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Mini-DVD Review: C.S.I.: Miami - The Fifth Season; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Sports Talk and Just Shoot TV Land

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today we travel south to sunny Miami for C.S.I.: Miami - The Fifth Season. C.S.I.: Miami stars David Caruso, Emily Procter, Adam Rodriguez, Khandi Alexander, Jonathan Tigo, Rex Linn and Eva La Rue.



C.S.I.: Miami - The Fifth Season (Paramount Home Video/CBS DVD, $64.99)

Lead Criminalist Horatio Caine (David Caruso) is targeted by adversaries old and new in the fifth season of CSI: Miami. As the danger grows for Caine, he and the rest of his team - Calleigh (Emily Procter), Eric (Adam Rodriguez), Alexx (Khandi Alexander), Ryan (Jonathan Togo), Frank (Rex Linn), and Natalia (Eva La Rue) - must go the limit to solve their biggest cases yet.

This 6-disc set contains all 24 episodes of the fifth (2006-07) season. The episodes are featured in Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround audio. It has a running time of 17 hours, 28 minutes. The attractive packaging features a holofoil photo of David Caruso wearing his trademark sunglasses on the cover. Some palm trees and the Miami skyline can be seen in the background. The inside case is in a book format that you can flip through to get to the discs. There is a photo of Procter, Alexander and Rodriguez on the front and Linn, Togo, La Rue and Caruso on the back. Each disc features a different photo of one of the cast members and the show logo. The menus are also very stylish and easy to navigate. They have a montage a video clips, with some instrumental music playing in the background. Options are available for Episode Selection, Set Up, Previews (only on Disc 1), and Special Features. On the Set Up menu, you can choose either Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround or Spanish 2.0 Surround. Closed captioning is availble for all of the episodes. As you would expect from such a recent show, the video and audio quality is outstanding. This is the first time that the show has lacked "Complete" in the title. The episodes have running times of 41-44 minutes in length. There is nothing on the packaging to indicate that any of the music has been changed.

There is an impressive amount and variety of special features included. There are 5 audio commentaries available on the first four discs. They all provide some interesting trivia and behind the scenes details on the making of the episodes. Director Sam Hill, Co-Executive Producer Sunil Nayar and Brian O'Neill (Locations Manager) provide commentary for the season premiere, "Rio." Director Sam Hill, Adam Rodriguez and Carey Meyer (Production Designer) do the commentary for the 100th episode, "Death Pool 100." Jonathan Togo, Writer Corey Miller and Larry Detwiler (Visual Effects) sit down for the commentary on "Death Eminent." Eva La Rue and Writer/Consultant John Haynes provide the commentary on "Darkroom." Director Karen Gaviola and Gonzalo Menendez (Clavo Cruz) do the commentary on "Man Down."

Five interesting and entertaining featurettes on the creating of the episodes add up to around one hour of bonus content. Here is the breakdown:

"Rio Grand: CSI: Miami Goes to Rio" (Disc 1 - 8:43) - This featurette includes interviews with Co-Executive Producer Sunil Nayar, Adam Rodriguez, Executive Producer Ann Donahue, Producer Sam Hill, Producer Don Tardino, David Caruso (archival footage), Producer/Director Joe Chappelle and Location Manager Brian O'Neill. They talk about the process and how they scouted locations, how they wrote the story, how they told the audience that they were in Rio, and whether or not they were allowed to bring guns into the country.

"If Looks Could Kill: Special F/X Makeup" (Disc 2 - 13:38) - This featurette includes interviews with Department Head Make-up Cheri Montesanto, Executive Producer Ann Donahue, Special Effects/Make-Up Matt Smith. They talk about how they create the beauty looks and dead wounds, various visual effects, how various scenes were shot (body blows up from gases, collapsing of lung, giant stomachs, guy gets his head severed, guy gets his legs blown off).

"Turning Up the Heat: The Look of CSI: Miami" (Disc 4 - 9:38) - This featurette includes interviews with Executive Producer Ann Donahue, Director of Photography Eagle Egilsson, Director of Photography Charles Mills, Production Designer Carey Meyer, Art Director Roland Rosenkranz and Colorist Mark Wilkins. They talk about how they try to distinguish the show from Vegas, the shooting at the lab and on location, how they use a lot of color (orange and greens) on the sets, and how they do the color correction. They are able to create a colorful, rich, sexy and wet look. CSI: Miami has always had the coolest look of the CSI series in my opinion.

"Dressing The Part" (Disc 5 - 5:57) - Costume Designer Andrea Federman is interviewed in this featurette. She talks about how they have to sell that the show is in Miami. Each character gets one outfit per episode. She talks about the various looks of the different characters this season and shows off some of the clothes in a closet.

"The Real MDPD with Jonathan Togo" (Disc 6 - 25:29) - This featurette includes interviews with Jonathan Togo, Capt. Bill Press - CSI Bureau, Criminalist 2/DNA Adriana Kristaly, Forensic Artist Samantha Steinberg, Criminalist Supervisor/Firearms CSI Adrian Nunez, CSI Bureau - Frederick Van Loan, CSI Kit and Van Special Patrol Bureau/Marine Patrol Sgt. Marvin Freels, Special Patrol Bureau/SRT Lt. James Tietz, and Special Patrol Bureau/SRT Sgt. Raymond Melcon. Jonathan Togo tours the SRT training center and lab. He goes to each area and the specialist in that area details their job. He asks some interesting questions and is very familiar with the terminology. This was a very interesting and informative segment.

A playable demo for the CSI: Hard Evidence PC game is also included.

Another excellent season and DVD release for CSI Miami. This is one series that may have started a little slow but has improved each season. They always keep it fresh with a variety of cases and storylines. Some memorable episodes this season were "Going Under," "Darkroom," "Throwing Heat," "No Man's Land" and "Just Murdered." With the writer's strike, now is a good time to catch up any episodes that you may have missed. If you've already seen the episodes, the commentaries and special features will give you new insights on the making of the show.

-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller
(4.5/5 stars)

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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
CSI: Miami CBS.com Official Site
CSI: Miami TV.com Page

Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, December 15, 2007
"Petrino: The Coward; The Mitchell Report: On 24/7; Just Shoot TV Land"
By Solomon Davis

How can Bobby Petrino call himself a professional the way he jumped ship on the Atlanta Falcons earlier this week to coach a college football team? He is a classless punk who should never be allowed to apply for a janitor position in the NFL because you just don't run out on a organization like that when you are the head coach. If he had a ounce of class, he would have never left a note for the organization to read he was not returning because real men don't do things like that. He is nothing but a coward since he wasn't man enough to resign face to face after signing a contract. There was only 3 games left in the Falcons horrible season and he runs away like a scared little girl. So I wonder how the the players for the Arkansas Razorbacks feel to know they will be coached by a classless punk like Petrino? This man is no doubt the weasel of the year and should not be coaching anywhere even if it's college football.

The Mitchell Report was the breaking sports news on Thursday during, and on the 6pm SportsCenter, do you believe it lasted the entire hour? It preempted the regularly scheduled shows like Around the Horn and PTI. I mean was it really necessary to talk about this story for 60 minutes and nothing else? You would think after 45 minutes it would be time to start talking about another sport but ESPN just was non-stop with this steroid story and it became the absolute worst hour of my sports watching life. Not only that but the 24/7 ESPNews Network was covering the story non-stop from the time it broke at 2pm and made me feel like baseball was the only sport in America. Why does ESPN have to go
overboard when it comes to major sports news? Man I wish FoxSports Net had a 24 hour sports network so I could ignore ESPN at times like this.

Well it's clear that TV Land is going FORWARD instead of in looking in the past when it comes to acquiring new shows each year. The shows just seem to keep getting newer each year and once 2008 starts TV fans will be treated to the show Just Shoot Me. The show launches in late January and will air every night at midnight for an hour. Just another TV show that has nothing to do with Classic TV and for some reason TV Land is starting off a New Year with Garbage. No one should be surprised if TV Land picks up Will and Grace in January of 2009 since shows close to this decade seem to be their main objective every year.

My Weird TV Moment of the Week:
Monday, December 10, 2007: During the Monday Night Football game, Atlanta Falcons owner was asked if would he take Michael Vick back after he gets out of Prison and his response was: "As long as Michael Vick keeps himself in shape and stay away from the "fried chicken and french fries." He should have said hot 'dogs.'

