- Rolling With The Punches - Popping Culture On The Jaw

Top 20 - Hit Singles (10/31 - 11/6).

2005-11-07T09:19:00.000-06:00

01 - Kelly Clarkson, "Because of You" [LW: 1]

02 - Kanye West, "Gold Digger" [LW: 2]

03 - Green Day, "Wake Me Up When September Ends" [LW: 3]

04 - The Black Eyed Peas, "My Humps" [LW: 5]

05 - Nickelback, "Photograph" [LW: 6]

06 - Mariah Carey, "Shake it Off" [LW: 4]

07 - Fallout Boy, "Sugar, We're Going Down" [LW: 9]

08 - Bow Wow f/Ciara, "Like You" [LW: 19]

09 - Weezer, "Beverly Hills" [LW: 7]

10 - Rihanna, "Pon de Replay" [LW: 8]

11 - Lifehouse, "You and Me" [LW: 10]

12 - Pretty Ricky, "Your Body" [LW: 23]

13 - D.H.T., "Listen to Your Heart" [LW: 11]

14 - Akon, "Belly Dancer (Bananza)" [LW: 13]

15 - Gorillaz, "Feel Good Inc." [LW: 14]

16 - Frankie J., "More Than Words" [LW: 16]

17 - Chris Brown, "Run It" [LW: 30]

18 - Marcos Hernandez, "If You Were Mine" [LW: 20]

19 - Missy Elliot, "Lose Control" [LW: 15]

20 - The Click Five, "Just the Girl" [LW: 12]

NEW THIS WEEK

35 - Mariah Carey, "Don't Forget About Us"

39 - Gwen Stefani, "Luxurious"

Top 20 - Box Office (11/4-11/6).

2005-11-07T09:11:00.000-06:00

01 - Chicken Little [NEW] - $40,086,000 ($40,086,000 - 1w)

02 - Jarhead [NEW] - $28,751,000 ($28,751,000 - 1w)

03 - Saw II [LW: 1] - $17,200,000 ($60,468,000 - 2w)

04 - The Legend of Zorro [LW: 2] - $10,000,000 ($30,288,000 - 2w)

05 - Prime [LW: 3] - $5,263,000 (%13,456,000 - 2w)

06 - Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story [LW: 4] - $4,800,000 ($23,827,000 - 3w)

07 - Good Night, and Good Luck. [LW: 12] - $3,100,000 ($11,007,000 - 5w)

08 - The Weather Man [LW: 6] - $2,935,000 (8,704,000 - 2w)

09 - Shopgirl [LW: 21] - $2,524,000 ($3,486,000 - 3w)

10 - Flightplan [LW: 10] - $2,330,000 ($84,452,000 - 7w)

11 - North Country [LW: 8] - $2,105,000 ($15,599,000 - 3w)

12T - The Fog [LW: 9] - $2,000,000 ($28,031,000 - 4w)

12T - Wallace and Grommit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit [LW: 5] - $2,000,000 ($52,725,000 - 5w)

14 - Doom [LW: 7] - $1,837,000 ($26,272,000 - 3w)

15 - Elizabethtown [LW: 11] - $1,665,000 ($25,197,000 - 4w)

16 - Capote [LW: 16] - $1,113,000 ($5,046,000 - 6w)

17 - A History of Violence [LW: 14] - $813,000 ($29,908,000 - 7w)

18 - G [LW: 15] - $600,000 ($2.765,000 - 8w)

19 - The Squid and the Whale [LW: 28] - $423,000 ($1,850,000 - 5w)

20 - Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang [LW: 24] - $386,000 ($1,133,000 - 3w)

w - Weeks

New Tonite! - Box Office (11/4).

2005-11-04T14:52:00.000-06:00

Chicken Little [W]

[Animated - G - 77m] Starring: Zach Braff, Garry Marshall, Don Knotts, Patrick Stewart, Amy Sedaris

--Everyone knows the story of the little chick that cried "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" Now that little chick has his own movie, and of course it's CGI. Visually nice but cannot speak of the quality, though the critics don't seem to be in love with it.

Christmas in the Clouds [L]

[PG] Starring: Tim Cahle, Sam Vlahos, Mariana Tosca, Emmet Walsh, Graham Greene

--Limited today, wide release December 2nd.

The Dying Gaul [L]

[R] Starring: Patricia Clarkson, Campbell Scott, Peter Sarsgaard, Ryan Miller, Faith Jefferies

--NY/LA release only.

I Love Your Work [L]

[R] Starring: Giovanni Ribisi, Franka Potente, Joshua Jackson, Marisa Coughlan, Christina Ricci

--This one is only opening in LA this weekend and not until December for New York. Must be someone thinks it's an Oscar type movie so they need to get it release somewhere?

Jarhead [W]

[R - 115m] Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard, Lucas Black, Chris Cooper

--What we need is another war movie set in the middle east. Set during the first Gulf War with Foxx as a hardcore sergeant and Gyllenhaal as his underling, the acting might be able to lift this. Previews look pretty good thus far.

Shopgirl [L]

[R - 104m] Starring: Steve Martin, Claire Danes, Jason Schwartzman, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Samuel Bottoms

--This one's expanding slowly but surely. It hit New York first 10/21/05 and has been widening since then. A May/September romance story I think I've already talked about. Rock solid key cast.

W - Wide Release

L - Limited Release

m - Minutes

Top 20 - DVDs - Rentals(10/24-10/30).

2005-11-03T08:35:00.000-06:00

01 - Bewitched (2005) [NEW] - $10.1m ($10.1m - 1w)

02 - Batman Begins (2005) [LW: 1] - $9.97m ($21.3m - 2w)

03 - House of Wax (2005) [NEW] - $8.78m ($8.8m - 1w)

04 - Kingdom of Heaven (2005) [LW: 2] - $8.14m ($27.3m - 3w)

05 - Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005) [NEW] - $6.76m ($6.8m - 1w)

06 - The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) [LW: 4] - $5.25m ($17.8m - 3w)

07 - The Interpreter (2005) [LW: 3] - $4.98m ($25.9m - 4w)

08 - The Amityville Horror (2005) [LW: 5] - $4.3m ($23.1m - 4w)

09 - Kicking & Screaming (2005) [LW: 7] - $4.12m ($14.2m - 3w)

10 - The Longest Yard (2005) [LW: 6] - $3.76m ($42.4m - 6w)

11 - Robots (2005) [LW: 8] - $2.92m ($25.6m - 5w)

12 - Fever Pitch (2005) [LW: 9] - $2.69m ($36.5m - 7w)

13 - Melinda and Melinda (2005) [NEW] - $2.44m ($2.4m - 1w)

14 - Land of the Dead (2005) [LW: 10] - $2.42m ($5.2m - 2w)

15 - Crash (2004) [LW: 11] - $2.1m ($39.4m - 8w)

16 - Lords of Dogtown (2005) [LW: 12] - $1.99m ($18.1m - 5w)

17 - Haute Tension (2003) [LW: 16] - $1.97m ($6.8m - 3w)

18 - Mad Hot Ballroom (2005) [LW: 14] - $1.93m ($4.1m - 2w)

19 - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) [LW: 14] - $1.75m ($26.0m - 7w)

20 - Danny the Dog (2005) - $1.69m ($5.8m - 3w)

ALSO NEW

24 - Last Days (2005) - $1.35m

26 - Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005) - $1.14m

28 - Left Behind: World at War (2005) - $1.12m

34 - "Alias" (2001) - $930k

47 - The Truth About Love (2004) - $630k

49 - King of the Corner (2004) - $590k

k - Thousand

m - Million

w - Week

TOP 20 - Singles (10/30).

2005-11-01T08:24:00.000-06:00

01 - Kelly Clarkson, Because of You [LW: 2]

02 - Kanye West, Gold Digger [LW: 4]

03 - Green Day, Wake Me Up When September Ends [LW: 3]

04 - Mariah Carey, Shake It Off [LW: 1]

05 - The Black Eyed Peas, My Humps [LW: 6]

06 - Nickelback, Photograph [LW: 12]

07 - Weezer, Beverly Hills [LW: 5]

08 - Rihanna, Pon de Replay [LW: 8]

09 - Fallout Boy, Sugar, We're Going Down [LW: 10]

10 - Lifehouse, You and Me [LW: 7]

11 - D.H.T., Listen to Your Heart [LW: 9]

12 - The Click Five, Just the Girl [LW: 11]

13 - Akon, Belly Dancer (Bananza) [LW: 16]

14 - Gorillaz, Feel Good Inc. [LW: 13]

15 - Missy Elliot, Lose Control [LW: 14]

16 - Frankie J., More Than Words [LW: 19]

17 - The Black Eyed Peas, Don't Lie [LW: 15]

18 - Pussycat Dolls f/Busta Rhymes, Don't Cha [LW: 17]

19 - Bow Wow f/Ciara, Like You [LW: 35]

20 - Marcos Hernandez, If You Were Mine [LW: 35]

NEW TO THE CHARTS THIS WEEK

30 - Chris Brown, Run It

33 - Pussycat Dolls f/Busta Rhymes, Stickwitu

Movies Tonite!

2005-10-28T10:45:00.000-05:00

COMMENTARY

Will lightning strike twice? Can Saw II survive without Cary Elwes as the man behind the plan, and can Donnie Wahlberg hold this film together--he has been impressive in the past (his chilling take in The Sixth Sense and his strong lead role in Boomtown? Will Saw II be like the sequel to The Blair Witch Project? Will it serve as another reminder that just because we can make a sequel, doesn't mean we should. Case in point, half of this week's four major releases are sequels, and while I expect Saw II to open well, I'm not so sure about The Legend of Zorro. Honestly, I don't recall if there was demand for the first edition enough to warrant this second look, though it wasn't a bad movie. Other than that we have light dramas/comedies. Chick flicks? Certainly Prime seems to be that, while Weather Man seems to try and explore more dramatic fare. Oscar contenders here? Certainly not in the sequels.

BOLD = Wide Release

The Legend of Zorro

(Starring: Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Alberto Reyes, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Adrian Alonso )

New York Dolls

(Starring Sammy Yaffa, Nina Antonia, Bishop MacGregor, Bishop Bragg, Sirius Trixon)

Paradise Now

(Starring: Kais Nashef, Ali Suliman, Lubna Azabel, Amer Hlehel, Haim Abass)

The Passenger (1975 Re-Release)

(Starring: Jack Nicholson, Maria Schneider, Jenny Runacre, Ian Hendry, Steven Berkoff)

Prime

(Starring: Uma Thurman, Meryl Streep, Bryan Greenberg, Jon Abrahams, Adriana Biasi)

Saw II

(Starring: Donnie Wahlberg, Shawnee Smith, Tobin Bell, Franky G., Glenn Plummer)

(Three... Extremes

Starring Miriam Yeung, Bai Ling, Tony Leung Kar-Fai, Lee Byung-Hun, Lim Won-Hee)

The Weather Man

(Starring: Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine, Hope Davis, Gemmenne de la Pena, Nicholas Hoult)

TV Tonite! (10/27/05).

2005-10-27T12:30:00.000-05:00

COMMENTARY
I guess I should be grateful for this week and next because so many shows will be in reruns that I will have a chance to try and catch up. Can you believe I am anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks behind on EVERYTHING I am recording... well except for Survivor. But that's only because if I don't watch it, I'm guaranteed to read somewhere who got voted off. And that doesn't even mention the entire runs, thus far, of FIREFLY and ROME, along with the entire second season of DEADWOOD waiting for me to watch my DVD of the first season, as well as the third season of ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, waiting for me to watch my DVDs of the first two seasons. Man, there just isn't enough time in the day. What I need to do is find someone willing to pay me large sums of money to watch TV and movies, read books and comics, play games and listen to music. It would make this site even better than it already is, as if that were even possible!

By the way, I added Drawn Together and The Boondocks to the record schedule, along with Robot Chicken, for mindless drivel until they bring out some new Aqua Teen Hunger Force. You know, usually by this point, 75% of the shows I like are canceled, but so far this year that's a lot closer to 0%. A very strange situation. You've all gotten so much smarter!

8/7p
ABC - Alias (05/05)
CBS - Survivor: Guatemala (11/07)
UPN - Everybody Hates Chris (01/06) Love, Inc. (01/06)
WB - Smallville (05/05)

9/8p
ABC - The Night Stalker (01/05)
BRAVO - Celebrity Poker Showdown (07/03)
NBC - The Apprentice (04/06)
UPN - Eve (03/06) Cuts (02/06)
VH1 - I Love the 80's: 3D (Part 4 of 5)
WB - Everwood (04/05)

10/9p
CBS - Without a Trace (04/05)
COMEDY CENTRAL - The Showbiz Show With David Spade [10:30/9:30p] (01/07)
MTV - Making the Band 3 (08/04) Run's House (01/03)

Entertainment Charts! (10/27/05).

2005-10-27T10:59:00.000-05:00

TOP 20 BOX OFFICE (10/21)
01 - Doom [NEW] - $15,488,870 ($15,488,870 - 3d)
02 - Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story [NEW] - $9,178,233 ($9,178,233 - 3d)
03 - Wallace & Grommit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit [LW: 2] - $8,584,304 ($43,918,009 - 19d)
04 - The Fog [LW: 1] - $6,665,475 ($20,913,919 - 10d)
05 - North Country [NEW] - $6,422,455 ($6,422,455 - 3d)
06 - Elizabethtown [LW: 3] - $5,621,009 ($18,848,975 - 10d)
07 - Flightplan [LW: 4] - $4,724,629 ($77,294,515 - 31d)
08 - In Her Shoes [LW: 5] - $3,885,189 ($26,179,382 - 17d)
09 - A History of Violence [LW: 8] - $2,699.962 ($26,300,395 - 31d)
10 - 2 For the Money [LW: 6] - $2,421,835 ($20,706,770 - 17d)
11 - Domino [LW: 7] - $2,275,531 ($8,593,003 - 10d)
12 - Good Night and Good Luck [LW: 16] - $2,259,196 ($4,545,341 - 17d)
13 - Stay [NEW] - $2,188,199 ($2,188,199 - 3d)
14 - The Corpse Bride [LW: 9] - $1,910,316 - (50,534,702 - 38d)
15 - Waiting... [LW: 11] - $1,553,539 ($14,538,300 - 17d)
16 - The Gospel [LW: 10] - $1,448,763 ($14,121,382 - 17d)
17 - Serenity [LW: 12] - $1,051,095 ($24,177,785 - 24d)
18 - The Greatest Game Ever Played [LW: 13] - $1,045,148 ($14,066,869 - 24d)
19 - The 40 Year-Old Virgin [LW: 17] - $623,715 ($107,010,258 - 66d)
20 - Capote [LW: 22] - $614,527 ($2,185,181 - 24d)

TOP 20 DVD RENTALS (10/17-10/23)

01 - Batman Begins [NEW]

02 - Kingdom of Heaven [LW: 1]

03 - The Interpreter [LW: 2]

04 - The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants [LW: 3]

05 - The Amityville Horror (2005) [LW: 4]

06 - The Longest Yard (2005) [LW: 5]

07 - Kicking & Screaming [LW: 6]

08 - Robots [LW: 7]

09 - Fever Pitch [LW: 8]

10 - Land of the Dead [NEW]

11 - Crash [LW: 10]

12 - Lords of Dogtown [LW: 9]

13 - Sahara [LW: 12]

14T - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) [LW: 13]

14T - Mad Hot Ballroom [NEW]

16 - Haute Tension [LW: 14]

17 - Monster-in-Law [LW: 15]

18 - House of D [LW: 11]

19 - Danny the Dog [LW: 16]

20 - "Lost" [LW: 17]

TOP 20 DVD SALES (10/10-10/16)
01 - Kingdom of Heaven [NEW]
02 - Unleashed [NEW]
03 - Kicking & Screaming [NEW]
04 - Cinderella [Platinum Edition] [LW: 1]
05 - Robots [LW: 2]
06 - Family Guy: Stewie: The Untold Story [LW: 3]
07 - Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants [NEW]
08 - The Amityville Horror (2005) [LW: 4]
09 - The Longest Yard (2005) [LW: 5]
10 - High Tension [NEW]
11 - South Park: Season 6 [NEW]
12 - Arrested Development: Season 2 [New]
13 - The Interpreter [LW: 7]
14 - Sin City [LW: 11]
15 - Lost: Season 1 [LW: 13]
16 - Crash [LW: 12]
17 - Firefly: The Complete Series [LW: 18]
18 - Bionicle 3: Web of Shadows [New]
19 - The Warriors [Director's Cut] [LW: 6]
20 - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) [LW: 9]

TOP 20 SINGLES (10/23-10/29)
01 - Mariah Carey, "Shake it Off" [LW: 1]
02 - Kelly Clarkson, "Because of You" [LW: 3]
03 - Green Day, "Wake Me Up When September Ends" [LW: 4]
04 - Kanye West, "Gold Digger" [LW: 9]
05 - Weezer, "Beverly Hills" [LW: 2]
06 - Black Eyed Peas, "My Humps" [LW: 7]
07 - Lifehouse, "You and Me" [LW: 6]
08 - Rihanna, "Pon de Replay" [LW: 5]
09 - D.H.T., "Listen to Your Heart" [LW: 8]
10 - Fallout Boy, "Sugar, We're Going Down" [LW: 21]
11 - The Click Five, "Just the Girl" [LW: 10]
12 - Nickelback, "Photograph" [LW: 23]
13 - Gorillaz, "Feel Good Inc." [LW: 13]
14 - Missy Elliott f/Ciara & Fat Man Scoop, "Lose Control" [LW: 11]
15 - Black Eyed Peas, "Don't Lie" [LW: 12]
16 - Akon, "Belly Dancer (Bananza)" [LW: 17]
17 - P.C.D. f/Busta Rhymes, "Don't Cha" [LW: 14]
18 - Fat Joe f/Nelly, "Get It Poppin'" [LW: 15]
19 - Frankie J., "More than Words" [LW: 22]
20 - Gwen Stefani, "Cool" [LW: 16]

TOP 20 CD SALES (10/29)
01 - Alicia Keys, Unplugged [NEW]
02 - Nickelback, All the Right Reasons [LW: 1 - 2w]
03 - Gary Allan, Tough All Over [NEW]
04 - The Black Eyed Peas, Monkey Business [LW: 6 - 19w]
05 - Kanye West, Late Registration [LW: 6 - 7w]
06 - Ricky Martin, Life [NEW]
07 - Sheryl Crow, Wildflower [LW: 5 - 3w]
08 - Twista, The Day After [LW: 2 - 2w]
09 - Gretchen Wilson, All Jacked Up [LW: 4 - 3w]
10 - Young Jeezy, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 [LW: 19 - 12w]
11 - Kelly Clarkson, Breakaway [LW: 20 - 46w]
12 - Disturbed, Ten Thousand Fists [LW: 15 - 4w]
13 - Sara Evans, Real Fine Place [LW: 3 - 2w]
14 - Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine [LW: 7 - 2w]
15 - Mariah Carey, The Emancipation of Mimi [LW: 18 - 27w]
16 - Green Day, American Idiot [LW: 22 - 56w]
17 - Faith Hill, Fireflies [LW: 10 - 11w]
18 - Three 6 Mafia, Most Known Unknown [LW: 16 - 3w]
19 - Story of the Year, In the Wake of Determination [NEW]
20 - Sevendust, Next [NEW]

TOP 20 BOOK SALES (10/17-10/23)
01 - Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortuante Events #12: The Penultimate Peril [NEW] [FI, HC]
02 - James Frey, Anchor [LW: 1 -6w] [NF, PB]
03 - Nicholas Sparks, At First Sight [NEW] [FI, HC]
04 - Robert Jordan, Knife of Dreams [The Wheel of Time #11] [LW: 2 - 2w] [FI, HC]
05 - Kevin Trudeau, Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About [LW: 7 - 19w] [NF, HC]
06 - Vince Flynn, Atria [LW: 6 - 2w] [FI, HC]
07 - James Patterson, London Bridges [LW: 4 - 16w] [FI, PB]
08 - Nora Roberts, Northern Lights [LW: 3 - 10w] [FI, PB]
09 - Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner [LW: 15 - 76w] [FI, PB]
10 - Christopher Paolini, Eldest: Inheritance: Book II - LW: 10 - 10w] [FI, HC]
11 - Thomas L. Friedman, The World is Flat [LW: 11 - 29w] [NF, HC]
12 - Andrew Weil, Healthy Aging [NEW] [NF, HC]
13 - Gregory Maguire, Wicked [LW: 13 - 99w] [FI, PB]
14 - Stephen King, The Colorado Kid [Hard Case Crime] [LW: 5 - 3w] [FI, PB]
15 - Rick Warren, Zondervan [LW: 12 - 146w] [NF, HC]
16 - Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking [LW: 18 - 3w] [NF, HC]
17 - Michael Roizen & Mehmet Oz, You: The Owner's Manual [LW: 69 - 25w] [NF, HC]
18 - Joel Osteen, Your Best Life Now [LW: 17 - 54w] [NF, HC]
19 - Michael Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer [LW: 8 - 3w] [NF, HC]
20 - John Berendt, The City of Falling Angels [LW: 16 - 4w] [NF, HC]

d: Days
FI: Fiction
HC: Hardcover
LW: Last Week
NF: Nonfiction
PB: Paperback
w: Weeks

TV Tonite! (10/26/05).

2005-10-27T08:15:00.000-05:00

8/7p

ABC - George Lopez (05/05) | Freddie (01/03)

FOX - World Series, Game 4 (Sports)

NBC - E-Ring (01/06)

UPN - America's Next Top Model (05/07)

WB - One Tree Hill (03/04)

9/8p

A&E - Inked (01/15)

NBC - The Apprentice: Martha Stewart (01/06)

VH1 - I Love the 80's: 3D (Part 3 of 5)

UPN - Veronica Mars (02/05)

WB - Related (01/04)

10/9p

ABC - Invasion (01/06)

CBS - C.S.I.: New York (02/05)

COMEDY CENTRAL - South Park (09/09) | Drawn Together (02/02)

E! - Party at the Palms (02/03) | Taradise (01/13)

FX - Over There (01/13)

MTV - Made (06/08)

Comics Today! (10/26/05)

2005-10-26T14:50:00.000-05:00

** - means I'm getting it!

ASPEN UNIVERSE

Cannon Hawke #2

Soulfire: Dying of the Light #3

DDP/CHAOS! UNIVERSE

Purgatori #1 - FIRST ISSUE!

DC UNIVERSE

**Adventures of Superman #645

--Ties with Infinite Crisis! But let's face it, whether or not it's blatantly plastered on the cover, virtually all DCU books tie into this juggernaut in one way or another.

**Catwoman #48

**Doom Patrol #17

**The Flash #227

--"Finish Line: Part 1" Is this the end of Wally West's tenure as The Flash?

**JLA #121

--"World Without a Justice League" continues, in the aftermath of the destruction of the "big guns" version of the Justice League.

**JLA: Classified #13

**JSA: Classified #4

--Ties with Infinite Crisis! Finally, revealing the one, true origin of Power GIrl, a source of confusion and controversy since the original Crisis on Infinite Earths! You know this one is gonna be key.

**Legion of Super-Heroes #11

**Solo #7

--This anthology series spotlights one creator per book, with some stories happening in the DCU and some not, and in some cases none... it just depends on the spotlighted creator. This time around it's Mike Allred who gets the spotlight treatment, so get your go-go boots on and get ready to groove!

**Teen Titans #28

--Rob Liefeld! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! And... and... (this is the best part)... it's LATE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

**Wonder Woman #222

--Continuing fallout from Wonder Woman's recent actions as she comes to grips with the world reaction to her choice.

FEAR CITY UNIVERSE

Soulsearchers #74

HELLBOY UNIVERSE

**B.P.R.D.: The Black Flame #3 (of 6)

IMAGE UNIVERSE

**Noble Causes #14

**ShadowHawk #6

**Spawn #150

--Anniversary issue marks the premiere of the new Spawn creative team, only the third in the series' history and the first new team in a long, long, long time. David Hine and Philip Tan usher in the new era of the HellSpawn, while we say goodbye to the departing Brian Holguin and Angel Medina.

MARVEL UNIVERSE

**Amazing Fantasy #14

--Features start of Captain Universe event!

**The Amazing Spider-Man #525

--Features Part 3 of The Other: Evolve or Die!

**Arana: Heart of the Spider #10

**Black Panther #9

**Black Widow: The Things They Say About Her... #2 (of 6)

**Captain America #11

--"The Winter Soldier" saga continues, raising the question, is the Winter Soldier really Bucky, either risen from the dead, or having never died in the first place? This storyline has fandom up in arms with controversy.
**Daredevil #78

**Defenders #4 (of 5)

**Drax the Destroyer #2 (of 4)

**The Incredible Hulk: Destruction #4 (of 4) - FINAL ISSUE!

**Marvel Monsters Group: Monsters on the Prowl - ONE-SHOT

--Part of the "Marvel Monsters" event.

**The New Avengers #12

**New Thunderbolts #14

--Featuring the New Avengers!

**New X-Men: Academy X #19

--Ties with House of M!

**New X-Men: Academy X: Yearbook Special - ONE-SHOT!

**The Sentry #2 (of 8)

**Wolverine #35

--Ties with House of M!

**Young Avengers #8

TEENAGE MUNTANT NINJA TURTLES UNIVERSE

**Tales of the TMNT #16

**Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #24

TOP COW UNIVERSE

**The Darkness #24 - FINAL ISSUE!

**Witchblade #91

**Wraithborn #2 (of 6)

ULTIMATE MARVEL UNIVERSE

**Ultimate Secret #4 (of 4) - FINAL ISSUE!

WILDSTORM UNIVERSE

**The Authority: The Magnificent Kevin #3 (of 5)

ZOMBIE TALES UNIVERSE

**Zombie Tales: Oblivion - ONE-SHOT!

LICENSED

Advent Rising: Rock the Planet #1 - FIRST ISSUE!

Angel: The Curse #5 (of 5) - FINAL ISSUE!

Army of Darkness #1 - FIRST ISSUE!

Bart Simpson Comics #26

Cartoon Network Block Party #14

George Romero's Land of the Dead #2 (of 5)

**Haunted Mansion #1 - FIRST ISSUE!

Madagascar: Cinemanga - MANGA-FORMAT GRAPHIC NOVEL!

Teen Titans Go! #24

Teen Titans: Jam Packed Action: Volume 1 - GRAPHIC NOVEL!

Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge #347

INDEPENDENT

**The 13th Son: Worse Thing Waiting #1 (of 4) - FIRST ISSUE!

24 Hour Comics Day: Highlights 2005 - GRAPHIC NOVEL!

--A smattering of samples of this past year's event wherein artists completed 24 pages of comics art in 24 consecutive hours. For some reason, my contribution was not selected. I think it's brilliant. See for yourself: http://www.rwtpv2.com/strips/strip.php?date=042305-01.

**The Adventures of Bioboy #2

**Age of Bronze #21

Baobab #1

Blackpool #3

**The Book of Lost Souls #1 - FIRST ISSUE!

**Burglar Bill #4 (of 6)

Buja's Diary - GRAPHIC NOVEL!

**Chance of a Lifetime #1 - FIRST ISSUE!

**Convention Confessional - ONE-SHOT!

**ElfQuest: The Grand Quest: Volume 11

--Continuing the repriting of the entire ElfQuest saga, in chronological order and reconstituted to fit in the manga trade format.

**Fear Agent #1 - FIRST ISSUE!

Ferro City #3

The Freebooters - HARDCOVER COLLECTION!

--Collecting the uncompleted "The Freebooters" stories from the much-missed mid-90's Dark Horse oversized series Barry Windsor-Smith: Storyteller. BWS never got to finish the story, but he provides as much as he'd created, along with tons of commentary, and it adds up to 80 more pages of sequential art. BWS:S was a groundbreaking series that pushed the boundaries of the medium, and was promptly rewarded by disappearing in a controversial move (debated in some of the notes inside). The "Young Gods" serial was collected last year and a similar volume compiling the third serial, "The Paradoxman," is expected next year. Well worth making a part of any comics afficionado's personal collection.

**Girls #6

Hello - GRAPHIC NOVEL!

**Hero @ Large #2

Innocent Ones #1 - FIRST ISSUE!

**Jack Cross #3

--This may be a part of the DCU, but I can't be sure at this time.

**Jenny Finn: Messiah - ONE-SHOT!

**Kabuki #5

Knights of the Dinner Table #108

Little Book of Horror: Dracula - HARDCOVER ONE-SHOT!

**Little Star #5 (of 6)

**The Losers #29

**Lost Squad #1 (of 6) - FIRST ISSUE!

**Loveless #1 - FIRST ISSUE!

--Vertigo proudly presents the return of the Western to comics. Okay, well not maybe the return, but it's the first ongoing Western comic in a while. Vertigo has a new burst of new titles coming up, including this one, Testament and DMZ that harken back to the recent launches of Y: The Last Man and Fables. Hopefully, we can get a couple more gems out of these new books. This one looks gorgeous, and under the mature Vertigo label, should deliver on good Deadwood inspired action.

**Mr Night - ONE-SHOT!

Mister X: Volume 2: Secret Life of Mister X (of 3) - GRAPHIC NOVEL!

Night #3

Night Fisher - GRAPHIC NOVEL!

**Pakkins' Land #5

**Paris #1 (of 4) - FIRST ISSUE!

**Revelations #3 (of 6)

**Sea of Red #5

**Season of the Witch #1 (of 4) - FIRST ISSUE!

**Shadowplay #2

**Silent Dragon #4 (of 6)

Six From Sirius: Volume 1 - GRAPHIC NOVEL!

**Small Gods #11

**The Stardust Kid #3 (of 4)

--For those of you on Abadazad withdrawal awaiting the Disney treatment, the creators (J.M. DeMatteis & Mike Ploog) of that gem bring you this simliarly themed all-ages fantasy serial.

**Strange Girl #4

**Strangers in Paradise #77

Sunset City - GRAPHIC NOVEL!

**Super F*ckers #2

Trailer Park of Terror #2

Trailers - HARDCOVER GRAPHIC NOVEL!

**Usagi Yojimbo #88

MANGA

A Midnight Opera - GRAPHIC NOVEL!

**Blame: Volume 2 (of 10)

Death Trance: Volume 3

Get Backers: Volume 12 (of 26)

Gold Diggers #68
Mangazine: Volume 3 #70
Mark of the Succubus: Volume 1 - FIRST ISSUE!

Psycomm: Volume 1 - FIRST ISSUE!

Samurai Champloo: Volume 1 - FIRST ISSUE!

Samurai Deeper Kyo: Volume 16 (of 31)

Shonen Jump #36

Suikoden III: Volume 8 (of 9)

Telepathic Wanderers: Volume 1 - FIRST ISSUE!

Tenryu: The Dragon Cycle: Volume 3

New TV Tonite! (10/25/05).

2005-10-25T14:56:00.000-05:00

8/7p

CBS - N.C.I.S. (03/06)

FOX - World Series, Game 3 (Sports)

NBC - The Biggest Loser (02/07)

WB - Gilmore Girls (06/07)

9/8p

ABC - Commander in Chief (01/05)

CBS - The Amazing Race: Family Edition (08/06)

LIFETIME - Human Trafficking (Part 2 of 2)

VH1 - I Love the 80's: 3D (Part 2 of 5)

WB - Supernatural (01/07)

10/9p

ABC - Boston Legal (02/05)

CBS - Close to Home (01/04)

FX - Nip/Tuck (03/06)

ESPN - Bound for Glory: The Montour Spartans (01/06)

MTV - The Real World: Austin, TX (16/19)

Estimated TV Ranks (10/17/05 - 10/23/05) .

2005-10-25T13:32:00.000-05:00

HOUSEHOLDS
001 - (TH1) - C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation - CBS
002 - (SU1) - Desperate Housewives - ABC
003 - (TH2) - Without A Trace - CBS
004 - (WE1) - Lost - ABC
005 - (SU2T) - NFL Football: Overrun (Various Games) - CBS
006 - (SU2T) - Grey's Anatomy - ABC
007 - (MO1) - C.S.I.: Miami - CBS
008 - (TU1) - N.C.I.S. - CBS
009 - (SU4) - 60 Minutes - CBS
010 - (TH3) - Survivor: Guatemala--The Maya Empire - CBS
011 - (TU2) - Commander in Chief - ABC
012 - (MO2) - Two and a Half Men - CBS
013 - (TH4) - ER - NBC
014 - (TU3) - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - NBC
015 - (SU5) - Cold Case - CBS
016 - (SU6) - World Series, Game 2 - FOX
017 - (WE2) - C.S.I.: New York - CBS
018 - (SA1) - World Series, Game 1 - FOX
019T - (MO3) - Monday Night Football - ABC
019T - (MO4) - Out of Practice - CBS
021 - (MO5) - Las Vegas - NBC
022T - (WE3T) - Criminal Minds - CBS
022T - (WE3T) - MLB Baseball: NLCS, Game 6 - FOX
022T - (MO6) - Medium - NBC
025 - (WE5) - Law & Order - NBC
026T - (TU4) - Boston Legal - ABC
026T - (SU7) - Crossing Jordan - NBC
028T - (SU8) - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - ABC
028T - (TU5) - My Name Is Earl - NBC
030 - (FR1) - Ghost Whisperer - CBS
031 - (MO7) - Wife Swap - NBC
032 - (WE6) - Invasion - ABC
033 - (FR2) - Numb3rs - CBS
034 - (MO8) - The King of Queens - CBS
035 - (TU6) - The Amazing Race: Family Edition - CBS
036 - (TU7) - Close to Home - CBS
037 - (TH5) - The Apprentice - NBC
038 - (SU9) - Law & Order: Criminal Intent - NBC
039T - (MO9T) - How I Met Your Mother - CBS
039T - (MO9T) - MLB Baseball: NLCS, Game 5 - FOX
041 - (FR3) - Three Wishes - NBC
042T - (WE7) - E-Ring - NBC
042T - (MO11) - Surface - NBC
044 - (FR2) - 48 Hours Mystery - CBS
045 - (SU10) - Dateline NBC - NBC
046 - (FR4) - Dateline NBC - NBC
047 - (TU8) - The Biggest Loser - NBC
048 - (FR5) - Threshold - CBS
049 - (TH6) - Will & Grace - NBC
050 - (SU11) - Enough (2002) [Feature Film] - CBS
051 - (WE8) - Freddie - ABC
052 - (FR6) - 20/20 - ABC
053T - (SU12) - America's Funniest Home Videos - ABC
053T - (WE9) - George Lopez - ABC
053T - (TH7) - Joey - NBC
056T - (TU9T) - House [R] - FOX
056T - (TU9T) - The Office - NBC
058T - (FR7) - Law & Order: Criminal Intent [R] - NBC
058T - (SA3) - N.C.I.S. [R] - CBS
060 - (SA4) - Without a Trace [R] - CBS
061T - (TU11T) - Rodney - ABC
061T - (SU13) - The West Wing - NBC
061T - (WE10) - Yes, Dear - CBS
064T - (TU12) - According to Jim - ABC
064T - (WE11) - Still Standing - CBS
066 - (WE12) - The Apprentice: Martha Stewart - NBC
067 - (TH8) - Alias - ABC
068T - (TH9) - Primetime - ABC
068T - (FR8) - Hope & Faith - ABC
070 - (FR9) - Supernanny - ABC
071 - (TH10) - Smallville - WB
071T - (TU13) - Gilmore Girls - WB
071T - (FR10) - Hot Properties - ABC
071T - (MO12) - 7th Heaven - WB
074 - (WE13) - America's Next Top Model - UPN
075 - (SA5) - Air Force One (1997) [Feature Film] - ABC
076 - (TH12) - Night Stalker - ABC
077 - (TH11) - Everybody Hates Chris - UPN
078T - (SA6T - Chicago (2002) [Feature Film] - NBC
078T - (SA6T) - Desperate Housewives [R] - ABC
080 - (TU14) - Supernatural - WB
081T - (TU15) - Bones [R] - FOX
081T - (FR11) - Killer Instinct - FOX
083 - (FR12) - The Bernie Mac Show - FOX
084 - (MO13) - Girlfriends - UPN
085T - (SU14) - Charmed - WB
085T - (TH13) - Everwood - WB
087T - (MO14T) - All of Us - UPN
087T - (MO14T) - Half & Half - UPN
087T - (FR13) - WWE Friday Night Smackdown! - UPN
090 - (FR14) - Malcolm in the Middle - FOX
091 - (WE14) - One Tree Hill - WB
092T - (MO16) - One on One - UPN
092T - (WE15) - Veronica Mars - UPN
093 - (TH14) - Love, Inc. - UPN
094 - (FR15) - Reba [R] - WB
095 - (TU16) - America's Next Top Model [R] - UPN
096 - (TH15) - Reunion [8/7p] [R] - FOX
097T - (TH16) - Eve - UPN]
097T - (SU15) - Reba [R] - WB
099T - (TH17T) - Cuts - UPN
099T - (MO17) - Related [R] - WB
099T - (TH17T) - Reunion [9/8p] [R] - FOX
102 - (WE16) - Related - WB
103 - (FR16) - Twins - WB
104 - (SU16) - Supernatural [R] - WB
105T - (SU17) - Reba [8:30/7:30p] [R] - WB
105T - (FR17) - What I Like About You [8/7p] [R] - WB
107 - (FR18) - What I Like About You [8:30/7:30p] [R] - WB
108 - (TU17) - Sex, Love & Secrets - UPN

ADULTS 18-49
001 - (SU1) - Desperate Housewives - ABC
002 - (TH1) - C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation - CBS
003 - (WE1) - Lost - ABC
004 - (SU2) - Grey's Anatomy - ABC
005 - (TH2) - ER - NBC
006T - (SU3) - NFL Football: Overrun (Various Games) - CBS
006T - (TH3) - Without a Trace - CBS
008T - (MO1) - C.S.I.: Miami - CBS
008T - (TH4) - Survivor: Guatemala--The Mayan Empire - CBS
010T - (TU1) - My Name is Earl - NBC
010T - (MO2) - Two and a Half Men - CBS
012 - (MO3) - Monday Night Football - ABC
013 - (TU2) - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - NBC
014 - (SU4) - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - ABC
015T - (TH5) - The Apprentice - NBC
015T - (WE2) - Invasion - ABC
015T - (SU5) - World Series, Game 2 - FOX
018T - (WE3) - C.S.I.: New York - CBS
018T - (MO4) - Medium - NBC
020T - (TU3) - The Amazing Race: Family Edition - CBS
020T - (MO5) - Las Vegas - NBC
022T - (SU6) - 60 Minutes - CBS
022T - (MO6) - Out of Practice - CBS
024 - (TU4) - Commander in Chief - ABC
025T - (TU5) - N.C.I.S. - CBS
025T - (MO7) - Wife Swap - ABC
025T - (SA1) - World Series, Game 1 - FOX
028T - (WE4T) - Law & Order - NBC
028T - (WE4T) - MLB Baseball: NLCS, Game 6 - FOX
028T - (TU6) - The Office - NBC
031 - (SU7) - Cold Case - CBS
032 - (WE6) - Criminal Minds - CBS
033 - (MO8) - How I Met Your Mother - CBS
034T - (TU7) - The Biggest Loser - NBC
034T - (SU8) - Crossing Jordan - NBC
034T - (WE7) - Freddie - ABC
034T - (MO9) - The King of Queens - CBS
038 - (TU8) - Boston Legal - ABC
039T - (TU9) - Close to Home - CBS
039T - (FR1) - Numb3rs - CBS
039T - (TH6) - Will & Grace - NBC
042T - (FR2) - Ghost Whisperer - CBS
042T - (MO10) - MLB Baseball: NLCS, Game 5 - FOX
043 - (TU10) - House [R] - FOX
045T - (WE8) - George Lopez - ABC
045T - (SU9) - Law & Order: Criminal Intent - NBC
045T - (MO11) - Surface - NBC
048 - (TH7) - Smallville - WB
049T - (WE9) - The Apprentice: Martha Stewart - NBC
049T - (TH8) - Joey - NBC
051T - (SU10) - America's Funniest Home Videos - ABC
051T - (WE10) - E-Ring - NBC
051T - (TU11T) - Gilmore Girls - WB
051T - (TU11T) - Rodney - ABC
051T - (FR3) - Threshold - CBS
056T - (TU13) - According to Jim - ABC
056T - (WE11T) - America's Next Top Model - UPN
056T - (FR4) - Three Wishes - NBC
056T - (WE11T) - Yes, Dear - CBS
060T - (FR5) - Law & Order: Criminal Intent [R] - NBC
060T - (WE13) - Still Standing - CBS
062T - (FR6) - 20/20 - ABC
062T - (FR2) - 48 Hours Mystery - CBS
062T - (SU11) - Enough (2002) [Feature Film] - CBS
062T - (TH9) - Primetime - ABC
062T - (TU14) - Supernatural - WB
067 - (TH10) - Alias - ABC
068T - (MO12) - 7th Heaven - WB
068T - (TH11) - Everybody Hates Chris - UPN
068T - (SU12) - The West Wing - NBC
071T - (FR7T) - Dateline NBC - NBC
071T - (SU13) - Dateline NBC - NBC
071T - (FR7T) - Hope & Faith - ABC
071T - (FR7T) - Supernanny - ABC
075T - (MO13) - Girlfriends - UPN
075T - (FR10) - Hot Properties - ABC
075T - (SA3) - Without a Trace [R] - CBS
078T - (SA4T) - Air Force One (1997) [Feature Film] - ABC
078T - (FR11) - The Bernie Mac Show - FOX
078T - (SU14) - Charmed - WB
078T - (SA4T) - N.C.I.S. [R] - CBS
082T - (MO14T) - All of Us - UPN
082T - (TU15) - Bones [R] - FOX
082T - (MO14T) - Half & Half - UPN
082T - (FR12T) - Killer Instinct - FOX
082T - (FR12T) - Malcolm in the Middle - FOX
082T - (TH12) - Night Stalker - ABC
087T - (SA6) - Desperate Housewives [R] - ABC
087T - (WE14) - One Tree Hill - WB
089T - (TH13) - Everwood - WB
089T - (MO16) - One on One - UPN
089T - (WE15) - Veronica Mars - UPN
092T - (SA7) - Chicago (2002) [Feature Film] - NBC
092T - (TH14) - Love, Inc. - UPN
092T - (FR14) - WWE Friday Night Smackdown! - UPN
095 - (FR15) - Reba [R] - WB
096T - (TU16) - America's Next Top Model [R] - UPN
096T - (TH15) - Eve - UPN
096T - (FR16) - Twins - WB
096T - (WE16) - Related - WB
100T - (TH16T) - Cuts - UPN
100T - (MO17) - Related [R] - WB
100T - (TH16T) - Reunion [8/7p] [R] - FOX
100T - (TH16T) - Reunion [9/8p] [R] - FOX
100T - (SU15) - Supernatural [R] - WB
100T - (FR17) - What I Like About You [8/7p] [R] - WB
100T - (SU16) - Reba [8:30/7:30p] [R] - WB
107 - (FR18) - What I Like About You [8:30/7:30p] [R] - WB
108 - (SU17) - Reba [8/7p] [R] - WB
109 - (TU17) - Sex, Love & Secrets - UPN

New Releases--Music/Movies (10/25/05).

2005-10-25T13:21:00.000-05:00

ANIMATED/CHILDREN'S
Burst Angel 4: Hired Gun [ST, UC]
Degrassi Junior High: Complete [9D BS]
Fighting Spirit 8: The Champ & I [SU, FS]
Scrapped Princess 4: Spells & Circumstances
Street Fighter Alpha: Generations [FS, DU] [WS, SU]
Those Who Hunt Elves: The Complete Collection [4D]

MOVIES
Bewitched (2005) [WS, PG-13]
Convoy [R]
Ghostwatcher II [WS, SU, R]
Herbie: Fully Loaded [WS, R]
House of Wax (2005) [WS, G]
Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park [FS]
Melinda & Melinda [WS, FS, PG-13]
Some Came Running [R]
Titanic [WS, PG-13]
The Wizard of Oz [G]

MUSIC (CDs Unless Specified)
The 69 Eyes - Devils
Aerosmith - Rockin' the Joint
Annie - Dj-Kicks
Antony & The Johnsons - You Are My Sister [EP]
Bates, Jeff - Good People
Belafonte, Harry - Calypso
Buckethead & Friends - Enter the Chicken
Cash, Johnny - The Legend of Johnny Cash
de Burgh, Chris - Live in Dortmund
Demon Hunter - The Triptych
Destiny's Child - #1's [Standard & DualDisc]
Dondero, David - South of the South
Eightball - Almost Famous [PA]
Franken, Al - The Al Franken Show Party Album
G3 - G3 Live in Tokyo
Great Big Sea - The Hard and the Easy [CD/DVD]
Harrison, George - George Harrison and Friends: Concert for Bangladesh [DVD]
Harrison, George - The Concert for Bangladesh [Limited]
Hernandez, Marcos - C About Me
Il Divo - The Christmas Collection
Lil' Flip - Flip Side of Lil' Flip [PA]
Motley Crue - Carnival of Sins [WS DVD]
Nichols, Joe - III
Norful, Smokie - Nothing Without You [CD/DVD] [f. Bonus Track]
Patty, Sandi - Duets
Raye, Collin - Twenty Years and Change
Rieu, Andre - Andre Rieu: New Year's in Vienna [DVD]
Socialburn - The Beauty of Letting Go
Tela - Now or Never [Slow]
Tela - The World Ain't Enuff [Slow, PA]
Travis, Randy - Glory Train... Songs of Faith, Worship and Praise
Various Artists - Clubplanet Party Mix
Various Artists - The Frank Sinatra Show: With Bing Crosby and Dean Martin
Various Artists - SRH Presents: Supporting Radical Habits [CD/DVD]
Various Artists - The Legend of Zorro: Original Soundtrack

TELEVISION
3rd Rock From the Sun: Season 2 [4D, BS, FS]
Alias: The Complete Fourth Season [6D, BS]
Hart to Hart: The Complete First Season [6D, FS]
In Living Color: Season 4 [3D, BS, FS]
The L-Word: Season 2 [5D, BS]
Little House on the Prairie: Season 9 [6D, BS]
The Munsters: The Complete Second Season [3D, FS]
Tales From the Crypt: The Complete Second Season [3D]
Tripping the Rift: Season One [3D, BS, FS]

BS - Boxed Set
D - Disc
DU - Dubbed
FS - Full Screen
PA - Parental Advisory
ST - Subtitles
UC - Uncut
WS - Widescreen

TV Tonite! (10/24/05).

2005-10-24T15:07:00.000-05:00

NEW TONIGHT!

8/7p
ABC - Wife Swap (02/07)
CBS - The King of Queens (08/06) | How I Met Your Mother (01/06)
NBC - Surface (01/06)
UPN - One on One (05/06) | All of Us (03/06)

9/8p
A&E - Growing Up Gotti (03/09)
ABC - Monday Night Football (36/08)
CBS - Two and a Half Men (03/06)
FOX - Prison Break (01/08)
LIFETIME - Human Trafficking (Part 1 of 2)
NBC - Las Vegas (03/06)
UPN - Girlfriends (06/06) | Half & Half (04/06)
VH1 - I Love the 80's: 3D (Part 1 of 5)

10/9p
A&E - Airline (03/22)
CBS - C.S.I.: Miami (04/06)
MTV - Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County (02/14) | Miss Seventeen (01/02)
NBC - Medium (02/06)
WE - Kiss & Tell (01/05)

11/10p
LIFETIME - How Clean is Your House? [11:30/10:30p] (02/05)
SPIKE TV - The Ultimate Fighter (02/10)

* * * * * * * * * *

--updated 10/20/05--

PICKED UP FOR A FULL SEASON
Beautiful People
Bones
Commander in Chief
Criminal Minds
Everybody Hates Chris
Ghost Whisperer
How I Met Your Mother
Invasion
My Name Is Earl
Prison Break
Supernatural
Surface
The War At Home

RENEWED FOR A 2ND SEASON
The Andy Milonakis Show
Beauty And The Geek
Dancing With The Stars
Extras
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Rome
So You Think You Can Dance?

CANCELED
The Comeback
Head Cases
Inconceivable
Just Legal
The Law Firm
The Simple Life
Starved
Sex, Lies & Secrets
Taradise

TV Tonite! (10/21/05).

2005-10-21T12:52:00.000-05:00

COMMENTARY
Not much going on this weekend, but that's alright with me. Catch up time, now that I'll be in Baseball mourning. I'll keep up with the World Series, but I don't know that I need to watch every minute of every game. There's too much good stuff on TV anymore, it almost makes me remember the days last year when I could only get two channels, before I got satellite. The price you pay for living in the middle of nowhere. Still, satellite is reasonable, the picture is crystal clear and now I have more channels than I know what to do with. And Tivo. Tivo I do love though.. ;) Who has time for commercials. And why would you people want to schedule your lives around TV shows, or fumble with tapes and programming VCRs, when you can schedule TV around your life. Do it. Be it. Love it. You'll never watch TV the same.

* * * * * * * * * *

NEW TONIGHT!

8/7p
ABC - Supernanny (02/06)
CBS - Ghost Whisperer (01/05)
FOX - The Bernie Mac Show (05/05) | Malcolm in the Middle (07/03)

9/8p
ABC - Hope & Faith (03/05) | Hot Properties (01/03)
CBS - Threshold (01/07)
FOX - Killer Instinct (01/05)
NBC - Three Wishes (01/05)
WB - Twins [9:30/8:30p] (01/06)

10/9p
CBS - Numb3rs (02/05)
IFC - Hopeless Pictures (01/09) - SEASON FINALE! | Greg the Bunny (02/09)

11/10p
HBO - Real Time with Bill Maher (03/21)

NEW SATURDAY!

7/6p
FOX - World Series, Game 1 [7:30/6:30p] (Sports)

NEW SUNDAY!

