Pop Culture Curmudgeon

Pop Culture Roundup, June 3

Not too much going on this week, as we are in the dead zone between the regular TV season and the summer season.

Which TV Cancellations Hurts the Most? My Choice: Better Off Ted
Yes, Ken, it did hurt to get the final word that we would no longer be visiting our Friends at Veridian Dynamics each week. But, I mean, you kinda had to see that one coming.

Why Is Charlie Sheen’s Career Scandal Proof?
Great question. It seems as if, even with the ever-lowering bar for celebrity behavior, that Charlie Sheen gets a pass on things that would have sent a normal actor into hiding.

Summer Diversions: The Returns of Royal Pains and Burn Notice
TV critic Mo Ryan talks about two fun summer shows that are premiering today.

Summer TV Premiere Dates
Want to know when your summer shows will start? This is an awesome guide.

Numb3rs Actress Diane Farr Heads to White Collar
White Collar is bringing on quite a few new ladies this season.

Win a Very Special Supernatural Gift Bag
Danielle Turchiano is giving away a bag of Supernatural goodies. Enter by tomorrow!

Top of the Pile: Supernatural “Rising Son”
I will admit that I am not much for Supernatural tie-ins. I was all about the Twin Peaks tie-ins, but since then, nothing has been that interesting to me. But I’ve got a review of the new SPN comic.

How Hollywood Is Destroying My Post-modern Love Affair with 80s Pop Culture
I agree wholeheartedly with Jeremy Robinson: Hollywood is taking everything I loved about my childhood and ruining it with their big budget, crap-fest remakes.

Apple TV a Hobby Because There Is No Market
Steve Jobs laments the lack of viable alternatives for television delivery.

Diversity in Television: Are We There Yet?
Sylvia Franklin gives a rundown on what she calls one of the most diverse fall TV seasons yet. When I was younger, I didn’t think diversity was a big issue. I mean, a funny show is a funny show, right? Skin color shouldn’t matter. But then I looked at my viewing habits, and it turns out that there is some comfort in seeing someone on-screen who is at least a close approximation of you. So, kudos to the networks for realizing that it’s not just white kids who watch TV. And, yes, I realize that the programming decisions are based solely on money, but kudos to the nets for realizing that bringing more types of people to your network can provide value to advertisers.

M.I.A. + Mad Men + Hot Pants = All-New Obsessions
These are the Answer B!tch’s new obsessions. What are yours?

That’s all.

Don’t forget to catch the season 2 premiere of Royal Pains tonight and, of course, to enter the giveaway for a copy of One Bloody Thing After Another by Joey Comeau.

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Pop Culture Roundup, May 27

ABC called the Lost finale the TV event of the decade, and the interwebs certainly support that assertion. I did strive to include stories about things other than Lost this week, though.

Lost Recaps/Reactions
Other TV Stories
Supernatural

Lost Recaps/Reactions

Let’s Talk Lost: The Series Finale
Viewer comments on the series finale. It seems like a lot of people think they all died in the plane crash. I think they all died at different times, as we saw in the show, then their spirits found each other in the sideways world. And, yes, that means I believe everything that happened on the island was real. I mean, Christian said something about how “now” doesn’t matter here and that some died before Jack and some died after. What do you think happened?

Lost: The End Finally Arrives in the Series Finale
Ryan’s last Zap2It recap. He shares his reactions more than a scene-by-scene recap of the episode, and his insights are always great fun to read. I will miss Ryan’s recaps almost as much as I miss the show. He reminds me of, well, me when I used to talk about Twin Peaks with my friends, both in person and online, about what we all thought the various details of the show meant. Ryan got to share his thoughts with a much wider group than I did back in 1990-91, though.

Lost: Behind the Numbers of a TV Phenomenon
A look at the economics of Lost and its ability to continue to draw viewers (and dollars) even through it highly serialized nature and increasing complexity.

‘Lost’ Exclusive: ABC Sets the Record Straight about the Series Finale’s Plane Crash Images
ABC, not the show creators, was responsible for the plane crash images at the end of Lost. They hold no meaning relevant to the finale.

Other TV Stories

SoapNet Will Go Dark to Make Way for Disney Junior
TV is our cigarettes. (Yes, I’m referring to the smoking toddler from Indonesia.) The last thing we need is more impetus for kids to sit in front of the TV more hours at a young age.

Interview: Chuck Co-creator Chris Fedak Post Mortems Season Three
What did you think of this past season of Chuck? Compare your opinions to Fedak’s.