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Day 40: WGA's Strike; ABC's Strike Schedule; NCIS Reruns to USA Network; Nick at Nite Holiday Changes; RTN Coming to the Tri-Cities Area in Tennessee

We are now on the big 4-0 of the strike...that's day 40. We have some bad news. The WGA has filed a complaint against the AMPTP. It is getting ugly and I don't think we will get this straighten out anytime soon. Hopefully a Christmas miracle can happen. Anyway, here is more on the complaint. The WGA says: Today the WGA filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board against the AMPTP for its refusal to bargain in good faith with the WGA. It is a clear violation of federal law for the AMPTP to issue an ultimatum and break off negotiations if we fail to cave to their illegal demands.
We are in the midst of the holiday season, with thousands of our members and the membership of other unions out of work. It is the height of irresponsibility and intransigence for the AMPTP to refuse to negotiate a fair agreement with the WGA. We reiterate our demand that the AMPTP immediately return to the negotiations, rather than going on vacation, so that this town can be put back to work.
The DGA announced today that it may commence negotiations with the AMPTP in January. The DGA has to do what is best for its membership, and we will do what is best for ours. We wish them well, but they do not represent writers. Our strike will end when the companies return to negotiations and make a fair deal with the WGA.
The AMPTP responded to the WGA complaint by saying: The WGA's filing of a complaint with the NLRB reminds us of the old lawyers' adage: When the facts are on your side, argue the facts. When the law is on your side, argue the law. And when you don't have either the law or the facts on your side, you pound the table. The WGA has now been reduced to pounding the table, and this baseless, desperate NLRB complaint is just the latest indication that the WGA's negotiating strategy has achieved nothing for working writers.
It is getting very ugly. Not good.

ABC's strike schedule (AKA January schedule, AKA mid-season schedule) is out! ABC will premiere four new series between Jan-Mar, Cashmere Mafia, Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann, Eli Stone and Oprah's Big Give, in addition to the premiere of the much anticipated fourth season of Lost on Thursday, January 31 at 9:00 p.m. Just for Laughs, According to Jim and Carpoolers return to Tuesday in January. Wife Swap and Supernanny return, this time on Wednesdays. The megahit Dancing with the Stars returns March 17 on Mondays and Tuesdays. Off the line-up because of the strike are Private Practice, Pushing Daisies, and Dirty Sexy Money. Cavemen is not returning. Men in Trees will take a break and not come back until Feb. 27, and move to Wednesdays at 10 when Cashmere Mafia's run completes. For a full list of the schedule, look below:
MONDAY (JAN)
8:00 p.m. Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann
9:30 p.m. Notes from the Underbelly
10:00 p.m. October Road
MONDAY (FEB)
8:00 p.m. Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann
9:00 p.m. Samantha Who?
9:30 p.m. Notes from the Underbelly
10:00 p.m. October Road
MONDAY (MAR)
8:00 p.m. Dancing with the Stars
9:30 p.m. Samantha Who?
10:00 p.m. The Bachelor

TUESDAY
8:00 p.m. Just for Laughs
8:30 p.m. Just for Laughs
9:00 p.m. According to Jim
9:30 p.m. Carpoolers
10:00 p.m. Boston Legal
TUESDAY (MAR)
8:00 p.m. Just for Laughs
8:30 p.m. Just for Laughs
9:00 p.m. Dancing with the Stars the Results Show
10:00 p.m. Boston Legal

WEDNESDAY
8:00 p.m. Wife Swap
9:00 p.m. Supernanny
10:00 p.m. Cashmere Mafia - MEN IN TREES beginning Feb 27

THURSDAY (JAN)
8:00 p.m. Ugly Betty
9:00 p.m. Grey's Anatomy
10:00 p.m. Big Shots (after special premiere of Cashmere Mafia on Jan 3)
THURSDAY (FEB)
8:00 p.m. Ugly Betty
9:00 p.m. Lost
10:00 p.m. Eli Stone

FRIDAY
8:00 p.m. Drama encores
9:00 p.m. Drama encores
10:00 p.m. 20/20

SUNDAY (MAR)
7:00 p.m. America’s Funniest Home Videos
8:00 p.m. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9:00 p.m. Oprah's Big Give
10:00 p.m. Desperate Housewives
For MUCH more info click HERE!!

USA Network has announced it will start airing reruns of the CBS drama NCIS starting in January. It was announced a few years ago that USA Network had bought the off-network rights of the show starting in 2008. USA will air it Wednesday nights at 9:00pm and 10:00pm starting Jan. 2. It won't air as a daily strip for awhile, since it is just starting. Maybe in the fall at earliest. NCIS is replacing Law & Order: SVU on Wednesday nights. SVU will still air in its other slots.
From Donald P. Bellisario, an acclaimed producer, comes NCIS, a hit spin-off of JAG (which airs on USA Network 6-8am weekday mornings), that brings us the inner workings of the government agency that investigates all crimes involving Navy and Marine Corps personnel, regardless of rank or position. Starring: Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette.

In other news, Nick at Nite has edited their Christmas marathon for this Sunday a bit. They removed the holiday episodes of Roseanne and Cosby Show. They will air holiday episodes from 9pm-12am of their usual line-up of Home Improvement, George Lopez, and Fresh Prince instead. In addition, the holiday hour of 11pm next week will now be back to just Fresh Prince...so again Roseanne and Cosby Show get snubbed. For more details, click on our December highlights by clicking HERE.

RTN has announced a new affiliate...our friend Greg Brobeck (aka snowpeck) is very happy, because this is his market. Retro Television Network (RTN) announced today that it will partner with Holston Valley Broadcasting Corporation to launch RTN programming on a digital stream of WKPT-TV, Tri-Cities' ABC affiliate. The new affiliate will begin airing RTN programming on December 21 on WKPT-DT, Tennessee's first digital television station, and will also be available over-the-air on WOPI-CA, Channel 9.
Greg found out that we can look for Matlock, Hawaii 5-0, Magnum, P.I. in primetime with the following in daytime and late night: Perry Mason, Ironside, Rockford Files, Get Smart, Kojak, The Untouchables, Mission Impossible, The Fugitive, Streets of San Francisco, Cannon, Happy Days, Love American Style. And on weekends: Bonanza, Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Wild Wild West, Emergency, Knight Rider, A-Team, Afred Hitchcock.

Day 39: WGA's Strike; ION Television January Highlights; 65th Annual Golden Globes Nominees

Today is day 39 of the strike. Still no word on ABC's strike schedule/line-up. The day is not over yet, so if they release it, we will bring it to you. The WGA did announce today their nominations for the 60th WGA Awards. Among the nominees are The Sopranos (Drama), The Office (Comedy), Pushing Daisies (New Series), and Lost (Writing in Drama). View the full list of their nominations here.

ION Television released their January line-up today. To launch the new year, ION will party all night and give us a marathon of party episodes of its newest acquisition, The Drew Carey Show with a "Drew" Year's Eve Party Marathon! The marathon airs 7-10pm on Monday, December 31. After the marathon the show will air Mon-Thurs at 9:00 & 9:30PM as we announced before. So what will happen to Who's the Boss? since that show airs currently in that slot. ION will still air the show, but they will move it to Mon-Thurs at 10:00PM & 10:30PM, replacing two airings each of 48 Hours and Diagnosis Murder. Murder will be off the line-up again, but 48 Hours will move to Saturdays at 6:00PM replacing the NFL Game of the Week highlights, as the NFL season will be over by then. Other highlights include the weekend RHI Movies (Fri-Sun 7-11pm)...movies this month include Robert Ludlum's Apocalypse, Voyage of the Unicorn, Aftershock: Earthquake in New York, The Deliverance of Elaine, Dying to Love You and Journey To The Center Of The Earth.
As always, keep it with us for any changes or additions to the line-up. Click HERE to view the January schedule and highlights! Happy Drew Year!

The 65th Annual Golden Globes Awards nominees have been announced! HBO lead with 18 nominations. ABC lead the broadcast nominees with 11, followed by NBC with 6, Fox with 2 and CBS with just 1. The telecast airs Sunday, Jan. 13 on NBC. Here are the major nominees:

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
30 Rock (NBC)
Californication (Showtime)
Entourage (HBO)
Extras (HBO)
Pushing Daisies (ABC)
COMMENTS: Ugly Betty and Weeds were in it last year, but snubbed this year.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who? (ABC)
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty (ABC)
Tina Fey, 30 Rock (NBC)
Anna Friel, Pushing Daisies (ABC)
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds (Showtime)
COMMENTS: No Housewives is surprising.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (NBC)
Steve Carell, The Office (NBC)
David Duchovny, Californication (Showtime)
Ricky Gervais, Extras (HBO)
Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies (ABC)
COMMENTS: The love for Pushing Daisies continues!

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Big Love (HBO)
Damages (FX)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
House (Fox)
Mad Men (AMC)
The Tudors (Showtime)
COMMENTS: Mad Men and The Tudors are a surprise. I would have went with Lost, Brothers & Sisters or Heroes.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Patricia Arquette, Medium (NBC)
Glenn Close, Damages (FX)
Minnie Driver, The Riches (FX)
Edie Falco, The Sopranos (HBO)
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace (TNT)
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer (TNT)
COMMENTS: Cable rules here...just 2 of the 7 are from broadcast. Arquette doesn't even long on here. Hunter is a surprise.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Michael C. Hall, Dexter (Showtime)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC)
Hugh Laurie, House (Fox)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, The Tudors (Showtime)
Bill Paxton, Big Love (HBO)
COMMENTS: Again cable driven except for one nomination.