7/6p
ABC - America's Funniest Home Videos (16/03)
FOX - World Series, Game 2 [7:30/6:30p] (Sports)

8/7p
BRAVO - Inside the Actor's Studio (11/02)
CSB - Cold Case (03/05)
NBC - The West Wing (07/05)
WB - Charmed (08/05)

9/8p
ABC - Desperate Housewives (02/05)
NBC - Law & Order: Criminal Intent (05/05)
VH1 - My Fair Brady (01/07) | Breaking Bonaduce (01/07)

10/9p
ABC - Grey's Anatomy (02/05)
NBC - Crossing Jordan (05/05)

* * * * * * * * * *

--updated 10/20/05--

PICKED UP FOR A FULL SEASON
Beautiful People
Bones
Commander in Chief
Criminal Minds
Everybody Hates Chris
Ghost Whisperer
How I Met Your Mother
Invasion - NEW!
My Name Is Earl
Prison Break
Supernatural
Surface
The War At Home

RENEWED FOR A 2ND SEASON
The Andy Milonakis Show
Beauty And The Geek
Dancing With The Stars
Extras
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Rome
So You Think You Can Dance?

CANCELED
The Comeback
Head Cases
Inconceivable
Just Legal
The Law Firm
The Simple Life
Starved
Taradise

Now Playing! (New Movies 10/21/05).

2005-10-21T12:37:00.000-05:00

IN WIDE RELEASE
Doom
Starring: The Rock, Karl Urban, Rosamund Pike, Ben Daniels, Razaaq Adoti
--Based on the video game that made the first person shooter cool and redifned creepy with Doom 3. Most video game movies suck beyond suck, and the critics seem to think this one follows in that proud tradition.

Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story
Starring: Kurt Russel, Dakota Fanning, Kris Kristofferson, Elisabeth Shue, Freddy Rodriguez
--This looks like a new twist on Seabiscuit, with the always impressive Fanning as the inspiration for her father to get with a lame horse and win the Breeder's Cup. Honestly, I've already seen Seabiscuit, so what makes this movie stand out, aside from Fanning, who is worth watching in almost anything.

North Country
Starring: Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Sissy Spacek, Woody Harrelson, Sean Bean
--The story behind the first class action lawsuit for sexual harassment promises stellar acting with that cast listed above. This one's an Oscar fave, so know that going in. If you're more in the mood for explosions and senseless action, there's always Doom.

Stay
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Elizabeth Reaser, Ryan Gosling, Bob Hoskins
--A suicidal man makes predictions to his psychologist that disturbingly begin to come true. Appears to be right in line with the spate of so-so suspense/thriller/terror/supernatural movies they like to throw at us. At least there's some diversity in the four releases this week.

IN LIMITED RELEASE
After Innocence
Documentary
--Could be a very compelling look at what happens to those who were wrongly convicted after they get out with an "hey buddy, sorry about that," and try to reclaim their lives.

Emmanuel's Gift
Documentary
--Oprah Winfrey tells us this story about a guy who rode a bike across Ghana with only one leg to show his country that disabled people were more abled than they thought.

Kids in America
Starring: Gregory Smith, Stephanie Sherrin, Nicole Richie, Malik Yoba, Julie Bowen
--A high school comedy with a message? Apparently so. This one looks to address the continuing oppression and crack down on free speech in public schools by having a band of students stage demonstrations in protest. And don't forget Nicole Richie is in it. And probably has at least a bit of meat left on her bones when they filmed this.

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
Starring: Roberty Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, Joel Michaely, Corbin Bernsen
--This one sounds like a movie. A thief pretends to be an actor, gets wrapped up in a murder mystery with his old high school crush and the detective who's been training him for his movie role. Uh-huh.

National Lampoon's Barely Legal
Starring: Tom Arnold, Erik von Detten, Tony Denman, Daniel Farber, Sarah-Jane Potts
--There will be nudity. Or at least one would think so. I mean come on, it's National Lampoon, you know what these things are. And yet some of them are actually funny. And a movie about high school kids trying to film a porno that has Tom Arnold in it is guaranteed at least a few laughs. Right?

Protocols of Zion
Documentary
--Did you know the Jews plan to take over the world? Yeah, me neither. This documentary follows Marc Levin as he tries to track down the holders of this theory and find out why they think they way they do and what kind of people buy into this stuff.

Shopgirl
Starring: Claire Danes, Jason Schwartzman, Steve Martin, Frances Conroy, Sam Bottoms
--A story of a girl in the middle, who falls in love with an older man who makes her feel wonderful, but may not be enough. And then there's this other guy, who's pretty great, too. Likely to be a fairly lukewarm, sweet, typical "chick flick" romantic comedy, but the actors in it are proven at their craft, so expect a good addition to that genre.

Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family
Documentary
--A look at the lives of a threeple... or a couple plus one. A menage-relationship. How two guys and a girl created a nurturing and loving three-way relationship. I'm sure the religious activists will be lining up to see this and selling tickets to it in their church groups like they did for The Passion of the Christ.

Ushpizin
Starring: Shuli Rand, Michal Bat-Sheva Rand, Shaul Mizrahi, Ilan Gannai, Avraham-Abutbul
--In case you hadn't figured it out yet, this is a foreign comedy film. Expect production qualities to reflect that, and subtitles, but it's getting good reviews. When a couple in financial straits pray for divine assistance, they get to strangers with criminal pasts instead. Could this be the answer? Now, practice asking for tickets to this one so you don't look like a fool. Or just point to it on the marquee.

The Work and the Glory: American Zion
Starring: Sam Hennings, Brenda Strong, Eric Johnson, Jonathan Scarfe, Alexander Carroll
--Historical fiction, chronicling a family in the midst of the Mormon movement to the West. There isn't much out there on this one, but it appears people are liking or not linking it based on their opinion of the Mormon faith. Nice to see we can separate art from religion. Or maybe the movie is preachy? Who knows.

TV Tonite! (10/20/05).

2005-10-20T14:06:00.000-05:00

COMMENTARY
What the hell was that?!

*ahem* Sorry about that. Hey, look! TV shows! Light night for me (remember I bold what I record/watch). Finally caught up on Prison Break. I'm kinda digging it. Sure, it's silly as all hell, but I'm really curious who's behind all this and what the hell they're gonna do after they get out of the prison. It really is the most adrenaline-rush, action-packed, exciting show on televisiion right now, with 24 on hiatus until January. Oh, and Lost is interesting, but man is that new chick a real beeyotch! Nothing on the hatch this time around, but there's obviously a lot going on. And now we have to wait 3 weeks for the big Sweeps death... Aarrgghh!!

* * * * * * * * * *

NEW TONIGHT!

8/7p
ABC - Alias (05/04)
CBS - Survivor: Guatemala (11/06)
NBC - Joey (02/06) | Will & Grace (08/04)
UPN - Everybody Hates Chris (01/05) | Love, Inc. (01/05)
WB - Smallville (05/04)

9/8p
ABC - The Night Stalker (01/04)
BRAVO - Celebrity Poker Showdown (07/02)
CBS - C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation (06/05)
NBC - The Apprentice (04/05)
UPN - Eve (03/05) | Cuts (02/05)
WB - Everwood (04/04)

10/9p
A&E - The First 48 (03/03)
CBS - Without a Trace (04/04)
COMEDY CENTRAL - The Showbiz Show with David Spade (01/06)
MTV - Making the Band 3 (08/03) | Run's House (01/02)
NBC - ER (12/05)

* * * * * * * * * *

--updated 10/19/05--

PICKED UP FOR A FULL SEASON
Beautiful People
Bones
Commander in Chief - NEW!
Criminal Minds
Everybody Hates Chris
Ghost Whisperer
How I Met Your Mother
My Name Is Earl
Prison Break
Supernatural
Surface
The War At Home

RENEWED FOR A 2ND SEASON
The Andy Milonakis Show
Beauty And The Geek
Dancing With The Stars
Extras
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Rome
So You Think You Can Dance?

CANCELED
The Comeback
Head Cases
Inconceivable
Just Legal
The Law Firm
The Simple Life
Starved
Taradise

TV Tonite! (10/19/05).

2005-10-19T15:08:00.000-05:00

COMMENTARY
This is it, baby! If the Cards win tonight, we should be good to go. We can ride that momentum to take down the Rocket and head on up to Chi-twon. And I think we can take the Sox, too. We have too many weapons on pitching, offense and defense. We missed a lot of home runs in Houston that would've been out of Busch Stadium, and many other ball parks, while Houston would've missed out on a few home runs that would not go out in a park with a somewhat normal shape. That said, play the exact same games we played in Houston in St. Louis and the Cardinals would have won based solely on the differing dimensions of the ballpark. So the Cards are riding a hight, the Astros are shell-shocked, and we're coming home. If we can get to Oswalt (and hopefully early) we should be in good shape. Are there other things on TV?

* * * * * * * * * *

NEW TONIGHT!

8/7p
ABC - George Lopez (05/04) | Freddie (01/02)
CBS - Still Standing (04/05) | Yes, Dear (06/05)
FOX - MLB Baseball: NLCS, Game 6 (Sports)
NBC - E-Ring (01/05)
UPN - America's Next Top Model (05/06)
WB - One Tree Hill (03/03)

9/8p
A&E - Inked (01/15)
ABC - Lost (02/05)
CBS - Criminal Minds (01/05)
NBC - The Apprentice: Martha Stewart (01/05)
SCI-FI - Ghost Hunters (02/13) - SEASON FINALE!
UPN - Veronica Mars (02/04)
WB - Related (01/03)

10/9p
A&E - Criss Angel: Mindfreak (01/14)
ABC - Invasion (01/05)
CBS - C.S.I.: New York (02/04)
COMEDY CENTRAL - South Park (09/08) - NEW EPISODES RESUME! | Drawn Together (02/01) - SEASON PREMIERE!
E! - Party at the Palms (02/02) | Taradise (01/12)
FX - Over There (01/12)
MTV - Made (06/07)
NBC - Law & Order (16/05)
SCI-FI - Tripping the Rift (02/13)
TNT - 2005 Black Movie Awards (Special)

* * * * * * * * * *

--updated 10/19/05--

PICKED UP FOR A FULL SEASON
Beautiful People - NEW!
Bones
Criminal Minds
Everybody Hates Chris
Ghost Whisperer
How I Met Your Mother
My Name Is Earl
Prison Break
Supernatural
Surface
The War At Home

RENEWED FOR A 2ND SEASON
The Andy Milonakis Show
Beauty And The Geek
Dancing With The Stars
Extras
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Rome
So You Think You Can Dance? - NEW!

CANCELED
The Comeback
Head Cases
Inconceivable
Just Legal
The Law Firm
The Simple Life
Starved
Taradise

Comics Today! (10/19/05).

2005-10-19T14:41:00.000-05:00

** means I'm getting it.

ABC UNIVERSE (DC)
**Top 10: Beyond the Farthest Precinct #3 (of 5)
--This whole thing is wrapping up soon. Overall, I've enjoyed the ABC Universe, but it has faded a bit in it's magic and special-ness. Partially because the new shine has worn off a bit and partially because Alan Moore stepped back from writing the whole thing himself, which was kind of odd in and of itself, for a line that was supposed to be entirely his vision. Still, I'll likely follow it to it's new publisher.

ARCHIE UNIVERSE
Archie #561
Holiday Fun Digest #10
Jughead #169
Tales From Riverdale Digest #6

BLUE WATER UNIVERSE (ALIAS)
The 10th Muse: Volume 2 #5
The Legend of Isis #4
--I hate to say it, but I guess it means this line of books has finally found a publisher that can handle their very, very poor numbers. After a stint with Image, a couple of faltered solo runs and now Alias, itself mired in controversy over other books jumping ship and its apparent double standard on adult content being related to any of its creators or titles. I was so excited about Alias when it was first announced, and I've dropped almost everything they publish, including this line. Thank god for Speakeasy, because I do like to support the indies, and Speakeasy seems to have a better eye for quality and diversity to be brutally honest.

DC UNIVERSE
**Batgirl #69
**Batman #646
DC has me in full geek-mode. This one, even though the cover doesn't say so, ties indirectly into Villains United and could be leading to some interesting developments in Gotham. Of course, at this point, virtually every DCU title is crossing over with some IC mini or another. You know, I am way more geeked about Infinite Crisis, and the "One Year Later" event, than I probably should be, but I can't help it. Linewide crossover events like this can't be done in any other medium than in comics in a shared universe. I think that factor is part of why I like them and think they should continue to be a part of superhero universe comic lines. Just when I think I'm getting tired of superhero comics they go and pull me back in!

**Batman: Gotham Knights #70
**Batman: Journey Into Knight #3 (of 12)
**Birds of Prey #87
**Green Lantern Corps: Recharge #2 (of 6)
**Justice #2 (of 12)
--Alex Ross painted on interiors remains a rarity. His highlights are Marvels and Kingdom Come. Here he is again, and it remains as beautiful as ever. Using live models, you can't get a truer look at what it would look like to live in a superhero world of wonder.

**Manhunter #15
--I have to admit, I'm kind of digging this series. I'm sure it'll be cancelled soon, but it's been a fun ride thus far. I like that she's an attorney and that her life outside the costume is every bit as important as her life in it; in fact, seemingly more so. It's a nice variation on the superhero clichés that have to run rampant in the 7,684,212 superhero comics that come out each year. Kind of like television has to find new angles to look at crime procedurals (look at the slate of new shows this fall), comics is always looking for a new angle to explore that same genre rather than exploring all those other possible genres out there.

**Robin #143
--Ties into The OMAC Project.
**Seven Soldiers: Klarion, The Witch Boy #4 (of 4) - FINAL ISSUE!
--Okay, for the uninitiated, this is a collection of interlacing min-series so confusing they have to put a guide in every issue to tell you what order you should read them... and they're collecting them in THAT order and not, say, collection all four issues of Klarion together. Confused? I think that's the way they want it. And I get the feeling that I'm not reading this nearly as carefully as I should be. Probably one of those things that once it's all said and done, you sit down with all of the books and read it in a weekend and then go ... "oooh, so that's what they meant there. Good stuff, good stuff." Whereas now, you sit down and read 20 pages or so and go... "man, that was weird" and reach for the remote to calm your brain with some mindless TV. Might I recommend Sex, Lies & Secrets. It's going to be gone soon, and you can't get much more mindless than that.

**Superman #222
--Ties into The OMAC Project.

MARVEL UNIVERSE
**1602: New World #4 (of 5)
--Some things do not a sequel need. You can bet your sweet ass that if Marvel had published Watchmen, that we'd have had at least five sequels and spin-offs to it by now. 1602 was good and it was a singular vision by a singular creator and this is just a pale imatation attempt to cash in.

**Daredevil vs. The Punisher #5 (of 6)
**Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #19
--"The Other: Part 2 of 12" The crossover event that hits all the core Spider-Man titles continues. Thus far, it hasn't been much of anything. This one promises major changes, but it's so hard to imagine them majorly changing Peter Parker. It's been done before, after all he started off as an unpopular perpetually single geek living with his grandmother, and now he's an Avenger, living with his hot wife in Avengers mansion. But it takes decades to slowly tweak a change here and there so it's almost unnoticeable. We'll see how far they're willing to tweak their icon. Who knows, maybe we'll all be surprised.

**Marvel Monsters: Fin Fang Four - ONE-SHOT!
--Overall, these haven't been very good thus far. I like the concept and the potential for fun is there, but I'm just not feeling it.

**Nick Fury's Howling Commandoes #1 - FIRST ISSUE!
--Come on. Seriously. Do they really think this is going to work. Because it's not. It really isn't. First of all, the name Nick Fury is not associated in any way with the supernatural, so those who are familiar with the name are going to be turned off by the this when they want good quality military and/or war comics. Second the cover looks really bad and a government team of werewolves, vampires and the like is just tired and was done better in CVO than it will be done here. Mark my words.

**The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Horror 2005 - ONE-SHOT!
--It looks, however, like Marvel is jumping on the "Horror" bandwagon. The same bandwagon that turned a little publisher into a quality juggernaut (at least as much as you can be a juggernaut in this two-party industry). Of course, I'm talking about IDW which blew up with Steve Niles' and Ben Templesmith's 30 Days of Night, a franchise they continue to try and milk for any penny they can squeeze out of it (well, they certainly play like one of the big boys *cough*x-men*cough*batman*cough). Of course, when Marvel does imprints, it's not like DC does with Vertigo or even WildStorm, which is an entirely separate universe. They do different "takes" on the same old Marvel Universe anymore. It's not diversity. It's more superheroes. And this will be super-heroes as well. Just like the new Howling Commandoes will be written like a super-hero.

**Runaways #9
--Okay, this is the best new superhero concept to come out in a long, long time. And that says a lot because neither Marvel or DC have had any success in coming up with new characters and concepts. An absolute gem in the Marvel Universe. One of two that were canceled before their time but then relaunched to greater success...

**She-Hulk 2 #1 - FIRST ISSUE!
--...okay, well maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself. This is the other one, and who knows if it will be successful or not this time around. Runaways came out much stronger the second time, and I'm hoping this one does too. This is the Ally McBeal of superhero comics. She-Hulk is a lawyer as Jen Walters who works at a lawfirm that deals often in superhuman law. The humor and antics in the office are as good if not better than anything superheroic that happens. Again, it's the characters that make great series. Just look at this and Runaways.

**Spider-Man Family #1 (of 1) - ONE-SHOT!
Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham! That's all I need to know. Sure, it's probably all reprints, but it is a fun idea to have all the iterations of the wall crawler available in one 100-paged fun collection. If you really want to be impressed, check the reprints of Spider-Man 2099 #1 and Untold Tales of Spider-Man. Untold looked at stories that happenend in and around the classic old Spidey tales told by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and were brilliantly done. Meanwhile, Spider-Man 2099 recreated the webhead for a dark future and proved itself the strongest, by far, of the 2099 line. Written by Peter David with fantastic art by Rick Leonardi, this first issue is everything you'd want in a first issue. It reminds me that the 2099 universe was victim to the implosion of the late '90s, along with the Ultraverse, Valiant and many other excellent lines, that deserves a second chance. Get a hint of that second chance when the Exiles go to the 2099 Universe in a few months. Rumor has it they may even pick up a new member while there. Maybe a certain arachnid... ??

**Thor: Blood Oath #3 (of 6)
**Weapon X: Days of Future Now #4 (of 5)
**X-Men #176
**X-Men And Power Pack #1 (of 4) - FIRST ISSUE!
**X-Men: Colossus: Bloodlines #2 (of 5)

SQUADRON SUPREME UNIVERSE (MARVEL)
**Supreme Power: Hyperion #2 (of 5)
--J. Michael Straczynski wowed us with Babylon 5 and then again with Rising Stars. And yet, RS was obviously just him getting used to the concept of superhero comics. He's got it now. And Supreme Power is him showing us how well he's gotten it. It has a leisurely novelistic pace and seems intent on telling some larger story a piece at a time... sound familiar. Excellent dialogue, excellent characterization and a great take on a world being introduced to the fantastic. Again, it is rare in superhero comics that you can believe the world 100% as if you could live there, but JMS makes us wonder if maybe we aren't there already.

TOP COW UNIVERSE (IMAGE)
**V.I.C.E. #1 - FIRST ISSUE!

ULTIMATE UNIVERSE (MARVEL)
**Ultimate Fantastic Four #24
**Ultimate Spider-Man #84
--To their credit, this is no longer fresh and new either, but for the most part the quality remains as strong as ever. And that's because this is a Peter Parker and supporting cast that I can care about. Of the entire Ultimate line, only Ultimate X-Men remains consistenly weaker than I wish it was. But it has been disappointing me for a long time now. Hopefully Robert Kirkman (Invincible, Marvel Team-Up, The Walking Dead) can perk things up there. If not, maybe Marvel should plan a big series wherein all the mutants are killed and then the Ultimate Universe has to deal with that. And I won't have to deal with a sub-par Ultimate X-Men anymore. Now that's what I call a win-win!

VERTIGO UNIVERSE (DC)
**Books of Magick: Life During Wartime #15 - FINAL ISSUE!
--You and I both know it's just a matter of time before they trot out Tim Hunter and try again to have a hit series with him at the helm. All of these titles are related to old-school Vertigo, when it actually spun out of the DCU proper into it's own entity. Since then, these core titles and a few others formed a sort of Vertigo-verse within Vertigo, and DC keeps trying to push that forward. With this over, Lucifer ending and Swamp Thing nearing cancellation as well, one can only guess, maybe this will finally end and Hellblazer will be just as independent as the rest of the line.

**Hellblazer #213
**Lucifer #67

WILDSTORM UNIVERSE (DC)
**The Authority: Revolution #12 (of 12) - FINAL ISSUE!
--I gotta tell you. Another thing that surprised me is how much I like the WidStorm universe. This started about the time Warren Ellis took over StormWatch (later The Authority) and Wildcats was revamped. What started as a really bad superhero universe became the world's first mature (and I mean sophisticated not pornographic) superhero universe. Complex situations and characters. Not always clear black and white. In other words, good stuff. It hit a bit of a lull there for awhile, but looks to be getting back on track. Hints are they're getting their own Crisis of sorts, which is actually not a bad idea. It's a cluttered universe they live in. We'll see how it pans out, but as I say, these kinds of things can be exciting.

**Captain Atom: Armageddon #1 (of 9) - FIRST ISSUE!
--From the DCU to the WSU. After Majestic took a tour in the DC Universe, DC returns the favor by sending Captain Atom to the WildStorm Universe. Could this be a teaser of the alternate realities returning in Infinite Crisis. If so, I hope they buy the Ultraverse from Marvel and make that another parallel world. And they can let me write it. :)

**The Intimates #12
--This is one of my other favorite books you're not reading. And do you know why I love it so much? Because I believe the characters and situations. Yes, it's superheroes, but it's still grounded in a way that New X-Men only wishes it were. These kids really seem like teens with powers and this academy lives and breathes. And the information crawlers at the bottom (as a nod/parody to the crawlers all over our news channels on television now I'm guessing) only enhance both our understanding of the characters and their world, but the entire package.

LICENSED
**Conan #21
C.S.I.: New York: Bloody Murder #4 (of 5)
--Again, a good spin-off of the TV series. Every bit as good as the novels, and written by the same guy. C.S.I. is a procedural so you don't need to worry about character development and advancement, because they are there to develop the plot, not themselves. Thus, just come up with another case and BOOM, instant C.S.I. Should be good enough for any fans of the show. Or at least the few hundred who happen to see this in the few thousand comic shops scattered across our great nation. How come the licensed comics can't get greater exposure.

DragonLance Chronicles #3 (of 8)
G.I. Joe: America's Elite: Data Desk Handbook - ONE-SHOT!
G.I. Joe: Snake-Eyes: Declassified #3 (of 6)
Mr. T #2
--This still makes me laugh just seeing it. I mean what kind of audience base can Mr. T have at this point in his career? But it's gotta be better than Mr. T and the T-Force. Of course, Care Bears is better than that piece of crap was.

The PowerPuff Girls #6
Robotech: Prelude To The Shadow Chronicles #2 (of 5)
**Simpsons Comics #111
Sonic X #2
**Star Wars: Republic #78
**Transformers #0
--Maybe this time I will be able to follow what's going on and keep all the giant robots apart. I did okay with it when they were in Marvel, but the murky, dark, detailed artwork of DreamWave left me confused more often than not as to which 'bot was which.

Walt Disney's Donald Duck and Friends #333
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse and Friends #282
--As soon as the money is there, I will be picking these up again because they are guaranteed good, clean fun. And they are so much more dense than the average comic, so you're really getting a lot of story for your money. Disney has always been the king of quality, family-oriented entertainment in comics and this continues with the new line.

INDEPENDENT
**(Garth Ennis') 303 #6 (of 6) - FINAL ISSUE!
**1000 Deaths of Baron von Donut #1 - FIRST ISSUE!
--Let's not kid ourselves. This is Arsenic Lullaby. No matter what title he puts it under it's the same thing. Laugh your ass off while at the same time looking over your shoulder hoping no one you like is seeing what you're actually laughing at. The kind of uncomfortable humor where you wonder why you think that's funny... and yet it is. So freaking funny!

2000 A.D. #1457
2000 A.D. #1458
Abiding Perdition #1 - FIRST ISSUE!
The Amazing Joy Buzzards: Volume 2 #1 - FIRST ISSUE!
**Armageddon & Son - GRAPHIC NOVEL!
**Astro City: The Dark Age #4 (of 16)
Banana Sundays #3 (of 4)
**Battle Hymn #4 (of 5)
**Capote In Kansas - GRAPHIC NOVEL!
**Common Foe #3 (of 4)
David: Shepherd's Song #2 (of 3)
Dead Men Tell No Tales #2 (of 4)
Deal With The Devil #5 (of 5) - FINAL ISSUE!
**DeadWorld #2
Dork Tower #32
Fauna - GRAPHIC NOVEL!
**Giant Monster #1 (of 2) - FIRST ISSUE!
Grenuord #1 (of 6) - FIRST ISSUE!
**(Brian Pulido's) Medieval Lady Death #7
**Hello - GRAPHIC NOVEL!
Jazan Wild's Carnival of Souls #1 (of 3) - FIRST ISSUE!
**Jindai #1 - FIRST ISSUE!
**The Living And The Dead - GRAPHIC NOVEL!
--The story of Anna Nicole Smith's marriage. Okay, no it's not. But it should be. She could be like a vampiress sucking the life out of this old rich guy and... and... oh, I guess it was a lot like that.

**The Lonely Tombstone - ONE-SHOT!
Midnight Kiss #1 - FIRST ISSUE!
**Night Mary #3 (of 4)
**The Norm Magazine #10 - FINAL ISSUE!
--And it's a shame, too. I think the idea of collecting newspaper strips in this format (double-sized comic) and reasonably pricing it is a great way to sell the format to people. And to help us get reasonably priced collections of our favorite newspaper strips. Of course, The Norm is no longer in the papers, having switched to a subscription-based web comic so as to not have censors breathing down his back. Same thing Liberty Meadows did, only now that Cho has upped his Marvel exclusive, we may never get another issue of LM.

**Opposite Forces: Volume 2 #2 (of 4)
Orc's Treasure - GRAPHIC NOVEL!
Potlatch Project: Volume 4 - GRAPHIC NOVEL!
**Shaolin Cowboy #4
--Trying to make sense of this story is like trying to solve the quadratic equation while high on a kilo of crank. Not as easy as it sounds, is it? But Geof Darrow's art is so freaking beautiful, you don't care. In fact, you can skip right over the words and just look at the pictures and you'll be happy. But if you do read the words you'll get to enjoy some truly surreal and weird and yet entertaining stuff.

Shygirl: Volume 1 - GRAPHIC NOVEL!
**The Surrogates #2 (of 5)
Tales of Bloody Mary #4 (of 8)
**Thread: The Unraveling #1 - FIRST ISSUE!
**The Walking Dead #22
--Bar none, one of the best books on the stands. Even if you don't like zombie movies, you can probably like this. This is as simliar to a cliché zombie movie as Jennifer Love Hewitt is to an Oscar-caliber actress. Don't get me wrong, JLH is sexy as hell and does sweet very well, but if she can stretch herself as an artist, I haven't seen it yet. The best characterization, twists and turns and the most realistic human drama, despite the presence of the undead, comics usually dares to grapple with. Believe me, for all the posturing that the Crisis series at DC of late have been humanizing their superheroes, they're still freaking superheroes. And they're written like that.

Wyatt Earp: Dodge City #3

MANGA
**Battle Royale: Volume 14 (of 15)
Blade of Heaven: Volume 5 (of 15)
Blade of the Immortal #106
Boys Be: Volume 7 (of 12)
Dragon Hunter: Volume 13 (of 18)
Heaven Above Heaven: Volume 3 (of 6)
Honey Mustard: Volume 2 (of 4)
Initial D: Volume 20 (of 30)
The Kindaichi Case Files: Volume 12
King of Hell: Volume 11 (of 13)
Land of the Blindfolded: Volume 5
Rebirth: Volume 16 (of 19)
Snowdrop: Volume 11 (of 12)
Tenshi Ja Nai (I'm No Angel): Volume 1 - FIRST ISSUE!
Tramps Like Us: Volume 7 (of 12)
Vampire Game: Volume 13 (of 15)

New on DVD! (10/18/05).

2005-10-18T11:50:00.000-05:00

COMMENTARY
Lots of good stuff this week for the world of geekdom. I believe most Movie New Releases hit stores on Tuesdays, so these should be available as you're reading them, though few stores will have all of them. I have listed everything here, including rereleases, trying to sort them into somewhat meaningful categories (if you have better suggestions, I'm all ears). I'm thrilled that I finally get to see Batman Begins, as I'd intended to in the theatres but never got around to it--damned busy life! But that doesn't mean you can make me pick up a DVD of Batman & Robin. I don't care if it is a "Special Edition." The first one was "Special" enough, as you'd have to ride the short bus to enjoy it... and Schumacher must have been riding it to the set to film the thing. Land of the Dead is another one I missed. And I even brushed up on all the other Romero filmes to be ready for it, so that's another one. That said, what makes you think I want to see an "Unrated" edition of Elektra any more than I wanted to see the "Rated" version. Unless you cut out all the quality to get your rating, supplementing some more crap onto a pile of crap does not an Oscar earn you.

FILMS
13 Curses (WS)
American Movie Musicals Collection (Set)
Avalanche: Nature Unleashed
Batman (SE)
Batman & Robin (SE)
Batman Begins (FS/WS/DE)
Batman Forever (SE)
Batman Returns (SE)
Batman: The Complete 1943 Movie Serial Collection
Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997 (SE)
The Big Lebowski (FS-CE/WS-CE)
Blood of Beasts (WS)
Braceface Box Set (BS)
Bruce Lee: Ultimate Collection (Set)
Carpool Guy
Chained Heat 2
Christmas Carol / Jingle All the Way (Set)
Christmas Carol / Miracle on 34th Street (Set
Christmas Carol / Olive The Other Reindeer (Set)
A Christmas Carol: The Musical
The Coen Brothers' Collection
Cult Fiction
Dark Harvest 2: The Maize (WS)
Day of the Dead: Contagium
Dear S 2
Defender
Doll Graveyard: Reborn for Revenge
Dot the I (WS)
Dragon Loaded (WS)
Elektra (UR-DC)
Eternal (WS)
Excessive Force II: Force On Force
Felony
Full Metal Panic Fumoffu Volume 4: Full Metal Mani
Galaxy Of Terror Collection (Set)
Gilgamesh Volume 3: Wake for the Undead
Grand Sons
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein
The Hollow
Home Alone / Home Alone 3 (Set)
Home Alone / Jingle All the Way (Set)
Home Alone 2 / Home Alone 4 (Set)
Hostile Takedown
House of Voices
Ice Age / Cheaper by the Dozen (Set)
Insatiable Needs
Jacqueline Hyde (WS/WS-UR)
The Jazz Singer (25th Anniversary Edition)
King Of Bandit Jing: Complete Collection (Set)
Land of the Dead (FS/UN/WS-UR)
The Last Goodbye
Legend of Condor Hero Volume 7
Lifeboat
Love for All Seasons (WS)
Love in Thoughts (WS)
Mad Hot Ballroom (WS)
The Mark Of Zorro (SE)
The Mask Of Zorro (WS-DE)
Miracle on 34th Street '47 / Cheaper by the Dozen (Set)
Miracle on 34th Street '94 / Cheaper by the Dozen (Set)
MPD Psycho 3
Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok Volume 1 (BS)
Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok Volume 1
Naked Encounters
Omagh
Piedras Verdes
The Sabata Trilogy (Set)
Samurai 7 Volume 2: Escape from the Merchants
Samurai 7 Volume 2: Escape from the Merchants (LE)
Saving Face (WS)
Saw (UR)
Season of the Witch
Starstruck
Tell Them Who You Are
Tenjho Tenge Round 3
Toxie's Top Ten Set (BS)
Two's a Mob
Ultramaniac Volume 4

TELEVISION
Adventures of Superman: The Complete First Season
CSI: New York- The Complete First Season
Dark Shadows: The Revival (WS)
Ghost Hunters: The Complete First Season (CE)
He-Man & The Masters of the Universe: Season 1, Volume 1
The Peter Jennings Collection (Set)
Unscripted: The Complete Series (WS)
The Untold Secrets of Television's Greatest Hits
The Very Best of Ghost Hunters: Volume 1 (SE)

ANIMATED / CHILDREN'S
Atomic Betty Volume 1: Betty, Set, Go!
Atomic Betty Volume 2: Betty to the Rescue
Atomic Betty Volumes 1 & 2 (Set)
The Batman vs. Dracula Animated Movie
The Care Bears Big Wish Movie
Davey & Goliath Holidat Spectacular Box Set (BS)
Davey & Goliath Volume 2
Dragon Ball GT Volumes 1-5 (BS)
The Emperor's New Groove (SE)
FernGully: The Last Rainforest (SE)
Frosty The Snowman / Frosty Returns / Legend (Set)
Garfield: Cat Tales (GS)
Gatchaman 5: Guillotines & Witches
Gatchaman 6: Devil Stars & Rocket Squid
Gatchaman Collection 3 (Set)
The Legend of Frosty
The Legend of Zelda: The Complete Series
Nick Jr. Favorites 2
Nick Picks 2
Nick Picks 2
Pet Alien: Aliens Unleashed
Pet Alien: Atomic Tommy
Reader Rabbit Collection (GS)
Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Sweet Collection (GS)
Strawberry Shortcake: Dress Up Days
Tarzan (SE)
Ultimate Cartoon Collection (Set)
Wheels on the Bus: Mango Helps the Moon Mouse
Yu Gi Oh: Season 3, Volume 5 (ED)

MUSIC/MUSICAL
Bellini: La Sonnambula
Boulez / Chereau Ring Boxed Set (BS)
Billy Cobham: Glass Menagerie
Bizet's Carmen
By Design
Chick Corea Elektric Band: Live at Montreux 2004
Dave Holland: Quintet Live
Deep Purple: Scandinavian Nights
An Evening with Fourplay Volumes 1&2
Frank Zappa: Dub Room Special
Gustav Mahler: Attrazione Damore
Gustav Mahler: I Have Lost Touch
Gwar Collection (Set)
Handel: Agrippina
Jerry Lee Lewis & Friends
Joe Cocker: Mad Dogs And Englishmen
Langgaard: Antikrist
Led Zeppelin: Music Box Biography
Mendelssohn:: Yehudi Menuhn Plays
Monteverdi: Il Ritorno Dulisse
Mozart: Famous String Quartets
Mozart: Great Piano Concertos Volume 3
Newport Folk Festival
Nina Simone: Live at Montreux 1976
Philip Glass: Looking Glass
Scorpions: Moment Of Glory - Live (Includes Music CD)
Shinedown: Live from the Inside Bumps
Strauss: Capriccio
Strauss: Dance & Dream
Submachine: Off the Rails
Twisted Sister: Live at Wacken Reunion
Umphrey's McGee: Wrapped Around Chicago
Verdi: Don Carlo
Verdi: La Traviata
Verdi: MacBeth

FOREIGN
Best Of El Chapulin Colorado Volume 5 (Spanish)
Best Of El Chapulin Colorado Volume 6 (Spanish)
Bolivia (WS)
Cantinflas Show: La Vuelta Al Mundo (Spanish)
Cantinflas Show: Los Favoritos (Spanish)
El Poder Del Norte: El Gigante De La Musica Norten
K Paz De La Sierra: Mas Capaces Que Nunca
La Celestina (Spanish/ST)
Los Potros: En Viro
Ma Mere (UR/ST)
Province 77 (WS)
Real Fiction (WS)
Rosalinda (Spanish)
Slim Till Dead (WS)
Uno (ST)
Ventarron (Spanish)

OTHER
5 Card Stud
Amazing Mysteries: Ancient Prophets
Amazing Mysteries: Dinosaur Extinction
Amazing Mysteries: Egyptian Pyramids
Bach: Mass in B Minor
Beautiful Century
The Brazilian Dance Workout
Brother Minister: The Assassination Of Malcolm X (FS)
Girls Gone Wild: Girls Who Like Girls
Great Indian Wars
Harlem Globetrotters: Team that Changed the World
Krump 3.0
Krump Battles
Operation Manhunt
Prokofiev: Ivan the Terrible
Qi Gong for Long Life: Cleanse & Build Inner Qi
Qi Gong for Long Life: Cultivate Longevity
Qi Gong for Long Life: Develop Strength & Power
Ropesport: Advanced Workout
Ropesport: Basic Workout
Ropesport: Extreme Workout
Ropesport: Intermediate Workout
Segovia: In Portrait
Space Age
Spirit of the Animals
Taste of the Arts Volume 4
Ziggy's Gift

UMD FORMAT (PSP)
Chris Rock: Bigger & Blacker
Chris Rock: Never Scared
Entourage: The Complete First Season
First Blood
Land of the Dead
The Mask Of Zorro
Shaun of the Dead
Stargate
Tenjho Tenge
Todd McFarlane's Spawn
Universal Soldier

*BS - Boxed Set
*CE - Collector's Edition
*DC - Director's Cut
*DE - Deluxe Edition
*ED - Edited
*FS - Full Screen
*GS - Gift Set
*LE - Limited Edition
*SE - Special Edition
*UR - Unrated
*ST - Subtitled
*WS - Wide Screen

TV Tonite! (10/17/05).

2005-10-17T15:29:00.000-05:00

COMMENTARY
What can I say? The Cardinals are breaking my heart. I mean come on... you get all the pitching you could ever want and you can barely eke out one sacrifice fly run? Man is that frustrating. Baseball postseason, by the way, makes it difficult to keep up with the shows I'm recording. As you can see below, I'm still recording, but I'll be damned if I'm caught up on any of them at this point. I did just see that Lincoln (I think that's the right brother) got rid of the crazy roomie and got his regular roomie back... I know how far behind I am. I don't need you to tell me!

* * * * * * * * * *

NEW TONIGHT!

8/7p
ABC - Wife Swap (02/06)
CBS - The King of Queens (08/05) | How I Met Your Mother (01/05)
FOX - MLB Playoffs: NLCS, Game 5 (Sports)
This could be the final game for the Cardinals this year. Unless they want to start a magical comeback. Carpenter on the mound is the way to get it done. And the Cards rocked Pettite in Game 1, so a repeat of that would be acceptable. Then we can bring it home to the Lou' and sew it up with a two-game sweep in Bush. Then we can go to Chicago. Or... we can look like goats (almost as bad as the BoSox looked) and go home tonight and be done for the season. And then they'll tear down our stadium in sadness.

NBC - Surface (01/05)
Picked up for a full season. No idea what the overall point of this series is going to be as of yet; I mean are these sea creatures going to interact with humans, try to destory all of us, or are we going to try and destroy them? What's the arc? What's the plan? There is a plan, right?

UPN - One On One (05/05) | All Of Us (03/05)
WB - Seventh Heaven (10/05)

9/8p
A&E - Growing Up Gotti (03/08)
ABC - Monday Night Football (36/07)
CBS - Two And A Half Men (03/05) | Out Of Practice (01/05)
LIFETIME - A Lover's Revenge (Telefilm)
NBC - Las Vegas (03/05)
UPN - Girlfriends (06/05) | Half & Half (04/05)

10/9p
A&E - Airline (03/21)
CBS - C.S.I.: Miami (04/05)
NBC - Medium (02/05)
MTV: Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County (02/13) | Miss Seventeen (01/01) - SERIES PREMIERE!
WE - Kiss & Tell (01/04)

11/10p
COMEDY CENTRAL - The Colbert Report (01/01) [11:30/10:30p] - SERIES PREMIERE!
LIFETIME - How Clean Is Your House? (02/04) [11:30/10:30P]
SPIKE TV - The Ultimate Fighter (02/09)

* * * * * * * * * *

--updated 10/17/05--

PICKED UP FOR A FULL SEASON
Bones
Criminal Minds
Everybody Hates Chris
Ghost Whisperer
How I Met Your Mother
My Name Is Earl
Prison Break
Supernatural
Surface - NEW!
The War At Home

RENEWED FOR A 2ND SEASON
The Andy Milonakis Show
Beauty And The Geek
Dancing With The Stars
Extras
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Rome
So You Think You Can Dance?

CANCELED
The Comeback
Head Cases
Inconceivable
Just Legal
The Law Firm
The Simple Life
Starved
Taradise

Estimated TV Ranks (10/10/05 - 10/16/05) .

2005-10-17T15:21:00.000-05:00

001 - (TH1) - C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation - CBS
002 - (SU1) - Desperate Housewives - ABC
003 - (TH2) - Without a Trace - CBS
004 - (WE1) - Lost - ABC
005 - (SU2) - Grey's Anatomy - ABC
006 - (MO1) - C.S.I.: Miami - CBS
007 - (TU1) - Commander in Chief - ABC
008 - (TU2) - N.C.I.S. - CBS
009 - (TH3) - Survivor: Guatemala - CBS
010 - (SU3) - 60 Minutes - ABC
011 - (SU4) - NFL Football: Overrun (Various Games) - ABC
012 - (WE2) - C.S.I.: New York - CBS
013 - (MO2) - Two and a Half Men - CBS
014 - (TU3) - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - NBC
015 - (MO3) - Monday Night Football - ABC
016 - (SU5) - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition [8/7p] - ABC
017 - (TH4) - ER - NBC
018 - (MO4) - Las Vegas - NBC
019 - (MO5) - Medium - NBC
020 - (WE3) - Criminal Minds - CBS
021 - (SU6) - Cold Case
022 - (MO6) - Out of Practice - CBS
023 - (MO7) - MLB Baseball: ALCS, Game 1 - FOX
024 - (TU4) - My Name Is Earl - NBC
025 - (WE4) - Invasion - ABC
026 - (TU5) - Boston Legal - ABC
027 - (SU7) - Crossing Jordan - NBC
027 - (MO8) - Wife Swap - ABC
029 - (FR1) - Numb3rs - CBS
030 - (WE5) - Law & Order - NBC
031 - (TU6) - The Amazing Race: Family Edition - CBS
032 - (MO9) - The King of Queens - CBS
033 - (TH5) - The Apprentice - NBC
033 - (TU7) - Close to Home - CBS
035 - (SU8) - Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire [Telefilm] - CBS
036 - (FR2) - Ghost Whisperer - CBS
037 - (SU9T) - Law & Order: Criminal Intent - NBC
037 - (SU9T) - MLB Baseball: NLCS, Game 4 - FOX
037 - (MO10) - Surface - NBC
040 - (TU8) - MLB Baseball: ALCS, Game 1 - FOX
041 - (MO11) - How I Met Your MOther - CBS
042 - (SA1) - C.S.I.: Miami [R] - CBS
043 - (WE6) - MLB Baseball: ALCS, Game 2 -or- NLCS, Game 1 - FOX
044 - (SA2) - 48 Hours Mystery - CBS
045 - (WE7) - Freddie - ABC
045 - (TH6) - MLB Baseball: NLCS, Game 2 - FOX
047 - (TH7) - Will & Grace - NBC
047 - (WE8) - Yes, Dear - CBS
049 - (TU9) - The Biggest Loser - NBC
049 - (WE9) - E-Ring - NBC
051 - (SU11) - Dateline NBC - NBC
052 - (WE10) - George Lopez - ABC
053 - (FR3T) - 20/20 - ABC
053 - (FR3T) - Three Wishes - NBC
055 - (SU12) - The West Wing - NBC
056 - (FR3T) - Law & Order: Criminal Intent - NBC
057 - (SU13) - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition [7/6p] - ABC
057 - (FR5T) - Threshold - CBS
058 - (TU10) - Rodney - ABC
059 - (TH8) - Joey - NBC
059 - (WE11) - Still Standing - CBS
061 - (TU11) - According to Jim - ABC
062 - (FR7T) - Dateline NBC - NBC
062 - (FR7T) - MLB Baseball: ALCS, Game 3 - FOX
064 - (WE12) - The Apprentice: Martha Stewart - NBC
064 - (TU12) - The Office - NBC
066 - (SA03) - Cold Case [R] - CBS
067 - (SA4) - NASCAR Racing: Nextel Cup UAW-GM Quality 500 - NBC
068 - (TH9) - Alias - ABC
069 - (FR9) - Supernanny - ABC
070 - (FR10) - Hope & Faith - ABC
071 - (SA05) - MLB Baseball: ALCS, Game 4 - FOX
072 - (TU13) - Gilmore Girls - WB
073 - (FR11) - Hot Properties - ABC
074 - (WE13) - America's Next Top Model - UPN
074 - (TH10) - Everybody Hates Chris - UPN
075 - (MO12) - 7th Heaven - WB
075 - (TH11T) - Smallville - WB
076 - (TH11T) - Night Stalker - ABC
077 - (SA6) - Commander in Chief [R] - ABC
078 - (TH13) - Primetime - ABC
078 - (TU14) - Supernatural - WB
080 - (SA7) - Lost [R] - ABC
081 - (SU14) - Charmed - WB
081 - (MO13) - Girlfriends - UPN
083 - (MO14) - All of Us - UPN
083 - (TH14) - Everwood - WB
085 - (SA8) - Invasion [R] - ABC
085 - (MO15T) - One on One - UPN
085 - (FR12T) - Reba - WB
085 - (FR12T) - WWE Friday Night Smackdown! - UPN
089 - (MO15T) - Half & Half - UPN
090 - (TH15) - Love, Inc. - UPN
091 - (TH16) - Eve - UPN
091 - (WE14) - Veronica Mars - UPN
093 - (TU15) - America's Next Top Model [R] - UPN
093 - (WE15) - One Tree Hill - WB
095 - (FR14) - Living With Fran - WB
096 - (TH17) - Cuts - UPN
096 - (MO17) - Related [R] - WB
098 - (SU14) - Reba [R] [7:30/6:30p] - WB
099 - (SU16) - Blue Collar TV [R] - WB
099 - (WE16) - Related - WB
101 - (SU17T) - Reba [R] [7/6p] - WB
101 - (FR15T) - Twins - WB
101 - (FR15T) - What I Like About You - WB
104 - (SU17T) - Blue Collar TV - WB
105 - (TU16) - Sex, Love & Secrets - UPN

TV This Weekend! (10/14-10/16).

2005-10-14T14:31:00.000-05:00

NEW THIS WEEKEND!

FRIDAY

10/9a
USA - Made in the U.S.A. (01/05) - SEASON FINALE!

8/7p
ABC - Supernanny (02/05)
CBS - Ghost Whisperer (01/04)
FOX - MLB Playoffs: ALCS, Game 3 (Sports)
WB - What I Like About You (04/05) | Twins (01/05)

9/8p
ABC - Hope & Faith (03/04) | Hot Properties (01/02)
CBS - Threshold (01/06)
NBC - Three Wishes (01/04)
WB - Reba (05/05) | Living With Fran (02/05)

10/9p
CBS - Numb3rs (02/04)
HBO - Real Time With Bill Maher (03/20)
IFC - Hopeless Pictures (01/08) | Greg the Bunny (02/08)

SATURDAY

12p/11a
BRAVO - The Law Firm (01/08) - SERIES FINALE!

4p/3p
FOX - MLB Playoffs: NLCS, Game 3 (Sports)

7/6p
FOX - MLB Playoffs: ALCS, Game 4 (Sports) - 7:30

9/8p
HALLMARK - Coronado (Telefilm)

SUNDAY

4/3p
FOX - MLB Playoffs: ALCS, Game 5 -or- NLCS, Game 4 (Sports)

7/6p
ABC - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (03/05 - 03/06)
FOX - MLB Playoffs: NLCS, Game 4 -or- ALCS, Game 5 (Sports)

8/7p
BRAVO - Inside The Actor's Studio (11/01) - 2 HOUR SEASON PREMIERE!
CBS - Cold Case (03/04)
NBC - The West Wing (07/04)
WB - Charmed (08/04)

9/8p
ABC - Desperate Housewives (02/04)
CBS - Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial By Fire (Telefilm)
HBO - Rome (01/08)
NBC - Law & Order: Criminal Intent (05/04)
VH1 - My Fair Brady (01/06) | Breaking Bonaduce (01/06)
WB - Blue Collar TV (02/04)

10/9p
ABC - Grey's Anatomy (02/04)
HBO - Curb Your Enthusiasm (05/04) | Extras (01/04)
NBC - Crossing Jordan (05/04)
SHOWTIME - Barbershop (01/10) - SEASON FINALE!

TV Tonite! (10/13/05).

2005-10-13T12:06:00.000-05:00

COMMENTARY
Baseball makes it harder to keep up on the shows I'm watching, you know. If only I didn't need to sleep, dammit. I did manage to watch Lost and yesterday's My Name Is Earl last night, though. All the while rooting my Cardinals on to victory (they only won because I had on my Cardinals boxers). So that's one down, three to go and then it's off to whichever city wins in the AL (with the AL winning the All-Star Game every year, I'm rethinking the idea that the winner of that game gets home field in the World Series: I mean, if St. Louis gets there again this year, then it seems a bit unfair that they can be there two years in a row, have the best record in baseball this year and still not get home field advantage).
Okay, I have a question. If My Name Is Earl is the number one comedy in America right now (or damned near close to it), can it still be argued that it is because of the way it is filmed and lack of laugh track that has been, and continues to be, hurting Arrested Development in the ratings department. And how can so many people watch the shows on directly before it, as they did when it aired behind The Simpsons, and not be willing to give it a chance. Personally, I don't think it's a proven night leader, and Kitchen Confidential is not looking to be a winner at all, so it needs to be paired with a proven winner. Suggestion: In January, put it on after the American Idol results show. Or stick it on after That '70s Show and move Stacked. After all, Pamela Anderson has proven she can draw an audience with her impressive assets. These same questions apply to why so many people turn off Earl and don't watch the fantastic The Office. What the hell else are you doing? Watching the last half of Lost or The Amazing Race?
And I still want to know when I became so damned mainstream. Almost all of the shows I like are doing well and none of them have been announced for cancellation yet. It's astonishing to me! Either the mainstream is smarting up, or I'm getting dumber, and while I usually have little to no faith in the intellectual capacity of the American people, I don't want to think of myself as becoming akin to a sheep. What do I do with this? I need to start watching bad television and convincing myself it's good. Man, it's Inconceivable that those Head Cases at FOX canceled The Simple Life. I was just waiting for The Comeback from Paris and Nicole. And I am Starved for some more Just Legal. Okay, okay. I'll stop now.

* * * * * * * * * *

NEW TONIGHT!

8/7p
ABC - Alias (05/03)
CBS - Survivor: Guatemala (11/05)
FOX - MLB Playoffs, NLCS Game 2 (Sports)
NBC - Joey (02/05) Will & Grace (08/03)
UPN - Everybody Hates Chris (01/04) Love, Inc. (01/04)
WB - Smallville (05/03)

9/8p

ABC - The Night Stalker (01/03)
BRAVO - Celebrity Poker Showdown (07/01) - SEASON PREMIERE!
CBS - C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation (06/04)
NBC - The Apprentice (04/04)
UPN - Eve (03/04) Cuts (02/04)
WB - Everwood (04/03)

10/9p
A&E - The First 48 (03/02)
CBS - Without A Trace (04/03)
COMEDY CENTRAL - The Showbiz Show With David Spade (01/05)
MTV - Making The Band 3 (08/02) Run's House (01/01) - PREMIERE!
NBC - ER (12/04)

* * * * * * * * * *

LAST NIGHT'S RANKINGS

Households
1 - Lost (ABC)
2 - C.S.I.: New York (CBS)
3 - Criminal Minds (CBS)
4 - Invasion (ABC)
5 - Law & Order (NBC)
6 - MLB Baseball: NLCS, Game 1 -or- ALCS, Game 2 (FOX)
7 - Freddie (ABC)
8 - Yes, Dear (CBS)
9 - E-Ring (NBC)
10 - George Lopez (ABC)
11 - Still Standing (CBS)
12 - The Apprentice: Martha Stewart (NBC)
13 - America's Next Top Model (UPN)
14 - Veronica Mars (UPN)
15 - One Tree Hill (WB)
16 - Related (WB)

Adults 18-49
1 - Lost (ABC)
2(T) - C.S.I.: New York (CBS)
2(T) - Invasion (ABC)
4 - Criminal Minds (CBS)
5 - Freddie (ABC)
6 - Law & Order (NBC)
7 - George Lopez (ABC)
8 - MLB Baseball: NLCS, Game 1 -or- ALCS, Game 2 (FOX)
9 - Yes, Dear (CBS)
10 - America's Next Top Model (UPN)
11 - The Apprentice: Martha Stewart (NBC)
12 - Still Standing (CBS)
13 - E-Ring (NBC)
14 - One Tree Hill (WB)
15 - Veronica Mars (UPN)
16 - Related (WB)

* * * * * * * * * *

--updated 10/13/05--

PICKED UP FOR A FULL SEASON
Bones - NEW!
Criminal Minds - NEW!
Everybody Hates Chris
Ghost Whisperer - NEW!
How I Met Your Mother - NEW!
My Name Is Earl
Prison Break
Supernatural
The War At Home - NEW!

RENEWED FOR A 2ND SEASON:
The Andy Milonakis Show
Beauty And The Geek
Dancing With The Stars
Extras
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Rome
So You Think You Can Dance?

CANCELED
The Comeback
Head Cases
Inconceivable
Just Legal
The Law Firm
The Simple Life - NEW!
Starved
Taradise

TV Tonite! (10/12/05).

2005-10-12T12:57:00.000-05:00

8/7p

ABC - The George Lopez Show (05/03) | Freddie (01/01 - PREMIERE!

CBS - Still Standing (04/04) | Yes, Dear (06/04)

FOX - MLB Playoffs (ALCS Game 2 or NLCS Game 1) (Sports)

Why do they have to put both games on at the same time? This isn't necessary. I understand that there is a greed factor involved, but wouldn't you still get a greater number of total viewers by airing both games non-concurrently and getting a good 6-8 hours of viewers. I don't know, I don't understand this. Sure more of the nation will be watching between the 7-10 hours, but aren't you just going to piss

NBC - E-Ring (01/04)

UPN - America's Next Top Model (05/05)

WB - One Tree Hill (03/02)

9/8p

A&E - Inked (01/14)

So, a reality show set in a tattoo parlor in a casino. Uh-huh. Do you think they show you the nipple piercings on 15 year olds who lie and say they're 18? And why does A&E have shows like this? I thought they were about a higher culture than reality shows of this sort.

ABC - Lost (02/04)

Yay! No really... Yay!

NBC - The Apprentice: Martha Stewart (01/04)

Something tells me there will not be a second season. And that's a good thing.

CBS - Criminal Minds (01/04)

SCIFI - Ghost Hunters (02/12)

UPN - Veronica Mars (02/03)

WB - Related (01/02)

10/9p

A&E - Criss Angel: Mindfreak (01/13)

ABC - Invasion (01/04)

ABC FAMILY - Kicked Out (01/08) - SEASON FINALE!

CBS - C.S.I.: New York (02/03)

E! - Party At The Palms (02/01) - SEASON PREMIERE! | Taradise (01/11) - NEW TIME SLOT!

OMG, it's like party hour on E!. The return of a party show followed by one of the last episodes (we can hope the cancellation of this series sticks) of a sleazy partygoing, failed lipo-freak looking lush who's drunk more than she's sober. It's like Anna Nicole Smith has a clone with a smaller boob job.

MTV - Made (06/06) - NEW EPISODES!

NBC - Law & Order (16/04)

SCIFI - Tripping The Rift (02/12)

Speaking of crappy shows. This one jumped the shark when it premiered.

* * * * * * * * * *

LAST NIGHT'S RATINGS

Households

1 - Commander-In-Chief (10.7/16) ABC

2 - NCIS (10.5/16) CBS

3 - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (9.6/16) NBC

4 - My Name Is Earl (7.9/12) NBC

5 - Boston Legal (7.7/12) ABC

6 - The Amazing Race: Family Edition (7.1/11) CBS

7 - Close To Home (6.9/11) CBS

8 - MLB Baseball: ALCS Game 1 (6.4/10) FOX

9 - The Biggest Loser (5.7/9) NBC

10 - Rodney (5.3/8) ABC

11 - According To Jim (5.2/8) ABC

12 - The Office (5.1/8) NBC

13 - Gilmore Girls (4.0/6) WB

14 - Supernatural (3.2/5)

15 - America's Next Top Model (R) (2.0/3) UPN

16 - Sex, Love & Secrets (1.3/2) UPN

Adults 18-49

1 - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (5.6) NBC

2 - My Name Is Earl (5.4) NBC

3 - Commander-In-Chief (4.6) ABC

4 - The Amazing Race: Family Edition (4.4) CBS

5 - NCIS (4.0) CBS

6 - The Office (3.7) NBC

7 - The Biggest Loser (3.6) NBC

8 - Boston Legal (3.5) ABC

9 - Close To Home (3.4) CBS

10 - MLB Baseball: ALCS Game 1 (3.1) FOX

11 - Rodney (3.0) ABC

12 - According To Jim (2.8) ABC

13 - Gilmore Girls (2.6) WB

14 - Supernatural (2.3) WB

15 - America's Next Top Model (1.5) UPN

16 - Sex, Love & Secrets (0.7) UPN

TV Tonite! (10/11/05).

2005-10-11T15:02:00.000-05:00

Missed yesterday. It happens. Bold I TIVO. These are all the new shows on TV tonight, no reruns.

8/7p

ABC - According To Jim (05/05) | Rodney (02/02)

CBS - N.C.I.S. (03/04)

FOX - MLB Playoffs (Sports)

Damn, you know the Angels are going to be dog-ass tired! Still, I'm not sure who I'd rather face in the world series at this point. Assuming we can get through Houston again this year.

NBC - The Biggest Loser (02/05)

WB - Gilmore Girls (06/05)

9/8p

A & E - Dog The Bounty Hunter (02/20)

ABC - Commander-In-Chief (01/03)

It's actually turning into one of the most compelling shows of the new season. Who knew?

CBS - The Amazing Race: Family Edition (08/04)

The biggest disappointment. With reports of reality down on the season, I hope this "experiment" doesn't destroy this otherwise great show. I'm rooting for you, TAR. Just not in this timeslot... Something's gotta give.

NBC - My Name Is Earl (01/04) | The Office (02/04)

So Earl is growing on me, and this has officially become the #1 hour of comedy on television. No, reallly. It has.

UPN - Sex, Love & Secrets (01/03)

WB - Supernatural (01/05)

10/9p

A & E - Airline (03/20) - Special Night!

ABC - Boston Legal (02/03)

Still haven't watched last weeks. Likely not a keeper, but had to see what Spader and Shatner were doing that was so magical with these characters. I'll let you know.

CBS - Close To Home (01/02)

ESPN - Bound For Glory: The Montour Spartans (01/04)

Did you read that Dick quit before the season was over? And that he wasn't really in charge of anything, the real head coach was really the head coach. So it was an elaborately faked stunt that ultimately means nothing. And people wonder why reality television is suffering.

FX - Nip/Tuck (03/04)

I wish I was watching this show. They've got a new serial rapist, or something this season who disfigures his victims, thus the connection to a plastic surgery facility. Clever and FX rarely fails to deliver. And this show in particular has already proven itself.

MTV - The Real World: Austin, TX (16/17) | The Reality Show (01/05)

NBC - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (07/04)

* * * * * * * * * *

[SEASON-TO-DATE]

Everybody Hates Chris

My Name Is Earl

Prison Break

Supernatural

PICKED UP FOR A 2ND SEASON:

The Andy Milonakis Show

Beauty And The Geek

Dancing With The Stars

Extras

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Rome

So You Think You Can Dance?

CANCELED

The Comeback

Head Cases

Inconceivable

Just Legal

The Law Firm

Starved

Taradise

Hues Prevues - TV Weekend! (10/7-10/9).

2005-10-11T14:45:00.000-05:00

It's the weekend, baby! Who has time for TV? No one, right? That's why we have TIVO. Bold means I'm recording it and intending to watch it. As always, this is only those programs that have new episodes tonight.

[SEASON-TO-DATE]

PICKED UP FOR A FULL SEASON:
Everybody Hates Chris
My Name Is Earl
Prison Break
Supernatural

PICKED UP FOR A 2ND SEASON:
The Andy Milonakis Show
Beauty and the Geek
Dancing With The Stars
Extras
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Rome

CANCELED
The Comeback
Head Cases
Just Legal
The Law Firm
Starved
Taradise

October 7, 2005

10/9am
USA - Made in the U.S.A. (01/04)
Uh... is anything really made in the U.S.A. anymore? I worked for a manufcaturer who opted to shut down all his plants in mid-America to open ones in Northern Mexico so he could get away with paying twelve cents a day to them rather than decent wages in small town America.

8/7pm
ABC - Supernanny (02/04)
See, I hate it when there are such blatant copycat shows on different networks. Take this show and Nanny 911 on whatever network it's on. What happens usually is I don't watch either one. Same thing with The Contender and the other one that was just like it. I hate shameless rip-offs. Sue me. Well, they're usually busy suing each other, aren't they?

CBS - Ghost Whisperer (01/03)
Cheesy and hokey and cheesy and dorky and cheesy as all hell, but I still enjoy watching Jennifer Love Hewitt. And I don't mean her acting. I just like watching her, you know... walk... and jog... and bend over... and laugh... and... and... I hope my wife isn't reading this. Or you know what, screw that. She has a life-size cardboard cutout of Legolas and we have to have silence everytime a preview for an Orlando Bloom movie comes on, so I can have my little cheesecake show every Friday night if I want to.

FOX - The Bernie Mac Show (05/03) | Malcolm In The Middle (07/02)
These are shows I would watch and will watch in reruns, but Malcolm kind of lost it's charm for me. I still love Bernie, though. Maybe I suffer from short attention span.

NBC - Three Wishes (01/03) - 2 hour special episode
For my first wish, I wish this show wasn't on the air. For my second wish I wish it wasn't two hours. For my third wish I want someone to explain to me why this is going to be a big hit. I know, I know... it's that feel-good reality thing. Damn you Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. By the way, since Extreme Makeover, the parent show, is long canceled, do we still need to call it The Home Edition? Isn't it basically the only Extreme Makeover now?

WB - What I Like About You (04/04) | Twins (01/04)

9/8pm
ABC - Hope & Faith (03/03) | Hot Properties (01/01) - Premiere!
I like Kelly Ripa and so I watched an episode of this in its first season. It's not bad, but kind of vapid. But then again, so are most sitcoms. Maybe that's what the American public wants. Maybe that's what Hot Properties is. Honestly, I think it's the one that's trying to be Sex and the City for network television. Unlikely to work.

CBS - Threshold (01/05)
While falling slowly into the inevitable "monster-of-the-week" formula that has hurt such shows as The X-Files and Smallville, and even slowed the momentum of The 4400, for much of its second season, there is still a great deal of potential in the overarcing storyline and premise to keep me interested and hopeful... for a little while longer. As long as they give me a bit more and advance things a bit in each episode, I'll be cool with it.

FOX - Killer Instinct (01/04)
Hey, lookie here! Another crime series. This one looks at the most disturbed criminals. Because, you see, what we needed was a forensics crime drama series that was even more grisly and twisted than the various CSI's and their demonspawn of spin-and rip-offs.

WB - Reba (05/04) | Living With Fran (02/04)
How great is it that American Idol's Mikalah Gordon (sp?) appeared as a niece to Fran Drescher's character on Living With Fran. If they're not related, than it is frightening that two women could develop such similar vocal abilities.

10/9pm
BRAVO - Great Things About Being... (Part 5 of 5)
Over.
CBS - Numb3rs (02/03)
Damn you and your impossible to pronounce name for taking my girl from Rescue Me. I know, I know, you were able to offer more money, but she was such a great dynamic to that stellar cast, I can only hope they can find a reasonable replacement for Season 3. That said, this is another procedural drama, this time focusing on math and codes. We're really scraping the bottom of the barrel here with new angles for the same show.

HBO - Real Time With Bill Maher (03/19)
Bill Maher bugs me. I don't know if it's his attitude or how badly his hair is looking as his hairline recedes and he still tries to sport the wild caveman 'do of yesteryear. I think it may be more of the latter than the former, though. He's a smart guy and I respect his opinions, but I can't make the time to watch real time.

IFC - Hopeless Pictures (01/07) | Greg The Bunny (02/07)
Man, I must have missed this. I didn't even know the Independent Film Channel had original programming. I see that Hopeless Pictures is a satire featuring the likes of Michael McKean, Lisa Kudrow and Jonathan Katz chronicling the ups and downs of an independent film studio. This could actually be good! As for Greg The Bunny, the IFC website teaches me that this started out on cable access and moved to IFC doing film parodies, before being picked up for an ill-conceived and ill-received FOX series in 2002. With that canceled, Greg and the gang are back at IFC. I may have to give this hour of power a chance... Fridays are light for me anyway.

October 8, 2005

12p/11a
BRAVO - The Law Firm (01/07)
A competition reality show featuring twelve attorneys who will compete in a real law firm environment for $250,000. I guess it was just a matter of time, wasn't it. And what a killer time slot! What a weird-ass timeslot. And apparently no reruns at any other times. Bravo has a lot of faith in this one, kiddies. Must be an NBC reject.

4/3p
FOX - MLB Playoffs (Sports)
Looks like Houston is going to win the series and we'll have to deal with them again. Hopefully we can take them out again and then face someone who's not a Boston team who'd just defied all the odds and set a new comeback standard by coming back from 0-3 and then just letting them steamroll us in four straight.

8/7p
FOX - MLB Playoffs - 8:30/7:30p (Sports)
Yeah, what he said! Meanwhile, all the other networks are reairing their hot (read: expensive) shows from the week for those of you who missed them or were busy watching their hotter competition. I don't know how long this can last, but Saturday is well known as a TV wasteland, and it's a great option for conflicted timeslots (like Tuesdays!!), so I hope it sticks around for a bit.

9/8p
SCIFI - Dungeons & Dragons 2: Wrath Of The Dragon God (Telefilm)
While I respect SciFi's efforts to have more original programming and make their own films, I wonder about a sequel to a poorly received and poorly made film such as this. That said AD&D has a large audience base and the odds of them watching SciFi on anything close to a regular basis are... oh, I'd say about... 1:1, so maybe it's not such a bad idea after all.

October 9, 2005

7/6p
ABC - America's Funniest Home Videos (16/02)
I can't believe there is still an audience for this. Most of the best home video stuff is on the web these days. At least Bob Saget and his horrible voiceovers are gone. I much prefer his voiceover work on How I Met Your Mother. At least there's no falsettos when dogs are on screen. And someone else writes his jokes. Which he needs. Desperately.