Hilarie Burton Heads to White Collar
Finally, a former CW star who is moving in the right direction, unlike our other friends who have gone on to soap stardom, including Sheriff Lamb from Veronica Mars and a couple people from Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill.

Supernatural

Castiel & Bobby to Return in Supernatural Season Six, Plus Spoilers
It seems a little early for season 6 spoilers, but apparently here some are. Don’t click the link if, like me, you prefer to remain unspoiled.

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What Will You Be Watching This Summer?

Now that all of the shows I care about have aired their season finales, I’m ready to think about the summer shows.

Royal Pains
I enjoyed this show last summer, and I expect this seasons to give me more of the same: frothy fun and funny situations. And it starts June 3, which is only a few days away.

True Blood
True Blood will be back June 13, and I can’t wait.

You know I don’t like to be spoiled, so I’m not watching any promos or reading any episode guides, but if you like that sort of thing, check out this page and this one.

Rookie Blue
I like Missy Peregrym, so I’ll give this show a chance. I’m not a huge fan of cop shows, though, so it will take either a really great show or a really boring summer to keep me around. This one premieres June 24.

What Else?
Most of what I’ve seen is reality crap, so I’m thinking I’ll be watching a lot of reruns and DVDs this summer. I’m hoping they will play all of the Vampire Diaries so I can get caught up. I watched the first few episodes, but then I started watching Flash Forward instead. Probably not the wisest choice I’ve ever made, but you know how it is.

What shows will be lighting up your TV screen this summer?

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Pop Culture Roundup, May 13

Welcome to this week’s collection of fun pop culture stories.

TV Stories
Supernatural
Random Stuff

TV Stories

Lo Bosworth Talks about Reality of The Hills on Bonnie Hunt
This is an interesting look at what is actually real on reality TV.

GLAAD: Newsweek Articles Sends a Damaging Message
The flap over whether an openly gay actor can play straight heated up again this week with the publication of the essay “Straight Jacket.” Do you think an actor’s personal life affects your ability to suspend your disbelief? I think it does in most cases. If it doesn’t work, it’s a problem with their acting, not their personal life.

I still hold Harrison Ford in low esteem because of his comments that no one would believe Anne Heche as a straight woman when she was cast as his lead in Six Days, Seven Nights. I mean, people believe her when she plays someone who isn’t insane. (She did have a nervous breakdown. And it’s been long enough that it’s funny, right?)

Supernatural

Supernatural Episode Recap: Two Minutes to Midnight
Just in case you don’t remember what happened last week.

First Finale Look: Vampire Diaries and Supernatural
I can’t believe it is already the season finale tonight! Here’s a little preview of what is to come.

Swan Song Finale Clip
A clip from tonight’s episode.

Sneak Peek #2: Supernatural 5.22 “Swan Song”
And another.

Joe Schreiber Talks Supernatural, The Unholy Cause
Another piece on the newest SPN tie-in novel.

Exclusive Interview with Jim Beaver
Beaver talks about the reasons Supernatural has stuck around so long and his other projects.

Random Stuff

Goodbye, Sookie
When is it time to break up with a series? I’ve talked about this before, and I think it is perfectly okay to stop reading or watching a series when you realize it no longer brings you joy.

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Upfronts Preview: What Will the 2010-2011 TV Season Bring?

I love upfronts. I am always excited to see which shows will return in the coming year and what new shows the fall season will bring. I read upfront previews as soon as I get notification of their posting.

The major networks have their upfronts next week. So, check here and Twitter for info about the pickups and drops.

ABC: May 18. I’ll be looking for something to fill the midweek doldrums. I can’t keep watching 90210 forever, right? I’m also interested in how they replace Lost.
CBS: May 19. I’m only marginally interested in this, mainly because I don’t watch a lot of shows on CBS. Hubby is all about Hawaii Five-Oh remake, but I really only care if How I Met Your Mother will return.
CW: May 20. Will the CW replace it’s ailing scripted series with more reality crap? I hope not. I’d love to see them honor the W in their name and bring back the types of shows that made the WB awesome. Life Unexpected had that potential, but it hasn’t lived up to it so far. I’m not sure Nikita will be the show that will make me love the CW like I loved the WB.
Fox: May 17. Again, not really that interested. I watch Glee, but nothing else Fox offers appeals to me. Besides, if I like it, they’ll cancel it unceremoniously because it doesn’t live up to the ratings of American Idol. (I know this won’t happen for a long time, but I’d love to see them dump the long-past-its-prime karaoke competition.)
NBC: May 17. NBC is the network I care about. Will they bring back Chuck? It looks good (according to Ausiello), but I don’t want to assume the best and be shattered by the worst. Will they have anything else interesting to watch? Love Bites and Outsourced have potential, but I’m waiting to see more on them and the other pickups before I make my decisions about which shows to watch.