Since the nominees for supporting actors/actresses in Comedy and Drama are mixed in with TV movies, I won't give them all, but here are the TV players (see link below for full list):
Ross Bryne, Damages (FX)
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Katherine Heigl, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Jamie Pressly, My Name is Earl (NBC)
Ted Danson, Damages (FX)
Kevin Dillon, Entourage (HBO)
Jeremy Piven, Entourage (HBO)
William Shatner, Boston Legal (ABC)
Donald Sutherland, Dirty Sexy Money (ABC)

For the FULL list of television nominees and to discuss this, click HERE.

Day 38: WGA's Strike; ABC's Strike Schedule; New Knight Rider Movie on NBC in February

Well it is day 38 of the strike. We are awaiting ABC's strike schedule starting in January which is supposed to be revealed this afternoon, and as of 3:45pm ET...still nothing. As soon as it is posted, we will bring it to you. Keep refreshing or coming back!
UPDATE: ABC has told me they probably won't release the schedule today. So, when they do (likely tomorrow), I'll pass it on to you all. Sorry.
We do have a little note for you. Week two of Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann is scheduled to air as a 90-minute episode now on Monday, January 14, 2008 from 8:00-9:30 PM ET/PT. The premiere on Jan. 7 will be two-hours, 8-10pm.
The AMPTP sent a new letter out today. I urge you to read it. Click HERE to read it.

Knight Rider, NBC's iconic 1980s television classic that became a runaway success, comes roaring back to life on the network with an updated sequel that will air as a two-hour movie event on Sunday, February 17 from 9-11 p.m. ET.
The movie stars Justin Bruening, Deanna Russo, Sydney Tamiia Poitier and Bruce Davison. In addition, David Hasselhoff -- who starred in the popular lead role as Michael Knight for four seasons during the original series -- returns as the same character in a special guest-star appearance. Will Arnett will provide the voice of KITT.
As the original story resumes, the new KITT (this time the Knight Industries Three Thousand) is absolutely the coolest car ever created: its supercomputer capable of hacking almost any system; its weapons systems efficient; and its body -- thanks to its creator's work and nanotechnology -- is capable of actually shifting shape and color. Plus, its artificial intelligence makes it the ideal crime-fighting partner: logical, precise and possessing infinite knowledge. It is the ultimate car -- and someone will be willing to do anything to obtain it.
Sarah Graiman is a 24-year old Ph.D candidate at Stanford University, following in her genius father Charles' (Davison) footsteps. But when men attempt to abduct her, Sarah receives a mysterious call from KITT warning her that he's a creation of Charles, who also invented the first KITT 25 years ago -- and that her father is in serious danger.
Sarah and KITT track down her best friend from childhood, Mike Tracer (Bruening), a 23-year-old ex-Army Ranger, whom Sarah hasn't seen since he left home at 18. Having served in Iraq, Mike is now jaded and lost and initially resistant. Eventually he agrees to help Sarah and the two set out to discover who's behind the attempt to procure KITT and find Charles. Along the way, Carrie Rivai (Poitier) plays the agile yet tough FBI agent who has a long-standing friendship with Charles and Sarah. Due to those ties, she is brought into the mix to help in the search.
Can't wait!

Day 37: WGA's Strike; ABC Benches Big Shots in December; TV Land Reminds Us of the Merrython

Today is day 37 of the strike. The AMPTP sent a memo out late last night "setting the record straight." Click HERE to view that and to see what the facts are according to them. We'll keep you in the loop if we hear anything more. It looks very bad right now.

ABC is pulling Big Shots from the schedule for at least the rest of this month. Two new episodes were scheduled on Dec. 13 and 20, while an encore of the pilot was scheduled for Dec. 27. Instead, Private Practice is scheduled to air repeat telecasts on Thursdays, December 13, 20 and 27, 2007 at 10:02 PM ET/PT. Private Practice is also scheduled to air in its regular Wednesday, 9:00 PM ET/PT slot.
ABC might be saving episodes of Big Shots for later in the year due to the strike. So we might not have seen the last of it! 5 episodes remain in the can.
In other ABC schedule news, the premiere of game show Duel next Monday will be 90 minutes now from 8:00-9:30pm, thus a new episode of Samantha Who? will now be saved. At least 3 episodes will remain to air in the new year of the hit sitcom.
Still no news on ABC's strike schedule. I expect it to be announced as early as tomorrow...so stay tuned! Everyone is getting anxious!

Jingle Bells ring when TV Land rolls out a collection of classic Christmas episodes during TV Land's 8th Annual Merry-thon. The twenty-four hour celebration begins Monday, December 24 through Tuesday, December 25 from 5:00pm - 5:00pm (ET/PT): features some of America's favorite television families including -- The Ingalls, The Jeffersons, The Bunkers, The Bradys, and more. Tune in as the Ingalls recall their fondest memories of Christmases past, Louise help George find the father he never knew, Cindy ask Santa for help and Edith and Archie feast on a holiday dinner. Click HERE for the full line-up!

Day 36: WGA's Strike; Minor TBS Schedule Change; ION Not Airing Kung Fu

It is now day 36 and there seems to be no end in sight for this strike. Late on Friday, we received this statement from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers: "We're disappointed to report that talks between the AMPTP and WGA have broken down yet again. Quite frankly, we're puzzled and disheartened by an ongoing WGA negotiating strategy that seems designed to delay or derail talks rather than facilitate an end to this strike. Union negotiators in our industry have successfully concluded 306 major agreements with the AMPTP since its inception in 1982. The WGA organizers sitting across the table from us have never concluded even one industry accord. Their Quixotic pursuit of radical demands led them to begin this strike, and now has caused this breakdown in negotiations. We hope that the WGA will come back to this table with a rational plan that can lead us to a fair and equitable resolution to a strike that is causing so much distress for so many people in our industry and community."
And the WGA told us this on Friday: "Today, after three days of discussions, the AMPTP came back to us with a proposal that included a total rejection of our proposal on Internet streaming of December 3. They are holding to their offer of a $250 fixed residual for unlimited one year streaming after a six-week window of free use. They still insist on the DVD rate for Internet downloads. They refuse to cover original material made for new media. We remain ready and willing to negotiate, no matter how intransigent our bargaining partners are, because the stakes are simply too high. We were prepared to counter their proposal tonight, and when any of them are ready to return to the table, we're here, ready to make a fair deal."
I don't care who to believe. I just want this over NOW! ABC will be releasing their January strike schedule this week. We will let you know when that happens! So come on back!

TBS has made some minor schedule changes effective Monday, December 24. Many viewers have complained about the constant airings of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on many channels (Nick at Nite, The N, and TBS), well now you might be just a little bit relieved. TBS is moving the show out of 3-4pm weekdays into 9-10am weekdays. I guess that is a start. TBS is wishing us a Merry Christmas by doing this...their present to us. With this change, the morning movie will go from 9-11am to 10am-12pm, thus the Home Improvement block will be shifted from 11am-1pm to 12pm-2pm which will move Yes, Dear from 1-2pm to 3-4pm. Say that ten times fast. Click HERE to view the changes and to discuss them. These changes are only for the cable TBS...not Peachtree TV in Atlanta and Canada.

In other scheduling news, ION Television was slated to bring back Kung Fu to Saturday nights at 6pm starting Dec. 15, but that will not happen anymore. NFL Game of the Week highlights will continue to air the rest of the month until the NFL season is over. So maybe Kung Fu will return in January? We will let you know. We should have January this week, if all goes well. So you'll want to come on back for that! The only thing announced is The Drew Carey Show weeknights 9-10pm.

It is still early in the day...if we have more news, we will return for sure.

Week 11 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

Week 11 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: CBS: 6.9/10.8; ABC: 5.8/9.1; NBC: 5.6/8.7; Fox: 4.7/7.2; The CW: 1.7/2.6; MNT: 0.7/1.1
Total Viewers: CBS: 11.03 million; ABC: 8.89 million; NBC: 8.69 million; Fox: 7.23 million; The CW: 2.58 million; MNT: 1.1 million.
Adults 18-49: CBS: 3.3/8.4; ABC: 3.2/8.1; NBC: 3.1/8.0; Fox: 2.4/6.1; The CW: 1.1/2.9; MNT: 0.4/1.0.

Analysis: Week 11 has been filled with more repeats than new episodes, so all numbers are down but NBC. NBC is airing more Deal or No Deal, which tells you NBC's regularly scheduled programs are doing bad. It is sad when a week in December beats ratings from sweeps. Last week ABC won the top spot in all categories: HH, viewers, and 18-49. CBS was second in HH and viewers, but 4th in 18-49. NBC and Fox battled for third in HH and viewers, with NBC winning in HH and Fox in viewers. In 18-49, NBC nipped by Fox for second, but it was a distant second as ABC took a big lead for first.
Through the first four days of this week, CBS has a lead in all categories in week 11 with ABC second, NBC in third and Fox in fourth.
On Monday with no more Dancing with the Stars, the night gets much weaker overall. CBS was actually first with repeats of its comedies and a repeat of CSI: Miami. A repeat of The Big Bang Theory did 6.41 million, down from the previous week's repeat, a repeat of How I Met Your Mother did 6.3 million, so Big Bang built on it. Two and a Half Men and Rules of Engagement repeats followed with great numbers for repeats, 11.88 million for Men and 9.78 million for Rules ... nice. CSI: Miami encore followed with 9.69 million, I think repeats usually do better than that? NBC was next, lead by Heroes at 11.06 million and a 5.0 18-49, down from previous week...and this week was the finale (until the strike is over)...so disappointing indeed. Chuck opened the night with 8.41 million, on par from previous week. Life on a special night closed the night with 6.48 million, a bit up from Journeyman the previous week. Without Dancing, ABC was not as good obviously, another airing of A Charlie Brown Christmas kicked the night off decently with 8.52 million. Samantha Who followed with 7.16 million and a 2.9/6 18-49 rating...both series lows, for the second straight week...the 9pm timeslot might not be good or we need some Dancing...hopefully Dance Wars: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann can spark it back up in January. I am guessing that show will do solid, at least 10 million or more. Notes from the Underbelly followed with 5.0 million, not good, down nearly 2 1/2 million from the premiere a week before. And the badly placed October Road at 10pm did just 4.94 million...again put it on after Grey's Anatomy like last season where it did a solid 10 million each week. Fox kicked off with a repeat of House at 8.35 million, up from previous week's repeat by a million, and ended with a new K-Ville at a horrific 4.82 million...kill this show already...a repeat of Bones a week before did nearly 2 million more! The CW aired repeats of their Monday sitcoms, with Aliens in America doing just 1.59 million and The Game did 1.9 million, the best of the block.
On Tuesday again with no Dancing, the night is much weaker. CBS aired the holiday classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at 8pm and did 14.55 million and an even more impressive 5.1 18-49 rating. The always reliable NCIS followed with a repeat at a special time of 9pm and did 11.09 million, which was more than The Unit's 10.56 million the previous week...and that was NEW! Cane was preempted, thank god says CBS, for a special Victoria's Secret Fashion Show and did an OK 7.48 million...this should be on another channel...maybe it is too young for CBS. NBC was next with another two-hour The Biggest Loser from 8-10 doing 8.32 million, up over a million from previous week now that the competition has gotten easy, followed by Law & Order: SVU at 11.73 million, down from previous week. Fox's huge hit House was a repeat and did 10.46 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating, not bad for a repeat, and a Bones repeat started the night off with a solid 8.17 million. ABC started off with a holiday repeat of America's Funniest Home Videos doing 7.48 million leading into an encore of Grey's Anatomy on a special night doing just 5.72 million! Boston Legal returned with a new episode and did a decent 8.62 million. The CW had Beauty & the Geek and Reaper do 2.49 and 2.62 million for new episodes.
Wednesday saw NBC take the night thanks to that game show Deal or No Deal. The game-show aired from 8-10pm and did a solid 11.33 million, sure beats whatever airs at 8pm and Bionic Woman each week. At 10pm NBC's Life did 7.63 million, up from previous week, thanks to a much better lead-in. ABC started the night off with the holiday special Santa Claus is Comin' to Town and did a very impressive 9.34 million. Pushing Daisies will return this coming week.. Private Practice followed at 9pm and did 10.4 million and 3.8 18-49 rating and ABC closed the night off with the addictive Dirty Sexy Money doing 6.74 million. CBS saw Kid Nation do 7.1 million, and repeats of veteran dramas Criminal Minds and CSI: NY did well and were consistent doing 9.2 and 10.37 million. Fox aired repeat episodes of Back to You, 'Til Death and Kitchen Nightmares, doing 5.53, 5.01 and 5.32 million each. The CW had Top Model at 4.63 million, while Gossip Girl did 2.44 million...both down from previous week.
Thursday saw CBS win, nipping ABC. CBS opened with Survivor: China at 13.86 million. A new CSI followed with 18.8 million and a new Without a Trace did 12.68 million. ABC opened the night with a new Ugly Betty doing a 9.37 million. A new Grey's Anatomy followed with 17.78 million (and an impressive 7.1 18-49 rating, maybe good enough to win the week) and the annual special Barbara Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People of 2007 followed with 11.31 million and a first place finish with a 4.4 18-49 rating. Fox's 5th Grader did a solid at 8.69 million and Don't Forget the Lyrics followed with 6.74 million. NBC started with comedies, My Name is Earl opened the night with 7.38 million, 30 Rock did just 5.84 million, an encore of The Office followed with 4.99 million and Scrubs has dropped every week since it returned, and this week was no different doing just 4.85 million. ER closed the night with 8.15 million, a season low once again...and this was episode #300. A repeat of Smallville on The CW did 2.81 million, followed by a repeat of Supernatural at 2.04 million.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but NBC won Friday thanks to what else, Deal or No Deal at 8pm for a first place finish. CBS preempted Ghost Whisperer for the classic Frosty the Snowman and Frosty Returns and were OK. 10pm's NUMB3RS was also pre-empted for a two-hour special Movies Rock, which did pretty bad. ABC was lead by Women's Murder Club at 9pm and 20/20 was first at 10.
Saturday saw ABC win the night thanks to the Jim Carrey holiday movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas, doing 7 million..
As for tonight, ABC Sunday is all-new tonight but without Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters...but ABC does have the Mitch Albom movie For One More Day...these movies always do good! I saw the movie already from a pre-screening, and it is fantastic! If you read the book, you'll love this just as much. CBS will do decent with its regular lineup, with a boost from the NFL overrun, and NBC will do solid business for the NFL game. Fox's animated comedies are repeats but 8:30 & 9:30 and those are shows are the weak links. It is hard to say which network will win tonight. CBS, ABC or NBC can win it. It'll be close.
As for the week, CBS will likely win in HH, viewers and 18-49, ABC will be second, with a close finish for second place in 18-49...it could be ABC or even NBC if the game does very well. NBC will be in the third spot in HH/viewers, with Fox in fourth. More repeats (CBS comedies, Grey's Anatomy) and holiday specials (Shrek the Halls, Winnie the Pooh) this week, with a little mix of new episodes (CSI, Samantha Who, Pushing Daisies)...be on the look out!

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of November 26-December 2)

• Aliens in America (The CW) - A repeat did just 880,000 viewers, up 80k from the previous week.
• The Simpsons (Fox) - A repeat at a special time of 8:30 did an OK 6.7 million out of the BCS Selection Show which did 11.2 million
  
• Family Guy (Fox) - A repeat did 7.05 million.
  
• American Dad (Fox) - Just 5.72 million for a new episode, but the lead-ins were repeats...so that doesn't help this show which is lead-in dependent.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 6.3 million tuned in for a repeat...its repeats from here on out thanks to the strike.
  
• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 6.41 million tuned in for a repeat, down from the previous week's repeat episode.
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 11.88 million tuned in for a repeat, it also will be repeats from now on.
• Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 9.78 million tuned in for an encore.
  
• Samantha Who? (ABC) - 7.16 million tuned in for a new episode ... not bad, but down from its numbers all season.
• Notes from the Underbelly (ABC) - Just 5 million...down from previous week's 7.45 million, which was a series high excluding the pilot.
  
• CW Monday Comedies: Chris, Aliens in America, Girlfriends, The Game. All were repeats and under 2 million.. Aliens did a terrible 1.59 million and The Game did 1.9 million and led the block.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• Cavemen (ABC) - Nothing until January...According to Jim repeats air this week...at least a sitcom will air!
  
• Carpoolers (ABC) - Nothing until January...According to Jim repeats air this week...at least a sitcom will air!

Wednesday Sitcoms

• Back to You (Fox) - The word of the week: repeat. 5.53 million for an encore.
  
• Til Death (Fox) - 5.01 million for a repeat.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - 7.38 million for a new episode...up from previous week's numbers.
  
• 30 Rock (NBC) - 5.84 million for a new episode...on par with previous week.
  
• The Office (NBC) - An encore episode did 4.99 million...down from previous week's repeat by a million
  
• Scrubs (NBC) - 4.85 million for a new episode and lost viewers from the lead-in, which was a repeat.
  

Friday Sitcoms
None.

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) is a repeat of Aliens in America on The CW at 7:30, and Fox's animated comedies are a mix of new and repeats.

