Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 534 days ago

Fifth—and Yes, Final—FNL Season Gets Date

By James Poniewozik

I don’t recall if the upcoming season 5 of Friday Night Lights was already officially the season’s last, or all-but-officially (I’d been going on the assumption, but last I spoke with DirecTV, they wouldn’t say it flat-out), but in any case it’s official now. The fifth and final season of FNL debuts on the satellite [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+534 days ago

AMC Picks Up Murder Series, Name to Follow

By James Poniewozik

AMC yesterday announced plans for its fifth series, a murder mystery starring Mireille Enos (who gave a fabulous duel performance as twins on Big Love). What’s it called? That’s a mystery too! Originally called The Killing, the series is based on the much-praised Danish miniseries Forbrydelsen. As with any adaption of an overseas drama with [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Advertising | 535 days ago

And Now for Something Completely Familiar: Conan's New Ad

By James Poniewozik

TBS has a new ad for Conan O’Brien‘s late-night show, debuting in November. I’m not sure if it’s reflective of the sensibility of the new show or just the sensibility of the TBS promotions department, but it’s Monty Pythonesque. More in the Terry Gilliam aesthetic than in actually being funny. But it’s very, very Monty [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 535 days ago

Another Attack of Clones, and the Star Wars Generation Gap

By James Poniewozik

Some posts at Tuned In I do to serve a wide audience. Some I do to serve niche fan groups. And some I do simply so that the Tuned In Jrs. will have a reason to read their Dad’s blog. This is one of them: season 3 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars returns to [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 536 days ago

Steven Slater, Road Warrior: JetBlue Mints a Folk Hero

By James Poniewozik

Move over, Sully Sullenberger, there’s a new folk hero in the skies. OK, maybe not a universally acclaimed hero. And not a “hero” in the sense of, like, saving lives, or stopping a terrorist, or really doing anything traditionally considered “heroic.” Still, Steven Slater—the JetBlue flight attendant who reportedly had an altercation with a passenger [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 536 days ago

CBS Unveils Survivor: Youngs Vs. Olds Cast, Including… Jimmy Johnson?

By James Poniewozik

Survivor: Nicaragua, which pits a tribe of players under 30 against a tribe of players over 40, announced its cast yesterday, which includes maybe the biggest (pre-Survivor) celebrity to play the game, former football coach and Fox NFL analyst Jimmy Johnson. Fellow critics Linda Holmes and Alan Sepinwall (and I’m sure many others) have debated [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 536 days ago

Favorite Son? Levi Johnston Aims for Sarah Palin's Jobs (Mayor, Reality Star)

By James Poniewozik

The reality-TV-ization of the entire state of Alaska is continuing, as Sarah Palin’s former-almost-son-in-law and public sparring partner Levi Johnston is seeking to get his own show—by running for mayor of Wasilla, Palin’s former job, and a position, apparently, just two or three steps from the Presidency. (Or from big-time reality stardom: Sarah Palin’s Alaska [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+TV Ratings | 537 days ago

Some Hope for America: Real Housewives of D.C. Ratings Only OK

By James Poniewozik

I mentioned last week that I was especially curious to see how strong the ratings were for The Real Housewives of D.C. on Bravo, as a test of how fatigued America was with the Salahis and/or the Real Housewives franchise. When I saw the headline claim of the ratings release Bravo sent out, I could [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 537 days ago

TCA Roundup: The Cable Guys

By James Poniewozik

The Television Critics Association press tour wrapped up over the weekend, with a blast of announcements from various cable channels. Whether it was the swords of Spartacus and Game of Thrones, the gangland pistols of Boardwalk Empire, or the ripped-bicep gun show that is Jersey Shore, they came heavily armed. (And look! Someone’s shooting a [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 537 days ago

Mad Men Watch: A Welcome Distraction

By James Poniewozik

SPOILER ALERT: Before you read this post, order out for some fried chicken and watch last night’s Mad Men. After two episodes that took in a pretty wide swath of characters, updating and establishing a number of storylines, “The Good News” closed back in to focus on three Mad Men characters: Don, Joan and Lane. [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 539 days ago

FNL Watch: Against the Wind

By James Poniewozik

Spoilers for the season 4 finale of Friday Night Lights coming up: I love Friday Night Lights. I am guessing that you, since you are reading this post, love Friday Night Lights. And so I know that at some point over the last four years, you and I have both had some version of the [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 540 days ago

The Morning After: Hide the Salahis?

By James Poniewozik

Where the rest of America leads, Washington, D.C. follows. That is the case, anyway, in the Real Housewives franchise, where the nation’s capital last night became the fifth branch (joining a D.C.-set edition of Top Chef). I’ll be curious to see the ratings for The Real Housewives of D.C. Bravo has seemingly turned the Real [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 540 days ago

Rosie and Oprah, Together At Last

By James Poniewozik

Two of the biggest names in daytime talk will be allying as Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network announced it has signed Rosie O’Donnell to host a talk show, to begin at some point after the channel’s launch in January. It’s an attention-getting deal, but one that you could interpret a few ways: a coup for Oprah, [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 541 days ago

Top Chef Watch: International Incident

By James Poniewozik

Spoilers for last night’s Top Chef DC coming up: When Padma announced the theme of the elimination challenge on the “Foreign Affairs” episode of Top Chef—each contestant picks a different country whose cuisine to make—I dreaded the twist I was sure was coming: “Now, please pass your choice to the chef on your left.” Top [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 541 days ago

Mary Hart Leaving Entertainment Tonight

By James Poniewozik

If there’s one thing that TV, especially long-running syndicated TV, is good at doing, it’s making you feel sentimental and nostalgic for shows that you hardly actually watched. It is in that spirit that I announce, with a touch of actual sadness, that Mary Hart is leaving Entertainment Tonight after 30[!] years. It’s the end [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 541 days ago

I Have No Idea What Is a Mad Men Spoiler Anymore

By James Poniewozik

Regular readers of this blog are probably  tired of hearing about Mad Men and its spoiler anxiety, but a quick recap: AMC sent out review copies of the season’s first episode to critics, with a request from Matthew Weiner that reviews mention no plot details whatsoever from the episode. Weiner was upset that some reviews [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+Uncategorized | 541 days ago

TCA Roundup: Ken Burns Takes Another Swing

By James Poniewozik

It was PBS Day yesterday at the Television Critics Association Press Tour, and you know what that means: drugs, swearing and cattiness! By which, of course, I mean: steroids in baseball, a respectful discussion of FCC policy and The Cat in the Hat. The too-hot-for-TV highlights follow: * Ken Burns gave a presentation for The [...]

Tuned In
Tuned In+541 days ago

Dead Tree Alert: Work of Art's Succes de Scandale

By James Poniewozik

I didn’t write the TV feature in the new print issue of TIME, but it’s good enough that I’d gladly take the credit: contributor and art blogger Carolina Miranda takes a look at Bravo’s Work of Art, as it’s received by other artists. The reviews are mixed: [T]here’s been some sensitivity over how the show [...]