TV column today about how these new consoles are for more than just playing games.

There's also a business story today about Utah game developers who are working on next-generation games.

Finally, reporter Lisa Rosetta and I wrote about some of the madness to be the first to get a PS3.

How many will go right out and do it again this weekend to get a Nintendo Wii when it launches Sunday? Don't forget to bring several packets of hand warmers.

All But "Vanished"

It looks like the Jerry Bruckheimer series about a senator's wife who up and vanished will be disappearing itself.

There's been no official word that Fox's thriller "Vanished" has been cancelled, but when you get an email like this from Fox publicity, it's hard to think otherwise.

"FOX will make the final four episodes of VANISHED available online on FOX On Demand at MySpace.com (www.myspace.com/fox) and on MyFoxLocal station sites in 24 markets beginning Friday, Nov. 17. Viewers will see the mystery unfold as the remaining clues in the disappearance of Sara Collins (Joanne Kelly) are uncovered in the episodes to be posted on four consecutive Fridays: Nov. 17, Nov. 24, Dec. 1 and the "Warm Springs" series finale on Dec. 8. Streaming begins at 12:01 AM PT each Friday."

Meanwhile, Fox's legal drama, "Justice," will be moving to Fridays at 7 p.m. on KSTU Channel 13.

As far as "Vanished" goes, it's hardly worth shedding a tear over. I didn't think the series had enough intrigue to make it interesting.

Here's a preview to give you an idea of what the show was about since no one really watched it.

"The Office" is Calling: Beware

I didn't know whether to laugh or be really ticked off.

When I got home from dinner Tuesday night, I got this on my answering machine.

Now, my first impulse was to be amused. It was a funny message, wasn't it? Also, I'm a fan of "The Office" - a huge fan - and I was delighted that Dwight Schrute (pictured) would call me to pitch me "The Office" on DVD. (In fact, Mr. Schrute, I already have both seasons on DVD.)

Then I thought: Wait a minute, I'm on a do-not-call list and shouldn't have gotten this message at all. It certainly isn't for a charity and it's not a political ad.

That's when I started to get a little perturbed and turned this amusing little message into an "NBC/Universal-evil-marketing-ploy."

Well, I'd thought I'd share this message with you and warn you that the office might be calling to ask about your whereabouts. I'm curious, has anyone else in Utah gotten this phone message?

"Friday" Lights Up With Full Order

The trifecta is complete.

"Friday Night Lights," one of the best dramas on television, got picked up for a full season of episodes.

The series about the effects of high school football on a small Texas town is the third of my favorite new shows to get full orders. That also includes "Heroes" and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." All three, coincidentally, are NBC programs.

"Friday Night Lights," which airs Tuesdays on KSL Channel 5, is one of those stories that builds naturally and confidentally. Every episode this season has been a riveting turn, but the ratings haven't been stellar. It's nice to know that the production can continue without worrying if it will be cancelled in mid-run.

Here's a preview for those who have never seen it. Check it out on Tuesdays. You won't regret it.

"The Amazing Race - Asia"

It only makes sense that the one reality show about globetrotting for a million dollars would be the kind of series that could be broadcast anywhere in the world.

The premiere episode of "The Amazing Race - Asia" is now up on YouTube, and it's all in English!

It's great to see that the formula looks and sounds exactly the same no matter what country you see it in.

Here's a link to the part of YouTube that has all of the episode, which is divided into six parts. But to get you started, here below you can click on the play button to see the first 9 minutes. Enjoy!

"Studio 60" for a Season

OK. Fans of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" can take a breather. The show has been picked up for a full season. That's 22 episodes people.

The series, created by television maestro Aaron Sorkin, is about the backstage trials of putting on a "Saturday Night Live"-type of sketch comedy show.

It stars Bradley Whitford ("The West Wing") and Matthew Perry ("Friends") (pictured) as the producer and head writer of the show. And it's shown the dramatic skills of Perry, which know one knew he had.

The series is still good, compelling TV, even though it hasn't quite lived up to its potential.

Well, it's got a whole season to prove itself, and I for one will be there every Monday night to watch it grow.

A Great Week for TV

Boy, it was nights like Thursday that remind me why it's great to be a television critic.

My wife and I sat down to catch up on some of the week's episodes, and it was more satisfying entertainment I had in one night than I can get in three months of going to the movies.

We began by watching the first couple of episodes of a new ABC thriller called "Day Break," starring Taye Diggs ("Chicago") as a detective who relives the same day again and again and who's also wanted for murder and must try to figure out who framed him.

The series is OK so far, but it's intriguing enough to follow. My review of it will run in Monday's paper. Here's a video preview of the show.

Then it started getting really good.

We watched this week's "Survivor," which was probably the best episode of the season. With a twist in the game - two tribe members from Aitu were allowed to "mutiny" and join the Raro tribe - what happened in this week's episode completely changed the games dynamics. The series is getting much more interesting.

Then we watched "The Office," which probably was the best episode of the season so far. In it, the Scranton branch (led by Michael Scott) first learns it's going to be eliminated in favor of the Stanford branch.

It was a funny and eye-opening episode. What's bound to happen next in future episodes will make for hilarious comedy.

Then we concluded the night with this week's episode of "Friday Night Lights," one of the very best series on TV right now. This look at football in a small Texas town and how the obsession to win taints its residents, is a glorious series that feels as realistic and as dramatic as television can get.

It's not doing the greatest in the ratings right now, so I am begging all to turn it on and absorb some of the finest drama you can get in a week.