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men and Rules of Engagement were impressive for the week (and they were repeats!). Everything else was OK (such as Samantha Who?, My Name is Earl) or just plain old terrible (Scrubs, Notes from the Underbelly).

TV Rebels: The Dick Van Dyke Show; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Disappearing Tuesday Sitcoms on ABC; Frank TV Airs Too Late; Morning Show Wedding Dance

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! But wait! This Saturday we won't have the regular mini-DVD review as we have a special for you! However don't worry, Solomon's Weekly Rant is still on in its regular day and spot.
We have gotten special permission to publish at least 6 different essays on TV shows that will be featured in the upcoming book TV Rebels: 100 People and Programs That Shaped the Medium by author Lou Orfanella. The book is still in the works and will be released in 2009. Once a month, each month (for the next six months at least) we will bring you one of his excerpts from his pending book. So, this is a little exclusive and will help you prepare for the book coming in 2009!
But first here is a little about Lou: Lou Orfanella's latest book is the fiction collection In a Flash: Twenty-One Short, Short Stories. In Excursions: Poetry and Prose he brings together many genres of literature including the direct address, fiction, collaborative writing, and a novella in poems. He is the author of the poetry collections Streets of New York, Allurements and Lamentations, Composite Sketches, The Last Automat, Permanent Records, How I Happened and Summer Rising, River Flowing and the work of nonfiction Scenes from an Ordinary Life: Getting Naked to Explore a Writer's Process and Possibilities. He contributed chapters to the books Reel Rebels, When Genres Collide, and Rationales for Teaching Young Adult Literature. His columns, essays, articles, reviews, and poems have appeared in many national and regional publications. He holds degrees from Columbia University and Fordham University and teaches writing at Western Connecticut State University and English in the Valhalla, New York school district. He has presented dozens of public readings of his work and offers individual and group workshops on topics including poetry, fiction, memoir, journalism, and family history. He can be contacted at LORFANELLA@hotmail.com.

So without further adieu, we bring you the first column of TV Rebels:

The Dick Van Dyke Show: The Sophisticated Ensemble Comedy
Two years before the 1961 premiere of The Dick Van Dyke Show veteran television writer Carl Reiner had created a series for himself called Head of the Family. The pilot failed to sell but was seen by producer Sheldon Leonard who suggested a casting change for the lead role. Although young comic and daytime TV host Johnny Carson was considered, the role of Rob Petrie went to the multifaceted entertainer Dick Van Dyke who had gained national recognition via his Broadway and motion picture performances in the musical Bye Bye Birdie. While Van Dyke's name graced the title of the series, it was an ensemble that relied as much on co-stars Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Richard Deacon, and occasionally Reiner as it did on the headliner himself. Additionally, it leaned on a more sophisticated humor than most of the comedies to that point.
Situations comedies had generally been produced as pure family fare with an attempt to cram in as many quick laughs as possible. Entertain the kids, don't offend the adults, and don't require too much thinking on the part of the audience. "Dick Van Dyke was the first sitcom that was rated A-for Adult. Rob and Laura Petrie were sensible, grown-up people. They were funny and they did funny things. They were not the Burnses, who were zany and did zany things. Nor were they madcap Margie and her foolish father or the warbling Partridges. Laure and Rob Petrie were not silly people. They didn’t act; they behaved. They were substantial-more so than Donna and the rest of the Stones. That's just it: the Petries weren't stone, they were...clay. They were like real people. Real people who made jokes, but weren't jokes." (Mitz 181). The Dick Van Dyke Show helped television grow up a bit.
A major change brought about by The Dick Van Dyke Show involved the way writers looked at their audiences. Audiences were given credit for more intelligence than had been the case in the past. While most sitcoms focused on a main character cooking up schemes and finding him or herself in ridiculous situations and took place primarily in one venue, be it the home or workplace, here in an almost literary style, Rob Petrie had both work and family lives and it was assumed that audience could accept the two "plot" lines. Sight gags and slapstick pratfalls were part of Van Dyke’s repertoire of comedic techniques, but were not, as was the cast with so many previous comedies seen as essential to getting a laugh from the audience. Good writing and intelligent dialogue were trusted to lead to the payoff. Another sign of growth was the deeper character development that was afforded others in the cast. What was happening to, and thought about by, wife Laura and coworkers Buddy and Sally was as significant as what Rob was experiencing.
"The show's unique blend of wit and warmth would prove beyond any argument that a situation comedy could be sophisticated and urbane-and still deliver a sizable audience. In the space of only five years, Carl Reiner and his company of actors, writers, and fellow producers had succeeded in creating a work of such consistent intelligence and invention that it would set a new standard for quality television-a standard that still serves as a benchmark for prime-time comedy to this day. As few television shows had done before, and very few have done since, The Dick Van Dyke Show would forever alter the way we watch television." (Waldron 300).

Works Cited
Mitz, Rick. The Great TV Sitcom Book. New York: Perigee, 1983.
Waldron, Vince. The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book. New York: Hyperion, 1994.

Stay tuned next month for another installment of TV Rebels as we take a look at the legendary Norman Lear! Should be fun!


Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, December 8, 2007
"Disappearing Tuesday Sitcoms on ABC; Frank TV Airs Too Late; Morning Show Covers Wedding Dance"
By Solomon Davis

What's up with the disappearance of Caveman AND Carpoolers on Tuesday nights? It seems like its one preemption after another with no new episodes in sight. Are the ratings that bad for both shows? It's easy to just do a time slot change instead of leaving both shows in the timeslot to fail. ABC just go ahead and make the announcement that the two shows are not coming back because I already saw that next Tuesday in the 8pm Hour they will be preempted again for holiday airings of Shrek the Halls and Winnie the Pooh & Christmas, Too. The only thing the specials are doing is making viewers forget all about the the two comedies which is probably their plan anyway so they can have a reason to pull both shows.

Why does TBS have to put Frank TV in the 11pm slot on Tuesdays? I mean for me it conflicts with local news and SportsCenter on ESPN and even the re-airing is after 1am in the morning. How bout having Frank TV air between 8pm and 10pm and CUT DOWN some of the encores of Family Guy? Family Guy is on from 8pm to 10pm and I'm sure Frank TV being a new show can fit somewhere in there. I mean does TBS want people to see the show or not? But they do label it as a late night TV show.

There was a clip of a recently married couple on YouTube dancing at their wedding reception and the mornings shows like Good Morning America and The Early Show wanted to keep showing them dancing OVER and OVER. Who cares that they were dancing at their wedding reception? And did the wedding couple really need to be interviewed by the Early Show just because they were dancing and acting silly? The Early Show can't find any other story to talk about and have to discuss YouTube videos of married couples dancing to rap music? Is that all it takes to get a interview on TV these days? Clearly the DUMBEST feature story of the year. Maybe I should record a video for this blog with me laughing at Emmit Smith on ESPN while I eat nachos. I wonder if The Early Show would interview me?

My Weird TV Moment of the Week:
Thursday, December 6, 2007: During the Bears/Skins game on the NFL Network, a fan ran out of the stands and attacked a player on the field and NFL Network immediately CUT away from the situation. WHY?? Security Had already tackled him so what did NFL Network think was going to happen?


Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.

Day 33: WGA's Strike; Wayans Bros. to Develop VH1 Sitcom Starring Family Matters Star; RTN Comes to Charlotte

Today is day 33 of the strike. This week has been very quiet in terms of the outcomes. Last Friday a deal was proposed and the WGA quickly rejected it. The latest details were issued on Wednesday by the WGA. Click HERE to view their statement. We'll keep you updated. Also if any other networks plan to change the schedules. ABC has yet to announce anything really for January, while NBC, Fox, and CBS have.
The WGA have announced that nominations for outstanding achievement in television and radio writing during the 2007 season for the upcoming 2008 Writers Guild Awards will be released on Thursday, December 13. The 2008 Writers Guild Awards are slated to be held on Saturday, February 9, 2008, simultaneously at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles and the Hudson Theatre at the Broadway Millennium Hotel in New York City.

VH1 has given the green light to a new pilot from Keenen Ivory, Marlon and Shawn Wayans for their new comedy, The Life and Times of Marcus 'Felony' Brown. The premise surrounds burgeoning, hard core, East Coast rapper Brown (Darius McCrary, Eddie Winslow from Family Matters) who blows up after his debut album goes platinum and heads to Los Angeles to record the follow up. Along for the ride are his self-hyping hype man, E-Z (Vince Green); jet-setting manager, Cash (Jon Abrahams); and hard-partying bodyguard, Tiny (Marcello Thedford). Affion Crockett plays Seville, Marcus' personal barber, while Toni Trucks is Tia, Marcus' assistant.
Marlon and Shawn Wayans developed the pilot with producing partner Rick Alvarez. The three will serve as executive producers along with Keenen Ivory Wayans. The pilot just wrapped principal photography.

Retro Television Network (RTN) announced today that it will be adding a second Capitol Broadcasting Company station as an RTN affiliate. RTN will launch on a digital stream of WMYT (My-12) in Charlotte, NC, the nation's 25th largest television market, in 2008. The 'Primetime All The Time' line-up, including Perry Mason, Rockford Files, Hawaii Five-0, Magnum P.I. and Mission: Impossible, will hit the airwaves of Charlotte shortly.

Come on back tomorrow for an exclusive. We have gotten special rights to publish some great classic TV essays that will be coming out in 2009 on a nice book by author Lou Orfanella!

Day 32: WGA's Strike; Classic TV Sitcom Holiday Episodes in Toledo!

It is now day 32 of the strike. Frankly I'm getting tired of saying what day it is. I just want this to be over already! Well anyway, we have more schedule news because of the strike. NBC has confirmed their January schedule now. The other day we gave you most of it and now it is all confirmed! Here you go:
Mondays - 8pm American Gladiators, 9pm Deal or No Deal, 10pm Medium
Tuesdays - 8-10pm The Biggest Loser, 10pm Law & Order: SVU
Wednesdays - 8pm Deal or No Deal, 9pm Law & Order: Criminal Intent, 10pm Law & Order
Thursdays - 8pm Comedy Repeats, 9pm Celebrity Apprentice, 10pm ER (Lipstick Jungle takes over in Feb)
Fridays - 8pm 1 vs. 100, 9pm Friday Night Lights, 10pm Las Vegas
Saturdays - Repeats
Sundays - Mix of Specials
So, Medium is returning to its old Monday at 10pm slot. Deal or no Deal returns to Mondays, but it moves to 9pm. Mondays at 8pm starting Feb. 18 will be the reality series The Baby Borrowers, as American Gladiators' six-week run will conclude by then. Sunday specials include The 65th Annual Golden Globes Awards" broadcasting live on Sunday, January 13 from 8-11 p.m. ET, The Guinness Book of World Records - Live! featuring a live death-defying stunt on Sunday, January 27 from 9-11 p.m. ET and Top 100 Most Outrageous Moments on Sunday, February 10 from 9-11 p.m. ET. Don't be surprised to see Dateline pop-up Sundays at 7 or even two-hour Deal or No Deal episodes from 7-9pm Sundays. If that is the case, we have Deal on three nights (Sun, Mon, Wed).
Meanwhile Fox has picked-up more episodes of Don't Forget the Lyrics! Fox has ordered 13 additional episodes of the musical game show. The series, hosted by Wayne Brady, cranks up the volume with all-new episodes Thursdays at 9:00 PM ET/PT and encore episodes airing Fridays at 8:00 PM ET/PT on Fox.

Attention Toledo, Ohio! Classic TV fans will be VERY happy this holiday season as WTVG (ABC13) will give you fans a treat this holiday season with classic holiday episodes of sitcom favorites! Starting this Saturday, fans can tune in from 1-3PM on Saturday afternoons on ABC13 for Christmas episodes of classic sitcoms. Dec. 8 we will see holiday showings of Bewitched, Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best and The Flying Nun. On Dec. 15 we will see more holiday classics with Bewitched, Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best and this time The Monkees. And the final holiday airings will be on Dec. 29 and we will see yet more Bewitched, Dennis the Menace, The Partridge Family and another Bewitched. You lucky people in Toledo you! Hopefully they do more of this and let's hope other stations across the nation learn from this and follow!
In Toledo? Or love the fact they are airing classic sitcom holiday episodes? Discuss this with us HERE!

Day 31: WGA's Strike; I Love Lucy, Honeymooners, Three Stooges Video Games?

Well it is day 31 of the strike. Nothing new to report really. If the strike does not end before December 14, the Television Critics Association will cancel their winter press tour. Yes, we won't have a TCA Winner Press tour this year because of the strike. So this is another reason to hope the strike ends soon!
Meanwhile, if the strike lasts long, you can expect CBS to air some Showtime shows as scripted programming, such as Dexter. Series like Tudors or Weeds even can make it, but heavy editing will be needed. NBC could also go and get some scripted programming from one of its cable networks such as USA Network and air series like Burn Notice, Monk or even Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica.

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Beanbag Studios is developing some classic TV video games such I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, and The Three Stooges. It's an intriguing strategy to differentiate Beanbag Studios' games from the rest of the pack, but it's anyone's guess as to whether nostalgia will indeed attract casual gamers who are usually older than the average gaming demographic.
In the first Lucy game, scheduled for release this month, gamers are faced with a number of challenges, including answering trivia questions and rearranging video clips so they are in the correct order. Subsequent games -- including I Love Lucy Slots, The Three Stooges Pinball, and The Honeymooners Bowling -- will be available between year-end and April.
While Beanbag's first games will be based on classic TV licenses, Steve Bergenholtz (President) insists Beanbag isn't locked into that strategy. In fact, he is currently talking to a movie studio about a 10-title movie deal. But he is also seeking out other classic TV licenses, which he describes as a huge opportunity for the licensor's to "take their properties off the shelf, dust them off, and bring them into the video games arena ... which makes our licensing their titles a win-win for them and for us."
Sounds cool! I hope these sell well so we get more classic TV titles as video games!

Random thought: For those of you who watched October Road on Monday, have you heard of the sexual position the Pablo Picasso? Apparently Ikey and Owen's wife did that position a lot.

Day 30: WGA's Strike; CBS and NBC Revise Schedules

It is now day 30 of the strike. Talks will resume today, so if we have any details we will share it with you. Carson Daly returned to his talk show last night with new episodes. Daly said this on the show last night:
"If I had not been back on the air tonight, 75 members of my loyal staff and crew were going to get laid off. You either come back, or they're laid off. I said, 'Let's turn the lights on, I'm gonna come back.' It's that simple." He added, "I miss my writers." None of this is written—clearly! I don't know what we're gonna do, moving forward the rest of the week. But I'll figure it out."
Meanwhile, ABC will now stop paying the non-writing staff of Jimmy Kimmel Live. And as Conan and Leno, Jimmy will pay them from his own pocket. David Letterman's production company is paying his and Ferguson's non-writing staff.

CBS has announced its plans for January and February. Because of the strike, they will bring back Big Brother for its ninth season. This series usually only airs in the summer for them. The series will air Tuesdays at 9, Wednesdays at 8 and Sundays at 8 starting Tuesday, Feb. 12. But before that, CBS will bring back the summer game show Power of 10, hosted by Drew Carey, on Wednesday, January 2, airing Wednesdays at 8pm for 6 weeks before Big Brother takes the slot. On Monday, January 28 CBS will launch two sitcoms--a new one and a returning one. The new one is The Captain, a single camera about a wildly eclectic group of people whose lives are intertwined through the place they all call home, a fabled Hollywood apartment building, El Capitan, which they've dubbed "The Captain." It stars Fran Kranz, Chris Klein, Jeffrey Tambor, Raquel Welch, comedian Al Madrigal, Valerie Azlynn and Joanna Garcia. It will take the place of The Big Bang Theory, which would have been repeats anyway, Mondays at 8:30pm. Also launching Jan. 28 is the third season of The New Adventures of Old Christine, the critically acclaimed comedy about a divorced working mom trying to juggle motherhood, work and dating, starring Emmy Award winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The show will air at 9:30pm on Mondays replacing repeats of The Rules of Engagement. CBS will replace Cane, Tuesdays at 10 with a movie (Jan. 15) and two airings of 48 Hours Mystery (Jan. 22 and 29) before the second season of Jericho takes over on Feb. 12. The movie is a three-night, six-hour event airing Sunday, Jan. 13, Tuesday, Jan. 15 and Wednesday, Jan. 16 from 9-11pm titled Comanche Moon. The 16th season of Survivor launches on Thursday, Feb. 7 at 8pm. Crime repeats will likely air in January in the slot.
CBS will continue to air rebroadcasts of its popular comedies and dramas in their regular time periods including How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men and CSI: Miami on Monday; NCIS on Tuesday; Criminal Minds and CSI: NY on Wednesday; CSI and Without a Trace on Thursday; Ghost Whisperer, Moonlight and NUMB3RS on Friday; and Cold Case and Shark on Sunday. 60 Minutes will also continue to air Sundays. CBS has also completed production on episodes of the game show Do You Trust Me. A scheduling announcement will be made at a later date.
For a full list of CBS airdates for January and February, click HERE!

Meanwhile NBC has announced its Wednesday plans. NBC will lawyer-up on Wednesday nights as the Emmy Award-winning Law & Order resumes with a two-hour season premiere event on Wednesday, January 2 from 9-11 p.m. ET, and will continue on Wednesdays starting January 9 in its old 10:00 p.m. ET timeslot preceded by this season's network broadcast premiere of Law & Order: Criminal Intent at 9:00 p.m. ET in its return to NBC that night. Original episodes air on sister cable network USA Network on Thursdays. So to recap, this is how NBC will look this January, as of now:
Mondays - 8pm American Gladiators, 9-11pm TBD
Tuesdays - 8-10pm The Biggest Loser, 10pm Law & Order: SVU
Wednesdays - 8pm Deal or No Deal, 9pm Law & Order: Criminal Intent, 10pm Law & Order
Thursdays - 8pm Comedy Repeats, 9pm Celebrity Apprentice, 10pm ER (Lipstick Jungle takes over in Feb)
Fridays - 8pm 1 vs. 100, 9pm Friday Night Lights, 10pm Las Vegas (the latter two is not confirmed yet, but is likely in January at least)
Saturdays - Repeats
Sundays - TBD
NBC still has Medium, Dateline, and new reality series Amne$ia and The Baby Borrowers yet to be scheduled.

Day 29: WGA's Strike; ION Holiday Highlights; Hallmark January Schedule

We are now on the 29th day of the strike. Negotiations resume tomorrow. Let's hope the WGA gets a deal they can't pass up this time. Jay Leno of NBC's Tonight Show will now pay the salaries of the non-writing staff for this week. Previously it was announced he would not and they would be laid off. Classic Leno episodes air again this week with guests like Michael Jordan from 1996.
In other news, ABC will place an encore episode of Grey's Anatomy this Tuesday at 9pm. This encore is the episode that aired on Thanksgiving night. It is part one of a two-part episode about an ambulance crash, titled "Crash into Me." Part 2 airs this Thursday at 9. Catch up this Tuesday if you missed it! It is very good! This change means repeat episodes of According to Jim will not air 9-10pm this Tuesday, but ABC will now air it on Dec. 18. It will still air Dec. 11 as planned.

As we promised we will give you the ION holiday highlights today. It is still not 100% complete, but we will share it anyway. If you browse our message boards, you've seen it already. Everyday is Christmas on ION, you can catch at least one holiday event each night. Among the items you will see this week are include a holiday episode of Alice, the movie Santa Trap, holiday episodes of Amen, and the movie The Night They Saved Christmas! In upcoming weeks you'll see more Alice and Amen holiday episodes, holiday episodes of Mama's Family and Who's the Boss? and special encores of the original movie Hogfather as well!
Click HERE to see the full holiday highlights and the rest of December's programming!

A few days back we gave you details on Hallmark's new acquisitions. Today we have the January schedule and it features one of those shows...7th Heaven and the renewed series Touched by an Angel. 7th Heaven will take the 1pm and 2pm slots on weekdays replacing Matlock. Matlock will air movie episodes on Sundays, but the regular series is on a break...not to worry because it has been renewed until 2011. 7th Heaven will also air Saturday mornings at 9am and 10am. Touched by an Angel gets the weekdays at noon slot, replacing one of the Murder, She Wrote airings.
For the full schedule and highlights, click HERE!

Week 10 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

Week 10 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: ABC: 8.4/13.0; CBS: 7.7/11.8; Fox: 5.5/8.2; NBC: 5.1/7.8; The CW: 1.9/2.8; MNT: 0.8/1.3.
Total Viewers: ABC: 13.3 million; CBS: 11.99 million; Fox: 8.88 million; NBC: 7.93 million; The CW: 2.74 million; MNT: 1.25 million.
Adults 18-49: ABC: 4.1/10.2; CBS: 3.4/8.5; Fox: 3.3/8.1; NBC: 3.1/7.8; The CW: 1.3/3.1; MNT: 0.5/1.2.

Analysis: We're back after a week off! Week 10 is nearly done...and sweeps ended on Wednesday...holiday season time has begun! Last week CBS won the top spot in HH and viewers, just nipping by ABC. In 18-49, ABC was first, with NBC and CBS tied for second. NBC was third in viewers and HH and Fox was 4th in all categories. Through the first four days of this week, ABC has a lead in all categories in week 10 with CBS second, Fox and NBC are way back, with Fox with the slight edge.
Monday it was all ABC thanks to Dancing with the Stars. Part 1 of the season finale did an impressive 24.23 million and a 6.0/15 in 18-49, both obviously from the previous week, that lead into the new time of 9pm for Samantha Who doing 11.69 million and a 3.7/8 18-49 rating...both series lows, but if it can do these numbers or close to it, ABC will be pleased. Notes from the Underbelly's season premiere followed with 7.45 million, not bad, but not great either. And the badly placed October Road at 10pm did just 5.43 million...put it on after Grey's Anatomy like last season where it did a solid 10 million each week. Next up was CBS with its comedies and CSI: Miami. A repeat of The Big Bang Theory did 7.34 million, on par with the previous week's repeat, a new How I Met Your Mother did 7.91 million, just a bit down from previous week. Two and a Half Men and Rules of Engagement followed with great numbers, 15.26 million for Men and 11.58 million for Rules which was a repeat...both up from previous week. CSI: Miami followed with 15.58 million, up from previous week. NBC was in third, lead by Heroes at 11.89 million and a 5.3 18-49, up from previous week. Chuck opened the night with 8.42 million, up from previous week. Journeyman closed the night with 6.05 million, on par with the previous week. Fox kicked off with a repeat of House at 7.35 million and ended with a repeat of Bones with 6.32 million...you know it is bad when two repeats beat new episodes of Prison Break and K-Ville from the previous week. The CW aired their Monday sitcoms, with Aliens in America doing just 1.88 million, up a bit from the previous week and The Game did 2.8 million, the best of the block.
Tuesday, it was all ABC. ABC started off with the classic holiday special A Charlie Brown Christmas doing a solid 13.55 million leading into the season finale of Dancing with the Stars: The Results at 24.88 million! Congrats to Helio! Boston Legal will return this week. Fox's huge hit House did 16.97 million and a 7.0 18-49 rating (both down from previous week) and Bones started the night off with a solid 9.68 million. The always reliable NCIS opened the night off for CBS with 17.04 million. The Unit followed with 10.56 million and Cane did 6.48 million, down from previous week. NBC was fourth with another two-hour The Biggest Loser from 8-10 doing 7.28 million, followed by Law & Order: SVU at 12.29 million. The CW had Beauty & the Geek and Reaper do 2.52 and 2.23 million.
Wednesday it was a battle between CBS and ABC. CBS saw Kid Nation do 7.12 million, and veteran dramas Criminal Minds and CSI: NY did well and were consistent doing 16.23 (season high maybe) and 14.19 million (up from previous week). ABC started the night off with two holiday specials...an all-new one and a classic. The all-new one was Shrek the Halls, and did a very impressive 20.83 million and a 7.1 18-49 rating! Old faithful How the Grinch Stole Christmas followed with big numbers as well...doing 18.53 million and a 6.8 18-49 rating. A special 9pm episode of Pushing Daisies did a solid 9.99 million (wasn't that episode so good?). Private Practice returns this coming week, and ABC closed the night off with Dirty Sexy Money doing 7.04 million...below normal. NBC opened the night with the annual Christmas at Rockefeller Center doing 8.87 million, Bionic Woman fell to 5.93 million, as the fall in every episode continues. At 10pm NBC's Life did 6.28 million and built on the lead-in again. Fox aired two new episodes of 'Til Death and an all-new Kitchen Nightmares, doing 5.74, 6.22 and 7.03 million each. The CW had Top Model at a dominant 5.04 million (and second in the 8pm hour in 18-49 with a 2.4 rating!), while Gossip Girl did 2.93 million.
Thursday saw CBS win, as ABC was in repeats. CBS opened with Survivor: China at 13.57 million. A repeat of CSI followed with 12.33 million and a repeat of Without a Trace did 9.76 million. ABC opened the night with a repeat of Ugly Betty doing a 6.15 million. A repeat also of Grey's Anatomy followed with 8.69 million and an all-new episode of Big Shots followed with just 5.29 million. NBC started with comedies, My Name is Earl opened the night with a below normal 6.62 million, 30 Rock did just 5.82 million, an encore of The Office followed with 5.9 million and Scrubs has dropped every week since it returned, and this week was no different doing just 5.91 million. ER closed the night with 8.71 million, a season low. Fox's 5th Grader did a solid at 8.97 million and Don't Forget the Lyrics followed with an above average 8.72 million. A repeat of Smallville on The CW did 2.73 million, followed by a repeat of Supernatural at 1.87 million.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but ABC won Friday thanks to the holiday airing of A Polar Express starring Tom Hanks. NBC had a solid outing for Deal or No Deal at 8pm for a first place finish. CBS preempted Ghost Whisperer. 10pm's NUMB3RS was a repeat and ABC preempted Women's Murder Club.
Saturday saw ABC win the night thanks to the Big-12 College Football Championship.
ABC Sunday is all-new tonight with the big tornado episode of Desperate Housewives and the wedding on Brothers & Sisters...look for season highs! CBS will do decent but probably below normal with its Hallmark movie from 9-11pm and NBC will do solid business for the NFL game. Fox's animated comedies are repeats but 9:30 and the NFL overrun will help. ABC is the network to beat tonight.
As for the week, ABC will likely win in HH, viewers and 18-49, CBS will be second, with a close finish for second place in 18-49...it could be CBS or even NBC if the game does very well. Fox and NBC will battle for the distant third spot in HH/viewers, with NBC probably winning thanks to the NFL. Imagine if ABC Thursday was all-new this week...they could have really dominated the week...even so, they will still win the week. They should have put the Thanksgiving new episodes for this past Thursday and aired a movie on Thanksgiving like Meet the Fockers or something.

