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Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1025 days ago

Judging American Idol: The Final 8

By James Poniewozik

Before we get to the reviews of American Idol‘s Songs from the ‘Year You Were Born’ Night, I want to issue an apology to America on behalf of the 1980s. I was a teenager at the time, but I feel partly responsible for the decade’s popular music catalog. We all made choices we weren’t proud [...]

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Tuned In+1026 days ago

TV Tonight: Rescue Me; Manly, Yes, But I Like It Too

By James Poniewozik

At the last minute last week, I shifted gears from doing a writeup for season 5 of Rescue Me in favor of reviewing In Treatment for the print TIME. Then other things came up, so I never got through my full batch of screeners of the Denis Leary show, which returns tonight on FX. But [...]

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Tuned In+1026 days ago

Gilboa Defeated, Gath Rejoices

By James Poniewozik

Probably not a huge surprise, but EW’s Ausiello reports that Kings will have its remaining (and final) episodes burned off on Saturdays, starting April 18. On the other hand: At least they’ll air. Also: network drama on Saturdays!

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1026 days ago

House's Riskiest Operation Yet

By James Poniewozik

After the jump, TIME writer and House aficionado John Cloud shares his (spoilery! you’ve been warned!) thoughts on last night’s House: 

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Tuned In+1026 days ago

Jon Stewart Has Not Finished Jim Cramer Yet

By James Poniewozik

According to a CNBC announcement, stockpicker and Jon Stewart punching bag Jim Cramer celebrates his 1,000th episode tomorrow. (CNBC actually went to the trouble of counting the number of “boo-yahs” on Mad Money—over 1,500, a surprisingly low figure.) Judging from the reaction to the recent Daily Show smackdown of Cramer, many other people will be [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1026 days ago

The Morning After: All A-Twitter

By James Poniewozik

I’ve been on Twitter for a few weeks now, long enough to have ascertained a few things:  * It’s a great repository for my observations and jokes that are too trivial and superficial even for this blog—and boy, do I have plenty of those.  * Twitter is superior to Facebook, because it is better to [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1027 days ago

Mini Breaking Bad Watch

By James Poniewozik

Quick thoughts on last night’s installment of Breaking Bad (mild spoilers below): 

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1027 days ago

Don't Read This, Read That

By James Poniewozik

Sorry for the light posting today, but dealing with a deadline. In the meantime, may I interest you in… * The New York Times’ David Carr gets an early look at the taping of David Simon’s New Orleans’ drama, Treme * Tom Braden, the author and liberal pundit who gave us both Eight is Enough [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1027 days ago

The Morning After: Any Port in a Storm

By James Poniewozik

I’m not sure when or if I’ll have a chance to blog much of this weekend’s TV—Breaking Bad, Dollhouse, In Treatment, the United States of Tara finale—so consider this an open thread in the meantime. I also wanted to put in a word for Kings, whose episode last night was the first I hadn’t been [...]

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Tuned In+1030 days ago

The Leno-lution Begins! Boston Says No to Jay

By James Poniewozik

Boston, it is often said, was the cradle of the American Revolution. And today it is the site of an all-out rebellion between a colony (the NBC affiliate) and its distant overlord (NBC). Boston’s WHDH says it will not air Jay Leno’s 10 p.m. talk show next fall, and will put a newscast in its [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1030 days ago

It's a Time.com Reunion! (On the Radio.)

By James Poniewozik

Former Swamplander Ana Marie Cox is guest-hosting on Air America from noon to 3 p.m. E.T. today, and I’ll be on with her somewhere around 1:30, talking about matters TV-related. I’m told the interview will be available on something called a “radio.” If you don’t have one handy, and are not near an antiques shop, [...]

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Tuned In+1030 days ago

Jon and Kate Plus Eight, Plus One More Year

By James Poniewozik

The show that kicked off TLC’s giant brood of shows about families with giant broods, Jon and Kate Plus Eight, was picked up for a fifth season, it was announced yesterday at Discovery’s upfront presentation. As the Zap2It article linked here suggests, you might wonder whether putting the family on camera again is such a [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1030 days ago

Dead Tree Alert: In Treatment Returns

By James Poniewozik

In this week’s print TIME, I review season 2 of In Treatment, which returns this Sunday and which (having seen four weeks so far) I like better than the first:    By the time Paul Weston (Gabriel Byrne) sits down for a session with his own therapist, Gina (Dianne Wiest), he has had a long [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1030 days ago

The Morning After: Chicago Hope

By James Poniewozik

  As I’ve said, I wasn’t a regular fan of ER, and for that reason I probably didn’t set my bar of expectations for its finale that high. (Spoiler alert, obviously, if you haven’t watched.) But from my once-watcher’s perspective, it was a fitting, low-key finale, one that didn’t try to upend anyone’s image of [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1031 days ago

TV Tonight: Call It! Time of Death…

By James Poniewozik

ER gets ready to go off the air with its series finale tonight, amid much verbiage from people like me citing it as a sign of the end of the heyday of broadcast TV. It’s worth noting, though, that even in its diminished state, millions of people still watch ER. I just don’t know them, [...]

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Tuned In+News Media | 1031 days ago

MSNBC Picks Ed Schultz, Still Looking for Primetime Host

By James Poniewozik

Fresh off of overtaking CNN for second place in the primetime ratings, MSNBC has struck a deal with progressive radio host Ed Schultz—though it’s to fill the 6 p.m. E.T. timeslot, not the talked-about 10 p.m. vacancy, currently occupied by a Keith Olbermann rerun. David Schuster, who had briefly hosted MSNBC’s 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue at [...]

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Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1031 days ago

The Morning After: Wrapping Up

By James Poniewozik

  Last night gave us the series finale of ABC’s remake of Life on Mars, which impressed me when it debuted but which—especially after Lost began and my Lostwatch duties resumed—I could never get myself to follow closely. Now it’s gone. Yes, I am part of the problem and not part of the solution. Also [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 1031 days ago

Idol Watch: Caw! Caw! Caw!

By James Poniewozik

Spoilers for last night’s American Idol coming up after the jump: