Clash of the Choirs vs. Duel

This showdown of special edition series was no contest. On one channel you had a well manicured sportscaster refereeing a game show whose set looks suspiciously like 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'. On the other channel - a choir, featuring a 77 year old woman, singing and dancing to Bon Jovi's 'Living on a Prayer'. Like I said -- no contest!

Duel
I really like Mike Greenberg. I try to listen to 'Mike and Mike in the Morning' as often as possible. Great banter and a lot of great insight. I was super psyched to hear that he was going to be hosting this show. Not only does he have kids, but he's quite fond of Prada. So any income would probably out, but he doesn't really bring anything to the show. He's so stiff that it's a little uncomfortable to watch. Not that the show is really his fault -- it's just kinda lame. But then again so is 'Deal or No Deal' and that's a ratings blockbuster.

Clash of the Choirs
Thank you Jesus! After 'Viva Laughlin' got pulled, I was afraid that I would be robbed of pure cheesy musical joy. Thankfully NBC has answered my prayers with this FABULOUS reality competition. The choirs sounded great and the winnings will go to some awesome charities so we can all sit back and enjoy the show. There are faults her too -- way too much filler and the celebrity "judges" are also the directors of the choris competing so they don't say anything bad or really add to the proceedings. If there is a God in heaven, Michael Bolton's choir will go through to the next competition so I can watch him choose a completely inappropriate song for his choir to sing, hog the spotlight by "performing" instead of conducting, and PLAYING AIR GUITAR. Thank you again Jesus and the suits at NBC for life's little joys.

Fall finales

Fox spent last week eagerly hyping its "fall finale" of Prison Break. As the writer's strike continues to cause ripples throughout the world of scripted television, this could look like a blessing. Fans of the show will have a conclusion that will tide them over until new episodes can be produced, unlike other shows which will just abruptly cease airing new episodes.

However, this fall finales trend has been going on for some years now and I'd like start a discussion as to whether these are actually helpful to viewers. Last fall I was absolutely engrossed in Heroes as were many Americans. I was desperate to know whether or not Peter and the gang would "Save the Cheerleader. Save the World." When the event finally occurred I felt a rush of satisfaction, but also a lot of disappointment. It was no surprise when the Season 1 finale rolled around that I felt it was all very anti-climatic. There was so much hype and promise and delivery from the "fall finale" that I didn't need anymore resolution.

I hope networks start treating their viewers with more respect. We're media savvy - we understand sweeps ratings, product placement, hell we can even get our favorite programs from places other than TV now. By trying to stick to a outdated profit model, networks are losing site on what will really keep us coming back - quality shows that run uninterrupted so that we can tune in and enjoy. They don't always have to be amazing (even the best shows go through rough patches) but they do have to be consistent.

cheers and jeers

Awesome! Someone else out there agrees about the desperate shilling of both NBC and Jerry Seinfeld. Woo hoo TV Guide!

The Writer's Strike

Unless you work or follow entertainment media, you might not have noticed that the writers went on strike. For everyone dealing with this "tragedy" I've got good news and bad news.

Good News - No more dreadful Saturday Night Lives! After Saturday's episode with Brian Williams I think it's time to finally put this show to rest. I know, everyone else has stopped watching it years ago, but there was always one or two sketches that were worth watching for.

Bad News - No new Daily Shows or Colbert Reports until the strike is over. OK, this can be a serious problem. I look to those shows to provide a little dose of sanity to the ridiculously over-hyped and biased news coverage that blankets American media (and CNN is as much to blame as Fox News on this front).

Basically as long as all of this ends before the new season of Lost starts we'll be good.

Bee TV

All right Jerry. We get it. You have a movie coming out. Really, did Dreamworks think this movie needed mini comedy spots starring Jerry Seinfeld on NBC for over a month? What animated movie opening in November doesn't go well? All you had to say was "Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock. From the creators of Shrek." Every kid and their mother is going to see this movie, so just stop with all the friggin' commercials already.