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of November 19-25)

• Aliens in America (The CW) - A repeat did just 800,000 viewers, down from the previous week.
• The Simpsons (Fox) 3 episodes - A repeat at 7:30 and 8:30 and a new one at its normal 8pm slot...repeats did 5.6 and 8.58 million, as a new one in between did 9.01 million, down from previous week's 10.56 million.
  
• King of the Hill (Fox) - A low rated repeat at 7pm did just 3.9 million.
  
• Family Guy (Fox) 2 episodes - 9.52 million tuned in for a new episode at 9pm, down from previous week's 10.55 million...a repeat at 9:30pm did a decent 8.45 million...better than the usual American Dad new episode.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 7.91 million tuned in, down from the previous week.
  
• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 7.34 million tuned in for a repeat, on par really with the previous week's repeat episode.
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 15.26 million tuned in...could be a season high, as Dancing with the Stars was not on this half-hour for the first time this season. 13.91 million and 14.12 million tuned in the previous two weeks. Repeats start now...bad timing.
• Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 11.58 million tuned in...up from the previous week's 11.48 million, which was all-new...wow. Repeats from now on until the strike is resolved.
  
• Samantha Who? (ABC) - 11.69 million tuned in for a new episode in its new time of 9pm, head to head vs. Two and a Half Men...it held up well, but down from previous week's 14.38 million which was at 9:30....at least Sam won't have to face any more originals of Men head to head.
• Notes from the Underbelly (ABC) - The season premiere did 7.45 million...not bad, really on par with last season's numbers...hopefully it can do better with repeats airing against it in December.
  
• CW Monday Comedies: Chris, Aliens in America, Girlfriends, The Game. Not doing that well at all. Aliens did a terrible 1.88 million, but up from previous week, The Game did 2.8 million up from previous week and led the block.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• Cavemen (ABC) - Preempted for A Charlie Brown Christmas, will not be on the schedule until at the earliest in January now.
  
• Carpoolers (ABC) - Preempted for A Charlie Brown Christmas, will not be on the schedule until at the earliest in January now.

Wednesday Sitcoms

• Til Death (Fox) 2 episodes - Two new episodes did 5.74 and 6.22 million...way below its usual showing for this season...maybe because its lead-in was not on?
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - Just 6.62 million for a new episode? Wow.
  
• 30 Rock (NBC) - 5.82 million for a new episode...it seems way too low.
  
• The Office (NBC) - An encore episode did 5.9 million...building on its lead in even and that was all-new!
  
• Scrubs (NBC) - 5.91 million for a new episode and actually the second highest rated show for NBC's comedy block this week.
  

Friday Sitcoms
None.

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) is a repeat of Aliens in America on The CW at 7:30, and Fox's animated comedies.

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, Samantha Who?, and Rules of Engagement were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as How I Met Your Mother, Notes from the Underbelly) or just plain old terrible (Aliens in America, 'Til Death 8p).

Mini-DVD Review: Futurama - Bender's Big Score!; Solomon's Weekly Rant: Same 'Ole Merrython; TV One Is So Selective; Same TNT NBA Promos

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews and Solomon's Weekly Rant! First up, are the mini-DVD reviews. Today we take a look at 20th Century Fox's Futurama - Bender's Big Score!. Futurama - Bender's Big Score! is a direct to DVD movie featuring the hit Fox animated series. See skees53's mini-DVD review of Futurama - Bender's Big Score!:

Futurama - Bender's Big Score! (20th Century Fox, $29.99) proves once again that animated Fox sitcoms don't die, but instead they just take on a new life elsewhere. This direct-to-DVD movie doubles as what will be the first episode of the new season of the series (which has been "on hiatus" for the past four years) as new episodes return to the airwaves sometime next year, this time on Comedy Central. All of the old characters that we knew and loved from the original airing of the series are back for this DVD, proving that a little time off doesn't always mean that everything is going to change.
The movie itself brings back the typical and bizarre plots that we have all come to know and love about Futurama. The movie begins with the Planet Express Corporation is taken over by scammers, thanks to the entire crew falling for a bunch of e-mail scams that they receive. Bender even ends up opening a virus infected e-mail, which of course considering Bender himself is a computer, he can be infected by the virus--and is. In fact, the virus that the scammers gave him cause Bender to turn on his crew when the scammers decide to fully take advantage of the crew. Matters only get worse when it is discovered that Fry has a tattoo of Bender on his butt that has a time travel code, which the virus-infected Bender uses to essentially destroy the past. How will it all turn out? The only way to know is to watch the movie for yourself... I don't want to spoil the whole plot! Guest stars in the movie include Sarah Silverman, Mark Hamill, Coolio, and even Al Gore.
The movie itself is presented in widescreen and the audio is presented in Dolby Digital surround sound. This being released by 20th Century Fox means that special features were not neglected. In fact, there are some very nice special feature on the DVD, starting with a commentary from Matt Groening and the stars of the show. Next, we have Futurama Returns!, an animated comic book reading about the story of how Futurama returned--is is mostly meant to be humorous. And if you really want to see something that is supposed to be a joke, you have to see the next special feature, Everybody Loves Hypnotoad. Basically, this is billed on the set as the TV hit of the future. It features 23 minutes of Hypnotoad blinking his eyes. Nothing else, at all. We have some animated storyboards of deleted scenes included on the set. Next, we have an animated promo for the movie, "An Inconvenient Truth." It even has a video commentary on it from Al Gore and Matt Groening. All of those math geeks out there will love the special feature "Bite My Shiny Metal X," which features an actual professor of mathematics giving a lecture about the math references in Futurama. There is a copy of the original script of the movie that you can read along with on the screen. And finally, there are some character and design sketches. Wow! That is a lot of special features!
Any Futurama fan MUST own this DVD, it would be foolish not to. Even if you are just a casual fan, you will definitely want this DVD. It will air on Comedy Central eventually anyway, but it won't be as impressive as this DVD for certain. This shiny metal DVD is definitely worth buying!
-- Reviewed by skees53
(5/5 stars)

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Solomon's Weekly Rant
Saturday, December 1, 2007
"Same 'Ole Merrython; TV One Is So Selective; Same TNT NBA Promos"
By Solomon Davis

Why does TV Land feel the need to start the Merrython today when it is the same type of Merrython that's been aired the last 7 years? It's not like it's nothing NEW and EXCITING just the SAME and PLAIN shows. I have no idea why TV Land was in a rush to show a full day of Christmas episodes from the TV shows already on their schedule. Do us all a favor TV Land and save this CRAP for the weekend before Christmas and stop pretending you are doing us TV fans a favor. TV Land has scheduled another Merrython Dec. 24, but yes same shows they always air.

Even though TV One is a cable channel geared toward African Americans, that doesn't mean that they have to be so SELECTIVE with the shows they put on their schedule. It's very strange that black sitcoms like The Jeffersons, Benson, Gimme a Break! and Diff'rent Strokes have not been added to TV One since day one of the network. And no that one day marathon of Gimme a Break! to promote the Season 1 DVD does not count! Why does it have to be only true black sitcoms like Good Times, 227, Roc, Eve, and Martin? I really hope this strange selection process of TV one shows changes in the future so TV fans can see sitcoms like Webster, CPO Sharkey, Getting By, and Anthony Anderson before he was in All About the Andersons in the sitcom Hang Time.

The new NBA season is in progress and when watching a NBA game on TNT you see the same commercials from last season. Why are NBA fans still watching all those Charles Barkley and Dwayne Wade commercials from last season? TNT has to know fans are sick of seeing Wade begging Barkley's to be in his T-Mobile Fave 5. Then you have that "3-2-1 and the crowd goes wild" commercial. That's the commercial with people pretending they are taking a last second shot before the buzzer sounds. Is it because Barkley is a TNT studio analyst that us fans have to continue seeing old cell phone commercials featuring Barkley? Seeing him in the studio at halftime and after the game is more than enough.

Agree or disagree with Solomon? Discuss it here.

DISCLAIMER: Remember, Solomon is not the voice of SitcomsOnline. He is just stating his opinions and does not reflect what SitcomsOnline says or thinks. It is just his 'View' but it is always quite entertaining.