Of course, I’d also love to see the networks realize that sometimes shorter seasons mean better shows that people care about watching. I don’t think a six-episode season is quite enough, but 13 has proven to be good for the creative development of a show. Look at Glee. The first 13 episodes of the season were focused and interesting, even though the show had that stupid fake pregnancy storyline. I still enjoy the show, but the episodes after the first 13 have meandered a little and haven’t been as good.

And, here’s a good discussion of the actual purpose of the upfronts (to sell advertising) and the outlook for this year.

What are your hopes and dreams for the 2010-2011 TV season?

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Pop Culture Roundup, April 29

Welcome to this week’s collection of fun pop culture stories.

The Movie Biz
TV Happenings
Supernatural
Random Stuff

The Movie Biz

Fox to Remake Famed Schwarzenegger Pic
This news makes me want to die. I liked Commando as much as the next middle school girl whose dad was all about Arnie. But I don’t need to see a re-imagined version of it. Please, Hollywood, make new movies with new scripts, not just a bunch of remakes and rehashes of things we’ve seen 20 million times before. Perhaps then, number of ticket sales would increase along with the ticket prices and newer movies might really have a shot at being number one of all time. (Avatar is only number one if you don’t adjust for inflation. Gone with the Wind is number one.)

TV Stories

Television Review: Happy Town
Did you watch Happy Town last night? I have not watched it yet, because I was just way too tired to start a brand-new show at 10pm. My dog woke me up at 4am Tuesday and Wednesday, and I didn’t go back to sleep either morning, so I was wiped out last night. I will give it a shot, though, perhaps this weekend after I catch up with the pre-empted episode of Chuck. (Yay for the Blazers in the playoffs. Boo for pre-empting Chuck. I will be at the game tonight, thanks to the generosity of my husband’s workplace, cheering on Portland’s only major sporting team.)

Avatar: Are We Ready for a New Dimension in Television?
Are you ready for 3-D TV? I’m not, but Mr. Pop Culture Curmudgeon, with his rampant need to buy the latest and greatest, can’t wait until I allow him to buy a snazzy new TV.

The Future of VJs
Deborah Potter looks at the current and future changes in the television news genre.

SyFy’s New Drama Haven Premieres in July
Stephen King’s name gives this show a little street cred. Will you give it a shot to enter your summer rotation?

Supernatural

Supernatural: Hammer of the Gods
Another great episode review from Sylvia Bond at Pink Ray Gun. Did you like the episode? Did you recognize all of the gods in the episode? Did you understand the significance of the ones they chose to include in the little confab?

Mark Sheppard Returns to Supernatural: First Looks
Crowley is back tonight, to help the boys? Ulterior motive? Or does he really want the boys to win?

Second Webclip: Episode 20, the Devil You Know
A little clip from tonight’s eppy to whet your appetite.

Book Review: Supernatural, The Unholy Cause
Sometimes, I feel like a bad fan because I’ve never read one of the SPN tie-in books. Do you read them? Will you read them after the show is over?

A Show that Caters to Supernatural Fans Who Miss Ellen and Jo Harvelle
Ma’s Roadhouse is coming to truTV, and this blogger thinks it looks a little like our Roadhouse. Did you actually miss the Roadhouse when it was destroyed? I didn’t, although I was a big fan of Ellen’s character.

Random Stuff

Dyspeptic Ouroboros: Alyssa Rosenberg on Pop Culture and Criticism
An interesting look at the sometimes confusing world of assessing our pop culture preferences.

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TV Stories

How American Idol Lost to Dancing with the Stars
I don’t watch either of these shows, so I have no feelings whatsoever about either American Idol or Dancing with the Stars losing their supremacy, unless of course it is to a fabulous scripted show that I love. But, I appreciate another television fan waxing poetic about a beloved show.

How the iPad Could Change How We Watch TV
Are you ready to start watching TV on the iPad? I’m not. I’m still all about the big screens, not the tiny screen sitting on my lap.

Supernatural

The Secret of the Island Treasure
Demian’s recaps are always the best.

