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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 …
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Spoilers about the American Idol elimination coming up… after the break!
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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 it couldn’t …
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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 you on a reality show …
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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 …
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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:
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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 slight upset pick—Carly …
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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 was to build
…
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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 when …
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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 …
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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 resolution in which John Cho …
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Two related items: Tonight, MTV premieres a show about teenagers who actually look like the teenagers who watch MTV, as opposed to teenagers who look like the cast of a TV soap. The Paper is a reality show about the staff of a Florida high-school newspaper, the first episode of which is not about boyfriends or sex or throwing a …
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Here’s a must-read today for anyone with a TV, or a face. The LA Times’ Mary McNamara discusses the epidemic of Botox and cosmetic surgery in Hollywood, its effect on the viewing experience and the difficulties of writing about it:
For a critic, this poses a dilemma — while it is appropriate, indeed, necessary to point out technical
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