Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1392 days ago

Vacation Robo-Post: Who Should Replace Katie Couric?

By James Poniewozik

This one’s pretty straightforward. Assume the reports are true, and Katie will be leaving CBS before her contract is up. Who should take her place? Yes, “the test pattern” and “Futurama reruns” are acceptable answers.

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1392 days ago

The Morning After, Robo-Edition: HIMYM

By James Poniewozik

This is Robo-James. The Morning After is the thread in which all humans may discuss recent television transmissions in the absence of Flesh James. Today’s suggestion: How I Met Your Mother! Who loved new video by Robin Sparkles’ robot?

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1393 days ago

Vacation Robo-Post: What Show Would You Remake?

By James Poniewozik

There’s no such thing as a second chance, sang the Lemonheads, but they didn’t work in television. Second chances abound in TV nowadays. NBC is bringing back Knight Rider; it’s already brought back American Gladiators; CBS is remaking Password; we’re in the middle of a new run of Battlestar Galactica; and ABC is going to [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1393 days ago

The Morning After, Robo-Edition: BSG

By James Poniewozik

This is Robo-James. The Morning After is the thread in which all humans may discuss recent television transmissions in the absence of Flesh-James. This morning Robo-James recommends discussion of Battlestar Galactica! Suggested topic: why not more destruction of humans by their mechanical superiors this season? Also: are Centurions a bigoted representation of popular stereotypes of [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1395 days ago

Programming Note

By James Poniewozik

Robo-James (artist’s rendering). / Photo by kreg.steppe. I’m on vacation next week. I’ve preloaded Robo-James, who denies being the last remaining model of the Final Five, with some robo-posts during my absence. And since I’ll be in town most of my vacation—keeping the Tuned In Jrs. out of trouble during their school break—I’ll probably be [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1396 days ago

TV Poll: Who Among Us Should Judge?

By James Poniewozik

I’m on deadline for a couple different pieces, and that means: time to outsource! Today’s TV Poll question comes from someone you know as regular Tuned In commenter Lulu: What system of having reality contestants voted off is the best? There are almost as many different systems of reality-show democracy as there are systems of [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1396 days ago

You Can Be Funny, or You Can Be President

By James Poniewozik

As Al Gore discovered, your political loss can be your media career’s gain. John Edwards appeared on The Colbert Report—along with current candidates Clinton and Obama—and he absolutely killed. (At last, the voice of the white man is heard!) There is a limit to how laugh-out-loud funny an active candidate can be: you can be [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1396 days ago

The Morning After: Catalog Shopping

By James Poniewozik

NBC Photo: Chris Haston SPOILER ALERT: Before you read this post, put down that chair catalog and watch last night’s Office. A ring? A ring? “Parking” was not just a funny and sweet episode of The Office—giving a nice character moment to a sideline player like Kevin, for instance—but it certainly moved the Pam and [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+1397 days ago

Lost Discussion Group: Finale Thoughts

By James Poniewozik

SPOILER ALERT: Not that there’s any bombshell information in this post, but if you like having your Lost experience unspoiled by even the teensiest hints of the future, you may want to sit this one out. For the final LDG before the show itself returns next week—what’s it been, a year?—I thought I’d circle back [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1397 days ago

Never Meta Debate They Didn't Like

By James Poniewozik

On time.com this morning, Michael Grunwald reviews last night’s Democratic debate in Philadelphia. Like many of the debates in this primary, the structure of this one was, roughly: Controversy, Controversy, Electability, Gaffe, Controversy, Symbolic Hot-Button Issue, Insinuation, Incitation to Fight; And Now, a few Boring Questions About What You’d Actually Do if Elected. Leaving aside [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1397 days ago

The Morning After: Unlucky Seventh

By James Poniewozik

Spoilers about the American Idol elimination coming up… after the break!

Tuned In
Tuned In+1398 days ago

What HBO Can Learn from Starbucks

By James Poniewozik

Maybe this coffee stuff does have something to do with TV after all. I was talking to my colleague Barbara Kiviat—who actually does know something about Starbucks and business—and I asked her a question that I sort of roundabout implied in my coffee review last week. Isn’t part of the problem with Starbucks that maybe [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1398 days ago

TV Tonight: Fishing, Forty or Fightin' in Philly?

By James Poniewozik

Battling for control of your immortal soul tonight: the season debut of Deadliest Catch;* yet another Democratic debate, this time on ABC; and the premiere of TV Land’s The Big 4-0, in which subjects come to terms with the emotional baggage of turning 40. Chief among which is realizing that the only channel that wants [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Advertising | 1398 days ago

MSNBC Holds Fire on Gun Ad

By James Poniewozik

Ben Smith at Politico reports that MSNBC has decided not to run an ad from Mayors Against Illegal Guns, an organization advocating the closing of a “gun-show loophole” for the purchase of firearms. The reason, says an MSNBC spokesman: “We don’t accept controversial issue advertising.” Even if we leave aside the politics of guns, and [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+1398 days ago

Corporate Press Release Theater: Top Design Gets a Renovation

By James Poniewozik

Out with the Oldham; Hicks bumps Top Design’s former host down to mentor. / Bravo From Bravo’s upfront presentation yesterday comes news that, as foreshadowed earlier, Project Runway and Top Chef’s home-decor sibling Top Design will return with a new host. Details after the jump:

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1398 days ago

The Morning After: Glitter

By James Poniewozik

Frank Micelotta / FOX My American Idol reviews of Mariah Carey Night are up bright and early at time.com. Predictions for tonight? The safest one is that it will be an all-female bottom three. While no configuration of the women would surprise me, I’m going to say it’s Brooke, Carly and Syesha, with—this is a [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+1399 days ago

The Fine Line Between Casting and Kidnapping

By James Poniewozik

Last week: Reality TV Wants to Heal You. This week: Reality TV Wants to Heal You, Whether You Like It or Not: Marc Brilleman, 33, identified as the chief operating officer, director and writer of “Pauper to Princess,” was arrested Saturday on a charge of false imprisonment. According to the show’s Web site, its concept [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1399 days ago

TV Poll: What Game Show Would You Revive?

By James Poniewozik

In the Things You Weren’t Aware You Wanted From TV Dept. this morning: CBS is reviving the game show Password, hosted by Regis Philbin. The new show will be known as Million-Dollar Password, that now being the official sum of primetime reality/game shows and Dr. Evil. (Actually, it’s been the industry standard since around 1999 [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+News Media | 1399 days ago

The "Bitter" Story, and Why Disclosure Works

By James Poniewozik

One of the angles lost in much of the coverage of Barack Obama’s remarks in San Francisco about “bitter” small-town voters and their social beliefs was that the reporter who broke it for The Huffington Post, Mayhill Fowler, was an Obama supporter—and, in fact, an Obama donor. What’s more, her editor, Jay Rosen—who founded HuffPo’s [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1399 days ago

The Morning After: I Scream, You Scream

By James Poniewozik

Just an OK episode of How I Met Your Mother last night—for me, dawg—but I’m glad they made it. Last season, I was concerned that HIMYM was copping out on the question of Marshall selling out to the big firm for money to support himself and kindergarten teacher Lily. (You’ll recall, there was a jokey [...]