Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1446 days ago

I'm Back

By James Poniewozik

[Oscar night. Mrs. Tuned In is putting the Jrs. to bed while I take notes for the blog.] TUNED IN JR. JR. [Peers down from the top of the stairs]: Daddy! MRS. TUNED IN: Come back over. Daddy has to work. TUNED IN JR. JR. [Looks through the railing, seeing me on the couch, as [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1449 days ago

Lostwatch: Totally Scooby-Doo'd

By James Poniewozik

Kate Austen (Evangeline Lilly) plotting her next move./ ABC SPOILER ALERT: Before you read this post, grab some boxed wine, a backgammon set, place an armed grenade in your mouth and watch last night’s Lost. How exactly did Chaddogg wrest control of Lostwatch from the cold, metal claws of Robo-James? Well, after pulling a Charlie [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1449 days ago

The Morning After: Chaddogg Watch

By James Poniewozik

A reminder: Tuned In’s own Chaddogg will be guest-posting on last night’s Lost later this morning. Watch this space. Any second now. Keep hitting refresh–we need the pageviews! In the meantime… um, how about that Celebrity Apprentice?

Tuned In
Tuned In+1450 days ago

Special Lost Bulletin: Chaddogg in the House!

By James Poniewozik

Come back tomorrow for a very special edition of Lostwatch: Tuned In habitue and professor of Lostology Chaddogg has graciously agreed to do a guest post about this week’s episode. So if you notice an alarming amount of competence and insight in your Lostwatch this week, you can blame it on him. Look for it [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1450 days ago

Vacation Robo-Post: What Did You Do During the Strike?

By James Poniewozik

Another user-generated discussion topic, this one from regular Tuned Inlander Rottin’ in Denmark: We could talk about all the good books we read during the strike. I suspect RID was being sarcastic. But let’s run with it. A lot of pundits, myself included, prognosticated about how viewers would change their routines during the strike. Were [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1451 days ago

Vacation Robo-Post: We Demand Closure!

By James Poniewozik

Today’s Robo-James topic comes to you courtesy of guest programmer Chaddogg: What (prematurely) cancelled shows deserve a better finale (i.e. two-hour special, final mini-season to wrap things up, etc.)? And how would you like to see the show end? I can think of a lot of shows in this category – Veronica Mars (although the [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1451 days ago

The Morning After: DIY American Idol Critique

By James Poniewozik

As you read this, I should be in Florida at the summer condo of the Tuned In-Laws, where–Mrs. Tuned In-Law being an avid American Idol fan–I almost certainly have watched the semifinal Round of 24 kick off. But I’m in a senior community with limited Internet access–and believe me, you don’t want to fight the [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1452 days ago

Vacation Robo-Post: What Movies Should Become TV?

By James Poniewozik

When I posted about the upcoming Star Wars animated series last week, I forgot to mention one reason to be (guardedly) optimistic about the show. It’s just possible that, simply by virtue of forcing someone to write about the SW prequel characters for dozens of episodes, the series may put the kind of flesh on [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1453 days ago

Vacation Robo-Post: Your Favorite Robot

By James Poniewozik

“God, I love robots.” —Andy, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles What better way to begin a week with Robo-James than with his favorite topic: great robots in television history! Today’s programming alone offers a wide choice, from the sinister (BSG’s Cylons) to the friendly (Yo Gabba Gabba!’s Plex) to the promotional (J. J. Abrams’ Bad [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1453 days ago

The Morning After: Wire Watch Edition

By James Poniewozik

If you are reading this post, I am already dead. That, or, more likely, I have not managed to blitz out a post about last night’s The Wire before catching a plane for vacation. Which means you’re catching this murder this week. Run with it.

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1455 days ago

Programming Note

By James Poniewozik

Photo by TheAlieness GiselaGiardino. As a reminder, I’m going on vacation. For the next week, you will be under the emotionless but rational jurisdiction of Robo-James. Don’t make him use the laser eyes. I’ll see you February 25. Ish.

Tuned In
Tuned In+News Media | 1455 days ago

One More Post About Reporters and Voting

By James Poniewozik

As long as we’re navel-gazing on the subject here this week, I should point out that political reporter Chris Cilizza at The Washington Post blogged yesterday that he does not vote, and asked his readers whether they thought that was the right decision for a reporter or not. There are over 200 posts as of [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+1456 days ago

Dead Tree Alert: Dexter Redux

By James Poniewozik

In this week’s print edition of TIME I look at the controversy over CBS re-airing Dexter, which I’ve blogged about here before. In the column, though, I go a little more into the actual content of the show–which is, among other things, a philosophical look at the nature of morality–as a way of saying that [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+1456 days ago

Lostwatch: If I Could Turn Back Time

By James Poniewozik

Faraday and his time (measuring) machine. / ABC SPOILER ALERT: Before you read this post, go into the secret room behind your bookcase and watch last night’s Lost.

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1456 days ago

The Morning After: Still Surviving

By James Poniewozik

Jeffrey R. Staab/CBS I’ve thrown last night’s Survivor: Micronesia, the Valentine’s Day edition, on the TiVo pile for now, so feel free to spoil away in the comments. Are you a fan of the favorites or are your favorites the fans?

Tuned In
Tuned In+1457 days ago

What's Your Lost Name?

By James Poniewozik

Of the many time-wasters the Internet has blesssed us with, one of the finest is the random name generator. You have your porn name generators, your soap-opera name generators, your prison name generators. But unless my Googling skills are poorer than I think, no one has come up with the much-needed Lost Name Generator. You [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1457 days ago

Corporate Press Release Theater: Ben Silverman To Stop Selling Shows to Self

By James Poniewozik

Here at Corporate Press Release Theater, we usually tend to skip over eyeball-glazing releases from production studios about business transactions. This one, about the sale of hugely successful series-importer Reveille (The Office, Ugly Betty) is an exception because of its implications: Ben Silverman, founder of Reveille, will no longer be able to sell programs to [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1457 days ago

American Idol: Your Predictions Now!

By James Poniewozik

So the American Idol Semifinal 24 have been selected, and the tween girls, grandmas and Wal-mart music-section buyers of America shed a tear that glasses-wearing, curly-headed, Clay Aiken-y, Josh Groban-y Kyle was cut. So far, the girls seem stronger than the guys; then again, I’m pretty sure the girls always seem stronger than the guys [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+1457 days ago

A Second Look At: Breaking Bad

By James Poniewozik

Walt and Jesse clean up in the meth business. / AMC: Lewis Jacobs SPOILER ALERT: This post contains plot details about upcoming episodes of the series. When I reviewed Breaking Bad on the basis of the first three episodes, I had one main reservation: that the dark and comic elements of the show were having [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1457 days ago

You Too Can Program Robo-James!

By James Poniewozik

I’m on vacation next week. Don’t you judge me. You have no idea how hard this job is on my tender, tender eyes. Unlike my usual February week off (when I just hang around in Brooklyn watching Tuned In Jr. and Tuned In Jr. Jr. while they’re on school break), I’m actually going somewhere, so [...]