Wow, it was a superb night in front of the set, and something to remind me of why I sometimes love my job.

Ed Bradley Signing Off

In case you haven't heard, veteran "60 Minutes" correspondent, Ed Bradley, whose journalistic endeavors and credibility are well known, passed away from leukemia. He was the only veteran newsman who could get away with wearing a hooped earring.

Here's a copy of the news release from CBS:

"Ed Bradley, one of journalism's brightest stars whose name was synonymous with the CBS News magazine 60 MINUTES on which he reported for the past 25 years, died a few hours ago in Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. He was 65 and had leukemia."

"Bradley spent nearly his entire 43-year career with CBS News, where he rose to the pinnacle of journalistic achievement, at first on network documentaries and the CBS EVENING NEWS and then 60 MINUTES, where he solidified a body of work that featured a keen talent for the interview and an intense curiosity shown in his investigative work. In one of his last 60 MINUTES segments, an investigation of the Duke University Lacrosse rape case, he broke new ground with the first interviews with the accused in a story that made headlines last month."

"Smith" Returns

Ray Liotta's failed CBS thriller "Smith" returns, but not to the television set nearest you. It's showing the rest of its episodes on CBS' Web site.

In a first for television networks and a first for serialized dramas, the remaining four unaired episodes of the crime drama will air at CBS' Innertube streaming video service for free starting Thursday (today).

Here's an old promo for "Smith," in which Liotta plays a professional thief, courtesy of YouTube.

CBS' attempt to wrap up the airing of the final episodes is a way for people to find out how the show was supposed to end. A written synopsis by the producers that explains how the show was going to finish also will be included.

This is an example of the dangers of serialized dramas, which came in droves this fall.

What happens if they fail in the first season? How do we know the show will end? Do they have to leave viewers hanging?

NBC's cancelled "Kidnapped" is a perfect example of how pulling such a series from the schedule can ruin your day.

When it last left the air, the boy was still kidnapped. Will viewers ever know if he'll be saved?

At least CBS is providing some closure for these types of series that get canned early.

Talk About No "Grace"

Nancy Grace

Leslie Lewis

I'm not a fan of "Nancy Grace" on CNN or Nancy Grace.

She's the most obnoxious talk show host on television, and the CNN personality who covers crime and courts stories was her typically outrageous self Monday night when she did a 40-minute segment on Utah District Court Judge Leslie Lewis.

Lewis was the target - a judge who has been in a lot of hot water lately for her absurd conduct in the courtroom in which she handcuffed the relative of a deer hunter who was before the judge.

Lewis, as seen on YouTube video, didn't like his "bored" behavior in the courtroom. She ordered the spectator cuffed and placed in a holding cell.

Grace's show spent most of the hour talking about the judge and all of her past mishaps. One of our editors, Brent Israelsen, who runs the cops and courts desk, was being interviewed live on the telephone.

First there was the funny and melodramatic graphic - "IN CONTEMPT!" - that came banging down on the screen every time the show was back on the air.

Grace would say, "Judge Lewis, You are - (CLANG!) IN CONTEMPT!"

Then Grace rattled on and on about Lewis, chastising the judge's performance in the courtroom.

There's a kind of Fox News, in-your-face dramatics that goes on with Grace that makes me think she's more like an on-screen clown with horror makeup then a genuine, sincere TV host.

Heaven knows I don't agree with Judge Lewis. In fact, I've spent every election trying to vote her out because of her alleged conduct and bias in the courtroom (plus, she just doesn't look good in black). But when Grace uses corny gestures like holding her nose (to suggest, "this judge stinks"), it only makes her argument laughable.

Then, something dawned on me while watching the show.

Grace and Judge Lewis sure look a lot alike.

In fact, Lewis could pass as Grace's mother - maybe even vice versa. Is that really the case here?

Then it all made sense.

Were the two separated at birth? Is one carrying on the tradition of annoying people on national TV while the other annoys defendants in the courtroom?

That would explain why both were so good on TV together. Now that I think of it, it's rather kind of sweet.

One thing's for certain: I plan to never watch Nancy Grace again unless I'm forced to at gunpoint by my editor. Even then, I just may let the editor pull the trigger.

"Kidnapped" Gone

There is one NBC show that is going to cancellation heaven. It seems "Kidnapped" was swiped from the primetime schedule.

The serial thriller starring Oscar winner Timothy Hutton as the father of a teen boy who was kidnapped was taken off the Saturday schedule and is now off the NBC lineup, according to Broadcasting & Cable.

The show was moved from its Wednesday 9 p.m. slot to Saturday at 8 p.m. where it didn't do much better (of course, moving anything to Saturday is the final nail in a failing series).

Now that it's gone, I don't know if we'll ever find out the end of whether the boy was recovered or not. That's the danger of a serialized program that is cancelled too soon.

"Kidnapped" is one of the first of what surely will be a river of cancellations this fall.

Wait! Not So Fast!

OK. Let's have cooler heads prevail.

According to this Los Angeles Times brief in Wednesday's paper, NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly said he's standing behind "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" and "Friday Night Lights" despite their poor ratings and has ordered more scripts from specifically "Studio 60."

Both have been trying to stay above water with their dismal viewership, but they're also both outstanding series (particularly "Friday"). So hang in their fans.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Monday, November 27, 2006

Thursday, November 23, 2006

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Monday, November 20, 2006

Friday, November 17, 2006

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Friday, November 10, 2006

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Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Wednesday, November 01, 2006