TV Review: Supernatural Point of No Return
Alice Jester’s review at Blog Critics. She liked the 100th installment in our little show. (For what it’s worth, I did, too.)

Supernatural Episode 19 Releases the Hammer of the Gods
A trailer and description of tonight’s episode.

Supernatural’s Devilish Evolution
A nice look at Supernatural’s evolution over these five seasons, from Variety magazine.

Random Stuff

Can We Stop Celebrifying Mistresses?
Jennifer Armstrong is a woman after my own heart. Yes, please, let’s stop paying cash money to these women.

The 7 Most Influential Women in Pop Culture
I am not sure I agree with all seven of the choices here, but I enjoy the celebration of women and their effects on popular culture. Which women do you think have been the most influential?

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Pop Culture Roundup, April 15

TV Stories
Supernatural
Web Stuff

TV Stories

Juliana Margulies in W: Television Celebrates Women
Former ER and current The Good Wife star Juliana Margulies has a nice photo spread in this month’s issue of W magazine, and she has a nice quote about why she loves working in television.

Coco’s TBS Move: It’s the Future of Television
Matthew Greenberg gives his thoughts on Conan O’Brien’s move to cable and what the future will bring for television. Looks like niche programming is the wave of the future, the question I discussed on Tuesday.

Special Focus on Glee
Does Madonna love or hate Glee? I think it is interesting that U.S. sources say she loves it, and foreign sources say she hates it. And, how much did we all love Sue Sylvester’s “Vogue”?

Supernatural

TV Review: Supernatural: 99 Problems
Alice Jester shares her reaction to last week’s episode.

Supernatural Has 99 Problems, But a Priest Ain’t One of Them
Another recap/review of last week’s episode, this one Jessica at Small Screen Scoop.

Sam Winchester Is Taking No Prisoners
Some photos from tonight’s episode. It looks fun, but I might be biased. I look forward to every episode.

Advance Review of Supernatural 100th Episode, S5.18 Point of No Return
MR Reed offers an advance review of tonight’s episode. In my desire to remain unspoiled, I haven’t read it, but I’m offering it to those of you who like a little advance taste.

Supernatural Actor’s See the Big Picture
Jensen and Jared share their thoughts on the show and their plans for the future. I hope they work on good projects in the future, instead of getting stuck in the genre junkyard just to keep working. More people need to appreciate their acting abilities.

Supernatural Breaks Down the Fourth Wall
A nice look at Supernatural’s relationship with its fans by Alice Jester.

Supernatural: Ghost Facers Get Their Own Series, Obama Approved?
A little piece on the new web series about the Ghost Facers.

Web Stuff

Kevin Pollack’s “Vamped Out” Follows the Hollywood Struggles of a True Bloodsucker
Are you looking for a new take on vampires that throws out some of the conventions without adding sparkly skin? This web show might be just your cup of tea.

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Are the Networks Still Relevant?

Conan is moving to cable.

Oprah is moving to cable.

The award show nominations are dominated by cable shows.

According to a 2008 report, nearly 90% of households with televisions subscribe to either cable or satellite television.

Do the big networks matter anymore?

I’m not sure. American Idol can sell records for the right winner. Shows such as Lost can spawn discussion and create a shared cultural language. Dancing with the Stars can dominate the entertainment news.

But in these days of media fragmentation, are these just exceptions that remind us of what network television used to be? Are the days of shared pop culture references over? Will we only be able to chat about television with the people who share our tastes, rather than using television to bridge gaps?

One of the things I enjoy about my husband is that even though we grew up in vastly different parts of the country and are of different ethnic backgrounds, we share childhood television memories, from Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote to The Wonder Years and Family Ties. It makes me sad to think that people won’t have a shared popular culture like that if we move to fragmented cable audiences rather than varied network audiences.

But, I do think that is where we are headed. The question for me is how long it will take.

What do you think? Do you still see the power of the big 4 networks? Do you think they will remain powerful for a long time? Or, are we headed to even greater fragmentation and the end of free, over-the-air television?

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I Hate the Olympics

I can’t stand the Olympics or any other sporting event that interferes with my television viewing. I miss Chuck, Supernatural, and my other favorite shows, and I want the Olympics to just end already!

I used to believe that all sporting events belonged on ESPN, where they didn’t cause preemptions of what I like to call real TV. Now I understand that some people don’t want to pay for cable but might also be sports fans. Why can’t we have a special ad-supported, free broadcast network to show only those sporting events?

Or, my real dream: true on-demand programming delivered to my television from the Internet.

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