Welcome to the Dancing with the Stars semi-finals. This week, not only did the remaining celebrities grapple for a slot in next week’s finals, but producers struggled to fill two hours of primetime with just four dancers. To …
Television
Intermediate Suspended Animation: NBC’s Midseason Slate Puts Community on Hold
Late Monday afternoon, NBC released its midseason schedule, which did not include a place for Community. Twitter—which feels as if it has a 10-to-1 greater ratio of Community fans than the actual TV viewership—briefly …
NBC News Hires Chelsea Clinton: Is There a Case for Nepotism?
Across America, families are wracked with doubts about whether the next generation will ever be able to enjoy the opportunities afforded to their parents. But as it turns out, there’s still hope for you, Young America! You can …
The Morning After: Homeland on the Road
Spoilers for last night’s Homeland follow:
In a drama about terrorism, you would expect an explosion, but not of the sort that finished last night’s Homeland. In this stunner of an episode, Homeland blew up its status quo.
Walking Dead Recap: Deliverance Redux
Last night’s episode brought us into hour 4.5 of the “Sophia Watch.” In the history of drawn-out subplots, this one’s slowly making its way to the top of the pile. But the hunt for the missing girl finally spun off …
Boardwalk Empire Watch: Generation Gap
SPOILER ALERT: Before you read this post, finish playing that fortuitously instructive board game with your ersatz family and watch last night’s Boardwalk Empire.
As I’ve mentioned in these reviews before, Boardwalk Empire is …
TV Weekend: Islam, for Real, on All-American Muslim
In last week’s TIME, I took an early look at TLC’s new reality series, All-American Muslim, debuting Sunday night; I also blogged about it earlier here at Tuned In. Here’s one more reminder to catch this deeply intriguing, …
Charlie Rose and Gayle King, Together At Last on CBS’s Early Show
One of the very first articles I wrote for TIME magazine was about CBS trying to relaunch its low-rated morning show, The Early Show, with a new anchor team. It hired Bryant Gumbel (remember him?) and Jane Clayson (remember her?) and plopped them in a voguish glass-walled studio (remember those?). And then—not much. The Early Show has …
Rick Perry Excuses Himself on David Letterman
Fresh off his freeze-tastic performance in the GOP Presidential debate Wednesday night, Rick Perry showed up on Late Show with David Letterman to try to turn embarrassment into embarrassment-ade, reading a list of top 10 excuses for his onstage forgetfulness.
Did Perry help himself out? The minimum standard for an appearance like this …
Get Ready for a Medley! Oscars Bring Billy Crystal Back
Earlier this week, Eddie Murphy bailed as host of the Oscars after his Tower Heist producer, Brett Ratner, was booted from producing the awards for using an anti-gay slur in a press conference. The Academy moved quickly to hire a new producer, Brian Grazer, and now for Murphy’s replacement, it’s decided to go straight for its comfort …
The Office After Michael: Who’s In Charge Here?
Over at HitFix, critic Alan Sepinwall has a disappointed assessment of The Office in its first season post-Steve Carell, in which, he says, the show has foundered in trying to find its center:
Michael not only generated most of
…
Barbie Dolls and Taylor Swift: Highlights From the Country Music Awards
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood hosted the Country Music Awards last night, a show which boasted 29 different musical performances, countless cowboy hats, three fedoras and one camouflage blazer (that would belong to Paisley). …
Three… Uh… Uh… Maybe Two Things About Rick Perry’s Debate Gaffe
So CNBC threw another debate for Mitt Romney and his traveling comedy troupe last night, this one focused, befitting the channel, on the economy. I could write about how the questions at the debate were as sharp and pointed as any since the excellent Fox News debate in August. I could note how the crowd booed Maria Bartiromo for asking …
