Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1339 days ago

BSG Finale Free-For-All

By James Poniewozik

Because of factors beyond my control—most of them involving my laziness—I probably won’t get around to blogging, and possibly even watching, the Battlestar Galactica half-season finale this weekend. If you’re wandering by in the meantime, consider this a free space to discuss it in my absence. Or wait until my BSG post, which will go [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Remembrance | 1340 days ago

Tim Russert, 1950-2008

By James Poniewozik

He died suddenly, at work, in the NBC Washington bureau this afternoon. Whether you praise or criticize him (and I’ve done both), his influence on political journalism has been immense, as he’s demonstrated right up through his last election. My obituary of him should be is online at time.com. shortly. Update: Appropriately, and heartbreakingly, Russert’s [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1340 days ago

TV Weekend: The Internet and Fat Guys, Together at Last

By James Poniewozik

Gemberling, before the beer spill of destiny. / ADULT SWIM Adult Swim’s newest comedy, debuting Sunday night, may not necessarily be the best show of 2008. But it has probably already won the award for best title of 2008. Fat Guy Stuck in Internet, is, like Snakes on a Plane, the kind of it-is-what-it-is title [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+News Media | 1340 days ago

Did Media Sexism Do Clinton In?

By James Poniewozik

The New York Times runs a front-page feature this morning on the debate over whether media coverage of Hillary Clinton was sexist, how much of it was and what effect it had on her candidacy. On one side you have longtime Clinton supporters, DNC head Howard Dean and CBS anchor Katie Couric, who have argued [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+1340 days ago

Lost Discussion Group: Version 5.1

By James Poniewozik

Taking up Chaddogg’s suggestion from last week’s Lost Discussion Group, I’ll raise the same question I did at the beginning of last summer’s LDG: Where do you think the next season of Lost will kick off? You can answer as generally or specifically as you want. For instance: * What’s the first scene of Lost, [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1340 days ago

Dead Tree Alert: A Working Girl, With Emphasis on the "Working"

By James Poniewozik

Piper (Doctor Who) works hard for the money. / SHOWTIME In this week’s Time, I review Showtime’s high-priced escort comedy (the escort is high-priced, though I guess Showtime isn’t cheap either), Secret Diary of a Call Girl, about a London hooker (Billie Piper) whose real name is Hannah but whose trade name is “Belle.” Showtime [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1341 days ago

Corporate Press Release Theater: Project Runway Returns

By James Poniewozik

Bravo announces the premiere date, and a new time, for the next season of Project Runway. For adults. NEW YORK – June 12, 2008 – Fashion, fierceness and fun all add up to five seasons of fabulous. Bravo’s highly-anticipated fifth season of the three-time Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning creative competition reality series “Project Runway” returns [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1341 days ago

TV Poll: The Worst/Best Dads in TV History

By James Poniewozik

Just before Mother’s Day, time.com ran a feature on the worst and best mothers in popular culture. I’m not sure if it plans on reprising the feature for Father’s Day—though, between you and me, dads, we all know Mother’s Day is the real holiday—but I do know that it got all kinds of attention. And [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1341 days ago

Fox News's Obama "Baby Mama" Drama

By James Poniewozik

So yesterday afternoon, Fox News ran a segment about criticism of Michelle Obama captioned with the bottom-of-the-screen chyron, “OUTRAGED LIBERALS: STOP PICKING ON OBAMA’S BABY MAMA!” No, seriously, they did. Is there an emoticon for “Jaw hitting the floor in amazement”? I don’t know how to make one, so I’ll have to risk being called [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+1341 days ago

Fringe: The Trailer

By James Poniewozik

You may have seen this extended trailer for Fringe elsewhere, and I’m not sure how much it differs from the previews Fox has been showing on-air already. But I created this as a test file while learning to use Brightcove software to embed trailer clips on the blog, so I didn’t want it to go [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1341 days ago

The Morning After: Trail Braiser

By James Poniewozik

The final three await judgment. / Bravo Photo: Rafael Pichardo SPOILER ALERT: Click on the jump and you’ll get spoilers about the Top Chef finale faster than you can make bacon ice cream.

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1342 days ago

Corporate Press Release Theater: Pack Your Penknives and Go

By James Poniewozik

Who among us does not have fond memories of American Juniors, Fox’s effort to make a kiddie version of American Idol? Oh, you don’t? And you? And you? Well, you may want to skip this one, then: NEW YORK – June 10, 2008 – Bravo announced today the development of its new creative competition series [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+1342 days ago

Tomorrow's Controversy Today

By James Poniewozik

So I was watching a screener of Camp Rock, Disney Channel’s upcoming Jonas Brothers movie—and you think this job isn’t work?—when I saw something that gave me pause. The three boy-bandmates are conferring in an early scene, and Kevin Jonas (below left) has his innocent American neck swaddled in… could it be… a black and [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1342 days ago

A Second First Look At: In Plain Sight

By James Poniewozik

McCormack as witness-protector Shannon. / USA Network Photo: Lewis Jacobs USA network never sent me an advance screener of In Plain Sight, its new summer drama about U.S. marshal Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack), who’s assigned to guard people in the witness-protection program. So like a Henry Hill hiding in the suburbs at the end of [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+1342 days ago

On a Roll-bermann!

By James Poniewozik

Last month, I special-commented on how Keith Olbermann’s increasingly frequent and impassioned Special Comments were in danger of becoming less, well, special. (Others begged to differ.) Fortunately for Olbermann, he doesn’t listen to my unsolicited programming advice. Last week, reports the New York Times’ Brian Stelter, Countdown overtook nemesis The O’Reilly Factor in 25-to-54-year-old viewers [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1342 days ago

The Morning After: Hoop Dreams

By James Poniewozik

The last time I really paid much attention to pro basketball was in my school days in the ’80s, when it seemed like the Lakers were always playing the Celtics in the finals. Good to see nothing’s changed! As a non-sports fan, I tend to look at TV sports the same way—broadcasting a game is [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+1343 days ago

Corporate Press Release Theater 2: Sale of the Centurion

By James Poniewozik

We don’t usually publicize product listings at Tuned In, but we make an exception in the case of seven-foot-tall killing machines. In the event that you are interested in subjugating the human race, or planning to wage a civil war against a rival group of skinjobs, the free market has stepped in to help: BATTLESTAR [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+1343 days ago

Corporate Press Release Theater: More Celebrity Rehab

By James Poniewozik

American Idol may run out of qualified applicants, but Dr. Drew never will: VH1 has once again partnered with Dr. Drew Pinsky for a second season of the hit reality series “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.” The series, consisting of eight one-hour episodes, is slated to premiere October 2008. Similar to the first cycle, the [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1343 days ago

Test Pilot: Fringe

By James Poniewozik

Torv (center, wearing brain-melding gizmo) with Noble and Jackson. / Mark Ben Holzberg/FOX Test Pilot is a semiregular feature sharing my first impressions of the pilots for next fall’s shows. These aren’t reviews, since these pilots can be rewritten, recast and retooled before airing, and the shows that eventually get on the air can prove [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1343 days ago

Celebrity Affected! Housing Crisis Now a Big Deal!

By James Poniewozik

I’m guessing I had the same huh-what? reaction many of you did when Ed McMahon went on Larry King last week to say that he was facing foreclosure on the mansion that he has been trying to sell for $6 million. (Sure, that sounds like a lot, but back in the day you could buy [...]