FOX - MLB Playoffs - 7:30/8:30p (Sports)

8/7p
ABC - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (03/04)
As much as I love the idea behind this show, I can't jump on board watching it as it just doesn't seem like a primetime network show to me. It feels like it should be on with Trading Spaces and While You Were Out. That and I'm a bitter, cynical bastard, I don't want TV to help me feel good.

CBS - Cold Case (03/03)
My wife prefers Cold Case Files on A&E, which chronicles real cold cases. After all, here it's just another niche angle on those damned procedural/forensics crime dramas. Enough already. What we really need is more police, hospital and lawyer shows. Did I just say that?

I - Palmetto Pointe (01/03)
So "i" used to be PAX. So this is going to be a drama with a touch of spiritualism and a heaping helping of "feel good." Didn't you read what I just said? Still, I was a big fan of Early Edition, back in the day, and apparently PAX/i reair it every night. Actually, I had no idea it lasted four seasons... but I bet it ended without answering how the hell he got tomorrow's paper today.

NBC - The West Wing (07/03)
They announced that they're going to do a live episode featuring a debate between the two candidates for president (Alan Alda & Jimmy Smits) on November 6. I may have to watch this. In fact, Commander-In-Chief has me digging White House drama so much, I may pick up The West Wing this season to see how they usher out Martin Sheen and see if the show will follow a new president into a new season. That should be quit a juggling act.

WB - Charmed (08/03)
And with this season, Alyssa Milano has now had two series make it eight seasons. So we've watched her for sixteen different years on these two shows. And you know, I could watch her for sixteen more. Well, that is, until she starts to slip. But you know, that hasn't happened yet. She's still freaking hot. I've watched a few of these, and the show is okay, and taps into that teen soap drama with a twist of supernatural that seems popular on the WB, so there's that going for it. I think this is the last season though.

9/8p
ABC - Desperate Housewives (02/03)
I might actually enjoy this if I bothered to watch it, but I've already missed the whole first season, and I know I'll never get around to watching it on DVD unless it becomes the greatest show on television. But I do like Teri Hatcher, and I did catch the pilot in reruns and found it entertaining, at least.

CBS - The Hunt For The B.T.K. Killer (Telefilm)
But they already found him. And he admitted to it. And I hope he and his family are not cashing in on this. I really don't like these quick to TV movies based on horrific events that come out within months of an arrest or whatever. It's cashing in on tragedy. My two cents.

HBO - Rome (01/07)
I really need to sit down and watch these. I have them all TIVO'd. I expect it will be really good. I expect a lot, I know.

LIFETIME - Strong Medicine (06/15)
It's nice to know Rick Schroder continues to have a career after his short stint on NYPD Blue. It's still always gonna be Silver Spoons for me, though. Hopsital show on Lifetime. You do the math.

NBC - Law & Order: Criminal Intent (05/03)
So we have three Law & Orders and three CSIs. Do we really need three series under each of these franchises. Remember when shows were about the characters rather than the format. Ah, good times. Good times. Well, maybe not Good Times specifically.

VH1 - The Surreal Life (05/12) - Season Finale!
It is getting more and more surreal that this show continues to be on the air. They've moved from C-level actors/wannabes to, I think they're at G-level actors/wannabes now. Pretty soon it'll be film and television extras in the house.

WB - Blue Collar TV (02/03)
Sketch comedy featuring Bill Engvall, Larry The Cable Guy and Jeff Foxworthy and quite frankly, all I can think is... eh. I know there's a huge audience for it, because I live in the country and their CDs and DVDs are available at every checkout stand in our Wal-Mart.

10/9p
ABC - Grey's Anatomy (02/03)
Hey look... A hospital show. There's too many of them and I honestly have no interest in any of them. I don't even watch Scrubs. Nothing personal, you understand.

E! - Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive (01/08) - Season Finale!
Uh-huh. Well, it's over with anyway.
HBO - Curb Your Enthusiasm (05/03) | Extras (01/03)
I don't know if Curb would be my cup of tea, but after Ricky Gervais impressed with the original The Office, I had to try out Extras, and I've not been let down as of yet. His character is every bit as shallow and pathetic as his "boss" was in his former show, but now he's at the bottom of the rung, as a film extra who wants to believe he's an actor. Great casting, great fun work from guest actors (Kate Winslet was hilarious) and a costar who has to be seen/heard to be believed. Another gem from this master of subtle comedy.

NBC - Crossing Jordan (05/03)
Five seasons later people are still watching this show. Just not me. Do TV critics actually watch everything the networks put on the air? How much time do they spend in front of their televisions?

SHOWTIME - Barbershop (01/09)
Liked the first one, got bored with the second one and don't know if it needs to be a series. But, that said, I've not seen the series, and there've been some good TV come from films in the past (All In The Family, MASH, In The Heat Of The Night), so who knows. Maybe this is the best new comedy of the season.

VH1 - My Fair Brady (01/05) | Breaking Bonaduce (01/05)
I know these celebreality shows aren't the best of the new fall season. I sometimes wish MTV and VH1 and MTV2 would just go back to the good old days when they played videos. Most of their shows suck. And these hold zero appeal. ZERO!

Hues Prevues - TV Tonite! (10/6/05).

2005-10-07T10:31:00.000-05:00

Stuff that's new tonight. If it's a rerun, we don't care. If it's bold, I'm TIVOing it, which means it has a better chance of me actually watching it some day. I'm trying to catch up, honestly I am! I watched the second Commander-In-Chief, and there's only three more episodes of Rescue Me, that I need to watch to be caught up... and I expect to be able to catch up on Prison Break before it comes back in November...

7/6
ESPN2 - Four Minutes (Telefilm)
A film about Roger Bannister breaking the "unbreakable" four-minute mile. A sequel is in development just awaiting a star. It's going to be called One Hour and tell the story of the legend who manages to drink a gallon of milk in one hour without throwing up. As soon as someone manages it, they'll go ahead with the film. Wanna be famous?

8/7
ABC - Alias (05/02)
So now we're going to have a superspy who's pregnant? Maybe she can spy on other pregnant celebrities... we can have one episode where she gets a picture of Britney and Leech's new baby, or she can try and get into the Cruise compound to get pictures of Tom's heir apparent for his intergalactic empire as it develops inside Katie Holmes' emaciated body.

CBS - Survivor: Guatemala (11/04)
Speaking of emaciated body's, the sports writer chick on this show is frighteningly thin. And we're not even two weeks into their stay. If she sticks around, I fear she will run the risk of her bones breaking through her skin.

FOX - MLB Playoffs (Sports)
I love this time of year. The Cardinals are doing well and Boston might not make it to the World Series. After last year, they just make me nervous. Now if Atlanta can knock out Houston so we don't have to deal with Lidge, who also makes me nervous, then I'll feel better about the World Series.

NBC - Joey (02/04) Will & Grace (08/02)
I wish I could still love Will & Grace. This used to be a "must see" show for real for me, but it kind of lost something of what made it great. It's not a bad show by any means, but it lost it's edge and its sharp wit, I think. Plus, it's turned into The Love Boat with it's guest star rotations. Joey I think NBC will be getting rid of soon. I've never watched it, so I won't judge... Joey in his own show??!!... No... no, I won't judge. I won't!

UPN - Everybody Hates Chris (01/03) Love, Inc. (01/03)
As much as I'm loving Chris, it just doesn't seem to be enough to interest me in watching absolutely anything else currently on their network. In fact, before this show joined them, I thought they were headed on their way to being buried by the WB and maybe calling it quits.

WB - Smallville (05/02)
This is my favorite show that I never get to watch because it's always on opposite other stuff I want to watch more. I think this is why they invented the DVD format. I've seen sporadic episodes here and there and I am excited about watching Lex turn. I think, however, that they need to try and wrap this up soon unless they're going to go ahead and jump into the full-blow Superman saga soon.

9/8
ABC - The Night Stalker (01/02)
I've read the Moonstone Books comics based on the original Kolchak: The Night Stalker series and think there's a lot of potential in the concept. However, this one is getting destroyed by critics and kind of just didn't appeal to me. There's plenty of supernatural fun for me right now on TV, so the new Kolchak just didn't make the cut. Nothing personal, dude. Please don't stalk me.

CBS - C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation (06/03)
I'm just bored with it all now. It's interesting stuff, but you know, it's like the same thing over and over again, isn't it? Maybe it's just me. I get bored with repetition, and I tried this for awhile, and it was fascinating, but I don't need six seasons of it in Vegas, like four of it in Miami and two more in New York and who knows how much more. That's 200+ different crime scenes. It's been done.

NBC - The Apprentice (04/03)
I never got into this, and it looks like fewer and fewer of you are staying into it, as both "The Donald" and Martha are slipping off the radar. How much longer before NBC says "You're fired!"

UPN - Eve (03/03) Cuts (02/03)
Yeah, see, this is what I'm talking about. I understand UPN does well in the African American demographic, which is good because god knows the regular networks don't make much that speaks to their life experiences in the ways in which it may differ from that of middle-class white America, but maybe that's why I'm not interested. That and because Eve annoys me.

WB - Everwood (04/02)
I wonder if it makes the folks mad at Cialis that this show was already on the air. What better name for a Viagra-type drug can there be than Everwood. I'd buy up a caseload of the stuff and I don't even have a problem... No, really, I don't. I swear!

10/9
A & E - The First 48 (03/01)
We watched this by accident (stumbling around shortly after we finally got the satellite) and it's one of those true-life crime series that follows real detectives and what-not trying to solve crimes. The focus of this one is the notion that the first 48 hours is the make or break for most violent crime cases. If you don't catch a break in 48 hours then you're in trouble. And that's the problem with it, too. It stops after 48 hours, often leaving cases unsolved and investigations ongoing and we're left hanging and unsatisfied.

BRAVO - Great Things About Being... (Part 4 of 5)
One more episode of this thing and it will be "Great Things About Being... Over."

CBS - Without A Trace (04/02)
Another procedural with a focus (missing persons cases) that apparently has a higher level of quality than many of its brethren, if the Emmy nominations and consistenly high ratings mean anything. I mean this show finally showed that ER can be beat in this time slot. Or maybe ER is getting tired, and it's not a testament to this show, per se. Maybe Just Legal could beat ER at this point.

MTV - Making The Band 3 (08/01)
So it's Making The Band 3, and tagged as the beginning of the eighth season. I remember getting confused before when the show took multiple seasons per "Band." I guess it would help if I actually watched it, but it's P. Puff Puffy Daddy Diddy Diddle His Ding-Dong so I can't bring myself to watch it.

NBC - ER (12/03)
Kristen Johnston is joining the cast of ER? The amazon from 3rd Rock From The Sun? She's awesome! It's interesting to me how many people have gone from sitcoms to this show. And most have done very well. Surprisingly, whenever I do sit around and watch this show it proves to be compelling and exciting and tense and constantly moving, which I like.

COMEDY CENTRAL - The Showbiz Show With David Spade [10:30/9:30] (01/04)
This is probably very very good and I keep meaning to TIVO it and keep forgetting to set it up, but this is about the best thing David Spade has found for his talent, which is being a smartass. He's brilliant at it, so I expect big things.

So, what are you going to watch? And what should I be watching? Can The Donald turn it around and become a ratings sensation again? Is The Night Stalker the best show on television? Does David Spade have the chops to become a comedic icon the likes of David Letterman, Johnny Carson, John Stewart and Jay Len... oh, I almost added him in there. Sorry about that!

Hues Prevues - TV Tonight (10/5/05).

2005-10-05T15:32:00.000-05:00

So I finally watched Commander In Chief, and while I liked it overall, I'm going to have to agree that the lipstick is very distracting. It looks like they tone it down in subsequent episodes, so good for them. Oh, and I saw the first episode last night, TIVO'd the new one but have not watched it yet. I know... I suck. Remember this only spotlights what is new on tonight, because we don't need no stinking reruns! Oh, and FOX is doing Baseball.

The Format
Network - Series Title (Season # / Episode #)

8/7c
ABC - The George Lopez Show (05/01 & 05/02)
I think it's great that Lopez has managed to make it five seasons and is still doing very well. I don't think his ratings are huge, but it's a decent and funny show and it represents Hispanic-Americans positively on television, which is hugely underdone.

CBS - Still Standing (04/03) Yes, Dear (06/03)
The only thing more shocking to me than seeing Yes, Dear on it's sixth season, is seeing Still Standing on it's fourth. I have no idea why these series are "Still Standing." Comfort food, maybe?

FOX - So You Think You Can Dance? (01/14)
I got hooked on this the same way as American Idol. Tuning in to see those who truly can't dance. Then they got me with those who could.

NBC - E-Ring (01/03)
Thank god it's not C-Ring, because that would be a very very different show.
UPN - America's Next Top Model (05/04)
But arent' there alreay four top models in America if this is the fifth season? Or do the new ones knock down the old ones?

WB - One Tree Hill (03/01)
Hooray for three years. Another family/teen/feel-good drama, brought to you by the WB. Fresh episode of "One Tree Hill" starts... at someone else's house. Sorry, just not for me.

9/8c
A & E - Inked (01/13)
I have to admit I have no idea what this is...

ABC - Lost (02/03)
What's going on with Desmond? Are the others about to kick Jin, Sawyer and Michael's asses? What's going on back at the camp? What can Kate do? I need to know it all NOW! The best hour on television!

CBS - Criminal Minds (01/03)
A crime procedural drama that we actually got into. I enjoy Mandy Patinkin in anything because I can look at him and say "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die" and it makes me happy every time. Plus, I like that this one takes creative thinking outside the box to figure out the crimes. I've had enough of forensics for now, thanks.

FOX - Nanny 911
This one is a bit disturbing from the previews because the dad comes off like a dick and he doesn't care about his children's safety. But hey, maybe he is a dick and he doesn't care about his childrend's safety. If so, good job editing, because you totally sold him as a dick who doesn't care about his children's safety.

NBC - The Apprentice: Martha Stewart (01/03)
It's NOT a good thing. Not for Martha... and not for America. The Donald was bad enough.

SCIFI - Ghost Hunters (02/11)
I think the Scooby Gang had this down pretty well back in the '70s. I wonder if they need Scooby Snacks to build up the nerve to go into those "spooky old mansions."

UPN - Veronica Mars (02/02)
So is this the next generation Buffy The Vampire Slayer? Admittedly, I don't know much about it, but it seems to have that vibe and that sort of cult following.

WB - Related (01/01)
Yeah, I don't see me watching this. Nothing personal, but it's another one where I don't remember a thing about it. That said, I saw a preview again for Close To Home, and I do remember it now. It's the crime procedural focusing on home-based crime. How many angles do we need to explore, really?

10/9c
A & E - Criss Angel: MindFreak (01/12)
Everybody loves a good magician, and this guy is the next Houdini, Copperfield, Blaine, but with cooler theatrics than the latter few.

ABC - Invasion (01/03)
I'm trying to fall in love with you, because the critics say I'm supposed to. But it's not happening yet. Show me what you've got.

ABC FAMILY - Kicked Out (01/07)
This is a brilliant show about helping parents throw out their good-for-nothing adult sponge kids still living at home! I know some people that could use this show... and I bet you're one of them... naw, I'm kidding, you know I love you. But I bet you know someone, too.

BRAVO - Great Things About Being (Part 3 of 5)
They are marketing the hell out of this series, but I'm still not interested.

CBS - C.S.I.: New York (02/02)
I've had about as much CSI as I can stand in one lifetime. I like Gary Sinise, but not enough to watch the same basic thing over and over and over again. Maybe, again, it's a sort of comfort food. Formulaic equals comfortable equals top of the ratings? Or maybe there's something more to these that I missed when I watched the original C.S.I. several years ago for awhile.

E! - Taradise (01/10)
This cracks me up, because it's a show about a crack whore alcoholic who can't stop drinking, partying and getting all smacked up on drugs and E! rewarded her with a show. Maybe it's their replacement for Howard Stern. I guess that's appropriate.

FX - Over There (01/11)
I gave it the pilot and it was interesting but at the end I didn't really care about any of the characters or what happened next. Maybe it wasn't the best first episode. I recorded like the next 8 or 9 but just never felt compelled to watch them, so I recently deleted them. Maybe it's great and I didn't give it a chance... Who knows.

SCIFI - Tripping The Rift (02/11)
The guy on the commercial said it was like South Park in space. So I watched it. And he was wrong. It's like South Park only not funny. Or entertaining in the slightest. How did this crap warrant two seasons?

So what are you going to watch, and what should I be watching? Is Over There our next Emmy winner for Best Dramatic Series? Is Martha Stewart the best thing to happen to television since Captain Kangaroo?